It was easy to see the distinction between the North and the South from this vantage point. A singular, long tunnel stretched out ahead, cutting directly through the earth and running under the river bridge. Apparently, this was a relic from an older era, a time when the world relied on regular four-wheeled vehicles instead of the modern flying types powered by crystals.
The tunnel had been designed to allow travel under the water to reach the other side, and at its entrance, a heavy guard had been established. This was where most of the mages, specifically those of a higher rank, had been stationed to monitor movement.
The keyword was "had," because they had already been eliminated. Raze traveled through the passage quickly, his footsteps echoing in the empty, damp space. When he finally reached the other side and scanned the area, he could confirm that there were no more Noble Guild members left in the vicinity. The path was clear.
’My guess is they used this tunnel as a main artery when they were heading out to take over the different guilds,’ Raze thought as he moved. ’They probably don’t want to spread themselves too thin, at least not yet. But what I find strange in all of this is the quality of the mages. It’s quite clear that most of these guys are just new members of the Noble Guild.’
He looked at the fallen equipment he had passed. ’They haven’t even been given good enchanted items. If they are this poorly equipped, why the need for such heavy recruitment? What is the Grand Magus actually planning?’
These annoying questions were constantly at the back of Raze’s mind, but he forced himself to ignore them for now. He didn’t have the luxury of theorizing. He broke out through the top of the sewer line, emerging back into the North part of the Central City.
As he turned back to look at the view, he could see the vast, wide river flowing just as it always had. It was crazy to think how different the Underside, the Noble Land, and the North part of the city looked now. Just a few months ago, things would have been pletely different, but the occupation had changed the face of the world.
Raze eventually made his way back up to the tallest building in the sector. He could see that the others were still present, waiting exactly where he had left them. As soon as he arrived on the rooftop, the entire group tensed up, looking like they were ready to fight an intruder.
"Oh, right," Raze said, reaching up and pulling off his mask. His true face was revealed as the magical disguise melted away. "I was getting used to having to change my face all the time. This is definitely quite the handy artifact."
"Actually, I feel more confident seeing you like this," Alen said, letting out a breath of relief and lowering his weapon. "If you had just e as ’Raze’ from the start, I might have thought someone had stolen the mask off you and was pretending to be you. Seeing the change makes it easier to trust."
"I don’t know," Liam said with a slight smile, trying to break the tension. "I’m a bit suspicious now. Doesn’t Raze usually e back with a load of people chasing him? Usually, we’re the ones who have to deal with the mess he brings back in the end."
"This time I was much more careful. It just goes to show the level of our enemies," Raze replied, his voice serious. "Anyway, we can’t waste any more time. I will explain quickly what I want to do and what I found out while I was in there."
Raze laid out the details of the barracks that had been set up along the walls. He described the constant rotation of mages moving between the stations back and forth. The primary goal for the team was to clear the largest barrack as soon as they made their entry into the Noble Land.
From that point, they would move to assassinate and eliminate the powerful members of each individual barrack, stripping them of whatever enchanted items they possessed. After that, they would gather more information regarding two specific things.
The first was the status of the current towers located within the first wall. They needed to decide whether it was better to take the towers down before moving deeper or to leave them standing as they ventured forward. The second was the nature of the threats waiting for them at the second wall, and how they would even manage to get inside.
"I understand," Alen said, nodding as he processed the plan. "Although our best chance is to stay under the radar, that causes a problem in itself."
He looked toward the horizon where the inner walls stood. "We either defeat what we can on our way there and then fight the Grand Magus as quickly as possible to stop those behind us from attacking our rear, or we go in with the thought that at some point between these walls, we will get caught. If that happens, we need to have gotten rid of as much trouble as possible in each section as we moved."
"Correct," Raze said. "Since there is no one else to help us, this is the only way. But the moment we do get caught, which I’m sure we will, we will have to fight with everything we have. So, I’m asking now... is everyone ready?"
The group had been ready for a while, but hearing Raze say those words made it real. This was the final moment, the last chance they had to back out from the path they were taking.
"We’re ready," the group said in unison.
With the decision made, it was time for all of them to leave the rooftops and begin their infiltration of the Noble Land.
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