Family system-Chapter 202: the price of defying the divine

The rebels moved deeper into the castle. Each corridor they entered was full of a suffocating sense of luxury, an aura that mocked the people’s struggles outside these walls. Despite their progress, tension hung heavy; the Arbiter’s location remained unknown.

"Where are they hiding?" Kael muttered, his grip tightening on his sword as he led the charge through a richly decorated hallway. The walls were filled with art showing grandiose, fictionalized victories of the Arbiters. Kael sneered at one depicting an Arbiter standing triumphant over a faceless horde. "Cowards," he spat. "They hide behind luxury while others fight their battles."

A group of guards suddenly emerged from a concealed door at the far end of the hall. These were the elite, clad in beautiful armor inscribed with runes. Their movements were smooth, and they wielded weapons that crackled with mana.

"Form up!" Kael shouted, raising his sword. The rebels quickly fell into formation, shields interlocking as the guards advanced. The clash was brutal, the elite guards fighting with discipline that rivaled the rebels’ determination.

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Hana darted around the edge of the fight, her movements fluid as she looked at the battlefield. She spotted one guard barking orders to the others and moved swiftly. Her dagger flashed, and the officer fell, silencing their coordination. The rebels seized the opening, moving forward to overwhelm the remaining guards.

Lysara wiped her blades clean on a nearby painting as the last of them fell. "They’re stalling us," she said. "Trying to buy the Arbiters time."

"Then we don’t give them any," Hana replied sharply, stepping over the fallen guards. "They can’t hide forever."

The rebels moved from hall to hall, clearing each room they entered. One room held a grand piano carved from rare wood, its keys inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Another had an indoor fountain that flowed with perfumed water, the basin lined with gold.

"This isn’t just wealth," one rebel muttered, shaking his head in disgust as they passed a room filled with jeweled goblets. "This is madness."

They encountered resistance again in the upper levels. Guards poured out of passages, some accompanied by small constructs that whirred and clanked as they charged into the battle. The rebels fought hard, their anger fueling their attacks. With his blade, Kael took the lead again, striking down a guard who tried to regroup his comrades.

Hana stayed close to the walls. She easily killed guards, her dagger finding weak points in their armor. As she paused to catch her breath, she noticed another hidden door. Pressing her ear to it, she heard muffled voices inside.

"Here," she whispered to Kael, pointing to the door.

Kael nodded, signaling for a group of rebels to flank the entrance. He opened the door, revealing a small council room where several guards stood around a map table. The guards drew their weapons, but the rebels moved in, overwhelming them in a swift but brutal battle.

Hana scanned the room, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a map showing escape routes leading out of the castle. "They’re trying to flee," she said, holding up the map.

"Not if we find them first," Kael growled.

The rebels continued their sweep of the castle, fighting through more elite guards and uncovering more hidden rooms. Each battle wore on their strength.

As they reached the central wing of the castle, the resistance encountered the fiercest opposition yet. A group of heavily armed guards, accompanied by towering constructs, stood barring their path. The constructs’ glowing cores pulsed ominously, and the guards’ armor shimmered with enchantments.

"Hold nothing back!" Kael roared, charging forward.

The hallway erupted as the rebels clashed with the guards and constructs. Arrows and bolts flew through the air, striking the constructs’ joints and cores. Rebels moved in groups, using coordinated strikes to take down the towering machines. The guards fought fiercely, their enchanted weapons cutting through rebel shields.

Hana moved with deadly precision, weaving through the chaos to strike at the guards’ exposed flanks. She threw a dagger, its blade sinking into the core of a construct. The machine shuddered and collapsed, its glow fading.

As the last guard fell, the rebels stood panting and bloodied. Their numbers thinned, but their resolve remained unbroken.

"They’re close," Kael said, his voice firm despite exhaustion. "We’ve come too far to let them escape."

.

The Arbiters stumbled through a hidden passage, the flickering light of their lantern casting long shadows on the damp stone walls. Their once-pristine robes were now wrinkled and dirtied, clinging uncomfortably to their bloated forms as they hurried deeper into the labyrinth beneath the castle.

"How could this have happened?" bellowed the central Arbiter, his face red with exertion and fury. He leaned heavily on a jeweled cane, the gem at its head glinting even in the dim light. "The gods choose us! These vermin should never have gotten this far!"

