Chương 62: Chapter : 62

Even if he had to break every rule in his own lazy playbook to do it.

The next morning arrived much faster than anyone in the 13th Unit wanted. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but the team was already standing at the very edge of the dead zone. A few blocks away, the massive, rotting structure of the Doom Tower loomed against the morning sky like a giant, ugly shadow. Grandmaster Finlay stood with them at the border of the district. As the official Advisor to the Princess, this was exactly as far as he was legally allowed to go.

"This is where we part ways for the day," Finlay announced, his deep voice rumbling. He looked at the seven servants and Princess Iris.

"The rules of the Succession War are absolute. Once you cross into that zone, you are completely on your own. Rely on your training, protect the Princess, and secure those twenty points."

"We will not let you down, Grandmaster," Sayma said, giving a respectful bow.

"Speak for yourself," Ken mumbled loudly from the back of the group. He was currently scratching his shoulders furiously.

"I am already letting myself down. Who picked out these outfits? I feel like I am wearing a giant, used tea bag." To avoid drawing unwanted attention from Vane's thugs, the entire team was wearing heavy, hooded brown cloaks over their combat uniforms. The cloaks were designed to hide their Royal affiliations and make them look like normal, poor travelers. However, the fabric was incredibly rough and scratchy. Naomi turned around and smacked Ken on the arm.

"Stop complaining! The cloaks are for stealth, farm boy. If we walk in there wearing shiny 13th Unit uniforms, every single sniper in the building will start shooting at us before we even reach the front door."

"I know, I know," Ken whined, pulling the heavy brown hood over his messy black hair.

"But it is so itchy! My skin is very delicate. I am pretty sure this thing was used to carry potatoes last week. And not even the good kind of potatoes." Luna, the lightning user, pulled her own hood up and let out a massive, sleepy yawn.

"I actually kind of like it. It feels like a big, cozy blanket. If I sit down in a dark corner, I bet I could fall asleep in three seconds."

"Please do not fall asleep today, Luna," Ira said quietly, adjusting the clasp on her cloak.

"We really need your lightning if things go wrong." Laxmi punched her own open palm, creating a tiny, excited spark of orange fire.

"Nothing is going to go wrong! We are going to march in there, find Vane, punch him in the face, and go home to eat a huge lunch. I am totally ready for this." Princess Iris stepped forward. She pulled her hood up, completely hiding her striking silver hair and her face. Even though she looked like a simple commoner in the rough fabric, she still carried herself with the strong, undeniable posture of a Royal. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Let's move out," Iris ordered softly.

"Stay close together. Keep your heads down. We are just a group of normal people walking through the district." The 13th Unit crossed the street, officially leaving the safety of the normal city behind. As they walked closer to the Doom Tower, the streets became dirtier and quieter. There were no normal citizens around here. The only people they saw were shady-looking thugs standing on street corners, and poor, desperate-looking addicts stumbling toward the skyscraper.

Ken dragged his feet, making a loud scuffing sound on the cracked pavement. Scuff. Scuff. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his itchy cloak.

"Hey, boss lady," Ken whispered loudly, leaning over toward Naomi.

"Since we are trying to be stealthy, do you want me to do my special ninja walk? I saw it in a cartoon once. You run with your arms sticking straight out behind your back. It makes you super aerodynamic." Naomi glared at him from under her hood.

"If you do that, I will personally trip you into a puddle of mud."

"Wow, zero appreciation for the ninja arts," Ken sighed lazily. Zinia, the earth magic user, kept her eyes focused on the massive building ahead of them.

"Look at the main entrance," she whispered to the group.

"There are at least twenty guards standing by the front doors. They have heavy weapons. We cannot just walk through the front." Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Agreed. If we start a fight outside, the alarm will ring, and Vane will know we are here. We need to find a quiet way in. Follow me." Sayma led the team away from the main street. They slipped into a dark, narrow alleyway that ran along the side of the Doom Tower. The alley was filled with broken glass, overflowing trash cans, and giant piles of rusted metal. Ken immediately covered his nose.

"Ugh. It smells like old cheese and bad life decisions back here."

"Keep your voice down," Sayma instructed softly. She stopped in front of a rusted, heavy metal door near the back of the building. It looked like an old loading dock entrance that had not been used in years. There was a heavy padlock securing the handle.

"Naomi, can you break the lock?" Sayma asked. Naomi stepped up, her combat boots crunching softly on some broken glass.

"I could kick the door down, but it would make a really loud noise. Ken would probably scream again."

"Hey! My screams are very tactical," Ken defended himself in a hushed whisper.

"They confuse the enemy." Zinia gently pushed Naomi aside.

"Let me handle this. Earth magic is good for more than just building walls. Metal comes from the earth, after all." Zinia placed her bare hand directly over the heavy steel padlock. She closed her eyes and focused her mana. A soft, brown light glowed around her fingers. Instead of smashing the lock, she simply commanded the metal to weaken. In less than three seconds, the thick steel turned brittle and rusted completely through. With a tiny snap, the lock crumbled into dust and fell to the floor.

"Whoa," Ken whispered, his eyes going wide with fake amazement.

"That was super cool! Can you do that to the locks on the palace kitchen refrigerators? Because they lock up the good snacks after midnight, and it is highly unfair to my stomach." Laxmi rolled her eyes.

"You are obsessed with food. Be quiet, Ken." Sayma grabbed the rusted handle and slowly pulled the heavy door open. It creaked softly, but it wasn't loud enough to alert anyone inside. The team slipped into the dark, dusty corridor one by one. Princess Iris went first, surrounded by her vanguard, and Ken happily shuffled in last, closing the door behind him. The corridor was completely pitch black. The air inside the building felt heavy, cold, and incredibly stale. It smelled like dust and dried blood.

But more than that, there was a strange, rhythmic sound echoing through the walls. Thump. Thump. Thump. It sounded exactly like a massive, beating heart.