Chapter 1553 (1/2)

1693, 1694, 1695…

The slow beat of Jelick Youmon’s heart continued to follow along with the constant march of time. The steady relationship between time and biological function was his lifeline. Sometimes, the Nether could use its strange influence your perception of time. However, Jelick’s body would always be completely honest.

At exactly 1750 beats, Jelick opened his eyes. His shift was almost over. After checking the display and recording the readouts, Jelick gathered himself and exited the observation tower. The other guard waited below.

When their eyes met, the other guard spoke in a rumbling voice. His eyes were as serious as a priest during a service. “Anything to report?”

The moment of tension stretched as Jelick slowly opened his mouth. Despite himself, his heartbeat quickened. This was the moment, that their ritual could finally have summoned a monstrous disaster that would destroy the careful peace of the Fifth Cohort. Dancing across that razor’s edge was horrifying and thrilling.

“Nothing,” Jelick finally said. Both smiled as they exchanged positions. Jelick hoped the days would always be like this.

******

“Is this… wise?” Raymund Ballast asked of DiOrtho. Although the Vulpine knew that the ram-demon was getting extremely annoyed by his constant inquiries, he couldn’t restrain himself. His instincts warned caution, and this course of action was anything but prudent.

By asking around, they had managed to identify the location of the royal compound. But Raymund didn’t think for a second that their massive, cloaked forms wouldn’t attract attention. They were both quite a bit larger than the average citizen of this Shelly Kingdom.

As he expected, DiOrtho glared over at him as he continued to crack his knuckles. The ram demon clearly needed healthier methods to deal with his anxiety. “We know that the kidnapping is just the first of five tasks that demi-god Alta set for it. We only have twenty-four hours to complete all five. Do you really want to drag our feet when this first task seems so simple…? I don’t believe for a second that bitch Overseer Helen will make this easy for us…”

Raymund winced. “You should not curse the Overseer. She is undoubtedly observing our movements-”

A noise halted Raymund mid-sentence. Both of the recruits glanced warily around at the wide street before the wall. Currently, they were simply pressed up against the wall three-fourths of the way down the compound’s West-facing wall. There were towers both at the corners of the square compound and halfway down each section of wall, which meant there was no ideal location for entry.

As dawn’s light slowly filtered down onto Jewel and its citizens started waking up, the two of them glanced up at the ten-meter tall wall behind them. Raymund was very aware of how exposed they were; the cloaks they wore covered up their features, but he could vaguely sense some capable individuals within the royal compound.

When it was clear that the noise was a false alarm, DiOrtho shifted his hips and farted loudly. Then he waved his hand, wafting away the expelled gas into the air above them. “Let her observe. She said she wouldn’t interfere the entire day, and if nothing else, the bitch is definitely someone who would keep her word.”

Raymund’s eyes turned heavy as he gave DiOrtho a long look. “...please consider being more respectful with your language. Even if you do not like the Overseer, don’t for a second pretend the current you would be able to eviscerate your past self, due to her efforts. Show some respect.”

“You…” DiOrtho’s eyes widened and then narrowed. For the first time since they had arrived in the city, he stopped cracking his knuckles. Fury radiated off him like steam from a boiling kettle. “Heh, finally growing a backbone? Let me just say that both my past and current self could kill you without even-”

“Oy!”

Both of the recruits looked upward in surprise. A grey-skinned humanoid leaned over the wall, glaring down at both of them. He adjusted his golden helmet as he bent over to stare down at them. “If you both of you are just here to work out your issues, fuck off. This is the property of the Royal Family. If you refuse to leave, I’ll call the city guard, who can rightfully detain you for up to 48 hours- oof!”

Raymund released a sigh and quickly scaled the wall. Halfway through the guard’s threat, the thick layer of anger DiOrtho directed at Raymund sharpened to killing intent and cut upward. The ram demon flipped up onto the ten-meter tall wall as though it was the first step in a staircase and slammed his fist into the guard’s gut. After a spittle-spraying grunt, the man twitched and collapsed. Raymund got on top of the wall just as DiOrtho brought his leg around in a brutal kick that caught the stunned second guard who in the jaw.

With a sickening crack, his neck twisted sharply and the humanoid collapsed.

“Vant!” Raymund hissed and rushed to the second guard. He placed his hand on the man’s neck; luckily, the man was still breathing. It looked like the crack was his jaw breaking. He looked up and barred his teeth at DiOrtho. “Your hubris will doom us! Such a blow could kill this humanoid. Then all our efforts-”

DiOrtho grunted and looked around at the two towers at either end of the stretch of wall. “But I didn’t kill him, did I? I’m not a fucking idiot. Anyway, we can’t leave them here. Grab the bodies and let’s go.”

“Grab the-” Raymund blinked, but DiOrtho had already hopped down off of the wall into the interior of the compound. Raymund rapidly glanced around; his ears strained to catch any movement nearby.

Luckily, there was none.

Perhaps because they hadn’t used any of their images during the brief conflict, their stealth was still intact. Still, it was with sweaty palms that Raymund gently lifted the guard whose head he heard crack while more casually seizing the belt of the other guard, who was beginning to mildly drool from the sudden blow that knocked him unconscious.

They dropped down off of the high wall and landed behind some flowering bushes. This whole wing of the royal compound was decorated with tasteful vegetation and lofty gazebos. Despite the season, the dark blue blooms on the nearby bush still managed to hang on to their branches. Tossing the one guard under some foliage, Raymund carefully laid the other onto the ground.