Chương 14: Chapter 13: Change Of Plans

"I'm sorry?" Torin asked, not sure if he had heard correctly. The Gnat only grimaced harder.

"Why did you have to interfere?! Did your cell leader order this rescue, or did you think the rules don't apply to you? You know you're not supposed to interfere with other cells unless the Outer Cadre orders it, right?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. And also, I just saved your life, so you should be thankful." She stared at him sideways.

"Wait, you're not with the Gnats, are you?"

"No. There are more of you here?" She buried her face in her palms.

"Just my luck… All my practice, and it's some vigilante that'll get me killed." She can't be serious… Torin was about ready to turn around and leave this woman behind.

"Look," the Gnat continued, softening.

"I know you think you've just struck a major blow against the State, but you have no idea what you've walked into. A few dead Doves mean nothing compared to what I came here to do."

"Didn't you already kill that nobleman?"

"No, that was just to… Ugh… This is too much to explain. The point is that I was supposed to get caught. But that entire plan's out the window because of this stunt."

"I'll have you know that if we're tossing around blame because of plans we couldn't have known, you're the one who started this. I had an opportunity to ride out of the city with today's escort. But because of your attack, I'm stuck here."

"Don't blame me over some half-baked scheme. We put years into this!" Torin exhaled, now at his own limit. After the day he'd been through, he wasn't about to get lectured on the merits of pulling off an impossible escape plan from the person he just rescued. He pointed up the waterfall.

"I'm going that way. You can either follow me or stay here. Your choice." The Gnat looked over the dead corpses, the empty path, and the distant walls, hundreds of meters above and below. Again, she bowed her head in resignation.

"Lead the way." * Of all the places to plant that ambush, this was perhaps the best. Steep terrain made the Vrisgardian mountain impassable from most directions, with very little territory to navigate between the lower basin and the upper plateau. Here, water from distant aqueducts cut through the mountain before splitting off, which led to glades that provided some semblance of cover. Though perhaps "glades" was not the best term to describe these sickly pines fighting for survival off alchemical waste.

A low mist formed in this area, shrouding them from prying eyes. The ground smoothed out here as well, and there were many paths to take. If only he had any direction to go. Torin hadn't planned beyond rescuing the Gnat. He assumed she would be thankful for the escape. But if what she said was true… Had he made both their situations worse by tying himself to her? The Trait timers continued counting down without remorse as they moved deeper into the woods.

The State District walls were so close now, yet still impossibly far. At least I got a level. Defeating those Hawks had filled the last stretch of experience he needed. Torin divided the precious points between Dexterity and Strength, knowing both were essential to combat. He had a feeling there would be more before this ended. Torin cracked his back. The two had scavenged some minor healing tinctures off the dead bodies. Though the effects weren't large, it numbed his bruises well.

The Gnat still limped slightly, but she kept her winces suppressed.

"What did you say your name was?" Torin asked.

"Casmia Rivercrest," she said after a moment.

"And you?"

"Torin."

"Not 'Torin Maximus'?" He grumbled, remembering how Drelk questioned her.

"You got me. I'm a 'Maximus' as far as the State is concerned."

"A ward, then," Casmia deduced.

"So, did you kill your master too? Is that why an Owl is looking for you?"

"How about instead of me giving you my life story, you tell me more about yours?" Torin countered.

"Why did you want to be captured?" She chewed her lips for a moment before answering.

"There is an object of high importance hidden in the State District, but it's impossible to sneak into that place from the outside. That was why we came up with this plan. By killing a highborn in broad daylight, they would have no choice but to transfer me to their most secure prison. Right where I needed to be." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"The assassination was a ruse," Torin said, feeling foolish. He grimaced with another realization.

"Does that mean those guards were in on it too?"

"No, of course not. Getting the right people in the right places takes a lot of time and risk. Lowly Hawks aren't worth it." Well, that was a relief. Torin didn't really care about her mission, but at least he hadn't killed a potential ally.

"How many of you are in Vrisgard?" Torin asked.

"I can't tell you," Casmia said.

"But you have a way out, right?"

"Not that I know of."

"Are you telling me that you were going to steal something from the State District without being able to escape?" Casmia's bitterness flared again.

"No, I'm telling you that whatever means I had to get out won't work now that the plan is impossible. That's all thanks to you." The color rose to his cheeks, but Torin kept it down.

"I understand. We've just met, and your scheme is ruined. But you have to give me something here. You owe me that much for helping you." Again, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"If I could help you that way, I would. Believe me. I know how oppressive it is to be stuck in a city like this. If I could point you to an exit, I would.

