Sable entered the quarry drain beside Hajin while Juna and Elise climbed toward the watcher above the kiln terrace.
A man's voice ordered Toma forward, followed by the scrape of feet near the kiln entrance and the hiss of oil in a buried line.
One Ring formed around Hajin's wrist as he held the chain against his leg.
They reached the descent as Toma appeared between two mercenaries, one holding his arm while the other kept a torch beside the oil.
Blood covered Toma's temple, and one shoulder hung lower than the other.
"Stop there," the man holding him said, pressing a knife beneath Toma's jaw. "Drop the chain, then call the women off the ledge."
Hajin let the links touch the ground without releasing them and watched the torch instead of the knife.
"The grain cord is cut," he said, moving one step onto the terrace. "Your watcher up there has nothing left to burn now."
