Once the entrance of the tunnel had been closed off, the group of seven was plunged into darkness. The stone steps leading down from where they came were sparsely lit; only a few torches lined the passage's rocky walls, and the echoes of clashing blades testified to the first group's proximity. It seemed as though they had already met some resistance from whatever guards were remaining. And if the noises were this loud, then the Zharitan alarm bells were sure to be ringing soon.

Dar grabbed a torch off the wall and the rest of the company followed suit.

Yeah... This is definitely not the stealth mission I was hoping for...

Which meant Fiel was probably opting for the backup plan. The louder and much riskier divide-and-conquer plan.

Of course, they had prepared for something like this beforehand. But unlike the stealthier first option, this one was solely made by Dar and was lacking the expert analysis of some of the more experienced men under his command. Two recipes for disaster. Dar was the source of that. And he wasn't just being self-deprecating. He was honestly just much better at doing things on the fly compared to strategizing. There was something about actually being present in a difficult situation that allowed him to tackle it better. Or maybe he just hated thinking.

Then a small creature scurried over his foot, causing him to yelp and kick it off. In his panic, he dropped his torch onto the floor, right where the animal had landed. It gave a high-pitched squeal and began rolling about in agony, until Dar stamped on it several times, putting both the creature and the torch's flame out of their misery.

"<Something wrong, boss?>" A bald mercenary from his group asked, a little slyly "<Not getting cold feet, are we?>"

Crap, they're already doubting me... I need to justify it somehow...  

"<Of course not.>" Dar muttered as he led the group deeper down the stairs. He knew that lowering his voice whilst keeping it audible was a way of making things sound more authentic. <"Increasing the visibility of the tunnels would work both ways. But if we're outnumbered three to one—which in this case we are—then it's more of a disadvantage. You see, getting rid of any nearby light sources is an effective way of masking our inferior numbers and presence,>"

At this point, he was purely speaking out of his own arse. And although he considered himself an expert in the art of convincing waffle, Dar knew that this performance was particularly poor.

The mercenary had given him one of the most unimpressed expressions Dar had ever seen, second only to Iris's when he had once tried to explain the five kilos he'd gained prior to his first major role in an action film.

"<I mean... I guess I can get my head around that. I used to burgle houses as a lad. Big wealthy ones, mind you. But don't you think having no light is a little overkill?>"

I guess...

"<Put out your torch,>," One of the other men said. He was donning a full face mask, like the other two that were flanking him. All three of them were built like trucks and wore matching pilgrim outfits that appeared to be the same design as Malfried's.

"<But-->"

"<Put it out or leave it behind. Unlike you, we're well aware of the captain's other intentions. If his wisdom eluded you, then you should've kept shut.>"

Huh? I had other intentions.

The other two nodded, causing the mercenary to sigh and chuck his torch behind him as the group continued to descend the steps.

"< We know what is on your mind, captain>," The masked trio said, regarding their captain begrudgingly. "<We weren't sure about you at first, since you've got the smooth hands of a sheltered boy. But I guess the rumors are true. You really do think of everything.>"

"<I do?>" Dar quickly cleared his throat "<Ahem, I mean, yeah... I kind of need to. I'm not much of a warrior, after all.>"

He could tell they were smiling under their headgear, as though finally given their moment to shine.

"<As proud men of the Lunarys race, we'll gladly guide you through with our night vision. With us three as your eyes, those ogres won't know what hit 'em,>"

Oh yeah... I think I remember Fiel telling me about that... something about nocturnal humans... Thank God...

Somehow he'd made another fluke and ended up looking better than he'd intended.

Dar nodded his head gratefully, feeling Dolly's hand tighten around his sleeve. He couldn't blame her. Having three enormous guys towering over him also made his knees feel like jelly. Then she released him and slowed her step to match the pace of the last person who was lagging behind. The only other woman in the party.

He'd only met Mio d'hena three times in the past, and that was more than enough to tell him that she was odd. Dar mainly wanted her on the team as she was a highly experienced mercenary, supposedly skilled in 'Earthen Arts'. If that meant magically manipulating rock formations and whatnot, then he figured that she'd prove invaluable to the underground rescue operation. But he had a hard time convincing her to join, due to the girl's abysmal fluency in the local language.

