The cage was sturdy and hard to break. They wouldn't make the mistake of making a weak cage so that we could easily escape from.
I was standing there with Yula beside me. She was trying to use force to break open, but it was not working out.
"I think we are trapped here," she said.
"That I knew from the very start," I said.
She sighed. "The only way for us to leave this place is hoping that someone shows up and frees us."
The cave we were in was close to the village. That was what Yula said, at least. So deep down, I hoped that someone would eventually show up and free us.
But the chance of that happening was low, and I was getting worried. I couldn't see myself dying after traveling across the universe.
We tried to push the cage together, combining our strengths, but even that didn't work.
Time passed slowly, and we stayed inside the cage for hours. They felt endless to us. We had given up of opening the cage after the first hour.
We screamed, but no one heard, no come came to help us.
"They could be taking over the village as we speak," Yula said.
I didn't think that was the case. The village was well protected, and the hunters, as well as the warriors, were strong. If it was that easy, then other tribes would have conquered the village long ago.
They needed time to prepare. Time to think of a plan to take over the village with the lowest number of casualties possible, and that required a lot of preparation.
"I think it will take a while for them to succeed with their plan," I said, "but if we are the only ones who know about this, and they keep us here? Well, the village will not expect an invasion."
"That's…"
"Terrible? Yes, it is."
An unknown invasion coming out of nowhere was the worse thing that could happen to the village. The villagers were happy, living their day-to-day life, taking care of their farms.
The warriors were a bit more lazy, as no attack happened to the village in years. Winter was coming, so everyone was more concerned about getting more food and clothes for everyone.
That's why we had to leave! We had to talk about the invasion of the village and warn them. I got on my knees in the middle of the cage and prayed.
It was an internal request of help. The system I had was different. Powerful gods were there to help me, and that was a perfect time for them to finally do something for me.
That's when a voice echoed inside my head. At first, I couldn't believe it, but it was happening. It was Aphrodite.
"I cannot talk for long or help you with much," Aphrodite said. "We are linked after the first mission you completed for me, and I'm using my power to make this connection. Listen, I'll send my power to weaken the cage, and then you bust it open. That's all I can do for you. Take care."
Aphrodite couldn't do much being that far, and the only reason she could do something in the first place was because of our connection, according to her. So, I got up and warned Yula. "You need to work with me to open this cage. Understand?"
She looked puzzled. "We tried it before, and it didn't work."
I couldn't explain to her what I had talked to a god. That would sound insane. So I just looked at her, grabbing both of her arms and said, "Just trust me, okay? Use all the strength you have left."
Yula nodded. I waited until I felt a unique energy around us. Perhaps it was my high Faith attribute, but I could feel the divine energy Aphrodite send me, and I knew it was time to act.
We ran across the cage, using our bodies to collide, trying to open the cage. It took us three hits, but the cage finally opened. Yula was startled.
"I don't how, but it worked. We need to get out of here before anyone realizes we are gone."
She didn't need to tell me that. I instantly activated my ability, Sharp Focus, and the cave's darkness was not so dark anymore. I could see things much better.
With it, it was easy to spot the way out. Yula held onto my arm as we left the cave.
Once outside, I deactivated my ability and let Yula take the lead. Between the two of us, she was the one who knew more about tracking, and she knew the woods around the village like no one else.
"I think I know where we are. Let's go," she said.
I simply nodded and followed her, hoping that none of the tribesmen found us. Well, things didn't work out like we hoped sometimes, right?
After walking for around 10 minutes, two men showed up. They were tall, muscular, and had two spears in their hands. I knew they were from the tribe because of the deer helmet they wore.
We ducked behind the vegetation, hoping that they didn't spot us. They didn't. The two men were just standing there, looking around the area.
"They are doing watch work," I whispered.
When I looked to the side, Yula had a dagger in her hands. She took out from a hidden pocket. I also had a dagger with me.
I knew what she meant. The two men were on our way, and we had to take them down. The shaman took the rest of our weapons, but we still had two daggers, and the tribesmen didn't spot us, so that was the perfect opportunity.
We crouched, slowly making our way toward the two men. I was not the best stealth person on the planet, but they didn't hear us. They were talking about something, and that helped us get next to them!
As for Yula, well, I couldn't hear her, and I was right beside her! She moved like an assassin.
Each one of us stood behind one tribesman, and in synchrony, we cut their throats. I felt bad for killing someone like that, but it was either them or us.