“And you’re in Moonholme to buy ωron nuggets, is that right?” The soldier at the checkpoint had a bushy, black beard overflowing from under his helmet. Emrin's first instinct was to yell at him to shave, as if he was a commander still. Despite being unkempt, the soldier had a massive frame at least twice the size of Veelander, and peered down at the bard with a raised eyebrow. “I ain’t seen you around our parts before.”

“That would make sense,” Veelander said calmly with a voice different from his usual one, more nasal and gruff. “I’m a new alchemist cooperating with the consortium.”

“Ah, that solves it then.” The soldier leaned back and put some of his weight on his longspear. “Identification?”

“The formal badge hasn’t been issued to me yet, unfortunately…” Veelander wore sheer dejection in his voice. He sounded so convincing that even Emrin was inclined to believe him. And he would, if their real purpose here wasn’t to sneak the mother of all bombs into the city.

The soldier didn’t seem convinced though. He motioned with his head. “Dort, check the back.”

Dort –a shorter, but equally muscular man– huffed as he stood from the stone he was leaning on. He wore the same plate as the other guard. This wasn’t gear issued to ordinary infantry, Emrin quickly realised. Not in the Hallowed ranks, at least. There were protective gems adorning its surface and concealing gaps ordinary plate would leave exposed. The faint, misty glow betrayed additional enchantments.

Even in his prime and with his own gear, Emrin wouldn't even dare guide his troops against a city armed like this. The gap between powerful NPCs and the top players was constantly shrinking, and guilds challenged new high level areas constantly, but could Sunlight really have gotten that much stronger during the two months he'd been absent? Just what was Asire thinking?

Emrin got a chance to inspect it more closely as the man placed a sabaton on the wood, making the entire wagon tilt slightly from his weight. Emrin sat deathly still on the other end of the seemingly empty box, keeping the bomb close. If the man approached, he’d have to jump out and hope nobody would notice.

“Tsk, filthy alchemists…” The guard kicked one of the cages away instead while standing at the very edge. “There’s blood back here!” he yelled. “And dead rats!”

“Care to explain?” The bearded guard asked.

"I was testing a new concoction…" Veelander whipped out a notebook and wrote down some gibberish where the guard couldn't see, right next to some shitty poems.

"Ah, I apologise. I do have this letter of appointment." Without batting an eyelid, he dug into his back pocket and procured an actual letter. The guard inspected it briefly, raising an eyebrow, before handing it back. "Alright, you can go."

"My thanks," Veelander said and relaxed the reins. Drot couldn't have been quicker in jumping off.

Emrin chuckled inwardly as the horses began trotting. Sparing this brazen guy had paid off once again.

"Wait!" Drot yelled, and Emrin's heart sank. The man rounded to the front and gave Veelander a menacing glare. "Get rid of the damn rats. I don't want no diseases spreading."

"Ye, that's good," the bearded guard added. "Hurl them down the mountainside if you want. A nice gift for any hallowed roaming too close to the border."

"Certainly." Veelander nodded, but kept an air of professionalism to the last moment. "Good night, gentlemen."

The wagon rolled away from the first checkpoint and Emrin leaned forward to whisper. "Well done. Let me guess. You carry that letter with you everywhere?"

Veelander pulled his bycocket down in acknowledgement. Emrin was about to comment on it when the sight of the city caught his gaze. A small bump in the cavern’s road and they were in Moonholme, the blaze lantern of the north. He realised they called it that because the white moonlight pouring down from above was almost blinding. Veelander had to rein in the horses as they slowly got adjusted to the brightness. Emrin turned and looked up through squinted eyelids.

This side of the mountain had been carved out into a half crescent –whether by human hand or nature, he could not tell– to reveal the smooth, crystal-like metal underneath. The overhang was like a cover above Moonholme, and each individual surface was angled to concentrate all the light from above into the city. Without Emrin even realising, the cavernous passage had led them higher up Skypierce, where the waning full moon seemed huge. The same one that had showered Shantalar in orange dyed Moonholme almost entirely with bleachy white. As he lowered his gaze, he found many of the sloped roofs full of gems, just like Veelander had described. Low hums could be heard from each individual stone as magic gathered within.

"Unbelievable…" Emrin whispered as the wagon rolled on through the streets. "Aren't they afraid of someone stealing them?"

"There's less painful ways to end your own life," Veelander whispered back. "If the guards don't catch you when you're leaving the city, carrying an unmarked gem will earn you a death sentence from Abistros himself. Though in your case…"

Emrin kept observing the city as they moved, aided by the occasional shade cast by the large balconies that extended above the narrow roads. It was clear that whoever designed this city had tried to cram as much living space in as tiny an area as possible. For the intense moonlight, perhaps?

As his gaze travelled, he found that the central tower was more of a pillar, carved out of one single piece of darkstone and extending from the ground all the way to the top, where it joined into the mountain. It was shaped like a thin hourglass, and only the bottom part had gems attached to it, ranging in size from a throwing stone to as big as a house.

"Looks like you were misinformed about that tower," Emrin said.

"Some soldiers described this as well but I had a hard time believing them… Thought it a part of the myths." Veelander reigned the horses back a little as they reached a crossroad. Ever since they left the two guards, there wasn’t a soul in sight. “Where to, boss?” Veelander asked a bit more freely.

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“Eerily quiet, isn’t it?” Emrin

“It’s the middle of the night, boss,” Veelander replied. “Many people working in the mines at this hour.”

