“Wait!”, a loud, sharp word, came from the middle of the room. It was Kaldor.

“I’ve… I’ve been using my abilities,” he said, his voice a low murmur, almost as if he was reluctant to admit it. “To track down where they’re keeping our weapons.”

Everyone turned to look at him, surprise etched across their faces. Kaldor had been blessed with a unique gift—an animal-like sense of smell and hearing, far beyond what the rest of us possessed. It made him invaluable for recon, but he rarely mentioned it.

“And?” I asked, leaning forward. “What did you find?”

Kaldor ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. “It’s underground. There’s a basement beneath that small building near the edge of the camp. That’s where they’re hiding the weapons.”

My heart skipped a beat at his revelation. Finally, a lead. But something in his tone made me hesitate. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Sylas asked, his brow furrowing.

Kaldor glanced toward the wall, his eyes narrowing in thought. “Because it took me longer than I expected. There are too many footsteps in and around that building. I’ve been tracking them for days, but I wasn’t sure at first. It’s crawling with guards—they’re constantly moving in and out. If we go for the weapons, we’ll need some kind of distraction. Otherwise, they’ll spot us the moment we step inside.”

His words sent a ripple of concern through the group. If what he said was true, storming that building wouldn’t be as simple as we hoped. A distraction would be necessary, but how could we pull it off without getting caught ourselves?

Honestly, my plan of Kael and I sneak out together to get more progress is kinda horrible. We would aimlessly search place Kael hadn’t, while increase the chance of getting caught.

But now, when all of us know where the weapons are, things would change, right? No, the place would be highly secured, even if with Kael’s disguise, we would draw a lot of attention when we step inside the building.

A distraction? But how? We can’t risk losing one, or even two people.

Sylas looked at me, then at Kael. “A distraction could work… but it’ll need to be big enough to draw most of them away from the building.”

Elyndor, who had been quiet for most of the planning, finally spoke up. “What if… we make them think someone’s trying to escape?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to him, and I raised an eyebrow. “You want to fake an escape attempt?”

Elyndor nodded. “I could pretend to break out of the hut. Cause a scene, make some noise, and get them to chase me. They’ll think a prisoner is trying to flee, and they’ll have no choice but to send some of the guards after me. While they’re distracted, you and Kael can sneak into the basement.”

Kaldor crossed his arms, thinking it over. “It could work. Most of them are focused on keeping us locked up. They won’t expect a real escape attempt, not with so many of us in here.”

“I could make it believable,” Elyndor continued, standing up. “I’ll use the back wall of the hut, pretend to tear it down and make a run for it. If I’m fast enough, I’ll lead them toward the forest. I know the area well enough to lose them in the trees.”

I bit my lip, hesitant. “It’s risky, Elyndor. If they catch you…”

“They won’t,” he said with surprising confidence. “I’ve got good legs, and I know how to dodge a chase. Plus, I’ve been in worse situations before. You guys need a distraction, and this is the best chance we have. Besides, you can’t afford to lose two people sneaking into the basement if you want to pull this off cleanly.”

He was right. As much as I hated the thought of Elyndor being out there on his own, we didn’t have many other options.

I sighed and nodded. “Alright. We’ll go with your plan. But don’t get caught. We can’t afford to lose you.”

Elyndor grinned, though there was a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

As night fell, Elyndor began preparing his fake escape. He loosened a few of the wooden boards at the back of the hut, making it look like he was breaking through. The moment he was ready, we all gathered near the front, staying quiet, watching.

“Get ready,” I whispered to Kael, who was crouched beside me. “The second they chase him, we go.”

Elyndor took a deep breath and punched through the wall with all his strength, the wood splintering loudly. He let out a loud shout, “I’m getting out of here!” Then he bolted through the opening, making a break for the forest.

As expected, the raiders heard the commotion immediately. Shouts echoed through the camp as a group of them rushed toward the back of the hut, their boots thundering against the ground. They didn’t even bother to question how a prisoner had escaped—they were too focused on chasing Elyndor down.

With most of the guards distracted, Kael and I wasted no time. We slipped out of the hut, staying low to the ground as we made our way toward the small building. The guards who remained were few, but we couldn’t afford to be seen.

My heart pounded in my chest as we approached the entrance to the underground basement. Elyndor had given us the perfect opening, but now it was up to us to make it count.

