LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 512: Zach
The Flying Mountain
“There it is,” Maleatus whispered as the group looked out through the window of the airship’s control room.
Zach and everyone else were gathered in front of the window, with Ryun’s Soul shrouding them all. His technique was shaped around the ship, hiding it from sight and anything else that might be able to detect them. For all intents and purposes, they were just a hole in the world right now. Not undetectable by any measure, but one would have to be familiar with Ryun’s power, and also possess a power able to somehow detect it. Which was unlikely, as they were also keeping their distance, and their targets were hiding as well. They wouldn’t have any active detection grids this far out, it would just serve to announce their presence.
In the distance, a massive cloud formation floated above the waving hills. With the giant mountain ridge curling in the background, the Eastern border of the Empire, that had once housed what they called the Eastern Gate. Jagged cliffs and black stone loomed high above, and the cloud stood even higher still, casting the world into a giant shadow.
To Zach’s eyes, the cloud looked no different than any other, except perhaps that it was slightly larger than the usual cloud formations that he encountered.
“They’ve upgraded their defenses,” Maleatus added with a grimace.
Zach glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“The space within the clouds is is… warded? It feels like it would prevent anything from passing through, and if anything managed to get inside, they will probably know.”
Maleatus considered it for a moment, and then nodded. “I can open a path for you, but…” He hesitated for a moment. “I’m not following you in,” he said finally.
Selia just tilted her head. “Don’t get me wrong,” the ravzor raised both his hands. “I am grateful that you’ve rescued me from prison, but this isn’t my fight. Besides, I know that this will not be a silent job. The Herald will be looking for me, it is probably best if we are not seen fighting together.”
Zach was… disappointed. Not because he expected much from the man, he didn’t know Maleatus well, or at all really. His life and choices were his own. What disappointed Zach was that doing something good was far too often only done as an exchange of favors. Few did good just for the sake of it. But Zach had come to terms that that was the way this world worked. He would change that one day, he knew it.
Ryun raised his head and spoke, his body again covered in flesh. “You’ve done enough, whatever debt was between us will be cleared once you get us through.”
Maleatus nodded, relief in his eyes.
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“Then that’s agreed. Nahamassa,” Selia turned and looked at her. “Did you find out anything?”
Naha shook her head. “The Mirror didn’t work.”
She had tried to use her Mirror of Reality on the cloud, but whether it was because they couldn’t see the mountain hidden within, or because of their defenses, her item didn’t work. It left them with only Maleatus’ outdated information to make plans.
Selia grimaced. “Well, then we have no choice but to go in blind. We can’t afford to wait. Our goal is as we’ve discussed. Enter their base, find Tali and rescue her if she is here, otherwise defeat and capture the Unchained for interrogation.”
Everyone around the room nodded, and Selia continued. “The plan is as we’ve discussed, Maleatus opens a way through for us from the ship. Myself, Erdania, Nayra, Eratemus, and Zacharia will serve as a distraction, occupying the defenders and moving to subdue the Unchained, while Ryun and Nahamassa infiltrate and look for Tali. Nahamassa will infiltrate the town at the base of the mountain, Ryun will infiltrate the fortress on the peak.”
She glanced at Ryun.
“What is the status of the secondary extraction group?”
“Ready and waiting,” Ryun responded.
Selia nodded. “We don’t know what to expect, and with the fact that we are expecting one of our opponents to be a master Space user, I suggest that you attempt to call them in as soon as we have Tali’s location. If measures are in place to prevent that, then as soon as you find her, contact me or Zacharia and the five of us will come to you for extraction. In case that your Far-link Orbs or our communication powers don’t work, use the signals we agreed on. Be ready for an assault in ten minutes. We are getting Tali back or we are burning them to the ground.”
With that, everyone dispersed, and started getting ready.
They landed their ship and left it hidden, while they moved the rest of the way on foot, as stealthily as possible. They arrived beneath the clouds, each of them armed and ready.
Zach wore his Spiritual Tool, infused carefully with three of his Aspects: Time, Mind, and Wind. His soul weapon was in its Greater Windsong form, to help him control the winds even more than his perks allowed.
Maleatus stood before a group of five, Selia, Erdania, Nayra, Eratemus, and Zach himself. They were the first strike.
The ravzor’s eyes were turned to the sky, the giant cloud above them. It obscured the sun and cast the land in a great shade. There were no signs from the ground of it being anything other than a giant cloud, it was perfect camouflage. If he didn’t know, he wouldn’t have even considered that it was hiding anything.
“Ready?” Maleatus asked.
Zach rolled his shoulders as the others gave their responses, and then the ravzor closed his eyes. Zach felt space around them tremble then twist, and power wrapped around them. A moment later they were all wrenched through it, the experience feeling like he was being squeezed into a tiny area and then rapidly expanded.
They arrived in the air, the sun shining down on them, a pillar shaped mountain rising in front of them. The mountain was gray and brown rock, speckled with trees growing here or there. The mountain was on top of a round and flat island, floating among the clouds. Green grass surrounded a town nestled in the shadow of the mountain, a singular white wall surrounded it and protected buildings inside. A tower rose from the center, with a gemstone nestled in on its top.
High on the peak of the mountain, a large fort loomed over everything, walls and towers glowed with the power of its defensive measures. He barely had the time to take it all in before a loud sound exploded from both the town and the base, an alarm—they had been noticed.
Zach floated in the air, held up by the Wind, Selia and Erdania stood on top of a green and black platform shaped out of Qi. Eratemus’s armor glowed and kept him in the air. Nayra’s wings of fire stretched and beat lazily. Then light blossomed into the world as their defenses came to life, the attacks came from both the fort and the town, as well as encampments hidden on the mountain. Zach and others got ready for a fight, doing their job and drawing their opponents attention to themselves.