Sealed in Steel [ Tank Litrpg ]

It wasn't difficult to find out where Borlen was taken to. It turned out, dozens of Tharguras supporters were arrested as well.

Word was someone came forward with a piece of the missing armor and ratted out others who helped steal it. Supposedly, the arrested blue robes were worried about Tharguras surviving his next Tribulation given the short preparation time and a chunk of their defensive supplies having been previously used up. And so, they stole the legendary armor. The entire network of supposed thieves was now exposed and arrested. They were brought to Vigor Hill, imprisoned below the fortress of the guards.

"Absolute nonsense," Elian muttered. "Tharguras would be familiar with the stolen armor and never use it. Everyone would be looking at him when he performs his Tribulation; not just normal people, but experts too. Faridar would be there. Other Champion Penitents with low to high Tribulation counts. They would've studied his methods. No illusion is assured to fool them all, if that was supposed to be the plan."

"I agree with you, my friend," Thorren said. "But one can never tell how the minds of zealous believers think. They might be very well blinded by their aim of helping Penitent Tharguras by any means that they simply missed the large gap in their plan."

Elian, Thorren, and Jadewell were sitting at the corner table of a quaint bar. They looked outside the window; blue robes passed by, shouting protests.

Above the bar was an inn where Thorren and his cousins stayed. Previously, they camped with their carriage outside the town. It was expensive to stay in an inn for months. But when the violence spread in the aftermath of the armor theft, Thorren decided to move his family to Vigor Hill, finding a place near the garrison of the temple guards. They parked their carriage next to the stables of the inn. Too bad for Thorren that trouble seemed to have chased him.

Jadewell leaned forward and whispered even though there was nobody else in the bar. "Didn't they release Tharguras? He's declared fully innocent. Isn't that good?"

"Fully innocent but his supporters are not," Thorren said. "Their guilt—" He stopped and gave Elian an apologetic nod. "I'm not saying your friend is guilty. The controversy trails Tharguras, is my thought."

Elian nodded. "Makes one think if that was the goal all along of whoever convinced Borlen and the others to admit to a crime they didn't commit."

"What do you mean?" Jadewell asked with a frown.

"No way Borlen did this. He's a man of honor. When he had his Tribulation, I offered to cover him with my body. A sure way to be safe. But he refused. Not just refuse. He was highly offended at the thought of me taking the brunt of the impact. A man like that wouldn't steal this armor. In fact, he'd be the first one to stop Tharguras from using the stolen armor.

"And how could the blue robes have the means of stealing from the golden hall? We've seen the guards, the golems, there's just too much security. Not to mention ancient enchantments and magical protections. Oh, and the priests too. They worked together to put up protections."

Which meant Thalman would know how to break them, Elian mentally added. On the flip side, the other priests allowing him to do it meant they had some measure of trust in him.

Jadewell tilted her head to the left. "Are you saying that several blue robes painted themselves as the criminal so Tharguras would be released?"

"That's my read of the situation."

"How did they get the piece of the stolen armor then?"

"Someone gave it to them," Elian said.

"The true criminal," Thorren said. "And you want to meet with your friend to ask him what he knows? I doubt he'll spill the secret. None of the other blue robes arrested would. My strong hunch is that the true criminal has something over their heads so they won't walk back on their story once Tharguras is out."

"True, true," Elian said, looking out the window again. "It's going to be something extremely weighty that they'd sacrifice their honor. Makes me wonder if Tharguras actually did it… I mean, that's the only reason I can think of why Borlen and other blue robes would do this. But, again, that really doesn't make sense."

Did Priest Thalman have a part in it? Elian thoughts returned to the priest's last visit.

He didn't voice his suspicions to Thorren and Jadewell. For one, he didn't have anything other than Thalman's past reconstructed from gossip. And even if the stories of the hunters were true, that wasn't proof Thalman did anything wrong now.

Elian also didn't want to bring Thorren and Jadewell deeper into this mess, especially with Jadewell about to leave.

