There were more than a few places for people to hide in the actual Citadel itself, despite it being open and made entirely of translucent crystal. Light shone through it, only to hide those with the proper techniques.
Velvet could have done the same, if she were not already being observed. No, it might have been possible for her to disappear regardless, but the impact would be far less. She avoided clutching her voidsteel dagger, or even moving her hand towards it. She detected a number of individuals that might be overcome by their group, though she was somewhat counting on the combat capability of Chikere, who was outside the core sect. Durff was unfortunately still an Integration cultivator, which would make his participation more difficult.
“Here is the Citadel of Exalted Light itself,” Lelka said, waving her arm grandly. “Isn’t it astounding?”
“It is,” Velvet admitted. She almost couldn’t pick out any signs of formation markings. She hoped Koralo was doing better. If he could destroy something critical the moment they were attacked…
When would it be? If the formations were buried beneath other layers, he might be able to communicate to Alva in time. She could hopefully bypass any defenses.
Velvet supposed that actual members of the Citadel of Exalted Light might have found the chamber comforting. However, there was a distant feeling that made her uncomfortable. Maybe that was just her own fears, however.
“We can’t approach the throne,” Lelka continued.
Velvet wondered if that was a weakness, or just because of the status it represented. It would be nice to know. Maybe she should have tried to get Durff and Chikere in here for this.
Lelka continued forward and the other three followed her. The optimal ambush location had… already passed. Where were they going? Out a side passage of the Citadel. Perhaps they would be taken to a location more difficult to escape from.
“Anyway,” Lelka said. “That’s about it. You can have a closer look at some of these places when you’re part of the core. Until then, I’m going to have to guide you out.”
And so she did. Not by the most direct route, Velvet noticed. Was there some meaning to it, or was she just meandering? She tried to pick out formations, but they were constantly surrounded by different flows of energy. Hopefully, Koralo would get more. Then there was the feeling… Velvet wasn’t surprised the Citadel felt like Zaur, but it was constantly looming over them as they walked.
Before she realized, Velvet found herself outside the core sect.
“I have a sense about the three of you,” Lelka commented. “You radiate competence. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of you became Augmentation cultivators.”
She had to know. “I sure hope so,” Velvet replied. What was going on? Had they been poisoned at some point? Marked, somehow? They’d have to be very careful.
“How about the two of you, did you enjoy the tour?”
“There were some pretty amazing sights,” Alva managed.
Koralo stroked his chin. “I’m truly impressed by everything I saw. Elegant flows of energy.”
“As you should be,” Lelka said. Then… she walked away.
Velvet led the group away, carefully poring over every inch of herself and the others. Some senses had followed them from the Citadel, but only as far as the gates.
Finally, when Velvet could find nothing and they were in a private room with the others- Koralo having set up a simple but reliable sound negation barrier- Velvet spoke. “I don’t understand what happened there. She had to have figured out who we were.” Velvet grimaced. “There’s no way… too many coincidences.”
“Are they coming to attack us here?” Chikere asked, wriggling the fingers of her right hand in anticipation. Velvet knew that the majority of her blood was released from her artificial arm, when it came down to it.
Alva turned her head towards the core. “I don’t think so. But I’m also confused about that. Koralo?”
He nodded. “I would have liked a longer look at the formations. One moment,” he said, pulling out a portable computer. “I need to take notes.” His fingers were a blur as he input information.
“It’s possible she didn’t know we were spies,” Durff said. “You’re pretty good at it,” he said to Velvet. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel particularly reassured by his confidence.
“Not good enough to get invited on a tour of the core sect,” Velvet said. “By a drunk woman complaining about her position who sobered up quickly.”
“Maybe she doesn’t like it here?” Durff said.
“That would be a great cover,” Velvet said. “To then lead us into an ambush and get us killed. But that… didn’t happen. It doesn’t make any sense because she’d have to have everyone else on board with… whatever other plan they have. When they could just kill us. Or more likely capture us and torture us for information.”
Velvet had ample ways to commit suicide, because she knew too much. Probably Alva and Koralo too, but she wouldn’t even ask about it since knowing what they were could be a liability. Chikere… would be difficult to take alive. And the most dangerous thing Durff knew was the existence of this mission, probably. She might have to take him out if things went south, for his own good.
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But they were fine, right now. Which was still odd.
“I do like the idea that she’s helping us,” Alva said, “But I agree about your point on the others. If everyone was in on it, they could take this thing out on their own.”
“Maybe it explodes and they don’t want to be around?” Durff said.
“If it was that,” Velvet said. “I’d gladly take that sacrifice. But…”
“Any explosions of energy would be purely coincidental,” Koralo said. “I’ll need several hours to analyze these formations, but I think I can find a way through the outer defenses. I’ll try to pick out a few weak points on the Citadel. However, we still need to confirm that it’s actually this ‘anchor’ we’re looking for.”
“Oh, definitely,” Velvet said. “There’s a flow of Zaur’s energy through it.” Alva nodded in agreement.
“I was more focused on the formations, so I’ll take your word for it,” Koralo said. “I had expected it to be… stronger.”
