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The path across the plains was unsettlingly smooth. After a battle with the undead, the group was on guard the whole way, unable to take in the beauty of their surroundings. However, they were met with no trouble.

The end of their journey brought them to the entrance of a cave, where two of Songhua's tribesmen came out and met them. According to Kalilah, the expansive tunnels within the hills are said to have been dug out long ago by nomadic people trying to escape from Loki's wrath. Nowadays, their tribe uses these tunnels as a safe haven in case of emergencies. All sorts of traps lay within, and only a member of Songhua's tribe knows how to properly navigate through the safe routes.

Though expansive on the inside, the tunnels themselves were barely large enough for a person on horseback to fit in, in some places. Because of this, the caravan would have to wait outside, and so the soldiers in their company were ordered to wait by Leena's wagon. The two tribesmen also agreed to stay with them, so they could send word inside if something happened.

Everyone else who desired to proceeded inside to be led by Kalilah through the tunnels. A low, hushed rumble echoed far off, as dark clouds in the north-east drifted slowly their way.

Well even if you asked the swordswoman where to go in this cave, she barely remembered everything in here. More or less the traps! Oh dear the traps. She'll just have to make due with what she remembered.

Kalilah drew her sword and started to draw on the ground, trying to visualize what she knew and remembered about this cave. 'This is where we currently are, and this is where the chief is. If I remember....' she trailed off, drawing a circle a little north of the diagram, then two on the left. 'There are a few floor traps here and here.....and then pit fall straight ahead of that one.' Something tells her there were more traps than before, but this was the best she could provide. 'If there are more traps than the ones I drew here, then I don't know of them. You'll have to do your best to play guessing games from there."

She stabbed her sword at the drawing again, this time a long line. 'If we follow this path here towards the right, we should be relatively safe. Should there be any traps, I believe it will be a minimum number of it. That's all I really remember.'

((Bluh)

For a lance user on foot, this situation was a blessing and a curse. A lance could be used to tease out traps and test the area that lay before them, but the tight walls limited movement that was necessary to be effective with such weapons in combat.

This rang even truer for Amon, who was used to traveling through tight, low-light tunnels like this. Fortunately, in his lifetime no one had ever tried to lay siege on the tunnels where his people hid from the world. Perhaps they were too well hidden. Perhaps the rest of the world simply didn't care. Nonetheless, such a curse could be considered a blessing, if one was generous with the term.

Though no matter the situation, they would have to tread carefully.

"I volunteer to help at the head of the group." Amon stated. "I may know nothing of these caves, but I will help keep our foes a lance-length away for the benefit of those who do."

Within the main chamber of the cave, adlians from a different tribe were fighting against Songhua's tribe, and the rest of the group from Learania, pushing them back deeper into the network of tunnels as they were forced to retreat. A swordsman stood beside a man on horseback, feathers within his hair, signifying his importance. The swordsman had a smug grin on his face.

"None of Songhua's traitors must survive! Hunt them all down, and bring the disgraced Chieftain to us!" The swordsman shouted to his own tribe. "Capture any learanians if possible, but if they want to fight, put an arrow in them!"

The swordsman turned to his chieftain, noting the unsettled look on his face. "Father... you don't need to be here. Leave this to me! I will carry out the rest of this task Elder Shamir has given us."

The chieftain looked at his son, with pained eyes. "...Just finish it quickly, Rashar." Head low, the chieftain exited the cave to join the rest of their fighters.

"..." The swordsman watched his father leave, then turned his head sharply back to face the battle. "I will not allow you to be so weakhearted and doom us, father..." he grumbled, lowly. "We will head into the future, with Elder Shamir to guide us!"

Ramla had chosen to stay alongside her liege, giving Ser Rath the space he needed with his ailing companion. There was nothing she could do for Chieftain Songhua and could only lament at her lack of strength again. Before, it was for Lord Amir's late father, and now it was... She was aware she lacked the magical capacity to use anything more than wind magic at this time, but she hoped that someday she could do more. A tome in one hand to smite her lord's enemies, and a healing staff in the other to protect her lord, his allies, and all the innocents caught up in conflicts. That was her wishful dream for the future. 'If only there was something I could do to help Chieftain Songhua...'

