Tommy's hideout P3
“Edmund!” Azura called out through the chaos, her connection with him flickering like a dying flame. The alarm’s deafening wail scrambled her thoughts, making it harder to reach her brother. The cries of the children weren’t any better, their shrieks echoing through the camp, tears streaking their pale, grime-covered faces. Her heart pounded-she couldn’t leave them, not when there were still more trapped.
The whole plan had gone to shit in seconds, and she still didn’t know how. The bandits couldn’t have seen her right away, not from her position. Something or someone-had given them away.
“Fuck this,” Azura muttered, running a hand through her tangled hair before turning to the children. “I need that fucking alarm off.”
“Already on it,” Edmund replied before she even finished.
An arrow whistled through the air, striking the alarm bell’s mechanism with a metallic crack. The wail cut off instantly, replaced by the sounds of steel clashing and men shouting. Edmund didn’t stop—his arrows flew in rapid succession, each one striking true. Bandits fell like puppets with their strings cut, their bodies collapsing into the dirt.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake-” Edmund groaned as more enemies poured out from the surrounding tents. “Looks like we walked in on a damn mother meeting!” he hissed, “Less talking, more killing!” Azura snapped, deflecting a blade aimed for her throat. She twisted her wrist, plunging her dagger into the attacker’s gut before yanking it free in a spray of red.
“You need to get to the tunnels,” Edmund warned through their mental link. “The knights will sense your magic soon. If you don’t leave now, we’re done.”
From his vantage point, he saw how Tommy’s men circled Natalia. She held her ground, her sword steady, but her eyes burned with a reckless determination-she’d fight to the death if it meant protecting the children behind her.
“Damn it, Nat,” he muttered under his breath.
He couldn’t leave her alone. Moving like a shadow, Edmund weaved through the chaos, arrows flying from his bow, dropping enemies before they even noticed him. One bandit lunged at him—Edmund slashed an arrow across his leg, sending him crashing to the ground with a pained yell. A sharp knee to the face finished the job.
Azura and Edmund fought back-to-back, blocking the path to the cages. Their movements were seamless, a deadly dance of steel and fire.
Together
Unbeknownst to them, one of the children a boy slightly older than the rest—moved closer to the bars. The other children watched with wide, tear-filled eyes; their voices stolen long ago. They weren’t allowed names, only numbers.
The boy’s thin legs shook from pain the last punishment had left bruises deep in his skin. But he didn’t care.
He had to try.
He swallowed, forcing down the burning in his lungs. His throat was raw from crying, but he managed a broken whisper.
“P-please...”
It was barely a sound, lost in the clamour of the fight. But Azura heard it.
She faltered for just a moment, her sword slicing through a bandit’s chest
Bodies of men scattered as they rushed at her, some falling to their end with sloppy, easy movements, while others fought with more skill, using their height against her towering form. But the bigger they are the harder they fall and she always knocked them down. Azura finished the last of the bandits before she turned toward the cage.
“Edmund,” she hissed through their link, her breath coming fast. “The children.”
“Go. I’ve got this.”
She clenched her jaw but nodded, magic crackling at her fingertips. The bandits had been too careless-they’d left their campfire burning. Fire twisted and curled at her command, forming a blazing barrier around them, and cutting off their enemies.
“You didn’t think to do that before?!” Edmund shouted in exasperation. Azura ignored him, she twisted her sword showing off the blacken hilt, before tossing it to him.
Edmund’s scowl morphed into a grin. “Oh, hell yes.”
“Just don’t break it,” she growled.
“No promises,” Edmund smirked, swilling the sword in his hand feeling the weight of the mettle the fire around them reflected off the mettle as he glanced at the men behind the fire wanting to get through.
the excitement he felt was delightful
With that, she sprinted toward the cages, dodging an enemy’s desperate swing. She slid beneath a swinging axe, slicing her hidden dagger across the attacker’s knee. The man howled, toppling to the ground, but she was already gone, leaping over a fallen body.
