Nao-Zai got tired of craning his neck, knowing full well everything he had seen and he would see would be a ceiling of dark earth. Debris rained over his head with every thundering footsteps the boar man in front of him made. Flickering light from the torches the other people carried reflected shadows against the narrow walls of the passage.

His hands rested on the hilt of his sword, finding comfort on the piece of wood wrapped with tanned leather. They had been walking for over an hour and there weren't any changes in his surroundings except for a random protruding tree root or a colony of burrowing worms disturbed from their nest. For all Nao-Zai knew, these animal hybrids were only leading him in circles until he collapsed of thirst or lack of air.

True enough, the air in the tunnel was thin, carrying the faint smell of upturned dirt, decomposing leaves, and an odd whiff of blood. Did someone die somewhere above them? A shiver ran down Nao-Zai's spine. Best to not think about that.

Another set of thundering footsteps resounded in front of him. He stared at the broad back of the boar man. It seemed to be the leader of this specific platoon, seeing as how the other hybrids steered clear of his way or threw admiring gazes his way. Nao-Zai still didn't know its name or even what it was.

"Excuse me," Nao-Zai cleared his throat as he lengthened his steps to catch up to the boar man. The curved tusks looked even more menacing in the limited light from the torches. "Where are you taking me? I hope it's not towards my deathbed."

A huge grumble that Nao-Zai could only associate with laughter rumbled deep in the boar man's throat. "No, young human," it said. "We are dropping by to our safehouses where you will prove your worth to our cause. If you prove yourself to be a liability, we'll revisit that deathbed talk."

Nao-Zai swallowed against the growing lump in his throat. "Okay, um," he blurted, his mind running wild just to divert the topic away from his impending death. "What exactly do you need from me? Just who are you? What are you?"

The boar man stopped so abruptly Nao-Zai almost slammed against his meaty back. Nao-Zai scampered back when the boar man whipped towards him. "I am Gang Sen of the Jou Mei clan from Shencai," he roared, enough to send all of Nao-Zai's blood cells away from his face. "And we are the Liberation Army. We fight to establish Shencai away from Dansarun's control. We will see our beloved empire back from its former glory, free from the grasps of heathens."

Then, their walk resumed when Gang Sen snatched a torch from a lanky man with a snake for a head. "Whoever it is you're trying to get out of Urkaze, they're in big trouble," he said, his deep voice echoing against the thick, earthen walls. "It seemed like your friend was roped into Dansarun's scheme. It's like stringing two beads in one strand. This way, they can root us out and take over Xuijae at the same time. You pipers are from the west, correct?"

Nao-Zai bobbed his head even though Gang Sen wouldn't probably see it. "Yes, we are," he said. "Why do you think Xuijae would crumble if Dansarun touched one of its citizens?"

"Dansarun has been trying to wrestle control from the west for the longest time," Gang Sen said, his grim tone doing nothing to ease Nao-Zai's nerves. "Getting a human hostage from the human Empire seemed to be the perfect chance you and your friends have provided. Bad timing."

It was bad timing, indeed. As it was, Nao-Zai was tempted to think Dansarun's request for trade partnerships with Xuijae had been a deliberate attempt at undermining the Empire's sovereignty. Whether or not Kai-Se ended up telling stories, he would be destined to be trapped in Urkaze until Xuijae gives in.

That, or Xuijae goes to war with Dansarun. Both didn't sound so good considering Xuijae knew nothing of Dansarun's strength and the latter probably had spent thousands of years studying the Empire for any weaknesses they could exploit.

"It would be best to hurry, then," Nao-Zai said.

Gang Sen only bobbed his head, the hairs lining the space between the ears atop his head twitching with what scant breeze blew past them in their walk.

Minutes passed without much activity except well...walking. After a while, when Nao-Zai couldn't take the silence anymore, he ran his hands against the rough surface of the wall and asked, "So what's the difference between the animals we have seen and you...uh, can I call you hybrids?"

"We'd rather you not," Gang Sen answered after a full minute. "The citizens of Shencai are called beings or creatures. Pin-ren is used to refer to people who looked closer to humans with often animal heads. That's us. Meanwhile, those who resembled the creatures of lore more, they're called Hui-Xe. There is a small faction of shapeshifters, or people who could go back and forth between these forms. They're called Dam-deok."

Nao-Zai's head whirled with the introduction of this new information. This wasn't relayed in the texts the scholars wrote of Shencai. All his life, he thought of these creatures as merely animals with no intelligence and lived in the middle of the forest, giving in to their desires to hunt and kill without prejudice. But now...

Now, he realized they were people too. And as people, they have a need for their basic rights such as freedom.

"Under each type, there are clans we belong to," Gang Sen explained, seemingly stimulated by the sudden interest in his people. "I'm from the Jou Mei clan, where we all have boar heads. Ka-Ji here," he tapped the man with the snake head whose slitted irises moved to regard the leader. "Is a member of the Pu-Gurye clan. Snakeheads, as we refer to them."

Snakeheads, huh?

