Hide And Go Stalk

Hide And Go Stalk, Part 4

Hiding by the tent closest to the secret mine's entrance, Jie cast a quick glance at the iridescent moon. It waxed just past its third gibbous. Tian had less than an hour to make it to the waystation, a half-hour away at full sprint. Maybe this was a bad idea.

A trail of three light baubles illuminated the open space between her hiding place and the twenty paces to the cave. There were no boulders, trees, or even shrubs to provide cover; just several rocks. Unlike the sentry outside the women's lodgings, the four guards here stood alert. In the time it took to dash across the space, the soldiers could take aim and shoot. An arrow might be possible to catch, but a musketball was another story.

She tapped in clan code on Tian's arm. You, second light. Me, first and third. You, right two.

Incredulousness couldn't be conveyed through code, yet somehow Tian's response did. You sure?

The plan certainly wasn't worthy of the Architect, the last of the three legendary young Black Lotus masters. Nor was Tian as good as the Surgeon, and she certainly didn't qualify as the Beauty. At least not yet. Still, it might get them close without getting riddled with musketball holes.

Now, she tapped. She picked up a rock and flung one at the first bauble. It smashed, its light blacking out. Tian dashed closer and hurled two stones at the second. Shattering glass and darkness indicated one had hit. Just one remained, shedding light out to five paces from the cave entrance.

The soldiers shouldered their muskets.

Jie surged after him and threw her voice with a Ghost Echo, originating to the far right. "Don't shoot. We're just looking for a private place."

"Stop!" A guard leveled his weapon on that spot. The others followed suit.

Jie kicked a rock, sending it spinning and arcing into the last bauble at the cave entrance. In the darkness, her elf vision took over. The four guards tightened their formation at the mine entrance, their guns sweeping back and forth. Without waiting, Tian slid to the right. Having spent a year blindfolded, he avoided obstacles as he closed in rapid silence. Jie flanked to the left.

"The lights!" one guard yelled.

"Sound the alarm." Another swept his gun left to right and back.

Light flashed from the cave, illuminating her. Jie's vision blurred at the sudden brightness, but the shapes of the guards turned their guns at her. Two, three shots rang out.

Shit! In a few moments, the entire camp would rouse to life. She dove into a forward roll and sprung up where the right-most guard should be. Her wrist contacted his forearm. She swept a leg behind him. With her other hand, she reached for his head and jerked him to the ground. A phoenix-eye fist to the temple knocked him out.

Her vision adjusted. The other guard dropped his musket. He swept his sword from its scabbard and arced it in her direction. She could've stood there, and the blade would've passed over her head if she were even close enough to hit. Nonetheless, she dove shoulder-first into the man's shin. Hooking a hand behind his ankle, she sent him sprawling to the ground. A twist of her body dislocated his foot. She rolled over and delivered an elbow to his face.

Springing to her feet, she looked around. The third guard lay moaning on the ground, while the fourth slumped in Tian's chokehold. Behind them, confused voices erupted through the shanty-town.

Time was running out. She bent down and liberated a guard of his dagger. "Get to the waystation."

Tian drove his heel into the semi-conscious guard, then turned and ran.