Kaelen hid his peeping head in shadow as soon as he had seen the door opening and Jax jumping up scared.
Lorian, from the body movement of Kaelen, had an idea of what had happened. He followed Kaelen in pressing their back against the dark, damp wall as much as possible. They stayed still, held their breath, as three loud pairs of footsteps were approaching them, treading over the passageway.
The footsteps got closer, and Loraina and Kaelen's breathing got slower.
When the three shadowy figures crossed them and walked ahead on the dark path, even then Lorian had held his breath not to compromise their cover.
The three walked ahead. One of them had a strange glowing lamp that was bright enough to show the path ahead as they went ahead in the darkness.
The whole place was silent like a graveyard. The only sound was the faint whisper they were talking in. Lorian could not decipher most of them, but he just heard 'master,' 'Tide,' 'cleansing,' and such absurd words. He hoped Jax would have picked some with his heightened listening capability.
From the movement of the torch, Lorian realized they were opening the path on the surface. After it was confirmed that the three had left, Lorian and Kaelen came out of the shadow and together peeped in the passageway.
Jax was still dangling from the roof. Noticing Lorian and Kaelen, he jumped back on the floor.
Jax bowed to him and told him everything he had heard by eavesdropping.
The three were discussing progressing the plan, as the master was getting restless. Via Arthaz, the 'Master' has instructed them to lay low for the time being. 'Master's friends would finance them as they laid low, and in that time, they should prepare themselves for the "tide," which would "cleanse" the "filth." As soon as they received the reinforcement 'promised', 'Master' would give the signal, and they would have to jump at a moment's notice.
Lorian had a good idea who the 'Master' was. He also could understand what 'tide' and 'cleansing' were- these were just unnecessary fancy terms for the pirate attack on Veridia and annihilating the defensive force.
However, Lorian's main concern was two other things-
One was the 'Friends' financing the pirates. It meant there were people with money and influence who were not only aware of Cassian and the Pirates' connection but were also financing them.
Second was the 'reinforcement'. Lorian was sure it wasn't something or someone from Veridia but must be some external factor!
He had to find answers to both, and that too fast.
"Spread out!" Lorian shouted, "Check every room here, find any and every document you can find here, and take all with you. Leave no stone unturned!"
"But my Lord…" Kaelen raised the question, "What will happen if we take the documents with us? Won't they realize their hideout has been invaded and get alert?"
"Aha! That's a very good question, me boy!" A snide voice was heard from behind them.
The three quickly looked behind to discover two people had appeared at the mouth of the passage!
"Arr, when I was passing by, I sensed someone was there, I did! But I didn't want the master's man to know about the trespassing and tell him. He'd scold us for that, he would!" spoke the tall big one between the two, in a bit of a sneaky, conspiratorial tone, "So after seeing him off, we came back, savvy?"
"Aha! And it seems my matey was correct in his gut feeling'!" said the short fat one gleefully.
"Once again!" smirked the tall guy.
Both of them took out their cutlasses from their scabbards. "So then, you three! D'ye surrender peaceful-like, or shall we have a bit o' fun with you scallywags and freaks, eh?"
Kaelen and Jax walked ahead towards the two, putting Lorian behind them. "Sire, with your permission let us deal with these two insolent scums!"
Lorian smirked, "Go ahead, but remember, none of you have permission to take any serious injury! We have lots of things to do in the upcoming days, and I am not going to give the two of you any leave due to injury!"
They smirked and nodded, "Command received, Sire!" and got in battle position.
The damp air in the passageway grew heavy and tense. It was ready for the ensuing brawl.
Kaelen and Jax were standing at one end, with their backs acting like walls protecting Lorian. Lorian was relaxed, sure of the capability of his retainers. He dragged a crate to sit on it and watch from his makeshift seat.
At the far end were the two pirates who were acting menacing and cheeky.
Lorian scanned both of them. The big one was a walking mountain of muscle. The cutlass he was holding looked like a meat cleaver in his hand. His partner, the stout, greasy man with a cruel sneer, was playing with his cutlass meanwhile.
Kaelen drew his longsword; the steel hissed as it left the scabbard. He planted his feet on the ground firmly, in a quiet, lethal grace.
Jax did not have a weapon, for he was nothing less than a weapon himself- a more vicious and crueller one. He crouched, making a low, guttural growl rumbling in his chest- being true to his bestial nature. His fingers curled into sharp, black claws.
The pirates surged forward, displaying pure raw aggression. The big one went for Kaelen, swinging his cutlass in a wide, whistling arc with the intention of taking his head off in a clean sweep. Kaelen's trained sword, however, met the attack with a clean, ringing parry. The force of the blow rattled Kaelen's teeth, but he maintained his stance, true to his training. He kept controlling the fight with his blade, each precise movement of his deflecting the pirate's wild, sloppy attacks.
The stout pirate was faster than his friend, as he drove his blade low and fast at Jax's legs. He was a snake, all dirty moves and cheap shots. But if he was a snake, then Jax was a predator. He dropped to a low crouch, twisting his body. The cutlass sang past his ear as Jax's clawed hand snatched at the man's arm. There was a wet, tearing sound. The pirate screamed with a high, panicked shriek as Jax's claws ripped through his arm and sent the cutlass spinning away.
With his partner bleeding on the floor, the big pirate roared in rage and went for a kill. He feinted a thrust at Kaelen's chest, then dropped his weight and slammed the flat of his blade against Kaelen's shin. Kaelen grunted but did not lose his calm or stance. In a single, fluid motion, he pivoted, flourishing his sword like a flash of light. His trained blade didn't just cut his flesh; it sliced a clean, deep line across the pirate's belly, making his entrails come out with a gush of blood. The pirate's eyes went wide with shock as he doubled over, his gut spilling.
The stout pirate, enraged and desperate, scrambled for his fallen cutlass. He found it and lunged at Jax one last time. Jax simply dodged the sloppy blow, and his claws found their target. A final, gurgling cry escaped the man as Jax's hand plunged into his chest. The pirate collapsed, his body twitching as Jax's clawed hand pulled out the pirate's beating heart in front of his eyes and squashed it in his hand.
Silence of the graveyard again returned to this underground chamber, broken only by the sound of gurgling and a heavy thud. Kaelen stood over the fallen big pirate. Jax stood next to him, his chest heaving, a smear of blood across his cheek.
Lorian watched from his crate, a small, grim smile on his face.
He stood up and clapped. "It was brilliant, exciting! But now is not the time to celebrate; let's commence our next phase of action!"