Sometime around midnight, we find ourselves back at the G & K Fortress entrance. The only difference is that the security lacks a quarter of the guards. There is only one patrol unit outside the fort, and camp life is dead. So, it's nighttime.
Gene takes all but three ritual sticks and begins placing them in their places. She puts the line of stick on the south side of the fortress first before working on the corners for the silencing ritual and the north side to finish the fog.
As she finishes the south side, I nervously approach the walls. The entrance to the fortress is sealed off with a gate and another way of stone. The only way in is to scale the stone wall.
I cover myself, including my energy relying entirely on Gene's perception techniques to mask my presence. The shadow shaman let me pick her brains apart until I had complete confidence in the method. Well, mostly full confidence. I'm unsure if Gene was playing another joke when she said she couldn't see me when I was standing before her or if that was the case.
At the thirty-foot wall's base, I close my eyes and extend my spirit. The eye closing isn't necessary, but it does help with my focus. I lock onto the nearby hoard tracking their position with my senses, and then send the energy I want them to see toward them.
When the wall guard passes by, I begin climbing. The height of the wall is just out of my jump reach. Hand over hand, I search for grips. When there are none, I jab my hand into the wall creating a hold of my own. Halfway up, I rock up and down several times and launch myself to the top. Just within my reach, I snag on the edge and pull myself up.
A page rank goblin wind scout is walking toward me. She's one of the few rotating guards that walk the entirety of the fortress wall. The kobold nature summoner patrolling this section is already on her way back. I quickly topple over the wall and hug the side as tightly as possible. If this is another one of Gene's jokes, I will know for sure.
My breathing is as light as possible. My eyes are tightly shut as I gently manipulate the two guards' perceptions. Don't see me. Please don't see me. To my relief, my presence is blocked from their mind. Even though I am standing beside them, their spirit refuses to believe I'm here and forces their mind and eyes to comply.
There is no way this is real, and I prepare myself to fight my way out of this mess.
"Did you see anything?" The patrolling summoner asks. My fist clenches tighter. Sweat builds at my brow. I want to wipe it away from my eye. I'm between the two guards that are about to pass each other. They'll bump into me if they pass by where I'm standing.
"Not a thing. Juul thinks she might have seen something by the entrance." The scout responds.
"Juul always thinks she sees something. She has been especially jumpy since the recent attacks."
"Think they will attack tonight?" The goblin asks with a bit of weariness evident in her voice.
"Unlikely, the bugbears may be brutes, but they are careful." The kobold stops walking ten feet away from where I'm standing. She looks past me, staring off into the distance. Her eyes are sharp, scanning everything she can.
The goblin passes me and walks near the taller and bulkier kobold. Together the two guards cover the other portion of the kobold's patrol.
"I can understand her being jumpy. Just barely escaped the bugbear's raid on your old fort yesterday."
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"I figured those beast scum would turn on us eventually. Just didn't know it would be so soon. Their bravado demands they always have to act like brutes. There was no way they would let our kobold army obtain the gem before them. I am ready to bury each one of them."
The two guards' voices trail off. I still hold my breath in disbelief that I am not fighting or fleeing. Probably fleeing, if I am being honest. The summoner felt like she had some mean nature spirits she was ready to call to her side. I wait a moment longer, ensuring the fort's ground is clear before I descend.
Fortunately, the guards patrolling inside the fort are small in numbers. I wait for the warrior rook to pass me by before I follow the goblin in his footsteps. The fire fighter is covered in iron armor. On his hip, he wears a shortsword. In his hands, he holds a spear and a shield. The goblin stands just a little bit shorter than me, which seems to be the average height of these people.
His route follows the wall, making my duty of rune spiking a walk in the park. I'm slow to pierce each rune. I don't want the sound to alarm the already uneasy guard detail. My strength and slow pressure drill the spike into each rune. The simple drill gets more complicated when I discover not all runes are inscribed on equal levels. Some are near the floor, above my head, past my stretched-out hands, or near the top of the wall.
It's super inconsiderate and inconvenient. Still, I keep my eyes closed, my perception projecting my absences, and I spike every rune with my iron chitin spikes full of mana. With the last spike, nothing happens. In my head cannon, I was expecting a pass of energy or a shudder of the runes shutting down despite Gene's objection, "Runes do not make noises."
She nearly thumped me when I asked if there were such things as runes capable of imitating the ambient noises of nature. Fortunately, all I received instead was a disappointed shake in her head. I'm still unsure if her shake was directed at me or my question. The mystery of runes stays afoot.
Ditching my guide, I make for the center of the fort, where I place the last three remaining ritual sticks of silencing. With all my might, I drive the stick deep into the ground so they will not be stumbled upon or quickly removed.
Towards the north side of the fort, I can sense a thick dark cloud moving in. As the cloud nears, the volume of the cloud increases. Half of the wall is already swallowed by it. It continues to cover the rest of the fort, increasing in size and density. The clear night sky or anything other than the shadow fog can't be seen when it reaches the south sound.
A bell rings near the entrance. Scattered shouts and commands can be heard through the camp as I reach the prison. Just as Gene promised, I can see clearly enough to navigate the heavy shadow fog while I cycle shadow mana.
I bust through the door and quickly drop the guard with a light swing from Bo. The second kobold moves for her sword. Bo moves quicker. I wince at the dull-sounding impact and softly apologize to the dazed guards. I sense no other guards within the building and begin rescuing all the trapped beasts.
I break the cages and mentally connect with each of the six spiders. Hello friends. I've been sent by The Spider Queen.
No queen. We seek God. The one response I get from a spider is odd, but I let it go. These spiders may be more devoted to Annette than I was aware.
Yes, God. I am the messenger sent here to save you all. Let me get you out of here. I play along with their beliefs if only to get them freed. I can apologize to Annette and the spiders later for the blasphemy. For now, I will be the angel of liberty… or something cool like that. Stand back.
The ritual stick prepared for explosions is placed on the north wall. A thick shadow now fills the prison room, keeping us safely covered. Spiders scrunch near me in anticipation. Gene said the boom sticks have a ten-second timer. By the time I get to five, the sticks go boom. The fire roars back into my face filling the room with smoke and heat. I feel my beard and front strands of hair get crispy. Luckily smoke and shadow cover the scent.
Rocks are blown outward as a sizeable exit is created. Sure, we could have used the door, but this was a pleasant diversion, and Gene wanted a signal. The shouts and commands are quiet momentarily before they pick up again.
"Reinforce the gates. Don't let anyone through."
“Rouges and Assassins dispose of the infiltrators.”
"The explosion was near the barracks. Go there now."
Five assassins are approaching us when seven more explosions throughout the encampment sound off.