Chapter 28

It had long been accepted that the vast cavern system hidden beneath Lamella’s Lands would never be fully mapped nor explored, its hundreds of miles worth of tunnels and similarly inconclusive number of entrances best left to the imagination. Because of this it was decided that only those tunnels that were widest and seemingly most stable would be traversed for mapping missions. But even these precautions weren’t enough to prevent a non-insignificant number of Cloud Nine’s members from disappearing into the depths, never to be seen or heard from again.

Neutral members of Cloud Nine were quick to write off such disappearances as products of the behind-the-scenes struggle between Hite and Reed’s factions, with each seeking to weaken the opposition or sow fear. More superstitious members leaned into the rumors of an ancient subterranean race whose hunting parties ensnared anyone who strayed too close to the fringes of their underground kingdom. The evidence they often cited being that they’d discovered a depth even the hog-nosed bats and other cavern dwellers dare not cross. Finally, there were the rational but less cynical members who’d sensibly deduced those missing had gotten turned around, become lost and perished due to exposure.

Needless to say, beyond the tunnels that had already been mapped and put to use, most party members held few aspirations about venturing into the unknown sections of caves within their new domain. But for those few who were daring enough to carry on the task, the mapping of these new sections of tunnels provided them a greater range of options. Especially when they decided to keep the locations of any new shortcuts and entrances close to the chest. Such was the crux of the LCF’s current initiative to infiltrate the gatehouse amid the struggle that would be taking place above ground.

For the sake of this initiative the infiltration team would utilize a narrow but shielded opening located at base of several joined outcroppings. Making it a prerequisite for those involved to be sound in dealing with cramped spaces.

Such was the case for the trio as they arrived at and made short work of gaining entry into the tunnel system. Only Faust whose frame was larger than that of his female companions experienced some form of difficulty, making all three thankful for the premeditated decision to pass their rifles through the opening separate of themselves. A real gamble for the two security officers if Emica had been the one to lead the charge. As such Lux had squeezed her way through first and received the rifles shortly thereafter.

And though she wasn’t particularly bothered by traversing tight spaces, the blonde was still thankful to see that the tunnel that gained them entry opened up considerably a short distance further inside. Something their guide failed to mention beforehand. Perhaps a subtle way of gauging how seriously her associates were about succeeding in their mission. Nevertheless, once they were able, the group made haste. Though they stopped short of running as it was difficult to make out the cavern surface they treaded on.

“Are you sure we didn’t need to bring more lights?”

At present they were relying on a single flashlight in the care of Emica.

“No need, I discovered this entrance fairly recently and the number of obstructions was negligible. Just stay on my ass and keep your center of gravity.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice.”

“And try not to panic too much if you feel something drip on you from above.”

Lux absentmindedly felt her eyes flicker upwards despite being unable to make out the ceiling in this darkness.

“Pfft, a little water never hurt anyone.”

“Oh yeah, how do you feel about bat guano?”

A frown found its way onto Lux’s face as she fumbled with the hood of her uniform jacket with one hand, only to be thwarted by the unceremonious tumble she took when her left foot caught something sprawled across the floor of the tunnel they were speeding through. Thankfully her combat training allowed her to come away unscathed as she used the momentum of the fall to transition back into an upright position. The nerves of her two companions weren’t quite as lucky as the angry expletive that erupted from Lux’s mouth at the time of her fall had both whipping their heads around frantically.

Equal parts angry and embarrassed; the sharpshooter growled her next words through clenched teeth.

“I thought you said there were no obstructions...”

Emica strolled over to Lux, shining the light on her to confirm her condition before investigating the cause of her spill.

“What I said was that they were negligible. Not that they didn’t exist.”

The women prodded said obstruction with her foot as she shifted the light beam onto it. A hum of recognition following as she was joined by the two security officers. Silence hung over the trio as they observed the body of a man dressed in what was unmistakably the attire of a party member.

“Ok, in my defense this wasn’t here last time.”

