Ting* Ting*
The steady rhythm of pickaxes striking the tunnel walls echoed through the dim, narrow passage, a metallic heartbeat pulsing through the damp underground. The miners, tasked with carving a secret path from outside the wall to the heart of Iron'Heits, worked tirelessly. Yet, amidst the methodical strikes, there were moments when the rhythm broke—some miners lagging, their tired arms disrupting the flow. These uneven strikes clashed with the otherwise steady beat, creating a jarring discord that echoed through the tunnel, an unsettling reminder of the immense pressure they faced as they dug their way toward the city.
"Are we there yet?" a man asked, glancing at the others, who were hammering away at the stone, trying to tear it down. He was bare-chested, holding a helmet in one hand. The tunnels had grown increasingly hot as they dug deeper through the outskirts of the Iron'Peaks.
"I've been giving you the same answer for the past two days—you'll see when we get there!" the squad captain said, irritated.
Unlike the vice-captain, the captain wore light clothes and had a sword hanging from his waist. His short, neatly kept black hair gave him the look of a disciplined soldier. This was Jayanta Evelin, an advanced-realm expert in charge of tunneling through the land near Iron'Peak, aiming to create a direct path for a surprise rear attack. He commanded a squad of 100 men for this mission. Unlike others, his party contained battle-hardened soldiers, meaning that others were distractions while they were the real threat.
Jayanta knew this was his chance to climb the power ladder and make a name for himself. He was committed to the task. His only problem was the vice-captain—a nuisance assigned by the higher-ups under the excuse of "gaining experience." So far, the vice-captain has proven to be more of a burden than anything else.
Jayanta's sharp response echoed through the tunnel, causing several soldiers to glance over. But seeing who it was, they quickly resumed their work, used to the bickering between the two officers. It had become a routine distraction, offering them some entertainment, relieving them from this task of digging momentarily. If one said it was boring and tiring, they were telling the truth.
The vice-captain's eyebrows knitted together but soon returned to his gossipy demeanor, leaving the captain alone. Leaning over to an underling, he asked in a low voice, "How's the search going?" His visage was now that of a person who knew how to frown, a serious personality. He was a master of myriad expressions, changing them at a moment's notice.
"We've been monitoring everyone closely, but so far... nothing," the underling said, hesitant. Unsure how the vice-captain would take the news. He has learned from years of bootlicking how important honesty was to someone being praised to the skies.
"Hmm... Good. Keep your eyes and ears open," the vice-captain said, dismissing the underling with a wave. Deep in thought, he was preoccupied with the information he had been tasked with gathering—details about the Alliance's secret attack on Iron'Heits, a lesser-known city within the Dominion. Unknown to anyone in the Alliance, the vice-captain Renan was a spy for the StormWatch Empire, located just south of Arvindor and sharing a complicated border history with the IronHold Dominion.
Renan had been sent by a viscount of the StormWatch Empire to investigate the Dominion's movements. The viscount's lands bordered both empires, and rumors of strange activity near the frontier had raised alarms. Official inquiries to the Dominion had been met with vague responses, claiming they too were investigating the situation. Even pressure from the StormForge royal family yielded little information. The Dominion claimed they were also trying to figure out the solution. With no other choice, the viscount had to take matters into his own hand.
The vice-captain recalled the day the viscount personally summoned him to the manor, offering substantial rewards for acting as a spy, he was already in the Alliance so telling him about them was no big deal; he was never loyal to them. He had readily agreed upon hearing the compensation.
But ever since arriving, his outlook had changed drastically—especially after witnessing the suicide bombings, the infected who had turned cannibalistic, and the terrifying appearance of the Blood Whale. At first, fear had consumed him, especially from the hellish predator, a name the Alliance soldiers had given it. But soon after, greed overtook him when he learned about the rewards for discovering and delivering infected individuals to the Alliance. Like many others, he had joined the search, hoping to cash in.
Maybe his cover had been blown, or maybe someone wanted to give him the worst possible assignment, or maybe there really was someone looking out for him. He ended up with Jayanta. Either way, he had ended up on this forsaken mission with the captain.
Jayanta, meanwhile, had his own concerns. He had assigned his most trusted men to keep an eye out. His orders were clear: make sure there were no infected among their ranks. Even one infected person could jeopardize the entire mission, and he didn't want to think about that. With each passing hour, he grew more cautious.
"Just one more day."
He looked at the dimly lit tunnel. Just to be safe, he sent out a mana pulse, which returned with no signs of trouble, giving him a small sense of relief.
The tunnel they were using was an old one, one that even the General and mayor were unaware of because it had collapsed long ago, during previous sieges. They were now using this collapsed tunnel as an infiltration point. They were almost through the wall and into Iron'Heits. All that remained was a bit more digging and some waiting.
