Chapter 70 - Smash And Grab (Part One)

The time passed calmly, giving me another precious day of mapping and planning for the big mission. 

We only have one chance at this. The moment they realize the purpose of the distraction and method of extraction, they'll never let it happen again. 

So far, the plan has been ironed out to perfect detail. Edge of Night has a mage with an artifact that gives invisibility placed at the top of the Ivory Tower, ready to drop a rope in case my cloak and claws aren't enough to pierce the magically protected marble. 

As night began to rapidly approach, I bought a small magical implement known as an igniter.

Usually, it's used in survival and camping situations to start fires easily, yet tonight it'll replace my need to use fire magic. Every scrap of mana counts so I can't afford to be stingy. 

After double-checking my preparations and making sure I had the right description of Sylvia, I headed into the Edge of Night to wait for the signal. 

Yet I didn't have to wait long, as about five minutes after I walked in, Boramir and a group of strong-looking adventurers, each donning a silver mask, gave me a nod and stepped out of the guild building. 

It was time. 

Stepping out and donning the black cloak and mask Edge of Night had supplied me with, I left the guild building and barrelled towards the Ivory Tower at maximum speed. In order to escape notice, I was given the idea to climb to the top of the nearest building and jump between them, which ended up cutting off a good amount of travel time. 

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

No matter, mere moments after I had reached the building adjacent to the Ivory tower, a massive explosion could be heard on the west side of town. 

Good Lords, I knew they were planning on making a ruckus, but that seems almost gratuitous. Well, not as if this city truly needs its walls, the only hostile people I've seen here have been drunkards or adventurers with more ego than brains. 

Either way, I'll take that explosion as my symbol. 

Applying a bit of Speed Cloak to my legs, I lept from the building towards the side of the Ivory Tower, cloaking my sharpened claws with a cloak for added piercing effect. 

As my body slammed into the side of the smooth tower, I threw my hands into the side of it as hard as possible, expecting a bit of resistance. 

Yet, what I wasn't expecting, was for my claws and cloak to be repelled completely, sending me flying backward with an equal amount of force that I had struck at the tower with. 

I had no idea I was swinging with the force I did, as the blowback sent me backward back first into the building I had just lept from, leaving an impact in the stone where I had landed. 

Shit. Time for plan B. 

Reaching into my right pocket, I pulled out a small blue crystal. By injecting a bit of mana, the color of the crystal would cycle through an assortment of colors. Injecting mana twice landed the crystal on a red color, signaling to the guild member atop the ivory tower to throw down the full length of the rope, as I had no way to pierce the tower. 

Thankfully, that part of the plan had gone off without any apparent hitch, as after about thirty seconds of waiting, a thick and tightly bound white rope was flung off the side of the building, allowing me to quickly scale the building with a bit of speed cloak applied to my hands and legs. 

I say quickly, but this speed is still only half of what I would have been able to accomplish if my claws had been able to pierce the thick marble. The scaling took a total of about five minutes, which was a long time given how limited time was on this mission. 

After reaching the top, I handed the dark-robed mage my red communication crystal, signaling I was a guild member and that his end of the bargain was complete.

Great, now I owed one of the few people capable of going invisible in the country a favor. I'm sure nothing will come of that. 

Once I handed the black-robed mage the crystal, he pulled up the rope at a speed too quick to be natural and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. 

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the opposite edge of the top of the Ivory Tower and took a moment to collect myself.

Concentrate. There is nothing wrong with helping a woman escape from being kidnapped. 

This is for Surge. For Antonio. For Taf.

Placing my hand on my chest, I began the chant for Falcon Swoop.

"The wings and grace of a bird, the silence of the hunt. Allow this runt to evolve such skills, needed for this stunt. May my path be true and movements silent, as I brave the night as a quiet giant. Falcon Swoop." I complete the phrase, as I can feel a good amount of mana being drained from my body, as the spell is forced out from every pore of my body. 

Once the chilly breeze from my high position seems to disappear entirely, I know the spell has finally taken effect. 

Taking one more deep breath, I use up just about the rest of my mana on this cloak, leaving me with at most twenty percent of my maximum mana capacity, the bare minimum I need for emergency situations. 

Funneling all of the cloak into an interior cloak, and further refining it to just increase speed, I slam it all into my legs, causing them to quake slightly.

It's been a few months since I had to use this much cloak at once. The last time I used this much mana at once was against that freak of nature, Richard Silverwind. 

I may never forget that name for as long as I live. 

Now is not the time to think of such distractions, now is the time for action. 

Taking one last deep breath, I sprint at full speed towards the opposite edge of the Ivory Tower and jump with all of my might.

I get an impressive amount of height and an even more impressive amount of distance, and thanks to Blaze's custom spell, I'm barely losing any altitude. 

Allowing Falcon's Swoop to carry me through the sky is always nerve-wracking, but I don't think I've ever jumped from such a height in my life. Catapulting through the sky, it takes me less than ten seconds to reach my destination, the top of the Guards Tower. 

Loosening the effects of Falcon's Swoop allows me to safely land on top of the tower, yet I don't have to worry about canceling and recasting afterward. 

Using the billowing smoke and commotion in the west as a guild, I quickly find the northeast corner of the tower, the section of the tower in which Sylvia is supposedly being held. 

Drawing my sword, I swing down with all my might on the spot in front of me, transferring all of my cloak into my arms for this one swing. 

Unfortunately, this leaves only a crack in the roof, which was quickly being repaired by the tower's magic. 

Well, that's just wonderful. If only I still had my ax, I could have shattered this flimsy rock into a million pieces. 

Plan B it is. Reaching into the bag on my back, I take out three of the explosive sticks and tie their fuses together, remembering what Antonio told me to do if I ever planned on using more than one. 

After the fuses were tied together, I placed the bundle of explosives right in a still repairing splinter of the tower and ignited the fuses with my new igniter. 

As the fuses began to spark and burn brightly, I ran to the opposite side of the Guards Tower and got low to the ground, covering my ears. 

I knew from experience just how loud these explosions could get, and the three of them did not disappoint. 

As the fuses burned away, all I could hear and feel was the aftermath of the explosion. 

Not wasting any time, I dashed at the hole at full speed, peering down below to the now very visible cell.

What I saw below nearly made my blood boil. The woman who was described as Sylvia to me was chained to a bed, as a man in the upper half of captain's uniform slowly injected her with both a strange glowing substance, as well as something that can not be called an action-driven by love. 

Yet, the moment the ceiling blew open, the half-dressed man looked upon me in horror, yet the completely disrobed Sylvia's eyes were dead.

"What a-" He began to yell in terror.

Before another word could be said, I leaped into the cell and removed the man's head from his body. 

Grabbing the needle from Sylvia's arm, I ripped it out and shoved it into my bag, using the opportunity to break all of her chains and throw her the clothes I had prepared. 

Seeing the clothes and dead captain restored a bit of life to her eyes, yet I hope that's enough to bear being touched by another man right now, as I need to pick her up and jump out of here fast.

The ceiling was already beginning to try and repair itself, and if it closes, so does our window of opportunity.