Outskirts Of The Empire Near The Front Lines

  Tucker pulled his face mask over his nose and hid in the shadows. Observing the escort carriage slowly making its way through the area. There were lines of trees on both sides of the road, roughly a hundred meters away, and countless magic lanterns set up along the path. From a glance, Tucker could tell that the empire had invested a lot of wealth into its infrastructure. He stared at the cloudless sky and watched as the moon hovered peacefully overhead. From the side, Alex and Blaire both memorized the formation of the escort and quietly discussed their approach to the problem.

  They needed to steal the artifact, but with the current escort’s formation, the difficulty was far greater than expected. Whether the mission was a success depended entirely on how the next sequence of events played out, and the best they could do was carefully tilt the scale in their favor. It wasn’t a pleasant situation, yet they had to make do, even if none of the carriages had the crest.

  “There are far more guards than what was in the report,” Alex grumbled, cursing under his breath. He knew the mission was extremely difficult, but couldn’t blame the Administrators. Since they probably had no choice due to the shortage of manpower.

  Even Tucker felt the pressure of the situation sink into his bones. “What should we do? Should we retreat since the information doesn’t match?”

  “Not without results. We’ll need to alter the plan.” Blaire crouched behind the foliage. “From how I see it, we only have a few options. Either we take out the soldiers from the back and disguise ourselves as one of them, or we proceed with our original plan.”

  “The first option is far too dangerous. We don’t know how strong our opponents are,” Alex said.

  “Then we’ll have to figure out a distraction, but I don’t know what we could do besides one of us acting as bait.”

  “That is also rejected. We aren’t going to sacrifice one of our own. Not for a mission like this.”

  Tucker turned to Blaire. “Any other ideas?”

  “Well, that leaves our original plan… but it requires a tremendous amount of execution for this scale,” Blaire replied.

  Tucker and Alex both glanced at each other. Soon, Tucker let out a dry cough and said, “A tremendous amount of execution from whom exactly?”

  Blaire locked eyes with Tucker. “I believe you know.”

  “Ha…ha…” Tucker gulped at Blaire’s words. “Surely you’re not serious.”

  “I am, if Alex and I create a wall of steam with our spirit companions. You can blow the mist over the caravan and obscure their vision.” Blaire motioned at Sally and an azure avian that was perched on his shoulder. The creature let out several soft hoots before brushing its head against Blaire’s. “If we do it right, it’ll get us closer to the artifact.”

  “But there’s no guarantee that you two will make it there before the guards catch on,” Tucker countered.

  “Life isn’t full of guarantees. We just have to make do with what we’re given and the situation we’re in.” Alex crossed his arms and peered at the escort caravan. “Do we have any other ideas besides that one?” The old man stared at Tucker, who shook his head. “Then we have our plan.”

  “Alright, I’ll try to cover the artifact. If I can’t, I’ll cover as much area as possible,” Tucker said before bringing two fingers to his lips and letting out a low whistle. Soon, Gale flew down from the sky and landed on his arm. “We don’t have much time before they enter the plains, so if we want to move with this plan. We need to start now.”

  “Agreed.” Blaire nodded to Alex and held out his fist to Tucker. After the three exchanged a light fist bump, they parted ways and the two veterans moved closer to the escort from behind. “We’ll leave our spirit companions here to help you. Just let Newton know when to begin.”

  Once the other two were gone, Tucker stared at the companions. In truth, he was still skeptical about the plan. But they were pressed for time, and he needed to act. The rookie held his hands before his chest, one over another and left a large gap in between. His heart wavered for a moment. A sinking doubt filled his mind, but he buried it deep in the back of his mind. Gathering the spirit essence within his heart and from his companion, he slowly channeling the surrounding breeze. His cloak fluttered in the wind, and slowly, the leaves were being pulled towards him.

  As Alex and Blaire slowly approached the escort caravan, he nodded at Sally and Newton. In an instant, Sally’s body was engulfed in flames. Their bright ember-like scales glistened in the flames as Newton flapped its wings above the tiny Salamander.

  Tucker had no idea how the small Owl was going to create enough water to generate a wall of mist. But for now, he could only have faith that Blaire’s spirit companion would pull through for them.

  He observed the water spirit and soon gasped as a magic circle appeared before it. No, to call it a magic circle was too much. Instead, it seemed like a portal and a second later. A tide of water burst through the opening and poured onto Sally. Immediately releasing a thick fog into the area.

