Part Two
It slowly dawned on Daunte that this was the present Caesar had promised to get him. After all, what better way to boost morale for the Liberation Army than to strike an alliance with a Sheikh?
"It's him!" one of the Holy Army soldiers shouted, pointing to Keiran. "The heretic! It's him!"
"Heretic?" Roen and Felicity echoed.
Keiran raised his head slightly, though his gaze didn't linger from the Matron. "If I'm a heretic of a faith that tortures children and murders its own congregates, then I'll proudly be a heretic!"
"Keiran Umed," the Matron called up to him in a cold voice. "You have been charged with treason for the attempted murder of a High Cleric. You have been stripped of your rank, excommunicated from the Nagarist Order, and are currently supposed to be en route to Mlkwt Alsmwat under heavy guard to be sentenced."
"Well, clearly I'm not," Keiran answered her. His soldiers rumbled with laughter.
The Matron predictably, wasn't amused. "So you would rather risk condemning your entire family—and the families of these idiots who followed you into treason—certain death under Original Sin?"
The soldiers abruptly stopped laughing. Keiran however looked unmoved. "As you're not doubt aware, my parents are dead and I have no siblings. So I don't risk much in terms of my family. As for the families of my soldiers, well…" he leaned forward slightly. "It would be hard for you to sentence them under Original Sin if you can't even find them."
"You—"
"But thank you, my Lady, for confirming to me that we have made the right decision," Keiran said. He then looked beyond the Matron and towards Daunte. "Lord Daunte, I know we have met on opposing sides on the battlefield, but my soldiers and I are now ready to stand at your side!"
"It's true, Big Brother!" Arin called down to him. "They're really here to help us! The Sheikh brought almost all his soldiers here to help you!"
Daunte let out the breath he was holding, feeling the tension drain from his body. He looked at his companions, who looked very skeptical but they nodded to him. He looked back up at Keiran. "Thank you!" he shouted.
The Matron scoffed. "Then I'll save taxpayer money and execute you myself!" her Rune glowed and she fired her lightning spell straight at Keiran.
"Berserk Blow!" Mihr suddenly shouted, raising his left hand and almost elbowing Keiran aside. Daunte saw the symbol of a lightning bolt rise into the air before a lightning spell not quite as large or as powerful as the Matron's flew towards it. The two spells merged and promptly imploded, spending what looked like hundreds of lightning bolts flying in all directions. Luckily the only people these bolts seemed to hit were the soldiers with the Matron.
"Kill the children!" the Matron shouted. Those that weren't injured by the blast immediately turned their arrows back down the Dark Chasm.
"Soldiers!" Keiran shouted. As if on cue, dozens of Keiran's soldiers, including Lanny, leapt from the ledges and fell upon the archers, preventing them from firing their arrows.
"Hurry and evacuate now!" Daunte shouted.
"W-What about the monsters she summoned?!" Roen exclaimed.
Daunte looked to Priscilla and Farzin. "W-Would you both mind going back down there to assist them?"
"I thought you would never ask," Priscilla said, forcing a smile.
"If we leave, then it will just be the four of you," Farzin pointed out. "Will you be all right?"
"Don't worry about us," Daunte told him. "Worry about the children of the Dark Chasm, our soldiers, but also yourselves. We'll see you later."
"Thank you, Lord Daunte."
Farzin and Priscilla quickly ran back into the tunnel, while Daunte and the others ran up towards Tier Six to assist Keiran and the rest of his soldiers, and the children above.
"Not so fast."
Daunte flinched and stumbled backwards as the Matron suddenly appeared right in front of them. Four Holy Army soldiers raced down to their Tier with their swords drawn.
"You're making me very angry, boy," the Matron told Daunte, her voice chillingly cold. "I'm not going to ask again. Give me the True Rune now."
The last time he had faced the Matron, she had dominated the fight with her Rune spells. But that was before Daunte even knew what his True Rune was, or even how to use it. Now he had two spells unlocked on it, so he felt a confidence he didn't feel before. "If you want my Rune, you'll have to come and get it!" he snapped at her.
The Matron sighed, as though she were dealing with an unruly child. "Have it your way then."
Daunte regretted sending Farzin and Priscilla away, as it'd left the four of them facing the Matron and four soldiers. They were outnumbered, but not out skilled.
"Open Gate!" Allise called out, using her Pale Gate Rune. It had a devastating impact on the soldiers facing them.
The Matron, however, was unfazed. "As if I would tremble in fear at the power of your inferior Rune." She raised her right hand, and the Rune glowed. Daunte didn't have time to see the symbol of the Rune, as suddenly they were faced with three Cerberus-type monsters!
