Last mission System

Chapter 10

As the sun began to set over the horizon, the group made their way back to the castle. They were all exhausted from the day's events, but there was still work to be done.

As they approached the gates, they noticed a group of guards standing outside, their weapons drawn.

"What's going on here?" asked Kiera, the concern evident in her voice.

One of the guards stepped forward. "We've had reports of an intruder in the castle. We're searching the premises to make sure everything is secure."

Kiera's heart raced. Could it be the same person who had been sending her threatening letters?

Without a word, she rushed past the guards and into the castle, the others following close behind her. They split up, searching every room and hallway.

After what felt like hours, they still hadn't found anything. Kiera was starting to feel frustrated and scared.

Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the direction of the throne room. She motioned for the others to follow her and they cautiously made their way down the hall.

As they entered the room, they saw a figure standing by the throne. Kiera's heart raced as she realized it was the intruder.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady.

The intruder turned around, revealing a mask that covered their face. They drew a sword and pointed it at Kiera.

"I want what's rightfully mine," the intruder growled.

Kiera's mind raced. Who could this person be? And what did they want?

As soon as they reached the bridge, they heard the sound of rushing water below them. They looked over the edge to see that the river had swollen to a dangerous level. The bridge was shaky and swayed dangerously in the strong currents.

“We can’t cross this!” Lily yelled over the sound of the rushing water.

“We have to find a way,” Jack replied, looking around for any other way across.

Suddenly, they heard a roar coming from behind them. They turned around to see a group of trolls running towards them, their eyes filled with anger and malice.

“We need to move, now!” Jack shouted, pulling Lily along with him as they ran towards the bridge.

They could hear the trolls getting closer and closer, their footsteps pounding on the ground behind them. Jack and Lily reached the middle of the bridge, but it was swaying so violently that they could barely stand.

“We’re not going to make it!” Lily cried out, looking down at the raging river below them.

Just then, a huge wave crashed into the side of the bridge, causing it to shake even more violently. Jack and Lily were thrown off balance and fell to the ground, their bodies tumbling towards the edge of the bridge.

As they were about to fall into the water below, they felt a strong grip on their arms, pulling them back to safety. They looked up to see the familiar face of the old man who had warned them about the trolls.

“Quick, this way!” he shouted, leading them away from the bridge and towards a hidden path.

They ran after him, their hearts pounding with fear and adrenaline. The trolls were still chasing them, but they were getting farther and farther away. Finally, they reached a hidden cave where the old man had been living.

“We’ll be safe here,” he said, closing the entrance behind them.

Lily and Jack collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from their narrow escape. They looked up at the old man, grateful for his help.

“Who are you?” Jack asked, trying to catch his breath.

The old man smiled and said, “My name is Arden, and I’ve been living in these mountains for many years. I know how to survive in these dangerous lands.”

Jack and Lily nodded, feeling relieved that they had found a way to safety. But they knew that they still had a long journey ahead of them, and many more dangers to face.

Katie turned to Will, her heart racing with fear. "What are we going to do? We can't just sit here and wait for them to find us."

Will furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "We have to find a way to signal for help. Maybe we can start a fire, or use a flare."

"But what if they see the smoke or the flare?" Katie asked, her voice trembling.

Will's expression softened as he took her hand. "Then we'll deal with it together. We'll make a plan and stick to it. We can't let fear control us."

Katie felt a sense of comfort wash over her at Will's words. She nodded, determination settling in her chest. "You're right. We have to be smart and stay strong."

Together, they gathered sticks and leaves, building a small pile in the centre of the clearing. Will pulled out a lighter from his backpack and lit the pile on fire. The flames grew quickly, sending plumes of smoke into the air.

Katie watched nervously as the smoke rose higher and higher, feeling exposed and vulnerable. But she trusted Will and knew they had to take this risk.

As they waited for a rescue team to arrive, they sat by the fire, sharing stories and memories of their time. Despite the danger they were in, they found comfort in each other's company and the hope of being rescued.

But as the night drew on, the rescue team still hadn't arrived. Katie's stomach sank with dread, wondering if they had been forgotten.

Suddenly, they heard rustling in the bushes. Will and Katie jumped up, on high alert. But as a figure emerged from the trees, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god," Will said, running towards the rescuer. "We've been waiting here all night."