She slowed as she approached the children, lowering her voice. “Hey, kid.”
The boy flinched, pressing himself against the bars, his small frame trembling.
“Shit,” she muttered. She wasn’t good at this. She wasn’t patient. But she had to try. “I just want to help,” she said, her tone softer now.
“Can you understand me?”
Blank,
fearful eyes stared back.
No response.
“Okay...” Azura sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I can do this.”
She moved slowly, keeping her hands visible. “I’m going to-” she gestured to his chains “-help you.”
Still nothing.
“Ed!” she yelled over her shoulder. “The fire won’t last forever...be ready!”
“Now the real fun begins,” Edmund muttered, feeling the edging of a smirk on his face as he slashed at another bandit.
Azura exhaled, steadying herself. A simple wave of her hand, a flicker of golden light, and the boy’s chains unlocked with a soft clink.
The other children gasped in awe.
Azura wasted no time. She pulled open the cage doors and knelt, making herself as non-threatening as possible.
“You’re free now,” she whispered. “No one will ever hurt you again.” she made sure her tone was as soft as possible, and making sure her hands were showing as she carefully pointed away from the fight hoping they could understand she wanted to help them.
The boy hesitated, staring at her outstretched hand. Behind him, the other children huddled together, unsure. As their eyes followed his movement none of them knew who to trust and if the woman who was helping them was really helping them and not just another game for them to get hurt again.
but the children didn't have a choice as a second a sprout of fire from the fight made screams erupt from the deep of their throats. "shit" Azura acted quickly her magic reached as she did burst in front of the cage split a second blocking the cage form the attack creating a shield around it Natalia felt her body weaken in a second as the shield lost it form making her stutter before she felt a small hand on her arms making her gaze snap to the boy who left the cage first his eyes shown with uncertainty and concern.
“Come on,” Azura urged as she smiled gently. “Not much further.”
The boy swallowed hard, then took a shaky step forward. The others followed, hesitant but hopeful.
Azura exhaled in relief.
She led them away, keeping a sharp eye on Edmund. He was getting overwhelmed. Her magic flared instinctively, sending out a shockwave that knocked several bandits to the ground.
“Thank you!!” Edmund called out, grinning. Azura rolled her eyes, ushering the children to safety in a nearby tunnel. She shrugged off her cloak, draping it over the trembling and unsure children. “You’ll be safe here, okay?” she murmured, using simple gestures on her hands to reassure them that they are safe where they are.
"ill be back okay..." her words spoke slowly using her hand showing shell come right back for them.
But she couldn’t stay.
She wasn’t done yet.
With a deep breath, she turned back toward the battle, her magic surging. She was done hiding.
Azura raced ahead, calling upon her magic and letting it guide her every move. She moved like a shadow, her hidden blade flashing as she cut down those who spotted her. She was going to reach that tunnel, get those children, and burn this place to the ground.
Just another Tuesday.
Both Natalia and Edmund exchanged a silent look—an unspoken "be careful" as they passed each other, both hoping that when this was over, they’d still be alive.
Natalia ran, never stopping. She ignored the nagging visions in her head-the tunnels she was about to walk into, the pain, the hunger, the exhaustion she had once endured inside them. She had escaped once. And now, she was returning.
Then she saw them-the cells.
Her breath hitched. The sight made her blood boil. Iron bars, rusted and bent, barely held together with mismatched locks. Inside were people-
No-children.
'Always fucking children...'
Huddled on filthy piles of straw, their faces gaunt, their eyes hollow. One child sat curled in a corner, their tiny frame shaking as they hugged their knees. Natalia clenched her fists until her knuckles ached.
'Was this what she had looked like when she was here?'
"Are you here to hurt us?" a small voice whispered from the darkness, making Natalia freeze. Her eyes landed on a child grasping the bars. Like all the others, the same look was etched on her small face-
Lost.
Fear.
Determination.
Anger.
