They slowly took deep, relieved breaths. The soldiers had lost their trail.
Once they had calmed down, Kawao spoke, "Who are you anyway?"
"You’ll find out soon enough! Just follow me for now," she replied, motioning for them to follow.
They walked down a dark, narrow hallway until they reached a small but sturdy door. Without hesitation, their rescuer opened it.
They entered a room that was surprisingly larger than they had expected. It was well-lit by a few small torches and contained a table with four chairs in the center. The room offered little else, resembling a small secret hideout.
"This is a hideout provided by supporters of the rebellion. There aren’t many willing to risk their lives and help us. But those who do are more than heroes—they are legends!" she explained as she sat down at the table across from them.
She pulled back her hood and looked at them seriously. She had short blonde hair and many scars on her face, making her seem like someone who had seen many battles, Kawao thought.
"And now explain to me..." she continued.
"WHY YOU CAUSED SUCH A RUCKUS!!! I was sent here to get you out of the city. No problem, right? I go in, find you, and we sneak out! Simple, right? And what do I see the moment I enter the city? THIS PLACE IS IN WORSE CHAOS THAN THE LAST WAR!!! Honestly! You were supposed to keep a low profile, not destroy half the city!"
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She shouted with such force that they almost toppled over.
"Koru, you at least tried to keep things quiet. But you, 'Kawao,' thought it was a great idea to get into a brawl with the commander of the 5th unit! Wasn’t Paikon enough for you?"
"You did WHAT?" Koru exclaimed.
"It just happened! He figured me out quickly, and I couldn’t escape!"
"And so, you decided to turn half the city into a battlefield in your fight with him, right? Makes perfect sense!"
"It happened, and I’m sorry! I can’t change that! But how are we supposed to get out of the city now without the army being on our tail in five minutes?"
Their rescuer took a deep breath, visibly irritated.
"Don’t worry! I’ve already got a plan for that! So listen carefully because I’m only going to explain it once!"
The two nodded, a bit nervously.
"First, I’ll explain the route to the gate that leads out of the city. Since Kurani is surrounded by a small mountain range, that’s the only exit! Once you’re on your way, I’ll run to the garrison and create a... ‘distraction.’ That should ensure you reach the gate without any problems. That’s the first part of the plan! Got it so far?"
They nodded again.
"Good! When you reach the gate, wait for me there. Once we’ve met at the gate, I’ll guide you through the border control and out of the city to a nearby hidden base of our rebellion. If we stick to this, we should have no problems! Did you understand everything?"
Koru slowly replied, "Pretty much. But are you seriously going to attack the garrison all by yourself? You can’t possibly do that!"
"Don’t worry! I’ll manage. I’m just creating a little distraction."
"But there are bound to be two or three commanders waiting for you!"
"So what?"
"So what? Do you even know what you’re saying?"
"You’re underestimating me. But no need to worry. I was once a commander in the army too."
"Oh yeah? Which unit?"
"The First."