novelraw Chapter 101: City of Saharan
Chapter 101: City of Saharan
A faint wind howled as we marched across the moonlit dunes toward the city. Unlike the suffocating heat of the day, the desert’s night carried a chilling cold, stripping warmth from our bodies with every gust. The sand crunched under my boots, hardened by the sharp drop in temperature.
Boris led the way, his shoulders squared as though the chill meant nothing to him. Michelle trailed just behind, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings without pause. Lucian walked with his arms folded, pride still evident in his posture, though at least he refrained from complaining. Tuilë, on the other hand, skipped lightly across the sand, occasionally raising her binoculars to peer at the horizon.
The city gradually took shape in the distance. Even from afar, the walls of the supposed City of Saharan loomed high, built from yellowish sandstone that caught the pale glow of moonlight. Torches blazed along the battlements, their flames flickering and bending against the cold desert wind. The city encircled a large oasis, its dark surface reflecting starlight like a sheet of glass.
“The city looks peaceful…” Michelle murmured, though her tone carried doubt.
“A city under foreign control is never truly peaceful,” Lucian replied sharply. “A calm surface often hides the storm beneath.”
I silently agreed. The scenario’s description would not be so deliberately vague if all we were meant to do was stroll in and babysit some random target. There was a secret here that was different from the other scenarios that we had faced before.
A few minutes later, we were less than a hundred meters from the city gates. From here, we could hear noises coming from inside; it was clear that the city was not an abandoned ruin, which made it all the more dangerous.
“We should be cautious,” I said, narrowing my eyes at the city gates. “Approach slowly. Stay alert for anything.”
The others nodded. Just as we took our first steps forward, a sharp whistle cut through the air. An arrow struck the sand in front of us, quivering from the impact.
“Halt! Who goes there? State your name and affiliation!”
A voice rang out from above the gate, harsh and commanding. Torches along the battlements flared as shadows of armed men leaned forward, bows drawn and aimed directly at us. They looked like people who would kill without hesitation if pushed came to shove.
[Saharan Guard Captain, Alazar – Lv.95]
The commander of Saharan City’s defense, who was entrusted with maintaining order within the walls and protecting the city from external threats. He carries the authority to command all stationed guards. His loyalty to Saharan is absolute, though his methods may vary depending on circumstance.
[Saharan City Guard – Lv.60]
A soldier sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of Saharan City’s people. Though not as individually strong as their captain, their strength lies in coordination and numbers.
Boris instinctively stepped in front of the group, shielding us with his broad frame. “Looks like they don’t take kindly to strangers.”
“Even humans are counted as killable monsters…?” Michelle was speechless, her voice trembling, unsure of what to do.
It was understandable. Many divine warriors struggled when they discovered the truth—that some scenarios required them to cut down their own kind. This was the true nature of Divine Will. Not all scenarios were righteous. Sometimes, they wanted you to kill the innocents and commit deeds that would be called vile in any other world. In truth, it was a way to test and refine the nature of divine warriors themselves. Depending on the alignment of their patron god, the frequency of such scenarios could vary greatly.
Although I couldn’t be entirely certain, Istellia’s alignment leaned more toward good than evil. Still, that didn’t mean we wouldn’t face scenarios where we were cast in the role of villains. Depending on how one approached the trial, the outcome could differ a lot.
Tuilë cupped her hands around her mouth. “Oi! Is that how you welcome guests? Shooting arrows at people before they’ve even knocked?”
“Hm? You’re not human… nor a therianthrope. Then what exactly are you?” the guard asked warily.
Lucian glared at the guards, mana gathering at his fingertips, but I raised a hand to stop him. The last thing we needed was to start a fight at the gates before even setting foot in the city. Alerting everyone inside now would only make achieving our goal far more difficult.
“We’re travelers from afar, seeking refuge in the city. We mean no harm,” I explained calmly, keeping my voice steady and holding up my empty hands to tell them that I was harmless and de-escalate the situation.
The guards exchanged murmurs, their silhouettes shifting as they spoke among themselves. However, their conversation didn’t last for long.
“No!” Their captain shouted. “We have been ordered not to allow anyone to enter or leave for whatever reason, especially at this time. Showing up at night only makes you more suspicious. Leave now, or we’ll let these arrows fly!”
His words were final, the string of his bow drawn taut in warning in my direction.
“Fine. We’ll leave,” I replied, turning on my heel. The others followed without protest, and together we began to walk away from the gates.
We didn’t let our guard down, however. Even as we turned away, I could feel their eyes boring into our backs, bows at the ready should we make the slightest suspicious move. Clearly, the city was under immense strain and pressure from its recent occupation. If the guards were this hostile, it meant they were either hiding something or under someone else’s command.
“Seems like we’re not welcome,” Boris muttered, shaking his head.
