Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five
The Dark Sword was buried in the cairn, which was exactly the same as the cairn I had just seen, right down to the last stone.Seeing it sent a shudder down my spine.When I left that cave, I was indeed relieved.
We walked carefully through the spiral tunnel, only this time we went up.Technologists really don't seem to have been to the caves below.They certainly have no reason to be here.Judging from the thick layer of dust that lay on the smooth floor, no one had probably been in this tunnel for many years since it had been magically shaped.But we didn't take any chances, we sneaked as low as we could.Simkin's ghostly shadow leads us ahead, and we can barely see his orange silk scarf, which is eerily shimmering.
Simkin had been forced into what he was now.Before leaving the cave where the sword was hidden, Mosiah insisted on taking Teddy with him so he could spy on him.
"Absolutely not!" Teddy reacted extremely strongly to the insult.It is part explanation, part pleading.But neither the bear's threat nor Alisa's defense could shake Mosiah in the slightest.In the end, Simkin had to give up his teddy bear image and, as he said, had to be "naked" in front of us.
"Whether you can see it or not, it takes a lot of strength to keep me looking like this," Simkin told us gloomily as we walked through the tunnel.The orange light from his scarf illuminated the way for Mosiah and me.Sheila and Alisa walked behind us, they had Sheila's flashlight.
"Strange," said Mosiah, "that the kiye vines can find enough mana to thrive and you're still just like this. It surprises me."
"Kayer vine," Simkin said, "is a weed."
"That's right." Mosiah said coldly.
"Oh, very funny, worth a few laughs. According to you, the life force is coming out of my ears and eyes, and I just squander it, and smirk it around in a wild dance. You know," said Simkin ruefully, "I haven't changed my clothes for twenty years! Twenty years!"
He wiped his eyes with an orange silk scarf.That was almost the only part of his body that could be considered solid.
"Perhaps you're using your mana elsewhere," Mosiah hypothesized. "Like let's hop across time."
"What do you take me for?" Simkin asked.Then he snorted again. "A goddamn amusement park? There's a lot of places, Mosiah, and I'd be happy to take you there. But it's absolutely impossible to jump happily around in those time particles.
"Hey!" Simkin stopped suddenly and glared at us indignantly. "Have you ever jumped through the years? Have you traveled in time? But you haven't taken me!"
"What happened?" Sheila asked from behind. "Why did you stop?"
"Nothing?" said Mosiah.
"Then keep going! Now is not the time to stop and chat!" Sheila strode in front of us.
"Get into trouble!" said Simkin in a low voice.He floated up to Alisa, walked beside her, and gave her a wink, which looked really indecent.
"Very interesting, don't you think so?" Mosiah whispered to me. "Sinkin wasn't with us the other time, and he never misses an adventure like that!"
I admit that maybe this is true.But when I glanced back and saw that orange light flickering uncomfortably beside Alisa, I remembered that in every timeline Simkin had betrayed Joram.Why should we think this time will be different?
Only this time, it wasn't Joran he betrayed.That treacherous kiss shall be received by Joram's daughter.
The tunnel seems to be much longer going up than down.As we approached the end of the tunnel, my legs were already sore.I was gasping for breath.And the most difficult part has just begun. I would have thought the upper part of the hole was the same as in the other timeline.If we've ever been there (or rather!).But I soon realized that I was wrong.Sheila led the way around a turn, snapped off her flashlight, and jumped back. "There's a light ahead!" she whispered. After the flashlight faded, I could see another light bouncing off the cave walls.I remember that there was no light source here, so Saryon left his tinderbox and flint here. "What's there?" Mosiah asked Simkin. "Rock, air, water." Simkin waved the orange silk scarf. "Oh! You want to be more precise! Let me see." He frowned thoughtfully. "The tunnel ends at the river. There's a small hole at the opening of the tunnel, and it should be to your left. Or to your right, if you're facing the tunnel with your back to the river. Of course, if you're on the river Here, it's right behind you..." "Sinkin, please stop joking!" Alisa's voice trembled. "What? Excuse me, dear girl. Indeed," Simkin looked remorseful. "I forgot you were still alive. Let me see, where am I? In the river... Yes, we don't want to go into the river. It really doesn't need to be. Joram and the bald priest are imprisoned in that little cave .It's on the right...no, on the left...you won't miss it anyway." "No, they won't miss us." Mosiah said coldly. "They will find us when we walk into the light. If I have enough vitality-" "I don't see what's stopping you, Marshal. You have a Catalyst Saint by your side," Alisa said. "Father Reuven. As a Family Catalyst Saint, perhaps he has no special You warlocks have special needs, but I believe he can handle emergencies." "Father Reuven!" Sheila giggled. "That's funny." Mosiah and I didn't smile, we stared at Alisa.At another time, she said the same thing.This passage is exactly the same as Sheila said at that time. "Why are you looking at me like that? What did I say... oh!" Alisa blinked in confusion. "What did I just say? Why did I say that? Father Reuven, family catalyst saint. But it sounds so natural..." Mosiah was looking at me now with a thoughtful expression.Suddenly, he stretched out his arm covered by the black robe. "Catalyst