"So…" Jadewell said, rummaging inside the pockets of her black robe. "Are you sneaking inside the fort to meet your elderly friend?"

Elian nodded. "I know it's not a good plan, but…"

"It's the only lead you have now." Jadewell placed a spell shard ring on the table. "I don't have any suggestions, so this is my help. My invisibility ring, I give to you."

"I'll pay for—"

"No, no." She pushed the ring over to him. "Take it as a gift. I'll just tell my family I lost it. They won't be mad at me. I'm an Aether mage now. I could probably burn down our manor and they'll still celebrate my return. Or not. Burning the manor might probably be too much."

"Thank you." Elian took the ring and felt for its remaining Energy stored.

"It doesn't have much left," Jadewell said, discerning what he did. She sheepishly grinned. "I used most of it to… you know. Anyway, I estimate it to have around thirty minutes of invisibility left. I don't have the means of recharging it. Maybe you can go to Forge Hill or Energy Hill? I'm sure shops are offering such services."

Elian shook his head. "Expenses aside—and it'll be really expensive to recharge it—I don't want people knowing I have this ring of invisibility. Recharging it while there's a huge issue of thievery going on isn't a good look. Might even get myself reported to the guards."

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"I'm not sure if thirty minutes is enough time to sneak in."

"It'll have to be." He met Jadewell's gaze. "Really, thank you for this. I'll find a way to repay you someday."

"Defeat those Giants and we'll call it even."

Elian smiled. "I promise I will."

"Giants?" Thorren asked. "What are you talking about? The Lesser Trolls living in the forests of Ohmenstrat? I doubt they can hurt you with their clubs, my friend. But they are hardy creatures with hides that cannot be pierced by enchanted blades. I'm uncertain how you'll defeat them."

"I was just joking," Elian said. "Of course, I can't beat the Lesser Trolls. But back to the problem at hand—will you help me find a way into the fort, Thorren? You told me that you went to Vigor School for some time. The fort is on the lower tier behind it."

"Me and my cousins are willing to help."

Elian jolted. "No, that's too dangerous for them to—"

"They won't do anything dangerous. Just kids strolling around the fort. No one will suspect them. But if you and I get close, the guards will have their eyes on us. They'll watch any suspicious movements given the sudden influx of prisoners."

"It's not your cousins doing anything dangerous that I'm concerned about. It's the blue robes around. They might start a riot or something."

"And so, we do this quickly," Thorren said, pointing outside. "Come, my cousins are waiting by the stables. I've already told them about this. We'll find a way in for you."

Walls, people, walls, people. That was all Elian could see.

Dozens of blue robes gathered by the front gates of the fort. They used sticks, ladles, and even mugs to clink and clank against the bars as they shouted. The guards on the other side of the gate stood in line, shields in front, spears upright. They didn't move to disperse the angry pilgrims. Engaging them would lead to more trouble. Moreover, the pilgrims were devoted followers of the Magistrate and supporters of the second highest scoring Champion Penitent—the temple wouldn't want them hurt or even killed.

Trying to get through here even if invisible was too risky. If not in front, there might be a way from behind.

Elian gazed up at the impressive slope of the uppermost tier, covered in gleaming white stone blocks, rising from behind the quite plain-looking fort. Vigor School was on top. Could there be a way from up there, sliding down to the back of the fort?

That was the assignment of Thorren's cousins. They scouted the area under the pretext of waiting for Thorren while he inquired about returning to Vigor school. Those kids should be safe because none of the disgruntled blue robes were up there—they were down here, protesting in front of the fort.

On that note, Elian couldn't be up there either because he'd look very suspicious. Guards would be on alert for anyone out of place.

What's the end goal here? Elian paced the edge of the crowd, hoping to get an epiphany.

Tharguras was released, exchanged with a bunch of his supporters. What did that achieve? Not peace, for sure. Blue robes were imprisoned. Tharguras had two choices: disown them or defend them.

