Gales POV
My heart was still racing even after the plan was completed and I had retreated away from the mining area along with the rest of the group. I genuinely couldn't believe we managed to complete this part of the plan, given all the factors that could have gone wrong, but they miraculously worked out.
When I told Clover I wanted to call Rekka, she gave me a look as though I had lost my mind, but I went on to explain my plan. Thanks to the fact that we caught the Slavers
by surprise, and from what I could see, they were poorly equipped and unprepared for this situation, we might end up ending the riot by killing all of the patrols before Rekka ever catches wind, which would complicate things. Even if she did learn about the riot, she might not come down herself and send down trained armed guards and either capture or kill us all. So I decided to lure Rekka here with something that would require her to take care of the problem herself... myself.
For a reason I'm not completely sure of, Rekka considers me both dangerous and very valuable; otherwise, she would have just gotten rid of me ages ago and wouldn't go to the trouble of making an entire cell specially for me. If she saw that I was free, along with the other enslaved people, there was a very high chance that she would come after me herself to capture or kill me.
Once I quickly told Clover what my intention was, she understood but wondered how I would sell the story enough that Rekka wouldn't instantly figure it was a trap. This was a little harder to do, but I had planned to have someone in our group put on one of the masks the slavers' grunts wore. The grunts wore something similar to a gas mask that completely covered their heads and would be enough to cover any one of our group, hopefully disguising their voices. This wasn't my strongest area, but it was my best work.
Clover, however, offered a different method and told me that we could use one of the enslaved people for the call and pointed towards the body of the first enslaved person she had killed. It was my turn to give her a look, but she told me that we could use illusion magic to disguise one of our own as the slaver and even disguise our voice as well. I was shocked. I had no idea such a thing existed, and not only that, but someone in our group had some talent for illusion magic and could probably do the job.
Clover quickly traveled through the tunnel and grabbed someone from group 1, a skinny teenage human boy similar in age to Lucas, who had been part of their batch and had finished arming his charge. When Clover explained the plan to the boy named James, he quickly showed me what he was capable of. In a glow, his entire appearance looked exactly like Clover's, and he said, "Is this what you were hoping for?" The resemblance was uncanny. James was capable of looking and speaking exactly like the person whose appearance he took on, with a few minor exceptions. His appearance was more similar to a hologram; if you went to touch him, you wouldn't touch the body he was appearing as, but rather his real body hidden under the illusion, and it required his full concentration to maintain the illusion so that he couldn't move around much or even attack, or he would lose it.
While these were problematic, they wouldn't affect my plan too much. Once we gave James the rundown, he agreed to help, and we proceeded with our plan to lure Rekka. James took the slaver's appearance and voice and called Rekka on the device, which thankfully was saved on it, and acted out his part perfectly. Rekka believed it really was one of her own, and to seal the deal, I pretended to attack James and let Rekka see me for a brief moment before breaking the device.
As we were finishing our part, group 2 and the still-captive enslaved people finished taking care of the rest of the slavers, and once they finished, we yelled at them to head into the tunnels and hide away from the area. We found Darrell and told him to listen for Rekka. We soon found Lucas and told him to get the remote detonator ready once the enemy was in position. Clover also asked James if he could prepare another slightly bigger illusion, which would create illusions of the bodies of the enslaved people next to the deceased enslaved people and one of me standing near the bodies. It was apparently to seal the story of my escape and ensure that Rekka walked into the area, and James, although he would be straining himself, agreed and created the illusion, which left a slightly bad taste in my mouth. The fear of the fake bodies made me uncomfortable, and the fake me standing over them with a horrible-looking glare left me wondering what about me made them fear me so much.
I didn't have time to ask questions, as this took priority. Darrell told us he could hear them coming, and we all prepared ourselves. The plan went smoothly, and we set off the trap and ran away from the cave. Once the tremor calmed down, the entire group began to celebrate.
"Shut Up!" I yelled
The entire group flinched when I yelled, and the other enslaved people who weren't originally part of our group took notice of what I was, and some began to back away in fear.
