Chapter 9: Under Bel'zhun

The tunnels were a labyrinth, twisting and turning beneath the streets of Bel'zhun. The faint glow of torches cast flickering shadows on the damp stone walls, and the air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and blood.

Su'Rhaal moved silently at the head of the group, his scarlet eyes scanning the darkness ahead. The Desert Raiders followed close behind, their movements precise and disciplined despite the cramped conditions.

"Careful," Su whispered, his voice low but firm. "We don't know how many are down here."

Titus nodded, gripping his shield tightly as he brought up the vanguard. Behind him, Thelassan carried a spear, his green eyes darting nervously across the shadows. The younger soldier's hands trembled slightly, but he held his ground.

Zanaiya walked at Su's side, her trident glinting faintly in the torchlight. "These tunnels are older than the city itself," she murmured. "If the rebels know them better than we do, we're walking into a trap."

"I know," Su replied. "That's why we have to move carefully."

Zanaiya nodded. "The rebels haven't left a cache this big undefended. Either they're watching us, or they want us to find it."

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The tunnel opened into a wide chamber, its walls lined with crates and barrels. Torches flickered in iron brackets, their light casting long shadows across the damp stone floor.

"Looks too clean," Zanaiya remarked, her grip tightening on her trident. "No guards, no sentries. Almost like they're inviting us in."

Titus stepped forward, his shield raised. "Could be they cleared out in a hurry. We've been hitting them hard lately."

"Or," Su said, his voice sharp, "they're letting us walk into a trap."

The Desert Raiders spread out cautiously, their weapons ready. Thelassan, his spear held tightly, moved toward one of the crates. His hands trembled slightly as he pried it open, revealing a stash of Noxian spears and axes.

"It's real," he said, his voice tinged with nervous relief.

Zanaiya frowned. "That doesn't mean it's safe."

Su crouched beside another crate, inspecting its contents. Among the weapons, he noticed something odd—a faint layer of dust on the blades, as if they hadn't been moved in weeks.

"They've been sitting here too long," he said, his voice thoughtful. "This isn't their main cache. It's bait!"

Before anyone could respond, the faint sound of a metallic click echoed through the chamber. Su's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing.

"Fall back!" he barked.

But it was too late. The torches suddenly flared, their light intensifying as smoke began to pour from hidden vents along the walls. The chamber filled with a thick, choking fog, obscuring vision and muffling sound.

"Shields up!" Titus shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

The rebels struck from the shadows. They moved with precision, their attacks coordinated as they emerged from hidden alcoves and side tunnels.

Su's blades were in his hands in an instant, the steel gleaming faintly in the haze. He parried a strike from a rebel's curved sword, countering with a swift slash that sent the man crumpling to the ground.

Zanaiya fought beside him, her spear spinning in deadly arcs that kept the attackers at bay. Her movements were calculated, her strikes deliberate.

Titus held the line at the center of the chamber, his shield absorbing blow after blow. "Hold your ground!" he roared.

Thelassan was less composed, his strikes clumsy but desperate as he fended off a pair of attackers. His breathing was ragged, his green eyes wide with fear.

"Stay with me, Thelassan!" Su shouted, stepping in to dispatch one of the rebels.

Unseen by the Raiders, Kahlira watched from a hidden passage above the chamber. The flickering torchlight cast her sharp features in shadow, her amber eyes keenly observing the fight below.

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her blade as she studied Su's movements. His strikes were precise, his defenses impenetrable. Each step he took was deliberate, as if he were controlling the flow of the battle itself.

"So, this is the Demon of the Desert," she murmured to herself, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

She had heard the stories—a Noxian captain who fought like a force of nature, his crimson eyes burning with an intensity that unnerved even his enemies. Now, watching him in action, she began to understand why.

But Kahlira also noticed something else. His style, while efficient, was predictable. He moved like a soldier—trained, disciplined, but bound by the methods of his empire.

"He's good," she admitted. "But not unbeatable."

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Despite the chaos, the Raiders began to regain control. Su's voice cut through the din, issuing orders with unwavering authority.

"Titus, push left! Zanaiya, cover the rear! Thelassan and Victus, hold the line!"

The rebels, though determined, lacked the discipline to match the Raiders. One by one, they began to falter, their attacks growing more desperate.

Kahlira's smirk faded as she saw her fighters falling back. She turned to Tarek, who stood beside her with a bow in hand.

"Signal the retreat," she said.

"But we can still—"

"Do it," she snapped. "They've won this fight, but the war isn't over."

Tarek hesitated before nodding, raising a horn to his lips and blowing a sharp, piercing note.

As the horn's echo faded, the rebels began to withdraw, vanishing into the tunnels as quickly as they had appeared. The smoke dissipated, revealing the aftermath of the battle.

Su stood in the center of the chamber, his blades dripping with blood. Around him, the Desert Raiders regrouped, their expressions grim but determined.

"We got them on the run," Titus said, lowering his shield.

Su shook his head. "No. They let us win."

Zanaiya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This wasn't their main force," Su replied. "And this wasn't their main cache. They wanted to see how we'd react—to learn how we fight."

"And did they?" Zanaiya asked.

Su's scarlet eyes narrowed. "Maybe. But I learned something, too."

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As the Raiders inspected the chamber, Zanaiya found a piece of parchment pinned to the wall near one of the crates. She pulled it free, her brow furrowing as she read the bold, scrawled message:

"The Demon bleeds like any other."

She handed it to Su, who read it silently before folding it and tucking it into his belt.

"She knows you," Zanaiya said quietly.

Su's gaze hardened. "Not yet. But she will."