Bab 93: The Charred Corpses of Thunder Fort
The ground trembled like an earthquake, causing Grayson and his companions to tense up. The sound of orderly, heavy footsteps approached from nearby. Grayson released the little owl to scout, while the rest followed closely behind.
At the edge of the snow forest, atop a small snowy slope, they saw a formidable army emerging slowly from the direction of Thunder Fort. Leading the march were the Titan spearmen, carrying long spears and massive shields, their uniform steps causing the earth to quake with each movement.
Following them were the Titan swordsmen, siege engineers, and officers, all leaving Thunder Fort and heading southeast. Grayson and his party lay low on the snowy slope, watching the impressive procession of the Titan army, moving like a mobile mountain range.
"Solon's acting swiftly. It looks like he's ready for war," Grayson remarked to Andros.
"Thankfully, we stopped Wystan. If the genies were under their control as well, Tyrrel's leaderless troops wouldn't last long," Andros said, relieved as he watched the endless army.
"Even so, I fear they won't hold out for long," Grayson said, shaking his head with concern. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Seraphine. "We now have two reinforcements we can call upon, but I need someone to deliver the message."
"Leave it to me. With the genie's help, I'll deliver the message as swiftly as possible," Seraphine assured, glancing at the genie.
"First, go to the Serpent Valley and ask the Snake Queen to dispatch troops to harass Solon's border outposts. It'll make Solon's vanguard feel unstable and effectively restrain them while avoiding unnecessary casualties."
Grayson paused before continuing, "Next, you need to revisit Captain Jaxton in Grey Harbor. Have him bombard Solon's outposts from the sea, putting pressure on Solon and buying us time."
"Understood, I'll remember that," Seraphine nodded solemnly. Grayson then looked at Andros and asked, "Captain, anything else to add?"
Andros glanced at Seraphine, who also turned to look at him, and he softly advised, "Be careful on your way." Seraphine nodded gently, then departed with the genie.
"It seems your mission went quite smoothly," Andros said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Grayson, watching Seraphine's retreating figure.
"Good fortune, that's all. Now, we must hurry to Thunder Fort. Solon's troops have left; it's time for us to move," Grayson said, filled with determination.
The trio took a path through the mountains, avoiding the main road trodden by the giants, and made their way towards Thunder Fort. The massive fortress loomed large in the distance, like a colossal stone supporting heaven and earth. The sound of Titan soldiers patrolling the outer walls could be heard clearly.
Grayson halted, looking up at the towering castle, and asked Andros, "We can't go any higher. We must find a way over the walls into the inner city and the royal palace. I regret that your griffon is not here. Would you be interested in taking a ride on a great eagle instead?"
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?" Andros looked at Grayson in surprise, not believing he would dare to ride a great eagle into Solon's inner city, and curious where he would get such an eagle.
"Of course not. To us, it may be a great eagle, but to the giants, it's nothing more than a mosquito!" Grayson smirked slyly, reaching up to pluck the little owl from his head, staring into her round eyes, "Right, my dear Eagle Queen?"
"Don't try to flatter me. Even if you knelt down and kissed my claws, I wouldn't carry three people up that high wall! It's too tiring!" The little owl turned her face away from Grayson, resolute in her refusal.
"Then I guess I'll have to wait until we return to the forest to tell all the little birds about how you gobbled up a whole table of food on the pirate ship and burped for three days straight," Grayson said with a shrug, looking helplessly at Katheren and Andros.
Upon hearing Grayson's words, the little owl reflexively burped twice, then turned back with a deep breath, reluctantly glaring at Grayson, "Considering how much you need me, I'll generously help you this one time!"
"Thank you, your Eagle Majesty!" Grayson mockingly bowed to the little ball of fluff, winking at Andros and Katheren, who couldn't help but chuckle and shake their heads.
The little owl landed on the ground and transformed into a small girl, stretching out her gloved hands and shouting in a tender voice, "Group Transformation Spell!" They vanished in a burst of red light.
Transformed into insects, the trio hopped onto Elyra's back. The little owl spread her wings and spiraled upward, flying over the walls tens of meters high into the skies above Thunder Fort. They looked down upon the magnificent fortress, teeming with fully armed soldiers patrolling the crisscrossing streets.
