Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]

"And… you're sure this will all work?" I ask Cara.

Our conversation has taken the better part of an hour, going over all the details and contingency plans she can come up with based on the intelligence she and her team have at their disposal. That, and discussing our capabilities, approximate levels, and any Skills and equipment that might be of relevance. The most notable among those are my [Artificer's Glasses] and Cara's [Magic Analysis] Skill.

Most of the time, however, has been spent waiting. Even though we're locked here in the dungeons, there are still regular sweeps of the hallway, almost as if whoever is running the show knows or suspects that there are people like me who have ways to overcome the inscriptions lining each of our cell walls.

She has also confirmed, as she hinted at earlier, that she is part of this Silver Dawn group. According to her, Silver Dawn is a nation-spanning organization of concerned citizens working underground to investigate and, if necessary, bring to light abuses of power by the governors and Lords Mayor. While she is adamant that the group remains loyal to the King of Threndara, merely acting to ensure that his subordinates don't abuse their positions and authority, I'm not so sure.

If she is correct, then Silver Dawn is also acting as some strange hybrid between a vigilante group and a secret police of their own. One which might— and I emphasize might— be acting in the best interests of the people. But not one that comes without risks of corruption in its own right. Then again, not having such an organization also has its own risks… as I am experiencing firsthand.

"No," she whispers. "There's no certainty in an improvised strategy like this one. Every plan, every strategy, every contingency all went out the window when my cover was blown and I was captured." She clenches her fist. The word 'traitor' silently crosses her lips.

She was sold out by someone… Someone she doesn't want to talk about, seeing as though she's remained mum about all of the other operatives working in Synthir. Probably because, at present, none can be trusted.

"But it's the best we have," I say.

She nods in silent agreement.

We wait four long minutes for the guards to complete their sweep. At least the precision of their patrols, timed like clockwork, is something we can use to our advantage. Once the last of the armored men is clear from the area, I draw Filia from my inventory and begin suiting up into my armor with Cara's assistance.

Another half a minute. My heart starts racing as we prepare for go time. Everything goes silent. I turn to Cara. She nods at me. With the power of Manifestation, I summon an [Unlock] glyph and break down the mechanism keeping us locked in.

For a moment, the metal creaks against each other. I freeze, considering dispelling Filia back into my [Inventory]. But when no guards are forthcoming, I continue, unlatching the door and slipping it open. I sneak out, Cara behind me, and together, we open the cell containing Chloe and Kristil.

Chloe nearly tackles me into a hug. I'd love to hold her a lot longer, but after a couple of seconds, I pull out her armor and nod. She gets changed in a flurry, then turns to me for guidance. Meanwhile, Cara pulls a [Sapphire-Studded Staff] out of her inventory and hands it to Kristil.

"I figure it's not what you're used to, I know, and I know amethyst would be better, but at least it's better than nothing."

Kristil sighs. "Fine. Anyway, what's the plan?"

After quickly filling her in on what we've come up with, and making a small revision based on an inaccurate assumption about her repertoire of Skills, we commence with the operation. I cast a simple [Darkness] spell on our former cells. It only costs about a hundred and fifty [Ether], and if it buys even a few seconds, they'll be points more than well spent.

After that, we make our way down the first hallway. [Archangel's Gaze] proves its worth in platinum once again, helping us avoid walking down any of the labyrinthine passageways where guards might be watching. We do have to pause on frequent occasion, once even hiding ourselves with one of Cara's cloaking devices. But we are making progress toward what she claims to be a rarely-used access tunnel that leads out of the labyrinth and back into the castle courtyard.

Hopefully, everything will work as she'd planned.

"Sera… I'm– I'm scared," Chloe says, holding my right arm close. "This whole level has me feeling so… off."

"I know, Chloe. I don't like this at all. And I can't help but feel like we're in way over our heads."

"You trust Cara?"

"Not completely. But for her to be locked in there with us… If she's really some sort of triple agent, that would require a lot of contrivances. I think she's opposed to these guards and their Lord Mayor, and that's enough reason to temporarily ally with her."

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Chloe closes her eyes for half a second, fear and resolve flowing through our bond in equal measure. "I understand. And I'll do everything I can to maximize our chances of success."

"As will I."

Cara taps my shoulder. "It's time," she says, pointing to the wall near the very back of the basement dungeon. She and Kristil clasp hands together, preparing some sort of dualcast spell. I raise a wall of solidified air and affix a powerful [Stillness] glyph to the formation, preventing the overwhelming majority of sound waves from leaking through the forcefully-stilled and compressed gas molecules.

The chanting grows louder and louder. [Ether] swirls around the two older women as their respective magics synchronize, slowly pushing back against the magic-suppressing field. Cara, a [Transmuter], gathers the bulk of the power around her, while Kristil infuses pure [Ether] directly into the forming spell. As the spell takes effect, the wall of stone and mud behind us starts to melt, into some sort of viscous, brown goop that looks absolutely horrid and doesn't smell any better. But, true to Cara's plan, there is a hidden passageway behind it, one that smells cold and stale as opposed to literally shitty.

