The girls' room at Greg Inn was warm from the afternoon sun streaming through the window, the wooden floorboards creaking softly under the weight of their steps. The six of them were gathered, not in a formal circle, but casually spread around—the girls on the beds, the boys leaning against the walls, Klyden sprawled on the floor with a mischievous grin and a snack in hand.
Wads sat on the edge of a chair, rolling the parchment map over and over in his mind. Every mark, every symbol, every alleyway noted by Kaizer or gathered during the day's brief recon—he traced them in his thoughts, connecting dots, imagining possibilities. If Threnz were here, where would they strike? How would they guard the flow of the Elixer? What contingencies might they employ? Every alley, every shadowed corner, every intersection between town streets and the Forsaken's edge became a variable in his mental calculations.
Liora, noticing his focus, rolled her eyes and broke the silence. "You're thinking too much again," she teased, picking up a small trinket from her bag and flipping it between her fingers.
"Can't help it," Wads muttered, not taking his gaze off the map sketched in his mind. "If we don't account for every possibility, we might walk straight into a trap."
Keiya leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "And here I thought you'd relax a little before the mission."
"I'm relaxing," Wads replied with a dry shrug, though the subtle tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
Klyden, always unable to sit still, rolled onto his knees and hopped closer, his bright eyes sparkling. "Relaxing, he says! You're always thinking, thinking, thinking. Come on, it's just a town!" He grinned mischievously, waving a handful of small pastries. "Here, try one! You might forget your worries for a second!"
Keiya swatted his hand away, "You'll eat your weight in these things before we even start."
Liora chuckled, adding, "Better him than me. I'd be fainting if I had to eat all that."
Even Wads allowed himself a faint smirk, the lighthearted energy of the room tugging at him despite the heavy weight of his calculations. Reiyell, elegant and poised as ever, sat on her bed quietly sipping tea, observing them all with her soft, indicolite eyes that caught the afternoon sun in a way that made it glow brighter.
"Alright," Wads said finally, clearing his throat and standing. "We need to go over the plans once more. I want everyone to know exactly what's expected tonight."
The group leaned in, listening intently as Wads explained his reasoning. "We only need three people to enter and investigate. Liora, Ashborne and me. The other three stay here, monitoring and tracking via the magic parchment. If anything goes wrong, you alert me immediately."
Klyden's eyes went wide, excitement lighting up his face. "Wait, why can't I go?" he asked, feigning disappointment but bouncing in place like a child.
"You're loud," Liora said bluntly, reaching over to tie his arms gently behind the chair, then placing a strip of tape over his mouth. "We can't have anyone yelling and giving us away."
Keiya rolled her eyes, adding with a playful smirk, "Consider it temporary restraint for your own good."
Klyden waved his free hands helplessly, muffled sounds escaping from beneath the tape, but he didn't resist too hard, his energy still radiating through the room.
Ashborne, silent and composed, merely observed with an amused smirk, while Reiyell's hand rested lightly on the map in Wads' direction, signaling her readiness to assist should the need arise.
Once the selection was settled, Wads, Liora, and Ashborne began donning the black hooded cloaks Kaizer had provided. Each cloak was made to cover most of their body, the hoods casting shadows over their faces, paired with black masks to hide their identity. They moved with precision, checking one another's gear, ensuring nothing would catch the moonlight and betray them.
Wads handed a small communicator to Reiyell, his voice low but firm. "If anything goes wrong, contact us immediately. We won't hesitate to move, but we'll need updates. You'll see the map draw itself as we move closer to the location. It'll show the route and sketch the base."
Both Reiyell and Keiya nodded silently, their faces set in serious determination. Ashborne's red eyes glimmered under the hood, Liora's expression remained calm, almost serene.
The night was quiet, a blanket of silver moonlight washing over the inn's rooftops. The wind whispered softly, carrying the faint scent of earth and distant forest. Wads led the way, leaping effortlessly using his gravity manipulation to control his trajectory, landing with minimal sound. Liora glided above the rooftops, her Silent Step erasing all trace of movement, wind cradling her as she passed from roof to roof. Ashborne melted into shadows, appearing and disappearing with effortless stealth beside them.
From his vantage point, Wads observed the town below, noting two suspicious men patrolling near the underground dam. Their movements were deliberate, yet casual—guards on duty, unaware of the silent predators above. He narrowed his eyes at the tattoos around their necks: unlike the lizard or spider marks he had seen before, these were something new, unknown, ominous.
"Above the dam," Wads whispered into the collars. "Move in. Ashborne, Liora, position yourselves. Quietly."
They obeyed, melting into the shadows, slipping down like whispers of wind. Within moments, the two guards were incapacitated, bodies hidden from view. Liora's keen senses picked up the faint scent of the Elixer—a smell she recognized from the intel gathered earlier that day—confirming their suspicions. Ashborne's shadow swallowed the men, teleporting them out of sight.
Wads bent the gravitational field around the unconscious men, keeping them immobile as he inspected the tattoos more closely. Not a flicker of red glowed—yet the threat was palpable.
"Confirmed," he murmured into the collars. "We're going in."
"Noted," Reiyell's calm voice came through from the inn, faint over the communicator.
The moonlight glimmered across the town as Wads, Liora, and Ashborne stood before the entrance to the underground dam. The smell of damp earth and waste hit their noses. Shadows pooled like ink in the corners, the silence heavy with anticipation. They exchanged a brief nod before descending into the darkness, each step silent but resolute, ready for whatever lay ahead.