They enter the throne room unnoticed. Ilka was furious. Only he and Okir were in the room.

Ilka: You think this is acceptable, Okir?! Three members' vessels destroyed. Do you have any idea how much this affects us? How big of a setback it is?! Your goal was simple: destroy those darned beasts. Was that really so difficult?

Okir: Apologies Ilka, but there were too many of them... Before I knew it half of us were already downed. I had to get out of there. Naizk came not long after me, too. Those three were left back there, they must st-.

Raxyas interrupts as he steps into the room with Bazren, carrying Tentoria in his arms.

Raxyas: Those three are back now... As for the beasts, they're taken care of. No need to worry about it.

Okir: What...? How...?

Okir runs to the entrance, in utter disbelief that the beasts are gone.

Ilka: Is that so...? The three of you somehow work better by yourselves than when paired up with five extra capable warriors. How intriguing...

Bazren: It was in no small part thanks to Tentoria... She's unconscious now, however.

Ilka: Well, I'll see to it that Okir carries her to her room. Now, the two of you. Congratulations are in order. If you hadn't stayed back, there is no telling what those beasts would have done. It seems I may have underestimated their power... Get some rest for today. Tomorrow, we have many things to discuss.

They return to their room. As they turn around and leave, they overhear Ilka...

Ilka: Okir! Stop what you're doing and go fetch Naizk. We will have to go on an expedition to gather more vessels as soon as possible...

Raxyas and Bazren look at one another. This could be their opportunity to raid the vault and get the boxes. They enter the room, locking the door behind them.

Bazren: We have no time to lose! If they go out to search for vessels, there will be barely anybody left inside the fortress.

Raxyas: Damn right, now's our chance. Let's take a look at that blueprint...

Raxyas taps the bottom wall bricks, until he finds the loose one where Tentoria hid the blueprint of the fortress. He opens it up on one of the beds.

[https://img.wattpad.com/2b2ad57f7233a947bdc253cc016cd0427090191b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f7472326c33536b71674b514176413d3d2d313234323530353431352e313732616434376665313861653133653330323137313037353131372e706e67]

It was surprisingly detailed, clearly it had taken some time to be drawn up.

Bazren: Wow... This is impressive. I had no idea Tentoria could do this...

Raxyas: Indeed. So, this would be our room, then...

Raxyas points to one of the rectangles in the blueprint.

Raxyas: Which means that if we take the corridor that leads to the throne room, and then take the leftmost corridor... We should end up in the area where some of the members' chambers are, as well as the vault.

Bazren: Whose chambers are those?

Raxyas: Tentoria has some notes about that too... Just as she said, Okir's room is right next to the vault. But so is Gunjia's... Hmmm. Gunjia is out of the picture for now, his vessel was destroyed in the skirmish.

Bazren: And Okir should be busy patrolling, so all we have to do is keep an eye out for him, and we should be fine.

Raxyas: Then there's another room next to Okir's... It belongs to... Eanai? Am I reading that right?

It was difficult to read the squiggles... Tentoria must have been in a hurry when she wrote them.

Bazren: Right. Eanai was also taken down in the hunt, so no trouble there. Which means all that is left is... Three question marks...?

Raxyas: What does that mean? Does she not know whose room that is?

Bazren: Maybe it's not important, and it's one of those members that are out on missions...

Raxyas: Shit... I don't like this at all. With Tentoria unconscious, we lose an extra pair of eyes. We can't risk anything... Not now.

Bazren: Well... What if you take her place?

Raxyas: How? One of us needs to stay here, in case somebody comes to check on us.

Bazren: Wait... Maybe we don't need a pair of eyes on the outside. Look here...

Drawn on the map was Okir's patrol route. The route was a circuit around the fortress, which covered most of the areas. However, some of the unpatrolled areas included the one with the vault.

Bazren: Interesting... You'd think he'd cover the vault, right...?

Raxyas: Maybe he doesn't need to. Look, the corridor that connects to the vault provides a clear line of sight into it. If the vault is the only thing worth protecting there, then simply walking past the corridor should be enough to keep it safe, since you can easily see its door.

Bazren: Perfect... Okay, so Okir won't be a problem. As long as he doesn't see me entering or exiting, he won't be close enough to hear anything going on inside. So that only leaves Ilka and Naizk...

Raxyas: Right. But, if they're leaving to search for vessels, that should give us more than enough time to go in and out.

Suddenly, they hear banging outside their door.

Bazren (hushed): Shit... What now...?

Okir: It's Okir! Ilka wants to see you two, right now.

Raxyas: Alright, we're going!

Bazren (hushed): This doesn't sound good...

Raxyas thought the same. They open the door, and are accompanied by Okir to the throne room. There, Ilka and Naizk were waiting for them.

Ilka: Thank you, Okir. Sorry to disturb you two, but it turns out your rest will have to wait.