"We can celebrate when we get out of this place! There is zero guarantee that Rekka died in that cave-in, so we need to move now!" I yelled
I remember all that Lucas, Clover, and Max told me about Rekka and the fact that she was apparently a very powerful and dangerous person in the army. From all that I've seen and heard, there was a chance that Rekka survived and could make her way out. The best-case scenario was that she died in there, our is completely trapped in there, our makes her way out after we escape, and the worst-case scenario is her breaking out before we get on the ship.
My group seemed to understand my concerns, but those who were still captive were hesitant to follow me. They were soon motivated by my group's notion of freedom, and we began to run through the caves. Ashes found her way back to my side and continued to hold onto my shirt as we all ran through the tunnels to the exit, which thankfully wasn't damaged by the vibrations. Before we neared the exit, I could smell the familiar scent of sea salt. My heart beat even faster than it already was, and as we made it out of the cave, I was greeted by the blinding light of the sun.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin and the refreshing cool breeze, and for a moment, all I wanted to do was stay in that spot and enjoy the sensations. It seemed that the other enslaved people who were here longer than I felt the same, as a few dropped to their knees crying as soon as they saw the sun. I quickly regained my focus and told everyone to stay on guard and look for the airship, and we quickly moved towards the only building we could see.
We broke into the building and looked for any signs of where the ship could be and, as Lucas told us, the clearance card that would activate it. As we combed through the building, we found ourselves in what appeared to be an office, which we presumed was Rekka's. We looked through her office and found a strange key that seemed to be glowing and had engravings on it. Upon seeing it, Max spoke up and said, "I recognize those engravings!" It's the same as the ones on our shackles!" He grabbed the key and tapped it against the shackles of one of the enslaved people who still had theirs on. For a moment, a glowing silhouette of a keyhole shone, the sound of something being unlocked rang out, and the enslaved person's shackles came off. The enslaved person whose shackles came off began to weep for joy, and Max proceeded to free the rest of the enslaved people.
As Max did this, we still had no luck with the card. We feared it was on Rekka, and I had no idea what we could do. I then told everyone to find the ship, as there was a chance the card might be on it or that others working on it might have a spare. We then left the building and began to scour the small island, quickly found the docks, and, a bit farther away, a small airstrip with a large airship.
It was my first time seeing a vehicle from this world, and I was amazed to see such a remarkable ship. It was at least 100 feet long, with large metal wings similar to those of an airplane, and its thrusters didn't resemble those of a regular jet engine; they looked like it used a propulsion engine similar to the ones you would see in a movie, and it had what looked to be guns under its wings. The entire vessel didn't resemble the sleek design of a regular air shuttle; instead, it sported a bulkier look, almost like a small fortress, and was light brown and blue. This ship was more than enough to get us all out of here, but I hoped that the card was in the vessel already.
As we approached the ship, we spotted a small group of people doing what seemed to be maintenance on the ship and moving out of the back ramp, and when they spotted us, they tried to run away, but Clover and a few others from group 2 quickly closed in and grabbed them before they could escape.
"Where's the clearance card!" Yelled Clover as she put a knife to one of the engineers.
"I-I don't know!" Exclaimed the engineer, shivering in fear
"We don't have the time to ask them. Just do what you have to do, even if it means forcefully getting the information out of them." I told Clover.
I got a few looks from my group, including from Ashes, who let go of my shirt and backed away from me, but I didn't care, as we might be on the clock, and walked over to the engineers. When the team of engineers saw me approach, a few began to weep, and then one of them, I believed to be the leader, spoke up and said, " We really don't know where the card is! Rekka may have it on her!"
From what I could see on her face, there was a good chance that they weren't lying, and the card was on Rekka, which threw a wrench in our plans. As I thought about what could be done, Lucas spoke up, "Alright, change of plans. If we can't find the keycard, I will jerry-rig the console. It's going to take a bit, but I might be able to start it up normally."