"Best Friends!" Daunte shouted, calling for the unite attack. The monsters provided a natural wall that prevented them from attacking the Matron, although it didn't prevent the Matron from attacking them with spells. But they persevered, and Daunte used his Howl spell to heal the four of them until they finally took down the monsters and were able to attack the Matron directly. She was powerful, but the four of them against her did allow for them to cause her to finally falter.
"You've improved, boy." She was breathless, but despite this somehow remained standing. "I can see why the Rune of Restoration chose you."
"You need to give up!" Daunte told her harshly. "We're going to liberate the Dark Chasm, and we're going to make sure you will never be able to sentence any more children here!"
The Matron laughed softly. "The children will just end up back here after the Theocracy wins. It's inevitable."
"You—"
"I don't have time for this." She glared at him over her hood. "I'll allow you to keep the Rune for now. I'll even allow you to liberate this place. That is…if you survive this."
"Survive what?" Roen asked, but they quickly got their answer in the form of terrified screams resonating from the Lower Tier. Daunte quickly looked over the edge and his eyes widened. The entire ground below was shifting and rising!
"W-What is that?!" Felicity exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Daunte shouted.
The group ran down to the Lower Tier, as terrified children and guards even ran past them in a panic. There were so many people scrambling to escape, that on Tier One Daunte gave up running down the Tiers and dropped off the side to the Lower Tier. By this time, a form had risen from the mud over three meters high. It was entirely in the shape of mud, but the head formed a familiar shape of a dragon's head.
Maybe I should've brought Sharon? Daunte wondered.
The beast was massive. It was a dragon created from wet mud, but it was no less fierce than other types of dragons. It opened its mouth and roared, and despite the mud dripping off of it, the mud dragon still breathed fire.
"Best Friends!" Daunte shouted, but his stomach was churning. They needed to kill this thing quickly, because if they didn't more people were going to die. He performed his unite attack against the mud dragon, but the creature barely flinched.
"I should've saved my spells," Allise lamented out loud. "Open Gate!"
"Howl!" Daunte shouted, though it was more so that they could restore their spells than healing them. The beast hardly wavered, though. It swatted at them with its tail and front and hind legs, and there were even some instances where they were scrambling to get out of the way of its fire breath. The battle was brutally difficult.
Suddenly, a form slammed down onto the mud dragon's back, and the dragon roared in agony. Daunte saw Keiran rise into a standing position, burying his sword deep into the dragon's back.
"Sorry for the delay!" Keiran shouted down to them as jumped off the dragon's back. "I'll fight alongside you, Lord Daunte!"
"Thank you!" Daunte said as Keiran took formation beside him.
Mihr leapt down from Tier Ten to join them. "Let's make this fight more balanced," he said.
"Right," Keiran said. He pointed at the dragon with his sword. "Soldier's Oath!"
Both Keiran Mihr lunged in unison at the mud dragon and hacked and slashed at the creature with their swords. Daunte quickly realized that it was a unite attack of their own, and the rapid succession of blows they inflicted upon the dragon were devastating. The dragon roared in pain, and by the end of the attack it was hobbling.
I'm glad they're on our side.
With Keiran and Mihr's assistance the fight definitely began tipping in their favor. They utilized their unite attack, Mihr made frequent use of a Lightning Rune, and Keiran made use of a rune called the Wrath Rune that increased his physical strength monumentally. But it took a very long time to bring the mud dragon down. Daunte became acutely aware that the fighting above them had ceased and Keiran's soldiers were shouting words of encouragement down to them. Daunte didn't understand why they just didn't join the fight like Keiran and Mihr did, but he didn't dwell on it.
But in the end they were victorious. Daunte called for the Best Friends unite attack one last time and the beast finally collapsed back into the mud. Then right before their eyes, the creature melted until nothing was left but liquid mud pooling at their ankles.
The entire Dark Chasm erupted into cheers. Daunte caught his breath and wiped at his brow with his hand when Keiran suddenly grasped his hand and shook it. "You fought well," he praised.
Daunte nodded and laughed a little. "You both fought well, too. Thank you for the help."
"Big Brother!"
Daunte looked up. The Dark Chasm's lift, which had somehow been undamaged by the riot and the ensuing fights, reached the Lower Tier and Arin burst out of the elevator and ran towards Daunte. He threw his arms around his brother's waist. "That was scary! I didn't know what would happen to you!"
"I'm alive," Daunte said, ruffling his hair.