saint," he said softly, "please give me your vitality." I was about to laugh.I raised my hand to tell him that I don't know what to do...but I know what to do.I remember.I remember the amazing feeling of life force flowing through me.I remember how one hand reached for the magic and the other held Mosiah.I am the container.Magic flows through me.For that brief moment, I was filled with happiness. I closed my eyes, expecting Simharun's life force to enter my body. At first, I didn't feel anything.My fear of failing, of failing Alisa, tore at my heart.I gathered all my energy and prayed to Emin, begging... The life force came suddenly.Like a torrent that has been bound in a dam, eagerly waiting for this moment of eruption.The enormous energy made me almost unsteady.My body trembled and burned.Every drop of my blood turned into a spark.But it was excruciating torment without pleasure, nothing like what I'd felt in another time. I was scared and hurt, and I wanted to end it, to take my hand away from Mosiah's.But he refused to let go of me.Arcs of blue magic formed around his and my arms. The arc of flames finally disappeared.I feel hollowed out.The fire was replaced by a cold sensation that made me shiver in numbness.I fell to my knees helplessly. Alisa knelt beside me and wrapped her arms around me. Nauseous and dizzy, I nodded. "Bless Emin," Sheila said in awe, "I've never seen anything like it!" "I doubt you'll ever see something like this again," Mosiah said, massaging his arm. "The transfer of life force from the Catalyst Saint to the Warlock, we have always thought that this transmission has disappeared with the magic. Since the end of the war, such an attempt has not been successful. Strange," he murmured, "really Weird." "It wouldn't be surprising if the magic hadn't gone away," Sheila said. Simkin yawned. "Since you're all enjoying playing mage here, let me go scouting first. Wait for me here. You know, I love this kind of thing!" "Wait...damn it!" Mosiah reached out, but only caught air.Simkin has disappeared. "Now, what do we do?" I sighed. "Leaving ourselves in the hands of technologists," Mosiah said bitterly, "maybe we're doing that." "Nonsense!" Alisa retorted immediately. "We're here waiting for Simkin to come back. He'll be back. I'm sure Ty... Simkin." "Your father is the same as you," Mosiah snorted coldly, and glanced around. "Singin is not alone in missing." With the help of reflections from rocks, we can see what's around us.Sheila is gone. "Go back!" Mosiah desperately wanted Alisa and me back in the tunnel. "Back to where we started! We can resist there—" "Shh! This way!" A hurried whisper sounded. A hand waved towards us in the dark. Then out of the shadows came the Arm and Sheila herself. "I've found another cavern, we can hide there, watch here!" Alisa gave Mosiah a reproachful look, and walked towards Sheila.I follow behind her.Mosiah grabbed my arm. "The last time we were here, do you remember that there was another chamber?" I shook my head, "But it's dark here, and the structure is complicated." "No." Mosiah said coldly. The cavern that Sheila found was directly below our foothold, and another small hole was clearly visible here.Two silver technologists were guarding the entrance of the cave. After a long time, nothing happened.I believe Simkin is right about at least one thing, the Technicians must think their prisoners are safe and we are staying a long way from here.Either that, or the prisoner wasn't here at all.I was wondering if Simkin was just tricking us into running here in vain when a Technician spoke up. "Time to check them out," he said. Another technologist nodded, turned around and just took a step, but fell to the ground. "Damn it!" the man cursed as he got up. "Damn it, what happened to you?" asked his companion, turning his head. "I tripped over a rock! That's it!" The tech technician pointed at the ground angrily. "Okay, be more careful next time." The technologist stared at the stone fiercely. "I swear, there were no stones here just now." "You are too stupid." Another technologist shrugged. "No, I'm serious. I've been in and out of this cursed cell thirty times today, and there's no stone here!" The Technician picked up the stone. "Damn it!" he said in astonishment. "This stone has... eyes!" Hiding in another cave, we exchanged a glance.We didn't say a word, but already knew what was going on. It's Simkin. "What are you two doing? Standing there discussing a rock." Another voice called out.Mosiah and I recognized the voice at the same time. "Smither!" whispered Mosiah. "If you're interested in geography," Smither continued, "study it in private and don't waste my time." The two technicians hurriedly stood up straight.Smither came from the direction of the entrance of the cave, not in the suit I had seen him last, but in a robe embellished with gold thread, as I had seen in the hologram .When his face appeared in the light, I just felt lucky to hear his voice first, otherwise I might not recognize him at all just by looking at his face.Compared with the charming and handsome face at that time, his face is as cold as frost now, and it is distorted by the suppressed anger, completely different.Four silver bodyguards followed behind him. "But, Master, please look at this—" "Is this the Dark Stone?" Smither asked impatiently. "No, Master, it doesn't appear to be. Maybe it's just plain limestone, but it—" "I'm only interested in the Dark Stone. Throw it in the river." The technologist glanced at the stone, as if he wanted to argue something.But he glanced again at Smither's grim face, his shoulders dropped, and he dropped the stone into the rushing black water. I