Part 4 (1)

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A mild earthquake occured suddenly...

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An electrical short circuit happened consequently in the underground.

Sparks popped up from the old electronic bulb hung on the ceiling, making the already weak light to blink.

The squad of imperial sentinels and the inmates were silenced by the unexpected vibration of the soil and they all looked awestruck.

Just a few minutes later, an even more powerful earthquake occurred and debris from the underground's concrete walls crumbled on them as they crouched down, hands on their heads, to protect themselves from serious harm.

The light went totally off this time around, plunging the place into complete darkness and a cloud of dust made the squad of imperial guards and the prisoners cough continuously.

Uff uff uff uff uff uff uff uff uff uff

"Suuu…zie…uff…uff." Uncle Bibi painfully expressed himself while coughing and trying to get back on his feet.

"I am…uff…uff..over…here, uncle Bibi," the young maiden Suzie replied with difficulty as she stood up and inhaled the dusty air into her lungs too.

"Let's…uff…uff…get out of here!" Babida the lumberjack said to his companions of misfortune as he rose and breathed in the fumes of the polluted air.

"You are uff…uff…going nowhere," an indistinct voice of an imperial guard objected while holding his throat with his right hand and extending his left hand to bar the way to the stairs.

The servant of the imperial forces displayed an unwavering determination to maintain captive the disgraced hero and his saviors despite the chaotic situation.

"Guards, don't let…uff…uff…these three malefactors escape!" He dolorously ordered.

"Understood…uff…uff…my Capo…" A guard on behalf of the squad answered with his throat obstructed by dust.

However, he couldn't finish his sentence and was interrupted by the brouhaha of a sudden vast movement of panic that stemmed from the headquarters' hall above accompanied by horrified screams.

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"Bats, bats, bats!" Imperial sentinels in the hall shouted repeatedly while running hysterically in all directions.

"What? A bats' attack?" Babida the lumberjack exclaimed.

"Oh no!" The young Miss Suzie reacted, jumping backward in fright.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaaaa

The imperial soldiers upstairs cried out in ache as they were mortally bitten by a swarm of angry bats.

Then a pack of five overexcited black bats collided with the now damaged underground door which had been kicked off a while ago by an imperial warrior.

The wild flying mammals were stunned by the impact and fell hard on the floor. Yet, these critters were incredibly robust. In no time, they recovered and began to slowly crawl on the walls while emitting unfriendly sounds. Only their yellow wicked eyes were visible in the obscurity of the cave.

"Where are…uff…uff…these…creepy bugs…uff…uff…coming from?" A guard roughly uttered while freaking out and stepping backward.

"From…uff…uff…certainly the forbidden mountain," Uncle Bibi mumbled with his pharynx still being hampered by dust.

"Of course, where else? They can only come from that cursed hill. Their master Edimo, the god of destruction, for a reason yet to find out, has for sure purposely provoked the earth strike leading to the dislocation of the wild flying mammals' cave and sent them on a hunt for human flesh," Babida the lumberjack asserted.

"Someone give me a wooden stick! It's time to send these little parasites back to where they belong. And it's hell!" The logger requested, his tone filled with gravity.

"Take mine, Babida!" An imperial guard responded while handing over a wooden wand to him.

In the meantime, the devilish bats continued their sluggish walk on the walls while staring viciously at their prey in the darkness, their favorite environment.

Babida the lumberjack stretched his right arm, grabbed the wooden stick from the imperial sentinel, and lifted it into the air.

He then closed his eyes and commenced murmuring unintelligible incantations to the ancestors. Just a few seconds went by and he was done praying.

The logger opened his irises and declared loudly and emphatically: "Weah, god of fire, I implore you to consume this stick with your most ardent flames and I shall fulfill my promise to you."

The cane caught fire with vivid flames and the underground was thus abundantly illuminated.

The bats that were now gathered overhead on the ceiling went mad at the sight of the burning glow and generated terrifying howls.

An imperial sentinel took his bow and shot an arrow at one of them, however, he missed his target since his hands were shaky.

The lucky bat counterattacked and showed better accuracy. It flew down at a rapid speed, its fangs forward, and dug a nasty hole in the skull of the archer. The latter bled badly before dropping dead.

"Oh Loba, God of the gods!" The young maiden Suzie screamed, for she was completely freaked out.

The villain mammal rushed to the back of the underground to gain momentum and was about to strike a second time. It had its wings wide open and its gaze on the young Miss Suzie but Babida the lumberjack stood in its way and swept the air with the livid flames.

The merciless bat was dissuaded and went back to the ceiling where its peers stayed wisely glued, intimidated by the heat of the fire.

"Fellow warriors, My Commander, young maiden, go all inside the cell and lock yourselves up! Leave me alone with these creatures of death!" The woodsman advised.

"Are you…?" Uncle Bibi tried to reply to the logger but the latter cut him short.

"Yes, I am sure My Commander!" The imperial hero stated with great confidence.

"Guards, do as he says and retreat inside the cell!" An imperial sentinel commanded the other imperial guards.

"Yes, My Caporal!" The squad voiced in unison to their superior.

The young maiden Suzie moved in first to the cell, hopping over the lying body of the imperial guard that had been knocked out by her uncle before their failed attempt to free the lumberjack.

Two imperial sentinels carried in the unconscious comrade and laid him on the bed to unencumber the cell's entrance.

The Caporal and his men penetrated the bunker as well, followed by uncle Bibi who on his way to the shelter gently tapped the woodsman's right shoulder as a manner to wish him victory in his upcoming life-or-death match.

Suzie's uncle unhurriedly pulled back the cell's door as if he was expecting the logger to change his mind, yet, the imperial hero didn't pay attention to him and kept his focus on the savage bats.

Not seeing any hesitation from the former recipient of the medal of the highest honor and merit for the beheading of the Monster of the forbidden mountain over a decade ago, uncle Bibi finally shut down the cell's entry. The moment that Babida the lumberjack had been waiting for.

"Now, let's fight ominous species!" He said fiercely before blowing on the torch to switch off the fire.