The rescuer looked at them with confusion. "What are you talking about? We didn't get any distress signal from you. We're out here looking for a missing hiker."

Katie and Will's faces paled with horror as they realized their mistake. They had set off the signal fire but in the wrong direction. They were lost, alone, and in even greater danger than before.

As soon as they reached the door, they found it was locked. Jack tried to force it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"We need to find another way in," he said, turning to Maya. "Any ideas?"

Maya looked around and spotted an open window on the second floor. "We could climb up there," she suggested.

"Good idea," Jack agreed.

They hurried around the building to the side where the window was located. Jack hoisted Maya up to the ledge, and she scrambled through the open window.

"Okay, I'm in," she called out.

Jack quickly climbed up after her and dropped to the floor inside the building. They found themselves in a small room with a door leading to the hallway.

"Let's go," Jack said, leading the way out of the room and into the hall.

They moved cautiously down the hall, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the kidnapper or his victim. As they approached the end of the hall, they heard a faint sound coming from one of the nearby rooms.

"Sounds like someone's in there," Maya whispered.

Jack nodded and slowly pushed open the door. They found themselves in a large, dimly lit room. In the centre of the room, they saw the kidnapper, holding a knife to the throat of a young woman.

"Let her go," Jack demanded, pulling out his gun.

The kidnapper turned to face them, his eyes widening in surprise. He hesitated for a moment, then shoved the girl towards them and bolted for the door.

Jack fired a shot, but the kidnapper had already disappeared into the darkness.

Maya rushed over to the girl and helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

The girl nodded shakily. "Thank you," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Jack and Maya led her out of the building and into the waiting police cars outside. As they drove away, Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. They had saved the girl's life, but the kidnapper was still out there, and they had no idea where he had gone.

As the team reached the end of the tunnel, they saw a dim light coming from the other side. As they got closer, they realized that it was a room. They cautiously entered the room and looked around, trying to assess the situation.

The room was empty except for a large computer screen on the far wall. As they approached the screen, it flickered to life, and a distorted voice filled the room.

"Greetings, seekers. I have been waiting for you."

The team exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, the floor beneath them started to shake, and the walls began to close in.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Emma yelled.

But as they turned to leave, they found that the door was locked. They were trapped.

The walls were closing in fast, and the team knew that they had to act quickly if they wanted to survive. They looked around for anything that could help them escape, but the room was empty.

As the walls closed in, the team frantically searched for a way out. Suddenly, the computer screen flickered again, and the distorted voice spoke once more.

"Time is running out. You have only one chance to escape. Solve my riddle, and the door will open."

The team huddled together, trying to think of a solution. They knew that their lives depended on it.

As Jane walked cautiously towards the opening of the cave, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the silhouette of a figure emerging from the darkness. Her heart raced as she realized it was none other than Mark, the man she thought was dead.

"Mark, is that you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's me, Jane," he replied, his voice weak. "I didn't die in that explosion like everyone thought. They left me for dead, but I managed to survive and find my way back here."

Jane felt a surge of emotion as she looked into Mark's eyes. She had thought she had lost him forever, and now here he was, standing in front of her. She took a step towards him, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"Wait," he said. "I need to tell you something. Something important."

"What is it?" Jane asked, her heart pounding.

"Those people who left me for dead, they're coming back," Mark said. "They're looking for something, and they won't stop until they find it."

"What are they looking for?" Jane asked, her mind racing.

"I don't know," Mark replied. "But I overheard them talking about a map. A map that leads to something valuable. I think they believe it's hidden here, in this cave."

Jane felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that if these people found what they were looking for, it could be dangerous for everyone involved.

"We have to stop them," she said, determination in her voice.

"I agree," Mark said. "But we can't do it alone. We need to find the others and make a plan."

Jane nodded in agreement, and together they set off deeper into the cave, determined to find their friends and stop the intruders before it was too late.

As the team approached the entrance of the abandoned building, they could hear faint noises coming from inside. Ryan signalled for everyone to stop and listen.

"Do you guys hear that?" he whispered.

The team nodded in agreement, their hearts pounding with anticipation.

"We need to be careful," Ryan cautioned. "There's no telling what's waiting for us inside."

With their weapons at the ready, the team made their way inside the building. The sound grew louder and more distinct with every step they took. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them.