Lux crouched down to get a closer look at the body, namely what appeared to be the exit wound of a bullet just above their right temple. Next, she checked the oxidation status of the blood along with the temperature of the man’s body.

“This was recent, like within the last two hours.”

Shielding her eyes as she stood back up, Lux looked to their guide for answers. Meanwhile Faust began prodding around the base of the adjacent wall. The subsequent sound of a bullet casing bouncing across the tunnel surface confirming the trajectory of the discharge.

“Friend of yours?”

“Yeah... it’s uh...”

The woman began snapping her fingers in an attempt to jog her memory.

“Fuck, what was this guy’s name again?”

“The more pressing question is what he’s doing here?”

Faust dropped the casing he’d collected into Lux’s hand as he made his voice known to the raider for the first time.

“He speaks!”

Lux closed her fist around the casing and pocketed it before placing a hand in the center of both companion’s backs, pushing them deeper into the tunnel.

“Sure does. And you know what else he can do, multitask. So get moving. You can explain as you do your job, guide.”

As Lux’s interjection insinuated, time was very much not on their side. And in all likelihood the two opposing forces had already opened hostilities topside. No time to be tripping over corpses.

“While I might not remember his name, I do know his face. A less grotesque version of it that is.”

“Pfft, I’d love to see the look on your face after a bullet takes it’s midday stroll through your skull.”

“Save it Lux, let her finish.”

After so many convoys together Faust was well-versed in how combative the blonde could be just for the heck of it. More often than not he even found it oddly endearing. This was not one of those times.

“The point I was getting to, is that he’s one of Hite’s. Reed’s faction probably took advantage of the bustle of siege preparations to address one of his more problematic supporters.”

The group made a sharp turn through an offshoot neither officer would have noticed from its position in the shadows.

“That’s good news for us right? One less raider to deal with. Plus it confirms this tunnel route isn’t well known among the party. That is unless they planned on moving the body later.”

“More like they anticipate Reed will be the last one standing when the day winds to an end.”

“What a pain in the ass. No wonder you left.”

Emica snorted before slowing to a stop at the fork that had materialized. Extending an arm to stop the other two from passing her.

“We need to put a lid on the chatter from here onward, we’re about to enter the halls of the inner keep.”

“Fat chance of that happening with me in her ear...”

Operating in a tight space with such minimal light had tipped the balance of Lux’s senses in favor of her hearing, making it less of a surprise that her body would jerk at the unexpected voice filling her ear. And it was only after her hand shot up and re-confirmed the presence of a headset atop her dome that her body was able to relax again. Not that anything could be done about the embarrassment she felt upon soaking in the exasperated expressions of her two companions. Lux cleared her throat.

“Yeah, I’d better let ‘em know where we’re at. Help them adjust the timetable and stuff. Give me fifteen, twenty seconds tops.”

As one would expect the update was largely unnecessary thanks to Jericka’s astute perception skills. And after being made privy to the convoy’s progress above ground, the team of three stole away into the carved halls of the castle’s depths once more, with only a handful of bats as their witness.

*

Watching the plumes of smoke crawl their way towards the decks of the Crusaders, many of which masking the forms of raiders, was as surreal an experience as Youn had ever seen. An oddly transfixing occurrence that the report probably wouldn’t do justice. Assuming they’d be able to pen a report. Such were the increasingly dire straits they’d found themselves in.

He could hear the voices of the other two crews ahead of them as they scrambled into position and urged their pilots to alter course and avoid the smoke stacks. But a quick scan of the surroundings all but confirmed such a maneuver wouldn’t be possible. The stone pillars on either side boxing the convoy in and limiting their potential escape routes. No doubt something Cloud Nine had taken into account when planning their aerial assault.

Upon accepting that evasion wouldn’t be possible, Youn and the other deck officers began targeting the rappelers ahead of them instead. An exceedingly difficult task with both smoke and light beams hindering their visibility. The pounding of drums and litany of call outs adding to the sensory overload. Though one call out did manage to separate itself from the rest.

“Spikes planted, backside of the towers!”

