『Byzan Fortress.』
Inside, the Fortress was a maze of rooms, halls, and corridors.
The first floor was mostly comprised of administrative offices and guard quarters, with a large courtyard at its center where prisoners were made to work during the day.
The fourth floor was reserved for the underground prison, accessed by a hidden staircase that led to the prison courtyard.
This floor was always dimly lit, with the cells arranged in rows and monitored constantly by guards.
Archibald and Lamperogue dashed through the courtyard of the first floor, gasping for breath as they ran.
They had escaped from the underground prison through the hidden staircase, taking a riskier route that cut through the third and second floors.
Their hearts were pounding as they made their way closer to the exit.
Suddenly, they stopped behind one of the small structures in the courtyard, panting heavily.
Lamperogue scanned the area back and forth, his senses heightened as he tried to catch any hint of their pursuers.
"I don't think we've been followed," he said in a hushed tone, turning to Archibald who was catching his breath.
"But we have to keep moving. We can't stay here for too long." (Lamperogue)
Archibald nodded, still trying to regulate his breathing.
"Let's go," he said, motioning for Lamperogue to lead the way.
As they sprinted towards the next hiding spot, they could hear the distant footsteps of the guards, hot on their trail.
"We need to find another way out," Lamperogue said, his eyes darting around the area.
Suddenly, he spotted a narrow alleyway, hidden behind one of the buildings.
"There," he pointed, "We can make our way through that alley. It'll lead us to the back entrance."
Archibald nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Let's hurry," he said, racing towards the alleyway, with Lamperogue close behind.
As they reached the entrance of the alley, it was as if they'd vanished.
Evading the guards just by a hair.
....
"Let's go over the plan again," Archibald said, turning to Lamperogue.
Lamperogue nodded, his eyes scanning the area for any potential danger.
"First, we have to get ourselves captured," he began, "That's step one."
Archibald ticked it off verbally, "Check."
"Once we've broken out, the next thing is to find Undine," Lamperogue continued, his voice low.
"Check," Archibald confirmed, rubbing his chin as he thought.
"The map we read said that the most fortified place is on the second floor. If my guess is right, that's probably where Undine is." (Archibald)
Lamperogue nodded in agreement.
"Which means we'll still have to go deeper into the Fortress.." (Archibald)
"We're halfway there. The next thing we have to do is save her and avoid any battles." (Lamperogue)
Archibald looked at him, his gaze serious.
"We can't waste the chance we've been given. Rolo gave us until daybreak. After that, the forces will storm the Byzan Army's territory. We have to save Undine before then." (Archibald)
Lamperogue's expression turned grim.
"If we don't, it'll be bad for everyone involved." (Lamperogue)
As they spoke, they could hear the footsteps of the guards getting closer and closer.
The tension in the air was thick, and they could almost taste the danger.
They had to move quickly and efficiently if they wanted to save Undine and themselves.
Suddenly, Lamperogue grabbed Archibald's arm.
"We need to move. Now." (Lamperogue)
Archibald nodded, his heart racing as they ran towards another opening.
They had to avoid getting caught at all costs, or their mission would fail, and many lives would be at risk.
The weight of their responsibility hung heavily on their shoulders as they moved through the corridors with haste.
They had a lot to lose, but if they succeeded, they would be heroes.
...
As Archibald and Lamperogue made their way through the dimly lit corridor, they tried their best to move as silently as possible.
Suddenly, a calm voice interrupted their silence.
"Since when did prisoners start moving around so freely after lights out?" the voice asked, amusement laced in his words.
Both boys turned their gaze in the direction of the voice, only to see a man seated in a corner of the room with a wine glass in hand.
He took a sip of his red wine and continued to speak.
"Perhaps you two aren't prisoners," the man mused, addressing the boys.
Archibald and Lamperogue exchanged a wary glance – they knew that their mission was not going to be an easy one.
Still, they didn't expect to encounter such a formidable foe this early on.
In actuality, they'd hoped to avoid fighting as a whole.
The man stood up from his chair and elegantly approached them.
The emblem on his armor conveyed that he was one of the strongest guards on the lower level of the Byzan Army rankings.
He introduced himself.
"It is your pleasure to meet me... Xiro Teftis. One of the strongest low ranking guards of the Byzan Army." (Xiro)
Both boys were still in shock.
They thought that no one except foot soldiers would be on the grounds by this time.
Xiro smiled disdainfully and told them that they would be returning to their cells soon enough.
"But not before I deliver punishment on you for daring to move around so boldly," he said, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Archibald couldn't help but chuckle.
"Do you really think we'll just obediently return to our cells like the good little prisoners you want us to be?" (Archibald)
This immediately irked Xiro, and he released a small surge of energy that the two boys felt, though not significantly so.
"I didn't know lowly prisoners had such audacity," the man said with a laugh.
He took another step forward.
"Surely, you're not ordinary prisoners." (Xiro)
He noticed that they were already equipped with weapons, which only added to his suspicions.
"Who are you really?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at them.
Lamperogue stepped forward.
"We're just a couple of guys trying to find a way out of this place, now would you let us pass? We forgot a certain spirit here." (Lamperogue)
Xiro looked at them skeptically and adjusted his hair – a man always conscious of his looks.
"Well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Step after step, he closed the distance between them.
His black hair moved back and forth with each step.
"I can't have you two wandering around freely now, can I?" (Xiro)
As Xiro approached them, he slowly pulled out his sword – Festid – and calmly placed it forward.
He looked at Archibald, who was using a longsword, and then at Lamperogue, who was using two shortswords.
"Ah, a practitioner of the [Sword Saint] school and the [Black Moon] school." (Xiro)
The fact that Xiro knew their respective schools of combat left the boys baffled.
"How did you know that?" Archibald asked, surprised.
Of course, Archibald was versed in several other sword schools.
But so far, he'd been using [Sword Saint Arts].
Xiro smirked.
"It's in the way you move, the way you hold your weapons and most importantly the type of weapon you use. I've seen many fighters in my time; it wasn't hard to tell." (Xiro)
"(Alright that makes sense. It's like how you can tell what type of mage a person is from looking at the colour of the manastone. Rogue uses shortswords which demands the best dexterity the hand can muster, in other words, the [Black Moon Arts]... this guy's good)" (Archibald)
Naturally, Lamperogue maintained his composure.
He didn't plan to let a fact or two break his focus.
"I don't especially care what rank you are or even your age, I won't be lenient. You're in a forbidden area, and you know the consequences of trespassing." (Xiro)
As Xiro assumed his unorthodox sword stance, the boys felt the tension in the air.
"Whatever strategy you have in mind is worthless for one reason," he said, his gaze piercing.
Confidence.
The root of every swordsman.
"Because I'm ranked at Disciple level in the [Sky Lord Arts] – the ultimate defense." (Xiro)
Archibald's eyes widened in shock.
"The ultimate defense?" he repeated.
Xiro nodded.
"Yes, the [Sky Lord Arts] is the sword school that deals with the ultimate defense – in other words, it's the perfect counter for someone who used [Thunder God Arts] and [Sword Saint Arts]." (Xiro)
"(Like I didn't already know that)" (Archibald)
Lamperogue raised an eyebrow.
"Every ultimate attack has the ultimate defense," he murmured, looking at Xiro with newfound respect.
The man flashed a wicked grin.
"Now, boys, shall we begin?" he said, assuming a battle-ready stance.
Fear and adrenaline surged through both of them.
They prepared for the fight of their lives.
Or rather, the fight for their Iives.