The preparation for war was a silent, terrifyingly efficient affair. There were no rousing speeches, no clinking of glasses. There was only the sound of whetstones on steel and the rustle of maps being unfurled on the kitchen table.
Valeria stood over a sketch of the Northern District, her eyes scanning the topography with the aid of the Merchant's Monocle. The Slave Pens were not a building; they were a scar in the earth. Located at the mouth of an exhausted iron mine, the facility was a subterranean prison designed to house laborers who were too strong for normal jails but too valuable to kill.
"It is a funnel," Ignis explained, tracing the single road leading to the mine entrance. "There are steep cliffs on three sides. One heavily guarded gate. Watchtowers here, here, and here. If we attack the gate, they will rain fire arrows on us. If we try to climb the cliffs, they will spot us against the snow."
"They expect a frontal assault," Kael grunted, testing the weight of a new shield Valeria had drafted for him - a massive slab of Iron-Bark and steel. "They know we have a heavy hitter. They will set pikes and wait for the charge."
"Then we don't charge," Valeria said. She closed her eyes, entering the mental space of the Library. She navigated the aisles of the Engineering and Architecture section, pulling a volume titled Imperial Mining Infrastructure: Ventilation and Drainage.
She opened her eyes. "Mines have lungs, Ignis. They need to breathe. Where are the vents?"
Ignis blinked, then looked closer at the map. "There are exhaust shafts on the northern ridge. But they are narrow, grated with iron, and pump out toxic fumes from the smelters below."
"Toxic fumes," Valeria repeated. "Which means the airflow is outward. But if we block the airflow..."
"...the pressure builds," Ignis realized, a slow grin spreading across his face. "And the guards inside will be forced to open the emergency blast doors to prevent suffocation."
"Exactly," Valeria said. "We don't break in. We force them to open the door for us."
She turned to the group. "This is a rescue op. Speed is everything. Kael, you are the distraction. You hit the front gate loud and hard. Draw every eye to you. Silas, Caspian - you are the infiltration team. When the blast doors open, you go in and secure the hostages. Lucian, you are eyes in the sky. Ignis and I will handle the vents."
She looked at her husbands - the five Broken Kings who were slowly remaking themselves into legends.
"No mercy," Valeria said softly. "They hung a head on our wall. Tonight, we tear theirs down."
The Northern District was a desolate wasteland of tree stumps and slag heaps, illuminated by the harsh orange glow of the prison watchtowers. The wind howled through the canyons, carrying the scent of sulfur and misery.
Valeria and Ignis crouched on the high ridge overlooking the facility. It was freezing, but the heat radiating from the ventilation shafts kept the snow melted in patches around them.
Below, the main gate of the prison was a flurry of activity. The Guild was expecting them. Mercenaries patrolled the perimeter, and two ballistae - smaller than Valeria's but still dangerous - were aimed down the road.
"They are disciplined," Ignis noted, peering through his monocle. "Fifty guards visible. Likely another twenty inside. And... I see a Mage on the western tower."
"Lucian," Valeria whispered into the wind.
High above, a shadow banked against the clouds. Lucian, wearing the Sky-Dancer's Goggles, was a ghost in the night. He didn't reply verbally, but Valeria saw the signal - a single feather dropped from the dark. He had the Mage marked.
"Phase One," Valeria ordered.
Down on the main road, a quarter-mile from the gate, a roar shattered the night.
It wasn't a human shout. It was the sound of a apex predator challenging the world. Kael stepped out of the tree line. He was in his Hybrid form - seven feet of golden fur and bronze skin, his new shield strapped to his left arm and his axe in his right. He didn't sneak. He slammed his axe against his shield. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
"Come and get me, you whip-cracking cowards!" Kael bellowed.
The effect was instantaneous. The prison alarm bells began to ring. The spotlights from the towers swung wildly toward the road.
"Target sighted!" a guard screamed. "It's the Tiger! Open fire!"
