After minutes of evading and hiding from the soldiers, we saw the inn in the distance. Before entering the inn, we took a five-minute rest. Using the time, I remove most of my gear and place it in my backpack, including the items I let James and Kat use to reduce the chance of being recognized. After finishing tidying up, we head into the inn wearing unassuming clothes.
Clink clink clink, the bell jingles as we enter Alenamen's Rest. Instead of Mr. Cameron behind the counter, it was his daughter Mia.
"Welco- Felix! I'm glad you're safe!"
'Wait, what? What did she mean by that?' I thought to myself.
"Guards were running around the city fully armed! Everyone was instructed by the guards to return to your home or the inn you're staying at."
'Ah, she meant that. I thought everyone's cover was blown.'
"Thanks for worrying about me. Also, I managed to meet up with my friends before the commotion started, so we went back together."
"Hi! I'm Kat!" she happily waved at Mia. "And this is my brother James." She pointed James with her thumb.
"Hello." James tilted his head to hide his bruises under his hood, but Mia notice it already.
"Why do you have bruises on your face!?" Mia got off her chair and went to James.
"Uhm… I…" James tries to come up with a reason while Mia looks at his red face.
"My brother didn't notice the sign while we were walking and hit his head so hard that it broke." Kat quickly comes up with an explanation.
Picking up with the idea, James backs it up with his own explanation.
"You know I didn't notice it cause we were talking and it was pretty dark."
"That's a lame excuse." Kat snickers.
"No, it isn't! What would happen if you were the one who hit the sign!"
"I already noticed it a few seconds ago before you smack your poor face on it."
"Then why didn't you warn me!"
"Cause I know how hard your head is."
'Those are great acting skills. Maybe it's because they're siblings.' Watching them bicker about the sign like it did happen which convince Mia that it's true.
Signaling to James and Kat that the explanation works, I then talk to Mia while she was watching the siblings.
"Can we get them a room with two beds?"
"Sure, how many days are they going to stay." She went back behind the counter
Knowing that the whole city is on high alert, we should wait it out until the whole force in the city is calming down.
"A week."
"That would be 80 coppers."
Grabbing one silver coin from my pouch and giving it to her, she took 20 copper from under the counter in exchange, including a key. I then threw the key to Kat which she caught.
"Room Nine," Mia told us.
"Thank you." I thank Mia.
"We'll be resting in our room," Kat said as she went to her room while James followed.
"Ok."
Having nothing to do but wait, I sat at the lobby of the inn talking to Mia.
"So where's Mr. Cameron?" I ask Mia.
"Papa is currently cooking in the kitchen."
"Now that you mentioned it, I can smell something delicious."
After talking for a few mins, dinner is ready.||[3 Days Later]||Walking in the city, I notice that guards in the city are less frequent now after the scuffle in the compound, but the gate is still heavily guarded. After walking for a few minutes in the city, I went back to the inn.
As I enter the inn, a guy wearing a guards uniform made my tail and ears stiff. Calming myself down, I cautiously went to my room when someone suddenly shouts, startling me. I then look behind me to see Mia happily running to the guard, placing her hand around his back and hugging him tightly.
"Big Leo!"
As I watch Mia hug the guard Leo, I notice that the guy has a black tail with a gray tip and black cat ears.
'That must be her brother. She did mention him when I first arrived.'
"Mia! How are you doing, you little rascal!? Have you been helping Papa?"
"Yep! Papa and I are doing fine! How about you?"
"I'm doing good. My squad has been working hard to find three suspects that were causing problems in the city." Hearing that made my spine shiver.
'I hope they don't recognize us.' I thought to myself as I walk towards my room.
Before heading inside for the afternoon, I warn James and Kat about Leo.||[Dinner Time]||'Crap, this is bad.' A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead, as Leo sits beside me.
As I wait for the food to be served, Kat lightly elbows me on the side. Guessing her intention, I slightly lean towards her.
"What should we do?" Kat whispers on my ear.
"Just stick to what I said before, be patient," I whispered back.
"Ok."After a few minutes of waiting, Mia and Mr. Cameron brought the food. My nose twitches from the delicious smell. When they finish setting our food, we dig in. As I peacefully eat my food, someone suddenly talks to me.
"How's the food?" Leo asks me with curiosity.
"It's delicious." I quickly replied after swallowing my food.
"Thanks, Papa would be happy to hear that." He smiles.
As we chat and eat at the same time, I ask Leo a question.
"What's it like to work as a guard?"
"Not much really, until a commotion started three days ago."
"A commotion?" I ask while feigning ignorance.
"I can't tell you much, but three suspects made a huge crime."
I silently gulp.
"What crimes if you may ask?"
"I'm not even sure myself, due to the secretive nature of the intelligence branch. They said that those individuals are very dangerous and must be killed on sight, no matter the cost."