could have sworn the stone made a faint, angry scream as it passed through the air.Then it "plopped" into the water and sank... like a rock. "How is the prisoner?" Smither asked. "Has anything changed?" "That Joram's condition is deteriorating, master. He won't last long without medical treatment." Alisa next to me let out a choking sound similar to suffocation. "Shh!" Sheila whispered. Mosiah gave them both a warning look.I held Alisa's hand, her fingers tremblingly squeezed mine, and her palm was cold. "I'm going to talk to Joram," said Smither. "If he's that bad, maybe he'll cooperate. You two come with me. The rest wait outside." Smither entered the cell, followed by two of his bodyguards, while the rest took their places outside. There is nothing we can do but wait.They outnumber us, and if we attack rashly, we will be in danger, and it will bring danger to Joram and Saryon.If the prisoners were in danger of escaping, the Technician would definitely kill them. We hid in the dark and listened nervously. The first voice we hear is that of Father Saryon.His tone was strong and angry, and he didn't appear to be hurt.I closed my eyes, whispered a prayer, and thanked Emin. "Joran is ill, as you can see, Mr. Smither. My friend needs immediate medical attention. I insist that you take him to the Outpost, where they have medical facilities..." "Of course," Smither's voice was mellow and flattering. "We'll provide him with an antidote if he tells us where the Dark Sword is." "Poison?" Saryon said fearfully, "You poisoned him?" "A slow drug. We use the same agent to cause the death of organisms in repeat culture vessels. This death comes very slowly and painfully, I am told. Now, my friend, where is the Dark Sword? Tell us , you'll feel much better." "He doesn't know!" Saryon said angrily. "Ah, but I think he knows," said Smither, "that he gave the Dark Sword to his daughter to hide. We saw her hold it, so you don't have to bother telling such lies. We I just can't find her..." "If you hurt her..." The voice was weak, but it was definitely Joram's. We heard a scuffle, then a muffled cry. Alisa rested her head on my chest and I hugged her tightly.At this moment, my hatred for Smither frightened even me.I always thought I was a pacifist, and now, I know I kill people too. "No! Let him go!" Saryon yelled.We heard a messy scraping, as if Saryon had rushed to protect Joram. "He was weak and sick." "If he doesn't cooperate, he'll get weaker and sicker." "If he's dead, he's useless to you!" "He's not going to die, at least not right now. Like you said, I need him. Give him a stim, three shots, it'll make him live a little longer. He won't feel much better, but he will Alive. But as for you, I can't say, Father Saryon. In any case, you are useless to us. I have my own catalyst saints, and they are ready to give life to the Dark Sword." "Listen to me, Joram. Although you stubbornly refuse to tell me where your daughter is hiding, I will give you another five minutes to reconsider. If you still refuse, Father Saryon will be bound hand and foot, Skinned alive. That's a terrible way to die." The four of us looked at each other in horror.We only have five minutes to act.Five minutes to rescue the hostages, otherwise Father Saryon will probably be tortured to death.Besides Coffin Smither, there are six other enemies.And there are only four of us. "Sheila, you have a gun," Mosiah said with a tight voice, "You..." "Guns," Sheila said, "I don't have a gun." Mosiah glared at her. "You didn't have a gun! Who are you?" "Smart man," Sheila shot back, "from what I've seen, carrying a gun is an open invitation for someone to shoot you." Mosiah looked stern. "We have no choice, I guess. We have to deal with six di Candales..." "Seven," Sheila said. Another silver Technician appeared in the cave.I say "appeared in the cave" because I kept staring at the cave entrance and didn't see anyone walk in.The newly arrived Di Candale quietly walked behind the original two guards, stretched out his silver-gloved hand, and patted a tech technician on the shoulder. The one being photographed was the scientific technician who threw the stone into the river.As if taken aback, he turned around hastily, and the robe flowed with his movements like quicksilver. "Damn... who are you?" he asked. "What do you want? Don't sneak in like this. It's bad enough being on this withered planet. The stones here have eyes. God knows what else! What do you want?" he repeated nervously. . "The headquarters has a message for the master." "He's still in the cell." "It's a matter of urgency," said the Di Candalee. "I'll go and tell him." Another technologist volunteered. "Wait," the former technologist stopped him, a skeptical tone in his voice. "Why don't they send messages like they usually do, using vision stones?" "Your vision stones don't work anymore. Try it if you don't believe me." The skeptical technologist puts his wrist to his ear.The other person did the same.The second person looked at the first person. The first person shrugged and shook his head towards the cell, and the tech technician went to report. Smither came out, his face flushed with anger.His eyebrows were furrowed together, making him look even more sinister. "What do you mean the vision stone doesn't work?" he asked. "We don't know, Master." The newly arrived Technician said, "Maybe it's because this cave is blocking the signal. I have an urgent message to report to you, Master." "Say!" cried Smither. The silver head of the technologist turned around, glancing at the other di Candales. "I can only tell you one person, master. We must speak alone. It is very urgent, master." Smither glanced ruefully at the