The night air was alive with the chaos of pursuit. Elyndor tore through the forest, deliberately crashing through the underbrush, and creating as much noise as possible. The raiders, startled by the loud commotion, rushed to investigate. A few reached the hut first, bursting through the door only to discover that three prisoners were missing. Panic flickered across their faces.

“They’ve split up!” one of them shouted. “Search in different directions!”

Half the raiders broke off, sprinting in different paths into the forest, while the others remained at the hut, suspicious, scouring the area for any clue as to where the rest of us had gone.

Outside the sturdy building, Kael and I lay low, observing. We waited for any sign of life inside, but all was still. It seemed the distraction had worked—no guards were inside. I glanced at Kael, and he gave me a nod.

“We're going in,” I whispered.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

We darted toward the building, careful to avoid making any noise. I grabbed a nearby rock and smashed it against the window. The glass shattered with a sharp crack, but with the raiders still preoccupied, no one seemed to hear. We quickly climbed through, landing quietly inside the dark room.

The interior was stark, more like a command post than a place for living. A large wooden table stood in the center, littered with half-unrolled maps and hasty scribbles. The maps detailed the surrounding areas, likely used to plan raids or coordinate movements. On one side of the room, there were packages stacked at random—perhaps looted goods or supplies. The table had three chairs around it, likely used for discussions between whoever was leading this operation. The rest of the room was relatively bare, with only a few scattered crates and tools along the walls.

But there was no sign of the basement.

“We need to find it quickly,” Kael muttered, eyes scanning the floor.

I started pulling back rugs and kicking aside debris. As I yanked away a large, dusty carpet in the center of the room, I felt my fingers catch on something metal. A door. I looked up at Kael. “Found it.”

We quickly opened the trapdoor, revealing a wooden staircase leading underground. The air below was thick and musty, and as we descended, a foul odor hit us like a punch to the gut. It was the unmistakable stench of rotting food. The underground storage area was filled with crates of uncooked meat, vegetables, and other supplies. None of it was preserved—just left to rot.

Kael gagged, and I wasn’t far behind. The overwhelming smell of decay was too much. We both turned away, unable to hold back the sickness rising in our throats, throwing up the remnants of our dinner.

After recovering, we wiped our mouths and ventured deeper into the basement. There was another room further back, its door slightly opened. I pushed it open cautiously.

Inside, we found what we were looking for—our weapons.

“They kept them here all along,” Kael said, his voice tight with relief.

We quickly moved to grab them. Kael’s dagger gleamed in the dim light, a sleek, curved blade with intricate engravings along the hilt. Lightweight and deadly, it was made for swift, silent kills. I handed it to him, and he immediately strapped it to his waist.

Next, I found Elyndor’s sword, a long blade with a wide, angular edge, designed for powerful slashes. The hilt was wrapped in dark leather, and the blade’s faint gleam hinted at its quality. I knew Elyndor would make good use of it.

I pulled out Mira’s wand, a slender piece of wood, darkened with time and use. It had faint carvings running along its surface, almost like runes, and at the tip, a small gemstone pulsed faintly with magic. I would make sure she got it back.

Then there was Kaldor’s hammer and shield. The hammer was heavy, with a solid iron head and a handle wrapped in reinforced leather. It was a weapon meant for pure destruction. The shield was equally imposing, made of thick metal, designed to absorb even the heaviest of blows. I hefted them both, wondering how Kaldor managed to wield such weight with ease.

Finally, I found my pairs of daggers and Sylas’ wand. Hers still looks as fresh as always, but looking at mine, it is half blunt half sharp. I think I should change my weapon as soon as possible. A pair of swords should be great.

We divided the weapons between us, strapping them to our bodies as best we could. With everything secure, we hurried back up the stairs, careful not to make too much noise.

Outside, I saw a silhouette standing on the nearest tree branch.

“Wait a second…” I muttered to Kael.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Kael looked at where I am looking at

“Elyndor? Why are you here already?” He asked.

Phew, it was Elyndor, I thought it could be a raider, “What happened to the raiders?” I asked as my heart raced thinking this guy could have beat them all

“Told you already, I outran them and returned here”

I didn’t say anything and just tossed him his sword. He caught it mid-air, the blade flashing in the moonlight. As we prepared to regroup, a devastating noise came from the hut—screams, crashes, the sound of wood splintering. Something had gone horribly wrong.

