- Oliver -

"Are you—" the three heard a massive explosion before Oliver could finish speaking.

Even many floors underground, the three could hear and feel the vibrations of the explosion. Oliver quickly stood up, worried about what was happening. He tried to place his head near the bars to observe any movement in the upper part of the dungeon. However, he couldn't see beyond the gates.

"What could be happening?" the boy asked.

Katherine and Isabela quickly stood up as soon as the tremor passed. None of the three could relax anymore after feeling the impact of whatever had exploded.

Minutes later, they felt another, even more violent tremor. This time, even inside the prison, cracks spread among the structures as if they were pieces of ice breaking.

"Damn. This place is going to collapse," Oliver said, now worried.

"It's him," Katherine explained, beaming with happiness. "It's our rescue."

"How do you know?" Isabela asked, concerned about the explosions. "Couldn't it just be a conflict between the Orks?"

"Feel the Energy. We are floors apart, but it's possible to feel the pressure of the Energy being expelled," Katherine explained. As soon as she finished explaining, the two began to pay attention to the strange sensation.

After she’d spoken, Oliver noticed how uncomfortable the air was. It wasn't the prison's humidity. It felt like a film in the air, compressing and expanding—pushing against his body, preventing him from moving, and even making it hard to breathe.

Oliver could feel that it was similar to what he did when he extracted Energy from his Z Crystal to power the [Prometheus]. However, the amount of Energy he manipulated was like a thread, whereas this was an enormous tapestry.

‘What kind of monster is capable of doing something like this?’ Oliver wondered. ‘Especially when he's dozens of floors above us.’

Finally, a few minutes after the explosions, they saw the first Orks—some with gray skin and others with green skin—running down the stairs in despair. They could hear some shouting among themselves, perhaps discussing how they would escape all of this.

Oliver watched with apprehension as the cells on the upper floors opened one by one. From within emerged different creatures, each more enigmatic than the last. There were beings with iridescent scales, additional limbs, and some with sharp ears—monsters he had never seen before; perhaps not even in the Academy's records was there information about them.

In a completely disorganized manner, the Orks formed ranks to force the creatures to keep moving. With crude gestures and guttural commands, they directed the heterogeneous group to climb the stairs leading to the dungeon's exit.

The boy watched everything from a distance, yet he could notice how the atmosphere was laden with apprehension and fear. When one of the monsters seemed less willing to face the invaders, the Orks quickly decapitated it, making it an example for the others.

‘Soon, it will be our turn,’ the boy thought, even though there were still dozens of floors before they reached them.

"They are sending the prisoners to fight; those who resist are being killed," Oliver explained. The two girls, leaning against the bars, tried to observe but couldn't see as far as he could.

"We are on a floor far below them. Would they waste time trying to release us?" Isabela asked.

"I think so, but not to release us. After all, we wouldn't fight against the 'invaders.' Maybe they'll try to erase the evidence?" Oliver commented.

‘Makes sense.’ Oliver heard Athena's soft voice in his head.

"We need to defend ourselves when they get here," the boy commented.

"It's been a while since we tried an escape," Katherine said.

"After the first two, it didn't make sense to try again," Isabela recalled.

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As soon as the three were captured and taken to the dungeon, the group knew they needed to act quickly. The first escape attempt occurred shortly after their arrival. Katherine, with her ability, managed to break the chains. In the middle of the night, they tried to escape. Moving silently through the corridors of the ruins, the group attempted to reach the upper exit of the dungeon. However, upon approaching the surface, they found themselves in the center of the fortress. Facing that number of Orks was impossible, especially without their weapons and armor.

Encircled by Ork from every direction, the three were imprisoned once more.

On the second attempt, they decided to look for an alternative route. They explored the lower levels of the prison in search of an entrance to the underground sewage systems that could lead them out of the fortress's domains without being detected. However, they realized they were buried so deep within the planet's entrails that there was no connection to any drainage or maintenance tunnel.

