Chapter 8: Operation Rescue

I slowly opened my eyes, and what greeted me was a blurry sight. After regaining my vision, I turned my head around the room I was in… or more like a cell. Parts of the walls decayed, and the floor was wet and filled with rubbish. There's a sleeping mat beside me but one can tell that it's unusable anymore. The iron bars started to become rusty as well.

Then, I heard footsteps coming towards me, as the metals clanged along with each step. I peeked between the bars. A familiar redhead knight wearing armor showed up on the other side.

"You are…" I said, as I finally recognized them.

"My name is Alfred Cenburd." He introduced with his same voice as before. His stare still sent chills down into my spine. Every time I see him, there's something dangerous about him. "I'm here to check on you."

"If you're planning something, please stop it." I tried to reach out, hoping he would listen, even though I doubt that he will. "You know that all of this isn't right."

"Aren't right, huh?" He muttered.

After that, he just gave me a deadly glare, which made my heart skipped a beat. "It doesn't matter if not. As long as it benefits me, I can let it flow."

With that, he immediately left, leaving me behind alone. I don't know what it is, but that man is hiding something.

***

"Why am I doing this?" Dalary muttered, complaining about the things she was about to do, as she sat down on her horse's back along with her wagon. "Stupid Arcsons."

She continued to stare at the tall gate which filled with several knights whose armors shone under the moonlight. After looking at them enough, she sighed and approached the gate.

As she traveled towards them, the knights immediately blocked her way with their long spear. She startled because of this and stopped in her tracks.

"You can't pass without any permission, Ma'am." One of the knights said, giving her a serious glance. She gulped. She knew she had no chance at them, but not all can be defeated through brawn.

"B-But… I was told to bring potatoes here. My friend told me from inside." She said, pointing the other side of the gate, inside the castle. The knights looked at it for a while and turned back to see her.

"You must have a proper appointment form to come in." One said while he raised his eyebrow.

"What?! But it's the truth! He told me to bring potatoes to the castle!" Dalary yelled, trying to gain all of their attention. "Listen, you all ungrateful children! I'm years older than any of you, so you all must pay respect to an elder!"

The knight sighed as she was trying to argue at him. He just gave her tired eyes.

"But you're a tendrin."

"It doesn't matter!" She shouted once more, started grabbing potatoes from one of the baskets in her wagon. Then, she dropped from her horse, marching towards the knights' direction. "An elder is an elder! Now, let me get inside!"

"M-Ma'am, you can't go in!" He cried while she approached the gate, which means breaking the rules. He rushed towards her side, trying to stop her from walking through. "Please stop!"

"I'll show you how wrong you all are!" She said, resisting the hands that had been stopping her. She turned around and glared at him. "I'm going to call my friend, so don't stop me!"

"I told you! You can't get in!"

Because of this commotion, all the knights that have been guarding the gates started to stop her. They all tried to push her away from the gate as she's still fighting back.

Meanwhile, blend in the darkness, he took this opportunity to walk through the gates, as everyone around him was busy resolving Dalary's problem. His every step cannot be heard, as he tried to sneak through the shack where the knights were once hanging out.

After a long time of sweats and heartbeats, he finally made it to the other side of the gate, where the stone cemented floor greeted him in his path. He turned his head around as he hasn't seen such a gigantic and majestic building before. He had been living like a peasant, so no one would've expected him to be inside a castle.

Finished getting astonished, he started looking for a way inside the walls in front of him. While he stared, something bumped in his feet, causing him to look down.

He found a small black mouse, looking at him with a tilted head. He kneeled down, trying to look closer at the animal.

"I've never wanted to team up with you." He said. "But I have to rescue Meria… so show me the way."

The mouse listened as it was being told by its master, and started running further away from him. He followed and ran away to the castle.

***

I've been staring at the decaying walls of the cell for a couple of hours, didn't know what I should do. I've always wanted to get out of here. There's nothing else to do here since they also took my shoulder bag with them, which where all of my entertainments are.

I started to think of a plan on how to get out, but I don't know if I'm strong or smart enough to escape. I'm scared that I'll be caught again and will bring me to a worse prison.

While I was just crawling, hugging my knees closer to me, suddenly, I heard a squeak coming from outside. Curious about that sound, I took a peek on the other side of the iron bars.

In a distance, a group of mice is marching on the floor, carrying something with all of their brute force together. I've stared at the object that they were carrying until I finally recognized what it is.

"What…?" I exclaimed as they crawled towards my cell room, trying to fit the object in between the iron bars. I helped them, so I pulled it on the inside with great force, until it finally let go, causing me to be pushed away because of the force.

I can't be wrong. It was my bag.

I opened it, filled with joy to see it back in my hands. My books, work passes, and other stuff are still there. I sighed in relief as they didn't take any of the things.

I turned around to look at the mice that brought my bag. It's weird that they have the intelligence to bring it to me, and it's also weird that they will deliver it to me like they already know me. But…

There's someone I know that could do that. If I'm not mistaken, she might have some plans up her sleeve.

"Are you from Dalary?" I asked them, but neither of them answered and just give a long time of silence. Of course, they couldn't understand me. I'm not linguistic so I don't speak the animal language unless I'm a tendrin.

After the silence, they finally left the cell and crawled into the small holes and corners of the room, never answering my question.

"Wait. Come back." I tried to stop them but to no avail. Silence is back once more inside the room, with no one to talk to.

Giving up, I just opened my bag and looked for entertainment, since I'm stuck in this cell for a very long time. I grabbed one of my spare books, with thick pages and sharp pointy edges that could injure someone. This could even be used as a weapon if I can do it correctly…

Wait. That's it. I can use it as a weapon. If I can execute this properly, I could get out of this thing. But… I don't know if it will work out. I'm scared to try it out. What if I failed at what I'm doing? If they caught me, I might be brought to a worse cell than this.

As I was about to lose hope and abort the plan, I saw a golden light shining out of my bag. The range of the light wasn't that far, so it doesn't catch the attention of the knights that have been guarding me. Out of curiosity, I approached my bag and grabbed the glowing object.

It was the necklace Farin gave me earlier. The gold medal in the middle was shining like something triggered it to do this kind of thing. I inspected it and when I went through the back of the necklace, the markings are shining more than the medal itself. It's like it was a laser.

But what's more surprising is there are more markings being carved. I don't know how that works but I'm pretty sure that I didn't read the new phrase before. Again, I didn't have a choice but to read. Like before, the phrase started to make meaning.

"And the ocean forbids you to journey…?" I muttered the words at a slow pace.

But somehow, the light feels warm and sweet, giving me something that I didn't ask for, something that I've been longing to have, but I never requested anyone for it, until I feel it with the light. I clenched the necklace and put it inside my chest. After a long silence of satisfaction, I sighed in a great mood.

That's right. If I'll be scared right now, I can't do anything to change my life. I have to risk this chance, even this once. There's no one to save me right now, so I'll have to do this all by myself.