"Freeze!" Ryan shouted, pointing his weapon at the figure.

The figure turned out to be a scared and confused teenager, who had wandered into the building by mistake.

"Please don't shoot," the teenager begged. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Ryan lowered his weapon and looked at the teenager with a mixture of relief and concern.

"Are you alone?" he asked.

The teenager nodded. "I was just exploring and I got lost," he explained.

Ryan sighed. "Alright, we're going to help you get out of here," he said, motioning for the rest of the team to follow him.

As they made their way back to the entrance, the team could hear more noises coming from deeper inside the building. They knew they had to investigate, but now they had a young civilian to worry about.

Lina quickly took charge, "We need a medic here, stat!"

One of the other team members began to apply pressure to the wound while Lina surveyed the area. The hit squad had come prepared, with advanced weaponry and explosives. It was clear that they had been sent by someone with significant resources.

Lina's mind raced as she tried to piece together who could be behind such an attack. She had made many enemies over the years, but this felt different. It was too coordinated, too well-planned.

As the medic arrived and began to work on the wounded team member, Lina continued to survey the scene. She noticed a small, inconspicuous device lying near one of the fallen hit squad members. It looked like some sort of tracking device, but she couldn't be sure.

"Bag that device," she ordered one of her team members, "and send it to the lab for analysis. We need to figure out who's behind this."

Just then, her phone rang. It was an unknown number, but she answered it anyway.

"Hello?" she said, her voice tense.

"Lina," a familiar voice spoke on the other end, "it's been a while."

It was none other than her arch-nemesis, the one who had eluded her for so long.

"What do you want?" Lina asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your latest victory," the voice said, "but don't get too comfortable. This is far from over."

And with that, the line went dead.

Lina gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew that her fight with this person was far from over. But for now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She had a team member who was fighting for his life, and a mystery to solve. She wouldn't rest until she had answers

John felt a sharp pain in his chest as he looked up at the strange figure in front of him. He tried to speak, but his throat felt tight and dry. The figure spoke in a deep, guttural voice, "You should not have come here."

John struggled to catch his breath as he stumbled backwards, trying to put some distance between himself and the figure. He felt a cold sweat break out all over his body as he realized that he was in danger.

"I-I didn't mean to intrude," he stammered, "I was just looking for someone, I thought maybe they might be here."

The figure stepped closer, and John could see now that it was a man, dressed in black robes that seemed to swallow up the light. His face was obscured by shadows, but John could feel the intensity of his gaze.

"Who are you looking for?" the man asked, his voice low and dangerous.

John hesitated, unsure if he should reveal anything. But he knew that he was in no position to argue and that his only chance of getting out of here alive was to cooperate.

"A woman," he said, "I think she might be in trouble. Her name is Sarah."

The man's eyes narrowed, and John could see a glint of something dark and sinister in them.

"Sarah," he repeated, "I do not know this name. But I can show you something, perhaps it will help you find what you seek."

He motioned for John to follow him, and John hesitated for a moment before reluctantly falling into step behind the man. He had no idea where he was going, or what kind of horrors awaited him at the end of this journey, but he knew that he had to keep moving forward if he wanted to find Sarah.

As they walked deeper into the darkness, John's fear only grew stronger. He could barely see his hand in front of his face, and the only sound he could hear was the sound of his breathing.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance, and the man quickened his pace, pulling John along with him. As they drew closer, John could make out a large room illuminated by torches mounted on the walls.

In the centre of the room, Sarah sat bound to a chair, tears streaming down her face. The man who had kidnapped her stood in front of her, a twisted smile on his face.

John's heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation. He knew that he had to act fast if he wanted to save Sarah from whatever fate awaited her.

Without hesitation, John charged towards the man, tackling him to the ground and freeing Sarah from her bindings. They quickly made their way towards the exit, but the man was hot on their heels.

As they burst out into the night air, John and Sarah could hear the man shouting in anger behind them. They ran as fast as they could, not stopping until they were safely away from the building and out of harm's way.

Breathless and shaking, John and Sarah collapsed on the ground, relieved to have escaped with their lives.

But even in the safety of the night, John knew that they were still not out of danger. The man who had kidnapped Sarah was still out there, and he would not rest until he had exacted his revenge.