"And here we are," Gang Sen stopped in front of another wall of dirt. All around Nao-Zai, the people with various animal heads stopped in anticipation as well. Nao-Zai was about to open his mouth to ask where in the spirits' asses was "here" when Gang Sen raised his hand and slammed his fist into the wall.

Nao-Zai jumped at the booming sound that washed over the space. He gazed up at the ceiling when heavier debris fell over him in a distinct crackle. Wouldn't the ceiling give way if Gang Sen kept doing that?

Instead, the wall of compact dirt stayed put. Then, before Nao-Zai's eyes, it slid to the right by some magic, revealing a spacious cavern illuminated by more lit torches. Chairs carved from fallen tree trunks as well as cushions and mats procured from bamboo and cotton littered the floor, from one corner to the next.

Someone jostled Nao-Zai's shoulder on his way towards a wooden chair. The others muttered a sigh of relief and disappeared into the connecting tunnels and other parts of the walls. A series of loud knocks ensued and more doors slid back to give way to more tunnels.

Cool.

"This way," Gang Sen said, drawing Nao-Zai's attention away from the magical soil walls. Whatever they were, Xuijae could sure use these mechanisms in their hidden bases in the advent of war. What a good investment. Perhaps Nao-Zai would make the suggestion to the Emperor himself.

That was, if he and Kai-Se got out of here in one piece. And judging from their current circumstance, that would be a huge if.

Gang Sen led Nao-Zai into a narrower and shorter tunnel. Would the leader not get stuck somewhere in this tunnel if it continued to shrink? To his relief, the tunnels' walls stayed in their lanes even if they succeeded in making Nao-Zai feel stuffy and somewhat claustrophobic. He wasn't afraid of tight spaces. He was afraid of being buried alive in said tight space.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came across another wall. This time, it was already slid back, showing Nao-Zai a view of a smaller room with a single, round table in the middle. Inside, a creature with a ram head pored over a large spread of what looked like a rough sketch of Dansarun. Or Urkaze. Nao-Zai was too far out to see properly.

"Hey, Gang Sen," the ram-headed man said. His eyes looked even more human than that of Gang Sen with its doe-brown shade. "Who's the human? Are you sure it's a good idea to bring him here?"

Gang Sen strode to a rack with all kinds of swords, maces, and axes slotted and shed off his sword belt. Metal clinked against metal as his sheathed weapon made contact. "I've scored gold with this one," he said., striding towards the table. With a jerk of his head, Nao-Zai jogged to catch up. "This one has been inside Urkaze over the past week. If we could move forward with the plan, now's the best time."

The ram-headed man seemed to consider it. After a while, he nodded at Nao-Zai. The horns curving from his hairline and by his temples looked dull against the dim light of the torches. Nevertheless, they still looked like they could split Nao-Zai in half should the ram-headed man willed it.

"What is the best entry way to Urkaze and the Imperial grounds?" the ram-headed man asked.

"Now, Pik Shaek," Gang Sen patted the ram on the shoulder as a proof of their friendship. "Let the man breathe. Ask him about the layout, first. This map may be outdated."

Pik Shake huffed, his dark nostrils flaring but he obliged. "What does Urkaze look like now?"

Nao-Zai resisted the urge to ask if they were doing this for a long time enough for the city to change at a grand pace but decided against it. He might piss them off. "There's some details I won't be able to provide," Nao-Zai said, sort of like a disclaimer. "I wasn't able to memorize the places I haven't been to."

"Don't worry about that," Gang-Sen waved his hand in the air. "All information is vital. We have scouts to confirm your report."

"What do you need me for, then?" Nao-Zai countered. "If you have spies, that is.

Pik Shaek bared his teeth. Suddenly, Nao-Zai wasn't fond of seeing a ram ever again. "Most of them are barred from entering the Imperial palace," he said. "If what you're saying is correct, and if Gang Sen was stupid enough to trust the words of the stranger, you're the only one who had made it inside the gods' stronghold and made it here."

"Would you kill me if you found something else out?" Nao-Zai blurted.

Gang Sen's eyes hardened. "If we found out you're lying," he said. "Then, yes. This tunnel will be your deathbed."

Nao-Zai's breath hitched. He shouldn't have asked that but, oh well.

"So tell us what you know, human," Pik Shaek said.

Nao-Zai blew a breath. "Give me the map."

And the next hour was filled with him talking about the walls, the sky bridges, the moat, and the boats crossing the wide waters. Gang-Sen grilled him about the guards, the soldiers on patrol, and the number of houses on the streets. Pik Shaek grunted and revised his crude map.

Then, when they finished, Pik Shaek held up the revised version against the dancing light of one of the torches. "At last," he breathed. Then, he turned to Gang Sen and they exchanged a nod. "Gather the troops. It's time to attack."

The ram-headed man strode out of the room, leaving Nao-Zai and Gang Sen alone. The boar-headed man bared his teeth, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a smile. "Let's go and get your friend, too," he said.

Nao-Zai smiled back and bobbed his head.

Kai-Se, hang in there. Just a little more.