ShadowBound: The Need For Power

After Serah and Jorin slipped into the right feeder tunnel, they pressed forward with steady strides. For two miles they walked, yet no smaller convergence appeared, only the endless stretch of tunnel yawning before them. Serah slowed, eyes narrowing, and after a quick calculation, she ordered they pick up the pace. If the convergence lay further back than expected, then wasting time with their careful pacing would cost them dearly, especially with night slipping away.

So they darted ahead, their steps echoing softly against the stone. Three long miles later, their persistence bore fruit. Just as Serah predicted, a convergence came into view, where two narrower tunnels veered off, no doubt routes that led toward the surface entrances of this labyrinth.

They stopped to survey the chamber, eyes sharp and movements deliberate. After studying the junction, Jorin knelt, pressing his hand against the earth. His magic spread through the stone like ripples in water, and soon he felt the pathways and spaces hidden from sight. Turning to Serah, he voiced his thought—he could carve a tunnel of their own, hidden, large enough for their whole team to move unseen. Serah considered, then nodded in firm approval.

With her agreement, Jorin got to work. The ground shifted and groaned at his command, parting silently to form a new path that veered far from the trafficked tunnels. A mile away from the convergence, he sealed the entrance, erasing all trace of their presence. With Serah close behind, he pressed onward, shaping the path deeper and further into the earth. When they had gone miles beyond their starting point, Jorin raised them back toward the surface.

As they emerged, Serah quickly realized the potential. The line of Jorin's tunnel curved in such a way that, with some extension, it could lead directly into the bungalow where their team hid in Fina. After a brief rest, Serah convinced him to push the path all the way to their hideout. It took long, grueling hours, and the effort strained him, but by the time the sky began to lighten with dawn, the tunnel was complete.

At last, they returned to their base. Kael, Myla, and Elira were waiting, and once shown the hidden passage, their eyes lit with a mix of surprise and respect. To strengthen their advantage, Serah had Elira summon a mystical chameleon. The shimmering creature slithered to the point where Serah and Jorin had first uncovered the feeder convergence. There it would remain, cloaked and unseen, to serve as their eyes and ears in the tunnels.

With that safeguard set, Serah laid out her plan in detail, outlining how they would execute the infiltration and the steps each of them must take. The team listened intently, though Kael raised a sharp question: why not simply have Jorin carve a tunnel directly into Drosmir's underground chamber? It seemed the easier path. Serah answered with a steady voice. Though Ubbe's map offered them a rough sense of the chamber's location, it was not precise. Burrowing directly into enemy ground carried risks they could not afford—collapsing into the wrong place, alerting guards, or worse. The risk outweighed the shortcut.

Satisfied with her reasoning, the others nodded, falling in line without further protest. The plan stood, solid and agreed upon.

And so, as the first light of dawn crept over Fina, the team turned their focus to readiness. At any moment, on any day, the chance would come—the raid would begin.

***

In the days that followed, neither Jorin nor Serah returned to the terrain site to spy directly on the entrance of Drosmir's underground chamber. Instead, the group placed their trust in Elira's mystical chameleon, and it proved itself invaluable.

Only a day after they had discovered the traffic tunnels, Elira's creature intercepted a vital conversation. Through its eyes and ears, she observed two men seated on a wagon laden with crates. Their careless chatter revealed more than they likely intended. Eavesdropping through the chameleon, Elira caught the key detail: the slave auction was scheduled for two nights from then.

With this intelligence secured, Serah wasted no time. She contacted her father, King Tharion, to inform him of their discovery. Tharion agreed to station his soldiers on the outer perimeter on the night of the raid, ready to move in once Serah's strike team lit the signal. With that assurance, all that was left was preparation. The group honed their blades, steadied their minds, and waited with the patience of wolves before the hunt.

When at last the day of reckoning came, they were ready. Before the golden light of dusk vanished into night, the team was fully geared and moving swiftly down Jorin's secret tunnel. Their steps carried them directly to the great convergence point. There, Serah split her forces with precision. Jorin and Myla—their sharpest assassins—were dispatched to separate feeder tunnels to watch for incoming buyers. Their role was clear: find travelers whose appearance matched Serah and Elira closely enough to allow a disguise.

