Chapter 592 - 592 - Battle Of Survival (Part 2)

'[Reptilian] Do what you can. Stop them, with whatever means necessary…' After a bit of silence, Aiden sighed his command through the mental connection.

'[Reptilian] It will be done by your will, my lord.' Madam Dara revealed an elated, satisfied smile after hearing the command ringing inside her mind. She was hoping exactly for these words to come.

Just as Aiden have suspected, even if he were to choose otherwise in the end, and order Madam Dara and her Daughters to stay put, she would have most likely ended up disobeying that order and set up an ambush somewhere along the way back to the city.

Being a group of assassins, the girls weren't exactly suited for face-to-face combat, even though they could handle themselves quite well and match up to the average warriors. No, despite being agile, and quite dexterous, they were trained through the art of subterfuge, assassination, and the general arts of hiding and controlling the shadows. They were each highly trained blades for hire. Before their unfortunate end at being forced to escape with the Archbishop for sheltering rebels, they were a well-known organization. 

Feared and because of that, respected. Even the higher-ups in the Temple, several Priests, Bishops and Pastors have come themselves or sent messengers for requests. Poison their rival so they step up in the societal ladder, slit the throat of a too-loud politician…  They have seen and dealt with all kinds of requests.

Yes, due to being adamant in keeping a neutral stance at first when all this hassle have broken out, they did accept all kinds of requests. If they were asked to silence a local rebel leader, they would do so if the payment was put in first. At the same time, dozens of officials, and members of the Temple Guards have met their untimely demise under the slender hands of one of the Daughters.

Madam Dara flashed an alluring smile under her breath as she confirmed the mentally received command, then turned towards her forty-strong daughters sticking to the cavern walls and hiding in the shadows behind her. 

Her fingers flashed as they formed a series of complex-looking silent signals, she quickly conveyed their lord's message to the rest of the girls, who acknowledged it with a single silent nod. Madam Dara then pointed towards the tunnel intersection ahead of them. 

The maze-like tunnels that sprawled all across beneath the ground were like a massive spiderweb; it easily covered the entire realm under its domain. Thousands, no several millennials in the making, these seemingly endless caverns reached far and wide.

Though they wouldn't dare to say that they knew all of the routes and even the tiniest of paths slithering in and out of Ugburg, the girls were at least confident in saying that they knew most. They had a fairly detailed layout mapped out in their heads. 

Knowing from the brief speech the skink captain, Ixorak gave to his chosen men, the girls were already well aware of the most likely route they would take, and what spots were best for setting up a timely ambush to gradually thin their ranks and slowly but surely destroy both their morale and will.

Swiftly, twelve girls, looking like genuine Shinobis of Ancient Japan, have flashed forward. Their feet made absolutely no noise as they skittered through the shadows and rushed ahead. Even without a verbal command, they knew the tasks their Madam wanted them to accomplish. They were already en route to set up. 

A few moments later, another dozen girls charged out from the group and rushed through the same tunnel. Their destination was the place where they would set up the second trap. By the time, the already thinned, alarmed, and agitated herd reached their spot, they would be ready to strike from the shadows once more.

Not much later, yet another dozen left the main force and just like the two groups before, went ahead to lie in wait as well, leaving only the Madam and her four elder girls remaining.

The remaining small group that would barely be adequate to call a party, didn't rest either. Just as the last, third dozen group of girls figures have vanished amidst the dark void of the tunnel ahead, the four girls, -joined up with Madam Dara-, suddenly jumped out from behind the cover and whilst keeping as silent and close to the ground as possible, slowly began to make their way out into the 'open' and sneak their way closer to Ixorak and his twenty elites. 

They were like silent predators, a small pride of lionesses as they slowly approached their unsuspecting prey…

…

Whilst the dangers were getting closer to them by each passing and wasted second, Captain Ixorak and their men remained blissfully ignorant of it entirely. Ixorak whilst showcasing a strong front, was fairly nervous, sighing with sorrow and lamenting at his own misfortune. Being singled out and being given an impossible and clearly pointless task, he was pondering about what could he have done to earn the ire of that fearsome monster, his General's wrath.

He sighed, peaking at the dark cave at the distance to his right, shaking his head with a dismissive wryful bitter smile. 

'[Reptilian] I don't understand what he was thinking… Enemy behind us? Already on to us? What enemy? Where? The bums, the weak, and the wretched of the slums? The outcasts? How could they pose any threat?! We are just about to end the resistance once and for all and get that brat finally… What was that stupid lizard thinking…' He lamented at his own misfortune for a moment.

Yet, is already considered a senior, with a great deal of battlefield experience, Ixorak quickly shifted his mood in the next minute, forcing a determined outlook on his face, whilst hiding his doubts to the very depths of his heart. He turned towards the long road ahead, squinting his gaze as he glanced at the distant, hazy sight of the ancient-looking pale-white walls of the Underground City, Ugburg.

He clenched his fists, clutching the handle of his weapon, his lance tighter. Heaving one last sigh, he pushed the very last remnants of doubts out of his body, regaining control of his limbs. Raising his right arm into the air, with a wave of his open palm.

Another moment later, their small force, led by the Captain himself, giving a vast contrast of the rest of the army that was still in the heat of trying to put a crack to the defense line far behind them, have set out, going back to where they have just come from.

Their goal, their destination was carrying a horrific intent, yet there was nothing they could do. They were given the command, they could not defy the words of that creature.

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