Not that it mattered.
Under normal circumstances, there might have been some travelers about, but the narrow mountain paths were completely deserted now. No merchants frequented them anymore. No wanderers moved from town to town.
That was how war truly was.
The only people left to roam the lands were soldiers or refugees, usually traveling in large groups for safety.
But against the Legion, there was no safety to be found anywhere. Escape was impossible.
Their surveillance network was too tight, and their flying scouts could track people across any terrain. That meant the only safe places were deep within the thickest forests, ancient sanctuaries the elf-blooded had erected in ages past.
No one would leave unless they were forced to. Those foolish enough to try now found themselves in one of the dozens of prison camps that had sprung up across the country.
Just like the one the Alexandria was heading for.
Zeke stood in the middle of the command center, watching the fortification come into view.
Prison Camp #82 was different from their last target. Even from a distance, it was clear that it did not function like the previous one. While the last camp had been guarded by converted inmates, this place was still crawling with Legion forces. A company of at least a hundred men was encamped at its base.
The prison itself appeared to have developed naturally from the rock, with branching passages that reached deep into the mountainside. There was only a single, well-fortified approach leading to it, with steep cliffs on all other sides.
Zeke's first thought, upon taking note of these features, was that the place would have been a nightmare to conquer using traditional forces. However, instead of feeling vexed or cursing his luck over the presence of an enemy force, he found it to be a welcome sight.
The reason for this was not that he relished the thought of bloodshed, nor that he considered every blow against the Legion a noble endeavor. His reasoning was far more practical: If the Legion was still stationed here to guard the prison, it likely meant that not enough of the half-elves had been corrupted to act as overseers themselves.
To his surprise, the Alexandria came to an abrupt halt.
[Warning]
We cannot approach any further without risking detection.
Zeke frowned. Risking detection?
Before he could ask, he caught a faint flicker at the edge of his vision.
He focused on the spot and noticed a thin veil of white mist hanging in their path. Tracing it downward, he saw that it rose from a small tent, one of many spread across the mountainside at regular intervals.
He immediately understood.
Smoke.
A faint layer blanketed the entire airspace above the mountain, fed by dozens of fires burning beneath the cover of thick tent walls.
It was not dense enough to be easily seen with the naked eye, but any keen observer would notice at once if the natural flow of smoke was disturbed.
Clever.
It was an efficient and inexpensive way to guard against an invisible enemy. High command had clearly considered that his attack on the prison might not remain an isolated incident and had warned the other prison camps to prepare.
It was a smart move. Still, Zeke doubted the guards here truly expected an attack. There were closer and more valuable targets he could have chosen. This was likely a precaution taken just in case.
Even so, it was a problem.
The Alexandria was still a considerable distance away, far too distant to ignore the natural defenses of the fort. If they were forced to stop here, the assault would become a major undertaking.
He could not ignore the geography. His forces would either have to scale the cliffs or confront the defenses where they were strongest.
"What is happening? Why are we stopping?"
The voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
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It was Irisen. She, David, and Raileh were accompanying him in the command center. They had been so quiet that he had almost forgotten they were there.
Zeke pointed toward the faint pillars of smoke barring their path. "If we advance any further, we will be discovered."
The three Archmages narrowed their eyes, searching for the hidden trap. It did not take them long to notice the smoke as well.
"Well spotted, young lord," David said. "How would you like to proceed?"
Zeke considered it for a moment. "Under normal circumstances, I would have you infiltrate their positions unnoticed and eliminate all observers without drawing attention, but..."
His gaze shifted to Irisen.
She already looked impatient from the short delay this obstacle had caused. There was no way she would agree to wait for a slow infiltration, not while her sister's fate still hung in the balance.
"We should ignore it and advance anyway," Raileh suggested. "There is no way the forces down there could put up a fight against us, surprise attack or not."
Before Zeke could respond, Irisen was already shaking her head. "That will not do."
Raileh looked at her in surprise. Out of everyone present, she had likely expected her to be the most in favor of a quick solution.
Irisen sighed deeply as she explained her reasoning. "Even if we could break through with ease, news of our presence would spread before we could disrupt their communications. They might even receive reinforcements through a spatial tunnel before we can tighten the net."
Zeke nodded inwardly. It seemed that worry for her sister had not dulled her mind. The concern she had raised matched one of his own. But there was more to it. A premature discovery could lead to many other unwanted consequences.
For example, it was entirely possible that the Legion would choose to execute the prisoners rather than allow them to fall into enemy hands.
