章 490: How would I Look?
At first Devrim had not liked the plan any more than he had liked the idea of Eliana staying inside the city walls. But after seeing the storehouse for himself, he realized that action must be taken sooner rather than later.
Holding his spyglass, Devrim pinpointed the lithe noblewoman as she moved through her ranks. A silvery wolf followed her like a puppy wherever she went, making getting her isolated far more difficult than the Emperor would have liked.
Meanwhile on the ground, Gandr prepared to shake the earth with tremendous force and take Livie underground once and for all. Without their leader, the abominations would not have a clear leader at least for a time, and the ensuing chaos would be a perfect time for the imperial army to strike.
While Capturing Livie was ideal, as it would hopefully get them some answers, Gandr was unsure if the task was realistic. Bringing the woman down should be easy enough, but bringing her back up without the halfling to physically guide her? That would be tricky.
"Do what you can," Devrim had told him. "She has caused enough death that her life is not her own anyway."
So the plan was set in motion. With Devrim giving Livie's exact location and movement, Gandr was going to use the limit of his powers to take the woman from her troops.
The treeline was much farther than the halfling had ever tried to use his powers before. And since he could not see through the thick wall, Gandr would be doing it blindly.
The Emperor had been very firm on him not wanting him to leave the city's fortress just yet. Unlike when he was standing on wood, Gandr would still have been able to manipulate the ground below from the top of the stone wall.
But his control would be lessened due to both the extra distance and the precision he would need to keep from crumbling the wall with his efforts.
So the Emperor was the eyes for the halfling as he focused on pinpointing the right target. "Livie is now moving to the south. She is coming alongside the broken platform of the battering ram. The silver wolf is matching her steps right now as he talks with her..."
Gandr let his human disguise fall away as he focused all his power into locating the woman who was causing all the pain and misery. Through the ground he could sense hundreds of beings in the area Devrim indicated. But only two by the void, which was the battering ram, were matched in step.
"I found them," he said to himself. He could have used his wind magic to speak back to Devrim, who was using a cone to send directions right to him, but he did not want to lose focus.
Now he just had to decide which one was Livie. And quick. They were on the very edge of his range as it was. Much further and he would only be able to sense that there was movement, not how or where they were moving.
It wasn't a hard decision in the end. The woman was noble by birth and her gentle footsteps reflected her upbringing. The other figure was light on his feet, but still clunky by comparison.
'Got you...'
Gandr knew he had one try at this. It was a significant strain on his abilities, but he truly thought he could complete such a feat. Though his eyes were closed, he could feel them tingling so much he knew they must be glowing. He was using sight of a different kind.
His senses traveled through the surface of the earth to his target. The foundation below Livie quivered, and she paused to steady herself.
"Is everything alright, my lady?" Fechin asked, his new silver body tensing as he sensed her unease.
Livie furrowed her brow. "I don't know...It felt like--"
The grass shivered and swayed, as the ground around her opened to swallow her whole. It all happened in an instant. Livie felt her body slip below the surface as her eyes opened in shock. She tried to climb upward, reaching for the surface as it faded from view.
Suddenly the hole around her became much wider. A large section of the earth collapsed beside her as the ground rumbled and split open.
"My lady!" A silver wolf came over the top of his mistress and took her hand.
As the mighty cave-in increased, Fechin and many other abominations swam against the earthen tide. It was only a few moments before the ground settled again, but it felt like an eternity for the wolf and woman fighting for their lives.
When Livie's vision cleared, she was on the platform of the broken battering ram. Looking over her, Fechin heaved a sigh of relief.
"That was a close one, my lady. Your intuition saved us all."
Wiping the blood from her brow, the woman sat up and surveyed the damage. The land next to the platform had cratered, revealing a tunnel below. All around them, dust hung in the air, reminding them of the fate they had just escaped.
Sitting up, the woman peered down at the exposed hold in the earth. "Do we know where this leads?" Livie wondered.
"It is already being examined." Fechin had taken the liberty of dispatching others to look into the curiosity. "Perhaps the flood dug out an underground path."
"Interesting..." Livie took the cloth offered by her assistant and dabbed at her head. She couldn't help but feel there was more at play. She glanced back at the tunnel, her mind racing. "Very interesting."
------------
Inside Oblivion's walls, Gandr was also regaining consciousness. When he had gone to grab Livie and bring her under, he had pulled too hard trying to keep control of the earth. He had not sensed the old tunnel from the giant mole until it was too late.
By then the cave-in had already begun. He had struggled to maintain control of the falling rocks and contain the damage.
As a gnome, he knew better than most how a fault in the ground could spread and envelop an entire area if left unchecked. While he did not care for the abominations, he did care for those he had promised to protect.
Sweating heavily, he had created a barrier to contain as many of the tremors as he could. As a result, only a small section of the tunnel gave way in the end.
But the effort had pushed Gandr to his limit. When the last of the rumbles had settled, he had collapsed.
"Are you alright?" Devrim asked from beside him. He had run from the battlement when the halfling passed out.
"I will be in a moment." Gandr could see many curious faces staring at him, and he realized that his golden skin was showing. He shrugged, knowing they would have to get over it. "Lady Livie?"
The Emperor looked up to the scout he had left at the top of the wall. He signaled a thumbs down. "She is still alive, I'm afraid."
"That woman has more lives than a leprechaun…" Gandr knew she had already survived the catapult. "She cannot survive forever!"
Gandr huffed as he stood. He would finish what he started. He took a step and wobbled.
"Bring him some water!" Devrim ordered. He led his friend over to a seat in front of one of the cozy homes. "Take it slow, there. You look worn out."
"I cannot afford to take it slow," Gandr groaned. He leaned against the wall of the cottage and tilted back his head. His powers had taken a physical toll as well as a mental toll. "Give me just a little bit of time and I will be ready to go."
"Go?" The grey-eyed man did not follow. "Where exactly are you planning to go? We haven't even heard back from Eliana to see if what she is trying works, and already you are thinking of leaving?"
Gandr shook his head. "I am going after Livie. My earth powers are not the only skills I have. If you recall, when we met, I was sent to kill Her Majesty."
Although the Emperor knew this, the two had since formed a camaraderie that had led to a friendship. It was easy to forget that behind the lopsided grin was a very powerful being.
But Devrim never had to worry about the safety of his wife or himself when it came to the halfling, because frankly, after using magic on them both, Gandr was incapable of killing them.
On the other hand, the halfling had not used magic on Livie, and the woman was threatening people tied to Gandr in a very personal way. Although he did not naturally have emotions, he was connected to and felt Devrim's frustration keenly just now. It was part of the reason he felt compelled to act.
Gandr took a deep breath. "As soon as I regain my strength. It will be time to reprise my role as sneaky assassin. Only this time I will do it for good: not evil."
"You cannot be invisible the whole way there. They will see you coming!" Devrim knew the limit of that power very well.
"Oh they will see me coming, no doubt about that." Gandr grinned fiercely with his eyes still closed. "On an unrelated note, how do you think I would look as a wolf?"
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