Chapter 79: Escape

Hiesno.PoV

[Earlier]

"Ready?" I asked, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through me.

"Ready," Arare replied, his eyes determined. He held his hand toward Lia and smiled. "Let's dance, Titanos."

Lia scoffed. "You're a flirt, aren't you? How annoying." She lurched at my brother who blocked her kick and stepped back.

Meanwhile, I brandished my hidden short sword and blocked the two guards.

Lia gritted her teeth. "I should've taken those weapons from you."

Arare smiled. "Guess that means you did trust us a little."

She huffed. "It was misguided!" She snapped her fingers. Suddenly, a weird-looking boar-like creature rushed into the room and body slammed my brother, sending him flying into a stack of papers.

Lia hugged her boar. "Nice one, Boargy!"

Arare smirked as he rubbed his side. "Ugh, that little boar sure packs a punch for such a tiny guy."

Lia's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Boargy isn't just any boar. He's a special little boar I met in my home world, Tegoria. You don't stand a chance."

Tegoria? Then she wasn't from Titanos, but from another planet in Soleon? No wonder she gave the possibility of us actually wishing to join some weight.

I dodged a swing from one of the guards and countered with a quick slice to his leg, causing him to stagger. "Arare, focus! We need to hold out until the extraction team arrives."

Arare nodded, pushing himself to his feet. "Got it. Let's give them a show, shall we?"

Boargy snorted and charged at Arare again, but this time my brother was ready. He sidestepped the boar's attack and delivered a powerful kick to its side, sending it skidding across the floor.

Lia's eyes widened in surprise. "Boargy, get up!"

The boar struggled to its feet, clearly dazed. Arare took the opportunity to close the distance between him and Lia. "Your pet's tough, but it's not invincible."

Lia's expression hardened. "Neither are you."

She lunged at Arare with a swift series of punches and kicks, her movements precise and deadly. Arare parried her attacks, his focus unwavering. They were evenly matched, each looking for an opening to gain the upper hand.

Meanwhile, I continued to fend off the guards. One of them managed to get a lucky hit on my shoulder, but I gritted my teeth and pressed on. We couldn't afford to lose here.

As the fight raged on, a sudden burst of static came through the console. A voice crackled through the speakers. "Arare, Hiesno, this is Varia. We've received your distress signal. Hold on, we're coming to get you."

Relief flooded through me, but we still had to survive until they arrived. "Arare, reinforcements are on their way. We just need to hold out a little longer."

Arare glanced at me, a determined glint in his eyes. "Understood."

Lia noticed the shift in our demeanor and scowled. "Reinforcements? Not if I can help it."

She pressed a button on her wrist device, and the room's alarms blared to life. Red emergency lights flashed, casting an ominous glow over the chamber.

"Great, now the whole base knows we're here," I muttered, taking down another guard with a well-placed strike.

Arare and Lia continued their intense duel, their movements a blur of speed and precision. Boargy, recovering from the earlier hit, charged at me this time, its eyes glowing with a menacing red light.

I dodged the boar's charge and swung my sword in a wide arc, grazing its side. Boargy let out a pained squeal but didn't slow down. It was relentless. Much to my surprise, its side regenerated. That pig wasn't normal...

"Come on, you little beast," I muttered, preparing for its next attack.

Suddenly, the room shook with a violent tremor. The walls cracked, and debris rained down from the ceiling. The alarms blared even louder, and the base's automated voice announced, "Lieutenant Tira is currently engaged in battle in Section E. All personnel are to proceed with caution. Intruders in Section D currently engaged in battle as well."

No wonder why Varia and the others were taking their time. They were all busy with their own battles.

"Seems there's no help coming for us," I said, taking a deep breath as cold air flowed from my mouth.

Lia smirked as she pointed her gun at us. "That's right, Edesian rebels. You should've joined us for real. Luckily, I am the merciful type. Surrender now, and you may live."

I glanced at my brother, hoping he had another bluff up his sleeve. One that would actually help us out of this situation.

Arare's eyes met mine, a flicker of determination in his gaze. He slowly raised his hands, not in surrender but in a gesture of calm. "Alright, Lia. We surrender," he said, his voice steady.