Disowning them would start internal strife. The protesting blue robes were proof that they sided with their arrested comrades. Many wouldn't listen to Tharguras. This internal strife would become external, swallowing in other groups with their own thoughts on who was guilty and not. If Tharguras stood by the arrested blue robes, the result would be the same—internal division that would spread outside. There was no winning this.

Could the goal of the mysterious mastermind be to sabotage Tharguras? Having his support base fractured would certainly end the Penitent Path of Tharguras. He wasn't as strong as Faridar who could make do with lesser resources.

But the mysterious mastermind didn't need blue robes in jail. Rumors and some small infighting would be enough of a spark to trouble Tharguras. No, this wasn't about the Champion Penitent. Something bigger.

"We're getting boiled here," Elian muttered. And what would happen when it spilled over?

An hour later, they returned to the bar inn. Thorren sent his cousins upstairs to rest while he discussed with Elian what they had found. Thorren smoothened a piece of paper on the table. It had roughly drawn scribbles.

"This is the edge of the Vigor school's level directly behind the fort," Thorren said, pointing to a portion of the drawing. "Nelisha drew this thick line to indicate a high wall. It's topped with decorative spikes—artful that they didn't ruin the view, but it also indicates they are aware someone might try coming from there. I wouldn't be surprised if there are magical alarms on top."

"But it's not the entire edge that's walled high." Elian tapped the spot where the thick line ended.

"Correct. It's possible to climb over here. No alarms."

"How do you know?"

"Nelisha tried it," Thorren said. Elian cocked his head in surprise, but before he could complain, Thorren was ready with his reply, "I didn't tell her to do it, I swear. I tasked my cousins with using only their eyes, and nothing beyond that. It was on her own initiative that Nelisha climbed over the low fence. She threw a toy of her siblings sideways so she'd have an excuse to get it."

"Good thinking and all, but still reckless," Elian said.

"It runs in the blood." Thorren looked up at the ceiling as he sighed. "What's important is that she returned safely without getting arrested. That proves it's safe to climb here, and then travel this way. Nelisha didn't go further than this. I suggest you move diagonally down here to avoid potential alarms. Be careful of sliding. You can make Aether blocks to step on."

"Too dangerous. They might have magic usage detection. I'll use this instead." Elian placed his right arm on the table.

"No demonstrations of your pet parasite, please. Thank you very much. Moving on. Once you drop into the fort, this is where you'll go." Thorren pulled out another paper with lots of squares. "This is the back of the fort. This here is the large jail for your everyday criminals, those who steal from the market, those who brawl while drunk, and so on. They placed the blue robes here because there were too many of them. The temple doesn't have an actual dungeon to hold them all. These rows here are barracks. As for this building, this is where the officers reside. Some of them are formidable combat-wise. Avoid them."

"Wait, did Nelisha draw this?"

"She did. From memory. She didn't stay long on the slope, don't worry. One look is all she needed. As for knowing what these buildings are, I conversed with people in Vigor school. I didn't directly ask, of course. I opened along the lines of, 'I'm worried that those imprisoned at the fort might break out. Are you sure we're safe here?' Then they'd assure me that the fort is nearby, the barracks, the officers, and so on. I asked some more, and they'd answer some more."

"Many, many thanks for the help," Elian said, taking the drawings from Thorren. "I owe you one. What can I—?"

Shouts from the outside filtered through the window of the bar. The blue robes outside stampeded in the direction of the fort. There were many of them, yelling and making noises with pots and pans.

"What in the Storm God's name is going on out there?" Thorren said.

"Are they trying to force their way into the fort?" Elian wondered. Too much noise for a simple protest. Whatever it was, he should take advantage of this distraction. The guards would go to the front of the fort, leaving the back area unattended. He'd have an easier time sneaking around to look for Borlen.

Elian rushed out of the bar and waded through the crowds to reach a small alley circling the bar. He took a roundabout way through the narrower side streets, avoiding the angry blue robes as he made his way to the uppermost tier.

Time for some sneaking, he thought, taking out Jadewell's ring.