To make matters worse, with each escape they attempted, their punishments became even harsher and the tortures longer, causing the three to fear making another attempt and ending up being executed.

"This is our chance. Either we try something, or we'll end up being killed by the Orks," Oliver said with the bit of hope that remained.

The two girls agreed. Even though it was risky, this was finally the chance to free themselves from that hell.

"I'll break the chains. You two hold the door," Katherine said.

She quickly used one of the sharpest stones in the cell to lightly cut her hand, allowing her to obtain a bit of blood. Without her sword, the next best thing she could do was to envelop her hands with blood as if it were a red knife.

The girl used the new weapon to strike the chains of the shackles she wore while Oliver and Isabela stood guard at the entrance.

"I can hear them approaching; they're already on the upper floors," Oliver commented.

He could see new humanoid monsters, similar to the Goblins on GL581, being sent to the prison entrance.

‘Are they making these monsters? Maybe domesticating them?’ he thought before seeing the number of Orks descending the floors increase.

"Faster, they're arriving any moment now," Oliver commented worriedly.

Isabela, who was beside him, finally ran to pick up one of the loose stones inside the cell upon seeing some Orks approaching the bars.

The only remaining sound was Katherine striking her makeshift knife against the chains to free herself.

Suddenly, the stillness was broken by the metallic jingling of keys being inserted into the lock. Each click echoed like a harbinger of imminent danger.

Oliver felt his heart race. With a quick movement, he positioned himself behind the heavy iron door, pressing against it in an attempt to prevent it from being opened. His muscles protested, weakened by the loss of one arm and the long days of captivity. The physical strength battle was unfair; on the other side, the Ork pushed with determination, clueless of the unexpected resistance.

The creaking of the hinges and the combined effort made the silent battle even more tense. Sweat dripped down Oliver's forehead as he struggled against the monster. Every second counted, and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

But despite the weakness consuming him, a flame of determination shone in his eyes. He couldn't allow the door to open, not now, not without fighting to his last ounce of strength. Gathering courage, Oliver pressed with all he had, knowing that their fate could depend on that crucial moment.

"They are here!" the boy used the last air in his lungs to shout.

They could hear the Orks throwing their shoulders against the heavy door, trying to force it open. With each powerful impact, Oliver was pushed back a bit more, his muscles trembling with the effort of keeping the barrier closed. Gradually, a small gap began to form, and through it, a grotesque and muscular Ork hand extended, thick fingers trying to reach the boy.

"Huark!" grunted the creature, its yellow eye peering through the opening.

Fortunately, Isabela was already prepared. Without hesitation, she raised the stone she had found on the cell floor and brought it down with all her might onto the hand. A sharp crack was followed by a thunderous scream of pain and fury. The Ork quickly withdrew his hand.

However, it wasn't the end of their battle. Even away from the bars, Oliver and Isabela could hear the sound of more Orks approaching through the corridors. The heavy footsteps and threatening grunts announced that a horde was coming, and time was running out.

They seemed to be talking among themselves, deciding what they were going to do.

‘Go away. Give up,’ Oliver hoped.

Oliver could hear the clinking of the handcuffs breaking as Katherine celebrated. “Got it!”

Katherine ran to her friends; now, without the chains hindering her movements, she could fight, even if Oliver and Isabela couldn't support her.

Again, the Orks started pushing against the door. However, as quickly as they began to force and pound on it, all movements ceased, and the noise stopped.

The group waited for some sound; however, nothing happened for several seconds. Then they heard two people walking, going from cell to cell, opening the doors.

"Katherine!"

The group heard the shouts of the people walking outside. The three exchanged glances for a moment before deciding to open the door. As soon as the girl poked her head out of the cell, she could see two people.

A tall man with dark hair wearing golden armor and a younger girl with a scar below her eye and a short, modern haircut, dressed in red armor.

As soon as she saw the man, she had no doubts.

"John!" she shouted, drawing the attention of the two Rangers.