Despite the heat and fatigue, Jayanta remained vigilant, monitoring his men closely. He had no intention of becoming infected himself, knowing full well that there was no cure and that the infected often ended up blowing themselves up or being used in experiments.
---
"Here," Valcroy muttered, looking at the map Erik had given him. It was more of a compass, designed to help him find the precise location. After confirming the spot, he took out a talisman and placed it on the ground.
Once done, he quickly retreated. Seconds later, a meter-wide section of the ground vanished, leaving a hole about four meters deep. Valcroy approached the edge and peered down.
"One more should do."
He jumped into the narrow hole. There wasn't much room to maneuver, but he didn't plan to stay long. He placed another talisman on the ground and used his legs to brace himself in a split position.
Grmm*
The ground beneath him disappeared, leaving another four-meter drop.
"That should be deep enough," he said, leaping out. He walked a short distance and dragged over a large container, opening the lid and carefully pouring its contents into the hole. The potent smell wafted up, but Valcroy's abyssal miasma quickly neutralized it. He had it around him since the start of his task. Didn't want anyone to know where he was.
Once the hole was filled, Valcroy stopped pouring and grabbed a rock, wrapping it with a rope before placing a talisman on it. He then tore the talisman, causing the rock to levitate. Afterward, he submerged a second weighted rock, tying the other end of the rope to it to keep the levitating rock in place. A suspended rock came into realization, or a cheap imitation of it.
"All done," Valcroy said, dusting off his hands. He began walking away but stopped, returning to disintegrate the container with his miasma. No point in leaving evidence behind.
With that task complete, he checked his map and set off for the next location. The map showed many locations he had already marked as completed, and now he was heading to the next one.
---
Meanwhile, Erik approached the edge of the city, where the mountain stood steep and imposing. Its sheer cliffs seemed unnaturally treacherous, as if the mountain itself was guarding something. The peak disappeared into the clouds, and its heights were considered forbidden territory. Anyone who attempted to scale it would find themselves slowed, disoriented, or even struck with frostbite, despite the lack of snow—the end result for most was death. Hence, it was forbidden for anyone to enter it.
But Erik wasn't there to climb the mountain. He had another mission. After walking fifty paces left from a specific point, he stopped and turned to face the mountain once more. Black miasma seeped from his body, obscuring him from view. He didn't have time to experiment with Dream Energy yet, but intended to find out its effects soon. For now, the black miasma was helping him with removing his traces.
He placed several talismans under rocks, on the wall and in many other locations, ensuring they were securely hidden. Then he placed four more on the wall, each about a foot apart. Satisfied with his work, he walked away toward another location.
---
Collum grumbled as he led his squad outside the city walls. Once they were clear, he opened a scroll and infused it with mana. A shimmering field enveloped the group—an anti-surveillance spell designed to keep them hidden from any prying eyes.
He didn't fully understand why such a valuable resource was being used for this task, but orders were orders. Absolute discretion was required.
After consulting the map Erik had given him, Collum guided his men to the designated spot.
"Here, there, and there," he said, pointing to specific locations.
The soldiers were set to work, planting iron rods about ten feet tall. Collum, using his immense strength, drove the rods deep into the ground. With just one push, the first rod sank five feet into the earth, leaving the others in awe of his power. Collum puffed out his chest and, with another push, sank the rod another four feet. He knew how to control his strength well, leaving just a foot above the ground.
"Get it done."
He moved to the next rod, repeating the process. Meanwhile, the soldiers attached talismans to the exposed portions of the iron rods and carefully concealed them. If one had the chance to look at those iron rods, they would have noticed the words in the Veritasian language etched over them.
Once the task was complete, Collum led his men further in front of the city, where they repeated the process that Valcroy was doing, but on a grander scale. The talismans they used were higher-tier, creating five-meter-deep trenches around the walls, at regular intervals. Cheval de frise obstacles were placed both before and after the trenches, with a small opening in between for enemies to pass through them and not over.
With everything in place, Collum took out a spatial ring and poured its contents into the trenches—a viscous liquid that filled the hollow spaces and then covered it with another talisman, forming an illusion of the ground. Erik had taken the ring back from the infected and was now being used to carry this liquid around.
It took time to set everything up, but once they were done, Collum ordered his men back into the city, where they joined the rest of the soldiers at the martial grounds. Collum, however, left them to their tasks and exited the city once more. With the anti-surveillance scroll still active, he had additional tasks from Erik to complete. Only Collum, Mallory, Valcroy, and Erik knew the full extent of the plan.
Like Collum, Mallory had her own tasks, each vital to the defense of the city. However, Valcroy's mission was perhaps the only one that had a hiccup. He had completed his work but now stood before an unexpected development.
"This is... good."
Valcroy's eyes fixed on the new variable that had appeared as a smile creeped up on his face. He was changing slowly, unknowingly. Gears were turning fully focused at work.