Garrison and Rescue

The Vessel waited for the troops to pass, then began to follow along behind, making sure to track them by sound alone to minimise the chance of being seen.

They hoped that their suspicions were incorrect, that the warriors were all just doing a harmless inspection of the city, yet everything was just too convenient and the force too large.

Without a doubt, the troops were there to subdue and kill the rebels underground.

A wave of guilt crashed against the Golem, Keshte wouldn't be expecting the force, he would have no time to escape.

All because of Wanderer.

If they had avoided getting distracted by the festival, gone straight to the place they found on the map, they would have known about the attack, they would have been able to tell the rebels.

But they hadn't, they had failed their mission, broke Keshte’s trust, wasted Herukah’s effort, betrayed Detlashra.

They had destroyed their best chance at ridding the desert of slavery.

Spirit broke Wanderer out of their spiral, bringing attention to two very important facts.

The first was the assertion that Wanderer had not failed their task, at least not yet.

The Vessel’s goal was always to aid in protecting the rebels, and now they had to find another way to do so.

The second, and arguably more important pronouncement, was that Wanderer had spent so long contemplating their failure, that they were letting the battalion get away.

The Golem shot to their feet, dragging an increasingly unhappy Emio along with them and ran after the fading sound of footsteps in the distance.

After catching up, Wanderer found something peculiar about the path the troops were taking.

The Vessel’s chief fear was that the warriors were heading toward their exit point in the outer slums, in the small abandoned house, yet while they were still heading toward the outskirts of the city, their direction was undeniably wrong to arrive at Wanderer’s entry point.

A smidge of relief flowed through both Spirit and Golem, the possibility that the troops were after someone else and knew nothing of the rebels.

Yet, no matter the outcome, Keshte would likely wish to know of this group and Wanderer didn't want to return with nothing, so they followed along with the hope that this was all a big hoax and they wouldn't have to get involved.

The troops and their trail wound through the city streets, increasing Wanderer's anxiety the longer they took, they didn't want to be found by the people in the streets after all.

Much to the surprise of their companions, once Emio realised what they were doing they began to find enjoyment in the action, creeping along so stealthily and silently that, had Wanderer not been going in the same direction as them, they would have lost the verdestry long ago.

It worried the Golem a little bit until they remembered just how irritated Emio had been having to be carried around and constrained, so Wanderer decided to take it as a blessing instead.

Just as the sun was about to illuminate the city whole and the first people began to fill the streets, the troops finally found the target of their search, a dilapidated old ruin pressed up to the side of the city walls.

At one point, the building would have been some variety of hall or communal building, as its size and worn out opulence indicated, however, it had long since lost even the memory of that original purpose, time and neglect having shown its cruelty.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

After sending a single soldier to scout ahead and confirm their position, the convoy stopped around a nearby building, out of sight from their target.

The more flamboyant of the two leaders stepped in front of the force, and with their companion to their side, began to shout orders.

Climbing onto a nearby roof, Wanderer prepared to listen in and gain information for the rebels when they were distracted by a warning from their Spirit.

Emio, in their curiosity, had skulked off toward the building, apparently wishing to see what all the fuss was about.

Wanderer froze, clearly, there was something dangerous in the hall, why else would such a heavily armed force be so cautious of it.

And whatever that may be, Emio was currently careening straight toward it.

The Vessel scrambled as fast as they could to catch up with the small monster, hoping that they both would not be noticed.

In moments, the trio found themselves in front of the building, Wanderer managing to snatch the verdestry moments before they opened the front door, ripping them away from the entrance and windows and tucking them away around the side of the building, hopefully out of sight.

If they weren't in such a terrible situation, Wanderer would have reprimanded Emio for their foolishness, yet as they were, they were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Inside the building was an unknown force of unknown danger, while across from them was a small army of hostile fighters, who would undoubtedly attack them now that the festival was finished.

The only logical option was to run and come back to observe the results.

Just as the Vessel was about to turn, they noticed an open window that peered inside the building, tempting them to look inside.

“It would be a shame if I didn't at least check, it could be someone I need to protect, after all. ”Wanderer thought, their justification an excuse to give in to their curiosity.

The army was nowhere near the entrance to the underground ruins, the Vessel didn't have to worry.

Very quickly they proved themself wrong, as they suddenly remembered there was more than one entrance.

Inside were the very people they were certain would not be, that they had hurriedly disregarded in an effort to abate their guilt.

Within the great hall were a dozen lazily dosing rebels, marked by a the massive hole in the ground that very blatantly led to the underground labyrinth.

Worst of all, they were unaware of the coming threat, the guard who was posted by the front window completely asleep from a long watch.

They must have been overconfident that none would attack on the day of the festival.

And now they, and by extension all the fighters underground, would be caught unawares by a force far more powerful than they were prepared for.-

The sound of marching caught Wanderer’s attention, the soldiers were coming.

The Vessel slammed one hand against the wall, creating a bang loud enough to catch their allies' attention, while pointing toward the entrance with their three other arms.

It took far longer than the Wanderer would have been happy with for the rebels to get over their bewilderment and check the window.

It took even longer for them to realise the situation they were in.

After a few, suffocating moments, one of the people who Wanderer vaguely recognised from the dining hall below let out a massive shout, snapping their colleges out of their reverie.

They scrambled to gather their weapons as Wanderer ran, having no wish to be caught by the army.

Making certain that Emio would not escape again, the Vessel managed to duck behind a nearby fence just in time to avoid the sight of the oncoming force, anxiously peaking out to observe the ensuing conflict.

With every passing moment, the soldiers got closer to the front door, and with every passing moment, Wanderer feared their warning had been far too late and they were about to witness a slaughter.

When the battalion was only 10 steps away from the derelict building, so close the Vessel could see the nervous sweat on the faces of the warriors, the door burst open and eleven rebels burst out, armed to the teeth.

In an instant the battle began, some soldiers not even waiting for their commander’s orders before they started charging toward battle, though in all fairness, the more vibrant of the two leaders didn't either.

For a long moment, the rebels held against the encroaching force, only so many warriors able to surround them at a time, but soon the allied force began to fall back.

Already, deep cuts and injuries had begun to accrue on the freedom fighters, they simply didn't have enough people to hold back the force, and certainly could not buy enough time for their recently sent messenger to warn enough people.

If things continue as they were, the rebels, both above and below ground, would be destroyed.

Wanderer had to buy them time.

And unfortunately, they knew exactly how they were going to do it.