Youn whipped his head around and scanned the length of the closest pillar, confirming the forms of at least two Volts perched atop sets of staggered spikes. He noted that the spikes had been set up to be low enough to avoid a serious injury when dropping down but high enough to guarantee they could clear the distance between them and the Crusaders. The window for the boarding presenting itself at nearly the same instance their positions were discovered. And like many of his fellow servicemen and women the security officer raised the sights of his rifle to meet the threat. Only for one of the aforementioned light beams to flash across his vision. No doubt another environmental factor Cloud Nine had intentionally taken advantage of when deciding where to conceal its members.

Youn committed to the shot nonetheless but remained uncertain of the result as his eyes need more time to recover. Though he could discern something striking the deck hard enough to create vibrations from the direction of the turret bay. Forcing his eyes open he turned and fired at the presence who’d responded by retreating behind a sizeable buckler. A noteworthy observation since an armament of that size would have made jumping from one of the pillars difficult. Suggesting this individual had come from the walkways above.

Sure enough the raider in question was frantically trying to disconnect the rope that had lowered him down while defending with the buckler. A smoke trail of similar origin spilling out across the top of the bridge and back deck at the same time.

Recognizing the fleeting cover it would provide, Youn made the snap decision to charge the raider before he had a chance to free himself. To which the raider responded by forgoing the rope and bracing himself.

Experienced enough to know the futility of throwing himself against what essentially amounted to a metal wall, Youn killed his momentum, contacted the buckler with both hands and began to drive his legs forward instead. Having lost his leverage the raider could only flail helplessly as the object meant to safeguard him drove him back towards the Crusader’s railing. His attempt to release the buckler coming far too late as the unforgiving rail crashed into the man’s low back, stunning him. Followed by the sensation of weightlessness as he went over.

Fortunately for the raider the rope he’d failed to disconnect from his belt halted the descent, but also left him swaying helplessly. And it was from this dangling perspective that he watched the convoy disappear further into the castle baily. At a loss, he could only wait until those who aided in his descent took notice of his predicament and lowered him the rest of the way so that he might avoid further injury and rejoin the raid attempt.

The levity of the raider’s removal from the Crusader was lost on Youn however as he had to prioritize retrieving the buckler so that he might defend against the party member he’d targeted initially during their descent from the pillar. The sound and tenuous vibration of multiple bullets ricochetting outwards confirming he’d barely made it in time. And it wasn’t much longer before more gunfire and incoherent shouting exploded all over the convoy. A profusion of clashes breaking out across the decks of every Crusader as more Cloud Nine members descended from towers and walkways.

Officers who’d previously been posted on the lower levels rushed topside to assist in staving off the enemy. All the while CO’s scrambled to coordinate a defense response, doing so as they followed protocol and worked on sealing the bridge’s lone entry point.

Of a similar mindset to his colleagues, Youn’s eyes darted towards the turret bay knowing it would serve him far better than staying out in the open of the back deck. So it was after peering over the confiscated buckler to confirm the enemy’s position that he charged in the direction of the safe haven. Or at least the closest thing to one as turret bays had parallel apertures for entering and exiting. Something he’d just have to keep an eye on once inside.

But upon reaching the entrance and angling the buckler sideways so he could enter Youn caught the retreating form of what could only be a raider. His momentary confusion abating after a glance downward confirmed the presence of a small explosive with a standard time fuse.

Youn felt his heart leap into his throat as he instinctively took a few steps back and nearly stumbled. He vaguely registered the buckler bouncing off the deck, not even realizing his grip on it had slackened. Far too focused on escaping the turret bay. He managed one full step before transitioning into a dive towards the bridge in an effort to create as much distance as possible between him and the imminent blast. His final observation as he laid out across the back deck being the form of the same raider climbing down the ladderway ahead of him. And with more explosives to boot.

Cade, Gliel!

But those thoughts were soon interrupted by the deafening sound of a blast tearing through the turret bay’s dual openings.