“It might be weakened by distance,” Velvet said. “I really hope so. If destroying this thing can cause them any sort of setback, it will be worth it.”
“We just need to finalize our plans. And when we attack,” Alva added.
“Just tell me where to cut,” Chikere said, settling down to wait.
“Crystal should be brittle, right?” Durff said. “I think I’ll be pretty decent at smashing it.”
-----
Koralo nervously presented his findings. “I wish I could confer with another formation master. Or especially Catarina. There could be hidden layers I was unable to discern hidden beneath the surface. But what I do see isn’t insurmountable. Let me draw it out. We can force our way through the defenses here…” he began.
“If there are any weak materials protected by a strong barrier,” Velvet said. “My weapon should be optimal for that scenario.”
“Right,” Koralo said.
“And if the barrier isn’t infused into somewhere, I can just bypass it,” Alva said. “Even if they have first order subspace protections, they probably won’t stop me.”
Chikere had already expressed her ability to cut anything. Which was just about as true as it could get, though nothing was universal. A sufficient level of upper energy would stop her, though it might be inefficient. Overwhelming power would still triumph.
Durff’s destructive power was a different kind than her, so it was a valuable alternative. It was a shame he wasn’t an Augmentation cultivator and that Sly could not have come instead, but the circumstances dictated he was one of the best choices.
“Alright,” Koralo said. “It’s… disappointingly straightforward. I don’t think we can be subtle about this. We’ll have to rush in, trying to avoid fight. Otherwise, we need to make them short. I need to reach the Citadel to help dismantle things, but Alva should be able to hit her targets from… well, here actually. But we’ll want you inside the barrier leading to the core, in case it flickers back to life.”
The only thing left to do was to go. But first… they needed to rest. They couldn’t afford to wait terribly long, but they needed to be at their peak. They set up a watch, nervously feeling for any concentrations of cultivators approaching their rented room.
-----
Velvet’s voidsteel dagger slipped through the outer barrier, creating a long mark just as Koralo had described. She wasn’t entirely sure the full extent of its purpose, but it certainly disrupted the flow of energy along the wall where they were.
Everyone had to notice that. Everyone nearby, at least. Velvet was keeping a haze of nothingness over their group, hindering senses, but that just kept enemies from precisely targeting them. The reactions were pretty much instantaneous. Augmentation cultivators perked up instantly, and Integration cultivators were most likely present by the dozens or hundreds.
Chikere sliced open a rift in space, allowing them to cross the remaining kilometers to their destination in a shorter instant than the other Augmentation cultivators. As for why they didn’t begin with that, the technique was obvious enough that it would have revealed them just as much. The outer barrier might have restricted it slightly, and if they had an opportunity to flee they really wanted the barrier disabled. Even if it was most likely a suicide mission, they still wanted to aim for a proper success.
They didn’t go straight for the Citadel. Indeed, according to what Koralo had determined critical pieces of the core formations were placed throughout the area. However, they wouldn’t all need to be dismantled. Or more realistically, they couldn’t afford to make the attempt. Breaking important pieces would had to do.
Which led them to the gardens. They might be falling right into enemy plans, some deeper trap they hadn’t uncovered, but they had to do what they thought best. Durff’s hammer smashed into a statue, shattering it. Chikere cut a long gash through the garden, through flowers, hedges, and path. In theory, it extended to another critical point. With two damaged, the grand formation could become extremely unstable or fail entirely.
Alva’s arrows went in all directions, disappearing the instant they left her bow. Even Velvet couldn’t tell where they were going until they arrived. Then the explosions of energy were fairly clear.
Koralo scratched a particular disruptive mark before they moved on. Beams of light struck towards the Citadel, and then towards them. Velvet sliced apart one of the incoming beams, the energy in it breaking down when it touched voidsteel and becoming nothing. Chikere also cut a few, in the same stroke that she formed another spatial rift. Durff took a hit in his shoulder, but it was only for an instant.
Alva remained in the gardens as the others reached the Citadel. Her task was now to focus on enemies. Any Integration cultivators she felt she could take down quickly were good, and harassing any of the dozen or so Augmentation cultivators she felt would be good as well. She noticed a conspicuous absence of one Lelka. Where was the seneschal hiding?
Velvet watched Durff crush an inlay part of the formation, and she felt the power surrounding the citadel flicker.
Chikere held a blade of blood, nearly infinitely thin but twice her height. She sliced downward with such power that Velvet thought it would have been a good effort for cutting the planet in half. The line of energy struck the Citadel and faded into nothing, as if a toy sword scratching at a fortified door.
Energy thrummed from the Citadel. Not just any energy, but the full power of a Domination cultivator. Was Zaur here? A moment of panic, then acceptance. But no, Velvet only felt the energy infusing the structure. The problem was… with just the five of them, it might as well have been completely invincible. No wonder he wasn’t worried about going a realm away to assault the Scarlet Alliance. Their entire plan was pointless from the start.
Then Durff smashed his hammer into the Citadel so hard that it shattered. His hammer, unfortunately, but it also knocked down half of the neighboring buildings. He wasn’t exactly successful, but Velvet credited him for not giving up.