The little owl flew over several streets of the outer city, circled around the blue and white banners of Thunder fluttering atop the castle towers, and landed in the grand square of the royal castle.
Compared to the chaos of the outer city, the inner city square was remarkably quiet. Guards stood like statues at their posts, with only the occasional messenger rushing out of the grand hall to deliver the monarch's orders to the outer city.
The little owl cautiously approached the grand hall's entrance, avoiding the two guards at the door, sneaking behind the towering giant statues flanking the entrance, and slipped into the grand hall.
She landed in a secluded corner, set the trio down, and dispelled the transformation spell when no one was around. Then, flapping her wings, she landed on Grayson's shoulder, looking at him with concern, "I've done you the favor; you better not talk nonsense!"
"Your wish is my command, Eagle Queen," Grayson replied playfully in a low voice.
He turned to Andros and Katheren, "Alright, folks, we're now branded as thieves—not that the Thieves Guild would vouch for us—so be careful not to get caught. Let's go search for Solon's treasures and see what he's hiding in this palace."
"Where should we start?" Katheren asked, looking down the vast corridors stretching like valleys to either side, the castle seeming like a labyrinthine maze.
"Have you ever been to Solon's study?" Grayson inquired, his gaze landing on Andros, who nodded lightly. "I went there once with Gothard and Tyrrel."
"Perfect. The study is the best place to find clues. Let's head there first. Would you lead the way, Captain?" Grayson extended a hand toward Andros.
The Knight Captain, sticking close to the walls, led the way with Grayson and Katheren following. As they reached the midpoint of the corridor, Grayson's keen sense of smell suddenly picked up a putrid, burnt stench. He looked around and spotted a slightly ajar door not far away.
"Hey, wait up, come here!" Grayson called to the others, striding toward the door. Katheren and Andros exchanged glances and hurried after him, catching a glimpse of Grayson's figure slipping inside.
"What did you find?" Andros and Katheren entered through the gap, scanning the room as they asked.
Grayson strode deeper into the hall, the vast space lit by numerous lightning magic lamps on the walls. Ahead lay three enormous bodies at the center of the hall, covered with golden cloth and emitting a faint burnt odor.
"What is this, Captain?" Katheren asked Andros, shocked.
"These are the bodies of Tyrrel and his guards," Andros replied, his face darkening.
While they spoke, Grayson had already approached the outermost body. He looked up at the colossal figure and called out softly, "Elyra, shrink them down for me. I need to examine these bodies."
"They are giants, my magic isn't strong enough to shrink giants!" the little owl protested from atop Grayson's head.
"It's impossible when they're alive, but now they're just corpses, no different from a dining table. Get to work, you little rascal!" Grayson insisted.
With no other option, the little owl reluctantly flapped her wings and landed on the giant's body. Transforming back into a little girl, she drew a dark red hexagram in the air, and one by one, the giant bodies shrank to the size of ordinary humans.
"Well done, I'll reward you with a feast later!" Grayson promised with a grin. At the mention of a feast, Elyra couldn't help but burp again and quickly covered her mouth, retreating to the side.
Grayson lifted the golden cloth from the giants' bodies to reveal their charred flesh, their faces unrecognizable, their hair completely burned away. Aside from their hands and feet, which still had intact skin, the rest of their bodies were a ghastly sight.
"My God, this is horrifying!" Katheren exclaimed, covering her face in shock.
"Yes, all three bodies are burned beyond recognition, which is why they've been temporarily placed here. Solon even promised Tyrrel's subordinates that he would find the culprit," Andros said, his gaze sweeping over the bodies.
"Is there really a need to investigate? It's clear that he had them killed!" Katheren murmured.
Grayson silently crouched by the bodies, picking up a hand and examining it closely. After inspecting the first body, he moved on to the others, checking their hands and then frowning.
He pried open the mouth of one body to examine the oral and nasal cavities, then did the same with the other two. Standing up, he surveyed the three bodies and said, "Something seems off."
"What have you found?" Andros asked, joining Grayson by the bodies.
Before Grayson could answer, the little owl perched on his head suddenly cried out, "I hear someone coming!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone