I Am Legend

It was 6 AM in the morning and the temperature was cold due to the rain last night. The mages were making a pole underground to make way for the water to go through from above. Inside the cave, the atmosphere was moist, hence, they decided to make a bigger campfire to keep warm.

Ryth"s closest confidants were gathered inside Ryth"s tent, where they gather around a table.

Ryth took out a scroll and spread it wide open on top of the table. The scroll was a detailed map of Griefendell City.

"Alright. First, what"s the update, Lady Elsa, Llyod?" Ryth asked, looking at the two.

Lady Elsa placed her teacup on a nearby table and began to explain. "The situation inside the city is normal. There was nothing suspicious happening. But apparently, from what I have gathered, the merchants were having a hard time acquiring any mining ores."

Azalea frowned. She looked a bit disturbed and baffled by the news." No ores?" she asked in disbelief. "How can this be? The mining area there should be abundant with ores. And with the capture of my loyal people, they should have produced more ores than before."

"Well, I"ve heard some news from the townsfolk but Woodgard has a better understanding of what"s going on than me. So, I should let him explain."

"They"re probably using it for other purposes," Woodgard guessed. "According to what I have discover this past week, when I snuck into the mining place, I have the understanding of what the mining area is really are. Other than producing ores, it has become a smelting place. They are also making weapons inside and store them in some kind of storage rooms."

"How did you get inside the mining area, Woodgard?" Ryth asked, looking at him, frowning.

"My team and I went down the cliff with the use of ropes. It was unprotected."

"What about inside?"

"His people only guards the entrance gate. Other than that, other access to the mining area is weak," Woodgard commented. "Those men seems ignorant. All they do is sleep and drink. They"re really slacking off. They will only get serious every Sunday when Wildan comes for checkup," he scoffed further.

"So, it seems like you"re familiar with the prisoners" schedules?" Tregnar asked as he tapped the table continuously with his pointer finger.

Wood gard nodded. "Yes. From 5AM in the morning they have already started working until 8AM when they have a break for breakfast. Breakfast then ends at 9AM and they will continue to work until 6PM in the evening for dinner. Then continue again working from 8PM to 11PM before being dismissed."

"They don"t have a lunch break, eh?" Ryth muttered to himself. He then asked, "What about sickbay? Do they have one? For instance, if there"s someone who needs treatment, is there a place for them to recover?"

"There are. But the doctors and healers are also Wildan"s loyal men."

"So, you"re saying that they won"t get the treatment that they need if they fall sick?"

Woodgard shook his head. "If it"s a physical wound, it is possible for the healers to treat them. But if its a sickness, like a fever, they would randomly give them some medicines that are barely working at all. Hence, the number of people who had died from illness is not small."

Azalea clenched her fists, biting her lips and asked again, knowing this is something she needed to know, no matter how much it hurts. "What happened to the corpses of the dead people?"

Woodgard fell silent before answering. His heart heavy with sadness and regret. "If there were any people who had died when working, will be gathered and placed on a cart. The cart will then moved to a certain part of the mining area called…" He took a deep breath before continuing, "Crocodile Hole. Its a huge graveyard for the ma.s.ses."

Azalea bit her lips so hard, she could almost taste her own blood. Her fists clenched white as her face became pale after hearing those news from Woodgard. Anger glittered in her beautiful eyes as she thought of the pain her loyal people had endured and experienced.

Lady Elsa was shocked and saddened by the news too but she quickly calmed herself down. She gently took both of Azalea"s hands and soothed the clenched fists. "It will be alright. We will take Wildan down and free Griefendell from his tyranny!"

Azalea was quiet for a bit and then she quietly nodded her head. "Mhm."

Llyod was so furious that he slammed his fist on top of the table. "Despicable!"

Ryth was quiet, listening to the people around him cursing and spouting insults against Wildan. He then spoke up, "What about the family of the prisoners?"

"They too were captured. The women were kept in a separate barrack, where they will be doing the laundry and cleaning the men"s prison cells."

"The children?"

"Also captured," Woodgard said, with a grim look on his face. "Their tasks were to feed Wildan"s men and clean the cafeteria."

Hill, who hardly shows any expression on his face, gave out a dark look as he crossed his arms across his chest. "We must pull him down from the top, no matter what."

Ryth nodded. "That"s a definite." he looked at Woodgard and asked again, "So, have you been contacting with one of prisoners?"

"Yes. I received everything I know from her."

"Her?" asked Ryth in confusion.

"Yes," Woodgard nodded his head, "She"s the captain of the women"s army and also, Miss Azalea"s personal bodyguard, Loreleia Arryn."

Her eyes widened in shock, Azalea could not hide her surprise at the news that her dear friend is sti alive. "Is she alright??" Azalea asked, her face looking worried and anxious, standing up abruptly.

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Woodgard nodded, with a small smile. "Yes. She"s a great supporter. She never loses hope. She helped the people there when they were at their lowest. She, too, did not want them to lose hope."

Lady Elsa patted Azalea on the shoulder. Azalea sat back down with a huge sigh of relief. "That"s great," she murmured.

Ryth nodded his head, "Great. All we need to decide is when to strike."

"About that... I know of a perfect time," Lady Elsa said calmly.

"Please, continue."

Lady Elsa said, holding up four fingers, "In 4 days, the moon will be at its lowest light, and I believed that they will have difficulty in seeing in the dark."

"Then we must take the advantage," Ryth said determinedly. The others nodded in agreement. "We"ll use this chance to strike!"

Lady Elsa nodded. "As discussed, Woodgard will free the prisoners first. And once it has become chaotic, I will project the truth in the middle of the city. At the same time, Mr. Myrad, Azalea and Mr. Hill will use the opportunity to sneak into the castle."

"Great. Luck is still on our side." Ryth smiled. He then stood up, stretching his arms up, "Alright then. Everyone is dismissed. Let"s get some food, I"m starving."

"Rawr!" Skye growled in agreement with Ryth. It jumped on top of Ryth"s head and patted Ryth"s head.

Ryth rolled his eyes. "You were just sleeping a minute ago. Once you hear the word, "food", you suddenly wake up. Are you feigning sleep now?" Ryth said, poking Skye"s nose with a finger.

"Rawr." Answered Skye as it tapped its belly with its right paw.

They all go their separate ways to get some food. Lady Elsa was about to talk to Azalea when she saw Ryth walking towards Azalea. She let out a s a smile and went off to join the others.

Azalea was about to stand up when Ryth tugged on her sleeve. "Hey, you really have a personal bodyguard?" he asked, curious.

"Yes, why?"

"What is her job?"

"She"s a swordswoman, just like me," she said before being quiet. She then spoke up again, "I believe her strength is more or less like Lloyd"s. She was the one who helped distract the enemies, helping me escape. I thought she was gone. I"m so happy to know that she"s alright."

Skye unexpectedly did not joined in. It was as if it understood what the two were talking about. It jumped off Ryth"s head and went off after Lady Elsa.

Ryth did not see any tears on Azalea"s face but he could see the sadness and anger in her eyes. She was furious from hearing about her people being treated like animals. Now that she had heard the news about her personal bodyguard being safe and sound, albeit still in prison, she looked relieved. It was as if so many emotions were mixed in her thoughts.

Ryth patted her on the head and consoled her by saying, "If she"s as strong as Llyod, then I"m sure that she is fine. At least, she knows that you"re coming back and her hope doesn"t die. Believe in her."

Azalea was quiet for a moment as Ryth patted her on the head. When he stopped, she grabbed his hand with both of her hands tightly. She pulled his hand and placed it on her forehead as she closed her eyes. A tear dropped from the corner of her eyes as she said softly, "Thank you, Ryth…"

Ryth fell silent, surprised at Azalea"s sudden action but also felt warmth. "Yeah, no problem," he said softly.