cell, and the anger on his face became more intense. "Damn it, I was just about to bend him! Better you're right!" He turned to one of the guards. "Remind that good father he has three minutes. Three minutes." "Go over there, master," said the messenger.To our horror, he was referring to the very little cave in which we were hiding. The two men came towards us, the hem of their silver robes scraping against Di Candale's ankles, revealing his feet in silver moccasins.I suddenly noticed that the techie was wearing a pair of orange socks. "Sinkin!" Mosiah whispered in my ear. Logical or not, it must be Sim Jin.Disguised as a Technologist, he leads Coffin Smither to our hideout. "That bastard!" Mosiah whispered, "Even if I never get a chance to do anything else, I'm going to—" "Shh!" Sheila stopped him from continuing. Alisa held my hand tightly.We dared not move for fear that Smither would hear us.Every breath sounds like the whistling of a tornado to us, and the sound of a heartbeat sounds like thunder.Mosiah's muscles tensed all over, and he was preparing for a strong explosive magic. Crazy, desperate plans raced through my mind, but none of them made any sense and gave us no hope. Four more steps and Coffin Smither was about to hit us.When he took the second step, Di Candale in Simkin's costume stopped suddenly. Smither stopped too, and turned to Simkin. "What happened?" he asked angrily. "Master," Simkin said, "Conifer's representatives have arrived at Jessair." I heard a low gasp.It was as if Mosiah had been punched in the temple.Sheila exhaled lightly. Smither's face turned from red to yellow, as if someone had cut his main artery and sucked all his blood in an instant.There was such utter terror on his face that I almost felt sympathy for him.He quickly regained his composure, but the traces of fear still lingered on his face. "What do they want?" he asked.He was clearly struggling to control his voice. "The Dark Sword," Sim'jin said succinctly. Smither cast a bitter glance at the prison. "We haven't got it yet. We're going to get it. They've got to give us some more time." "The Earth Army is retreating, the Earth Takeover has begun, and you don't have much time. That's what they say. Their religious leaders are very urgent about this, master. Their gods, or whatever they worship They have been warned that the Dark Sword is an absolute threat." "I know their damned gods!" said Smither.His voice shook with anger and fear.He had to try again to control himself. "We have a pact. Remind them of this, they will trade Earth for the Darksword. We have Simharon. They give us the power of death, we give them the power of life. We will get The Dark Sword, we will give them the Dark Sword. But at the time we set. Tell them that." Simkin shook his silver-hooded head. "They don't listen to people they treat as subordinates." Smither glared at the cell again.Then he seemed to make a painful decision. "Okay, I'll take care of that." He turned and stepped outside, shouting orders. "Come with me, guard. I'm going back to headquarters. You two, kill that priest. I don't care what you do. Let him die slowly, and make sure Joram keeps his sight." "What if he decides to confess, master?" "Take what he said, and send him to headquarters immediately. Teleport." "Yes, master. Shall we kill the priest then?" "What are you thinking?" Smither asked impatiently. "He's useless to us." "Yes, master. Can you leave someone behind to help us, master? Teleporters aren't very effective on this planet." "I can stay and help them," Simkin said from under his silver hood. "Okay!" Smither was obviously in a hurry to leave.He walked out of the cave quickly, with four bodyguards following behind him. I looked at the others and saw the same disgust, concern, and anger on their faces that I had.I can't understand how someone could be so destructive, that he could make a deal with such a terrible enemy, and send millions of human beings who follow him to the altar, just for his own ambition. The two technologists walked back into the cell.Xin Jin stayed outside, pacing up and down, humming to himself.He hummed completely out of tune and very harshly.But he never looked our way, gave us the slightest signal. I'm starting to suspect we're wrong.Maybe that tech guy isn't Simkin, maybe he's just a tech guy with weird taste in socks. Mosiah had the same suspicions. "That idiot! What's he doing? If he's really—" "Whether he is or not, he's dismissed Smither," Sheila said. "There are four guards. We should attack now." "Let them get the hostages out of the cells first," Mosiah said. "They might use the stagnation zone to hold them. Then there's no way we can get them out ourselves." "That's right, Law Enforcer." Sheila said appreciatively, "What's your plan?" "Plan!" Mosiah snorted, "Only I have a weapon, and that is my magic." "Even laser pistols are useless against their protective armor," Sheila whispered hoarsely. "And, I have a weapon, too." "what?" "You'll see. I promise you, I can take one out. Hope you can take out the other." Mosiah didn't like it, but there was no time to argue now.We heard loud noises coming from the cell.Simkin's humming grew louder and harsher.Although I thought his snort just now was the harshest in the world. "Look at my signal, Sheila, and then you attack." Mosiah ordered. "Luwen, you and Alisa are responsible for rescuing Joram and Father Saryon." "Where are we taking them?" Alisa asked. "Go back down, to the hole where you hid the Dark Sword." "and then?" "Let's go ahead," said Mosiah. Simkin's grunts made my teeth ache. I have never heard such a strange and nerve-wracking sound from a human throat.But this is Simkin.The two