*

Located at what could unofficially be considered the halfway point of the nearly three-hundred-meter-long procession route, existed a raised blockhouse that challenged not only the height of the stone walkways around it but the height of the towers sprouting from the castle’s curtain walls. Its dimensions and interior layout indicative of a designer’s desire to inundate the space with all manner of lavish accoutrement fit to appease its similarly lavish occupants. Making it by all intents and purposes an observation module fit for digesting a parade in all its celebratory glory.

This was all lost on its current occupants however, both men caring little for the imagined amenities or decorative potential of the room they usurped to monitor the progress of the raid. One of which would be joining the ongoing effort in short order, representative of the custom-made body armor and lantern shields they’d donned in preparation. The motif for their armor drawing inspiration from the thunderbirds once rumored to have terrorized the skies of the western plateaus. As such claps of thunder in the form of wings had been etched onto both shields, along with the front and sides of the helm. The piece de resistance being the armor sets metallic gold coating that practically radiated in the sun’s beams.

The occupant of this resplendent armor standing by as the party leader of Cloud Nine viewed the approaching procession through a bulky pair of binoculars. Not so much blinking or even addressing the wearer, even as the rattling footfalls of the armor’s sabatons signaled their steadfast approach from behind. Culminating in the harsh point of a lantern shield coming to rest between the shoulder blades of one Logan Hite.

“Strange, I’d been led to believe the butchering of fellow party members was reserved for settings with less light, less witnesses and more bat shit.”

Hite lowered the binoculars but stopped short of turning around to confront his would-be killer. Reed slightly increasing the pressure being applied in his offending arm.

“Rest assured those witnesses will have their stories straight.”

“If their only purpose is to standby and watch as their leader is run through by a glorified letter opener, I’d suggest you send them somewhere they could be of actual use. The room housing the exit gate’s operating mechanism for example. I’d have sent my own to see to it, but they all seem to be preoccupied at the moment.”

Hite felt the pressure of the blade being applied to his back lessen as his subordinate considered the opposition’s angle.

“Oddly specific location to have on the tip of your tongue. Something you’d like to share for the sake of the party?”

“Is that how you’ll justify my demise here to yourself and the others? That it was all for the sake of the party. Could be a harder sell than you think. More so if I take the information I have with me to the grave and it results in a tremendous waste of the day’s resources.”

“What are you playing at?”

Reed lowered the lantern shield but wasted little time closing the distance of its reach, settling the end of the blade on the underside of Hite’s chin as he turned around in a calm and controlled manner.

“I could ask you the same thing. Carrying your attack out now, at the height of our advantage. Did you honestly believe they’d roll over so easily that my absence wouldn’t come with any ramifications?”

“They’re outnumbered and cornered—!”

“As they’ve been since entering Lamella’s Lands! And now, with Riga in her sights, you don’t think this convoy rejects the notion of being outmatched!”

Reed fell silent. It wasn’t often that Cloud Nine’s leader spoke with so much emotion. It added a level of sincerity to all his actions and decisions up to this point. A dangerous development he’d have no choice but to snub for the sake of pursuing his ambitions to become leader. Even so he had to begrudgingly admit that there were better uses for his lantern shield right now. Leading him to lower it back to his side and push past his grizzled adversary. He stepped onto the ledge designed for a window. The convoy practically upon them following their squabble.

“Go see it through Duck. Frolic around in the visage of the mighty thunderbird to your heart’s content. And in the aftermath of our success here I’ll accept a duel for rights to command the party. Put an end to the discourse concerning succession.”

Reed watched as the lead Crusader and the figures clashing on its deck grew closer, testing the straps of his dual lantern shields.

“Don’t think the LCF will bail you out of this tentative agreement, puppet of Roy.”

“Say what you will, but don’t forget it was your beloved Baugh who traded your friend away. So stop and think hard about whether the old guard should hold any sway over our futures. You might just find my intentions more agreeable.”

And it was on that note Reed stepped off the ledge and dropped down. Though whether it had to do with the timing or his unwillingness to continue listening to Hite was up for debate. Either way there was no love lost between the two pillars of Cloud Nine. Two pillars fashioned from very different but purposive materials.