The fire in the child’s eyes made Natalia kneel to her level. The girl was terribly thin, her clothes barely clinging to her body. "Can you talk?" Natalia asked softly.
The child tilted her head, eyes filled with annoyance and boredom. "No, but I have a mouth. What do you think?"
Natalia couldn’t help it; a laugh bubbled out of her at the girl’s sharp wit. "I like you," she smirked.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "And what’s your name?" Natalia asked, matching her expression.
"We aren’t supposed to have names. Just numbers..." she mumbled, looking away. Natalia's heartbeat quickened as her magic stirred within her. Taking a deep breath, she softened her gaze and slowly lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a faded number inked onto the base of her ribcage.
016
The girl’s eyes widened in shock, staring at the ghostly remnants of an identity stripped away. Natalia had always hated the mark-proof that she had once been nothing.
Just a number.
"I was just like you," Natalia murmured. "But I promise you this- I’m getting every single one of you out," Natalia promised, her words were filled with determination as she swept the other cells with anger. "We want to fight. We all do." The girl’s voice rang with quiet defiance, stirring the others awake and hearing her voice. More small figures shifted in the darkness, listening, watching. Before Natalia could deny them, the girl pressed on. "They made us into fighters. So let us fight." They didn’t need her permission. The fire was already inside them. They just needed someone to ignite it.
Azura’s magic thrummed in her hands, and in an instant, the cage doors slammed open. The air crackled with energy as excitement spread like wildfire.
"Those who wish not to fight, stay here. But for the rest of you—" A smirk curled Natalia’s lips.
"We fight."
The world around Natalia moved too fast as she watched the children.
Children.
Her heart broke as she saw them gather whatever weapons they could carry-weapons far too large for their small bodies. She hated it. But this wasn’t about her. This was about them. About each and every child fighting for their freedom, for the chance to survive, to take back what had been stolen from them.
It took only seconds for everything to fall into place. The children surged forward as if there were no tomorrow, the past tiredness had left them with the need to fight and nothing will stop them they will use the lessons these people have made them learn and use it against them.
It took only seconds for Natalia to join the fight again;
“Nice of you to join in!”
Edmund’s voice rang out over the chaos, his breathing sharp as he blocked another attack using Natalia’s sword. Blood ran down his face from a cut on his eyebrow, but he paid it no mind. He barely had time to react before his eyes widened in shock- children, no older than ten or eleven, came racing out of the tunnels, carrying adult weapons as if they weighed nothing. Their battle cries sliced through the air like knives.
Natalia and Edmund exchanged a single glance. No words were needed. They already knew how bad this was.
Moving in sync, they fought side by side. Natalia didn’t hesitate to use her magic, knowing the knights would come. They always did. She could only hope this would be over before they arrived-but if not, she would be ready.
Then, she felt it. Someone watching her.
Blocking another attack, she turned her gaze and found him. A lone figure standing back from the fight, the one who was barking orders before the attack started; the look on the man's face was anger and hatred he stared at her, and she felt her blood boil as he shouted at the men around him barking orders to push forward why he stood to the side as he let his men fall for him. A man who looked far too comfortable wielding his axe yet unwilling to get his hands dirty until necessary.
“Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with men like him in charge,” she muttered to herself.
“You think you can stop this?!” the man bellowed over the fight.
Azura smirked at the fear in his eyes as he finally lifted his weapon, preparing to charge.
“Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Azura!!”
Edmund’s voice rang out. She turned just in time to see him toss her sword toward her. Catching it midair, she barely had a second before metal clashed, the force of the impact shaking the ground beneath them. Azura and the officer locked eyes, both filled with determination to take the other down. She refused to give him the upper hand. Using his own weight against him, she twisted, forcing him off balance before delivering a sharp kick to his gut. He stumbled back, the pressure between their blades breaking.
She didn’t hesitate.
Moving fast, she swung her sword with precision, slicing through the air.
Seconds later-silence.
And then, Tommy's men ran.