Maybe 'abysmal' was a little harsh, given that he basically cheated his way into being a proficient speaker. Dar had to admire her enthusiasm. She was basically that one foreign classmate who'd always attempt to strike up a conversation with what little English they knew. In the end, he'd tried to recompense Mio through gold after accidentally buying her services with a flower bouquet due to some miscommunication. But she had merely shook her head and blushed, telling him that she preferred the cheap-ass flowers over money. Before eating one of them, that is.

Hopefully, the misunderstandings stopped there. But knowing his luck, it probably equated to asking for her hand in marriage.

Dar looked over his shoulder, his eyes now drawn to the brown twin tails cascading down Mio's shoulders. Her scarlet cloak was somehow billowing a little, despite there being no wind. Was that also magic? Or an Art? As she stopped whispering to Dolly for a moment, her eyes met his, and she gave him a shy smile.

She definitely thinks I have a thing going for her. 

"<Watch your step, everybody.>" The leading trio said "<The stairs stop here,>"

 

After several more minutes of walking, Dar's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and he could finally see his surroundings in greater detail. The group was moving at an efficient pace, putting out torches on the way before continuing to navigate the prison as one. To be honest, the place seemed to resemble a mine shaft more than anything else. Wooden support beams covered the rim of the tunnels, interlocking to form arches that were probably made to prevent the risk of collapse, and running down every passage were rusty minecart tracks that appeared to be out of use.

Most of the prison cells they'd passed were broken open and littered with ogre corpses. Though the stench was terrible, the lack of friendly bodies made Dar relieved to know that Fiel's group was making rapid progress with minimal losses. They should be picking up some momentum by now with all the freed prisoners being added to their number. In the meantime, his group could cover up their tracks in the dark. But even with their new additions, he wasn't sure whether it would be enough.

"One trained Ogre could likely match three regular humans in combat," Fiel had said "A veteran could probably take on five. And if we're talking about the Chieftain or his son, then I'd say more than I can count on my fingers,"

Dar's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of unknown voices up ahead.

"<They're allies, Captain,>" One of the three said "<Trying to open one of the cells, it looks like.>"

The figures approached them and stopped in front of Dar. A short elfin-looking man stepped forward to introduce himself.

"<We're one of the rescue teams, Captain>" he said, his torso stiffening as he attempted to draw himself to full height. <"As you can see, we're struggling to get this open. Some sort of special magical seal,>"

"<I see,>" Dar replied, his attention drawn to the prisoner inside.

He was first struck by how big the prisoner was. Sure, he'd seen plenty of massive guys since arriving in this world, but this person was another story. Even in a place designed and used by two-meter Ogres, the man was forced to sit in his cell, his messy white hair still brushing the rocky ceiling. Like the Ogres, the man had two large horns sprouting from his forehead, but they gleamed with red light and were fixed in a position that resembled a demon more than a rhino. Dar could feel the powerful aura emanating from him, threatening to reduce the prisoner's onlookers to ash.

This guy's built like a bloody mountain...

Then he noticed the thick glowing chains binding him. 

"<I feel like this person's bad news,>"  Dar muttered "<Maybe we should leave him,>"

"<But he agreed to join us, Captain!>" The Elf protested "<With a powerful being like this on our side, we could easily do away with the Zharita Clan! It would weaken the influence of the Ogre Clans considerably!>"

Dar sighed. He honestly couldn't care less about the political reasons Fiel and her men had for stepping into enemy territory. Getting Etoile back was his main priority. And responsibility. 

"<This is a rescue operation, not a genocide. I thought I made that clear beforehand. If you have an issue with the plans I made, then I suggest you get the hell out of here.>" 

"<Still! I'm sure we cou-->"

"<Oi pipsqueak, just shut it and listen to the Boss already,>" The bald mercenary cut in, brandishing his axe menacingly. "<I agree with you, Boss. This guy is obviously more trouble than he's worth, and I don't remember signing up for an all-out war. Otherwise, I'd be expecting triple the pay.>"

The other men echoed his sentiment, causing the Elf to step back and bow his head in defeat. It wasn't entirely his fault.

