The number of guards along the border made Ali nervous. Their numbers had tripled compared to the last time he crossed over and, unlike that day, they weren’t allowing anyone through. A few corpses nearby showed what happened to those crossing earlier.
Looks like we won’t be attempting that.
Aok said they were sneaking in but the man didn’t specify on how they would do so. To sneak past the guards wasn’t going to be easy. During these moments, there was a high chance there was at least one guard with a detection ability posted at the border. The news of the attack on the slums had spread throughout the city and no one wanted any of the slum’s denizens in their territory. Unfortunately, that approach went against what Ali’s group wanted to achieve.
“Everyone,” said Aok, “close your eyes now and don’t open them until I tell you.”
Ali stared at the others in puzzlement but he did as he was told. A short moment later, he was told they could open their eyes. The teenager looked around, realizing that they were past the guards and were in an alleyway some distance into the faction territory. In a matter of seconds, they sneaked in without the guards being any wiser. Now that they were inside, it was far less likely for them to attract suspicion by those looking for anyone trying to get in. Aok then gestured to them to follow as the group went deeper into the alleyway until they reached a dead end. The man proceeded to open the door to his right before herding everyone inside. As soon as Aok closed the door, everyone else let out the breath they were holding. Somehow, they managed to get inside and, by the next day, they could fit in with those in the faction territory.
“I think we should seek out those loyal to my father,” said Miniya suddenly.
Aok, being the leader of the group, stopped to consider the proposal. They had got past the guards but, by being on the streets on this night, they could attract the attention of those patrolling the streets. At the same time, no one was expected to take action on such a chaotic night which provided excellent cover for those who could remain in the darkness undetected. The man weighed the two points and decided against taking action.
“I know that you are in a hurry, Miniya.” The man then gestured in the direction of Miniya’s former home. “Until we have more intel, entering your residence could be our last mistake. We still don’t know if those loyal to your father and you are still alive or not. Your father wouldn't have sent you away if his residence is safe.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Miniya opened her mouth but she closed it before she said anything else. Lorn led her away, reassuring her that they would take action as soon as possible. The group then took the moment to familiarize themselves with their new home. The building was about double the size of Aok’s storeroom but it was completely empty. No goods or furniture was present. The only items were the ones they carried with them which they set down carefully in the corner. Ali was helping with the sleeping bags when Tian reached out to him.
The Rashedi Residence is heavily guarded. I dared not risk making a move and getting spotted by someone with detection abilities.
That’s probably why Aok told us to lay low. Tonight isn’t a good time to carry out any operations.
I can keep exploring around the city. You’d never know what I might discover.
Alright, stay hidden! We don’t want to lose this hideout already.
Once Tian moved too far for him to communicate with the air serpent, Ali resumed with the sleeping bags and found himself a nice corner to sleep in. After the eventful day, everyone headed to bed early. There was soon snoring in the room but the teenager still couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was still pondering on what ability was used to get them into the city. He closed his eyes as he was told but the ability happened far too quickly. It seemed very useful to have an ability that allowed one to move from one spot to another so instantaneously. Once his adrenaline ran out, the teenager felt his eyelids growing heavy. He didn’t fight it as he allowed sleep to take over.
Once in the summoner realm, he searched around until he found Qeday and Glacier. The whelp was training with the ice monkey, a sight he hadn’t expected. Naturally, the whelp focused on dodging as she had no offensive abilities. However, it was still good training as Qeday needed to survive engagements to use her abilities. From what they had observed so far, the whelp could continue making the metallic object even if she was focused on other tasks. The process, once started, only interrupted when she was defeated. As for Glacier, he needed practice to actively attack his foes. Since the whelp could fly, the ice monkey’s flash freeze ability didn’t limit Qeday’s movements. However, the extra mobility still made Glacier quite dangerous in the fight.
“I see you two are hard at work,” said Ali. “We may need your assistance once we are engaged in combat. The tension is high here and security has been bolstered.”
“Qeday is helping me get better at attacking fast targets with the ground covered in ice,” said Glacier. “I don’t think I’ll be a hindrance in the next battle.”
The teenager joined in with the training, believing that practice made perfect. He and Qeday made a team as they faced off against Glacier. It didn’t take long for Ali to realize how frustrating it was to fight against Glacier after the ice monkey used his flash freeze ability. Ice was already hard to traverse on so fighting on it was several times worse. He felt a sense of helplessness as the ice monkey attacked him with impunity. Soon, he felt the conditions was completely unfair.
Good thing our foes have to deal with the same issue.