"Well, you see, my routes were always laid out to avoid other guards, so I'm unfamiliar with the common routes, Sergeant," Gwili replied, gently nudging his new leader to recall the story of his past. "I see. Well, from here, we'll make a round up to the Royal Wing, then double back towards the northeastern side of the Palace," Jashad replied plaintively.
Perfect. Now, the only thing I'll have to really worry about is just how many guards are up in the Royal Wing and how I'm going to ditch these two idiots, Gwili thought with a mental snicker.
Taking a passage on the far-right side of the Great Hall that led to a flight of finely carved steps, they made their way up to the second floor of the palace, making a brief round before entering another stairway that led to the third floor. All along the way, Gwili couldn't help but marvel at the amount of ancient artifacts and fine tapestries held in display cases or hung along the walls.
Many of the artifacts were still in decent condition, save a few cracks or missing chunks from the stone tablets, but he instinctively knew that these were a part of not only their history, but their culture as well.
I'd be smart not to ask any questions about these since most Harutians would likely know their significance, and I'd be giving myself away if I showed any sign of ignorance towards them, he noted, passing by a stone tablet with faded carvings that was at least twice his height and missing the top-right corner.
As they approached the third floor, he noticed that the density andrank of the guards in the area were growing exponentially. Many of the guards in the area had much finer equipment than what he or the other two leading him had.
Just as I thought, they're keeping the higher-ranking ones up by the Queen's chambers. Damn it, this isn't going to be easy, is it? Gwili thought with a mental sigh, taking in as much information about his surroundings as he could.
They neared a large double door with fine carvings in the stone that ran from the base to the top in intricate, geometric patterns, and two large guards wielding spears standing in front of it. Their armor was different from the others, as they had thick, hardened leather pieces of armor along their arms, chest, and legs. The bright purple sashes around their tree trunk arms also helped to display their superior positions.
"Halt for inspection, Sergeant," the one to the left side of the door from Gwili's perspective said, holding a large, gloved hand in front of him. "Of course, gentlemen," Jashad said, not intimidated by their presence at all.
They're at least the size of Thorsen. I didn't know they had titanic half-breeds here, too, Gwili cautiously noted from beneath his headpiece.
"Who's this one? A new recruit?" the second guard asked, taking a step forward and adjusting his grip on his large spear. "Not exactly. According to him, he was in Sergeant Nibal's charge, sir," Jashad said, gesturing to the disguised elf. "That pebble of rat shit had a ward?" the guard asked. "That's what I thought as well, but it seems we didn't know him as well as we thought," Jashad said with a noncommittal shrug.
"Well, if you say so, but he will have to be under your watch at all times while you're conducting your rounds. Otherwise, I don't think I need to tell you what kind of punishment you'll face," the large guard said, tilting his head to look at the group from beneath his cowled brow.
"Of course, sir. I'll make sure he doesn't get up to any mischief," Jashad said, giving the guard a crisp salute.
Good luck with that, Gwili thought as a wolfish grin slightly formed beneath his face cover.
"Alright then, on your way," the guard said, using one arm to open the large door and gesturing for them to pass. Gwili, still averting his gaze, noticed a small vial on the guard's hip but couldn't tell what was inside.
Interesting, he thought as he passed beneath the archway.
Through the doors that fed into a large room with more tapestries and artifacts along the walls, Gwili spotted another pair of titanic guards near a door that held multiple bolts and locks, though what lay behind the doors, he couldn't guess. As the trio made their way across the room and down another hallway, he spotted a door that was only slightly ajar but just enough for him to see what was inside.
That must be her private study. I should definitely look in there if I hope to find anything useful to Leona's plan, but how am I going to get rid of these two? He thought, trying to figure out the best course of action as they moved away from the door.
Glancing over at one of the stone relics, an idea formed in his head, prompting a wry grin to spawn beneath his face cover. "This way, Rami," Jashad said quietly, gesturing over to another hallway. "Right behind you, Sergeant," Gwili replied in a similar tone, taking an extra quick step or two.
Let's see if this gamble plays out well, Gwili thought, drawing a decent amount of mana and rippling the earth mana still present within the stone walls and floor.
The entire room began to shake with ever-increasing intensity, rattling many of the artifacts in their glass display cases. "By Yarathea, what's going on?" Jashad asked, quickly glancing around at the trembling room. "I-I don't know," Kamil replied quickly as the fear of potential consequences set in.
Sorry lads, Gwili thought momentarily before pushing more mana into the floor and up the walls again.
One by one, the display cases began to topple over as the sounds of crashing glass and distant shouts of the approaching titanic guardsmen filled the air. Some of the stone tablets fell to the ground, while others were caught just in time by some of the guards. Gwili, not wanting to expose himself too soon, ran over to one of the cases near the open room to hold it up as he continued to push mana into the ground.
