Touch of Time

Chapter 30: The Battle

"We have been breach!  We have been breach! Everyone get up and arm yourselves.", shouted one of the guards who came running inside the hideout.

All individuals instantly stood on their feet and grab anything to defend themselves.  Some took a rifle while others got plane knives and kris.  Then, a loud bang is heard outside and the entire area shuddered from the explosion.  Dust and smoke build up inside which made everyone skedaddled for the place is already suffocating.

"Andro, Andro where are you?", shouted Ersha as she's trying to hold on the walls and walks towards Andro's cubicle.

"Ersha, this way!  Come with me!", Mario said while holding her hand and escorting her into the secret door.

The two run together and entered an opening guised as a lavatory.  Others were already in a fight, some are running for reinforcement while others were retreating.

"Where's Andro?", asked Ersha in a low modulated voice.

"He's still out there.  Don't worry he'll follow us later.",  replied Mario.

Another shudder was felt and the place seems to blow up.  Explosion is very audible and it is heard every few minutes in different spots and distances.  Then, the door suddenly opened,

"Well, well, what we have here.  So, this is your another secret passage huh".  A Spanish guard entered along with his two companions.  They took Ersha and Mario outside to present them to their comrades."  One of them grab Ersha on her arm very strongly which made her squirm from pain.

"Stop that!  It hurts!", declared Ersha with great anger.

"So you want to fight back huh! ", said the guard with great contempt.

Ersha and Mario were led into the main hall of the hideout.  As they arrived in the location, Andro along with other revolutionary members were already kneeling to the ground.  Their hands were tied at the back and lined up as if ready for execution.  The three guards then showed Ersha and Mario to the rest of the revolutionaries.

"Your group is going down now.  So, who still have the spirit to oppose here.", said the commander of the civil guards.

"You start with this woman sir.  She's been a prick when we got them."  The guard is pertaining to Ersha who then pushed her at the center of the hall.  Ersha stumbled on the floor and was snatched by another guard to make her kneel down.

"How about that other captive you got.  Place that here beside this woman.", ordered the commander.

The two guards pulled Mario roughly by dragging him with knees touching the ground.  The pain was terrible but he endured it just to keep his image.  His tears want to fall but he tried to hide it.

"I know what this other person is made of.", said the commander who then tore Mario's right sleeve which then exposed a slight skin of the bosom.  "This man is a one big woman."

Everyone including the revolutionaries were in great shock.  They couldn't believe their eyes and how Mario made them believe he's a man.  Mario couldn't dare to look at their expressions.  She felt naked and insinuated in front of everyone.

"So what's the problem of being a woman acting as a man?  Why, is it hard to accept if you get to be outwitted by a woman?", Ersha said in great defiance.

The commander was ired by Ersha's statement and he immediately slapped her.  Blood came rolling on her nose and the commander gave another slap to the opposite cheek.  But as he attempted to do it again, a great flash of blinding light entered the hall.  Everyone was in awe and bedazzled of its sudden appearance.  Then the light develops into a huge whirlpool where two individuals came out who were fighting with each other.  It is the sorcerer and the warden.  The vortex instantly closed.

"Mr. sorcerer!", cried Ersha the moment she saw him.

The civil guards recognized the warden and they came nearer to help him.  When they are about to do so, they were surprised with the silent reinforcement of the revolutionaries.  All of their colleagues who were outside were killed already and now, they were all getting in.  Another wave of battle took place inside the hideout.  Ersha and Mario helped each other in securing themselves while others continued on their fights.  The sorcerer is still in opposition with the warden but noticing his condition, Ersha and Mario went back to help.  Mario strikes the wardens back with a piece of wood.  It made him loose his concentration so the sorcerer was able to advance himself and then stabbed his abdomen with a dagger.  Immediately, the warden collapsed.

The battle inside the hideout took almost 30 minutes.  As it ended, each revolutionaries were slowly cleaning up the place.  Ersha, Mario and the sorcerer were staying in one place and conversing with each other.  Andro approached them and asked about their condition.

"We're all of you fine now?", inquired Andro.

"Yes, we're very alright except for Mr. sorcerer who is still bleeding", replied Ersha.

"Don't worry we'll call for the medic incharge to have him treated", suggested Andro.  Then, a sudden change happened on Andro's expression.  From a smiling face, it turned into a saddened image and he collapsed on the ground. At the back of him stood the warden who is giving all his energy just to stab Andro on his back.  When other members saw it, they all run and put the warden to death.