Imperials Vs. Sentinels- part 4- The Valiant and the Faithful

Part 6- One last hope

Darkness had descended over Verana as night fell, giving Xavier and Luca the chance they wanted. Quietly and cautiously, they made their way to the headquarters of their last true friend: Ryan of the Flaming arrow. He'd help them, surely. Once he heard what Shade had done, he'd turn his back on him, just as Shade had on Xavier and the queen.

They approached the front entrance, and careful not to be seen in the torchlight. Xavier cautiously knocked on the door, a Blazekin opening it.
"Commander Xavier? And Luca? What are you doing here? We thought you'd gone."
The archer told them.
"We did, but we've come back. Is Ryan here?"
Luca replied.
"Yes, let me get him for you."
Moments later, Ryan appeared at the door.
"It's good to see you again, but you shouldn't be here. Shade has the entire army on the lookout for you."
Ryan told them.
"We haven't much time. We need to speak with you, now."
Xavier said to him, urgency in his voice. Ryan nodded.
"You'd better come inside."

After expressing their desire to leave Verana behind and their feelings on Ryan joining them, Ryan knew why they'd come.
"I know why you want to overthrow him, and I understand that you also want to leave. But the flaming arrow isn't going anywhere."
Ryan told them.
"Ryan, you can't seriously mean you're going to support Shade."
Xavier said, worried. Ryan nodded.
"We are. The flaming arrow is loyal to whoever is in charge, regardless of who it is or how they got there. We need money to thrive, and
our headquarters is worth too much to leave behind. A force this large wouldn't be able to sneak out of the nation undetected. I'm sorry, but I can't leave. We serve Shade now."
Xavier felt defeated inside. Without any support, Shade's regime would be unstoppable, unless another force clashed with it.
"You should leave while you can. There's quite a price on you two, and I'm not sure I can keep my group from revealing your location."
Xavier and Luca nodded understandably.

"I wish you both the best possible future given the circumstances. Maybe we'll see each other again."
Ryan told them at the door.
"Speed and fortune to you both."
Ryan said to them before closing the door. Luca and Xavier then slipped back into the night, using the cover of darkness to cover their escape.

A discussion quickly arose in the flaming arrow in regard to whether or not they should report Xavier and Luca's presence to Shade. After debating it, it was denied.
"If Shade thinks we're lying, he'll have us all killed."
One archer argued.
"But if we keep it from him and he finds out that we are, he'll have us all killed as well."
Another protested. Ryan stepped up.
"Nobody will know if you don't tell them. I still respect them, and it isn't worth risking. This secret stays with us."
The group agreed and the conversation ended.

Xavier and Luca weren't done, however. They approached the underground dungeon entrance, located at ground level at the bottom of the palace, with a downward staircase and tunnel that lead to it. Luca silenced the guard that was stationed outside the door before opening the door just a crack to peek inside.
"There are two guards in the cell block. The barracks door is closed though. If we can kill or incapacitate the guards, we might be able to free the prisoners without any more bloodshed."
Luca suggested. Both knew that getting it wrong would alert the rest of the palace that they were there and their escape would be a lot harder. They had to do it right. After waiting for a long period of time, the guards changed shifts. Luca and Xavier quickly made their way to the barracks door and hid behind it, and two new guards came out, closing the door. Hidden in the shadows, the two waited to strike.
"How did that door open?"
One guard asked, pointing to the dungeon entrance, which had the door wide open.
"Probably just the wind."
The other guard replied, going to close it. Xavier waited until he was behind the guard, lunging at him when the time was right. Luca did the same, killing the guards before they could make a sound. Luca very quietly jammed the barracks door shut while Xavier stole a jail cell key, freeing the prisoners, much to their surprise. As the prisoners left the cell, they heard two more guards heading down the stairway from throne room above.
"Where are you two? You're supposed to be on guard upstairs."
A voice called from the stairwell.
"Go! Quickly!"
Luca whispered, ushering the prisoners out through the entrance they'd come in from. The guards found the cell block completely empty, two guards dead and the barracks door jammed shut, a guard from the inside attempting to break the door down.
"Quickly, alert the garrison! We've got intruders!"
The guard nodded, running through a tunnel leading to the armoury. The guard was halfway to the barracks door before Xavier jumped from the shadows, cutting him down. The door then caved in, having Xavier in plain sight for three guards to see. After standing still for a few seconds, Xavier bolted to the door, making it out before hearing a bell ringing loudly.
"Oh no..."
He recognised that bell. Luca and the other prisoners were heading for the mountain pass to freedom, but the garrison was close behind them, between them and Xavier. The guards behind him were beginning to fall behind. Xavier had to lose them. After reaching a small town, he ducked into alleys and cut corners, eventually leaving the guards' field of view. He took shelter in an alley and watched them run past him, finally being able to go and rejoin the rest of the group. That wasn't going to be easy, however. After all, there was an entire garrison after them.

Luca and the others eventually outran the garrison, getting split up in the process. Eventually, they reunited one by one, having all but a few members of the group return. One absence was more important, however.
"Where's Xavier?"
Luca asked. He was still gone.

Not a mile away, Xavier was making progress, but the garrison had disbanded to look for any stragglers that may have fallen behind, like he had. He was too late to save one who was killed instantly, and another who was too heavily guarded to free alone.
"I'm sorry, but I can't save you alone."
He whispered to himself, watching the guards beat him while he lay on the ground, clearly in pain. It took a while, but eventually he passed the last guards, hiding behind a bush and standing up once he was clear. He joined the group soon after, seeing a fair few still with Luca.

As the sun began to rise, the prisoners headed through the mountains, setting off to new countries and beginning their lives as free Pokemon. Xavier and Luca followed them. They turned a corner and suddenly stopped when they saw a Pokemon waiting for them.
"Why?"
Was all she asked.
"Why did you free me?"
Xavier and Luca turned to see Braixen, Kraven's mate.
"We were saving everyone. You included. We weren't just going to let Shade kill you."
Xavier told her. She stood up straight after leaning against the cliff face behind her.
"Didn't you want to kill me? Why not leave me there and let Shade do it, or did you bring me out here to do it yourself?"
She was still suspicious. She was unarmed, having her weapons still stored in the palace armoury.
"I'm not interested in killing you. Neither is Luca. Your weapons will be hard to get; the palace will be highly alert. It's best if you just go on without them. Go and live a new, peaceful life."
Xavier told her.
"Just as Luca and I will."
She thought for a moment.
"Perhaps. I might go back and steal a ship. My son is still out there."
She leered at Xavier after finishing her sentence.
"You can only hope, but Shade is a worse criminal than you now, hiding it behind the crown and cape he now wears, and the title he gave himself and forced the public to accept. I don't know how he got away with it."
Xavier commented. Braixen simply frowned.
"As much as I'd love to stay and talk, I really don't like you. You know why."
Xavier nodded.
"And so..."
He ushered her to go on.
"So I'm leaving. I'm going to steal a ship and look for my son. I hope you find peace, I guess. I really don't care."
She told them.
"I suppose I should thank you for rescuing me. Let's hope that's the last time I see you."
She then began to walk down the path the way they came.
"Hey, Braixen."
Xavier called to her, causing her to turn around.
"Take care of yourself."
He told her.
"We won't be coming to save you if you get captured again."
She looked at him coldly before huffing and walking away.

Xavier and Luca walked in the other direction, toward peace and freedom. Verana was no longer their home, but that didn't matter anymore. With no connection to the nation they once lived in holding them back, home could be anywhere they wanted it to be.