"Yes, you are," Caesar said, sauntering over to them. He was still grinning. "We're currently securing the Dark Chasm and accepting surrenders from the remaining guards. All in all, this is a victory for us."
Daunte looked between Caesar and Keiran. "How long have you both been securing an alliance for the Army?"
"Lord Caesar initially reached out to me once you secured your new headquarters," Keiran told him. "During that time I was under house arrest at my Garrison for threatening a High Cleric."
"I saw that," Daunte said. "You pulled your sword on him."
"He forced my hand," Keiran said. "I did not want to kill anyone, but he wouldn't stop ordering me to advance. I had a split decision to decide if I was going to follow his order or not and…" Keiran shrugged. "I decided I would not follow."
"So now you're here," Allise said, walking over to them. "And you want to ally with us."
"I've been branded a heretic, and almost all the men and women under my command defied Holy Decree to prevent my extradition to the capital," Keiran responded. "Allying with the Liberation Army would be the most beneficial thing for us to do, considering the circumstances."
"B-But you led your soldiers against us!" Roen suddenly spoke up. "You ambushed us and fought against us! You killed Liberation Army soldiers!"
"And Liberation Army soldiers killed my soldiers," Keiran said. "I'd say we're about even."
"But—"
"Allow me to make something clear," Keiran interrupted, looking to Daunte. "That the only reason I'm standing here humbling myself to the Liberation Army is because you are leading it, Lord Daunte. If Bearyl Lutis were still in power, I would never consider an alliance with him. Not after the sent the bare minimum of help to Uaminifu to thwart a massacre.
"But you are different, my Lord. Time and time again you have demonstrated a level of integrity I have never seen in another person before. You sacrificed yourself to save a superior officer. You were on the front lines at Uaminifu, trying to defend a thankless city that didn't care about you. And now here you are—leading the charge to liberate this horrendous place." Keiran looked at his surroundings; at the pale, gaunt-faced children staring down at them. His face was grim. "This place is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life. I've actually lost respect for Sheikh Tamara Nuori for allowing this place to become as…" he gestured with his hand. "I can't even find the proper adjective to describe this hellhole. And I'm deeply ashamed that I've served a government that routinely sentences children here. But I digress.
"I'm here right now for my own self-preservation, and for the preservation of the people who serve under me," Keiran admitted, looking back at Daunte. "But I'm also here because I believe in you. I believe that you truly want to make things right for this country, and I believe that you will succeed. I want to make you succeed, my Lord." Keiran saluted him. "If you would have me, we are ready to march in your name."
Daunte knew he could reject Keiran's offer, especially when Keiran had killed so many Liberation Army soldiers. But he also knew that Keiran truly was an honorable man. He'd refused to take Kaylani hostage, allowing for them to rescue her more easily. He did not kill Daunte when given the opportunity, and treated him well as a prisoner despite the fact that Daunte was a traitor. And he'd tried very hard to work behind the scenes to advert the massacre on Uaminifu that he'd been ordered to lead.
Keiran had done a lot of harm to the Liberation Army—but Daunte knew that Keiran Umed was a good man. He couldn't pass up this alliance. Especially when Caesar had arranged it.
So he nodded to the former Sheikh. "I would be honored to have you fight for us."
The soldiers above them cheered loudly, and Keiran smiled as though in relief. "Thank you, my Lord. I know I have done wrong by the Liberation Army, but I will work hard to redeem myself to you all."
"As will I," Mihr said, stepping forward. He unsheathed his sword and held it up. "I swear by my sword Nariek, that I will stand with the Liberation Army and see you through to victory."
Daunte looked at his companions. They all looked apprehensive, but Allise stepped forward and nodded. "I will trust your judgment, my Lord."
"Thank you," Daunte said, nodding.
"Of course Daunte made the right decision!" Arin said. "Daunte is never wrong!" This caused a lot of laughter of course, but Daunte looked up at the children of the Dark Chasm, standing on the Upper Tier all the way down to Tier Ten. So many of them looked exhausted, but several…many of them were crying. It was like they didn't have the energy to be happy about being free, they were just so relieved that their nightmare was finally over that they were overwhelmed with emotion. Daunte felt tears sting his own eyes and he blinked to clear them, but the tears still came out. He quickly wiped at his face and choked, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Luckily nobody around him ridiculed him for crying. It almost seemed endearing to them that the success of the mission meant so much to the Liberation Army leader.
It had finally happened. After everything they suffered and after Kass and so many other children had died, the end had finally come.
It's over. It's finally over.
The Matron had fled when she summoned the mud dragon. Nobody found a trace of her, and Daunte was glad for it.