Bolts from the Guild crossbows hissed through the air. Kael raised his shield. The projectiles slammed into the Iron-Bark, embedding themselves but failing to penetrate. Kael laughed, continuing his slow, terrifying march toward the gate.
"Focus fire!" the Mage on the tower shrieked, gathering a ball of fire in his hands. "Burn him!"
Thwip.
The Mage stopped mid-chant. He looked confused for a second, then toppled forward over the railing, a Stalker-quill bolt buried in his throat.
"Sniper!" the guards panicked, looking up at the black sky. "Cover!"
While chaos erupted at the front, Valeria and Ignis moved to the vents on the ridge.
There were three massive iron grates spewing thick, black smoke. The heat was intense.
"Now, Ignis," Valeria said. "Seal it."
Ignis placed his hands on the rock surrounding the first vent. He didn't use fire. He used Earth Manipulation - a skill he had regained only partially, but enough for this.
"Collapse," Ignis rasped.
The rock rim of the vent shuddered and folded inward, crushing the grate and sealing the hole with tons of debris. Smoke instantly began to billow back down the shaft.
They moved to the second vent. Collapse.
Then the third.
"Pressure rising," Ignis coughed, wiping soot from his face. "The furnaces down there are still burning. The smoke has nowhere to go. It will fill the upper levels in two minutes."
Inside the prison, the air turned hazy.
"What is happening?" the Warden, a scarred man with a collection of beastman teeth around his neck, coughed, covering his mouth. "The ventilation! It's backed up!"
"Sir!" a guard ran in, eyes watering. "The smoke is getting thick in the barracks! We can't see!"
"Open the blast doors!" the Warden ordered. "Vent the system before we suffocate!"
"But sir, the Tiger is at the gate!"
"The blast doors are on the east flank, you idiot! Open them!"
The heavy iron doors on the side of the mountain groaned and slowly ground open, spilling thick black smoke out into the snow.
The guards coughing in the doorway didn't see the shadows moving through the smoke.
Silas moved first. He was a blur of grey death. He hit the first guard low, hamstripping him before he could scream. Caspian followed, emerging from a snowdrift like a nightmare. The Shark beastman's Hydro-Cutter ability flared, a jet of water slicing through the leather armor of the second guard.
They were inside.
The interior of the mine was a labyrinth of cages and tunnels. The smoke provided perfect cover for the beastmen, whose senses were far sharper than the humans'.
"Find the keys," Silas growled, sniffing the air. "Smell of fear... and old iron."
They moved deeper, bypassing the confused guards who were rushing toward the front gate to fight Kael. They found the main holding block - a cavernous room lined with iron cages.
Inside, dozens of beastmen - bears, foxes, deer, and badgers - cowered in the smog. They were emaciated, chained, and terrified.
Silas walked into the light. He stood tall, his silver eyes glowing.
"Brothers," Silas said, his voice carrying over the sound of distant battle. "Sisters. The chains break tonight."
He grabbed the lock of the nearest cage. He didn't have a key. He didn't need one. He channeled his mana into his jaws and bit down on the iron mechanism.
CRUNCH.
The lock shattered.
The door swung open. An old Bear beastman stared at Silas, weeping.
"A Wolf," the Bear whispered. "A Silver Wolf. You are...?"
"I am Silas," the Prince said. "And we are leaving."
Outside, the distraction had turned into a siege.
Kael was pinned down behind a large rock near the gate. The ground around him was porcupine-quilled with arrows. The Guild mercenaries had brought up a heavy ballista.
"Hold steady!" the Mercenary Captain shouted. "Aim for the shield! Break it, then gut him!"
Valeria watched from the ridge. "Kael is taking too much heat. Ignis, drop the payload."
She handed Ignis the remaining Iron-Lotus Mines.
"Lucian!" she called.
The Phoenix swooped down, landing briefly beside them.
