During all the events involving the High Elves and the humans, the other team responsible for infiltrating the clan started their mission as soon as they departed from the twins.
At the forest, still coated by Ímicy's spell of invisibility, they followed their commander briefly before haunting their steps at her order. Finnaly, they reached one of the last places coated by the forest near the Frontier, now visible to everyone.
Any of them had never been so close from it before, and everyone thought the same thing: it's fame could never achieve it's looks.
A long and tall wall extended by thousands of miles and thousands of meters before them, it's bronze brilliance being more evident under the sunlight. It really seemed true the stories about it's origin, as the wall looked a lot like a mountain sculpted at the dwarves's style to become a fortress, the rustic carves outside contrasting the richness of the material, the Fire Stone, almost impossible to extract nowadays. And the Fiamma Clan had a hole wall surrounding their territory, as well as exclusive mines of the rare stone, one of the greatest motives for the Elfic Empire to invade. But the team of spies didn't know it, as they believed the "greater cause" of peace from the Empire.
But that is not important for you all to know right now, let me get back at the story. Where was I? Oh yes, sorry...
Back to the team's mission of infiltration, they contemplated the grandness of the wall called Frontier, as well as the soldiers from various ranks moving above the Frontier working as protectors, with the soldiers below scopping the open gates at the center and the travelers that arrived with their baggages, in their majority merchants. Some group of soldiers entered and exited other minor gates, propably heading for their training sessions while being guided from their superiors.
The color difference was visible, acording to the rank difference. The majority had a armor copper color from head to toe, while the few superiors outside the walls had some white and yellow colors on their uniform according to their functions. But all the officials except the trainees had the fire fenix at their chest, indicating their full loyalty for the army and the clan's safety.
Ímicy locked eyes at a certain group heading inside, their distance not so far from them. Making a signal to the group to follow her, she made a head signal to Vromikó, to make an Sound Blocking spell with his air magic; she did the same to Mikró, that meant for him to modify the earth below them, avoinding footsteps or dust going to the air while they walked.
Without the need to gesture at Áspro, the Dark Elf understood her Captain's intentions and emited an subtle and weak dark mana around the group: weak to be detected, but strong enough to subconciously make people walk away from their location. Nodding in approval, she signaled for them to move forward.
They followed the group like ghosts, no one noticing their presence. The group of soldiers stopped in front of the enormous gate, waiting for the two soldiers guarding it to open for them. The two meters tall muscular guard at their right head-signaled for his colleague, that repeated the gesture and helped the first guard to open the gate.
The bronze-like gate had triple the size of the tallest guard, and it seemed very difficult to open it, even for them, that had sweat over their heads and arms from the effort. Ímicy thanked herself in her mind for choosing a subtle aproach for the infiltration: they would never open it by themselves and escape from the attacks of the Fiamma army at the same time.
After some seconds, the gate staeted to open gradually, each second seeming more easy for the guards. In ten seconds, it oppened completely, revealing the inside.
If the outer area of the frontier seemed busy from the trainee soldiers and magnificent due to the bronze-like rocks, the interior was even greater.
The rustic-like work at the outer area was gone, being replaced by refined constructions that would remember someone from Earth the gothic-like constructions, the tall and sharp towers almost identical to the towers they saw in the distance. Right in front of them was some big training areas (that would fit one hundred men standing up in a circle formation) were delimited each by a big magical dome colored in red, orange and yellow like stained glasses, that gave an even more similar look to a church in gothic style.
Inside the training domes, soldiers trained alone, in duos, trios or groups, while thousands of other people (even civilians) passed by these domes or the vitral-like windows in the distant towers to do their duties in an almost perfect sincronizes work.
"Just like a beehive" - Ímicy tought to herself in the tree seconds looking at the area. Signaling for the group to move forward, they followed closely to the group of soldiers, while the gate closed slowly behind them.
Now inside the clan, Mikró put his hands to the ground and detected a construction: a small tower in their North East, seemingly empty. They moved torwards there, scoping the surroundings one more time and locked themselves in a room at the ground floor.
Ímicy desrupted the enchantment and took four little bottles with a dark crimson liquid inside it, giving one to each person and keeping the last. Sensing the confused looks from the rest of the group, she explained:
- This is some blood from humans that live in the Crimson City, that I mixtured with some magical herbs. If each of you enchant it with Air Magic, the magical herbs will react and turn you into the blood's owner for twelve hours. But you all need to drink it for the enchantment to work.
Áspro turned even more pale, which seemed impossible, and her body shaked like it didn't had food for days.
- It's okay, babe - Mikró conforted her with his firm left hand - I have some white chocolates in my pocket, your favorites. You can eat them after drinking to take away the taste, if you want.
Áspro seemed tense, but thankful to the offer. Before she could utter her thanks and accept, Ímicy spoke:
- It's not necessary, I already put sugarcane juice and taioba's root to put away the iron's taste. You will be fine.