Raxyas and Bazren's bodies tensed up.

Ilka: You see, the truth is we need your immediate assistance. The only capable warriors within the fortress are now in this room. Me, Naizk, Okir, and the two of you. We need to head outside to fetch new vessels, given the dire state the other members of Incola are currently in... But we cannot conduct a proper expedition with solely two members. Okir has to stay to patrol the fortress, which would leave only me and Naizk to go.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The two redeemers could see where this was going.

Ilka: We need you to accompany us.

Before Bazren could say anything, Raxyas spoke.

Raxyas: I have no problem helping out, Ilka. But... Bazren took quite a beating in the last battle. It's kind of a miracle that she's even standing here listening to all this, in all honesty. If she comes with us, she'll probably be more of a hindrance than anything else.

Ilka: Ah... I did not realize Bazren was in such a state.

Bazren: I'm afraid I'd only slow you down...

Raxyas: Would it be possible for her to stay and recuperate, and for me alone to accompany the two of you?

Ilka pondered for a moment.

Ilka: ... We need strong, capable hands for this. Bazren, return to your room. If need be, we will carry out multiple expeditions. There's no point in over-exerting anybody, and risking even more casualties.

Raxyas and Bazren were relieved.

Bazren: Thank you, Ilka. I apologize for not being of more help, but perhaps when you return I'll be able to assist, if you still need me to.

Ilka: Worry not, the three of us will make do. Now, go.

Bazren takes her leave, discreetly winking at Raxyas as she turns around to return to their room.

Ilka: Very well. Raxyas, are you prepared to go right now?

Raxyas: Sure. Any time.

Ilka: Good. Then we will depart at once. Okir!

Okir: Yes, Ilka?

Ilka: You are the only one patrolling today. Must I say anything else?

Okir: No, Ilka. I will protect the fortress with all that I have.

Ilka: Make sure that you pay special attention to the entrances. We don't want any more surprises...

Okir: Understood.

Ilka: We shouldn't take long, anyway. Now, shall we?

Naizk: Let's go.

Raxyas nods. The three of them leave to fetch more vessels, while Bazren and Okir remain in the fortress.

Bazren (comm): I heard all that. This is almost too good to be true...! Keep them busy Raxyas, I'll let you know once I've got all I need from the vault.

Raxyas heard her loud and clear through the communicator. It was now up to Bazren to get inside the vault and transcribe whatever boxes lay within.

Bazren: So, let's see here...

She studied the blueprint one last time. She had the route memorized, all she needed to do now was wait for Okir to pass by her door. As soon as he did, she would know where he was, and could leave without risking getting discovered. Her plan was to lock the door behind her so that if, for whatever reason, Okir attempted to enter the room, it could buy her some time to improvise. Still, he would have no good reason to do so. He knew she was supposed to be resting, so there should be no point in disturbing her.

Bazren: Master Qu, are you there?

It took a moment, but Qu answered.

Qu (comm): Bazren! It's good to hear from you. Tell me the news.

Bazren: Today is the day... I will be entering the vault shortly, and transcribing all the boxes within. Could you please tell me as soon as you start receiving the transcriptions? I just want to make sure that everything goes through properly. This could very well be our one and only shot at this...

Qu (comm): Of course, worry not. I shall be waiting on this side. I'll let you know as soon as something comes through.

Bazren: Thank you. It shouldn't take long, now.

Communications cease, and Bazren waits. Minutes later, she hears them. Footsteps. Barely audible at first, but loud and clear as they passed by the room. As soon as they started getting more faint again, she prepared to leave. She waited some more moments after she stopped hearing them, to ensure that Okir would not hear her leave the room. Based on the speed with which she heard him pass by, she formed a mental image of where in his patrol route he should be at that moment. This allowed her to move as efficiently and as inconspicuously as possible.

Bazren: I'm moving now, Raxyas.

Raxyas heard her loud and clear. He, Ilka, and Naizk were now quite a ways from the fortress. They traveled on what seemed to be a hover vehicle, powered by some technology Raxyas could not understand. It seemed Incola had access to technology that even master Qu had no means of creating.

Naizk and Ilka were talking about some past or future event that he could not quite understand [https://img.wattpad.com/723accfc4c07218bda066b716f1d72f9e854144d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6f5a6b4e4e6a316c5975646a68773d3d2d313234323530353431352e313732393464613935323464656236653136373137323639383136332e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Naizk and Ilka were talking about some past or future event that he could not quite understand.

Naizk: ... I'm telling ya, going inside that place is suicide. No one has made it out alive yet.

Ilka was the one driving. He seemed well accustomed to the vehicle.

Ilka: Even so... The old citadels are where it all began. We need to get those boxes, every single one of them.

Naizk: You think there's anything of use there? Seriously?

