Nana, her confusion evident, turned to Ty. "What do you have planned?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity. "I could just blow him up."
Ty quickly dismissed her suggestion, shaking his skeletal hand in front of his face. "That will just cause unnecessary noise and might attract more creatures," he cautioned, his voice firm.
Before they could further strategize, the rock creature, now fully formed and towering above them, lunged towards them with surprising speed. Its massive fist aimed directly where they stood. Reacting with swift precision, Ty grabbed Nana by the waist and dove out of the way.
The creature's fist slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact, sending tremors through the earth and leaving a deep imprint where they had just been.
Landing safely a short distance away, Ty quickly assessed their situation. The rock creature, seemingly relentless, turned its attention towards them again. Ty held Nana close, ready to make their next move. His mind raced, calculating their best course of action.
The creature's immense size and strength posed a significant threat, but Ty's experience and quick thinking promised a chance at outmaneuvering it.
Nana, still in his grasp, looked up at him, ready to follow his lead. The night around them, once calm and starlit, was now charged with the tension of the encounter.
The rock creature's eyes glinted a menacing green in the moonlight, its boulder-like fists outlined with pulsing blue cords of energy. With a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very air around them, it declared, "You don't belong!" and charged towards Ty and Nana with formidable speed.
Ty, his grip on Nana's waist tightening, instructed her urgently, "Hold onto my skeletal arm as tight as you can." He pulled her close, causing her cheeks to flush red with a mix of surprise and adrenaline.
Nana, her voice tinged with a hint of whimsy, broke the silence of their flight. "This is pretty romantic in most situations, right? Flying through the night sky," she mused, "though your bones are a bit warm, but still, it's kind of romantic in the right setting, don't you think?"
Ty, pondering her words, responded thoughtfully. "I've seen a lot of movies with scenes like that, so yeah, I get that for sure," he agreed. "But where do you think we should land and start our investigation?"
Nana, her cheeks coloring slightly at the thought, replied, "Well, first off, I've never actually watched a movie before, though I've heard about them from people at the Demon King's castle. You'll have to show me sometime."
She quickly redirected their focus back to the task at hand. "But, regarding where we should go, we should avoid the 1st and 2nd Main House districts. Those areas usually focus on the walls' interior defense. If we cut through the 3rd and 4th Main House districts, we should be able to bypass the main guard forces that patrol the city."
Ty nodded, appreciating her strategic insight. Nana's suggestion to navigate through the less guarded districts was a sound plan, one that would help them avoid unnecessary confrontations and maintain the element of surprise.
As they glided over the main bridge, where two guards stood at their usual posts, Ty glanced down, observing the familiar scene. Curiosity piqued, he turned to Nana. "So, how do you know about the guard posts and all this stuff?" he asked, impressed by her knowledge.
Nana, with a hint of pride in her voice, answered, "What, you expected me to just relax and do nothing while I was recovering? It was actually pretty simple. I requested a lot of books about the kingdom's history so I could learn more about it. It's important to understand the place you're in if you want to exploit its weaknesses and make our next move easier."
Her response revealed not only her resourcefulness but also a strategic mind at work. During her recovery, Nana had taken the initiative to educate herself, turning her period of rest into an opportunity to gather valuable intelligence.
Ty nodded, impressed by her foresight. Nana's proactive approach to learning about the kingdom had provided them with a significant advantage. Her understanding of the guard patterns and the city's layout was now instrumental in their covert operation.
As they continued their flight, weaving through the night sky above the city, Nana's insights guided their path. Her studies had equipped them with the knowledge necessary to navigate the complex political and physical landscape of the kingdom.