Hidden Trigger

The book barely mentioned the slave camp, just a couple of passing references.

But during the kingdom's siege, there were tons of hidden Abyssian troops trying to act as back up and storm the palace.

"Too bad they got slaughtered by the hero and his soldiers," Ron thought to himself.

"Well maybe they're waiting for the perfect opportunity," he mused. "Or maybe they're just scouring the land for the pieces of that ancient rune."

Ancient rune, the one the Dark Lord made using Black Ethereum which is the most powerful source of Essence from the cursed mines, it was supposed to be used to summon the Demon King. But the hero stopped him in his tracks a later a High Dwarf split the rune into four parts.

Each piece was guarded fiercely, by a bunch of badass mages and swordsmen.

"Now both continents are at odds because of what happened in the past," Ron remembered.

The folks on Abyssia had plenty of dark magic to spare, but they were too chicken to fight all-out war on Aeris head-on. Instead, they resorted to sneaky and underhanded stuff.

And the rune was their ace in the hole, their ultimate weapon to use against Aeris.

But they had no idea about the Dark Heart, left by the dark lord to make himself stronger.

"Gotta get that before those Umbra fiends do," thought Ron to himself.

"Okay, first things first," Ron muttered. "I gotta escape this joint and find Raze."

Raze was the boss of the southern troops, and Ron didn't know what he looked like. But he vaguely recalled a white beard and a scar on his cheek, and maybe a tattoo on his arm.

After residing in the mining camp for eight long years, Ron was well aware that none of the workers had a tattoo on their arms, leaving him uncertain about how he would identify Raze.

"Well, ain't no one got a tattoo on their arm, that's for sure".

Ron's mind was suddenly hit with a realization that left him dumbfounded. "Wait a minute," he thought to himself, "what if Raze isn't actually a slave, but one of the guards?"

"This could explain how they managed to evade detection and remain hidden," Ron thought to himself.

The more he considered this new theory, the more sense it made. If Raze was indeed a guard, he and his comrades could have access to resources that slaves didn't, like weapons, maps, and communication devices.

"So now I gotta keep an eye on both those soldiers and mages,"

.

Next day Ron asked Bob to help him with something, Bob was sitting on top of a raised platform on the ground, observing with his binoculars.

While Ron was on the ground, he kept a close eye on his surroundings while mining.

They switched back and forth between mining and observing, with one keeping watch while the other mined.

"Yo, we haven't even had brekkie yet and my stomach's rumbling like a monster truck," said Bob.

Ron didn't say anything.

"Come on, spill the beans. Why am I up so early? I haven't even brushed my teeth or taken a dump yet".

"You can shit later; I'll tell you why when you find the guy with tattoo on his arm".

"Yo, so what's in it for me?" asked Bob.

"Freedom" said Ron.

"Hahaha, we're stuck here for life, man," Bob said with a mix of cheerfulness and sadness.

Days passed, and both of them found themselves doing the same thing every day.

It's freaking hard to check out the arms of the guards with the gloves and gauntlets they wear.

But today was training day, so everyone had to take off their Armor for practice.

"Yo Ron, check it out! I found the tattooed dude!" exclaimed Bob with excitement.

"Where?" said Ron dropping the pickaxe grabbing the binoculars from his hands.

"The guy in the front and middle of the two soldiers, and all the other guys are kneeling down," Bob continued, pointing with his finger.

"I hate to break it to you, buddy it's just a little thing called a push-up. Maybe you should try one sometime" replied Ron with mock.

Looking through the binoculars Ron was startled.

"Fuck, he is the captain of the guard too".

It was a surprise to Ron to discover that the man with the tattoo was not just a guard, but also a captain, which explained why he had been so well hidden.

"Well now, I'm pretty sure, if I could break a deal with him, I can escape".

During the night Ron quietly slipped out of his room in the middle of the night and began to make his way towards Raze's location.

He knew many a small gap between two walls that he could squeeze through because he was small. He deftly slipped through narrow gaps between buildings and made his way towards the soldier's quarter.

Along the way, he made use of any available cover, ducking behind barrels and crates, and staying low to the ground to avoid being seen.

Due to the presence of various workers who were active overnight, Ron found it easier to move outside unnoticed due to the commotion and noise.

Finally, he arrived at the soldier's quarter and saw Raze sitting at a table, poring over some papers and documents.

"Stop moving," a voice came from behind Ron, and he felt a sharp blade pressed against his throat.

"Aha! What do we have here?" the soldier exclaimed, pulling Ron into the room by his collar.

Raze looked up from his documents and frowned. "What is the meaning of this, soldier? Who is this kid?".

"I caught him sneaking around outside your quarters, spying on us," the soldier said, pushing Ron towards Raze.

Raze looked at Ron with surprise and confusion. "What were you doing sneaking around outside my room?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

"I didn't want to attract attention. I just needed to talk to you about something important," Ron explained, hoping to convince Raze of his sincerity.

Didnt you kn

"Let's see what you have to say," said Raze, dismissing the soldier with a wave of his hand.

After the soldier had left, Ron's heart was pounding as he summoned the courage to speak. "The Black Hand", he whispered, his voice barely above a breath.

Suddenly, Ron felt as if his lungs were being crushed. Raze's intense gaze and killing intent made him feel as though he was about to die.

Razr stood up from his chair and walked towards Ron with his eyes bore into him, and Ron could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical force.

Raze stopped in front of Ron, and for a moment, there was only silence between them.

"How do you know that name?"

Ron knew that his answer could determine whether he lived or died.