Everyone stared her like they never met Ímicy before. The Dark-Elf had a deep trauma relating to blood from a mission years ago, when a vampire made her drink a child's blood to transform her, to make Áspro his slave. After it, she couldn't take missions requiring assassinations at a central role like before, fearing something that that happened again or that she could make the mission fail. If not for the magical medicines that blocked emotions, she would never be able to kill or see blood again. She healed from this peoblem, but drinking blood again was different from seeing it, and her blocking emotions's medicine was not so strong as the ones from Ímicy's generation took. Maybe that was the reason everyone was surprised by the generosity Alice played, as the younger generations of the Shadow Squads were more ruthless with the high potency of the medicine (except for the High-Elf twins and other noble kids).
Áspro blinked twice before smiling lightly.
- Thanks, Captain. Then, I shall drink it... - breathing deeply and closing her eyes, she drank the little flask in one gulp, without making a single grimace. When she finished, a deep red color painted her lips, contrasting her white skin and hair.
She casted an Air spell, giving her a brief golden aura around her. When she opened her eyes, everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to say something or throw up.
- It tasted like sugarcane juice, amazing! How did you do it, Captain? I never saw anyone accomplishing it in a Blood Potion before!
- Oh, I just used my mana a little more and... well, instinct, I guess.
The squad looked dumbfounded by this new information about their Captain; Vrómiko had a strange look in his eyes while staring at her, which made Ímicy feel unconfortable
- Everyone, drink too. The mana in the potion shall react to yours in less than a minute, and we shall move forward to the territory.
While they all were drinking and chanting their spells, Áspro was already changing into a human form. It was similar to her original appearance, but with racial traces common at the region: reddish-brown eyes and hair at the same tone, wavy ( like a mermaid's stereotype) and tanned skin.
All of them, after a minute, had similar changes, different but yet recognisible by the ones they knew. After everyone changed the physhical appearence, their special chlothes also changed into normal peasent's clothes, with red, orange and yellow tones mixed with the brown and white. Confirming the changes in everyone, Ímicy leaded them to a window and out of the tower as they jumped from it, the Air Magic of everyone softening their fall.
- You look stunning with this wavy hair, honey- Mikró whispered into his fiance's ear - How about using him like this when we marry?
Áspro leaned back to the half-orc's ear, a mischievous look in her eyes
- Thanks dear, your curled-long hair is also an incredible view. How about we enjoy our each other's new looks later?
Before the lascivous toughts os the little man could be voiced, Vrómiko neared them and looked at them playfully.
- Sometimes you two forget that all elves, pure or not, have enhanced hearing. Save your sex conversations for later, at a locked room with thick walls.
The couple became red like tomatoes, even with their tanned skin. Finally, Ímicy stopped looking around for people and joined the group, pretending like nothing happened.
- Áspro, Míkro - the pair hid their embarrassment perfectly while correcting their postures - go and search for the Councelour of Healing near the Military Hospital from a safe distance: you know how to go unnoticed, so I will leave it to you. If she is not there, go near the Great Mansion. When you find her location, report it back to me here. Understood?
- Yes, Captain! - they saluted her briefly before jumping into the forest like a fast blur.
When the pair vanished, Ímicy took a Water Mana potion she brought along from the Elfic Empire: the higher ups provided mana potions from especific elements to turn espionage missions easier, although it wasn't an easy potion to obtain anywhere else. Even someone that didn't have compatibilities with that certain element could use enchantments from it, as long as the person knew these enchantments and the potion was potent enough; if it wasn't, it would only give a weak mana aura envolving the person.
She took it off her belt and gave it to Vrómiko, that thanked her with a light movement of the head. He knew from the reports about the clan and the lessons the Shadow Squads had about magical affinities that healers had not only Fire affinity and Light specialization, but Water affinity too: he needed to drink it in order to mimic the Councelor better for their plan to work smootly.
Ímicy sit down in a big rock and started to sharpen her daggers silently, while feeling the gaze of the half-orc upon her. After some moments like this, she talked without putting her eyes off her weapons.
- What do you want to talk about?
- Before, when you helped Áspro. You never helped like that before.
- What do you mean?
- With care. Before, you never cared about our pshicological well being.
- It was for the sake of the mission. There was a chance she wouldn't take the potion if I took the necessary measures.
- I am sure this is what you have been told yourself, but you can't fool me, or anyone else of our group: they noticed it too, that you have been different. Before today, it was only a a suspicion of mine, but the fact that you cared enough about my opinion to change your plans about our missions formation and Áspro's incident made me be sure you are not as cold and indifferent as always.
Her movements with the whetstone seemed more hesitant, but her look was calm as ever. Maybe the eyes were different: Vrómiko couldn't identify exactly what it was. Anxiety? Fear?
- What I want to ask is: did you stopped using the Emotion Block Medication too, like the rest of us?
Ímicy stopped her movements and put her weapons and whetstone to the side, finally staring Vrómiko directly in his eyes for several seconds, before deciding to talk.
- You want me to say I stopped taking it?