Emrin checked the duration on his stealth. Twenty one minutes left on the buff. “Where to, indeed.” The primary objective was Asire. Making an attempt on his life, whether successful or not, would prove to Lana that he wasn’t just talk. Maybe earn him some additional funds to work with. Just a mention of going after Asire had earned him a bomb after all, but would he ever get a chance to have it blow next to the man? “Even if it’s you, how are you gonna challenge this?” he mumbled to himself. It didn’t make sense. If he had more time to research and gather information, he’d know the chances of Sunlight making it into the city. If the worst scenario came to be and they couldn’t, Emrin needed a way to at least complete his quest. And that meant blending in with the defending soldiers.

“There,” he pointed to the central tower. “Get me as close as you can.”

Veelander tilted his head to the side and chuckled. “The trouble I get into for some gold coins.” He got the horses moving through the streets and ever closer to that towering pillar.

"If this goes well we'll renegotiate your wage," Emrin whispered. After that, the closer they got to the city centre and the pillar, the more soldiers they encountered, so he was forced to stay quiet. Soldiers, merchants and townspeople were crowded together in the market square, trading food for gem dust and gem dust for necessities. What surprised Emrin was the worth they all displayed. Usually, the population of castle towns were all wretched, only truly there to support the local forces and the whims of each lord. Bright red and gold colors were a staple in their clothing, with many carrying gems proudly on their fabrics or caps. Despite the grand appearance, they flocked the stalls and haggled for prices all the same.

Veelander made the wise decision to not try and cut through the market on a carriage. The longer route allowed Emrin time to observe the pillar-tower from all sides. Hundreds, if not thousands of arrowslits and balistrarias filled the exterior, most of them on the upper part of the hourglass structure and facing the city’s walls. Walls built out of the mountain’s natural darkstone themselves, then reinforced with steel. On the other side of them, at least three hundred feet of vertical, sharp-stoned mountainside separated hallowed and darkblessed territories.

Emrin felt a pit form in his stomach as the wagon slowly rolled to a stop in a quiet spot behind the central tower. Was Lana expecting him to go out there and find Asire himself? She’d explicitly said Asire would be in Moonholme, but he couldn’t imagine a scenario that would allow that.

“Everything okay back there?” Veelander asked.

“Yeah.” Emrin picked up the bomb with some difficulty and jumped off the wagon. Well, his stealth was almost over so he’d have to figure it out as he went. For now, he needed to hide this thing and find a way to blend in. “Wait for me here. If someone starts asking questions, I’ll meet you back at the market.”

Veelander gave a thumbs up and focused on scribbling on his notebook.

Emrin glanced left and right before he remembered he was still invisible. He hefted the bomb a little, securing it in his arms and rounded the tower to the entrance. Two armoured soldiers stood by an open door, casually waving others in. They had spears clutched to their sides and seemed more interested in the pretty stable girl riding up and down the street than their duty. Emrin sidestepped in line behind a foot soldier carrying tunics and managed to slip inside without much trouble.

The tower’s interior was filled with more soldiers, but what surprised Emrin was that none of them seemed to be in formation or have any semblance of order. Almost all had doffed and left their weapons unattended while they ate, discussed, slept or gambled with gems. He walked further in. Years of nothing but peace could turn even the most well supplied force disorganised and its soldiers complacent. That gave him some hope. If the hallowed managed a massive surprise attack, perhaps they could storm the city before even a single arrow was shot or spear lifted in defiance.

Emrin’s stealth was running out, so he decided to hurry. Thankfully, the tower’s interior consisted of winding staircases leading from one floor to the next with little variation. The bottom floors were taken up by the soldier’s quarters, then came the kitchens and the armoury. Emrin made a quick stop there while his stealth lasted, stealing an unattended aketon. A crescent moon shape was woven into the right sleeve with silver thread, and a dark line connected the top and bottom parts of the design.

He quickly checked the details, and after making sure no one was watching, placed it into his inventory.

Name : Moonwrit Aketon Description: The standard issue tunic for soldier stationed in Moonholme. Rating: Common Durability: 13/15 Defense: 9

Passive effects:

Light Element Resistance : +5%

He was starting to come to terms with the low numbers on all the items and stats. It was even a little better than the starter gear he had on. He made a mental note of grinding for levels once he returned as he climbed onto the next floor. Truth be told, he wanted to get to it sooner, but Tsoya’s quests and their strict time limits hadn’t given him much leeway. Well, he could worry about levels later. The floors got naturally smaller as he climbed, until he reached one that houses a single room. The quarters of some official, by the looks of it. He was about to climb to the next floor when a stack of barrels caught his attention, full of wine by the looks of it. Perhaps this would be a good hiding place?

Emrin twisted the bomb in his hands and balanced it upright between the wall and the casks on the back. He ran his palm up and down the invisible surface until he found the rotary mechanism Maldir had told him to use. This whole thing felt weirdly high-tech… He’d have to ask Maldir about those friends at the tower he’d mentioned.

[ A class A+ Magic Explosive Device has been activated! Slide to adjust fuse. ] [ Affinity with Mizpix has increased.]

“Come on,” Emrin mumbled to himself. He chose to worry about the second notification later and simply turned his fingers, watching the timer increase, before pressing the button inside with his palm, making it one with the smooth metal exterior.

[ Bomb timer set! Explosion imminent in 1:24:58! ]

Five minutes before the barrier reappeared sounded good. If even one hallowed had managed to make it into the city before it reappeared, this would get them. They needed to head for this tower anyway, and stake claim to it if they wanted the barrier’s location to change in their favour.

Emrin straightened his back and cracked his neck. For now, everything was developing better than anticipated. He even had seven minutes left on his stealth. Plenty of time to get out of the tower and get to the most entertaining part of the plan. Watching all hell break loose.