Yet the odds were stacked against them. Buyers were almost always men, and the group needed women for their ruse. That miracle would take nothing less than the favor of fortune herself.

Meanwhile, Serah, Elira, and Kael remained hidden within Jorin's tunnel, concealed by the shadows of the earth. They waited for a signal, time crawling by in silence. Minutes stretched, and though Kael's patience began to fray, Serah's calm presence anchored them. They endured the wait.

Then, a flicker of light glowed against Serah's rune-stone—Myla was calling.

"Yes," Serah answered, her tone low.

"Looks like Lady Luck's riding with you today, princess," Myla's playful voice chimed through the rune. "Carriage on the way now—two women inside. One's a redhead, just like you, and the other's a blonde, just like Elira. Two guards at the back, and a coachman up front—about Kael's height."

A smirk tugged at Serah's lips. "Wonderful."

She ended the call and turned to Elira and Kael, her words sharp and confident. She relayed Myla's report, laying out the plan with crisp detail. "Lady Luck is our ally tonight—let's not waste the gift she's given us."

Moments later, the carriage rolled into view, drawn by two white horses. The coachman, tall and broad-shouldered, guided the reins, while two armed guards clung to the back. Inside, veiled by masks of velvet and lace, sat the very two women they had been hoping for: a redhead and a blonde, their beauty hidden but distinct.

As the carriage drew near the concealed tunnel, Serah, Elira, and Kael sprang into motion. Swift and silent as shadows, Serah and Elira struck first, closing on the rear guards. Before steel could leave scabbards or shouts could be raised, both men collapsed unconscious, their bodies caught and lowered without a sound. At the same time, Kael surged toward the coachman. His strike was quick, brutal, and efficient—the man slumped over before he even realized danger had come.

The entire ambush lasted less than a minute.

The carriage jolted to a halt, and inside, the blonde adjusted her mask, irritation sharp in her tone. "Hekel, why are we stopp—"

Her words died in her throat. For there, crouched in the driver's seat, was not her coachman, but a grim-faced man with a bow leveled at her. Kael's eyes glowed cold and merciless in the dim light.

"Scream, and you die," he said, his voice like ice.

"Gua—!" The redhead turned to cry out, but her voice was cut short by the hiss of an arrow. It streaked past her cheek and buried itself deep into the velvet cushion beside her face.

She froze, wide-eyed, her breath caught in terror.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Kael shook his head slowly and darkly, lowering the bow just enough to keep it steady on them, "no screaming."

As he gripped his bow tightly, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he aimed at the two terrified ladies, the creak of hinges echoed through the tunnel as the carriage door swung open. The sudden sound drew the women's attention, their wide eyes darting toward the new figures stepping into the dim light. Emerging first was a striking woman with flowing red hair tied neatly into a long ponytail, her beauty undeniable even beneath the shadow of menace that clung to her. She wore a fitted dark ensemble, a leather jacket paired with matching pants, giving her both a commanding and lethal presence. At her side stood another woman, this one with golden blonde hair partly concealed beneath a hood, her attire mirroring the same dark, practical style that spoke of danger and purpose.

"Well, you two ladies look quite elegant on such a fine night," Serah said, her voice smooth, calm, and laced with a faint smile that failed to soften the threat beneath her words. "Now, listen carefully—comply with us, and you won't be harmed. Refuse..."

Her voice trailed off as her eyes flicked momentarily toward Kael, then slid back to lock onto the two trembling women. The pause, heavy and deliberate, left little doubt of her meaning. "... you already know what will happen."

The two ladies trembled visibly, fear etched across their pale faces, yet after a moment they managed to nod slowly, their hesitation betraying the terror gripping them.

"Good," Serah replied, her lips curling once more into a smile that vanished almost instantly, her tone turning sharp as steel. "Now... strip."