"Woooo!" Florentine shouted, holding her hands up as if on a rollercoaster.
Gael looked over at Jae-Seung, shouting over the wind, "How long is it going to take to get there?!"
"’Bout an hour!" Jae-Seong answered as his shades sohow didn’t fly away.
"An hour—?!" Gael responded, feeling his gut sink at the journey ahead of him.
Sohow, holding on for dear life as the creature swam through the clouds worked. Through the pale nebula, a new scenery presented itself to his eyes—
A sprawling region of mountains, surrounding a town and estate like natural walls. The worldly formations were covered in dazzling crystals that shined with a rainbow of colors as the sunlight dipped over.
"That’s the Sevaraid Domain!" Jae-Seong declared.
At the highest point of the region, a castle built of sturdy stone stood atop a mountain, overlooking the land.
"That’s our destination—?" Gael said.
Even from the high point, it was easy to see the roads were occupied by a constant influx of carriages going in-and-out of the mines.
"See down there? It’s completely overseen now by Mastorn," Jae-Seong pointed out.
It was difficult to make out, though a squint of his eyes allowed him to see it; the roads along with the entrances to the mines were guarded by n in pale armor.
"Mastorn has completely overtaken this region," Gael observed, glancing over the creature’s side.
Jae-Seong knelt beside him, watching the sa area, "They didn’t waste any ti. It’s only been two nights since we received Frederick’s letter. That ans this wasn’t a peaceful takeover—Mastorn took it by force."
"I’m not an expert, but from the sounds of things, isn’t force the way of Mastorn? They sound mighty imperialistic to ," Matteo questioned, seeming to enjoy the breeze atop the titan ray.
The notion was dismissed by a shake of Jae-Seong’s head, "Even Mastorn isn’t usually this ballsy. They at least try and play nice with other regions."
"The Sevaraid Domain is basically its own neutral territory, right? Sounds like easy pickings for them," Gael said.
Jae-Seong nodded his head, "You’re right in that case. Thing is, Frederick Sevaraid is friends with a lot of powerful leaders in other kingdoms. Attacking him is a middle finger to all of them."
"A declaration of war?" Matteo asked from behind.
"More just a declaration of strength," Jae-Seong corrected.
As they observed the state of the conquered region, the titan ray began to descend. It didn’t head into the town, nor the roads, instead sailing between the mountain ranges.
"Why’re we heading there?" Gael asked, trying his best not to look down.
"Can’t risk getting spotted. I don’t think you’ve ever had to experience artillery magic before—scary stuff," Jae-Seong laughed.
"...Doesn’t sound like a laughing matter to ," Florentine muttered.
A wobbly feeling swirled in the young man’s stomach as he felt the creature flying lower, carefully descending.
"Actually, if you could do a favor...Are you able to de-summon your familiars? Just for the ti being," Jae-Seong asked, looking back.
"Oh? Sure," Gael said, glancing at his familiars. "I’ll call on you guys if I need help."
"Right. See ya, Boss," Matteo playfully saluted.
"Got it!" Florentine said.
The capybara twitched its nose as if saying "I don’t really care either way."
With a wave of his hand, the warrior, capybara, and adventurer faded away into particles, being returned to his astral inventory.
The titan ray continued to slowly drift downward, creeping between two mountains away from the main roads.
"Were they annoying you? They have that effect," Gael asked.
Jae-Seong laughed, looking over the valley, "I like them, actually! It’s just that summons like that are ford by mana."
"Seriously? I’ve seen them bleed before," Gael asked.
"They’re of flesh and blood, but more so mimicking human form by way of mana. That ans they’re incredibly easy to detect with certain spells," Jae-Seong advised him, tapping the back of the ray.
"Wait, you’re saying my familiars are like a big alarm saying "Here I am!"—seriously?" Gael asked, feeling vindicated for his past experiences.
"In general, no. Just in case recon magic is used. Mastorn is likely expecting so form of resistance to co in this domain, so—just gotta be careful," Jae-Seong assured him.
As he listened to the seasoned Outlander, he found the man rather reliable. Though there were so oddities to his personality, it seed listening to him was his best bet.
"What’s the plan? Are we just running in and throwing down?" Gael asked.
As it landed, he hopped down, catching himself on the rocky trail as he wobbled. It took so effort not to fall over, breathing out as he looked back at the crystal mountains.