  Seeing this, Tucker couldn’t waste a single moment. He released the current of wind towards the escorts. Sending a fierce gust that pushed the mist towards the carriages and guards. It was an unbelievable amount of fog even after the initial batch. The owl was still going.

  Is this the capabilities of a high-tier spirit?

  Tucker thought to himself and glanced at Newton, who seemed unfazed by the effort, while Sally was barely holding on. The rookie cast a glance at Gale, who was helping direct the fog over the carriage, but soon frowned. After observing the situation, it became clear they didn’t have enough to cover the entire area. It just wasn’t possible with their current capabilities.

  At most, they could probably cover half of the escort caravan. Any more would be pushing their limits. Tucker clicked his tongue, staring at Alex and Blaire, who were in position. He needed to warn them about the current situation somehow, but before he could move a muscle. They entered the mist.

  “Ah, shit…” Tucker’s heart raced. The two wouldn’t know that only half the area was covered. To make matters worse, he could no longer see them from where he was. “This is bad.”

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  Alex kept his hand over his danger and carefully trailed behind Blaire. They had memorized the formation of the guards and had a rough idea as to how far they were from the artifact. Assuming that the formation remained unchanged.

  They could hear the murmurs from the guards and the sound of hoofs clacking against the stone road. The old man knew they were close, and assuming the carriage was near the back. They had to pray that they could find the right one in time. Otherwise, it was doomed.

  Blaire stopped and looked back at Alex while holding his hand up. He gestured to the side, and immediately, the old man followed with his hand on the hilt of his sword. In a few more paces, they could vaguely see several silhouettes in the smoke. Unlike before, the guards were closer together. Surrounding the carriages from all sides while keeping a sharp lookout for any suspicious movements.

  Right now, the carriage and guards were between them, with two on each side. This was completely different from what they were expecting since, initially, there were six guards per carriage. If the carriage had fewer guards, it would imply that it was less critical. Something the two were familiar with.

  The old man cast a glance at Blaire, who shook his head. Both of them were on the same wavelength. This carriage wasn’t their target. They needed to weave in and out of the area to determine which contained the artifact, but that would take too much time. With one hand, Alex signaled to Blaire to give him a boost into the air.

  They stayed back a few more paces and allowed the carriage to move further away. Once they were barely out of sight, Blaire cupped his hands together and watched as Alex stepped into the empty space. Using all the strength in his body, his muscles tensed as he launched the old man into the air.

  Blaire could see a thin layer of mana gather at the soles of Alex’s leather boots, and soon witnessed him successfully land on the roof of the closest carriage.

  The old man remained perfectly still, waiting for the slightest bit of change in their movements to see if they detected him. After a brief moment, he scanned the surroundings and saw four more wagons with an equal amount of guards except one. He could feel the wind brush against his face and the steady rhythmic song of marching throughout the area.

  Even though they were at the back of the escort group. He noticed countless soldiers on horses guarding the sides, but his attention was drawn to a bright white light several meters away. It was hard to make out what it was exactly, but before he could make a move, Gale caught his attention. The spirit was flying barely out of his line of sight, drawing a shape in the sky as it flew from one end to another.

  Alex tilted his head, trying to piece together the message. It was hovering over a position and constantly moving back and forth as if forming a line. Then, a look of trouble surfaced.

  There isn’t enough fog to cover the entire area.

  That was the only conclusion he could reach. The line Gale was creating had to be a boundary that they couldn’t cross. There was no way for him to notify Blaire, nor was there a way for the other watchman to realize what was happening. This meant that their plan was limited to only the carriages in front of him. They couldn’t go any further. Not without endangering their lives.

  The only choice he had was to steal the carriage with the most guards in front of him. Alex looked behind him and gestured with his hands to kill the guards at the end of the escort caravan after a minute. Something that Blaire immediately understood.

  The carriage Alex was on rattled back and forth. He could feel the anticipation and unease from the guards protecting the cargo. There was a mix of young and experienced soldiers within the group. Most likely as a way to quickly adapt the new recruits drafted from the surrounding villages.

  Right now, he needed to prioritize his targets before making a move. From a quick scan, he could tell that the eight guards protecting the carriage in front of him were most likely their target. Yet he needed to bide his time. Wait for Blaire to create some sort of distraction that’ll be able to draw their attention.