"Hold them up! Give it your all!" One of the large guards shouted, prompting the others to grunt with exertion as they fought against the rumbling. "Hold them like your life depends on it!" Jashad shouted to his two subordinates. "Rami, how are you doing over there?" he asked with audible fear in his voice. "It's fucking heavy, Sergeant," he called back over his shoulder, trying to maintain the charade as best he could.
It's not actually that bad, but I need to move without them suspecting me further. I can already tell they might think I have something to do with it, he thought in the brief moment that followed.
He sent another large pulse of mana into the ground and used the trembling that followed to conjure a small pillar of stone to hold up his case before cloaking himself in mana and dashing toward the study.
Sending more shockwaves through his legs as he moved, he slipped into the study and maintained his connection to the next room, increasing the tremors as much as he could to keep the others busy.
The study was surprisingly large with bookshelves and scrolls neatly organized, still untouched by the tremors whatsoever. In the center of the study, there was a stone table with an inkwell and a quill with a golden tip beside an opened ledger.
Alright, let's see what you're hiding, he thought as he quickly sifted through the pages.
When he didn't find anything too suspicious during his search, he sent out another pulse of mana through the floor to both rattle the other room and search for anything out of the ordinary within the confines of the study. Hearing the shouts and more glass shattering, he turned his sight over to the right side of the wall, where, though the earth attribute mana, he found what he was looking for.
There you are, he grinned, spotting the mechanism hidden within the walls and connected to one of the scrolls on a nearby bookshelf.
Tugging at the scroll, a small gust of air fled through a gap between the seams of the bookshelf as it opened with a subtle click. Releasing his hold on the mana in the study, he sent one last tremor into the other room, causing more display cases to crash into the ground.
Inside the small, hidden passage, there was a large wooden box with a latch on it. To anyone else, it would have looked like a mere storage box, but to him, it was a gold mine of information. With the organized nature in which the rest of the items in the study were placed, he quickly found a small, leather-bound book that was closed with a thin string looped around a metallic button that held the Harutian Royal insignia on it.
This must be it, but my trick in the other room will only last so much longer, he thought, sending another pulse of mana while quickly undoing the looped string and glazing over its contents.
His eyes opened widely after only reading a few sentences of one of the central pages.
Yarathea on all fours, this is fucked beyond belief, he thought, quickly stashing the book in his robes, and closing both the chest and secret door behind him before returning to his post under the display case, undoing the stone support in the process.
He released his hold on the mana at a steady pace to make its dissipation feel more natural before grunting with exertion to restore the case back to its original position. "By Yarathea, what happened?" one of the large guards asked aloud.
"I-I don't know, sir," Gwili said shakily. "One moment, we were doing our rounds, and the next, the entire palace began to shake," he continued, gesturing at the chaos strewn across the floor.
"Could it have been one of the artifacts acting up, sir?" Jashad asked as he dropped to a squatting position to inspect one of the fallen artifacts. "Don't touch that!" one of the other guards shouted, but the warning came too late as a rune was depressed into the strange object under the pressure of Jashad's fingers, prompting the room to shake and tremble once more.
Could I have asked for a more perfect cover? No. Am I terrified of what that artifact might be able to do? Absolutely, Gwili thought with a mental sigh of relief.
The large guard came over and violently stripped it out of the sergeant's hand. "There's a reason these things are in cases, you absolute ghabiun," the large guard said as he inspected the artifact for any further damage.
"You three," he began, gesturing to Gwili as well as the other two guards who led him. "Leave now and have the guards at the door on your way out summon the servants," the large man said, gesturing to the doors they came through earlier.
"Under normal circumstances, even touching a display case would mean having your hand cut off, but since this was an emergency to preserve these artifacts, I'll allow you to leave without punishment and make sure that you're later commended for your assistance in keeping them safe," the guard said.
Exchanging glances of both confusion and fear, the three of them left after giving the large guard a crisp salute, and did as they were instructed.
The look on in the eyes of the guards at the doors after telling them what happened nearly forced their collective hearts through their throats. However, with a heavy sigh and dismissive gesture, they were sent on their way once again. "We will deal with this situation. Just leave," the guard said, eyeing Gwili curiously.
Can't pin me for a crime that everyone else in that room saw happen because of that artifact. I'm starting to think Yarathea might not be the goddess of educated guesses here, he thought with a shit-eating grin on his face as they went back down the stairs and worked their way towards the northeastern exit of the palace.
They continued on in silence, trying to process everything that had happened and how they'd somehow managed to escape with both their hands and their lives.
"Rami," Jashad said quietly, leaning in towards him just before reaching their destination. "Yes, Sergeant?" he asked, feeling his stomach sink a little. "Tell me now, and be honest with me: Did you do it?" Jashad asked quietly after a moment's pause.
Son of a bitch, Gwili thought as his worst fears were confirmed.