Rising to Fall

Chapter 5-4

I had written almost an entire chapter and then realised that there was SUCH an easier way for them to do it, so I had to rewrite it all (;-;) hence the late update.

As the night sets upon the Capital, eight Sky Army recruits and two Squid warriors creep through the city, slipping from shadow to shadow until they come upon the paver that marked the end of the tunnel from the Capital's dungeons.

"Are you sure about this?" one of the recruits whispers to the Squid warriors.

They both nod. "With this armour, we look the exact same as an actual warrior," Julia says, making the strap on her iron helmet just a bit tighter.

"Give us a ten-minute head-start before you go into the tunnel," Ryan whispers, also wearing the Squid warrior armour. "Eric, Philip, you've got the keys?"

The two named recruits hold up the cell keys they had stolen from the same Squid warriors who's armour Julia and Ryan are now wearing. At least, they hope that it is the key to the cells.

"You two remember the way to the dungeon?" Eliza asks. When Julia and Ryan nod, she jerks her head in the direction of the castle and mutters "Better get going then. We'll need all the time we can get."

Without another word, the two disguised recruits walk confidently out into the open, strolling down the dimly lit main street to the centre of the Capital, the castle. Both of their hearts thump rapidly but they appear calm and unflustered as they make their way through to the back of the castle, passing few warriors on their way. Their boots click rhythmically on the stairs as they descend the wide staircase, finally reaching the large room from which the cell passages branch out. They wait but they can't hear the screams of the torture recruits. Either the Squids are taking a break or they are too far away to be heard.

"Where to now?" Ryan mutters, looking around for something that would indicate the way to the cameras.

"In there?" Julia asks, gesturing to a solid door to their left, beside the stairs.

With a shrug, they both go up to the door and open it purposefully. The small room inside holds a single desk, on which sits an array of computer screens, each showing several black-and-white camera feeds of a cell. The two guards inside cut off their conversation, spinning around in their chairs and slowly standing, their hands drifting to the swords resting on the wall behind them.

"Hey," one of them says casually. "What business have you here?"

Julia's mind goes blank but Ryan, always quick to react, is already speaking, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he does so.

"The commanding officer wants to see you both, no idea what about," he says, a country-like accent very pronounced. "'E sent us two to take over, and 'e wasn't in a good mood."

Both the men instantly jumped into action, buckling on their swords and leaving the room, saying a quick thanks to the two recruits for taking over their post. Ryan closes the door behind them, silently amazed that that worked while Julia takes a seat, her eyes flicking quickly over each of the screens. Several of the feeds show empty cells but most of them seem to be filled. In the top left section of the screens, Julia recognises the Commanders and the General.

"Looks like we were just in time," Ryan says, joining her and pointing to a screen showing an empty cell. Except now, a piece of wood screwed into the wall is forced from its place, falling to the ground as four figures climb out.

Matthias comes out of the tunnel first, quickly going up to the bars and looking out. He can't see any guards, not that there would be any but it doesn't hurt to make sure. Eric is second, going up to the door and feeling around for the lock, the key in his hand. Kara, another recruit, joins Matthias at the door, energy running through her and making her want to jump up and down.