  He reached into his pouch and pulled out three grey orbs. There was no telling what was in the other carriages, but that didn’t matter. The empire wasn’t going to see their precious cargo. Not today.

  As a crack of thunder erupted behind them, Alex immediately leaped off the carriage and onto the one in the center while hurling the two grey orbs to the adjacent wagons. He looked behind him, through the mist, and watched as flashes of blue light flickered in the fog. The eight guards around the center carriage formed a line behind the cargo as the carriage driver pulled onto the reins and whipped the horses.

  In an instant, the carriage shot forth, the horses stomping their hoofs on the stone tiles and kicking up dirt. With his blade drawn, Alex dropped down beside the driver and plunged his dagger into their skull. He quickly grabbed hold of the reins and pulled back. Forcing the horses to turn while kicking the corpse away from the seat.

  The body tumbled onto the ground, leaving dirt and dust in its path as the carriage’s wheels ran over it. Alex gritted his teeth and quickly directed the two horses towards the forest where Tucker was at. He took a quick glance through the window behind him, peering into the interior of the transport. The only thing inside was a chest sealed with several layers of enchantments and a black chain that prevented the hatch from easily opening.

  It left an ominous feeling in the veteran’s mind, but after seeing it; he was certain this was the artifact that they came for. Before the other carriages could even react to what was happening, a series of explosions erupted. Disabling the other carriages and creating a brief opening for Alex to push through.

  From the corner of his eyes, he could see Blaire releasing a torrent of ice towards the incoming guards. The seasoned watchman was carefully defending and distancing himself from the foes. Working out the tactics the guards were using while applying pressure to areas that were the weakest.

  “Blaire!” Alex called out to him and drove the transport closer to him.

  The guards had caught on and began sprinting at Alex while the other mounted guards were struggling to control their horses from the chaos that was taking place over the battlefield. One after another, the grey orbs exploded causing the beasts to panic. Yet this only worked to their advantage as the mounts Alex was controlling frantically charged away from the caravan.

  Before the other guards could reach him, the old man felt the surrounding temperature rapidly drop. The melody of a soft tone entered his ears as a wall of ice tore apart the ground and blocked the soldiers. Alex held onto his dagger as he felt the carriage briefly shake and stared above him.

  “Looks like I made it. Is this what we’re looking for?” Blaire asked.

  “To hell if I know, but it’s probably something just as valuable,” Alex replied, focusing back on the road. He gritted his teeth and cursed. “We need to get Tucker.” He pulled the reins and turned back towards where the rookie was hiding.

  Blaire glared to the side and frowned as several figures burst through the fog. Their horses raged and charged towards them in a frenzy. The rattling metal plates glistened in the night, and soon, a surge of aura shrouded their bodies, causing the watchman to shake his head. He clasped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart. Forming thin threads of spirit essence that seemed to dance within the palm of his hands. The four threads slowly intertwined with one another and formed a square. It drew in the surrounding spirit essence like a melody charming its spectators and soon solidified. Creating a single glyph in the center.

  Spirit magic wasn’t like standard magic. Instead of creating magic circles with outer rings used to enhance the spell. It worked more like an instrument. Focusing on flexibility, elasticity, tension, length, and resonance. A concept that differed vastly from the methodical techniques of mages.

  “I’ll cover us! Get us to your rookie!” Blaire desperately shouted.

  Four similar shapes began to form around him. Spinning in place as sharp icicles manifested in the air. Once the threads collapsed together, the invocation was complete, and the projectiles were released from their prison. The icicles soared into the air. Slamming into the guards and ground alike as a frozen explosion of ice engulfed the poor guards. Leaving behind only a flower made of ice that shimmered in the moonlight. It wasn’t enough to completely stop them, but enough to slow them down.

  The carriage rattled and jolted as they raced down the dirt path. Shaking with each moment, rounding the corner by the patch of trees they were before, but for some reason, Tucker wasn’t in sight. The rookie was missing and had just missed their rendezvous point.

  “Where’s the rookie!” Blaire focused on the remaining guards who protected their bodies with aura and tried to conceal his frustration. “He should be here right now!”

  “I don’t know!” Alex scanned the tree lines and steered the carriage on the dirt path. Tucker was supposed to hop on, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Come on Tucker... where the hell are you?”