- Actually, yes. We all did, actually. To know the real you, that we spent decades fighting with, and also because... well, let's save this part of the conversation another time, after the mission. So, you stopped drinking it?
- Sorry to dissapoint you, but I didn't. - Vrómiko frowned his eyebrowns, traces of irritation and sadness in his face.
- Why are you lying to me, Captain? e would never judge you for that, so why...
- I am not lying. Look at it if you want to be so certain. - Ímicy took a vial from her purse, the half-empty translucent glass showing the dark liquid inside. She took off the lid and grank a big gulp of it and closing the vial again, looking at the vice-captain's eyes.
When someone took the Emotion Block Medication recently, their eyes would become unfocused and opaque, like a dead person. Yet, this symptom failed to be showed in the Hal- Elf 's eyes. Vrómiko seeme d confused and shocked, to say the least.
- What? This shouldn't happen...!
- Exactly, it shouldn't. But somehow, I developed resistance for the medication: I need to drink one bottle per day instead of one gulp per week like before, almost all of the stock provided for our group by the higher ups is empty because of it, and yet, the effects are slowly getting weaker. You guys couldn't possibly know because I take care of the storage.
- How long has it been? Your resistance for the medication, i mean.
- It started more than a years ago. I just increased my doses, but overtime, the tolerance only increased. Now you know the thruth, so don't tell anyone about it.
- But why? Everyone would be so happy... unless you want to hide this fact... to protect the Empire.
The silence after it was deafening. They both stayed still and did their own things separetely, waiting for the couple to come back with the information.
__________ / _____ / __________
Áspro took the lead, using her shadow magic just enough to conceal their presence in the wild, her rapier unsheated and ready to strike. The half-dwarf stayed behind her, allert to any strange thing in the surroundings: just because they were invisible, didn't mean they were safe.
And their feeling was right. At a reasonable distance, a man coated in black contrasted himself from the jungle behind him. He was still like a statue, looking at their direction. From that distance, they could see his hair of an ghostly white, clearly not from a human, wich was unusual from the Fiamma Clan, that rarely married outsiders or was a common visiting place in Occiden. Still, he didn't exude any kind of aura or mana, so he seemed harmless to them.
They stopped walking, waiting to see if the man would attack: they didn't want to start a fight for no reason and slow down the completion of the mission, or worse; leave a corpse indicating the presence of spies. The last alternative was more probable, as the man seemed to wait for someone. They looked at each other, agreeing to pass by the apparently normal man quietly, but they didn't notice that his gaze followed the pair.
- You want to ignore a possible evidence of your tracks by not attacking me. Clever. Ímicy trained you well.
The two startled in their way, shocked. How could he see them? Áspro was especially puzzled, dispelling the Dark Mana and preparing to fight, but she was still confused. Anyone without an Dark Mana would see them as nothing, so why is this guy...
- You must be thinking why I see you even with the Dark Mana involving you. Let me introduce myself officialy for you two. - He took of his mask and made a subtle, respectful bow, revealing his ghost-like skin and eyes - I am Ártys Sklíros, the General of the Elfic Empire's forces. Pleasure to make your aquaintance.
The couple looked attentivelly to his face, and after recognizing his face from an awward ceremony years ago, they sheated their weapons again. Áspro understood now why he noticed their presence: he was a Dark Elf. And not any Dark Elf, but the most famous and powerfull, even more than many High Elves: he could fell even the faintest Dark Mana or Dark Magic from very long distances, although no one realy knew what his power-limit was, except maibe for the Emperor.
They bended both of their knees to the ground and made a deep bow, even with the rocks, sticks and earth being unconfortable and dirtying their clothes, they didn't have a choice: offending the one of the most powerful and influential person from the Elfic Empire, even if he was a Dark Elf and wasn't from the Imperial Family, it was suicide. And they readied their weapons in his direction just now.
- We are sorry to unsheat our weapons in front of the Great General of Darkness! - said Míkro hurriedly - We are ready for wathever punishment you may see fit!
- Yes, General! - Áspro spoke up - I also failed to recognize a fellow Dark Elf. Please fell free to discipline us!
The man seemed to be having fun, but the pair was looking at the ground, not noticing the cruel smile upon his face.
- There is no need to worry about that. In this kind of mission, we need to be careful anyway. - he put his hands at one shoulder of each, a subtle dark aura involving it, being transferred into the pair still on the ground - You two may stand up.
As soon as both of them got on their feet, their human disguise was now completely gone, as the looks in their eyes seemed dead and changed colors: Ásprós eyes, white before , were now dark like the sky without stars, and the same could be said about Míkro, his original golden eyes black as his fiancée's. Their bodies were frozen, similar to an undead waiting for orders of it's master.
- I need a diversion to complete my own mission. You two will make one for me, big enough to distract any guard within one kilometer.
- What you want us to do, Great General? - Áspro asked emontionless
Ártys smiled like a maniac, leaving a last order before vanishing into the jungle ahead of him:
- Fight amongst youselves to the death, but slowly and very loudly. We want a big show, don't we?