Chapter 40: Preparations

Nox walks out of the room. Since he doesn't know what the situation is at the moment, he walks through the corridor with his eyes loitering around, trying to catch the slightest movement out of place, as he passes by the palace's guards and stuff.

The layout of the corridor forbids it from having windows, therefore lamps keep the area well lit. There are several doors along the hall that would confuse anyone if they didn't have name plaques on them. Other than that, the wooden planks cut are like one another.

Guests do not occupy the rest of the guest rooms at the moment, so the door plaques are blank. The walls share the same beige solid stone as the rest of the town. There's one addition differentiating the palace from the other structures of Aeptian, and that is the addition of a granite floor that reflects the ample light from the lamps, making it look like a mirror.

While Nox walks towards the center of the palace, the long corridor seems to bend like an arc, giving it an endless feeling. As if he's walking in a tunnel, the young man expects to see light at the end of it making him unconsciously fasten his pace.

Even though he familiarized himself with the layout by now because of his going back and forth to gather the materials for the antidote, he still finds it hard to navigate himself with ease and not get lost.

After several minutes of walking, he reaches a door, bigger than those of the rooms he passed. It appears to be locked, but the young man keeps his composure, trying several ideas, like pushing and pulling it, and yet the wooden structure with reinforced steel lames remains unfazed by Nox's attempts.

Determined not to let a single door put a stop to his advance, without thinking, he blends with the shadows and goes under it. The open and enormous space expanding before him has guards patrolling, making it harder for him to find a place and appear.

While sneaking in the shadows, he finds a relatively darker corner and emerges. In the adjacent room, the young man can hear people talking, but he doesn't make out what they are saying. Once again, he dives into the shadows and finds the opening under the closed door.

The large room he went into appears to be an office with a large table in the middle. Military officials where each has their own seat, surrounding the leader of the town and his general. Nox's nerves tense, since he needs to find a place and emerge without alerting them.

King Gor ponders on a map he has laid in front of him. His thunderous voice startles those who hear him. "Our future and this town's depends on finding that slippery woman no matter the cost…!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The young man finds a desk with plenty of room for him to hide. Just as he surfaced, the words coming out of the king's mouth got him showing a worried expression on his face. "He might be a Demon Lord, but if he assisted that woman, we must take him out before it's too late!"

The general salutes with pride, filling his cheeks and sparkling admiration in his eyes. "We understand, sir…"

The king sees the hesitance in his general's stance and voice. "What is it?"

"I-It's just…"

"Speak up, General!"

"Ah, yes! That person is a Demon Lord we've all been waiting for to fight the heroes. He also helped with healing the princess. If we act against him now, the people might try to revolt again!"

King Gor, hears those words and gasps as if he just realized that. He ponders for several minutes. "Fine! We'll only kill his companions. Maybe keep on as a prisoner so he won't act against us!"

"I'll send my men at once!"

Pleased, the king nods.

Meanwhile, back in Malia's and her family's room, Roi keeps their door slightly open, so he can be ready to counter any problem that may occur. The three girls chat while packing their belongings. In the meantime, they are waiting for the old man to wake up while doing so, therefore the girls are taking their time.

Their chatter gets interrupted when Roi rushed out of the door. They hear a clanging sound and then two thuds while they remain silent, walking towards the door with their curiosity at its peak. Yulia is about to check outside when Roi returns, startling her. Malia asks with a whispering voice. "What happened...?"

"Two guards heard you and draw their swords. They were about to barge in…"

Yulia, still shocked by the earlier scare, stares at the young man in front of her, thinking to herself. 'That was fast!'

Minutes later, the old man wakes up groaning. The girls jump on him with tears in their eyes. "Daddy…!"

Their father, unsure of what is happening, simply hugs his daughters and holds them tight, which they accept with smiles on their faces.

"Uncle Sholl, it's so nice you are back with us…!"

Sholl looks at the girl and utters with widened eyes. "Yulia!"

He then turns to the young man holding the dagger with the bloody blade. "And this young man?"

"Hello sir, my name is Roi, I'm a friend of your daughter's!"

The young man then turns to Malia. "I have an idea!"

It didn't take long for them to hear the heavy steps of the armored guards stop in front of their door. The unsheathing of swords echoes throughout the empty, never-ending space of the corridor.

Saying nothing, two guards kick the door in front of them and barge in. To their surprise, the room is empty, as if no one ever lived here. The floor even has dust blurring the reddish brown of the wood. One guard shows his frustration by kicking a basket. "Is this the correct room?"

Another guard points at the door behind him. "It looks like it. It even has their name plaque!"

The guard that appears to be leading them looks around once again. "Damn them!"

"What is it?"

"You idiot, they changed plaques!"

The guard clenches his fists and swings his sword. "How rude. It's against the law to do that!"

The guards remained in that empty room for a few more minutes until their leader gave the order. "Search every room here and find them!"

"Yes, sir!"

With their new orders, the guards spread out and start kicking the doors open. One after the other, they only come upon empty rooms, which frustrate them even more.

Malia and her family, based on Roi's idea, they removed the plaque from their door and placed it on another. Their room hasn't changed for the time being. They are still towards the centre of the arc, waiting for their chance to flee.

The young man keeps taps on the guards, searching the rooms. "They are getting closer…"

As quietly as possible, Yulia with the girls, gather everything and help old man Sholl to his feet. Their little trick of deception gave them enough time to prepare for their departure.

At some point, Roi turns towards Malia and whispers. "It's time!"

The girls nod and rush at the window. Malia looks at her father, extending her hand. He shakes his head. "I'm sorry daughter, but this old man can't keep up with you youngsters… I'll delay them!"

"I'm not as strong as Nox, but I'll try my best!"

Roi throws the old man over his shoulder and gets out the window. A smile overwrites the initial shock as they follow the young man with the purple-black outfit.

As soon as Kali stepped out the window and onto the ledge, their door gets demolished, with broken wood and splinters flying in all directions.

Roi and the girls scale the along the ledge from their window, to the one of the next toom. Malia, regarding the situation, can't help but ask. "Why are we going this way?"

Roi places one foot after the other with as much caution as he can. A drop from that height is not something they can walk away from. After firmly placing his foot, he turns his head, barely keeping Malia in his sights and whispers. "They already checked that room…"

Kali, who is further behind, sweats profusely the moment she looked down. Anxiety overtook her little heart and her breathing becomes erratic. A hesitant last step, leaves her frozen in place. The girl trembles at the idea of moving a single muscle.

Yulia, who's in front of her, notices Kali's frightened state and stops. As careful as she can be, she turns back. All the while, Roi and Malia reach the window of the other room.

A few swift motions are all it takes for the window to open. They jump in and put old Sholl onto a bed. Noticing that her sister still hasn't arrived, worried, Malia runs to the window and looks outside, only to see Kali hanging from the ledge and Yulia trying to grab her.