Lia's smirk widened. "Smart choice. Boargy, watch them."

The boar snorted and kept its menacing eyes on us. Lia gestured for the guards to secure our weapons. As they approached, I couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt. Was this really Arare's plan?

As the guards reached for our weapons, Arare suddenly moved with lightning speed. He grabbed the nearest guard's wrist, twisting it to disarm him, and used the guard's own weapon to knock him out. In the same fluid motion, he kicked the second guard in the knee, sending him to the ground.

Lia's eyes widened in shock as she raised her gun to fire. But I was already in motion. I lunged at her, knocking the weapon out of her hand and pinning her against the wall. "You're not getting away that easily," I growled.

Boargy let out a furious squeal and charged at me, but Arare intercepted it, tackling the boar to the ground. "Sorry, Lia, but we're not surrendering today," he said through gritted teeth as he struggled to keep Boargy pinned.

Lia's expression twisted in anger. "You fools! You think you can win against Titanos?"

"We have no choice," I replied, pressing her harder against the wall. "Now, call off your boar."

She glared at me but reluctantly whistled. Boargy stopped struggling and backed away, its eyes still glowing with anger.

Arare got to his feet, his eyes never leaving Lia. "We're not here to cause unnecessary bloodshed. We just want to get out of here."

Lia's gaze flicked between us, her mind clearly racing. "You're not going anywhere. This base is a fortress. Even if you manage to escape this room, you'll be caught before you reach the exit."

"Then we'll just have to take our chances," Arare said, his voice resolute. "Hiesno, let's move."

We grabbed our weapons and made our way to the door, keeping a wary eye on Lia and Boargy. Just as we were about to step out, Lia spoke up.

"Wait," she said, her tone softer. "If you let me go, I'll help you escape."

Arare and I exchanged a quick glance. It could be a trap, but we were running out of options. "Why would you help us?" I asked, suspicion clear in my voice.

Lia sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Because I don't want to see any more senseless fighting. And... because you spared Boargy. Most would have killed him on sight."

Arare's eyes softened slightly. "Alright, Lia. We'll trust you. But if you double-cross us, there won't be a second chance."

She nodded, her expression serious. "I understand. Follow me."

With Lia leading the way and Boargy at her side, we navigated the labyrinthine corridors of the Titanos base. The alarms were still blaring, and we could hear the distant sounds of fighting, but Lia seemed to know the paths that would keep us out of sight.

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a hidden maintenance tunnel. "This leads to a secondary exit," Lia explained. "It should be unguarded, but you'll need to move quickly."

"Thank you, Lia," Arare said, his voice sincere. "We won't forget this."

Lia gave a small, sad smile. "Just promise me one thing. If you ever get the chance, end this war. So that others don't have to go through what we did."

I nodded. "We will." Although, I wanted to ask her why she joined Titanos in the first place. Was it her only option?

With that, we entered the maintenance tunnel, moving swiftly but cautiously. The tunnel was narrow and dark, but it was our best chance at escape.

As we neared the exit, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. We were almost there. Just a little further.

Suddenly, the building began to tremble.

"A quake? It's probably a battle," I muttered. "We better hurry," my brother said.

I nodded.

Finally, we reached the end of the tunnel. A heavy metal door stood before us, but it was unlocked. We pushed it open and stepped out into the cool night air.

For a moment, we stood there, breathing in the freedom.

I looked around to make sure there weren't enemies in hiding. Lia could've easily tricked us for all we knew.

"We made it," Arare said, a relieved smile on his face.

"Yeah," I replied, my own smile forming. The coast was clear. "But this is just the beginning. We still have a lot of work to do. We need to regroup and plan our next move. The others are still trapped in there."

Arare nodded and sighed. "Although, I can't help but think of Lia and Boargy. In another world, another time, we might have been allies."

I nodded. "But for now, we're enemies caught in a war neither of us want."

He sighed. "Yeah." He put a hand on his chest and looked up at the sky. "It felt like I was fighting an old friend."

I sighed. For as manipulative and cunning as he could be at times, Arare was a child at heart. He didn't wish to fight, but he knew he had to. We all did.