Shaya, Ren, Lan and Sathaea made their way through the overgrown forest, the density of its trees and undergrowth suggesting it hadn’t seen a brushfire or lumber axe in more than a century. Shaya and Ren led the way, their enhanced eyes picking up what little light managed to pierce the canopy, letting them guide the others over and under the many fallen trees that had competed for supremacy here – and lost. Shrouded in darkness, even the mighty fell as the sun was denied them and their roots were strangled by stronger neighbours.

Birds chirped and called, critters skittered and chittered; the sounds were all foreign to Shaya, giving the forest an other-worldly atmosphere. This was only intensified by the permanent sense of being watched as they trekked through the land and the malicious, predatory intent that sent goosebumps crawling through her. Her thoughts turned to the darker stories of fae she had heard, of territorial hunters and sinister tricksters that had preyed upon mortals since the dawn of time.

“Are we almost there?” She whispered, suppressing a shudder.

“Yep,” Ren replied, hopping over another fallen tree covered in lichen and fungus. There was an uncharacteristic tension to the young dilettante, and even his fur stood on end.

“Scared?” Sathaea teased, “I expected the Academy’s juggernaut to know more courage.”

“Ignore her,” Lan said, “she felt the same way the first time we passed through for our reconnaissance.”

“Traitor,” Sathaea muttered with a huff.

It took them the better part of an hour, but they managed to make it to the ‘edge’ of the forest. The sensation of eyes crawling over them like centipedes had yet to fade, despite the forest’s primal stature thinning as they neared the decrepit keep. The last couple hundred yards was new growth, the space the keep’s owners would have kept clear for easy lines of fire against approaching enemies. What had been allowed to grow over the past few decades offered them plenty of additional cover to approach the wall and begin their ascent.

The ruined keep rose over the new growth before it by a dozen feet, its sickly grey stones and the vegetation growing over it letting it blend into its surroundings despite its size. The back half of it looked to be sinking into the lake it abutted against, the supports straining to keep the building standing as its foundation eroded. Most of the roof’s crenelations were deteriorated and gone, making it easier for Shaya to spot the small groups of watchers stationed there. Gaping holes let her see into the dimly lit structure, where more small figures stood watch.

“Ren, can I borrow your spy glass?” Shaya asked, holding her hand out.

“Sure,” he said, taking it out of its hard leather case and handing it to her, “be gentle, those things are expensive.”

“Of cour-,” she replied, fumbling the delicate object and grinning when Ren’s eyes widened, “just screwing with you.”

“Shit disturber,” he grumbled.

“You deserve it.”

“I, Cyren Rikat,” he said in mock offense, “have never sinned, thank you very much.”

‘Focus!’ Basillo snapped in her mind, apparently using the tele-pearl to invade her senses.

Cyren grinned as he saw her face scrunch up in annoyance, her retort dying on her lips. Her annoyed glance told him he only won this exchange by default.

With the spy glass, Shaya surveyed the groups of watchers again. While the magnification didn’t let her make out clear heraldry on them, she could tell that the people within each group were similarly garbed and equipped, yet distinct from each other. Each group generally kept to themselves, with even the patrolling pairs usually only stopping to chat with others in like colours.

Regardless of the colour of their uniform, they looked well-armed with spears, swords, and crossbows, and armoured in chainmail surcoats beneath their tabards.

“Thanks,” she said, handing the spy glass back to Ren, “I don’t see any of the spawn you mentioned earlier.”

After a quick scan through the glass as well, Ren nodded, “You’re right, they appear to be gone. They had been lounging on the roof of the keep.”

“Well, that’s unnerving,” Shaya thought for a second, then realized the guardsmen would have clearly seen the spawn as well, “Sathaea, if you were part of a cult, would you bring just any guards with you?”

“No,” the shorter woman replied, “Only those I trusted, and only the best of the best... but... why are you asking me?”

Shaya shrugged, “I figure of the four of us, you’re the most likely to think like a haughty noble that joins a cult.”

“Bitch.”

“Takes one to know one,” Shaya grinned, “besides, look at us. Lan’s way too disciplined to take dark shortcuts to power; I’m obviously too honourable and honest; and Ren’s too allergic to commitments.”

“Hey!” Ren said, wounded, “I resemble that remark!”

“Uh huh,” Sathaea glared at Shaya, “like you wouldn’t want an extra power boost for your duel against Azreon in two weeks.”

“Good point,” Shaya nodded, “let’s go ask these bastards if they’re recruiting.”

She wasn’t sure if it was the tele-pearl or her imagination, but Shaya could have sworn she heard Basillo’s teeth grinding.

‘Apricot,’ she transmitted her thought across the tele-pearls, ‘we’re nearing our position and will begin our climb shortly. Be careful – the enemy is equipped with iron and we suspect they’re veterans loyal to the cult.’

‘Sounds good,’ Apricot replied, ‘Oraeus just finished a divination ritual and believes there’s a high likelihood that there’s animosity between the groups there, so coordination between them should be minimal, at least.’