The Liberation Army joined them, stunned that Keiran Umed and his soldiers had also joined their ranks, and collectively they went about properly evacuating the Dark Chasm. Luckily all of the children were accounted for—none had died or were seriously injured by the fight. Only ten guards remained, as did the Clerics of the Dark Chasm, and all of them were forced to assist in the evacuation.
It was very trying, however. All of the children were incredibly malnourished, and several were so exhausted and weak that they needed to be carried out of the Upper Tier.
Daunte did not like seeing this and raised his hand. "Brother, please!" Arin hissed. "The last time you did that you passed out!"
"I'll be more careful," Daunte promised him.
"Focus your inner core energy a little better," Caesar said. "So you don't overexert yourself."
Daunte emptied his mind and did breathing exercises. He focused himself so completely on what he would do that everything else just disappeared from his senses. He didn't feel anyone's presence beside him, and it became very quiet. "Howl!" he called out, the sound muted.
The spell did not drain his body this time, but it spread out and connected with the soldiers and the children. He strained, wanting the spell to reach out across the entire Dark Chasm and touch every child there. But he did not do it in a way that would weaken him, not like it had before. By the time the spell finished Daunte was panting for breath but he did not collapse like he did before. He shook it off and looked up.
But…
But though the children now had the energy to stand on their own, they still had appalling appearances and still looked weak. He remembered how sick Arin had been, and how the boy had not simply healed for one spell.
This will take a lot of work.
"Where is Dr. Yulin?" Arin wondered out loud.
"That's a good question," Felicity said. "Let's go to the infirmary and see if he's all right."
Daunte nodded and looked to Caesar. "I'll leave this to you for the moment."
"Yes, my Lord," Caesar said with a slight bow.
It was surreal walking the narrow, stuffy hallways of the Dark Chasm without having to fear looking over your shoulder for a guard who could (and would) beat you. They passed many children who were being assisted by Liberation Army soldiers being evacuated. Daunte was stopped several times to be hugged and thanked by the children.
"Thank you so much!"
"You came back. I never doubted you for a second!"
"Is this real? Are we really free?"
"Where do we go now?"
Daunte saw the Chapel, and remembered having to kneel in there every day for the Morning Prayer asking for forgiveness for his "sin". He glanced inside and was shocked to see a couple of the Dark Chasm's children in there praying. Since the Nagarean religion had been constantly used against them, he was genuinely shocked to see so many children still have faith.
Faith is a powerful thing. Especially when the religion in question has been perverted by monsters who don't actually believe in it.
They finally reached the infirmary, which was empty except for a lone figure leaning over a desk. It was Arin who reacted first. "Dr. Yulin!" and raced forward.
Daunte was surprised by the strong surge of emotions he felt at seeing Dr. Yulin. The one adult in this place who had ever shown them an ounce of compassion and he looked absolutely horrid. His physical appearance was just as bad as the children, and he was hunched over slightly as Arin hugged him. He looked like he'd aged five years, even though it'd been only a few months since they'd left.
"W-What happened to him?" Roen asked numbly.
"He help us escape," Felicity whispered, her eyes wide. "They…They probably punished him."
Daunte surged forward and grabbed Dr. Yulin by the shoulder as the older man stood straight up, his eyes wide. "A-Arin?! You're well! And…" he looked up and saw Daunte. He laughed shortly, and relief and happiness filled his expression. "Daunte. You came back! So it was true then—you've liberated the Dark Chasm!"
"It's more than that," Felicity said, stepping forward. "Daunte is the leader of the Liberation Army. He led the Army here to set you all free."
Dr. Yulin clasped Daunte's hand and looked at the Rune of Restoration on his hand. "Earlier…I felt a surge of energy. That was you, wasn't it? You used your Rune to heal all of us."
"It wasn't enough, though," Daunte said, his tone turning sorrowful. "A-Are you all right, Dr. Yulin? Have they mistreated you?"
"I can live with it," Dr. Yulin reassured him. "When they turned their wrath upon me, it spared another child from being hurt. I was punished when you all escaped, but look at where we are now. You now lead an Army and have saved us. I never doubted for a second that you would come back."
"We're going to bring the children of the Dark Chasm back to our headquarters," Daunte said. "I want you to come with us, Dr. Yulin."
Dr. Yulin nodded. "I course I will. I have a duty to the chil—"
"Doctor," Daunte interjected, grabbing his other shoulder. "You need to rest and recuperate, along with the children! I have another doctor on-duty at headquarters, you don't need to shoulder this alone anymore! If you want to help, you must take care of yourself first!"
