"Tia… Stop ignoring me, you know I hate the silent treatment."
Leo whined while being carried by Isaac on his back. Glancing tearily toward his fiancée as they kept walking.
They had decided to enter the illusion, and they realized that turning back was impossible, as the masked man had already seen them.
"Why is it impossible to turn back again…? I still don't get it."
Isaac questioned, climbing down the steep stairs, their steps making more noise than when they had subjugated the two guards earlier.
"Ha… A simple mind for a simple person. How many times do I need to tell you, it's because the man had already interacted with us."
Leo sighed, digging his index finger into the side of Isaac's skull, before tapping it slightly.
"If we talk about this logically, because the masked man saw us, it limited our options. Essentially, because he's as skilled as we are in terms of combat power, any fight we do with him is bound to catch attention, especially since we're near his base. Now, where do you think he is right now?"
"…! With Theodor!"
"Both of them are bound to fight; that is not an opinion, that is a fact. Of course, that's not the only thing. We are in a highly secured and secluded area; any person who works here is bound to have an alarm whenever they face an intruder, that is also a fact."
"So that means… The moment he found us, we were cornered."
Leo snapped his fingers instantly, the noise catching up to his ear as he leaned his head away instinctively.
"Wait, then why did we enter the illusion then? Wouldn't that mean they know we're here?"
"Because it would be a waste not to enter. Theo is already fighting that man, and I have already sent my snake into their base. If we turn back now, we won't have another chance to do so. Quietly at least…"
Isaac shivered slightly.
"Leo… Please, be careful with your wording."
"It's only dirty because you mentioned it, you know that's not exactly what I meant."
Walking down the flight of stairs, Isaac nearly took a misstep. Both Isaac's and Leo's eyes widened as they prepared themselves for the imminent impact; luckily, Tatiana had used her ability to teleport them perfectly vertical, avoiding a disastrous scene.
"OKAY! Maybe we should take it slow…"
"I-I didn't know what happened. I was sure I was balanced."
Without another word, an earthquake shook the whole area. Isaac placed more weight on his leg, keeping himself from stumbling over. Another misstep, Tatiana might not be able to save them like the last time, especially when the steps were really steep and far. However, the weight of another person made it really hard to keep himself steady.
"Place Leo down first!"
Tatiana spoke, gripping Leo's leather jacket.
Looking at his back, Tatiana and Isaac nodded to each other and worked together to place Leo down on the cold stairs.
It proved to be a challenge, as the rumbling only kept becoming more apparent. It didn't take long to realize they had a problem. They were in a position where if Leo detached from Isaac, they would end up falling altogether.
Due to the structure of the stairs along with the aggressive quake, there was no place to put their weight.
That wasn't the only problem. Even if they canceled midway and returned Leo to the original position, both of them would still fall because of the weight. They were trapped. No matter what choice they make, it always ends with one of them falling.
"Isaac, can you trust me?"
With desperate eyes, Isaac nodded his head as fast as he could, even nearly taking another misstep as he did.
"Throw Leo."
"What!?" Both Isaac and Leo shouted in unison.
"Tia, that isn't very funny!"
Under her words, Leo couldn't help but hold onto Isaac a bit tighter. However, because of his sudden clinginess, Isaac's overall sense of balance.
"Just throw him!"
Because of her pressure, Isaac subconsciously threw Leo down the flight of stairs. Seeing as he was about to fall down the steep stairs, he prepared himself to be ragdolled as he muttered a curse.
In his impending doom, he sat down and waited for the pain to welcome him.
Opening his eyes, he realized that he was in a seated position, amidst Tatiana and Isaac as they stubbornly forced themselves to stay upright. He touched the stair he sat on to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
After confirming his safety, he took a deep breath and waited for the earthquake to subside.
"Haha… Does this mean we're even now?"
Tatiana didn't glance at him once. Her brow was still furrowed, despite his statement.
Isaac, sensing the tension, carried Leo once again. Although he was slow in some areas, he could easily tell that the atmosphere around them was suffocating—Even Leo was awfully silent.
He couldn't quite understand how the atmosphere changed all of a sudden.
"… So, uh, let's go before another earthquake appears."
***
The trio remained silent throughout the entire descent, though it wasn't long; they couldn't say that it was short either. Other than the earthquake, their trip down went entirely smooth, no encounters, no traps, just stairs.
Ahead of them, they saw an entire underground system brimming with lights and people in uniforms. It wasn't Leo's first time seeing it; having his snake surveil the area in advance made the overall experience underwhelming, although the same couldn't be said with the other two.
White concrete walls, glass railings… The whole place was a modern-like design. However, the scent of the place didn't quite match the overall appearance, having a strong metallic scent, as if it were a forgery.
"HEY YOU TWO!"
Curiosity took over them as they turned their heads to see the person who shouted. It was a middle-aged man, rushing toward them, with an expression nothing short of anger.
"What are you two doing out here when you're supposed to be on guard duty!?"