"Ok," I replied
We didn't have many options at this point, and if Lucas felt that this was the only course of action, then we would do it. As we were finalizing the plan, I was about to tell the members of our group that we were holding the engineers hostage over what to do with them when the lead engineer spoke up.
"P-please let us go with you!"
I gave the engineer a small scowl as she asked this. I didn't want to bring any of these people with me, as they clearly had no problem working for someone in slave trading and probably got paid more than enough for their trouble, and it seemed like the others in our group felt the same.
"Why should we let you come with us? So you can find another employer to help move enslaved people around? I said.
"I know we don't deserve to ask for help, but I swear we'll help you with anything you need so long as we can leave this place! We were contracted not long ago by Rekka to work on her ship, but we had no idea what she actually did until we came to this place! That woman is cruel, and I know if we stay here, we'll end up being killed or worse by her! Please, PLEASE let us leave with you all; we'll even be tied up if that makes you feel more comfortable!" Said the engineer as she continued to beg.
I stared at her, and after a moment, I asked Lucas what he wanted to do, as he would be working on the ship. Lucas thought for a moment and said, If they agree to be tied up, then fine, they can come and help me with managing the ship, but if they try anything, then we'll get rid of them."
I agreed with what Lucas said, and it seemed that the lead engineer had a look of gratitude, but the other engineers still had a hesitant look on their faces as they looked at me, clearly not wanting to be anywhere near me. I saw this and said, If all of you cooperate, then you have nothing to worry about. However, if any of you decide to attack or do anything to hinder us, then you'll have to deal with me."
Using myself as a threat seemed to work wonders, as the engineers quickly nodded in agreement, were quickly tied up with nearby ropes and cables by the supplies they were using, and were led into the ship by Lucas, who began working on it. While they started on that, the rest of our group began boarding the ship as well, and others went to keep watch near the tunnel, with Darrell the first to volunteer to listen for any signs of Rekka, with six others going along as backup. I went inside the ship to check on Lucas and admired the vessel. It was incredibly spacious and filled with various instruments I didn't dare touch, for fear of messing something up. It appeared to be two floors, with the bottom being more of a storage space and the top being where most of the central command was. Most of our group, except for Lucas, Clover, and Max, sat down in the storage area, with a few beginning to weep with joy, no doubt because they were so close to freedom. Ashes also took a small corner of the space away from the others, hugged her knees, and looked away from me.
I decided not to pay any mind to that and went up to the main hub. I honestly couldn't understand much of what I was looking at as I reached the top, as it resembled a small command center that you would probably see in a military base, and spotted Lucas under one of the consoles, moving around wires and getting advice from the lead engineer, and Max nearby watching Lucas work on the console. Clover was keeping watch to ensure the engineers didn't try anything.
"How's everything looking?" I asked Lucas.
"It's going alright so far. I need to attach a few more, and I should be able to get the main power at least up and running."
"Once the main power is on, everything save for the engines should start up on the ship, including the navigation system and the defense system. We were still working on the navigation system, but it should mostly be in working order," said the lead engineer.
"I would need to bypass the clearance to activate the engines, which might take a little longer, but should be doable." Said Lucas.
Once he said this, Lucas attached one more wire, and in an instant, all of the consoles turned on, and the ship's main power was fully connected. Once this was done, Lucas told Max to start calibration on the consoles with the other engineers and proceeded to work on the engines. As Max began working on the instruments under the engineers' guidance, I paid close attention to what was being done. When Max reached a screen displaying an image of the ship, I noticed two things. The first was the words. I looked at the words, or what I thought were words, and realized that I had no idea what they said and that they were written in a language I had never seen before. This would be a setback to something I had planned, as I would need someone to teach me how to read this world's language if I wanted to gather any information. The second was a rather large section of the ship that was highlighted and didn't resemble anything I had seen; I asked Max what it was.
"Oh, that? That's the escape pod."
"Escape pod?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's big enough for two people and doesn't require the use of a key if everything is ok."