Without hesitation, Elyndor launched himself from tree to tree, landing above of the hut. With a powerful slash his blade smashed through the roof, splintering wood and slicing through one of the raiders, who had been preparing to strike Sylas. The raider collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

Kael didn’t waste a second either. He dashed through the front door, his dagger flashing through the air. In one smooth motion, he sliced another raider clean in half, the body hitting the floor with a dull thud.

As the chaos of the battle settled and the last of the raiders fell, my chest heaved with exhaustion. Blood coated my sword, the metallic scent clinging to the air. Kael and Elyndor stood by, their expressions calm, almost natural, after taking lives with such ease.

But I couldn't shake the image of the two bodies crumpling at my feet—lifeless, like ragdolls cast aside. My hands trembled as I stared down at my own weapon, stained with death. A cold knot twisted in my stomach. I had killed before, but this time... this time it felt different.

Why? How could Kael and Elyndor be so unaffected? Their movements had been swift, sure as if they'd done this a hundred times before. Yet here I was, frozen, my mind swirling with the weight of what we'd just done. Had I changed? Or had they been this way all along?

I couldn't answer the question. I just stood there, staring at the blood on my hands.

"Duke?" A voice broke through my haze, gentle but insistent. Sylas was shaking my shoulder, her emerald eyes filled with concern. "We need to keep moving. The others are still out there."

I blinked, snapping out of my daze. She was right—this wasn't over. We still had to fight back, to finish what we started. The chaos of the moment sharpened my focus. With a deep breath, I sheathed my daggers, pushing my turbulent thoughts aside. Survival was all that mattered now.

As Sylas and I approached the group, Kael was already retrieving Mira’s wand from a makeshift strap on his belt. He held it out to her, his calm demeanor masking any unease. "Here. I kept it safe for you. Now it’s your turn to make it count."

Mira took the wand, her hands trembling slightly as she nodded. "Thanks, Kael. I’ll back you all up."

Nearby, Kaldor stood with an imposing air, waiting patiently as I handed him his hammer and shield. The weight of the equipment made my arms ache just holding it. "Your turn," I said, offering a small grin. "Time to show them what a wall of defense looks like."

Kaldor’s furry face broke into a confident grin as he took the weapons. "I won’t let anyone get past me."

Satisfied that everyone was armed, I turned my attention to Lily and Lara, who stood huddled together, their small forms almost hidden behind Kaldor’s bulk. Their wide eyes darted around nervously.

"Listen, you two," I said gently but firmly. "Stay close to us—behind Kaldor and me. No matter what happens, we’ll keep you safe. Just stay quiet and follow our lead."

Lily nodded, gripping Lara’s hand tightly. "We’ll stay close," she whispered. "Just… don’t leave us behind."

"You’re coming with us," I said, my voice steady with conviction. "We’re getting out of this together."

Sylas crouched to their level, her tone soothing but firm. "You’re both stronger than you think. Just trust us and stay with the group. We’ll handle the rest."

As the group steadied itself for the next steps, Elyndor moved closer, standing just behind Kaldor. His white sword gleamed faintly in the dim light, a silent testament to his readiness. He caught my gaze and gave a nod, his expression calm but focused.

"I’ll stay close to Kaldor," Elyndor said, his deep voice low but firm. "We’ll hold the front and make sure nothing gets through."

"Good," I replied. "We’ll need your strength."

Elyndor’s presence added a layer of confidence to the group. With Kaldor acting as the unshakable defense and Elyndor ready to strike down anything in their path, I felt the scales tipping in our favor.

"Let’s do this," Elyndor said, gripping the hilts of his blades tightly. His movements were fluid, practiced—a stark contrast to the tension hanging in the air. He positioned himself beside Kaldor, their combined forms creating an imposing barrier for Lily and Lara.

"Stay sharp, Elyndor," Kaldor said with a grin. "You kill them, I’ll block them."

Elyndor smirked faintly, his usual calm demeanor holding a flicker of camaraderie. "Just try to keep up, Kaldor."

With everyone equipped and reassured, I exchanged a quick glance with Kael. He nodded, his usual stoicism hiding any doubt he might have felt.

"All right," I said, taking another deep breath. "Let’s move."