As the prisoner and I continue to move towards the sound room as we expected, the soldiers appeared in front of us. Since hiding was not an option, we had to attack, otherwise, we were unlikely to get what we wanted. My fellow prisoner stood with me back to back and fought the soldiers very well. Despite the chains on your wrist. For the time being, we managed to take down a group of soldiers in front of us, but we both knew that there was more to come.
Then he pointed towards the sound room, "The sound room is right in front of us."
"Got it. But the footsteps are getting closer. We have to be careful," I responded.
"You have to earn me some time to talk to the prisoners," he said.
When I saw the rails and the little wagon in front of me, I turned my head to the prisoner, "Okay, I'm gonna save you time. I'll draw attention to myself, and you do what you have to do."
He nodded and made his way to the room. I then jumped on the little wagon, taking a deep breath, and said, "Here we go." After I said that, I pulled the brake. Since the wagon was going down the hill, it had a very good speed.
My goal was to hit all the soldiers standing in front of the rail ahead and draw attention to myself, earning some time for the prisoner. As I approached the soldiers, I noticed they were much more crowded than I thought. When the soldiers saw me, some tried to withdraw while a few others attempted to stop me. But they didn't make it in time, and I went right in the middle of them in the wagon.
Thanks to the wagon, I managed to take down ten or fifteen soldiers.
However, they were heavily outnumbered. Almost all of the soldiers were present. When the wagon came to a stop, I immediately jumped out and began fighting. The chains that bound me made it difficult to move, but I soon got the hang of it and continued fighting with them. I managed to knock a few soldiers out before they even knew what hit them.
Soon, all the soldiers were focused on me, wielding iron sticks in their hands. I wrapped a chain around one soldier's neck and flung him at the others. When one soldier tried to strike me with his stick, I deftly dodged and broke it with a swift palm strike. They were surprised at my strength, but I wasn't done yet. I landed a powerful elbow to one soldier's face and followed up with a punch to his gut, sending him flying backward.
As I knocked the soldier back, I jumped into the air and kicked him hard to the ground, taking out some other soldiers in the process. I kept fighting relentlessly, and the soldiers soon realized they were no match for me. They cowered in the corner of the mine, afraid of my speed and strength.
Suddenly, I was struck on the head by a soldier I hadn't seen. I grabbed him by the throat and flung him into a corner. I then ran a short distance and jumped again, throwing my hat at the soldiers. To their amazement, my hat cut through their iron sticks, causing them to panic and scatter. I took advantage of their confusion and charged at the soldiers who were separated on either side, knocking them down with the chains tied to my hands.
I managed to take down a lot of soldiers, but there were still more to face.
I jumped into the air again, this time to retrieve my hat. I caught it mid-air and placed it back on my head, gasping for breath after the intense fight. The soldiers seemed never-ending, and I could feel my energy draining. But I had to keep going until I got the prisoner thing sorted out.
Suddenly, I heard a noise - the sound of a prisoner's voice echoing throughout the mine. I knew it was him. He had made it. The soldiers heard him too, and they stopped attacking me to make their way to the source of the noise. After neutralizing the few remaining soldiers around me, I targeted the soldiers advancing on the prisoner.
I tried to buy him as much time as possible, believing in his cause. He had to do it for the sake of their freedom.
His voice boomed over the speakers,
"Listen to me! I am Xolis, someone you all know, imprisoned here for years just like most of you. I am here to put an end to our suffering and pain. All I ask is for you to work with the people who came to save us and help them start this rebellion. You have been waiting for this moment for a long time. So get up and fight for your freedom!"
His speech must have provoked the prisoners because I soon heard many footsteps approaching. I tried to reach him, but some soldiers blocked my way. I prepared to fight again, but then I saw a wave of prisoners running towards us, attacking the soldiers. I seized the opportunity to escape.
The prisoners were relentless in their attack, screaming, "They deserve to feel the pain we have felt! Teach them a lesson!" They were willing to do anything for their freedom.
With the chaos, I found a safe place to stay out of sight. That's when the prisoner who helped me earlier approached me. He looked very tired and exhausted.
"I've been dreaming about this for years, and now it's finally happening. But it's a shame I won't be able to see it all."
He lay down beside me, smiling, but I didn't understand what he meant.
"What do you mean?" I asked anxiously.
He moved his hand away from his stomach, revealing a deep wound that was bleeding profusely.
My heart sank. I quickly got up, "No, Xolis, hold on a little longer. I can help you. Please, stay with me!"
"It's too late for me, and we both know it. So please, I'm asking you for one last favor."
I hadn't mastered the healing powers very well and he was quite badly wounded.
He pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to me, "Please give this to my wife and children. Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't come home."
I took the letter from him slowly, tears welling up in my eyes.
"Thank you, Panda," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"For saving us," he replied with a weak smile.
Xolis closed his eyes and died in my arms. I couldn't save him, no matter how much I wanted to.