technologists came out, and one of them was holding Father Saryon.Saryon looked anxious.I knew he was anxious about Joram, not himself, though he was the one who was going to die.Saryon kept looking back to see Joram.Joram was then dragged out as well. Seeing her father, Alisa groaned softly, and immediately covered her mouth with her palm to prevent any further sound from coming out. Joram's skin turned grayish white, covered with beads of sweat.Blood clots stuck to his hair and one side of his face, and a horribly deep gash ran across his cheek, almost to the bone.With his right hand he held his limp left arm.His shirt was torn, blood stains covered the front of the shirt, and the left sleeve of the shirt was also covered in blood.The stimulant, the fever, and the rage made his eyes glow unnaturally.He was weak, but very alert, and never discouraged. "Let go of Father Saryon. Otherwise, I will never tell you where the Dark Sword is." "You'll tell us," said a technologist, "you'll tell us when you see that priest with half his body skinned, screaming and begging to die." The tech mechanic pushed Father Saryon to the ground.Saryon's hands were bound, unable to support his body's balance, he fell heavily on the ground, and cried out in pain.Impulsively I wanted to pounce on him and lift him up, but reason and Mosiah's whispered warning stopped me. Simkin walked up to Father Saryon and looked down at him. A crisp breaking sound sounded. The technologist closest to Xin Jin stared at Xin Jin in horror, and stepped back panting. "What are you doing?" he screamed. "Obey orders," Simkin said, "to help you." He held out his hand, and it was held in his, broken at the wrist.
The tunnel seems to be much longer going up than down.As we approached the end of the tunnel, my legs were already sore.I was gasping for breath.And the most difficult part has just begun. I would have thought the upper part of the hole was the same as in the other timeline.If we've ever been there (or rather!).But I soon realized that I was wrong.Sheila led the way around a turn, snapped off her flashlight, and jumped back. "There's a light ahead!" she whispered. After the flashlight faded, I could see another light bouncing off the cave walls.I remember that there was no light source here, so Saryon left his tinderbox and flint here. "What's there?" Mosiah asked Simkin. "Rock, air, water." Simkin waved the orange silk scarf. "Oh! You want to be more precise! Let me see." He frowned thoughtfully. "The tunnel ends at the river. There's a small hole at the opening of the tunnel, and it should be to your left. Or to your right, if you're facing the tunnel with your back to the river. Of course, if you're on the river Here, it's right behind you..." "Sinkin, please stop joking!" Alisa's voice trembled. "What? Excuse me, dear girl. Indeed," Simkin looked remorseful. "I forgot you were still alive. Let me see, where am I? In the river... Yes, we don't want to go into the river. It really doesn't need to be. Joram and the bald priest are imprisoned in that little cave .It's on the right...no, on the left...you won't miss it anyway." "No, they won't miss us." Mosiah said coldly. "They will find us when we walk into the light. If I have enough vitality-" "I don't see what's stopping you, Marshal. You have a Catalyst Saint by your side," Alisa said. "Father Reuven. As a Family Catalyst Saint, perhaps he has no special You warlocks have special needs, but I believe he can handle emergencies." "Father Reuven!" Sheila giggled. "That's funny." Mosiah and I didn't smile, we stared at Alisa.At another time, she said the same thing.This passage is exactly the same as Sheila said at that time. "Why are you looking at me like that? What did I say... oh!" Alisa blinked in confusion. "What did I just say? Why did I say that? Father Reuven, family catalyst saint. But it sounds so natural..." Mosiah was looking at me now with a thoughtful expression.Suddenly, he stretched out his arm covered by the black robe. "Catalyst saint," he said softly, "please give me your vitality." I was about to laugh.I raised my hand to tell him that I don't know what to do...but I know what to do.I remember.I remember the amazing feeling of life force flowing through me.I remember how one hand reached for the magic and the other held Mosiah.I am the container.Magic flows through me.For that brief moment, I was filled with happiness. I closed my eyes, expecting Simharun's life force to enter my body. At first, I didn't feel anything.My fear of failing, of failing Alisa, tore at my heart.I gathered all my energy and prayed to Emin, begging... The life force came suddenly.Like a torrent that has been bound in a dam, eagerly waiting for this moment of eruption.The enormous energy made me almost unsteady.My body trembled and burned.Every drop of my blood turned into a spark.But it was excruciating torment without pleasure, nothing like what I'd felt in another time. I was scared and hurt, and I wanted to end it, to take my hand away from Mosiah's.But he refused to let go of me.Arcs of blue magic formed around his and my arms. The arc of flames finally disappeared.I feel hollowed out.The fire was replaced by a cold sensation that made me shiver in numbness.I fell to my knees helplessly. Alisa knelt beside me and wrapped her arms around me. Nauseous and dizzy, I nodded. "Bless Emin," Sheila said in awe, "I've never seen anything like it!" "I doubt you'll ever see something like this again," Mosiah said, massaging his arm. "The transfer of life force from the Catalyst Saint to the Warlock, we have always thought that this transmission has disappeared with the magic. Since the end of the war, such an