Jae-Seong answered as he followed, landing with much more grace, "Hah! I wish, but we have to do things with a bit more tact."
"Alright, well...what is our goal here exactly? You still haven’t told ," Gael asked, kicking a pebble as he crossed his arms, watching the ray drift back into the clouds.
The trail was rather tucked away, overlooked by the glistening mountains with cobalt-leaf trees looming over. There was a difference in the air, denser with oxygen; like fireflies, azure particles drifted in the valley.
Jae-Seong stretched, leaning side-to-side, "First thing’s first, we need to scout out the enemy forces and movents. Our first goal is securing Frederick."
"Alright. I’m following your lead here," Gael said.
Jae-Seong gave him a thumbs-up, "Just leave it to ."
As they traversed the trail, it led directly into an active road being used for the mines. Before stepping into the visible path, he watched Jae-Seong glance from behind the rocks.
"What’re you seeing?" Gael asked, peeking as well.
"A whole lot of Mastorn soldiers," Jae-Seong answered.
Sure enough, along the roads there were plenty of armored soldiers, standing idly with swords at their hips. They were perfectly spread out; he estimated with his eyes there was a guard every ten paces from another.
What he also took note of were the number of carriages coming and going.
"Is there normally this amount of traffic?" Gael asked, watching the horse-led coaches move along.
"Not at all," Jae-Seong remarked, glancing behind the rock. "Mastorn is trying to move as much as they can out of the mines, as quickly as possible. They’re in a rush..."
Gael observed the sa, feeling anxious about the fact. The idea of a goliath of a kingdom this desperate unsettled him, especially when considering their ire was pointed at him.
"Alright, here’s the deal..." Jae-Seong said, turning away from the road. "I’m going to secure Frederick. He’s likely being kept prisoner in his own mansion right now."
"You make it sound like I’m not going with you," Gael pointed out.
"That’s because...you have a different role here!" Jae-Seong said as he gave a pat to the newcor’s shoulder before glancing around the corner of the mountainside.
As he followed the man’s look, it was right towards the entrance into the crystal-bearing mines.
"You’ll be infiltrating the Sevaraid Mines. We need to stop the exportation of the goods," Jae-Seong planned.
"So...You need to bust it up?" Gael asked.
"Sothing along those lines. Basic soldiers you can handle, the problem is..." Jae-Seong lingered, tilting his head.
"The Venator," Gael finished.
Jae-Seong snapped his fingers, "Exactly! You handled that dragon though, so...You should be fine."
"Should be?—"
Hardly a mont for affirmation, he watched Jae-Seong hurry off while waving, "Good luck, rook!"
"Wait—"
In a burst of light, he flinched, parting his eyelids to find that the Outlander was already gone.
’Did he teleport? Or was that sothing else? Either way, I guess I’m on my own from here,’ he thought.
A sigh left his lips as he waited at the edge of the mountain trail, watching the busy roads as carriages passed.
Getting in was simple enough as he took in a breath of air before—he vanished into the unseen. With quick, but silent steps, he moved alongside the road, walking as the carriage wheels turned over the rickety path.
’I don’t need to worry much about noise if I stick close to the road. I can move faster,’ he assured himself, sprinting right past the dutiful soldiers.
It was hard to get used to sneaking right in front of the gazes of the tal-held guards, though it was simply enough. Running alongside the carriage pulled by a pair of black steeds, he looked ahead at the entrance to the mines.
Into the mouth of the mountain, he followed, feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitent in his gut. The beige-curtained carriage he tailed ca to a stop at the entrance, as he did the sa, tucking by its wheel.
It was a tunnel overlooked by a smooth, stone roof, stopped short by the gates leading to the bountiful mine.
The soldier by the wooden gates of the mine approached the carriage driver, "Na?"
"Woody Heiser!" The rchant holding the reigns said with a gruff voice.
"Go right in, Lord Heiser. The workers will load your wagon with the goods," the pale-armored soldier said, stepping aside.
"Good! Let them earn their pay, the lazy bastards!" The short rchant huffed as he whipped the reigns.
That was his cue; he walked alongside the wheels as the massive gates barring the way were lifted. The age of the wood material made itself loud and clear; the archaic chanism grumbled and creaked as it rescinded the blockade.
’—And I’m in,’ he thought.
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