“You want us to head back there right now?” Jason asked Olivia. “I think we’re hardly in a position to be going back there. Not sure we should hinge the whole plan on running there after we break into the main hall either.”
“Just let me grab her papers if you’re so worried about it. Not like we should expect them to flood the entire area with guards or something, right? Even you can’t possibly think that it’s too dangerous for me.” Twenty-Two offered, picking herself off the ground.
Jason glared at her, but ultimately nodded. Even after Olivia’s interjection there was still a thick tension in the air around them. As they set to work preparing the chamber for their short stay, Jason and Twenty-Two continued to avoid each other. They laid out cloth for sleeping on the stone shelves. It wasn’t long before they were finished, only having enough materials with them to make the stone sleeping spots at least tolerable.
“We should scout outside as well. There was an Urchski spying on us last time because the property was supposedly owned by someone. If that’s the same case here, I don’t want our plans getting foiled by one of them poking around this lower level.”
“I thought the Urchski saw these places as haunted. Wouldn’t they not want to step on here for religious reasons?” Olivia asked.
“Not everyone clings to faith so tightly, and to be honest, I wouldn’t trust myself with the faith of an Urchin.” Twenty-Two said, checking her sword before heading to the stairs. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Let me come with you. You’ll need someone that can stop them if they’re caught.” Jason added, grabbing his own sword and following her.
Twenty-Two didn’t stop to wait for him, marching up the stairs with silent determination. Jason shared the silence as the two of them climbed up, finding the upper area as empty as the other buildings they’d run across. It was still inside the room, given it only had one doorway. The noise of wildlife has died down a little, replaced with the rhythm of city streets.
Unlike their previous hideouts, this one was near a fairly populated road. Though the entrance didn’t face it, they were close enough to hear the louder conversations taking place. Twenty-Two was the first to approach the entrance, and sat outside of it facing inward. Jason moved to the other end, but only leaned against it. The noise from outside did little to break the silence between them.
It was a few minutes later that Jason broke the standoff. “You know that I wouldn’t ever want to bet against you in a fight, right?”
“Should I feel bad that you’ve been doing it since my injury then?”
“Twenty-Two, you lost a whole limb not even two days ago now. You’re still forced to wear bandages, and a doctor would likely order you to stay in bed.”
“I don’t heal like normal people, Jason. Even if it’s an injury like this, I can move around as soon as I’m able to walk. Would you like me to peel the bandages off and show you? Or did you see for yourself how it was closing up earlier?”
“You still feel pain, Twenty-Two, and you can still die. I don’t want you heading into a fight where you’re going to suffer and struggle the whole way. Even if that’s what you want to do, I don’t want that to happen. You deserve to have some peace for once.” Jason told her before poking his head around the corner and looking around for any guards nearby. “Besides, you’re not going to just regrow a new limb, are you?”
Twenty-Two glared at the ground. “Peace isn’t for people like me.”
“Not to insult you, but I remember over hearing a few boys say similar things back home. Are you going to tell me that you’re different from everyone else because of dark thoughts next?”
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“Funny. What I mean is that I’ve never really known peace. Do you know how the maskless are raised? We’re taken away at a young age, not raised by the care of guardians but by instructors. Truth be told I think most of us are fine with it. Only trouble is that we’re fine with it because we have the other children. Even when we grow up, things don’t change that much. We learn to accept our place in the shadows, working with our own group.” She said, the glare softening as she spoke. “Maybe that’s what peace is, a family. I can never have something like that again, now. That pleasantry is gone forever because of a mistake I made. I can’t even say that it was poor fortune, it’s my fault that things have gone this way.”
Jason stepped past the doorway and around her. He knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t look up.
“Even in our darkest times, we have to keep looking for a good path ahead. Some people have to struggle more than others, but it’s not like you are fated to suffer. You need to find something you care about and protect it.”
“What is there left for me to care about?” She replied, looking up at him.
“The king? The mission? I’d be happy if it was even just me or Olivia.” Jason pulled his hand back and stood up. “Maybe you should try caring about yourself first.”
