Chapter 360: Naha

Chapter 360: Naha

Mirror

The days blurred for Naha as they waited. Their hiding place was deep in the forest where the enemy rarely went. Though, there wasnt much to do other than sit quietly and contemplate. Their plan couldnt be expanded on until something changed in the city and they got a chance to actually see what they were facing. So, they waited. They had a rotating watch on the city, not from anywhere close like when they made their first round of reconnaissance, but further away. Just close enough to see any big movements in or out of the city.

Then something finally changed. One of the wardens returned from his shift with the news.

They are gathering forces, Warden Jen, a ravzor, said. Ive seen both the monsters and taken marching out of the city. No traitors that I have seen.

Bera turned to look at the rest of them. That might mean that they are leaving the traitors and the salves with a minimal taken presence. This might be our chance.

Do you think that theyve detected the army? Isnt it a bit too early? Okim asked.

Bera shook her head. I cant contact Eratemus, she showed Naha a small orb that she held in her hand, a Far-link orb. Its not a cause for concern I dont think. We anticipated it. A lot of communication powers dont work when near the enemy, some of their monsters have a way of disrupting such powers. So, we cant know how their plans changed. They couldve marched early, and this is right on schedule.

This is our best chance then, Zach said.

Unless this isnt a response to the army and they return in a couple of days, Warden Jen cautioned.

Next, she walked to the second district, the second ring of the city. This was where they stored most of the materials they had been pilfering from the territory. She saw traitors and taken organizing it, crafters working in makeshift facilities. Creating weapons, gear, everything that a normal faction would need. This was also where she encountered the first problem.

One of the big buildings, a former barrack, had a lot of taken inside. But one office at the end was blurred. She couldnt even enter the room, though the doors were open. She could kind of see someone inside, wearing black, but nothing more than that.

She had known that there would be some powers that interfered with her item, and they had expected this. Still, their physical observation from outside the city had told them that this was where the taken commanders usually stayed. They knew that two of them were often inside. They had hoped to get some information, that she would be able to read anything that they had in the open, but it looked like they werent that lucky. She checked the other guardhouses in the second ring and found that all of them had the same effects. Not always in a room though, sometimes she saw a sphere of fuzzy imagery in the middle of a hallway, which told her another thing. It was the taken themselves that caused the effect. Which probably meant that these people had some anti-divination powers or items, perhaps even before they became taken. In order to be able to beat her mirror, they would have to be fairly powerful. Which meant that these were most likely the taken commanders themselves.

It was unfortunate that she couldnt get any information from these places, but this at least told her the likely location of her most important targets. So far, she had found six of them. She walked around for a few more hours, devising the best routes in and out. She would need to make a quick run through the city, kill them all within as short of a period of time as possible.

They were still talking about the best way to do that, and she did have some ideas.

Finally, she moved to the last section of the city.

There were more taken here, less traitors. A few monsters were laying in between buildings, but far less than there used to be. There wasnt much to see, so she made her way to the fort. The moment she reached the door, she found an obstacle. The doors were open, a taken was entering, but there was nothing inside. Just a black wall that blocked everything from sight. Naha climbed walls and looked through windows, only to see the same thing.

Something or someone inside was very powerful, this wasnt like the distortion of the image she encountered before. This was a complete block of her mirror; nothing had been reflected inside the fort.

It was an obstacle, but she still spent the time walking around the fort looking for ways in. She marked the guards around it and memorized everything about the inner city.

Afterward, she spent another half a day going through the entire city again. Making sure that she hadnt missed anything. Only once she was sure did she return to the area where she entered and left the mirrored world.

It was time for their assault on the city to start.