Her long sword beside her, Kyra sat alone on a bench in the heart of SaberTwins's public garden. The garden rested at the edge of the immense pentagon-shaped ravine that cleaved the metropolis from the Palace – the very palace the three targets used as their base of operations.
The crescent-shaped city, vast and sprawling, was built around this seemingly bottomless chasm, housing a population of over a hundred thousand.
The massive old Palace, however, was built upon a giant rock that sprouted from the ravine's center. Its many buildings boasted white walls and red brick roofs. Five old, beautifully constructed stone bridges, also red, connected the rock to the city. If not occupied by those she sought, Kyra might have considered it a charming construct.
SaberTwins was in better shape than the rest of the land, seeming to glow on this sunny day. The streets were clean, the markets overflowed with diverse merchandise, and large crowds roamed them, procuring daily needs and a wide range of goods that flowed from all corners of Dorban.
The inhabitants appeared healthy and relatively content. Even those present in the garden around Kyra were smiling and laughing. Life seemed ordinary here.
Kyra and her team arrived three days prior, entering the city, weapons at hand, after bribing the city guards with Argonot. They awaited Kira's arrival, which was due today. Kira kept her end of the bargain, telling no one about them or their agreement. A naive yet brave girl. Kyra was proud of her.
It was midday when Kyra stood and walked, sword in hand, towards the garden's edge, glancing down at the deep, dark void. She then looked up at the palace, her sight fixed on it. No local could see it, but she knew it was there – the transparent spherical shield that enveloped the Palace, preventing unauthorized entry and ensuring nothing went unnoticed.
This shield was the very reason they could not rely on CodeForger's devices to observe the palace's interior. His technology could not penetrate the Aegis-Veil, and even if he carefully operated small devices that ran on another power source, bypassing the Aegis-Veil when it was opened, those devices could still not transmit or receive any signal.
Nothing could be broadcast in or out of that Palace as long as the Aegis-Veil was fully enacted. Aegis-Veils prevented that, being impenetrable to conventional means.
Infiltrating disguised as servants or guards was also out of the question, as the three targets could recognize them instantly. Similarly, bribing someone to carry CodeForger's devices was futile, as intelligence confirmed the targets were too cautious to allow anyone near their vicinity during assemblies.
That was why they needed Kira – she would be allowed into their presence. And since transmissions couldn't pass through the Aegis-Veil, CodeForger would exploit the consciousness link he shared with Kira to see what lay inside. For that link to be established, they needed a sentient being. Telepathic links could pierce an Aegis-Veil, which was why Mind-Lace was the optimal way Riders communicated.
Aegis-Veils could not block thoughts.
"She is in a truck that just passed the eastern bridge, along with their monitors and the other twelve Obtains. Her heart rate is accelerated, and her body temperature is still rising. She doesn't seem to stand still, she is looking right and left, the other children are as afraid as she is, perhaps even more," CodeForger said via the communication device implanted near Kyra's right ear. He was looking through the girl's eyes. "The Aegis-Veil will soon open."
"Good," Kyra called, "be ready."
"Yes, Captain," All of her teammates simultaneously replied. They were scattered around the edge, manning their positions, ready to pounce. Ready to hunt.
"The truck stopped at the entrance," CodeForger said two minutes later. "The monitors are telling them to disembark. Her heart is about to burst. She is now descending with the others. They are walking towards the gate. As considered, the Aegis-Veil was lowered for them to enter." CodeForger recounted Kira's actions as she did them, leaving no detail untold. "They are walking the lane of the Palace's Garden. Kira is looking around. She is fascinated by the sight."
Kyra smiled.
"They are now nearing the entrance to go inside the premises. She is now inside a corridor, looking right and left at old paintings and writings. They have now arrived at the central hall. Her sight is now fixed on the center of the hall, where three statues of our targets were sculpted. Someone is standing there."
"Is it one of our marks?!" Sena asked.
"No, it's highly unlikely," CodeForger replied. "They have now stopped walking. The woman who was waiting for them was talking to them, she said, 'Boys to the left, girls to the right.' Kira is walking towards the right corridor. Her heart is pounding. She passed through. She and the other five girls entered a chamber; there were three other little girls there. Now, female servants are standing before a long table, atop which white robes are welcoming them. The servants are telling them to undress completely, to leave all their possessions atop the table, and to wear the white robes instead. Captain, this could be a problem!" CodeForger said.
Kyra did not reply; she was expecting this. But she was feeling something she had not for a long time: curiosity. "We wait," Kyra said.
"Roger that!" CodeForger replied.
"Captain!" Daed then said. "I am ready for the contingency maneuver."
Kyra paused, "Let's trust her for now."
"Kira took off the pendant we gave to her. She is also taking her belongings out of her pockets. Strange! Her heart rate seems to standardize. She is now walking towards the table, putting those belongings on it. However, she is still holding the pendant in her right hand. She took a robe and is now undressing." A couple of minutes later. "She strung the pendant around the top of her left thigh, as she covered that spot with her robe. No one noticed her."
Selhob whistled. "Clever girl!" He then gasped over the communication link.
"Indeed, she is!" Sena said. "But the fact remains that she only bought us a little while longer." Since the three targets would unquestionably notice what she did.
And increased the risk of being killed, Kyra thought.
"We are still in the game," Gaia added.
"All the girls are dressed now. The servants are walking them towards the exit of that chamber. They are now walking through the corridor. Her heart rate is stable! They reached the white keep in the middle of the Palace. The servants are ordering them to follow the stairway to the top of the keep. Where they would meet with the three," CodeForger said.
Kyra smiled once more.
"She is now walking up. No one is in sight but the eight girls who are with her. They reached the top and entered a large chamber. Twenty-six other Obtains are standing there. Looking at someone. A tall, white-skinned male, with brown eyes and a strong build, clad in red and blue. White scales cover the entire right side of his face. I now have visual confirmation of the first mark; the one who calls himself Malus in this Plane. CallSign: Unshorn. Captain, it's the Dragon!"
"Good," Kyra smiled.
"He is now speaking to them. He says, 'Welcome to your new lives. The Deliverer will be here soon."
"New lives, eh!" Igniss said.
Kyra, like the rest, was aware of what was about to happen. She knew that Kira, along with the rest of the children, would be forced to undergo an Awakening to create new Riders, new soldiers for their army. Although the survival rate of that Process was low, especially when performed by a RiteMaster of a low caliber like the one she was ordered to capture. And to perform the Awakening, one would need the necessary parts to perform it.
Those parts were difficult for Renegades like them to acquire, hence rare and precious. Otherwise, those three would have created an army of millions during their reign of three centuries of Dorban's time. Millions of Riders who would do their bidding and entertain their whims. Still, they succeeded in making hundreds of Riders.
But at what cost? They must have killed dozens of thousands of children, just to make those few hundred.
"Unshorn is walking across them, looking at some, one by one. I have visual confirmation of Aura-Sight, Acuity, and Accelerate-Mind Runes," CodeForger said.
Convert, Aegis-Veil, and Aegis-Weave Runes were naturally also triggered, but Kira could not see through his garments.
A half-hour later, a group of eight boys walked into the chamber.
"Captain!" CodeForger then yelped. "A Way-Shear has appeared at the center of the chamber."