### Chapter 24: Sudden Developments
“Here they come…”
In the dimly lit, narrow alley, both parties met quietly. There were no flowery speeches; a quick introduction, and off they went into the dark, making a beeline for the nearest side gate. After turning several corners, they finally arrived at the towering wall before the city gate.
Given the relatively quiet atmosphere in the city, one would assume a curfew was in effect, making nighttime excursions out of the city a no-go. However, the guards on duty seemed oddly familiar with them; after all, they were from that something-or-other Warhammer Army. A few friendly words later, one of the party slipped a bag to a guard, who accepted it without a fuss, chuckled a bit, and opened the heavy gate just enough for them to slip through.
I was perched high up on a rooftop, watching from a distance.
Once they passed through the gate, they quickly scanned the area, then with a flash of their strikingly blue eyes, a mist of ice shot up from their feet. They stood on a platform of ice, swirling currents lifting them hundreds of meters into the air. I crossed my fingers that the guards on the walls were not hawk-eyed enough to spot me.
As they drifted away from the wall, I lowered my altitude, peering downwards until I found their party again. They were trudging down a muddy path on the outskirts of the city, heading towards a distant farm. I trailed them from a safe distance, occasionally hovering on my icy platform under the night sky, waiting for them to get a little further before skating along behind them. After a good half-hour of this shuffling around, they finally halted on a dirt slope.
Are we there yet?
I silently descended from the sky.
Looking around, I could see this area was about five to six kilometers from the city; it was a muddy wasteland nurtured by recent rains, with the occasional clump of grass and shrub, as well as scattered tall pine trees.
I crept closer, ducking behind one of the pines. About fifty meters away, the four were crouched on the dirt slope, facing a few shoddily put-together farm structures in the distance, whispering among themselves as the cold wind brought their words to my ears.
“So, this is the place…”
“Yep. The southernmost farmhouse… if all goes as planned, they should be hiding inside.”
“I’ve been lurking here for several nights and saw folks sneaking out at night… Once, that pretty noble lady brought them some food… the injured girl from the other night — I recognized her… it was also at night!”
“Have you looked into her identity?”
“Not yet, but she’s probably from the former lord’s family… last name Naispter or something. The folks constructing those farms seem to be hired by the Naispter family…”
“Ha! How daring of them, acting like they’re still important after falling from grace… harboring a wanted criminal from the church? What are they thinking?”
“What if they moved after that day? How can you be sure they’re still here…?”
“Where else would they go?”
“So we just sit here and wait?”
“We should observe for a while… pass me the spyglass…”
“Hey…”
“Something feels off…”
“Look over there…”
“What’s happening…?”
“Is that a fire?”
“Looks like it…”
“Who’s lighting a fire? Wait! There are people over there…”
“Someone is making a move!”
“cr*p, we’re getting beat to the punch—”
“Run!”
What started off as a secretive operation spiraled downward with that brief exchange, and in an instant, the four noticed something amiss. They all stood up from the slope; two members of the Warhammer Army drew their swords and dashed toward the farmhouse, while the other two hesitated, exchanged glances, and then ran off after them.
What’s going on…?
Could there be another group on the move tonight?
I found myself wondering. As they ran down the slope, I stepped out from behind the tree, gliding down with a few Moon Steps to the ground where they had been standing. I peered down the slope and saw they were already far off. Under the night sky, with just a thin veil of moonlight, the whole area was cloaked in darkness. Yet, peering ahead, I spotted the faint glow of firelight flickering between the half-finished structures in the southernmost expanse.
Even though I couldn’t make out many details, the sounds of commotion and voices drifted over from that direction.
It seemed…
Someone was in a fierce brawl.
Uh-oh…
“Stay close! Keep up, d*mn it—”
“Their heads are ours, nobody else can take ’em!”
The four, who I had been trailing, were now tearing down the muddy slope, their shouts fading into the distance. I watched their diminishing figures rush into the farmhouse, and soon they would approach that place where the flames danced. I tilted my head in thought, pulled the hood on my cloak tighter, and rummaged through my bag at my waist, retrieving a fox mask I had picked up while scrounging around in the port city.
I got it after dealing with that pesky Sixth Knights Order commander. After all, on that dark and windy night, I wasn’t entirely sure if he recognized my face; even though my hood was low and secure, in a fight, it could slip. So, I bought the mask, thinking it might come in handy — didn’t expect it to be needed so soon.
If what they said was true…
Then I guessed I might be running into Barry pretty soon.
Or at least meeting someone connected to him…
Time to check it out.
Boom!
Launching with a Moon Step, I splashed mud everywhere.
The wind howled in my ears as in the blink of an eye, I soared hundreds of meters into the air, body straight, hands hanging by my sides, palms facing back. As I began to fall, I twisted sharply, and an icy mist erupted behind me like an arrow released from a bow, quietly darting towards the farmhouse.
Below, I spotted two members of the Warhammer Army — it seemed they had reached the fire spot. Their figures became black specks against the night, but I could still hear their shouts.
“Warhammer Army here, all bystanders clear out!”
“Who the hell are you—”
“Bullshit, Warhammer Army! d*mn it, we’ve stumbled into our rivals…”
“Do we retreat or stay…”
“Retreat? We were here first! These two have no sense of order—”
“What, you wanna throw down!?”
“Let’s rumble…”
In the subdued light of the flames, it looked like more figures were pouring out from between the scaffolding — one, two, three, four… shadows wielding weapons rushed towards the two Warhammer soldiers, the sound of clashing steel ringing out. The two newcomers froze in their tracks.
“Come help us—”
“Whoever strikes first is dead meat! Chop these guys down—”
“They have more people!”
“Argh—”
In the chaos, I couldn’t tell who got hit, but a nightmarish scream pierced the air, and one figure collapsed into the firelight, a dark red pool of bl**d spreading out. The two latecomers, sensing the danger, abandoned their buddy and turned tail.
“d*mn it…”
“Cowards!”
“Wait, the wanted criminal is missing!”
“They ran into the bushes over there…”
“You two go after them! Leave two to block this swarm…”
“Not a chance—”
The struggle below grew more heated, and amid the shouts, some quickly turned and fled. I landed atop a nearby scaffolding, my feet on the creaking planks, trying not to stumble, while my eyes, hidden behind the mask, roved about searching.
Then I spotted two limping figures just outside the fenced area, both seemingly injured, awkwardly trying to escape.
And behind them, three figures that had slipped out of the fire’s reach were now in hot pursuit.