attempt has not been successful. Strange," he murmured, "really Weird." "It wouldn't be surprising if the magic hadn't gone away," Sheila said. Simkin yawned. "Since you're all enjoying playing mage here, let me go scouting first. Wait for me here. You know, I love this kind of thing!" "Wait...damn it!" Mosiah reached out, but only caught air.Simkin has disappeared. "Now, what do we do?" I sighed. "Leaving ourselves in the hands of technologists," Mosiah said bitterly, "maybe we're doing that." "Nonsense!" Alisa retorted immediately. "We're here waiting for Simkin to come back. He'll be back. I'm sure Ty... Simkin." "Your father is the same as you," Mosiah snorted coldly, and glanced around. "Singin is not alone in missing." With the help of reflections from rocks, we can see what's around us.Sheila is gone. "Go back!" Mosiah desperately wanted Alisa and me back in the tunnel. "Back to where we started! We can resist there—" "Shh! This way!" A hurried whisper sounded. A hand waved towards us in the dark. Then out of the shadows came the Arm and Sheila herself. "I've found another cavern, we can hide there, watch here!" Alisa gave Mosiah a reproachful look, and walked towards Sheila.I follow behind her.Mosiah grabbed my arm. "The last time we were here, do you remember that there was another chamber?" I shook my head, "But it's dark here, and the structure is complicated." "No." Mosiah said coldly. The cavern that Sheila found was directly below our foothold, and another small hole was clearly visible here.Two silver technologists were guarding the entrance of the cave. After a long time, nothing happened.I believe Simkin is right about at least one thing, the Technicians must think their prisoners are safe and we are staying a long way from here.Either that, or the prisoner wasn't here at all.I was wondering if Simkin was just tricking us into running here in vain when a Technician spoke up. "Time to check them out," he said. Another technologist nodded, turned around and just took a step, but fell to the ground. "Damn it!" the man cursed as he got up. "Damn it, what happened to you?" asked his companion, turning his head. "I tripped over a rock! That's it!" The tech technician pointed at the ground angrily. "Okay, be more careful next time." The technologist stared at the stone fiercely. "I swear, there were no stones here just now." "You are too stupid." Another technologist shrugged. "No, I'm serious. I've been in and out of this cursed cell thirty times today, and there's no stone here!" The Technician picked up the stone. "Damn it!" he said in astonishment. "This stone has... eyes!" Hiding in another cave, we exchanged a glance.We didn't say a word, but already knew what was going on. It's Simkin. "What are you two doing? Standing there discussing a rock." Another voice called out.Mosiah and I recognized the voice at the same time. "Smither!" whispered Mosiah. "If you're interested in geography," Smither continued, "study it in private and don't waste my time." The two technicians hurriedly stood up straight.Smither came from the direction of the entrance of the cave, not in the suit I had seen him last, but in a robe embellished with gold thread, as I had seen in the hologram .When his face appeared in the light, I just felt lucky to hear his voice first, otherwise I might not recognize him at all just by looking at his face.Compared with the charming and handsome face at that time, his face is as cold as frost now, and it is distorted by the suppressed anger, completely different.Four silver bodyguards followed behind him. "But, Master, please look at this—" "Is this the Dark Stone?" Smither asked impatiently. "No, Master, it doesn't appear to be. Maybe it's just plain limestone, but it—" "I'm only interested in the Dark Stone. Throw it in the river." The technologist glanced at the stone, as if he wanted to argue something.But he glanced again at Smither's grim face, his shoulders dropped, and he dropped the stone into the rushing black water. I could have sworn the stone made a faint, angry scream as it passed through the air.Then it "plopped" into the water and sank... like a rock. "How is the prisoner?" Smither asked. "Has anything changed?" "That Joram's condition is deteriorating, master. He won't last long without medical treatment." Alisa next to me let out a choking sound similar to suffocation. "Shh!" Sheila whispered. Mosiah gave them both a warning look.I held Alisa's hand, her fingers tremblingly squeezed mine, and her palm was cold. "I'm going to talk to Joram," said Smither. "If he's that bad, maybe he'll cooperate. You two come with me. The rest wait outside." Smither entered the cell, followed by two of his bodyguards, while the rest took their places outside. There is nothing we can do but wait.They outnumber us, and if we attack rashly, we will be in danger, and it will bring danger to Joram and Saryon.If the prisoners were in danger of escaping, the Technician would definitely kill them. We hid in the dark and listened nervously. The first voice we hear is that of Father Saryon.His tone was strong and angry, and he didn't appear to be hurt.I closed my eyes, whispered a prayer, and thanked Emin. "Joran is ill, as you can see, Mr. Smither. My friend needs immediate medical attention. I insist that you take him to the Outpost, where they have medical facilities..." "Of course," Smither's voice was mellow and flattering. "We'll provide him with an antidote if he tells us where the Dark Sword is." "Poison?" Saryon said fearfully, "You poisoned him?" "A slow drug. We use the same agent to cause the death of organisms in repeat culture vessels. This death comes very slowly and painfully, I am