Side Plan II

I find a little crack in the mountain and use it to descend without being noticed.

There probably used to be a small waterfall here, which got deviated by the enemy's army to make room for their base in the lake's bed.

Descending is indeed more difficult... I slip a few times but fortunately never fall, well at least not completely.

I finally reach the bottom and sneak out of the crack covering me, to hide behind a pile of wooden boxes.

I push one a bit to the side to peek in between two boxes...

On the other side I see the entrance to the underside of the bade. It is heavely guarded, contrary to what I thought, and that is going to be a problem now.

I pass behind a few tends trying to reach a wooden structure.

As I try to dash to the next tend, I spot two men coming towsrd my direction and backwalk waiting for a better timing.

-Those soldiers are so weird to be honest-

-Yeah I thought so too, but I don't really complain... The Lord's men are the ones going to war and not us fortunately haha-

-That's true! We just need to guard this place and follow the King's orders-

-Yeah and have you heard ab...-

They are now enough far away for me to pass, so I sneak behind another tend and finally reach the bigger building.

"If I burn this one it will take a while to put it down, in the meantime I should have already ruined everything underneath"

I concentrate and try to do what I always do... Search for my anger. And soon after a whole plank begin burning, the flames slowly expanding...

I try to push it as much as I can until I am satisfied enough.

"Now it should be able to burn the whole building on its own" And I run away headed to the sides of the camp before turning to the cave's entrace

-What's that...?-

-It's smoke!-

-Something's burning!-

-What!?-

-We need more help! Bring water!-

Yells someone more far away

Soon after I reach the entrance, there's still 2 men guarding the enteace "Damn"

I stand back, thinking to a solution, as a servant runs toward them -Help help! Someone is stuck under the building, we need more men!-

-But who's gonna guard here...?-

-There's a war down this mountain, nobody will attack us now! Come help!- and the servant runs away with a bucket in hand

-But the prisoner...! Ah... He's gone-

"So there is a prisoner afterall... This changes my plan!"

-Nevermind him, he's too weak now to try anything... Let's solve this quickly before word spread-

And so they run away, leaving the access free forme to dash inside...

There are a few small corridors, carved in the rock, and a few torches here and there to barely enlight the path... Right at the beginning I find a some kind of storage with approximately built shelves and tons of weapons, shields and armors placed on top of those...

I enter one of the corridors and walk as fast and silently as possible, since every sound echoes inside here.

-Ehy you! Come help! There's a fire in the Mister's office!- a voice comes from ahead

-What?! We got attacked?-

-Doesn't seems like it, but let's just go help exringuish the fire for now-

"Are they coming this way...?"

-Sure... Let me just go call Khang, he's in the cave-

-Oh I'm coming too, I was on my way to grab some water anyway-

Their voices seems to fade away... Maybe the said cave is at the end of the tunnel?

I keep on walking until I see a an opening...

At the centre there's an old building, completely destroyed and falling apart, with some pieces of ore scattered on the ground along a little pound where water drops slowly from the stone ceiling. There one of the men is kneeled down, filling a few buckets to take back on the surface...

So this means the other one man is inside the structure.

"I can start my job from that"

I approach the side of that building... The wall is full of holes due to the demage from the years of inactivity

-Are you done here? We need help outside-

-Yeah, but he refused to eat again... I think he is letting himself die- there's the sound of a lock clicking

-Who cares, keep that meal we can share it later... We definitely need it more than him-

-But the Master said...-

-Nevermind that idiot Tz! We don't need this dude to win a war when we have our own King, now let's go!-

-Yeah sure!-

I hear their steps rushing outside and hide myself more behind the building, waiting for the men to leave the cave before sneaking in

"If said prisoner is here, I suppose I must free him first and then burn it all..."

Inside there's a blocked door, I kick it a few times until it falls down completely rotten.

Behind I find a man on his knees, chained to the wall from behind

-Ehy...? You there...!-

The man barely manage to rise his head -Just... Kill... Me...- his voice is dry, he really looks like someone who's about to die... His white clothes completely ruined and his skin is pale and consumed.

There's blood around his wrists and ankles, both dry and fresh

-I'm not here to hurt you, if you really are a prisoner it means you are on my side... I will save you-

-I...?- He looks at me with empty eyes

-I need to burn this place down, do you know if there are other prisoners?-

-Mhn... No...-

-No there aren't or No you don't know?-

-Don't burn... It's us... Eless...The core...-

-Core? What core?- I bend down beside a vassoil left there -Eat something first, we need to get both out alive-

He takes a few sips of water and barely touch some food

-My energy... Has been taken away and... It's stored inside it... I need... Back... Need them back... But it can't be destroyed by Human weapons-

-Don't worry about it, we'll find a way, let me free you now-

I take out my sword and cut the chains

-I can't remove those for now... We will find someone once we are back, you have to bear with those for now- I say pointing at the handcuffs on his wrists and he just nods as I reach foward, to help him stand and walk...

We leave the building and he trips for the lack of strength so I quickly reach to take him before falling

-You are very light Mister, let me take you on my back it will be faster this way and you won't get hurt...-

-Are you sure...?-

-Don't worry, I can take this much on- I kneel down, letting him tie his arms around my neck before standing back up

-What's your name by the way?-

-Xue... ChunDu...-

-I'm Ying ChangLai... Even if I am mostly called soldier or woman- I sigh -Hold on tight... I will be running now-

-Mhn...- I dash out of the corridor going back to the storage at the entrance of the camp...

-Now... In which corridor would such core be...? Uh?- as no answer reaches me, I turn slightly to notice the closed eyes of the man, I reach one hand under his nose -Still breathing, he just fainted... Don't worry Mister Xue, you can relax now, I've got it...-

I walk back and forth looking inside the corridors

"Which one... Which one...? I don't have time to check each of them"

I only then notice the weird breeze hitting my skin from one of the corridors.

"An opening on the other side...? Well might be the wrong one but at least it's something" I think moving toward it