“The Shot In The Dark

The past week of chaos continues as whistleblowers have informed us of the attempted assassination of Traxian and Carradorian royalty during a student organized Forum For Peace. Although details are still unclear, the Arterian Academy has released a statement that indicated there were three injured students and no fatalities. Amongst the injured was Carradorian Royal Princess Samantha Edelin, shot by an assassins crossbow aimed at Traxian Princess Lucinia Trax. As of now… ”

- Arterian Affairs, Front Page, “Breaking Article: The Shot In The Dark”

The duo would strike hard and fast. Taurox told her in no uncertain terms that timidness would not be tolerated. With their sheer lack of numbers and the overwhelming guard force, they would need to be as stealthy as they could be and then erupt into a flurry of violence to keep the company guards occupied. Or so the discussed plan went.

In truth, Sophie felt sick to her stomach, anxious and terrified about the coming fight. While she had arrived with resolve and a desire to bring those who have hurt Sophia to the sword. The closer she got to the kolonia, the more doubt festered in the recesses of her mind, pushing their way ever to the forefront. But she followed Taurox along nonetheless, sticking close to the minotaur as they scouted out the edges of the kolonia, taking great care to avoid the roaming company patrols.

They were deep within the northern Arterian forests and at the foothills of the Highwall. The dense trees and foilage covered their approach but proved equally as formidable as any other obstacle as they tried to navigate it. Howler monkeys howled loudly into the night, occasionally ruffling the trees leaves above them as sets of eerie yellow eyes followed the duo’s movements. Other creatures of the night occasionally prodded closer to the duo’s position, the minotaur having chosen a set of trees and rocks for them to hide behind as they waited for an opportune time to slip in.

Sophie was damp and sweaty, her hands clammy as they nervously stroked the hilt of her blade. They had waited until nightfall to advance closer than where the scouts were, the Clover Legion maintaining a perimeter on the Arterian side of the border. It had taken a few hours simply to get within speaking distance of the kolonia, taking advantage of whatever sounds masked their approach, be it wildlife or what sounded like mine carts being moved. Though she knew that once they were inside, they would have mere minutes to push forward and complete the operation without endangering the lives of others. And what about the soldiers that flee? Would they simply become bandits? Or just escape into the country side? Would the legion even try to stop them with force?

She swallowed her doubts and continued watching the minotaur, the blademaster almost like a statue, blending seamlessly into the environment around him as he observed his surroundings. Unlike her, Taurox seemed to be completely at peace, his face stoic and emotionless as he ordered her around. Every path, stone, and tree seemed to be known to him. And despite the disguised armor plates not being his own, he effortlessly moved around in them like a shadow. Whereas Sophie winced everytime her own leather jerkin squeaked or ruffled against bushes.

Dozens of half orcs and human soldiers patrolled the outer boundaries of the kolonia. Small stone structures serving as their base of operations under the shadow of the Highwall. A small pallisade surrounded the area to keep out the wildlife and errant wanderers, but the duo where neither. In between patrols doing their rounds, Taurox had found a weaker section of the wall and had slowly but surely destablised it. The minotaur used his hooves to leave imprints of angry wildlife, hoping that any unsuspecting patrols would assume an animal had broken through instead of intruders. It was a risky plan, but Sophie had no choice but to trust him.

It was a frightening yet exhilarating experience watching him at work. There was a small sense of awe at how quickly the minotaur had began planning out everything almost as soon as they reached the area, how he seemed to grasp the entirety of the encampment within moments. It also terrified her that she was partially following in his footsteps. That he seemed so calculated and cold in-spite of the violence they were about to inflict.

Almost as if the sky had heard her doubts, tiny droplets began falling from the mountain tops. Though the lingering vestiges of the winter chill remained, she looked closer at the moisture that landed on her. The spring rains had begun.

The drizzle was faint at first, droplets of water landing all around them.Taurox seemed unfazed, though Sophie instinctively looked up and around her at the darkening skies. The moonlight was beginning to fade as clouds gathered at the mountaintop, the eerie pale moon illuminating the peaks of the Frostwind in a sickly distorted halo, the clouds like a curtain twisting the few beams that got through. What an ill omen.

What began as a drizzle turned into a downpour. But unlike Sophie who waned under the unrelenting waters, she noticed Taurox practically grin. Noticing her, the minotaur turned and held a finger to his mouth.

“Before the ground turns to mud, it’ll help mask the sounds we make.” He whispered.

Sophie nodded. Although she was grateful that the skies have deigned it worthy to aid their infiltration, she was just a little annoyed at how wet and cold she was getting. Bearing the growing disgust, she took advantage of the moment to readjust herself. The longer they were waiting, the antsier she was getting.

