Chapter 193: The Gate

As it flew, the flare shed a shower of red sparks, slowly arcing up into the twilight sky. It reached its peak, and as it began to arc down, exploded in a flash of blindingly bright red, sending a cascade of red in every direction.

Even after it had exploded, the light from the flare remained behind, the glowing red particles dissipating very slowly. 

"Soon enough, our lads will open the gate." Docara's voice was confident, and he looked back toward the towering wooden gates, thick with runes, that separated the Inner City from the Outer.

The Ursten forces stood in anticipation, waiting for the gates to open, confident that as usual, Grand Marshal Tam's plan would pan out.

But they waited in vain, the gates remained still, with no hint of movement whatsoever.

"Damn It. What's taking them so long." Tam muttered under his breath to Anteris, showing a rare moment of worry. He spoke quietly, so as not to alarm the soldiers, but the Nighthawks were his most reliable men, and it was unlike them to delay in their mission without good reason.

"Bzzzt. Crrrck… Bzzt." A crackling noise came from the saddlebags on Tam's horse, and he snatched open the bags, reaching for the device that lay within. If the Nighthawks had resorted to this, then the situation within the wall must truly be dire.

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A little while before the signal flare was launched, within the grand structure that was the wall of Aznur, a trio of Nighthawks were making their way up the narrow staircase that led into the corridors that ran through the wall.

The three of them had ditched their masks and armor, and after knocking a few guards unconscious, had managed to get their hands on a set of Imperial Guard armor.

"You alright, Salmon?" The tall man in the lead, asked the stocky man who was trailing behind, wheezing as he walked. Though none of them were currently wearing their masks, out of habit, they still referred to each other by the appearance of their masks,

"I'll be fine, Whirlpool. It's just that little wound I got when I was fleeing the Keep of Blackstone." Salmon brushed off Whirlpool's concerns, and picked up his pace, wincing as he did so.

"Don't think I didn't see that, Salmon. You should have listened to me and gone to see the healers, those fanatics in Drukka are known for their poisons. You might just drop dead while we're walking up these blasted stairs." Whirlpool grumbled, shaking his head at the stubborn Salmon. He knew that no  matter what anyone said, without an express command from Tam, Salmon would never pass up the opportunity to go on a mission.

"Both of you, stop bickering. Mind on the mission, we can't afford to fail. We all know that we aren't the only team dispatched, but we should act as though we are." The third member of the trio growled at the other three, he was of average height, but even the armor he wore could not conceal his strength.

"Of course, Dog." The other two chimed together, though all the Nighthawks were intimidating in their own right, Dog was one of the few that even most of the Nighthawks steered clear of.

The three of them continued in silence, quietly moving through the shining white corridors of the walls, lit at intervals with glowing Mana Crystal maps.

"You sure these plans we got our hands on are correct, shouldn't we be at the gatehouse by now?" Dog muttered, looking over Whirlpool's shoulder at the map he was staring at.

"They might be old, but this wall is the oldest thing around here for miles, maybe the Palace is older but for as long as there's been a city here, they've been here. They were probably here even before the Empire set up shop around these parts." Whirlpool brushed off Dog's concerns, the man he procured these plans from was perhaps one of the most mysterious individuals he had met. 

He had appeared out of seemingly thin air, handed Whirlpool the plans and disappeared once again. As a thief, Whirlpool wasn't unfamiliar with spells that could achieve these things, but for him to be fooled by another Thief's spell was testament to the individual's skill.

The corridors wound upwards, stairs at regular intervals, and soon the narrow corridor they had been walking along joined up with a larger corridor that ran just below the top of the wall.

There were stairs at regular intervals that led up to the top of the wall, and the corridor was packed with supplies. 

There were barrels filled with enchanted arrows, bolts for ballistas, large stones for dropping on any invaders. But everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, from the response to the invasion, and the poorly manned walls, it was clear the Empire had no expectation of any invasion.

"There, that'll be the door to the gatehouse." Dog said excitedly, pushing ahead of Whirlpool at the sight of the dark wooden door, slightly ajar.

"Be patient, Dog. I know you're eager for a fight, but remember, we're not here to tangle with Imperial soldiers, we're here on a mission." Whirlpool pulled Dog back, who shot him an angry glare through the visor of his helmet.

"Alright. But I'm first in." Dog whispered as they drew closer, his tone making it clear that who went in first was not up for argument.

"Stop." Whirlpool hissed, now that he was close enough to feel the mana signatures behind the door, he could feel that there was something extremely wrong.

"There someone far too powerful up there, I've only ever felt such power from the Grand Marshal himself." Whirlpool continued, his voice dripping with fear.

"Fine. The pair of you stay back. I'll go and take a good look, don't wait around if I don't come back out within a few seconds." Dog said abruptly, not giving the others a chance to argue, and quickly tip toeing toward the door.