Bloodline

Allies - part 16

After covering the last grave midday, Damian kneels, everyone else having their heads low in respect while also walking away from the grave sites. "Its a shame yesterday went the way it did, losing a friend and looking at the destruction of villages and towns alike." Damian says as he stands back up, walking with the others. "Opal took Osred away from us, but that doesn't stop our mission, we're getting closer to reaching the east, at least two more biomes to clear until we reach their territory." Zircon says as he takes his dagger out, looking at his reflection as he puts the newly carved mask on. Turning to the others, the carvings on the mask reveal the red zircon gem being where the opal once was, along with a few other twists and curves in his design. "With Opal's mask, I added a few things of my own, I wouldn't expect you guys to know what some of these symbols mean, but in short, this mask is now what I will use to symbolize death and the pain they gave to us, and we're going to make them pay." The others look at him hesitantly, Lutol walking to him, "Remember what I told you Zircon, loosing your calm is what caused many bad things to happen, and you better know what this path means for you." Zircon nods at him, taking out the broken dagger as well as his own, moving forward. "I didn't forget Lutol, Im only following a new path, a path that I've shadowed from you guys ever since I met you all, and I don't expect you guys to follow." Everyone looks at each other in confusion and disbelief, Damian steps forward, brandishing his sword. "I know I want to take this path as much as you Zircon, but I also know that if I do, it will go against my morals, and the laws of our kingdom, so though I cant follow you, I'll assist as best as I can." Nodding at him, Zircon moves ahead, the others following reluctantly and holding their weapons close.

Passing through the last of many destroyed streets and villages, the party reach an encampment, filled with allied soldiers. "Hello! I am Damian, the son of the king to the west, who might be the commanding officer of this platoon?" A grunt looks at him, and stands, "That would be our lieutenant Druettus, allow me to fetch him." The grunt runs off, heading towards what appears to be a command tent. Looking around, Zircon takes note of the environment, everyone else relaxing in the dirt. Another soldier walks up to the party, kneeling in respect, "Excuse me, but you're the king's son right? I was wondering if you knew when our reinforcements would arrive?" Damian looks at the soldier, almost surprised, "We never got an order for reinforcements, at least while we were still in the castle, but I'm sure the king will supply more troops to this platoon soon." The soldier looks tiredly at him. "Oh...well we requested more troops because we found an enemy fort, separating the border of our kingdom to that of the new expanding eastern kingdom." Zircon looks at the man, and with a fire in his eyes, stares almost into his soul through the mask. "Where is the location of this fort, I think I might be able to sneak in and take the plans to it for an assault." Confused and very uncomfortably, the soldier takes a step back, looking back at Zircon. "I-It's just over a hillside near a f-forest...in that direction." He points in the direction stated, a few large logs being seen over a hill almost as if it were a wall. "I'll head there now, expect me back in a half hour or so." Before he takes a step, Damian puts a hand on his shoulder. "Zircon, wait! We need to do this together, at least let us spot out for you in the forest, we'll have a small squad take position in the treeline in case something goes wrong, but just as a precaution." Zircon stares at him, and sighs, "Fine, sure, whatever you need as long as I can head in right now, just get your squad formed quick." He runs off towards the hillside as Damian and the others move around the encampment to different tents.

High walls, tough armor, and spotting towers on all ends of this fort, too bad this will be a normal day for me, Zircon thinks, running into the forest nearby and moving towards the walls of the fort. Getting close to the wooden walls reveals a small layer of metal in the wooden walls. "A nice first impression, giving the illusion of it being just wood when its reinforced with metal on the inside. Time to get started." Whispering to himself, Zircon moves up a tree, and looks at the spotting towers on the corners of the fort, jumping on the ledge of an empty tower and climbing in slowly. Looking into the fort reveals a barracks, dummy stands, a wooden room with lanterns lighting the inside, and a stand with weapon racks nearby it. "A quarter master, barracks, training yard, and commanders quarters, pretty standard layout for a fort, but it looks almost too small for a large army..." whispering to himself again, he looks around, and moves deeper into the fort. Watching as guards move by him as he hides in many places, he goes to every outer area of the fort, and hides behind a large stack of supplies and thinks. There is way too many people here to have all this small room, there must be something I missed... Moving into what he suspected as the commanders quarters reveals a large room with a door leading into the earth. Opening and stepping through, Zircon comes into a large room with many different rooms everywhere, almost like a prison. "Damn, theres so many places here, is this supposed to be the barracks? Maybe this is their last ditch defense in case they dont defend the fort, or maybe it's a place to ambush our army when they get pushed into it...I think I could use this to my advantage." He says aloud as he looks around the place, searching areas and discovering it to be the real barracks, with rooms to the soldiers everywhere along with a supply room nearby. Going into that room reveals food, weapons, and a few cases of gunpowder, supposedly for cannons he thinks as he looks around.

Minutes later he gets some rope, a few empty cases, the gunpowder, and more, along with a fluid he gets from his satchel, and puts it on the rope after cutting it into bits and putting gunpowder into the boxes, packing it tightly and setting it in areas around the large room, also silently killing enemies that came by. When he's finished, he then gets to the exit but not before getting his flint and steel, then lighting a strand of rope nearby as he silently moves out in the middle of the fort. "Hey! Intruder!" A guard shouts, others looking at Zircon as he stand there, lifting his hands up. "Hello there, if you wish to arrest me, I suggest you do it now, just before I leave you to my friends." One of the soldiers smirks at him, walking to him, "You just signed your one way ticket to hell my friend, and once we deal with you, your friends across that hill are next." The soldier, armored in a pale black armor holds a sword up to Zircons neck, him only brushing it away with his hand. "Those aren't the friends I was talking about, but they'll make their introduction soon, allow me to introduce cave-in and surprise." Just as he finishes this, a large explosion is heard behind him, and a cave-in from the barracks in the earth behind Zircon sends a shockwave out to everyone outside, who shield their faces with their hands from the dirt and smoke. As this happens, Zircon jumps to the person who held the sword to him, and with the broken and normal dagger, begins an onslaught of death in the fort, a battle cry coming from many soldiers outside the walls.