Taurox continued to diligently weaken the foundations of the palisade, though his tracks were now purposeless, washed away by the rains.

So she waited, watching the templar weaken the ground until a part of the palisade moved ever so slightly. The minotaur seemed delighted and pulled away, almost completely unaffected by the growing downpour. Sophie shifted, sensing the change in mood as a signal.

Taurox seemed to be of the same mind and gestured for her to approach.

Taking timid steps, she got closer to the minotaur and the wall. Goddess protect me.

Taurox stared up at the rain, his expression inscrutable. Sophie merely waited, her feet now wiggling in annoyance at the water that ended up within her boot.

Grunts of despair and a few shouts echoed from the kolonia, the guards evidently finally having had enough of standing in the rain. Looking towards Sir Taurox, Sophie could already tell that the moment had arrived, the minotaur now placing both hands around a battleaxe.

Rain clattered all around them as the downpour only increased in severity. Feels almost like the Goddess weeps for what might happen. Forgive me.

A giant splintering of wood echoed into the night as Taurox rammed opened the weakened palisade. There was no time for hesitation and Sophie immediately scrambled forward, rushing after Taurox into the breach. Their boots splashed around newly formed puddles everywhere but they were able to duck behind a set of decorative fences as they assessed the situation.

“Did you hear that?” Someone growled.

“The walls!” Another yelled.

“What is it?!” A third guard called out.

“It’s collapsed! Looks like the soil got loosened.” The second replied.

“Loosened? By this little rain? Saint damned hells, tell the nightshift to watch the opening or those damned monkies might sneak in. Who’s awake right now?” A fourth, more senior voice grumbled.

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“Edward and Guthrak’s patrols.” The first responded.

“Tell the human to fetch some workers from their quarters. Get this fixed at once.” The senior commanded.

“Yes boss.” Was the reply.

“Atu, Brax go find the patrol. Malog, come with me. We’ll inform the chief.”

“Yes boss.” Came the collective reply.

A flurry of heavy footsteps stomped all around them. Yet, none seemed to notice their presence, Sophie almost sighing in relief until she remembered her situation.

The duo waited for a moment, letting the shouts and calls to action begin. Taurox then motioned for her to follow, pointing at another house across the street. Taking their chances, they dashed across into the shadow of the other houses, the rain now pounding away against the roofs and drizzle down atop them in little waterfalls.

Another set of patrols passed by in front of them, clearly in a rush as they marched at speed towards the breach. More calls and shouts echoed across camp, and Sophie could see the slight frown on the minotaur’s face. We had a relatively clean entry, but more and more guards and troops are being reawakened because of the breach, damn.

Taurox remained undeterred, the minotaur’s keen tactical senses coming back into play as Sophie noticed how his eyes had already begun outlining a new approach. Sophie nervously glanced around them, peaking behind to make sure no unsuspecting half orcs or guards would simply wander by. In the clear, her attention returned to the minotaur, the templar having seemingly decided on a new course of action. Meeting her gaze, he gestured leftwards and forward. Sophie couldn’t see what he saw and just hoped that his movements would be easy to follow. She nodded.

Without any other signals, he took off, Sophie hurrying after him. Down the road lay a small town square of sorts for the kolonia. An open area surrounding a few small statues of orcish and human build. Just before they reached it, Taurox made a sharp turn into another gap between the houses, Sophie hastily scrambling in his footsteps.

“Who the hells was that? Did you see that?” A guard called out.

Alarmed, Taurox dragged Sophie’s arm, practically pulling her along as he relocated them into another alley. The two pressed themselves against the wall, trying to remain as still as possible as the guards investigated their previous hiding spot. She tensed up, every muscle ready to spring into action, her ears straining to pick up the exact moment they would be discovered.

“Did you see that? Someone was here?”

“Probably one of the rascals skulking about outside their barracks. Come on, boss wanted us quick. Stop dawdling.”

She could hear the first orc growling from here, but as the footsteps moved further away, she felt her entire body slacken in relief. Taurox’s own grip on his battleaxe loosened, the minotaur now turning his attention back to sneaking forward.

Their progress had been incremental, slow movements punctuated by rapid advances. Yet, even Sophie knew it wouldn’t be enough. The guards were out in force, the kidnapped workers likely being roused to help repair the wall as well. Soon the place would be swarming with activity despite the rain. Taurox shared her sentiments, the minotaur snarling at the obstacles arrayed against them.

But something seemed to click inside of him, his mouth widening as a mischievous grin overtook his snarl. The minotaur looked over at her, the glint in his eye making her ever more curious. To convey his message, all he did was bring his axe to bear and Sophie immediately understood. A distraction.

“Go to the mines. None of the buildings outside looked guarded enough to be a command post. Find their office and retrieve whatever you can. I shall endeavor to join you whenever I can.” He whispered.

