"You there, in the red tunic, how good are you with a blade?" The armored man questioned, eyeing the scabbard at his hip in blatant interest and the shield he brandished proudly in his left hand.
Veikh paused for a moment upon the question, almost unsure of what the man was trying to convey. Only as his eyes rose for a second time did the crimson-clad man realize the "weapons" brandished by some folks, mostly the kobolds and a few noteworthy men, were really no more than glorified wooden sticks with knives at the end that wouldn't do crap against an armored guard; especially an entire group.
"Uh… good enough." He replied with a stern nod.
"Alright. You'll be assigned to the infiltration unit, and your friend there will be with us. Luring and taking out the bastards outside will be easy, but we'll need people like you to clear things out inside."
Veikh and Deighe both nodded in confirmation at the armored man's orders before glancing at each other in understanding. Deighe had always had an affinity for bows, and he often bragged about how there wasn't a shot he could miss. Definitely someone who'd be more suited for taking out the guards posted up top than within.
Upon separating, a beastman stepped forth next to the armored man; no doubt the commander for the infiltration unit. On the bright side, the armored man would indeed be serving as a distraction; who he had to admit, was much smarter than he looked.
The beastman's eyes were an animalistic gold not uncommon to the species. He had no weapon so to speak of, yet Veikh knew the beast's claws would do well to finish the job and tear through any remaining guards after they'd gotten inside. If he knew what he was doing at least.
After rounding up the remainder of the infiltration squadron, the blonde examined his newly assigned cohorts. Counting himself alongside their beastman commander, two kobolds, two other beastmen, and four other men; Veikh estimated they had at least ten members overall compared to the twelve of the distraction group.
"Together, we march to the guardhouse." The armored man announced, brandishing a longsword in his right hand held high above his head. "Upon arrival, we, acting as the lure, will draw the attention of the guardsmen so you, the infiltration members, can rush in and tear through the prison and save those two women. Understood?"
A collective "understood" rang through the small collective, which Veikh found almost comical. Their morale couldn't have been lower.
The trek from the small quarry into the secluded village outskirts was conducted in utter silence, safe from the thick rain that pelted them and a crash of thunder that occasionally lit up the ground. With the guardhouse situated northwest of the village and quite a ways south of the castle, immediate detection by Ivraol would be highly unlikely, but something they'd have to consider.
Then again, they did have the element of surprise.
Before Veikh could fully process what he'd truly gotten himself into, their group had halted at the base of the bridge leading to the rather large field outside the guardhouse, raindrops pelting the stream behind them.
By their beastman leader's instructions, they had all assumed crouching positions in order to further blend in; which was less than ideal granted the current state of the terrain, but even a small flash of lightning would cause their plan to crumble prematurely.
"Hey."
A rather shrill voice assaulted Veikh's ears, and only as he turned to it did he realize it belonged to one of the two kobolds who'd been assigned to their group; his scales a barely discernible blue. Compared to the more general attributes the other kobold possessed, this one had an eyepatch across his left eye while his right horn was broken. It was admittedly, rather comical how grizzled the reptilian appeared despite having what basically amounted to the face of a kid.
"You just gonna sit and stare pretty boy? Say something, you're really givin' me the creeps..." The one-eyed kobold mumbled, his right eye narrowed.
"O-Oh, right. My bad." Veikh stammered, readjusting the hood of his rain cloak. "Sorry to say kid, but if you want a snack, dinner was three hours ago."
"Wow, someone's got a sense of humor and a habit for assumptions." The kobold replied with a smug grin. "The name's Iliph. Commit it to memory, cause you'll be thankin' me for taking care of all them pesky locks."
"Veikh Dalgidred." The blonde introduced himself in reply, earning a curious look from the blue-scaled reptile.
"...Huh, sounds pretty foreign. You even from Ithulmia? How's that pronounced anyways? Vay-kh? Vik? Vi-kah?"
"Got it right your first try." Veikh nodded with a sigh, flinching at a loud crash of thunder. "...And yeah, I'm a foreigner."
"Well, congrats, Vik. Welcome to the shittiest place on earth." Iliph grinned ominously. "Hope you're having the time of your life here."
"If you consider rushing to your death the time of your life, then sure. You do you." The blonde muttered blandly.
"Gosh, hold on a sec and lemme add 'a total buzzkill' to the list." The one-eyed 'bold mocked with a sly grin. "And yeah, we're probably gonna die. But at least we tried, yeah?"
"Yeah, whatever, kid." Veikh replied flatly. "If you haven't figured it out, optimism isn't my strong suit. Go ahead and add 'pessimist' to that list of yours."
Iliph's maw parted to respond, yet a crash of thunder overhead followed by distant shouting served to interrupt him and bring everyone to alert.
"Everyone, assume your positions!"
The grizzled voice of their beastman commander rang through the downpour, face bearing traits more fitting for a beast than a man. With everyone on guard and with a clear indication that the distraction group had done their part, it didn't take long for them to break through the small remaining troops at the front of the guardhouse and rush inside.
As soon as he'd gotten inside Veikh practically yanked the hood of his rain cloak from his face, allowing his platinum blonde hair to flow freely and no longer suffocate his face. With an iron blade brandished in his right and an iron shield in his left, a familiar twinge wracked his mind and body, a feeling he hadn't felt in ages.
Gaining their bearings, he and the rebellion members examined the guardhouse entrance room; which wasn't exactly anything to write home about. A simple wooden desk sat at the front of the room with a locked door behind it, while there were two doors on the opposite sides of the walls to the left and right.
Iliph and the other kobold had already retreated to the back of the room to work on picking the lock, although the hushed murmuring between the two served to imply it would take a significant amount of time.
Nose twitching, their commander's gold eyes drifted to the doors at the right and left in thought before returning to the majority of the group.
"It'll take some time before those two manage to bypass that lock. In the meantime, split up and search the rooms up top. Take out any guards you see."
"Is that necessary?" One man piped up, the blade he wielded flimsy and hastily crafted.
"Non-negotiable." The beastman replied, gaze drifting to each and every one of them. "This place reeks of Corruption. Now hurry."
Veikh couldn't deny the shiver he felt trickle down his spine. He felt his grip on his sword tighten as he decided to go through...