“If we can’t get in through the gate, what do we do?” Michelle asked uneasily.
Tuilë smirked, her tone far too amused for the situation. “I could just blast a hole in their wall with my hand cannon. Doesn’t look that sturdy—two, maybe three shots and we’re in.”
Really now? That would only alert the entire city even faster than picking up a fight with the guards at the gate.
Lucian scoffed under his breath, though he didn’t outright dismiss her idea. If anything, he seemed tempted.
“Nah. We should be cautious,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “Even if we force our way in, we don’t know who we’re supposed to protect or how to get them out. It’s not like they’ll reveal themselves to us the moment we appear. And if the first extra condition specifically mentions the ‘true target,’ then there will be deceptions waiting inside.”
“Then how about sneaking in?” Tuilë grinned mischievously.
“Let’s put some distance between us and the city first. Then we’ll find a place where we can sneak inside.”
The others nodded, and we continued into the dunes. Circling the city from afar, it became clear that while Saharan was on alert, not every section of the wall was equally guarded. Some stretches had dense patrols, while others had only a few watchmen.
The walls themselves, however, posed the greater problem. Even at their lowest point, they stood at least eight meters tall, and at their highest, they reached nearly twelve meters. As Gimmel-rank divine warriors, we were far beyond ordinary humans. Clearing several meters in a single leap wasn’t an issue; with a running start, any of us might even manage the lowest section of the wall. The problem was the landing. Crashing down inside the city would make enough noise to alert every guard within earshot, and the margin for error was thin.
Lucian could have carried us over using levitation magic, but the spell would only support one person at a time, making the process far too slow.
As an alternative solution, Tuilë suggested digging under the wall to create a hidden passage. But that carried risks as well since we had no idea what awaited us on the other side, and it might take too much time. So instead, I proposed the safer option, which was to use my Gravity Magic to lighten us and then jump. With reduced weight, scaling a ten-meter wall would be effortless.
“Everyone, use your cloak or robe to cover yourselves. Especially you, Tuilë,” I reminded. “Your appearance will draw the most attention.”
“Haha, I know,” she said cheerfully, taking out a dark cloak from her inventory and pulling it around her shoulders without protest.
I nodded in approval, switching into my cursed coat, as its effect would faintly suppress my presence and add another layer of concealment. The others followed suit, each pulling on cloaks or hoods over their faces. By the time we were ready, we looked less like divine warriors and more like a band of assassins moving under the cover of night.
“Alright. Stay close, stay silent. I’ll adjust gravity once we’re in position. From there, we clear the wall together. Wait for my signal,” I whispered.
Everyone answered with a sharp nod.
I kept my eyes trained on the battlements. The torches along the wall flickered, casting long shadows that moved with the patrols. Finally, the lone guard stationed at our chosen section turned and walked toward the other end of his route. This was the opening. I glanced back at my companions and gave a quick nod, and instantly, we dashed across the sand.
As we reached the base of the wall, I drew mana from my core. “{Gravity Field}.”
At once, the crushing weight of the world eased. My body felt lighter, barely half its usual weight. I extended the field to the others, and their eyes widened slightly as the spell took effect.
“Now,” I commanded.
Boris bent his knees and sprang upward, his massive frame soaring like a seasoned athlete. Michelle followed gracefully, her cloak billowing behind her. Lucian used the boost in tandem with his levitation spell, propelling himself higher. Tuilë vaulted after them with a playful laugh, moving with surprising agility for someone who often acted so carefree.
I leapt last, the reduced gravity carrying me effortlessly upward. My boots brushed against the sandstone as I caught the ledge, pulling myself over in near silence. One by one, we landed atop the wall and crouched low, ready for combat as our eyes swept the ground below.
No alarm was raised so far, and the patrol was still at the far end of the wall, unaware of our intrusion. Quickly, we climbed down into the city.
Once we reached a safe spot in the shadows of an alley, I whispered, “Good. From here, we spread out and search for the target. In an hour, whether you find something or not, regroup at—”
“Maxim, that’s far too inconvenient,” Tuilë interrupted, shaking her head. “Use this instead.”
She took out five small, earbud-like objects from her inventory and held them out. “These let us communicate over distance. Just send a bit of mana into this communication tool, called a comm-link, whenever you want to speak.”
“Bringing those out, huh.” Lucian chuckled, taking one for himself.
I frowned a little while taking the small communication tool. “And you didn’t think to mention you had something like this sooner?” If I had known that she had something convenient, I could have planned differently.
“Well, you never asked,” she replied with a shrug, entirely too nonchalant.
…Well, true.
Regardless, I set the small issue aside and instructed them to spread out and gather information. If we found anything, we would report our findings through the comm-link. With that, we each went our separate ways.