Her thoughts were broken when one of Chieftain Songhua's tribesmen breathlessly entered the chamber they were in and alerted them of an assault. To disturb the already fragile peace with more conflict and aggression... unforgivable.

Yes, there were things she couldn't do, but there were also things she could do, and that was to assist in handling the threat and giving the Learanian priestess ample space and a peace of mind to do everything she could for the chieftain. "Winds, guide us." she quietly uttered a small prayer as she drew her tome from her bag.

She followed after her lord Amir and the others as she opened the tome and began an incantation. A blade of wind formed and swept out to strike an enemy tribesman that had nocked an arrow onto his bow, probably intending to feather one of her companions.

"You ask why do I not talk much?"_______←«_____ ←«____ ←«___ ←«__ ←«
_____"...Because there is nothing to say."

The Adlian fighting styles were not foreign to Rath, who had sparred with Songhua's tribe on many occasions. This tribe seemed to favor segmenting themselves into small groups, with each person playing a key role in their formation. While taking an offensive approach, their opponents would likely listen for the movements of their targets, move forward with a swordsman at the front to engage and distract while archers lined up their shot from the rear. In a sense, the tribe wasn't battling: they were hunting.

Without the need of a guide due to the possession of a map, Rath was pushing ahead beyond sight of the rest of his group. A normally calm, rational mind was being clouded. His anger propelled him through his enemies. After dispatching the first small group he came upon, he knelt down and examined the bodies, using the light of a torch one them was carrying. He turned one of the bodies over and broke loose an artifact that was around its neck: a carved figure of some sort of symbol He looked at their markings, clothing style and colors as well. He paused, and his heart skipped a beat. Rath's grip on the artifact tightened, as he scowled. "Wayrin..."

The young swordmistress stood there, speechless and unable to express anything for her chieftain who lied on the ground. After all this time and years..she felt like she failed. Felt like the world around her crumbled for the first time as she stared at him, trying so hard to talk to Rath. Kalilah clenched her fists. She should have been there by his side this entire time. The only reason she left him even for a moment was to get help yet somehow all of that seemed pointless if it was all going to end this way.

The chieftain turned to her and smiled. That kind and gentle smile she remembered as a child. Songhua was like a second father to her, taught her how to use a bow. She handled it poorly but they were good memories.

Just then from behind them, some of her tribesmen had informed them that the enemy was closing in and fast. Kalilah stared at her chief for a good moment. Lifting her hands to her face and gave herself a good slap as if to break herself out of her trance state she was in. Now was not the time to be sad or cry. The chief isn't dead...not yet. She won't allow it, not while Kalilah could still wield a sword.

The young swordmistress gripped her sword with her left hand and unsheathed it, tossing it lightly into the air before catching it with her right hand. "We're bringing him back alive...." Trailing off before turning to the rest of her tribesman and put on the biggest smile she could muster "Because he's our Chiefy! Right?" That's right. She'll give this her all, for her sake, her tribe and her chief.

Surprised shouts echoed from various tunnels. Cries about poison and pits resounded from the attacking tribe, as they began to discover the perils of caves. "...What is this place?" Rashar growled.

Unsatisfied with waiting, and eager to contribute, Rashar darted forward into one of the tunnels he saw the most fleeing tribesmen go to. Knowing there were traps, he could exercise more caution, but theorized that since most of his targets went through this tunnel, the dangers would also most likely be low.

One of Songhua's tribe thought he could wait in surprise and slashed at the swordsman as he turned a corner. Rashar intercepted the blade with his own and pinned it against the cave wall. With his free hand, he quickly grabbed the tribesman's sword arm, twisted it harshly, possibly breaking it, and once the man dropped his sword, Rashar plunged his own into the man's gut. Unfazed by the feeble attempt, Rashar shoved the man off of his sword and kept going.

The attacking Adlians continued to push Songhua's tribe and the Learanians deeper into the tunnel networks. The only advantage the defenders had was that they knew the secret dangers of the caves and could avoid the ancient traps... or, with some strategy, utilize them. They could even try to move through the networks to try and meet up with others so that they weren't so spread out and vulnerable. However, that would be up to them to try.