‘He’s not sure?’

‘Even Sapphire rituals only let you calculate possible futures,’ Apricot explained, ‘with so many variables missing from our equation, we can only be so confident in the predictions.’

‘Alright, thanks for the info.’

Shaya passed it along as her team snuck up to the base of the wall, a nearby tree scraping against it and providing them cover from the few guards that peeked over the edge of the building to look down the forty-foot wall. Up close, she became worried that the keep’s stone bricks and worn-down mortar might have difficulty holding her weight. A loose brick might spell her doom through an unpleasant fall or alerting the guards, letting them just shoot her team off the walls.

She shook her head to dismiss the concern – she had plenty of experience climbing worse structures. The skills wouldn’t have faded that much in the intervening years.

But something wouldn’t let her dismiss the concern entirely. This close to the wall, the autumn’s chill felt bone deep and her mind raced. As anxious thoughts flooded her brain, she felt a great pressure building in her temples, like she had swum too deep, too quick. Icy fear spread through her body as she fought to control it, and the faces of her companions told her they were experiencing the same sensation.

“We’ll get through it,” Shaya whispered, “it’s not surprising that the spawn here have eroded the Veil to corrupt the land.”

“Spawn of Arctor are pricks,” Ren muttered through chattering teeth, fighting to rein in his fear as well.

“None of the corrupted lairs are pleasant,” Shaya replied, “trust me. This one just feels advanced, we didn’t catch them soon enough.”

It took them all the better part of a minute to gain control of themselves again, but the chill and pressure were still there. Each thought spiraled to show every failure from the past and all the ways that it could lead to their doom in the future. Shaya dreaded the thought of working through it the entire operation and made sure to warn Apricot through the tele-pearl.

“We won’t have much cover as we climb,” she whispered to her group, and turned to Sathaea, “they’ll be able to spot us pretty easily before we make it to the top.”

“Don’t worry,” Sathaea smiled, “this is where I come in.”

She invoked the name of her esper and Shaya waited for it to manifest, but seconds passed and it didn’t.

“You can already hide your esper?” Shaya asked.

“Of course,” Sathaea waved dismissively, “it would be a little silly to cast illusions only to have something obviously point to their source. Illusionists are taught to hide our espers early, so I’ll be able to make us invisible for the climb.”

“Has your invisibility improved to cover our espers too?” Shaya asked.

“No,” Sathaea frowned at her, “it will never ‘improve’ to allow that. Nor is it ‘selective’ to allow us to see each other, like you wanted at our last practice session.”

“Can’t blame a girl for asking.”

“Yes I can,” she retorted, crossing her arms, “so no espers for you, save them for when we’re ready to jump the apostate.”

“Alright, since we’ll be invisible to each other, we should figure out our stealth plans while we can still communicate easily,” Shaya said, “For the climb, let’s give each other a few meters of space and tap on a brick loudly if you think you’ll need to encroach on another climber’s area. From left to right, let’s go Ren, Sathaea, Lan and myself.

“I didn’t see many groups greater than three, so I’ll take out the tallest, Sathaea the shortest, and Lan the one of mid-height. Ren, stay in reserve and help out if you think someone will make a noise before dropping. Once you reach the top, move to the back corner and remain still. I’ll give everyone a few minutes after I arrive there, then make the first move.”

“What about communication?” Lan asked, “Same as we had in practice? One tap for stop, two taps for go, three taps for retreat?”

“Yep,” Shaya nodded, “shame the Academy doesn’t have more tele-pearls to spare, they would be enormously useful in situations like this. At least the tapping shouldn’t be necessary for long, Sathaea’s invisibility won’t be as useful beyond the first group.”

“Maybe keep the bloodshed to a minimum, you animal,” Sathaea grumbled, eyes glowing with Azurite light, “that way the invisibility will be totally fine. Just remember that it works best when you’re still too, people might notice the blur if you’re moving.”

“Sure, but clubbing people isn’t exactly quiet,” she retorted, “Anyway, we’ll roll with what we can, but, even if we can isolate the guards, once the killing starts, we need to move fast. If we lose the element of surprise, we’re dead. If the enemy raises an alarm, the apostate – and any other cultists – will likely flee, or prepare for battle. Either one makes it pretty difficult to capture them.

“Shall we then?”

The others nodded to her grimly, appreciating the gravity and risks of what they were trying to accomplish again. Everyone secured their weapons to ensure they didn’t rattle or scrape against the wall during the climb – while they could still see themselves – then Sathaea finished her spell and the Azurite left her eyes. Nearby shadows melted towards them like candle wax, then oozed up their bodies with an icy cold chill. The shadows consumed Sathaea, the shortest of them, first, and as the darkness covered the top of her head she simply vanished. Ren, Lan, and finally Shaya followed moments later.

“Get into position and tap on either side, so your partners have a general idea of where you’re starting your climb,” Shaya whispered, then added without fervour: “Seven Protect.”

The others echoed the prayer and moved off, Shaya’s eyes wandering up the wall and already plotting her climb.