His reprimand slightly shook Isaac. Isaac was sure he was speaking to them, yet there wasn't a single blade to attack them, just a slight scolding as if they belonged there.
"Repeat what I say…"
Smirking slightly as Leo gazed upon the middle-aged man. Isaac, with no explanation, only nodded slightly.
"M-Morning, sir!"
The middle-aged man's expression darkened slightly.
"Must I repeat myself? What are you two doing here instead of guard duty?"
Isaac cleared his throat, bowing his head slightly, trying to avoid his gaze.
"We're here by orders of Sir Lous to deliver these materials to the storage rooms."
From the middle-aged man's perspective, the trio was viewed as two different people, more specifically, the guards who were protecting the gates. Those were the appearances Isaac and Tatiana took.
As for Leo, his disguise took on the role of the materials Isaac mentioned. So overall, he looked like nothing but a box containing many precious materials.
"… Where did you get these materials from?"
Without warning, more blood leaked from Leo's mouth. He tried to speak; however, his voice was restrained by the overflowing blood on his throat.
Even so, he forced himself to speak, but whenever he did, the more he would cough up blood. Sometimes, he would even choke on it momentarily.
Panic spread across their faces. If Leo speaks, there is a slight chance he might choke on his own blood, blocking his airway; on the other hand, if he doesn't, he might drag out the suspicion of the man in front of them.
With no other choice in his mind, Leo decided to gamble a bit.
"T—"
"Sir Lous delivered it to us and ordered that we transport it to the storage room." Tatiana spoke.
"Then whose guarding the gate?"
"Sir Lous said he'll take over the shift for us in the meantime."
The middle-aged man sharpened his eyes before sighing to himself.
"Don't keep him waiting."
Both Isaac and Tatiana bowed to their supposed superior and continued on their stroll. By that time, Leo had already healed from his throat injuries. He cleared his throat carefully, but by doing so, he accidentally threw up all the excess blood onto Isaac's clothes, tainting the white clothing with smothered blood.
"Sorry, couldn't help myself. Ugh…"
Biting his lips, Isaac could only nod. Fortunately for him, though, Tatiana was transporting the blood he was actively throwing up elsewhere on the surface using her ability.
As they traveled farther into the base, the middle-aged man only clicked his tongue before summoning a man beside him. The man, in particular, had a face mask and a military hat to conceal his face. It was even hard to see his eyes because of it.
"Didn't your captain go on an errand earlier?"
"Yes, Internal General. He is currently on his way to the kingdom as we speak to inform the ministries."
"Hmm… Go to the gates and confirm whether he truly is guarding the front. Come back to me instantly once you gain confirmation."
And without a trace, the masked soldier vanished from sight as if he had never been there to begin with. He glared at the duo of soldiers in the distance, sharpening his glare as suspicion rose within him.
***
"How exactly did he not notice us?"
"Hehe… I used the last of my stamina to make him perceive that we were the soldiers who guarded the gate earlier."
Tatiana's expression soured, her eyes thinning.
"He's watching us."
"… Don't worry about that, as long as he doesn't know it's us right away, that gaze will never be more than suspicion."
"It won't last that long, you know…"
Unease filled Isaac's mind as he listened to their conversation.
"What do we do then…? With your current state, it won't be long till your energy runs out."
"Don't worry, Isaac… I've already thought about this beforehand. For now, let's explore."
***
Everywhere they went, multiple soldiers watched them diligently, some from afar, some when passing by, and most tailed out of sight. But every single one had been spotted by the trio, their gazes thin but sloppy.
On their steady watch, the trio saw many things, finding multiple labs and devices that made daily necessities. This place was the core of their kingdom, providing all the currency and gadgets needed for their lives.
"Are you sure this will work?" Tatiana scoffed.
"… Just watch."
Seeing a passerby, Isaac bowed his head before clearing his throat.
"Hey! Do you know where the storage area is?"
With a slight to his eye, the soldier pointed in a direction at the end of the hallway.
"Go to the end of the hallway, then turn to the right, and there you'll see many compartments. Make sure you head to the third door, that's where the storage is."
"Alright, thank you…"
Heading to where the soldier had told them. They were led to a hallway out of multiple doors, each one leading to a different compartment, as the soldier had said. Without another thought, both Tatiana and Isaac went to the third door.
However, what they saw inside was only a large room with clear fluorescent lights.
"I was quite confused about why Lous would come back all of a sudden, even though he flared the alarm… I thought he was just mistaken, as he had always done, but it seems like he did it on purpose this time."
Behind them was none other than the general they had met earlier, and behind him were rows of soldiers flooding in with blades and firearms in their hands.
"Although we haven't found where you placed the other guards, it's safe to say that Captain Lous wasn't anywhere near the gates like you had said."
Shutting the door behind him, the general glared at the two impostors ahead.
"As the Internal General of the Fiond kingdom, I implore you to state your identities!"