"Right," Roen chimed in. "After everything you've done to take care of us, you need to rest! Truly rest!"
"Besides, if Clara saw you trying to tend to patients in your current condition she'd probably tie you to a bed," Felicity said.
Dr. Yulin laughed loudly, and gave Arin a half-hug. "After everything the Theocracy has done to you children…I can do no better than to assist you in bringing them down."
"After you recover," Daunte said firmly.
Dr. Yulin bowed. "As you command, my Lord."
Hearing him say that was more moving than Daunte expected. He grabbed Dr. Yulin by his arm. "Let's go. You've been here long enough."
"Yes, I daresay I have."
Daunte directed Dr. Yulin to lean on him, but the older man would not allow it and walked on his own. He did allow Daunte to hang onto his arm however, and he kept his head low as they walked back down the hallway towards the main area of the shaft.
"Dr. Yulin?" Arin suddenly asked.
"What is it?"
"What did they do with Kass?"
Daunte froze in his tracks, and Felicity gasped aloud. Daunte wanted to reprimand Arin for the question, but Dr. Yulin raised his hand in front of Daunte's face as though to stop.
"Arin." Despite his exhaustion, Dr. Yulin kept his tone gentle. "Arin, Kass was taken away from here and laid out in the Rocky Plains."
Daunte felt bile rise in his throat. So it was true; Kass wasn't buried. His body was left out there in the Rocky Plains, exposed to the elements and carrion-eaters. Ugh…just thinking about it made him sick.
"He's still out there then?" there was a note of hope in Arin's voice that broke Daunte's heart. "M-Maybe we can find him. Give him a proper bur—"
"Arin," Felicity interrupted. She knelt down so that she was eye-level with Arin. "Kass died before we escaped. That was months ago. He's gone, sweetheart." Daunte could hear the tears in her voice.
"…Oh." The hope inside of Arin deflated, and his shoulders sank slightly.
"Let's get out of here, please," Roen choked. He was frantically wiping at his face with his hand and Daunte nodded. "Absolutely."
They were still evacuating children out of the Upper Tier when they returned. Children paused and rushed over to Dr. Yulin, reaching out for him and asking if he was all right.
"He's fine," Daunte reassured them. "Please, keep moving. We'll get you all the medical attention you need and plenty of food to eat." The children predictably didn't need to be told twice.
Daunte personally led Dr. Yulin up to Tier Two, but then he saw something that made him pause. Sitting on the edge of the ledge, legs hanging over the side, was Lanny. The young swordsman was sitting there as though in a daze, frowning deeply.
Daunte looked at Roen. "Can you help Dr. Yulin? I'll be right with you."
"S-Sure," Roen said, taking Dr. Yulin by the arm. "Here, let me help you."
Daunte approached Lanny and slowly sat down beside him. Lanny didn't seem to notice his approach. Daunte looked above and saw Keiran talking to Gunther on the Upper Tier. Gunther didn't look pleased, but was nodding at whatever Keiran was saying. Mihr was standing nearby, but he was looking down at Daunte. Daunte gave him a slight nod before focusing back on Lanny. "Hey," he said.
Lanny said nothing, continuing to look down the mineshaft. Daunte followed his gaze and saw children still walking up the length of the shaft. "How are you?" Daunte asked him.
"Today is my birthday," Lanny said grimly.
"Oh, really?" Daunte asked, looking at him. "Well…Happy fourteenth birthday."
Lanny quickly looked at him. "How did you know I turned fourteen?"
Daunte shrugged. "You shouted your age during the fight at Uaminifu."
"…Oh." Lanny slowly looked away and back down the mineshaft.
"I'm sorry you're celebrating your birthday this way," Daunte said. "But for what it's worth, I'm glad you guys are here."
"I saw a girl not too long ago," Lanny said. "She said she was fourteen too. But she was so…she didn't look fourteen! Daunte—I-I mean, Lord Daunte—she looked like she was twelve! She was so thin and looked so weak, and…" he ducked his head. "I-I'd heard stories; you know? That this place was a terrible place. But I'd thought that it didn't matter, you know? I thought that you deserved what happened to you because you had betrayed Nagar. B-But this…" he gestured with his hand at the children below them. "T-These kids are my age! They're younger than me! I've seen soldiers dying on the battlefield that look better than this! I…"
Lanny looked at Daunte, and Daunte was stunned at the sorrow he saw there. "I-I didn't know. You have to believe me when I say I didn't know! I would never wish this upon anyone! But that time—when you were our prisoner. I said so many horrible things to you, yet you survived this! I said those stupid, awful things and I—" he was becoming slightly hysterical. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! If I had known better, I…" he covered his mouth with a hand.
