All Adventure Begins with Tragedy

Chapter XXVI: The battle concludes.

"Nice work men. Now move out! Let's go let's go let's go! Double time!" Our group sprinted through the tight tunnels. We had heard the sound of clashing metal and yelling.

Skidding to a stop, we looked around the room at the chaos. Forces from both sides ran around the room in confusion. It looked like we were behind the battle. A group of Hammerites, forty some, had been surprised by a group friendly forces. However, the friendly forces had been just as surprised to find a group of Hammerite soldiers. Amidst the confusion, it was nearly impossible to organize. Instead men ran around screaming and stabbing wildly at anything wearing the enemies colors.

"The ten of us, if we work in unison, can defeat them easily. Do any of you have explosives?" The officer looked at us.

"Um. I have some jugs of oil?" One of the women said. She revealed two leather containers filled with what was apparently oil.

"Good. And we have torches. Lets burn them!"

We nodded.

"Why do you have those anyway?" Crow asked her.

"I'm from a demolitions unit. All of us were equipped with it. The idea was you toss them over the wall, then throw a torch over. Usually it causes mass confusion. I just got assigned down here."

"Alright. Um. We probably only need one. Throw it into the group there." The officer pointed into a concentrated group of Hammerites.

She compiled. The officer through his torch into the group, and suddenly the havoc increased. Flaming men ran around screaming, striking out wildly. The oil had coated a half dozen of them. And the fire was spreading. The wooden crates soon were ablaze. The confined space only made matters worse. Men colliding into each other caused the flammable cloth to catch fire.

"Nice work there! They'll all either be dead or running soon!"

An explosion rocked the room.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't kn-" another explosion cut off the soldier.

"Hol-" a crate near an officer exploded, killing him instantly.

"Everyone get out of the room! There's explosives in here!" A mass evacuation began.

Explosion after explosion rocked the tunnel system. I had just gotten out of the room, when the entire space lit up in a giant fireball. Apparently coal or explosive powder had filled the air. When it got to a maximum capacity, the fire lit it. The explosive particles in the air caught. Even I don't know how many people the explosion killed. After taking that much stress, the ceiling finally gave way an collapsed.

"Crow? Anyone?"

"Dove?"

"Yeah, that's me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I've been better. Can you help me get this freaking rock slab off of me?"

"Yeah." I moved towards his voice, "Where actually are you?"

"Right here."

"Oh." Moment of silence. "Would it be okay to light a fire?"

"Probably. Whatever caused that explosion is gone now."

I reached into my pack, which I had somehow managed to keep on my back. In it I had a small flint, and a little candle.

I struck the flint. Good. I was in an enclosed space. Great. Absolutely wonderful. Obvious sarcasm is sarcastic. I got a little piece of cloth that was drenched in oil out of my bag. I placed it on the ground and struck it with a spark. It caught.