James and Kat twitch as they hear Leo's answer. When we finished our food, James, Kat, and I went to my room to plan for our escape.||[2 Days Later]||As night covers the city, the three of us head to the city gate. A few days ago, this place had good security in the first place. Today, security has improved significantly as fully armed guards patrol the vicinity, while multiple archers scan on top of the wall. Bright, flaming torches that are attached to poles light up the night sky, helping the soldiers see in the dark. Making it almost impossible to pass through.
Pulling the detonator out of my pocket, James and Kat tense up. Holding my breath, I squeeze the trigger.
BOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOM!!!
Loud, explosive tremors resound throughout the city. People who are still awake screams as they hear and feel the explosion.
"Arrrrrghhhhhhh!!!"
"The world is ending!"
"Gyaaaaaagggghhhh!"
Every guard was dumbfounded on what just happened.|||||Inside my room, I place the map on the floor before I told James and Kat my plan.
"First, create a huge diversion to confuse everyone in the city by planting explosives." I place tiny figures on the map to represent where the explosives will be placed.
"Wouldn't that drag innocent civilians in the mess?" James worriedly asks.
"It won't," I replied.
"How?" Kat asks.
"I can mold its shape to change which direction it explodes." Grabbing a piece of C-4, I change its shape by molding it with my hands. "By changing which direction it will explode, I can avoid hurting anyone from the blast. Unless they're within 5 meters of the explosive, no one will get hurt."
"So what's the next?" James ask.
"After causing the distraction, panic will ensue. Using that ensuing panic, we can slip past the guards. But we have to be quick or they will close the gate before we can pass. If that happens, I'll blow the gate and fight our way out."
"Where do we head after getting out of the city?" Kat ask.
"I have a bike that I hid 300 meters from here." I point my finger on a nearby forest on the map. "If we reach my bike, we can go home."|||||As guards froze at the sight of the flames and shockwave of the explosion, someone shouts.
"Don't just stand there! Go make sure that the people are safe!"
"""YES SIR!""" A group of soldiers heads towards the vicinity of the explosion.
"Archers! Scan for anything suspicious!"
"""SIR!""" The archers scramble to their positions
"Quickly close the gates!" he shouts at the guards stationed at the gate.
""YES SIR!"" They quickly drop a metal grate or portcullis at the entrance, before closing the iron-studded wooden door.
'Shit, they reacted quicker than I expected. I have to take out that officer before we can move on.'
Aiming my suppressed M9 with the infrared laser, I aim at the officer who is shouting orders. Controlling my breathing, I place my fingers inside the trigger guard, slowly squeezing the trigger. As I was about to fire, I saw the face of the officer through the green hue of my NVG.
"Fuck that was close." Quickly letting my finger off the trigger.
"What happened?" Kat asks.
"That officer is Leo," I replied.
"The brother of Mia?" James interjects.
"Who else?" Kat said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Good." James sighs. "I don't want to imagine how Mia will react."
"So your lovestruck?" Kat snickers.
"What!? N-no!"
"Don't deny it, I saw you happily talking to her a few times."
As James and Kat talk to each other, I watch the guards' movements. Picking up a rock, I throw it at one of the torches. As the rock hit the torch, it fell off, distracting one of the archers who was looking at our direction.
"Let's go!" I whisper to James and Kat, before running towards the wall.
Using the wall as a blindspot for the archers, we quietly head towards the gate. Reaching the edge of the entrance, I peek to see a pair of guards. Signaling James and Kat, they quickly slam both of the guards' heads on the wall, knocking them out as their metal helmets rattle their heads. As we finish zip-tying, gagging, and dragging the guards away, I plant the C-4 on the door.
"Hold it right there!" Someone suddenly shouted a warning behind me. "Don't you da-"
Reacting on instinct, I quickly turn around to slam my arm on the flat side of the sword before rattling on the ground. As he tries to recover, I quickly move in to choke lock him.
"Fe-Felix!?" Surprise clear on Leo's voice. "You're the suspects!"
I sighed. "Yes."
"Why would you do this!?"
"The only thing I can tell you is that your country is planning something bad."
"Something bad?"
"Yes. Now go warn the others before they get caught in the blast!" I kick Leo on the back before stumbling away.
"EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE GATE!"
Using the hallway built in the wall, James, Kat, and I quickly took cover inside it.
'Three, two, one.' I squeeze the trigger.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A huge explosion erupted as the gate and portcullis got blown open, throwing shrapnel and large dust clouds, still lingering in the air. We took that chance and ran. After a few seconds of running, horsemen emerge from the dust cloud, kicking up dust as they head towards us. Grabbing a flashbang from my belt, I throw it towards them.
BANG!
When the flashbang explodes, the horses got spooked. Chucking the riders off their saddles.|||||After running and avoiding horsemen, we arrive at the forest. Panting for air, we took a seat on the ground to rest our sore legs.
"That… was the first time… I ran for that long." James said while panting.
"Same... here…" Kat replies while chugging down water, which she passes it to James.
After resting for ten minutes, I walk further in the forest.
"Where are you heading to?" Kat asks me.
"The reason we're here for."