Miller nods, then takes the lead. He begins heading southeast instead of the east you were expecting. "If keep heading this way, then go around the forest and keep heading east, we'll get to Ornislov faster. I know a way in."

You quirk an eyebrow. "You know a way in?"

Miller nods solemnly. "I was sent there on a covert mission a few months. It's how we found out about the supply cache. Most of my team died, but I managed to escape." You nod at Miller's response, and continue following him. The sun is high in the sky, and on the horizon you can see Kishak troops marching. They wouldn't be able to spot you from here, but still, Miller gets down low. You and Iris follow his lead.

"Keep low, stick to the tall grass. If we're quiet enough, they won't stop us," Miller warns, then continues walking slowly. The process continues on, and after what feels like hours but must have been only ten minutes or so, the Kishak soldiers are long gone. Your team releases a collective sigh of relief and stands, continuing on at a much faster pace...

... That is, until a bolt flies into your shoulder. You shout a curse in pain, then dive straight for the ground. Your companions follow suit. "Are you okay, Sir Kit?" Miller hisses urgently. You wave him off, then grip the bolt. You pull it out, slowly to ensure you don't tear any muscles, and let out a sigh of relief when it's out.

Iris scowls. "Great thinking, Miller. You've just gotten us all killed."

"Damn it, keep quiet!" Miller hisses.

"Both of you, shut up and let me think," you say. There's two options here: you can either run for the woods, exposing yourselves for a bit before getting to adequate cover, or you can sneak forward and attempt to take out the archer. Either way, you're putting great risk on you and your team.

You go for the archer, take him out before he alerts the others.

"It's just a lone sniper out there, waiting. If there were more, they'd be firing volleys of bolts and arrows right at us. I'm going to sneak ahead and try to take that archer down. You two stay here and keep your heads down." Your companions nod slowly, still unsure of the plan. You poke your head up a bit, trying to spot him. There he is, about forty yards away. You duck back down and begin crawling towards him.

It takes several agonizing minutes, occasionally stopping to poke your head up and hoping he won't spot you, but soon enough you're within charging distance of the archer. You slowly unhook your blade from its chain on your back, taking a deep breath to ready yourself, before popping up and running straight for him. He manages to get a bolt off, hitting you in the thigh, but you carry on despite the wound and swing your sword at him. His head rolls on the ground not long after, and you pant.

You remove the bolt like you did the other one and look around. No one here yet. You shout back to your companions, "Let's get going!" Slowly, they rise from the grass. Miller takes the lead again, and the rest of the march goes on without incident.

After a few hours of walking, you arrive at Ornislov just as the sun is starting to set. The city is more like a giant fortress, surrounded by walls on all sides with no obvious entry points aside from the gates. Miller leads you around the city walls, to a sewer grate. "This is how we got in last time. Come on, get in." You and Iris crawl through the grate as Miller holds it open. He climbs in after you, shutting it.

Iris summons a fireball in her hand, keeping it held out to illuminate the area. The sewer tunnel stretches on for what seems like miles. There's a few latters every couple of yards, likely leading up into the city streets. Miller takes the lead again, walking past several ladders until he stops in front of one. "This is it. Above is a warehouse, where all the supplies are kept. There's guards around, so we'll have to take them out."

You and Iris nod. "Let's go."

The three of you begin climbing the ladder.

You continue

Once you get above ground, you pause to examine the warehouse. It's bland and non-descript, made of wood and flanked on both sides by identical warehouses. Miller points out the one you're staring at. "This is it. There's guards inside. Come on, I know a way inside." You and Iris follow him to the side of the warehouse. There, a single wooden door stands, which Miller cracks open slowly. No one in sight, at least for now.

The three of you step inside, crouching down low. There's guards patrolling the warehouse, hands on swords at their hips. You hear two of them having a conversation in Kishak. You whisper, "Can I get a translation?"

Iris nods.

"What are those two saying?" You point out the two guards.

She listens in for a moment, then smiles slowly. "They're talking about how boring warehouse duty is. Let's spice it up a bit." She conjures up an smoky green orb in your hand. You wonder what it is for a moment, before she shoots it straight at the two guards. A faint cloud comes into existence around them, and as they breathe it in their eyes sag. After a few moments, the two collapse, sleeping. Iris nods. "Come on."

The three of you continue on like that, you and Miller keeping an eye out for guards while Iris takes them out quickly and quietly. Before long, the guards are all down, and the warehouse is yours for the taking. You approach the nearest supply box and open it, finding a large supply of food. You open the next, and find hundreds of crossbows. The next, hundreds of swords. It goes on and on, each crate containing an ungodly amount of supplies.

Nodding, you motion to Iris. "Light it up." The mage nods, before summoning up a fireball and shooting it right at the nearest crate. Then, she summons another and fires it, then another, and another. Before long, the building is starting to go up in flames. It seems like your work here is done, and you ready to leave... Before you hear a shout in Kishak.

A guard.

He runs straight for the front door and bolts before you can do anything, and the three of you share a look of shock. Then, Miller and Iris bolt, you trailing behind as fast as you can. The three of you get out of the warehouse and begin to open up the hatch leading into the sewers, while you hear a sharp horn go off in the distance. This is bad.

Miller cracks open the hatch and motions for the two of you to get in. As you do, Iris fires off a few more fireballs at the other warehouses. "Just in case!" she says, before joining you on the ladder. Miller gets in right away, closes the hatch above you all.

As you three enter the sewers and then quickly leave it, the sounds of marching footsteps greet your ears. The Kishak soldiers are moving fast. They must have sent some to investigate the warehouses, while the others were sent to find you on the outside. The three of you take off into the night as fast as you can, keeping an eye out for soldiers.

You get about a mile away when you notice the squadron of soldiers following after you. They must be one hundred men in all, all bolting straight for you. "We've got company!" you shout to your companions, who quickly notice the threat and pick up the pace. The three of you continue on, then notice an old log cabin on the side of the road. Acting quickly, the three of you duck in there.

Miller slams the door shut and immediately moves a nearby bookshelf in front of it. "That won't hold for long," you warn.

"I know. It's more for my piece of mind," he replies, slumping down into a sitting position.

"What are we going to do?" Iris asks. You and Miller don't give her an answer. "We accomplished our mission, but now we're behind enemy lines with no chance of rescue. Are we just supposed to sit back and die?"

You pat her on the shoulder, and nod. "Afraid so. We did the right thing. They'll make martyrs out of us, probably."

Miller sighs. "So we're just supposed to give in and die, is that it?"

Iris is fuming. "No. We're not going to just give in and die. We're going to go out there and give them hell before we do."

"No use. There's one hundred of them and three of us. We'd be slaughtered." Miller places his face in his hands.

"Better to take at least a few of them with us before they kill us, right?" Iris asks. "What do you think, Kit?"

You say "You're right. Let's give those Kishak bastards hell."

Iris smiles. "I guess you are the real deal."

Despite yourself, you crack a smile too. "Yeah. I guess I am."

Miller sighs, then stands up. He unsheathes his sword, and sighs. "Well then, let's see to it that these Kishak sons of bitches meet their maker." He moves the bookshelf from the door, and looks to the two of you as he grips the door handle. "You two ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Iris says.

You nod. "Let's get this over with."

He pushes the door open, and the three of you move out as quickly as you can. There's at least one hundred Kishak soldiers in front of you, all armed with swords and axes and pikes and whatever else they have. The three of you stand side by side, readying your weapons; Miller takes a battle stance with his sword, Iris prepares an arc of electricity, and you grip your blade with both hands.

The Kishak soldiers charge, and the three of you meet them head on.

THE END