Sophie bobbed her head, both her hands now placed firmly on the hilt of her blade.

“Animal!” Taurox shouted with all his might.

Sophie watched, absolutely dumbfounded, as the minotaur charged out of their hiding place and moved to ram a wooden supply shack. The cracking and snapping of the wooden supports sending the building tumbling down at the minotaur’s surprise assault. Too enamored to immediately break for the mines, Sophie watched for a few more seconds as guards quickly took up the cry of ‘Animal!” and started running all around the kolonia in a desperate attempt to find the imaginary creature. Another crash indicated that Taurox’s path of destruction wasn’t quite done, and Sophie took that as her cue to move.

Sophie’s own bizarre dash across the kolonia attracted her fair share of attention. But with the sudden rains, ‘animals’, and the chaos still settling in, no one tried to stop her. Only more cries of ‘animal!” or calls for the guards to get into positions. What she did catch wind of however, was that they were starting to get organized. Chain gangs and patrols were mustering in whatever preassigned spots they had. The repair process would begin soon, the duo had little time left to keep up the ruse.

With a little more urgency, she began taking bigger and bigger risks as she crossed the streets of the kolonia. Part of her burned still, with the desire for vengeance. Another part of her felt a passing sense of begrudging acknowledgements at the efforts the company went to conceal their crimes. Built and hid a whole damned town. This close to Arteria too.

Now the clanking of chains and whips echoed as overseers roused a sleepy, exhausted herd of people forward. The noises drowning out whatever sounds her boots made slapping against the mud. Each footprint vanishing just as quickly as the downpour turned the land into an unrecognizable slurry.

Eventually, the stony side of the mountain meeting the forest opened up to reveal a huge cave entrance that was lined with scaffolding and lamps. A cadre of heavily armoured guards watched the entrances and Sophie despaired. There was no other visible way in but forward. Against one orc, Sophie guessed that she could probably hold her own, two was stretching it. But against a dozen or so, she very much doubted that she would prevail in any possibly permutation of a fight.

She looked around, her eyes landing on a set of tracks leading off to the side. Mine carts, of course. We heard them when moving closer. I wonder… Sneaking around the buildings and circling the mine entrance, she stumbled onto what looked to be a warehouse or holding area of sorts. Countless crates of stone and ore sat in tightly packed boxes. Most were under cover and protect from the rain, some however, were soaked to core. Seeing no one around her, she made her way forward only to freeze as steps echoed beside her.

A pair of half orcs and their contingent of workers were toiling away, retrieving fresh stone and supplies from the warehouse like area. Noticing how the orcs were distracted by a pile of supplies and the workers around it. Taking stock of the situation, she gambled on a plan and hoped that Stellesia would watch over her. Sophie seized her moment to move forward and found herself pressing her back against a mine cart, desperately praying that no one would turn to see her. She hoisted herself over the lip of the cart and plopped herself inside it.

She landed with a heavy splash and physically cringed at the noise she made. Wiping the water from her face, she held her breath and looked out of the cart. A few footsteps echoed around her and got closer and closer to the cart. Fuck, fuck, shit. Her hand tensed over the hilt of her blade, ready to strike out.

Two heads popped over the lip of the cart and stared down at her. Sophie dared not to move, half expecting them to scream. Without much choice, she brought her finger to her lips and then pointed towards the mine, staring at them the entire time. The two did their best to not react, though their confusion was more than visible in their widened eyes.

By some confounded miracle, neither of them called for aid. The two babbling some words muffled by the rain smacking against the metal cart. They then performed some gestures that she couldn’t see before looking back at her, their expressions blank. Sophie’s hand trembled, uncertain of what was to come.

Just then, a thick canvas was thrown over the cart, drowning her world in darkness. The intense downpour did not abate in the slightest, only the sounds were now rattling the canvas above her. What? Why? A small jolt was her answer and she had to carefully press her hands against the sides of the cart to steady herself, taking great pains to maintain her pose and make no noise. We’re moving? But the tracks… we’re going into the mines?

She didn’t know how far they would be moving. Only that she had to remain absolutely still and silent. In the darkness, she sat, her arms outstretched, trying her best to ignore the irritating amount of water that was already sloshing inside the cart against her.

“Tar shag?” A gruff, deep voice echoed somewhere above her. Orcish? With a tinge of common, half-orc.

“Boss man says get carts inside or they’ll flood and be less useful.” Came the reply. Human, the worker?

“Hurry, Go.” The orc rudely growled.

Without a fuss, Sophie was on the move again. The cart creaking and groaning against the mine tracks as they proceeded into an unfamiliar area. I'm in? I'm in. Praise the Goddess. Now I just need Sir Taurox to make it in.