"But that's not how this works. I can't tell you where the other Gnats are, who they are, or how we can find them because I really don't know. I'm only given the exact information I need to get the job done. Anything else risks falling into State hands.

"All that I can say is that my job was to kill Duke Salvitus's son, cause a mess until the Hawks captured me, and wait until they transported me into the Roost of Owls to await interrogation. I would then end up in a certain prison cell on arrival, with a certain loose brick that happened to have a key inside, and this would lead me to a certain area to get the rest of my gear.

"The timing, location, guard shifts, bribes… That was all prepared by others, most of whom I've never met for their own protection. If something went wrong and the Owls brought me into interrogation, I would end up sharing everything I know before long. Make no mistake, everyone always does. But by only knowing the bare minimum, my allies stay protected." She frowned.

"All of this is a very long way of saying that we are both screwed. Because I can't reach my assigned spot, I can't complete my assignment, find my next contact, or leave." Torin swallowed the lump in his throat. This all sounded perfectly logical, and he had always wondered how the Gnats were one step ahead of the State. Through what Casmia suggested, they could insulate themselves. In many ways, Torin operated the same way, finding small acts to fight back, but never exposing himself unnecessarily.

But this did nothing to get over their current crisis.

"How did you get into the city, then?" he asked.

"Smuggled in three days ago through a skyship transport," Casmia explained.

"And before you ask, we can't fly out the same way. That was a one-way trip." Of course it was. Why wouldn't it be?

"You really have no means of escape?"

"None." Torin grit his teeth. This was going to be trickier than he thought. Going back into lower Vrisgard would still be possible. The glades ran all the way to the eastern edge, and though descending back into the Artisan District would be dangerous, it wasn't impossible. He could also try his luck beyond the walls. Torin had never ascended this high, and from their current vantage, he could see that the main wall only covered the lower three districts. The mountain shielded the rest.

But this also exposed just how open the Farm District was. Safe behind the walls, Torin couldn't see it, but the entire basin had been flattened into a smooth sheet, watchtowers poking up every half-kilometer like nails on a board. Irrigation channels flowed between fields, but this was the extent of the cover afforded. Most areas were dominated by leafy greens or root vegetables, the Vrisgardian climate poor for anything taller than barley.

Magical arrays surrounded taller corn fields while forming heat waves, but they were very far from the secondary outer walls. He shouldn't have been surprised. Farm laborers were the only ones who could leave the city proper, but also had the most restrictions. Hawks scanned their Spirit Tages every single day, both at the beginning and end of their shifts, with robust lists maintained to ensure nobody could use the opportunity to escape further. The only structures that circumvented this design were the aqueducts.

They tore across the backside of the basin like bridges before feeding into the irrigation channels and central mountain. However, guardposts sat atop each one, and even from this distance, Torin could see Hawks moving along like ants through a hive. For the first time in his life, he'd escaped his prison, only to discover just how much bigger his prison actually was.

"What about your next contact?" Torin asked.

"There has to be some way to reach them." Casmia let out a melancholy chuckle.

"If it makes you feel better, I've been wondering the same since you got me out. I really have no idea. I've never been to this city before. Entering your State District is beyond my expertise."

"What if we got inside? Could you find your way to where you need to be?"

"I mean… If I could somehow get up there, and get by the checkpoints at the wall, and dodge the Hawks—all of whom will be looking for me—and make it to my dead drop… Well, maybe. I might find him then."

"What if I could make that happen? Could your friend get me out?"

"It's what he does, and I'm sure he's already thinking of other ways to disappear now that I have, but I can't make promises like that. Not without meeting him in person." She squinted suspiciously.

"Are you saying you know how to get up there?" Torin considered the prospect, once again studying the streams nearby. They flowed through the terrain before trickling down waterfalls, but at the top, most converged on a single point that disappeared into the mountain. The State District walls were still almost a hundred meters above them, but that distance wasn't insurmountable from within. Yes, that could work too.

"I have an idea," Torin said, now focused back on her. Casmia leaned from one knee to the other.

"Why are you looking at me that way?"

"I'm just wondering how long you can hold your breath."

"Huh?" She looked at the stream too, along with its trajectory into the mountain.

"Do you think we can swim up there?"

"I've lived in this city most of my life," Torin explained.

"Every day, I've had to cross the sewage leaking into our rivers. I know where it all comes from." Casmia looked at the walls, thinking it through more seriously.

"That's a very long distance. I'll tell you right now that I wouldn't have any problems, but unless you have some Trait or Skill for surviving underwater, you're not making it that far. Not before you suffocate or get swept up by the current." His focus narrowed onto its destination, and the familiar System alert appeared again. Torin beamed.

"I have just the thing." Do you want to mimic [Aquatic]? [Yes/No]