Caecis was dark, at least throughout the top part as Kai led the venture down the stairs and deeper into the mine. Once they reached the solid ground at the bottom of the stairs, the cave widened drastically. To the right of them was a building that was decently sized, it was basically a tavern for the miners where they could eat and sleep while they were there. To the front of them lights could be seen leading a path throughout Caecis and to different areas of miners.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jRpiihaPz
Water dripped from the ceiling of the cave, falling off of the natural spikes that faced down towards the floor. Puddles were formed in different areas around the floor as well. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVix6oT6p2
"This way," Kai whispered.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FpVTV0XZv
Sticking to the walls of the mine they crept silently forwards. As they reached an open area moments later, they began peaking around the corner to one of the mining areas, they were horrified at the sight that was before them. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROBqqoQkyC
"Pick your pick right now you scum! You could help the Searcher to steal our resource, but can't face the consequences to make up for what you did?" A soldier asked, he stood next to one of the miners that circled the giant area of the cave. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9yD1KPgXo
Multiple soldiers stood throughout the sitting civilians. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3pbJ7ZKuj
"I didn't know things would end like this! Please, I have a family!" The slave replied. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjpcm3BxS9
Kai recognized that voice, and his facial expression reflected that.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxVPdMe2yk
"Well, what you did caused treason."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhT7h0qpRr
"Please, just let me get back to my family!" The slave persistently yelled again with fear overtaking his emotions.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUdgD2VMYR
Cruz. Kai thought to himself.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGT9GASRMdV
"Get back to work you bastard. Your family no longer exists in the Expanse," the soldier replied one last time before walking away.
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The rocks that surrounded the cavern walls consisted of bright red and dark blue mixtures, this is what would be broken down into Crypt and Glory. The slaves slowly began standing and grabbing a pickaxe off of the ground so they could begin working yet again. Kai turned back to Leon and nodded, his friend walked slowly out of the darkness that hid them. One of the soldiers immediately turned his attention to the figure in front of them.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUDUmTkvyy
"Hey, who the hell are you?" The soldier asked, pulling his sword out as he stepped towards Leon.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpVL4XQIc1
Two other soldiers were in pursuit slowly behind their fellow brother in arms. Closing the distance they began to speed up, they were only within a few feet of the young man in dark blue armor. Leon reached down to his waist, pulling the blade quickly out of its sheath that hung there. Moving his sword to the side of his chest as he turned, he struck out with a massive slash that instantly dropped the first soldier in his path. The other two soldiers neared him, but one was cut down from behind by Kai who had snuck upon them, the second swung his sword out to hit Kai but the young man quickly dropped to his knees and sliced the legs of his enemy. The soldier roared in pain as Leon ran his blade across the man's throat to finish him. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BhOMbg4Vp
All of the soldiers in the area came running to the two in dark blue armor that stood candle lit within the mining cave. The first soldier slightly reached the two of them before he was struck down by a small flying blade from Eileen's Wing.
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"More are coming!" Eileen yelled.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcZe8ohIx0
A dozen more soldiers came running, and more could be heard making their way there from deeper in Caecis. The ones present began to pull all of their swords out.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5szB6Uh0pW
"You three have really screwed up now, do you realize what you're doing, where you are?" One of the soldiers asked.
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Kai turned slowly with his head down as he began to speak. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgX5dkrJR7
"We are protectors of Catarei, and we are here to avenge what you have done to the city and people that we love, you will now face our consequence," some of the slaves began to look at Kai now as he began. "All of you, civilians of Catarei, do you wish this to be your fate? Or are you ready to change the way the Expanse rules?"
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Eileen and Leon stood at either side of Kai at this point.
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"We just want to go home!" One of the slaves yelled.
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"Shut up!" Another soldier yelled out, kicking the slave that was speaking next to him back to the ground.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizTqGTRcww
"Catarei is in ruins, these Relnad rats destroyed it! But it can still be rebuilt under the protection of our Faction. Your other option is to join us, what will it be? Stay here, or fight so you can live?" Kai finished questioningly. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIRQ8lP6Py
Silence flew over the many slaves in the current area of the mine, and after what seemed to be an eternity, chaos came across the emotions of the slaves. Some began fighting the soldiers, some began running throughout the deeper parts of the cave to cause even more chaos. The soldiers were dropping like flies, a couple would be struck down by massive pickaxes, some would be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of slaves. Kai, Leon, and Eileen all three helped with the fighting each picking an enemy to take for themselves. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTSYaegZm5
"Free them all!" Kai yelled.
