The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

"Go on," Zaos said.

"We can't live like normal people again," the man said. "We can be easily identifiable. While most people don't know, some figures all over the world know that we lost our eyesight due to some burn wounds."

"My friend, who was once like you, has never been found out until now, though," Zaos said. "If you think that you will draw the attention of the enemies you made while working as an assassin, you can rest assured. No one has more enemies than me. I won't give details to those who won't join me, but even if you have some enemies, I will deal with them for you. With me, you give some things, but you will also gain others."

            Zaos certainly didn't have the aura of someone who was a criminal, so it didn't make any sense that he was being hunted. In any case, the bald man and the others could tell that he wasn't lying either. It seemed suspicious, but right now, the only thing they could do was to find a way to get used to their freedom and won't get used to it by staying hidden in that hideout.

"Some of us still don't feel comfortable around you after that fight, but we agree that we can follow you for the time being," the bald man said. "At least until we find this friend that you mentioned. Anyone who is hunting those who turned us into killing machines deserve a vote of confidence."

"Well, that is fine by me," Zaos said. "That being said, I will only meet her before dealing with other heads of this organization… you don't seem like the oldest one here, do you know anything that might be useful?"

"... All that I know is that the instructor used that tunnel once every three months and always gave us the order to wait for him," the bald man replied. "He usually stayed away for a week."

"I see… that is useful to know," Zaos said and then offered a handshake. "For the time being, you can call me Rick. What is your name?"

"... Nakin," Nakin hesitated but then eventually accepted the handshake.

"Learning your names might take a while, so don't feel too bad if I mess up with your names," Zaos said. "Let's get going then."

        Zaos talked as if he already knew that all of them would eventually join his side, and while that puzzled them, he decided that it was for the best. That way, he will have to talk and act more freely. From the very beginning, it was his goal to make them join his side, but they are also a people who needed some serious help to feel like humans again. Zaos wanted their help, but not for free. He will help them as well recover their humanity.

            After that, Zaos asked for them to look around and pick everything that could be useful for them in some way or the other. Zaos had some ideas on how to help them deal with certain problems, but in the end, he didn't have all that money left. Lately, he only used money and didn't gain a single coin, after all.

            A couple of minutes later, Zaos found himself standing in front of the group, and they were carrying several types of things in improvised bags. Food, tools, a few pieces of clothing, and their original knives. Zaos told them that they wouldn't need to use those weapons anymore, but they insisted on taking them. It was probably some sort of item instead of a weapon now, an item that they wanted to keep with themselves all the time in order not to forget who they once were. From Zaos' perspective, it would be better if they forgot all together with their previous life. Still, in the end, he was determined not to give orders and respect the choices they made by themselves.

            After that, Zaos guided them to the tunnel, and he noticed that the place had some weird marks around it. When Zaos approached with caution, he noticed that a few steps ahead, there was a candleholder, and he recognized that shape… It was identical to the one he found in the Ashiris castle. Once the candle holder is pulled, it would close the tunnel with another thick door…

"Why is the same structure here?" Zaos furrowed his eyebrows. "I can see that the same person created both systems, but…"

            It was hard to imagine that such an organization would have ties with that royal family since they had been hired and killed many commanders of the Ashiris army in the last war. In any case, Zaos decided to think about that later… it was time to see where that tunnel does lead to.

            The tunnel was pretty dark, but with their senses, the whole group could move without worries. That being said, Zaos still used Light in the Darkness to check for traps in the path ahead.

            After a couple of minutes, Zaos found something weird… the tunnel became larger, and then he found some sort of cart and a path in which the cart was connected. He found a magic stone under the cart and a lever on the right side of the cart… was that some sort of vehicle?

"I was hoping to find some old relics in this place, but instead of that, I am finding some weird looking but advanced type of vehicle…" Zaos frowned. "What is going on here?"

            Zaos looked around for a while more, but he confirmed that there was nothing else aside from the carts and the weird path made of wood and some small steel lines. Somehow, Zaos felt slightly familiar with that thing… he felt like a name was about to pop out on his head. Still, even though he tried really hard to think of what that was, the name didn't come to mind… that feeling was common, though. It was the same he has when he thinks about the dreams that he had in his youth… a memory of his past life.

"It seems only a few of us can use this at a time," Zaos said. "I will go first and check what is on the other side.. Once I confirm that everything is safe, I will send the cart back."