"If you had known better it wouldn't have made a difference," Daunte told him. "I don't blame you for what you said or felt. I'm just glad you were here to help us to liberate these children."
"I can't take credit for helping when you guys have been suffering this long." Lanny dropped his hand and did breathing exercises to calm himself. "I…I was going to join you because S—Keiran pledged himself to you. But I-I wanted to ask you in permission. Is it all right for me to join the Liberation Army?"
"Absolutely."
Lanny nodded and smiled for the first time. "Thank you, my Lord. I will work very hard to prove myself essential to the Army!" he stood up. "What shall I do?"
"For now, help us with the evacuation," Daunte said, standing up as well. "Help us get the children out of here safely."
"Right!" Lanny immediately set off spoke to Allise. Allise pointed down the line and Lanny raced to follow her direction. Daunte watched him go and then looked up towards Keiran. The former Sheikh was no longer speaking to Gunther. No, now he was looking straight down at Daunte, having undoubtedly witnessed Daunte speaking to Lanny. Finally, the older man nodded to Daunte and smiled. Daunte grinned and nodded back to him.
"My Lord!"
Several people jumped as a Liberation Army soldier suddenly appeared at the top of the Dark Chasm. "Lord Daunte! Sheikh Nuori is on the march towards this location!"
"I see that it wasn't an idle threat," Daunte heard Priscilla mutter.
"Then we'll have to engage her," Keiran said, nodding to Mihr. "I certainly have a few choice words for her."
"W-Wait!" Daunte shouted. He ran all the way up to the Upper Tier. "Our priority is getting the children out of here! If we engage them in combat, then we risk severe losses!"
"If Tamara Nuori is bringing her soldiers here, then we might have no choice but to engage her," Gunther pointed out.
"My Lord," Caesar said, moving to stand beside Daunte. "Since you want to avoid bloodshed, I imagine you have something else in mind?"
"Yes." Daunte yanked out the Blinking Mirror and held it up. "Viki gave this to me before we left. Once I activate this mirror, it will instantly teleport us all back to our headquarters."
"Oh, the Blinking Mirror!" Caesar exclaimed, grabbing Daunte's wrist. "I remember this! This was used frequently during the Second Fire Bringer War!"
"Really?"
"When you account for the children of the Dark Chasm, the soldiers you brought, and the soldiers I brought, that's over a thousand people," Keiran pointed out. "Is this Blinking Mirror powerful enough to teleport us all?"
Daunte honestly didn't know the answer to that question but he did not want to show uncertainty in front of everyone and nodded. "We'll give it a try. In order to increase the accuracy of the teleportation however, we should all link hands and hang on tight. Tell everyone to line up and hang on. I'll go up top, tell everyone else up there to do the same, and then activate the mirror. Spread the word that in the event that anyone is left behind, they should evacuate through the ruins and return to headquarters on foot. There should still be markers down there to guide the way."
"Sounds like a plan," Gunther said, nodding. "I'll go tell everyone." He quickly ran down the line.
"Caesar come with me," Daunte said, grabbing Arin by the hand. "Spread the word quickly and have everyone link hands!"
"Yes, my Lord," Caesar said.
Daunte hung on tight to Arin's hand as they climbed out of the Dark Chasm. All around them soldiers were armed and ready to fight, but children were sitting on the ground clearly scared. Sixteen meters away, Daunte saw a massive force riding towards them and he swallowed thickly. That was undoubtedly Sheikh Nuori and her army units.
"Everyone, hang on and do not let go!" Caesar was shouting. "If you are left behind, get down to Tier Seven and climbed down through the ruins! There are still markers inside the ruins that will guide you out!" All around them people were grabbing onto each other. Daunte clutched the Blinking Mirror to his chest as we he waited. Finally, Caesar grabbed the back of his vest. "We're ready, my Lord. Please use the Blinking Rune now!"
"Liberation Army!" Daunte heard Sheikh Nuori shout to them. "This is where you are defeated once and for all!"
Daunte thrusted the Blinking Mirror high into the air. "T…Take us back to headquarters!" he shouted.
The Blinking Rune suddenly let off a bright white glow that consumed the area. Daunte squeezed his eyes shut but also squeezed Arin's hand. Please…Please let this work!
"Oh my goodness!"
Daunte's eyes snapped open. He was face-to-face with a large dark mirror. A moment later he realized that he was no longer outside.
"Welcome back!" Viki greeted him cheerfully.
Daunte quickly turned around. They were no longer at the Dark Chasm. They were in the main hall of their headquarters. And because of the sheer number of people who had been teleported, they were all practically on top of each other!