told. Now, my friend, where is the Dark Sword? Tell us , you'll feel much better." "He doesn't know!" Saryon said angrily. "Ah, but I think he knows," said Smither, "that he gave the Dark Sword to his daughter to hide. We saw her hold it, so you don't have to bother telling such lies. We I just can't find her..." "If you hurt her..." The voice was weak, but it was definitely Joram's. We heard a scuffle, then a muffled cry. Alisa rested her head on my chest and I hugged her tightly.At this moment, my hatred for Smither frightened even me.I always thought I was a pacifist, and now, I know I kill people too. "No! Let him go!" Saryon yelled.We heard a messy scraping, as if Saryon had rushed to protect Joram. "He was weak and sick." "If he doesn't cooperate, he'll get weaker and sicker." "If he's dead, he's useless to you!" "He's not going to die, at least not right now. Like you said, I need him. Give him a stim, three shots, it'll make him live a little longer. He won't feel much better, but he will Alive. But as for you, I can't say, Father Saryon. In any case, you are useless to us. I have my own catalyst saints, and they are ready to give life to the Dark Sword." "Listen to me, Joram. Although you stubbornly refuse to tell me where your daughter is hiding, I will give you another five minutes to reconsider. If you still refuse, Father Saryon will be bound hand and foot, Skinned alive. That's a terrible way to die." The four of us looked at each other in horror.We only have five minutes to act.Five minutes to rescue the hostages, otherwise Father Saryon will probably be tortured to death.Besides Coffin Smither, there are six other enemies.And there are only four of us. "Sheila, you have a gun," Mosiah said with a tight voice, "You..." "Guns," Sheila said, "I don't have a gun." Mosiah glared at her. "You didn't have a gun! Who are you?" "Smart man," Sheila shot back, "from what I've seen, carrying a gun is an open invitation for someone to shoot you." Mosiah looked stern. "We have no choice, I guess. We have to deal with six di Candales..." "Seven," Sheila said. Another silver Technician appeared in the cave.I say "appeared in the cave" because I kept staring at the cave entrance and didn't see anyone walk in.The newly arrived Di Candale quietly walked behind the original two guards, stretched out his silver-gloved hand, and patted a tech technician on the shoulder. The one being photographed was the scientific technician who threw the stone into the river.As if taken aback, he turned around hastily, and the robe flowed with his movements like quicksilver. "Damn... who are you?" he asked. "What do you want? Don't sneak in like this. It's bad enough being on this withered planet. The stones here have eyes. God knows what else! What do you want?" he repeated nervously. . "The headquarters has a message for the master." "He's still in the cell." "It's a matter of urgency," said the Di Candalee. "I'll go and tell him." Another technologist volunteered. "Wait," the former technologist stopped him, a skeptical tone in his voice. "Why don't they send messages like they usually do, using vision stones?" "Your vision stones don't work anymore. Try it if you don't believe me." The skeptical technologist puts his wrist to his ear.The other person did the same.The second person looked at the first person. The first person shrugged and shook his head towards the cell, and the tech technician went to report. Smither came out, his face flushed with anger.His eyebrows were furrowed together, making him look even more sinister. "What do you mean the vision stone doesn't work?" he asked. "We don't know, Master." The newly arrived Technician said, "Maybe it's because this cave is blocking the signal. I have an urgent message to report to you, Master." "Say!" cried Smither. The silver head of the technologist turned around, glancing at the other di Candales. "I can only tell you one person, master. We must speak alone. It is very urgent, master." Smither glanced ruefully at the cell, and the anger on his face became more intense. "Damn it, I was just about to bend him! Better you're right!" He turned to one of the guards. "Remind that good father he has three minutes. Three minutes." "Go over there, master," said the messenger.To our horror, he was referring to the very little cave in which we were hiding. The two men came towards us, the hem of their silver robes scraping against Di Candale's ankles, revealing his feet in silver moccasins.I suddenly noticed that the techie was wearing a pair of orange socks. "Sinkin!" Mosiah whispered in my ear. Logical or not, it must be Sim Jin.Disguised as a Technologist, he leads Coffin Smither to our hideout. "That bastard!" Mosiah whispered, "Even if I never get a chance to do anything else, I'm going to—" "Shh!" Sheila stopped him from continuing. Alisa held my hand tightly.We dared not move for fear that Smither would hear us.Every breath sounds like the whistling of a tornado to us, and the sound of a heartbeat sounds like thunder.Mosiah's muscles tensed all over, and he was preparing for a strong explosive magic. Crazy, desperate plans raced through my mind, but none of them made any sense and gave us no hope. Four more steps and Coffin Smither was about to hit us.When he took the second step, Di Candale in Simkin's costume stopped suddenly. Smither stopped too, and turned to Simkin. "What happened?" he asked angrily. "Master," Simkin said, "Conifer's representatives have arrived at Jessair." I heard a low gasp.It was as if Mosiah had been punched in the temple.Sheila exhaled lightly. Smither's face turned from red to yellow, as if someone had cut his main artery and sucked all his blood in an