That would render the entire purpose of the attack meaningless and result in a complete loss.
Discovered, stalled, and with nothing to show for it.
No. That was not something Zeke would accept. He would rather call off the attack entirely than risk such an outcome.
That did not mean he was completely out of options, though. He could still—
"I will take care of it."
His thoughts came to a halt as he looked at the speaker. Irisen met his gaze, her purple eyes shining with determination. "I will take care of it," she repeated.
Zeke opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again.
Irisen was a smart woman. She knew the stakes, the strength of the Legion, and her own limits. Someone like her would not speak so carelessly. If she claimed she could resolve this situation, there was a good chance she truly believed she could.
She was likely also aware that the lives of the prisoners depended on her ability to follow through.
Was she really that confident?
"Fine."
Zeke decided to trust her.
"What do you need?"
Irisen looked toward the distant fort again, clearly estimating something. "Can you circle around halfway?" She pointed to a spot opposite the fort.
Zeke followed her gesture to the far side of the camp. Despite his best efforts, he could not tell what she planned to do.
There was nothing there but a sheer cliff wall, too steep for any of the Bloodguard to climb, except perhaps Zelkara. If she intended to attack from there, she would have to do it alone.
Despite his doubts, Zeke did not hesitate. The moment Irisen pointed out the spot, the Alexandria began to move under the direct control of Akasha. They took a cautious route well outside the smoke screen. Even so, it took less than a minute to circle around the fort.
Irisen studied the prison for a moment. Her gaze lingered on the lightly swaying banner of the Ehrenlegion atop the structure.
When the Alexandria came to a halt, she nodded decisively. "Perfect."
Without offering a single word of explanation, she moved, and Zeke followed. Their path led down to the ramp at the bottom of the flying fortress, the same opening he had used to deploy his troops in the past.
Here, Irisen stopped and turned her head slightly to look back at him. "Can you open it just a crack?"
Zeke nodded. From this distance, it would be almost impossible to spot such a small opening in their camouflage, even if the enemy was on high alert.
Besides, he was far too curious to learn what she had planned to deny her request.
Irisen reached into her pocket and took out a handful of something. It looked like a cluster of loose sand. No. Not quite. It was softer, fluffier somehow.
She held it close to her face and closed her eyes. Zeke felt the mana in the area shift, streaming toward her like a flood drawn into a sinkhole. The amount was staggering, likely on par with what Raileh could produce when going all out.
It was the same sensation he had once felt from his sister, reminiscent of pine wood and a fresh breeze. The presence of Nature.
Just a thousand times more intense. The sensation was so concentrated that he could almost feel the rough texture of bark against his skin.
And all of that mana was focused on the strange lump in her hand.
Zeke watched in stunned amazement as the mass began to absorb the mana like a starving man gulping down water. There seemed to be no end to its greed.
Finally, the mass pulsed with green light. Once. Then again. Only then did Irisen stop. Exhaustion was clear on her face, and her breathing had grown slightly heavy. She had gone all out, pushing close to the limits of what she could manage at her level.
Zeke's eyes remained fixed on the strange cluster of tiny grains in her hand. What kind of material could possibly require an Archmage to expend so much power? Was this some sort of secret weapon she had developed?
Irisen noticed his stare and smiled faintly. But instead of offering an explanation, she gently blew a faint breath of air toward her hand. The grains scattered as if they were weightless. For something that had consumed so much mana, they seemed surprisingly fragile.
One stray grain drifted close, passing no more than a step away from his face. In that instant, something stirred in Zeke's mind. An instinct. A sudden, overwhelming sense of danger.
Before he could stop himself, Zeke realized he had taken a step back.
Irisen noticed the grain as well and quickly snatched it from the air. She walked toward the small opening of the hatch and gently guided it outside.
Throughout it all, Zeke's eyes never left that single particle. Once it was beyond the ship, exposed to the night air, he watched as it was caught by the cold wind and slowly carried away.
He followed it with his gaze until it vanished from sight, drifting south.
The last piece fell into place in his mind. He finally understood why Irisen had asked him to circle around the prison camp...
She had needed them to be upwind.
Moments passed in silence, neither of them speaking. Zeke was not sure what he had expected to happen, but he was certain there would be some kind of reaction. Instead, only silence greeted him, growing heavier with each passing second.
The silence was so absolute that he nearly flinched when Akasha's voice sounded in his mind.
[Notice]
All targets eliminated. It is safe to advance.