"Well," Caesar said, letting go of Daunte's vest. "That worked out exactly how I expected it to."
"How could you keep this from us?!"
Daunte heard the shouting before he entered the war room. He'd taken on the responsibility to do a head count to make sure that no one had been left behind. To his immense relief, nobody had been left behind. All of the soldiers and the children of the Dark Chasm were accounted for.
Clara had been overwhelmed by meeting Dr. Yulin, as he was a doctor she idolized. But as Felicity predicted, she was appalled by Dr. Yulin physical appearance and promptly ordered him to go to bed. With the threat of tying him to his bed, of course.
The Army set about getting the children of the Dark Chasm settled. Water and Wind Runes were used to heal them and they were given food, but Daunte noticed something that made him uncomfortable. The Liberation Army had immediately leapt at the opportunity to help the children, but…but the soldiers, Tidur, Clara—everyone seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of children to take care of.
We'll work it out. I know we will.
Daunte went up to the war room for the debrief when he heard Gunther shouting just outside the door.
"Lord Caesar, you went and made an alliance with Keiran Umed without consulting us! Without notifying our commander! How could you act behind our backs?!"
"I acted in the better interests of the Army. I received word about Keiran's excommunication and extradition and I felt I needed to move fast to secure him as an ally. I—"
"But you didn't discuss this with any of us!" Allise argued. "You didn't even discuss it with Lord Daunte! You just surprised him with it in the middle of battle! Did you think we would find this "cute", or something?! Because it was completely unprofessional of you to do this on your own!"
"Please, don't be angry," Caesar tried to reassure them. "My actions were no different than many other strategists of major wars. The important thing is that we secured the alliance—"
"The important thing is that you deliberately withheld battle plans from our Lord Commander!" Eamon interjected. "You place him right in the middle of enemy territory and made him and all of us believe that he did not have a lifeline! That is unforgiveable!"
Daunte hesitated behind the door. Admittedly he was upset that Caesar had hidden the alliance with Keiran from him, and had essentially left him thinking that they had lost. He knew he could go in there and agree with everyone against Caesar, or to defend his strategist from their verbal attacks.
Deep down, he knew he had to do what was best for the Army. So Daunte took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and pushed open the door. "Everyone, stop it."
Everyone snapped to attention as Daunte entered. "Lord Daunte, "Gunther said, hurrying over to him. "We were defending you. As our Lord you should have been informed about this alliance and Caesar deliberately refrained from telling you!"
"Everyone," Daunte said, keeping his voice calm. "Do not reprimand our Army strategist. I won't allow you to question his judgment. He had a plan, and the plan was a success. That is what is most important."
"But my Lord—" Eamon said.
"Your concern is appreciated and I thank you for it. But I can't stand while you second-guess the decisions of our strategist. You must have faith that what he is doing is for the good of this Army. I believe in him, and so should you."
Caesar actually looked surprised to see Daunte defending him so staunchly. All throughout the room, Daunte's supporters slowly relaxed. But very slowly.
"I apologize, Lord Caesar," Allise said softly. Everyone else followed up with apologies as well, and Caesar answered them with a nod.
Daunte folded his arms over his chest. "Everyone is secure here. Let's commence with the debriefing."
The debriefing thankfully was quick, as it only confirmed everything Daunte already knew. All of the children were here, and Keiran was now an ally. Less than a half hour later, the war room emptied as everyone scattered to do their own thing within headquarters.
Daunte, however, deliberately hung back and gave Caesar a pointed look to do the same. Thankfully, the strategist understood completely.
"I wanted to thank you for defending me earlier," Caesar said, turning to face him. "I can tell that you're not pleased with my decision, but I'm glad you displayed your professionalism in front of the men and women under your command."
"You said it once," Daunte said. "That as commander and strategist we have to look united no matter how bad things look."
Caesar smiled sheepishly. "Indeed I did."
Daunte moved to stand in front of him. "I'm grateful that you secured this alliance for me, but I don't want you hiding anything from me again, Caesar. If you have an idea about obtaining allies, or ambushes, or anything else, I want you to tell me. If you keep your plans hidden from me then it looks like to the rest of the Army that you don't trust me." Daunte hesitated before continuing. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes, I do," Caesar told him. "Far more than I trust Bearyl Lutis."
"Then I'll let this slide," Daunte said. "Because of the amount of good it has done for the Army. But don't hide anything from me again. Understand?"
Caesar nodded. "Absolutely. From now on you'll be the very first person who hears about any ideas I have."