Once the hole is large enough for the four of us to make our way through, we slip out, pausing only long enough for Cara to seal the passageway behind us. There'll likely be pursuit, as her magic isn't skilled enough to replicate either the previous pattern of cobbling along the wall or the age, but it should buy us a few more minutes. The proximity grenade she leaves behind next to the wall will buy us a little more time as well.

"Which way?" Kristil asks, a bit short on breath.

"We should be under the southwest tower. The Crystal is in the dead center of the courtyard, right next to the Lord Mayor's inner sanctum. If my intelligence is correct, there should be an access point into the Crystal's interior from the underground. Once we get inside, we can disable it."

"Or better yet, smash it to bits," Kristil says.

Cara gives a sly, almost twisted smile alongside an otherwise silent response.

There are no guards down here, nor any signs of artifice that my [Artificer's Glasses] can inspect. According to our informant and guide, this passageway is part of a series of labyrinths under the city used to smuggle out the ruler of the city and key diplomats or members of their entourage should the city be sacked or fall under protracted siege. The pathways should lead to a hidden exit somewhere outside of the city walls. But more importantly, they shouldn't be actively guarded, so as to reduce the number of people with knowledge of the tunnels and where exactly they lead.

"Thank you, Joshua,"

"A friend?" Chloe asks.

"A– A former associate." She looks forlorn as she stares out into the passages, dimly-lit only by a small sphere of [Light] I've conjured. "He gave his life to get this information out to the rest of us. Now it's up to us to ensure that his sacrifice wasn't made in vain."

The way she said those words, 'former associate'. They were so soft and gentle. I can't help but wonder if the relationship between the two was something considerably closer than a boss and one of her subordinates. My eyes glance over to Chloe, who looks at me with concern and solemnity.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure I never have to say those words about you."

"And I'll do the same for you."

Footsteps echo in the tunnels, not from us. Quickly, I cast a [Darkness] spell at our back, only to be hit by a wave of nausea. I'd never before tried to cast and keep active two different spells at the same time. Forming parts of a spell independently and storing them with [Intermediate Glyph Manifestation], yes, but actually casting two separate spells, disconnected from each other? I don't think it would be possible at all without parallelizing them via [Multidimensional Glyphcasting]. And as it is, using two antipodal elements as I am is creating a destructive resonance that is absolute hell on my mind.

Thank the goddesses I only need to maintain the [Darkness] effect for a few seconds before we've slipped down another fork in the road and the guards have moved on. At least, I hope that's what the silence means. There aren't any within the range of [Archangel's Gaze], but I can't help but worry for the worst. If we were able to form a passageway into these caverns, then that means others can too. Especially if they have artifacts that dampen the effect of the town's magic-suppression array.

"We're getting closer," Cara says. "Shouldn't be more than another minute or two at this pace."

"Are we sticking to the plan?" I ask.

"Yeah. Though a lot of this is going to be on you."

"I'll do all that I can," I say. I just hope that it'll be enough.

We continue onward, my light now lowered to barely more than a flicker. As we do, an ominous feeling sets over me. Not the feeling that we're being lured into a trap. This is a deeper, more primal wrongness setting in. Almost like… something is calling to me. Something trying to scream, yet being unable to do so. I feel pain flowing through me in the same way that Chloe's emotional status is conveyed through our [Angelic Bond]. It's not coming from Chloe. She looks as fine as she can be, given the circumstances, and even offers me a comforting hand which I gently grasp. No, it's coming from something else. Something that's trying to tether itself to our [Angelic Bond] and use it to communicate with me.

"Help… me…"

"That's not coming from you, is it, Chloe?"

"No. And I can hear it too."

"Please… Help… me…" The voice is vaguely feminine, and it's weak, whispered. And very, very pained.

"Who are you? Where are you? What can we do to help?"

"In… Crystal. It hurts… Name… forgotten… Too much… pain!" A scream echoes through Chloe's and my bond, causing both of us to clutch our heads in agony. I'd scream, if not for using every drop of willpower to not reveal our position to the enemy. "Need… release from the pain. Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop already!"

"We'll help you," Chloe says. "But we need to know where you are and how we can help!"

"In… In the Crystal's core. Find me… Please… You might be the only ones who can."

"We'll… we'll all do what we can," Chloe says. "But it may take a little while."

"I– Thank you…" The voice goes quiet once more.

"We need to hurry," I tell the others. "There's someone counting on us to rescue them from… whatever is keeping them locked away in the Crystal."

Cara sighs. "I'm sorry for not revealing that part; it was just a rumor, though one which is apparently true, based on what you've just told me. I'll tell you everything you need to know while we're heading up there."