"Delivery service?" Lucian asked, grinning behind his goggles.
"Drop these behind their line," Valeria ordered, handing him the mines. "Flush them out."
Lucian took the iron spheres. He launched himself back into the air, struggling slightly with the weight. He circled high above the gate, spotting the cluster of archers and the ballista crew.
He dove.
"Presents!" Lucian chirped, releasing the spheres.
The mines fell. They didn't explode on impact. They had fuses. They landed with heavy thuds behind the sandbag wall the mercenaries were using for cover.
"What was that?" a mercenary asked, looking down.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The earth erupted. Shrapnel tore through the rear line. The ballista was knocked sideways, its frame shattered. The archers scattered, screaming.
"Now, Kael!" Valeria shouted through the smoke.
Kael didn't need to be told twice. He abandoned his cover. With a roar that shook the snow from the trees, he charged the ruined gate. He hit the timber doors with his shoulder, the momentum of a two-ton beast behind him.
The gates splintered.
Kael burst into the courtyard, his axe swinging. The remaining mercenaries, terrified by the explosions and the golden monster, broke formation.
"Retreat!" the Captain screamed. "Fall back to the Keep!"
But there was nowhere to fall back to.
From the opened blast doors on the east flank, a new army emerged.
It wasn't just Silas and Caspian. It was fifty angry beastmen. They were weak, starving, and unarmed, but they picked up rocks, chains, and the swords of fallen guards. Leading them was the old Bear, who had ripped a metal bar from his cage.
The Guild forces were sandwiched.
Valeria slid down the ridge, her boots skidding on the shale, with Ignis right behind her. She walked into the courtyard as the fighting died down.
The mercenaries threw down their weapons, surrendering to the horde of angry former slaves.
The Warden was dragged out of the command tent by Caspian. The Shark held him by the scruff of his neck, his serrated teeth inches from the man's ear.
"This is the one," Caspian hissed. "The one who likes to collect teeth."
Valeria walked up to the Warden. She looked at the necklace of teeth he wore.
"That's a gruesome fashion statement," Valeria said coldly.
The Warden spat at her boots. "You're dead, bitch. The Guild will burn this whole mountain range. You can't hide fifty slaves. You have just painted a target on your back the size of the moon."
Valeria leaned in close. Her violet eyes were hard as diamonds.
"Let them come," she said. "I need the practice."
She turned to the liberated slaves. They were watching her with a mix of fear and awe. A human woman, commanding a Tiger, a Wolf, and a Dragon?
"Listen to me!" Valeria's voice rang out in the silent courtyard. "You are free. But freedom in this winter is a death sentence if you are alone. I have food. I have walls. And I have a war to fight."
She looked at the old Bear.
"If you want to run, run. But if you want to make them pay for every scar on your backs... come with me."
The Bear looked at Kael, standing guard. He looked at Silas, who was helping a young deer beastman stand up. Then he looked at Valeria.
He dropped to one knee.
"We have nowhere to go, Lady," the Bear rumbled. "We are yours."
One by one, the others knelt.
[Mission Complete: The Chains That Bind.]
[Reward: The Loyalty of the Northern Pack.]
[Sanctuary Population Increased: 5 + 52.]
[Warning: Resource Consumption will increase by 1000%.]
Valeria looked at the kneeling army. She felt a surge of triumph, quickly followed by the crushing weight of logistics.
"Fifty-two mouths," she muttered to Ignis. "We're going to need a bigger greenhouse."
"And more guns," Ignis added, looking at the captured Guild weapons. "Definitely more guns."
Valeria turned to Kael. "Load the wagons. Take everything not nailed down. Food, weapons, blankets. Even the coal. We leave nothing for the Guild but ash."
As the convoy of liberated slaves began the trek back to Oakhaven under the cover of the pre-dawn darkness, Valeria looked back at the burning prison.
She had started a rebellion. Now she had to feed it.