Daunte nodded. "Thank you." The words were said around a yawn. "We worked hard today. Can you make arrangements to bring the soldiers up for a meeting? I want to thank them for how hard they worked today."
"That's awfully nice of you, my Lord."
Daunte shrugged. "They worked hard. They should be recognized for it. Should I do anything else for them? Like…do we have the budget to give them raises?"
"…Not quite yet," Caesar said. "But you'd be surprised how much good a simple 'good job' from their lord commander can do for morale."
Later, Daunte collapsed onto his bed. He'd felt awkward that he couldn't reward anyone for their hard work outside of telling them that they did a good job and that he was proud of them but Caesar was right—his words did make an impression. By the end of his speech, where he gave his sincerest thanks to the soldiers—everyone was cheering and clapping. There wasn't one person who wasn't smiling.
Daunte rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Everything still felt surreal. He couldn't believe that he had led a successful campaign and had liberated the Dark Chasm. He felt like he was dreaming—that he would wake up and find himself still a prisoner of that horrible place.
It's amazing that we saved so many kids, but…but this feels so bittersweet. Daunte pressed his forearm against his eyes. I-I just can't help but think that I could've done more for them. That we could've liberated the Dark Chasm sooner. I mean, I have far less soldiers under my command than Bearyl Lutis did, and we were successful! I just can't help but wonder…how many more children we could've saved if we'd gotten there sooner.
Daunte knew that he should've been proud of the work he did, but…but then he remembered how many children had died there—including Kass—and he frowned deeply as tears slid down his cheeks.
He wasn't aware of falling asleep. So he was startled when he felt a dip in his bed, and he felt a presence directly over him. Daunte blinked with confusion against the darkness of his room, and found himself face-to-face with striking ruby eyes.
"You have such a peaceful expression when you sleep," Sierra told him. She was kneeling directly over Daunte's body in bed, her nose barely a centimeter from his. "I've been wondering…"
"…Wondering what?" Daunte asked her.
"What your blood tastes like."
Daunte's eyes went wide. But before he could respond (either with words or with screams), a shadow fell over Sierra and arms wrapped around her waist and she was lifted off the bed and off of Daunte.
"Now, now, as a married woman you're not allowed to get into bed with another man," Nash admonished her, though his tone was playful.
Sierra scoffed and gave a toss of her head. "Jealousy is not a very mature reaction."
"Really, old gi—OOF!" Nash grunted as Sierra suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.
Daunte quickly sat up and shoved back the covers. He lit a candle at his bedside. "What are you two doing here?"
"O-Oh, it's very simple," Nash said as Sierra let him go. "We had heard that your Army finally wised up and got rid of Bearyl Lutis. Then we heard that you were appointed leader, and well…" Nash chuckled lightly. "I knew we had to come and see you."
"So now you're here," Daunte said, looking between them. "What do you want?"
"We want to join you."
Daunte stiffened, and his eyes narrowed. "Are you joining to spy on me for your home country?"
"I can't tell you that," Nash responded cheekily.
"What he means," Sierra said. "Is that he's interested in your Rune and wants to stay by you to keep an eye on your Rune." She looked at Nash. "There. Was that so hard?"
"Why should I allow you both to join?" Daunte asked. "Especially if you're only joining to keep tabs on my Rune?" he pointed to Nash.
"Well, Sierra here has a True Rune too," Nash said. "Not to mention the fact that we're both very skill in combat. We'll both work very hard for you to ensure that you succeed. Plus." Nash's grin broadened even more. "I can't share with you details about my job, but I'll still do some information gathering on your behalf. And since you know I'm a spy for Harmonia, you would know it's not in my best interests to align with the Nagarist Theocracy so I won't betray you. So, what do you say?" Nash held out his hand. "Will you accept us?"
Daunte was apprehensive about having them both there—especially since they snuck into his room—but he also knew that both of them had helped him before. Plus, Nash was being pretty honest about himself and his intentions. Maybe it was risky, but…
Daunte finally nodded, and accepted his hand. "Welcome aboard."
"Good!" Nash exclaimed. He grinned at Sierra. "Didn't I tell you I could get us in?"
"I never doubted you for a second," Sierra said dryly. She examined her fingernails as though she were bored. "Can we go and eat now?"
"Y-You're hungry now?" Daunte asked them.
"We traveled a long way," Nash explained. He took Sierra by the arm. "If you'll excuse us, my Lord…"
Daunte was left standing there even after they casually walked out of his room. After a moment he turned and blew out the candle. Then he looked towards the ceiling. "Did you get a lot of weirdos for your recruits, Mom?"