"They shouldn’t have," muttered the skeletal Arbiter at his side, his voice sharp with indignation. He adjusted the collar of his robe, which hung loosely on his frail frame. "If not for the incompetence of our commanders and the treachery in our ranks, this rebellion would have been quashed long ago."

"Always treachery," snapped a round-faced Arbiter, his jowls quivering as he panted to keep up. "It’s not our fault the guards are so... so spineless! And those blasted constructs—why did they fail us? They were supposed to be unstoppable!"

"Because the rebels destroyed the conduits, you fool!" hissed the skeletal Arbiter, his thin lips curling in disdain. "Perhaps if you hadn’t insisted on cutting costs for their upkeep to fund your gallery of ridiculous paintings, we wouldn’t be in this position!"

"Ridiculous?" The round-faced Arbiter’s voice rose in an indignant squeak. "Those works are invaluable cultural treasures! Unlike your idiotic schemes to invest in mana-intensive constructs when simpler defenses would have sufficed!"

"Enough!" roared the central Arbiter, his cane striking the stone floor with a sharp crack that echoed through the passage. "Arguing won’t change the fact that our castle is under siege, and we are being hunted like common criminals!"

The Arbiters fell silent, though their resentment simmered in the air. The passage grew narrower, the walls slick with moisture. The central Arbiter grimaced his nose wrinkling. "What is this stench? Are we crawling through a sewer?"

"Not quite," said another Arbiter, a portly man with a nasal voice, as he squinted at the darkened passage ahead. "This leads to the harbor tunnels. A boat awaits us there. It was supposed to be for... dignified retreats, not this."

"Dignified retreats," the central Arbiter mocked, his voice dripping with venom. "Call it what it is—cowardice! Running like rats when we should be ruling with an iron fist!"

"And whose fault is we’re running?" the skeletal Arbiter snapped. "You and your endless feasts, your constant indulgence while the rebels grew stronger! We warned you to take the rebellion seriously, but no—you were too busy stuffing your face and—"

The central Arbiter rounded on him, his face a mask of fury. "Watch your tongue! If you think for a moment—"

A distant rumble interrupted him, another explosion shaking the passage. Dust and small stones rained from the ceiling, and the Arbiters collectively froze, their earlier bravado replaced by wide-eyed fear.

"They’re getting closer," whispered the round-faced Arbiter, his voice trembling.

"Then move faster!" barked the central Arbiter, shoving him forward.

They pressed on, their steps quickening as shouting and clashing weapons grew louder behind them. Despite their fear, they clung stubbornly to their delusions.

"This rebellion is a passing storm," muttered the skeletal Arbiter as if convincing himself. "They can’t possibly sustain this level of aggression. Once we regroup, we’ll unleash the full might of the constructs—"

"—that no longer works because the conduits are gone!" interrupted the round-faced Arbiter. "And whose fault is that? Certainly not mine!"

"You’re all useless!" the central Arbiter snarled. "Do you hear me? Useless! If I weren’t surrounded by incompetence, we wouldn’t be here, skulking like thieves!"

A few paces ahead, the portly Arbiter stopped suddenly, his face pale. "The boat," he whispered. "It’s gone."

The others stumbled to a halt, their expressions ranging from disbelief to panic. The central Arbiter stormed past him, peering into the dark chamber that opened to the harbor. Indeed, the small dock was empty, the water lapping quietly against its sides. A faint scorch mark on the wooden planks told the story: the rebels had found and destroyed their means of escape.

"No!" the central Arbiter roared, echoing through the chamber. "This cannot be! We are the Arbiters! We are chosen!"

"And the gods," the skeletal Arbiter murmured bitterly, his shoulders slumping, "seem to have abandoned us."

For a moment, the group stood in stunned silence, the weight of their situation pressing down on them like a physical force. Then the central Arbiter straightened, his expression hardening.

"If we are to fall," he said, his voice low and cold, "we will not do so like frightened rats. We will make them bleed for this insolence. Gather whatever weapons you can find. Let us remind these rebels why we are chosen."

The other Arbiters hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances. But the sound of approaching footsteps and rebel voices growing louder spurred them into action. They began rummaging through the nearby storeroom, arming themselves with swords and daggers that gleamed in the dim light.

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The central Arbiter gripped his jeweled cane tightly, his eyes narrowing. "They think they can take everything from us," he muttered. "But they will see... the price of defying the divine."