He stood up and held out his hand. Twenty-Two hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took his offer and stood up. She glanced out the entryway as a strange feeling passed her senses. There was more noise than usual from the traffic outside, and she could feel someone was nearby.
“Someone might be poking around here. I can’t tell easily because of the traffic outside. Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone watching us directly, but they might have just passed by and handed off the information.”
“Do you think the Urchski would wait to attack us for some reason? Maybe it’s just our luck. Regardless, if they’re planning on attacking us later, they won’t have much of a window.” Jason replied, heading back to the stairs.
“Why even go looking for intruders then? It would have made more sense to just stay as hidden as possible.” Twenty-Two replied, following after him.
“Two reasons. Firstly, we needed to know if they were immediately there and ready to strike, or if the place was actively being used for some reason and wouldn’t make a good staging area.” He replied, but paused at the top of the stairs. “Secondly, I wanted to make sure you were in the right headspace to go back to the hideout.”
“Of course, had to be an ulterior motive...” She muttered to herself.
“While your mood may be down, I still have faith in you. I just need to know that you’re not going to run into a fight the second that you can. Right now we need to move carefully and with a plan. Do you understand?”
“I’m not going to die, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jason chuckled to himself. Twenty-Two still wasn’t used to the noise of laughter, especially from him. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Olivia was ready to open the passage for them once again. She placed a scrap of paper into Twenty-Two’s palm.
“They’re instructions for how to open the door on the other side.” Olivia said. Her hands curled up to her chest, eyes locked on the floor. “Also, please be careful out there. IT’s my fault you’ve got to take this risk in the first place.”
Twenty-Two stared at her for a few seconds. She held the paper with her lips and ruffled the researcher’s hair casually. Before Olivia could ask what that meant, she was already leaving down the tunnel. As she took the note back out and folded it to be put in her pocket, a smirk crawled across her face.
It didn’t last long. The noise of Urchski guards was close by this time, and she moved low to the ground to help spread out her weight and make less noise. Unlike the researchers, the guards mostly spoken the human common. As they passed in patrol, she could only barely make out a few words of fear and superstition.
They think this place is haunted too, but still come down? I guess money weighs more than their values. She thought to herself, creeping into the main passage. Makes sense in the end. I wish they were a bit more foolish though. Maybe we could just spook them into leaving this place. I’m sure Jason would have a snide comment about something like that though.
She reached the tunnel back to their hideout and to the exit. Opening it with a press of her hand, she immediately drew her sword as it opened. Even after the platform fully formed and was ready, she hesitated to exit out. Her senses were tuned as high as she could bring them, but nothing was nearby. Relaxing a little, she kept her sword drawn as she left for their hideout.
As expected, the place was messed with. It was subtle, meaning they hadn’t intended to get caught doing it. Twenty-Two knew right away that something was off from the way the spare gear was lying on the ground. She ignored it and focused on the desk, putting her sword on the desk while she gathered the papers left behind.
Before she was finished, her ability pricked at her back, alerting her to something moving behind her. As fast as possible, she drew her sword and snuck into an indented section of the wall near the stairs. Her pack was still on the desk, and she cursed the lack of an arm to hold it with.
“Listen... I know you’re in there. I want to make it clear that I’m not coming in there to fight you. Right now I’m alone. Hopefully you recognize my voice and don’t just start swinging the moment I get down there.” Saul’s voice called from the stairs.
That human from the chamber? What in the old world is he doing back here? He’s got to have some kind of trick. If I don’t answer he’s eventually going to show himself, and I’ll know his intent.
To her surprise, Saul had both of his hands up in the air when he came into view. From this close, she could see that his gear was even more ramshackle than it first appeared to be. He glanced around the room until he eventually found her, lowering his arms. Twenty-Two kept her sword ready, glaring at him intensely.
“Thought it would be you.”
“Speak, human, while you still can.” She spat back at him.
“Fine then, straight to business.” He responded before moving to an opposite wall and leaning against it. “I’m here to ask you a few questions.”