Chapter 26: Rescue Mission Part 1
Today, there was no moon visible over the whole of Nero County, leaving it in pitch darkness. A freezing rain poured over the landscape, drumming a relentless rhythm against the stone walls of Castel Nero.
The castel looked more like a small fortress sitting on a cliff overlooking the river on one side and the town of 5,000 on the other. The layout of the castle, according to the information from Count Avarus, consisted of high stone walls protecting all sides of the castle, narrow roads designed to kill invaders, and a single heavily fortified causeway. Now it looked more like a prison than a fort and a lord's castle.
"Two rotations on the battlements," a black-robed man whispered, blending into the distance and observing from a safe distance from the castle. "Professional soldiers of Avarus. Their gear is top-tier. Night-vision enchantments on their visors," he said while looking through a magical tool.
A woman beside him, also wearing a black robe, answered, "There is a detection ward on the wall. If we touch the walls without the pass-key, the alarm will sound."
"A mana-sensitive ward," the man replied. "Clever. It detects even the smallest disturbance."
"Can you break it?" the leader asked.
"If I break it, they'll know. I can try to rewrite it though. It can be done once," she answered.
Another man in a black robe extended his hand. He seeped his mana into the air, matching the frequency of the falling rain. He tapped into his Water affinity, feeling the rhythm of the storm, and then his Darkness affinity to mask his presence.
Sync.
For a ten-meter radius around them, the detection spell ceased silently without notifying the guards.
After dispelling the detection spell, the leader ordered, "Move."
The three of them vanished.
Utilizing [Shadow Step], they crossed the open ground in blinks of distorted space. To an observer, they would have looked like nothing more than tricks of the light—flickering shadows amidst the storm.
They reached the base of the stone wall.
"Up," the leader signaled.
The woman cast a silent wind spell. An updraft caught them, lifting them weightlessly fifty feet into the air. They landed silently on the ramparts, right behind a patrolling guard.
The guard turned, sensing the movement.
Thwip.
One hand clamped over the guard's mouth, and the other drove a stiletto between the armor plates at the base of his neck. The guard's movement ceased.
After lowering the guard's corpse silently to the ground and dragging it into the deep shadows—
"Clear," the man signaled.
"The dungeon," the leader pointed toward the central keep.
"High-value prisoners are never kept in the towers. They'll be in the sub-levels with the highest security."
They moved across the courtyard, sticking to the blind spots of the magical lamps. The fortress was crawling with soldiers of the Duchy.
They reached the heavy oak door of the keep. It was locked and sealed with three heavy iron bars on the inside.
"I'll handle this." The leader placed his palm against the wood.
[Space Magic: Short-Range Translocation]
He and his two companions simply walked through the door to the other side without opening it, avoiding any sound.
They appeared in the main hallway inside the keep. It was warm there, smelling of pine torches and polished steel.
"Patrol!" the woman whispered, pulling the two men behind one of the large pillars along the main hallway.
Two armored knights walked past, unaware that intruders were present.
"...waste of time guarding a woman and two kids," one grumbled. "We should be on the front lines, killing the rebels."
"Orders are orders," the other replied. "If the Count flips, these three are the only leverage the Duke has. Besides, the payout for this contract is triple the standard rate."
They passed.
The guards' words confirmed the location of the hostages. They were in the right place.
"Downstairs," the leader signaled.
They descended the spiral staircase, moving deeper into the earth. The air grew colder and damper. The smell of pine was replaced by the stench of mildew and old rust.
At the bottom of the stairs, a heavy iron gate blocked the way. Behind it sat a guard station with four men playing cards. A mana-crystal lamp illuminated the area brightly. There were no shadows to hide in.
The subordinate glanced at the leader. Four targets. Open ground. Risky.
The leader extended his fingers. Small sparks of electricity danced between them.
[Lightning Magic: Neural Overload]
He flicked his wrist.
Four arcs of purple light shot through the bars of the gate.
Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap.
The four guards stiffened simultaneously, then slumped forward onto their table, unconscious.
"Clean."
The leader melted the lock on the gate with a concentrated beam of heat, and they slipped through.
The dungeon corridor was long and lined with empty cells. Water dripped from the ceiling. Drip. Drip. Drip.
At the far end, a single door stood reinforced with runic bands. Two large gargoyle statues stood on either side.
"Constructs," the leader muttered. "Gargoyles are earth-magic sentinels. They activate on proximity."
"Though that woman taught me how to break these."
He walked boldly toward the statues. As he approached, the stone eyes of the gargoyles flared red. The stone cracked as they began to move.
"Sisto," the leader commanded before the statues fully awakened. He injected his own mana into their cores, touching them simultaneously through their bodies and overriding the command structure. "Dormio."
The red light in their eyes flickered and died, returning them to harmless stone.
The subordinate examined the door. "No keyhole. It's magical."
The woman stepped forward and examined it. "It's a blood seal. It opens only for specific bio-signatures. Or…" She placed her hand on the runes. "We force it."
The leader placed his hand on the seal. He closed his eyes, visualizing the mana lock.
'Light to illuminate the structure. Space to bypass the physical tumblers.'
Click.
The door opened, the magical runes fading and disengaging.
The subordinate drew his daggers, ready for anything on the other side. The leader pushed the door open.
The room inside was surprisingly furnished. There was a rug, a small bed, and a few candles burning low.
Huddled in the corner, clutching each other in terror, were three figures.
A woman with pale, tired features held two young girls—no older than ten and twelve—tightly against her chest. She looked up, her eyes wide with fear.
The woman trembled, pulling her daughters closer. "Who… who are you? Did the Duke send you to finish us?"
The leader knelt on one knee, showing his face clearly in the candlelight.
"No, Madam. Your husband sent me."
He extended a hand.
"I am Alexius Demetrios Leo. And I am here to take the three of you home."
(Continue.....)