Chapter 329: Crackling Infiltration

Chapter 329: Crackling Infiltration

Seven moons filled the night sky. Dallion was eager to put the plan in motion, but the guardian urged him to wait a few hours more until the Green Moon was in its apexthe time most beneficial for dryad echoes. During that time, there was nothing left for Dallion to wait and practice forging. In general, it was a bad idea to reveal skills to others, but crafting skills didnt have a direct effect on standard fighting skills. Also, the promise between Dallion and Duzhd ensured that the guardian would share no skills with the rest of his group. Given that the loss of this temple would threaten the entire realm, no complaints from the other guardians were expected. If anything, Dallion assumed they would be keeping an eye on the whole situation, eager to see the outcome. If things went well, there was a chance that others surrendered as well.

Another dagger was hammered into being, then unsummoned like the ten before it. There was no doubt that Dallion had gotten the hang of creating them, and still his forging skill hadnt increased by a single point. That, of course, was normal. Crafting skills increased based on the masterpiece principleonly when the crafter forged an item far better than anything hed created so far would the skill increase. That meant that it would take thirty-eight outstanding items in order for Dallion to reach his current level cap. It also explained why crafters were treated so differently from other awakened.

You know that you need to actually forge the items in order to increase your level, the armadil shield said.

I know, Dallion summoned an iron ingot and started shaping it, barely looking at the provided markers. I just want to get the feeling of it. Get a solid foundation, as Nil likes to say.

Right. The echo has been weeping with joy, you know. Not that hell admit it.

An annoyed cough resounded in Dallions realm.

Itll be time to go soon. Better get ready.

I will. Dallion kept on hammering the piece of metal. Getting the shape right had become quite easy. Of course, it helped that the ingot was mailable as if it were red hot. I thought youd spend some time chatting with the guardian, given that you might know each other.

The dryad union was a huge place, far bigger than the current human empire. You dont expect me to know everyone, do you?

All the more reason to get to know him.

Nah, I dislike child prodigies, the armadil shield replied.

Its time. An echo approached Dallion.

Sure. Dallion unsummoned the dagger half-done. The anvil and hammer disappeared along with it. Lets go.

It was a short walk to the edge of the guardians domain. While walking Dallion tried to get Gleam to emerge, but the shardfly stubbornly refused to do so. As she had been saying all along, she was only going to emerge once Dallion left the dryads land and not a moment earlier.

I need to have my illusion before I step out, Dallion said. Ill step over the moment you do. Promise.

I really dont like this, the familiar sighed. Moments later, she emerged above Dallion;s head and started sprinkling him with glitter from her wings.

Dallion could hardly feel a thing, but based on the dryad echos reaction that the effect was working. After about a minute of flying around him, the shardfly disappeared back into his realm once more.

There, she said in an annoyed voice. Youre ready. If anyone asks, youre a crackling knight.

The city gate was twenty feet wide and twice that in height. The architecture seemed medieval. There was nothing remotely impressive about it other than the material it was made of. Holding his breath, Dallion slowly moved on.

Theres no pause between gremlins, Gleam said.

Thats why Ill have to get creative, Dallion replied, as markers appeared on the walls. Originally, his plan was to enter through the gates, but with all that chaos running up the walls was the better choice.

Charging along the markers, Dallion leapt up. Within seconds a sequence was complete, then a second, granting Dallion the ability to bounce off air. He did, propelling himself further up. Soon enough, he found himself on the top of the wall. Unlike human castles, there were no guards presentsuch were never planned. Cracklings never had the need to protect themselves from enemies sneaking in. Most often they were the attackers; if they had grown to the point of forming a city, that meant that the decay had crept in deep within the item. This was all the better for Dallion, who simply continued along the wall for a better spot to jump in.

The inside of the city was both similar to a standard human settlement and not. The streets and buildings were positioned as one would expect. Everything else, on the other hand, was like a bad copy and paste. Looking closely, there were only three types of buildings within the city: forges, barracks, and crude homes. Shops, statues, even entertainment structures seemed to be alien. Even the inner castle seemed to be like a fortified neighborhood than anything else.

You dont have much time, dear boy, Nil said. With this number of crackling troops, the guardians echoes wont be able to last for long.

Right, Dallion nodded.

Finding a good spot, he leapt along the roofs of buildings, making his way towards the city center. Below, gremlins continued to trickle along the streetsin far smaller numbersrushing to forges and emerging in full armor.

Theyre only knights? Dallion wondered.

Its not like they are a complex society, Nil noted. At this stage, its all what the heart-flame decides is best for it. The gremlins themselves are just parts of the whole. If knights are the strongest that the city has to offer, why go with anything less?

As much as that made sense, it didnt feel right. There was something more, but Dallion couldnt put his finger on it.

Music, he thought.

Large blocks of hunger emerged through the city, taking up entire buildings. The gremlins also had their individual emotions, but those paled in comparison to the point of insignificance. Scariest of all, a large ball of devouring personified pulsed in the middle of the inner castle, making Dallions skin creep even from this distance. That was what he had come to destroy. How exactly was he supposed to do it, though? The flame was clearly too large for Dallion or any of his familiars to handle. Even if he reached it without attracting any attentionwhich was looking more and more likely at this pointwhat was he going to do afterwards?

Harp, Dallion thought. Any chance you can summon water here?

No, the nymph replied in her usual manner. I can help control water, but not summon it out of nowhere.

Any chance that you can get it from the sea?

The lack of response gave Dallion his answer. He was going to have to use something else to extinguish the flame. At the end of the day, though, it remained a physical presence. As long as one could do physical damage, it could wound it. The trick was wounding it enough.

Suddenly, the ground shook. Miles from the city, all the gremlin knights had merged into one giant entity, only to be knocked down by the whale minion which had crashed into it. Things had quickly entered into the endgame, which didnt give Dallion much time.