Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 192. The Cave V

The night wore on, the rebels began to panic. They could hear the sound of their comrades falling one by one, but they couldn't see who was doing it. The fear in their eyes was palpable, and Angel and Rose knew that they had the upper hand.

One by one, the rebels fell, their bodies dropping to the ground with a soft thud. Angel and Rose moved like shadows, their weapons deadly and silent. They were like ghosts, moving through the darkness and taking out their enemies with ruthless efficiency.

But the last rebel was different. He wasn't going down without a fight. He had seen his comrades fall one by one, and he was determined to escape. But Angel and Rose were ready for him.

As he made his way towards the entrance of the cave, Rose slashed her whip. The tip of the blade on her whip slashed a gash just behind his neck.

The rebel's hand shot up to his neck, fingers clawing at the skin as he gasped for air. He tried to scream, to warn his comrades outside, but no sound escaped his lips. His throat had seized up, and his body was wracked with spasms as the poison took hold.

Foam bubbled up from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed to the ground. He was dead before he hit the stone floor, his body contorted in a final, gruesome death rattle.

Rose and Angel emerged from the shadows, their eyes adjusting to the flickering light of the campfire. They had taken down the rebels inside the cave with ease, but they knew that their fight wasn't over yet. The guards outside were still a threat, and they needed to be dealt with.

"Do we need to clean up the outside too?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned to Angel, her eyes fixed on his face.

"No," Angel replied, his voice just as quiet. "Leaving this place unprepared is dangerous."

Angel's eyes scanned the area, searching for a solution to their problem. He detected a lot of archers outside when he checked before. They needed to be smart about their next move.

Rose stood beside Angel, her eyes flickering with uncertainty as she observed him with a probing gaze.

"So, you plan to wait here?" Rose confirmed, her voice barely above a whisper. From Angel's gesture, Rose knew he was looking for a solution.

“Yes and no,” he replied, his voice low and contemplative. His eyes fell on the rebel corpses nearby, a dark glint flickering within their depths. An idea had crossed his head, and he was eager to see it come to fruition.

She frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

He turned to her, his gaze intense and unwavering. “We will ambush them in this place,” he said as he sheathed his sword. His movements were deliberate, and his words were filled with a steely resolve that left no room for argument.

Immediately, he pulled the Rebel body nearby to near the campfire.

"What is your plan?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"There's too many archers in front of the cave. If we can lure them bit by bit into this cavern, we can kill them easily,” he explained. His words were measured and deliberate, his gaze fixed upon the battle unfolding before them. The cavern was only suitable for close combat, so their arrows were useless here.

Rose's frown deepened, and she shook her head in confusion. "It doesn't explain what you're doing," she said, her voice trembling with fear. Her eyes were fixed on Angel, who was placing the corpses near the campfire and making it seem as if they were sitting around him. He simply leaned on the others on the cavern wall and tucked their legs as if they were resting.

He turned to her, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "We will ambush them," he said, his voice low and menacing. "So, we have to show as if their friend is still alive.”

Rose's heart skipped a beat as she realized what Angel's plan was. He intended to use the corpses of their fallen enemies as decoys, to lure the archers into the cavern and spring a deadly trap upon them.