One of the leaders of White Leaf guides us through the underground passage. Prince Alcya and his group have prepared to launch an attack in a few minutes, so we must reach our destination quickly to rescue the three siblings who, according to the informant, are imprisoned in a house with several other elves.
Getting them out of there is easy, but convincing the elves why only they can be saved is not. Hopefully, Varren, our group leader, can persuade them.
"Just a reminder, our task is to take the three elven siblings and then return to the headquarters. No other elves can follow or the Prince's plans may go awry, understood?" Varren said firmly, receiving a simultaneous response from his subordinates, which made him grin.
"Alright, according to the plan. Zent will retrieve them, and we will clear the way for him. If necessary, eliminate the pirates who obstruct us. However, try your best not to attract attention."
Varren stops in front of an ascending staircase. At the top of the staircase, there is a wooden door that I'm certain is enchanted. Whether it's an illusion spell or magic that makes the wooden door as strong as iron and only openable by specific individuals.
Varren stepped up, placing his palm on the door, and his body instantly emitted a green light along with the door. In less than two seconds, the door opened, revealing the dark sky outside with a row of buildings that appeared like shadows. He stepped out, checked the surroundings, and signaled us to follow him immediately.
The blue-lit flower lamps above helped us conceal ourselves as their light didn't reach the outer side of the street, making it easier for us to infiltrate past two patrolling pirates who were swiftly dealt with by Varren's subordinates, like trained assassins.
Their bodies were dragged into a narrow, dark alley, and soon a green light was visible from there before the two individuals emerged, nodding to their leader.
We continued our journey, avoiding several patrols without encountering them, hoping they wouldn't search for the two individuals. For pirates, they surprisingly paid great attention to security and were unlike what I had seen behind the screen.
We even came close to being discovered by a sniper on a tower. Fortunately, the scope on their rifle wasn't a modern one. Otherwise, we might have been shot earlier.
We only needed to pass a few more blocks until we reached our destination. However, as we were about to cross a road, Varren signaled for us to stop. We lowered our bodies, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the next signal.
Not far ahead, he saw several pirates reveling, drinking beer and getting drunk without caring about their surroundings. They sang a song with random lyrics about the destruction of elves. But because it had become their customary sailing song, it oddly sounded good.
If only it weren't about the destruction of elves, I might have praised it. However, the song felt like trampling upon us, having fun atop a pile of lifeless bodies and the suffering elven people.
One of the White Leaf members nearly lost control, but luckily, Varren restrained them and ordered them to stay silent, strengthening their resolve.
"If you're so angry, use your anger to revive Elecya instead of wasting it on people like them. Believe me, the elven race will rise again," he said, not just to the elf but also to us and himself, for if it weren't for that elf standing up, we might have leapt out to exterminate them.
Varren also struggled hard to contain his boiling anger, evident from his tightly clenched fists trembling with intensity. But as a leader, he had to set an example. So, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming himself down.
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He observed the pirates in front of us again, scanning the area, and then picked up a stone. He threw the stone behind, hitting a wall and entering a narrow alley.
The pirates' singing stopped, and they exchanged glances before moving slowly while gripping their weapons. Even in their intoxicated state, they could still focus on their task. Strangely, there was a different aura emanating from them compared to yesterday afternoon. They seemed stronger and more intimidating with their vacant yet determined gazes.
As they passed by our alley, we instinctively pressed ourselves against the wall, hoping that their eyes wouldn't spot a group of hiding elves and a human.
Those tense seconds that felt like minutes finally came to an end when they continued their way while remaining vigilant of their surroundings. Fortunately for us, they never looked back. Varren seized the opportunity, signaling us to run across the street where there was a narrow alley, our last shortcut to reach our destination.
When we arrived there, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief, unaware of how long we had been holding our breath. I believe it wasn't just me who sensed the different aura from the pirates earlier.
"Alright, we have arrived. Now we just need to wait for the si-"
Before Varren could finish his sentence, an explosion occurred not far from where we were, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
The pirates jolted and rushed towards the source of the explosion, now illuminating the area with bright orange flames. They shouted back and forth, yelling, "THE INFERNAL WAREHOUSE BE ENGULFED IN FLAMES! WE BE UNDER A FULL-ON ASSAULT! OBLITERATE THOSE BLASTED ELVEN SCUM TO THE DEPTHS OF THE SEVEN SEAS! SHOW NO MERCY, YE SALTY KNAVES!"
Varren waited until our destination area was clear, then leaped out. We ran behind him, trying to avoid the pirates who were now in disarray, running around frantically, seeking water.
Unfortunately, the water source was quite far away, located in a river that flowed from one end of the continent to the other, making it the longest river in this world, in the northern part of the kingdom. It would take them a few minutes to retrieve water from there, assuming they weren't intercepted on the way by another group led by someone named Cleo, a young fiery-spirited female elf.
I feel sorry for the pirates who will encounter her later. Cleo will undoubtedly seize this opportunity to seek revenge.
The house where the three elf siblings were held captive came into view, and there wasn't a single pirate guarding it. Varren opened the entrance and found more than ten elves confined inside, most of them adults.
Their appearances were truly disheveled, covered in stains and dust, with faces that appeared aged beyond their years. This event seemed to have shaken them much more than we anticipated.
However, now, after seeing us, a glimmer of hope emerged in each of their eyes, giving us a sense of joy because at least they hadn't given up. But at the same time, it made us feel guilty because it wasn't yet time for us to rescue them.
"Captain Varren! Oh, thank you! You've come to rescue us!" shouted one of them with a happy smile.
Varren stood there in silence, gathering his courage to say, "I'm sorry, but we can't rescue all of you right now. It's not the right time to bring you all out together.
If we were to do it one by one, security would be tightened, making it more difficult for us to save you. Not to mention, you may be subjected to further torture. Our arrival is specifically to retrieve the three young elves under Prince Alcya's orders. Do you know where they are?"
We were prepared for them to be angry or upset by this statement. However, we didn't expect them to actually support us and encourage us with sparkling eyes.
Those who seemed unwilling to continue living now appeared ignited with passion. It was as if their previously extinguished spirits had been reignited by hope.
"Don't worry, Captain! We understand. It's only natural for the children to be rescued first before us adults. We're not so weak that we would sacrifice the chance for young souls to escape from this hellhole," replied an older male elf, supported by the other elves.
This gave us a sense of relief as a burden was lifted, but it also presented us with a new responsibility to save them a few hours later. It became a promise we made to ourselves.
"The three young elves are there, inside the room. They are currently sleeping. Let us wake them up and bring them to you," he said, signaling to some young elves to do so.
"Can... Elecya be revived?"
He suddenly asked, causing the entire room to fall silent, with all attention now focused on Captain Varren.
The Captain remained silent for a moment before nodding confidently, "Elecya will not only be revived but also become much better than before, and all of us here will make it happen."