instant.There was such utter terror on his face that I almost felt sympathy for him.He quickly regained his composure, but the traces of fear still lingered on his face. "What do they want?" he asked.He was clearly struggling to control his voice. "The Dark Sword," Sim'jin said succinctly. Smither cast a bitter glance at the prison. "We haven't got it yet. We're going to get it. They've got to give us some more time." "The Earth Army is retreating, the Earth Takeover has begun, and you don't have much time. That's what they say. Their religious leaders are very urgent about this, master. Their gods, or whatever they worship They have been warned that the Dark Sword is an absolute threat." "I know their damned gods!" said Smither.His voice shook with anger and fear.He had to try again to control himself. "We have a pact. Remind them of this, they will trade Earth for the Darksword. We have Simharon. They give us the power of death, we give them the power of life. We will get The Dark Sword, we will give them the Dark Sword. But at the time we set. Tell them that." Simkin shook his silver-hooded head. "They don't listen to people they treat as subordinates." Smither glared at the cell again.Then he seemed to make a painful decision. "Okay, I'll take care of that." He turned and stepped outside, shouting orders. "Come with me, guard. I'm going back to headquarters. You two, kill that priest. I don't care what you do. Let him die slowly, and make sure Joram keeps his sight." "What if he decides to confess, master?" "Take what he said, and send him to headquarters immediately. Teleport." "Yes, master. Shall we kill the priest then?" "What are you thinking?" Smither asked impatiently. "He's useless to us." "Yes, master. Can you leave someone behind to help us, master? Teleporters aren't very effective on this planet." "I can stay and help them," Simkin said from under his silver hood. "Okay!" Smither was obviously in a hurry to leave.He walked out of the cave quickly, with four bodyguards following behind him. I looked at the others and saw the same disgust, concern, and anger on their faces that I had.I can't understand how someone could be so destructive, that he could make a deal with such a terrible enemy, and send millions of human beings who follow him to the altar, just for his own ambition. The two technologists walked back into the cell.Xin Jin stayed outside, pacing up and down, humming to himself.He hummed completely out of tune and very harshly.But he never looked our way, gave us the slightest signal. I'm starting to suspect we're wrong.Maybe that tech guy isn't Simkin, maybe he's just a tech guy with weird taste in socks. Mosiah had the same suspicions. "That idiot! What's he doing? If he's really—" "Whether he is or not, he's dismissed Smither," Sheila said. "There are four guards. We should attack now." "Let them get the hostages out of the cells first," Mosiah said. "They might use the stagnation zone to hold them. Then there's no way we can get them out ourselves." "That's right, Law Enforcer." Sheila said appreciatively, "What's your plan?" "Plan!" Mosiah snorted, "Only I have a weapon, and that is my magic." "Even laser pistols are useless against their protective armor," Sheila whispered hoarsely. "And, I have a weapon, too." "what?" "You'll see. I promise you, I can take one out. Hope you can take out the other." Mosiah didn't like it, but there was no time to argue now.We heard loud noises coming from the cell.Simkin's humming grew louder and harsher.Although I thought his snort just now was the harshest in the world. "Look at my signal, Sheila, and then you attack." Mosiah ordered. "Luwen, you and Alisa are responsible for rescuing Joram and Father Saryon." "Where are we taking them?" Alisa asked. "Go back down, to the hole where you hid the Dark Sword." "and then?" "Let's go ahead," said Mosiah. Simkin's grunts made my teeth ache. I have never heard such a strange and nerve-wracking sound from a human throat.But this is Simkin.The two technologists came out, and one of them was holding Father Saryon.Saryon looked anxious.I knew he was anxious about Joram, not himself, though he was the one who was going to die.Saryon kept looking back to see Joram.Joram was then dragged out as well. Seeing her father, Alisa groaned softly, and immediately covered her mouth with her palm to prevent any further sound from coming out. Joram's skin turned grayish white, covered with beads of sweat.Blood clots stuck to his hair and one side of his face, and a horribly deep gash ran across his cheek, almost to the bone.With his right hand he held his limp left arm.His shirt was torn, blood stains covered the front of the shirt, and the left sleeve of the shirt was also covered in blood.The stimulant, the fever, and the rage made his eyes glow unnaturally.He was weak, but very alert, and never discouraged. "Let go of Father Saryon. Otherwise, I will never tell you where the Dark Sword is." "You'll tell us," said a technologist, "you'll tell us when you see that priest with half his body skinned, screaming and begging to die." The tech mechanic pushed Father Saryon to the ground.Saryon's hands were bound, unable to support his body's balance, he fell heavily on the ground, and cried out in pain.Impulsively I wanted to pounce on him and lift him up, but reason and Mosiah's whispered warning stopped me. Simkin walked up to Father Saryon and looked down at him. A crisp breaking sound sounded. The technologist closest to Xin Jin stared at Xin Jin in horror, and stepped back panting. "What are you doing?" he screamed. "Obey orders," Simkin said, "to help you." He held out his hand, and it was held in his, broken at the wrist.