Chapter 23: Infiltration...Too Easy

Surface.

In this case, the word surface does not mean "above the water," "on land," or "outer layer." "Surface" when used in the same context as the alleyways they mean the parts of a town, village, or city that is not the alleyway but like the open streets and roads that are not crisscrossed into confusion. They mean the livelier and more populated parts---which is not the gloomy alley.

So when Abner met up with his friends within an alley near the surface, it meant that the alleyway they were in was near the open streets where people roam. Not the dark, tunnel-like winding paths of an alley.

"Arlo was captured."

Abner's eyes widened.

Gritting his teeth 'til it made a cracking sound, Ash slowly continued, "They somehow caught him off guard and surrounded him. I heard the townspeople say that they dogpiled him when they sieged him and that one of his ribs were fractured from the impact."

Abner was enraged by this news, but even more, he was bewildered. How could they so easily catch Arlo? Although Arlo wasn't good at fighting, his profession as a thief wasn't merely for show, his skills at running away and escaping are all top-notch. It makes no sense that he would be caught by those weak and puny soldiers who weren't even good runners.

The above point is what made Abner confused. He felt that there was something wrong. Yet he didn't know what.

Ash observed the currently silent Abner. Although the latter was without a word after Ash told him what had happened to Arlo, Ash knew that Abner was not calm. In fact, the young man was far from calm.

This sort of calm before the storm, a feeble dam holding onto raging waters, behavior was very familiar to Ash. Or should he say it was similar to someone he knew which almost made him mistakenly think that Abner was him. Situations came into his mind with instances that triggered the colliding images of this Abner with the Abner he knew.

Shaking his head, Ash at last heard Abner speak, "Let's go."

"?....go where?" Ash was still a little confused as he'd just gotten out of his thoughts so his mind had a hard time catching up with what Abner was implying. He didn't understand where Abner would want them to go at this time considering Arlo's situation.

Though he was soon struck with the realization of where the place Abner wanted to go was at the same time Abner said words to enlighten him.

"Where else if not where Arlo is." Was all Abner said before he jumped up the roof and disappeared into the shadows with darkness as his cloak.

Ash looked at Abner's disappearing back and soon followed after. He hadn't known these two men younger than him for long but he felt a sense of closeness between the three of them, similar to when he is with his friends, and this closeness and intimacy he felt was the strongest with Abner---the young man who's name is the same as his dead brother's and who's personality and nature reminds him so much of the other that from time to time he would mistaken this Abner with the departed one.

Sporting these trifling thoughts that he did not know was the truth, Ash set off after Abner was a heavy brooding heart.

The night has long since fallen.

All the ordinary folks have gone to bed and the town was covered in a vile of peaceful silence. Lights were all off except for one place where fires were still lit on high torches.

The guards there were taking turns on night watch, taking their job seriously---though only a minority of them were. Most of the guards who were on night watch did it half-heartedly, they didn't even put up the effort to stand straight.

Yawning out their sleepiness and stretching their bodies to wake themselves, the four guards stared into the darkness that turned everything into nothing as they waited for their shift to end. Soon enough, what they had anticipated for arrived---it was finally the end of their shift and they can go back and sleep the night away.

The four new guards that came to replace them seemed normal, however, among them two guards were lagging behind the other two.

After they approached to switch posts with the previous four guards, the two guards at the front felt something off about the the guards dawdling behind them.

One of the two guards approached the one young guard and one large-bodied guard, leaning in to inspect their faces, he said as if to mutter, "Hmm, don't think I've seen you around before....." Staring closely at one of their faces, the guard grew more and more certain that they were unfamiliar to him.

He questioned them with suspicion clear on his face, "Who are you? Why have I never seen you two around before?"

Instead of getting nervous, the two guards whose identities were being suspected remained calm as still water without a single ripple.

The young guard with violet-purple eyes let out a light laugh as if what the other party said was ridiculous, he smilingly remarked, "Relax, we're new here, that's why you don't recognize us."

"Oh really..." The guard didn't seem convinced nor did his partner. "How come we weren't informed?"

The young guard calmly answered the suspicions thrown at him, "It was somewhat of a last minute hire, you can ask our superior tomorrow if you don't believe me." He smoothly dodged the doubt aimed at him and dumped the responsibility onto their superior. Anyways, he and his bulky companion won't be here after tonight.

Believing in his words, the guard that was interrogating the two let out a bright and friendly smile, apologized as a courtesy, and finally let them off as he walked away to his post.

With a faint smile on his face, the young guard's expression tilted more towards smirking. His partner by his side that had stayed silent all throughout the questioning and before leaned down to whisper inaudibly into the younger guard's ear.

"...Abner, it's time."

The young guard's violet-purple eyes seemed to sparkle, illuminated by the fire high on the torch stand, as he listened to Ash's notice. Abner nodded his head slightly, his fresh-faced smiling expression not changing.

Together, Abner and Ash inconspicuously and normally walked towards the gate the guards were to guard. They blended in perfectly with the real guards even though they were fake. Because Abner had crossed over the first and hardest bundle that could've ruined their entire plan, the rest came relatively easy.

Striking when the two guards were unaware, and catching them off guard, Abner and Ash in a flash got behind the backs of the two guards respectively.

Abner quickly went behind one of the guards' back and chopped down at his neck. With just one skillful chop, the guard's body relaxed and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

With the other guard, it was the same with him. Ash had made quick work of him the same time Abner made quick work of his target.

Leaving behind the two unconscious guards, Abner and Ash moved towards the gate and pushed it open. Entering, they saw a large stone double-door made of a kind of strong stone that can withstand a large amount of force if something tries to destroy it.

Pushing at it, Abner frowned. The two stone doors were heavily, they were beyond heavily. With Abner's current strength, it would be impossible to push it open.

Just while Abner was deep in thought about this sudden unexpected dilemma, Ash went up to the double-doors and tensed his muscles. Pushing at the two doors as if he was bulldozing through them, Ash pushed at them with great strength, his veins were visible on his muscular arms clearly showing how much strength he was applying.

Looking at Ash in surprise, Abner wanted to laugh at how stupid he was. How could he forget that his friend Ash was the strongest in his friends circle when it comes to physical body power? He must be feeling a tense from hearing that Arlo was captured.

'He. I can't believe I'm this worried about someone I haven't know for long. I'm too tense, I need to relax. Being anxious won't help Arlo's situation.' Abner shook his head as he relaxed his mind and heart, knowing that himself being like this won't be of help and instead could be a drag.

Grindd---

The stone door heavily opened. Abner and Ash entered into the prison to find a great hall branching into many smaller ones.

"Darn," Ash swore, "how are we suppose to pick which hall to go into?" Ash was angry faced with this dilemma. Sneering at the many halls in front of him, he felt like he was about to go crazy, he hated problems that can't be solved with brute force. His head hurt.

"Hmm..." Abner hummed to himself as he thought about which hall to try. It makes no sense that they would lock people up in such a nice stone building and make it this easy to infiltrate. If this place was really that easy to invade, then that would mean it would be easy to escape from as well. Especially with the lack of guards assigned to the prison where they keep all their captives.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Although having this many halls can confuse an invader trying to release their friend, as long as they go through every one of those halls they'll be able to find them, posing not much of a challenge. A person can sweep through all those halls before the headquarters find out about the infiltration and send a team of guards here.

That's when it suddenly hit Abner. He seems to have seen that guard captain from somewhere before now that he thought about him clearly.

It was when he was still alive in his old body