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The slaves roared and ran throughout the rest of the mine as the remaining soldiers were slain. Fighting and more chaos could be heard echoing off of the walls of the massive underwater cave. The soldiers that were in the area were all dead, Kai sheathed his sword.
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"Sir, what is your plan now?" Asked a slave that had walked up to him.
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"I'm not too sure as of right now, do you have an idea?" Kai responded.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8A3QOnu7u
The slave nodded and led Kai back to the building that was to the right of the stairs from the front of Caecis.
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"In this barrel is Glory that is sent amongst the other members of the Dusk Alliance for Sacer practices. If we roll this barrel to one of the walls where a fume leak is present, throw a little spark on it? Boom," the slave smiled, looking impressed with himself. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VLulVb00i
"Sounds good, let's get it prepared. What do you need me to do," Kai said.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yrc61w4Jl
The slave had him assist with tipping the barrel and rolling it along the wall of the cave, searching for a fume leak. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68iop9BA5B
"Built-up gases from the Expanse leak within this cave, we have them marked along the wall so we don't place hanging candles near them," the slave stated. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTmSYeOndH
Finally, an almost unseeable black mark appeared upon a part of the wall as they stopped.
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"Now what?" Kai asked.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmk3c18vOn
"Now I run a fuse to as far up the stairs as possible, then we spark it and run," the slave answered with a smile across his face.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DR1WLdPHz
"I'll begin to evacuate everyone then."
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The slave nodded once more to Kai as the young man in blue armor ran back off into the depths of the mine. Kai reached the farthest end of the mine, at last, each area that held slaves fighting the remaining soldiers were warned to exit Caecis as soon as possible. At the end of the mine stood Eileen and Leon and some more slaves, they seemed to be fighting some of the last soldiers.
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"Kai!" Leon yelled as he parried a soldier's sword before slashing him down.
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"We need to get everyone out of here now!" Kai yelled back to his friend.
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Leon and Eileen understood immediately, then began to command for the slaves to run to the stairs that led out of Caecis. The remaining soldiers huddled back against the wall, hoping that nobody else would venture to finish them off as the three individuals that appeared that night turned and ran back to the front of the mine.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXeZ4GFINA
Once to the entrance and all of the slaves were up the stairs and to the surface, Kai and the slave that had set the barrel of Glory up were all that was left. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsV1bIfEHt
"So how does this work exactly?" Kai asked as he followed the slave up the stairs as he laid out a long stringy fuse up the steps.
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"We light the fuse, spark causes boom. I tell you this already, sir," he answered.
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"Seems simple enough," Kai said.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrhZNnCig8
When they were about halfway up to the surface, the slave took a small device out of his pocket.
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"A soldier was hiding this on his body when we were fighting, it's how they light the candles throughout Caecis," the slave said as Kai was examining the device. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw18Yhi0qk
The small device held a small piece of flint on one side of the device, the other was a small piece of steel. When a small button was pressed on the side of the device, which was no bigger than a couple of fingers at that, the two components would scratch against each other quickly, causing a spark. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf06Xj9ankw
"See?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ8PsObJzr
"Amazing," Kai stated as he stared.
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With one more press of the button, the spark bounced from the device and to the fuse that awaited. The slave did this a couple more times until finally, the spark began to travel down the stairs and back to the barrel.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrYEaFAKSS
"Time to go! Hahaha," the slave laughed as he ran up the stairs ahead of Kai.
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Kai spent a slight moment standing there as he watched the fuse running down each step until he finally snapped out of it and began to run back up the stairs as well, following the slave.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh81X35LeP7
Once to the platform surface of the entrance to Caecis, Leon was waiting there, and instantly he slammed the giant hatch shut as Kai and the slave made it out.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nBhbkmvbP
"Everyone hold onto something!" The slave yelled.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKhBIoWWsM
All that were amongst the platform or the docks jumped down to hug the floor. Seconds passed before a giant rumbling began, followed by a loud suction noise. Then, when they all thought it was over, the rumbling deepened to that of the floor at the bottom of the waters as the giant hatch creaked before blasting off of its frame and into the air. Water blasted into the air behind the massive hatch that finally flew off of the trail of water and landed with a giant splash into the water. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMapNfSK0Lr
Everyone stared in amazement, and when all was finally quiet they began to cheer loudly erupting throughout the slaves that now realized they truly would have their freedom. Some were slaves long before, some were workers that were paid before being forced to stay there for days now. But that's all gone, and all that was left was them.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMB2l6OOGb
Now they have shocked the Expanse.
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