I listened to him, nodded my head, my gaze lingering on the screen a little too long, and moved my head, but not fast enough, as Clover took notice. Clover stared at me for a moment, then walked towards me and asked, "Something caught your eye?"
"No, I was just admiring the ship," I replied.
Clover's gaze sharpened a little, and she approached me with her hand lingering near her knife and asked, "What were you planning on doing with the escape pod?"
At this, everyone's focus was on me and my response, and I could feel my heartbeat quicken and myself sweating, as I didn't want them to know my plan. I knew I was taking too long to answer, as I could feel the tension in the air; everyone began to tense up, waiting for my response, with Clover putting her hand on the knife and repeating her question.
I couldn't come up with an excuse, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"I-"
As I began to speak, I dropped to my knees and began to gag as I smelled something awful and immediately saw Self-Preservation activated and felt my entire body yell at me to run.
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A few minutes earlier
Darrell POV
I was proud.
I took my place near one of the tunnels, kept my magic active, listened for any signs of life, and was prepared to tell anyone to run away.
I had been stuck in this mine for more than a year and had begun to give up all hope of escaping. Despite all this, however, I finally had a chance to leave and go home to my village, and I actually played a huge part in our escape!
I felt pride in knowing I had helped people, as all my life I had never been able to do anything major and had been constantly left out of hunting monsters or gathering resources because of my weak physical abilities. Even with my magic, there was very little I could do out in the field, and I noticed the slavers too late.
That's why I volunteered first, as I wanted to be more useful and make sure all our tracks were covered. As I listened, my focus was at times interrupted by the chattering of those who came with me as they began talking about what they planned to do once they got home.
"When I get home, I plan on starting a garden!"
"When I get back, I'm gonna propose to my boyfriend!"
"I'm gonna apologize to my friends, and then we'll go on a trip together!"
"What about you, Darrell?"
"I have to focus right now," I replied.
"Ah, come on, there's no way she survived that cave-in. She probably got crushed by one of those rocks!"
I paused for a second, then responded to the one who asked me what I planned to do.
"I... am going to go home and proudly announce to my village that I helped save a bunch of people with my magic and that I deserve to be an adventurer!"
Tap
"You wanna be an adventurer?" Asked the one who wanted to start a garden.
"Yeah! I think this helped me gain the confidence to get proper training, become an adventurer, and go on hundreds of adventures, saving people and hunting monsters!
Tap Tap
"I'm going to become a famous hero who people will look up to and admire, and I'll feel even more proud of myself and-"
Tap Tap Tap
I froze. I focused my attention back on the tunnels and realized the clicking was footsteps hitting rock.
TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP
No. It was the sound of someone running through the tunnels.
"Ru-"
I couldn't finish my sentence as, in a moment, a figure burst from the tunnel and grabbed my face, and I was met face to face with a slightly injured and dust-covered woman.
"Good ears."
As she said this, her hand began to glow a sickening orange, and she smiled a sadistic smile, and the last thing I felt was the flame and the regrets that filled my body.
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Gales POV
I began to gag at the scent filling my nose, and everyone in the hub was caught off guard by my reaction and asked what had happened.
When I took a breath, I caught a whiff of something familiar back in my old life. I was brought back to a memory of when I tried to cook eggs for the first time, got distracted, and let them burn, which wafted a horrible burnt smell through the apartment and made my neighbors scold me.
This was a hundred times worse. It was a horrible, burnt smell that made my eyes water and made me want to rip my nose off, but that wasn't the worst part, as for a moment under the burnt smell... I could smell something similar to burnt meat.
I fought against the smell and against the annoying system window and went down to the storage area, nearly stumbling until I reached the ramp and stared forward. The other three who were with me followed, drawing the attention of the rest of our group. We all looked in the same direction and froze in horror.
Calmly walking towards the ship, dragging in one hand what looked to be a burnt-beyond-all-recognition corpse and a bloodied sword in the other, was Rekka.
"Hello, my dears~."
She stopped, dropped the corpse in front of her, and afterward smiled and said.
"You shouldn't take what doesn't belong to you~."
The plan was a failure.