Ilka: It is far more likely that we'll find good information buried deep underground than on the surface, Naizk. We must keep trying, no matter what.

Naizk discreetly glances at Raxyas. He did not notice.

Naizk: Well, at least it's not me.

The conversation ceases for a moment. Then, Naizk turns to Raxyas.

Naizk: So Raxyas, what do you think of this baby?

Naizk taps the vehicle twice with his hand.

Naizk: You won't find another like it in all of Mortmundus!

Raxyas: I had no idea technology like this even existed. But then again, Incola seems to have access to a lot of novel tools... I had never seen a soul sphere before, either. And yet, to you it seems like just another commonplace item.

Naizk: Hahah... Well, an organization like ours requires the best arsenal available, doesn't it? After all, ours is no small mission.

Raxyas: Is it someone in Incola who fabricates this arsenal of yours...?

Naizk laughs.

Naizk: I wish! Who knows where her allegiances truly lie, honestly...

Ilka looks at him, as if he was saying too much. Naizk changes topics.

Naizk: But never mind that now, tell us more of how the three of you managed to take those damn beasts down! That was no small feat.

Ilka: Yes, Raxyas, I must admit I'm quite curious to know, too...

Raxyas didn't want to tell them what had really happened. It could even be that they already knew what Tentoria was capable of doing, but he did not want to risk giving such information away. He came up with an alternative take instead.

Raxyas: It was actually quite simple... Thanks to Tentoria, we were able to figure out that we were simply approaching the whole thing wrong.

Naizk didn't quite understand.

Naizk: Approaching it wrong...? How else would we approach it?

Raxyas smiled.

Raxyas: You see, we started by taking down the minions, hoping that at some point we would kill them all. Well, what if I told you there was an infinite number of minions?

Naizk: What? That's impossible... There's no way anybody could win, if that were the case.

Ilka: Not true.

Ilka seemed to get what Raxyas was hinting at.

Ilka: If the weeds are to stop growing, one must pull out their root.

Raxyas: Correct.

Naizk still didn't get it.

Raxyas: When killing the minions didn't work, and we had no choice but to fall back... Tentoria remembered to try one last thing: to kill the leader directly. We carved a path through the minions, and took the leader down. And lo and behold... As soon as it fell, so did the minions.

Naizk was dumbfounded.

Naizk: Holy crap... It was that simple?!

Raxyas: Well, in your defence it wasn't the most obvious thing to try. This wasn't your average foe. If we weren't pushed to the breaking point, we may not ever have tried it.

Ilka shook his head in disbelief.

Ilka: I'd expect more from you, Naizk... How disappointing.

Naizk: Ilka you weren't there, those things were ferocious!

Ilka: You're right. I should have been there, maybe then that lousy puppet show would have ended in no casualties. Live and learn...

The car slowed down, as they reached a thick forest.

Ilka: We're here.

The three of them dismount, and proceed into the jungle on foot. It was eerily quiet.

Naizk: Know where we are, Raxyas? This is right at the heart of No Man's Shore. Where the deadliest of beasts reside. And also... Where there's always one or two vessels laying around of some redeemer who bit off more than he could chew!

Ilka: A long time ago, nearby cities used to send some of their redeemers to control the beasts in this area. Unfortunately, for every successful hunt, there'd be about ten failed ones. It is said that when the warriors were defeated by the beasts here, their souls instinctively flew away from this jungle, in a desperate attempt to seek refuge elsewhere. Eventually, it became a place that made even the bravest of redeemers tremble in fear... Entire cities were abandoned because of it, as the beast population grew and grew. Nowadays, the closest city is not even in No Man's Shore. They deemed this part of Mortmundus to be far too dangerous to inhabit... Luckily, things seem to have somewhat evened out, as the beasts stopped expanding their territory.

Naizk: ... Done with the history lesson, Ilka?

Ilka: It would do you a world of good to be more open to what people have to say, Naizk. Maybe that way you wouldn't have to spend most of your time in solo assignments outside the fortress...

Naizk: Tsk...

Ilka: Anyway, to wrap my story up. Even today, in the deepest reaches of this jungle, one can find plenty of powerful vessels. Of course that, at a price... The beasts here are especially relentless. I wouldn't dare send anyone alone here, and even just going by myself and Naizk would be unwise. This is their lair, and while taking one or two down would be no problem...

Naizk: It's when they all jump you at once that things get tricky. So whatever you do, don't get surrounded.

Ilka: ... Yes, Naizk. That is what I was about to say.

Naizk: Sorry, if I didn't interrupt I'd collapse from boredom.

Ilka: Such pleasant company, as always...

Naizk: You don't keep me around for my company, Ilka.

Ilka: No, no I do not.

Ilka laughed. Naizk, on the other hand, didn't think it was so amusing...

They continued to venture deeper into the jungle.