Dar was well-aware of his plan's oversight. Although rescuing other prisoners was probably the best way to increase manpower, he couldn't forget that there was a reason why they were imprisoned in the first place. Even if it ended up successful, he was possibly releasing hundreds of criminals back into the wild. Still, was that really his problem? 

The prisoner stared silently into Dar's eyes, as though reading his thoughts. Dar could've sworn he saw an evil smile behind his overgrown beard.

Yeah, no. We're definitely leaving this guy behind.

<"We're wasting time here,>" Dar said, giving himself a mental shake "<We'll take the middle passage.>"

He indicated the junction in front of them where the tunnel had split into three. Some of his men looked at him in confusion. 

"Dar," Dolly said in English "That's the longer route. Left is quicker."

"Yeah, I know. But the left just smells god-awful, and..."

His voice began to trail off for a moment. Among the faint sounds of fighting behind them, Dar overheard something that brought chills to his spine.

 

***

 

"Here he is, Young Master."

The skinny guard directed Buran's attention to the lone prisoner, sitting behind the magically sealed cage. He could feel the overwhelming amount of mana coming from the prisoner's massive form and was struggling to hide his anticipation. Most people couldn't stand being in his presence for more than an hour, but Buran welcomed its cruel sting. To him, it felt intoxicating. Like he was having a taste of some of the raw power he'd worked so hard to attain.

"Thank you." Buran said to his guide "You've been extremely helpful for an enemy spy. Perhaps I'll spare you after all. You can go report to your employer now or whatever."

"Your words humble me..."

"Yes, yes. Please, just leave."

The guard bowed.

"Goodnight, Young Master,"

As the guard's footfalls grew faint, the prisoner looked up at the armored ogre standing before him. Buran was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be able to play with his human toys tonight, but this was much better.

Now was probably the best time to assert himself as the Clan Chieftain.

With most of his father's soldiers out, offering the Second Chieftain's ashes to the Mirror Shaman, there was not much left that could stand in his way. Of course, his father, Turan, would still prove to be a major obstacle, having been shackled to his mother's bedside for the past few days. But Buran had already resolved to do away with him in the first place, and this prisoner would play a key part in it. It was two birds with one stone.

Father, you've become soft. Love has weakened your judgment.

Still, the situation was a little too perfect to be honest, mostly thanks to whoever was causing an uproar in the underground prisons. Whether they knew it or not, they had effectively cleared the path for his next step.

Or not...

His thoughts briefly wandered over to Count Undane's dying words. Was this the work of the Uncle-killer?

Maybe he really was being manipulated...

"You're late, Buran," The prisoner said wryly, snapping him out of his paranoid musings "I almost pledged my allegiance to someone else. Had they the right equipment and resolve, I could've rid myself of these chains a few moments ago."

"A few moments ago?" Buran asked. He was in a good mood. He didn't mind going along with some of this creature's antics "Are they perhaps the same people currently running amok around here?"

"It would seem so. Two of them smell like outworlders. The rest reek of human sweat."

"Interesting... A group of ten I'm guessing? Two females, eight males?"

"Hehehe... You've become much sharper since the last time we met. Still could use some work though. So will you release me first? Or dispose of them?"

Buran smiled broadly and held onto his sheathe. He had to hand it to them. These humans were surprisingly quick when it mattered. But that was the case for most prey when entering a predator's sights. If he didn't act now, they'd soon be out of his blade's effective skill range.

"Sorry, old friend, but surely you can handle two more minutes to a century's worth of imprisonment? It isn't every day that I get to savour outworlder flesh."  

"Hmm... I'll give you a minute." The prisoner replied "You'd better make it quick though. These old bones are itching to move,"

In response, the soon-to-be chieftain closed his eyes and concentrated.

Heed the words of your Master, Monsoon Blade.