The surrounding currents grew weaker as they ventured further into the port of Alexandria. Tucker glanced at Alex and Ray with their obsidian daggers in hand. The faint traces of aura shimmered beneath the waves. He closed his eyes as they reached the large open area of the port known as the turning basin. From here, they had two options: either venture further into the inner harbor or follow along the port's breakwaters.

Tucker slowly exhaled while kneeling on the pale sand. All of them were resting in the depths of the turning basin, waiting for a decision to be made. Now that they had made it into the city, the odds of them being detected were slim. After all, the concept of using the army and navy as a diversion just to sneak three men into the city was, by all means, beyond absurd, yet somehow, it worked.

All they had to do now was figure out the best course of action to crack open the city's defenses. Tucker extended his arm towards the others, raising it slightly above the horizon with his palm facing outward. Seeing Ray and Alex return the gesture meant that they were ready to begin. He rose from the ground as swirls of sand danced beneath his feet.

The decision was simple. From what he saw through Gale's vision, the inner port was brimming with soldiers and sailors alike. Their best option to avoid conflict was along the breakwater of the port. If they followed along the inner perimeter, then maybe they would find something useful.

Tucker gently kicked off the ground, pushing his body through the currents as they swam towards the cluster of rocks forming the breakwaters. He matched his pace with Ray's, making sure the group stayed close together while quickly evading the patrolling soldiers walking down the pier. As they reached the end of the breakwater structure, Tucker closed his eyes to sync his vision with Gale's, checking the surroundings.

The main patrols from the Empire's forces were along the walls, the harbor, and major streets of the city. Once he opened his eyes, a sense of nausea hit him like a punch to the gut. Tucker stomached the disorientating sensation, his steps staggering beneath the waves as he forced himself to continue moving.

There were only a few minor patrols along their path.

One or two men along a wooden walkway extending out into the sea. A threat they would have to neutralize one step at a time. One meter after another, they grew closer to the wooden walkway, swimming under the wooden planks while pushing against the pillars anchored into the sea. Tucker held out his hand, pointing above them before holding out two fingers to signal the enemies on the dock. Then, he pointed at Alex and himself to take point.

Seeing this, Ray slowly nodded in agreement before lying low beside the pillar. Even in this situation, he didn't need words to understand that there was no room for error. It was his first time taking part in an operation underwater, and the trembling in his fingers had yet to subside. The icy grip of the ocean held him firmly in place, and the longer they spent in the sea, the harder it became to move because of the stiffness of their limbs.

Tucker made eye contact with Alex, who gave a firm nod. They both slowly broke the surface of the ocean, rising beneath the shadow of the wharf. Water ran down the sides of their visors in thin rivulets. Each droplet traced the runic engravings before dripping down the brim of their helms in steady beats.

"Did you hear something?" one soldier asked.

"Hm?" another raised a brow. "You mean the ocean? All I heard was the waves hitting the stone walls. You sure it wasn't the wind? This blasted wind from the shore keeps blowing in my ears."

"What—of course not! Why, no, how the hell would I mistake it for the wind!"

"Well, we did just pushed the Everheart Kingdom's fleet away so our ears could still be ringing from all the cannon fire we shot from the walls."

"You really think I would have trouble hearing from that?" The soldier rolled his eyes. "Also, stay away from the edge of the dock; the spring winds are strong around this time."

The other soldier smirked while tiptoeing towards the edge of the wooden planks with his arms stretched out. "Oh? You mean like this?"

"Alright, quit playing around—"

Just as the soldier warned the other about standing on the edge of the wharf, Gale flew closer with its wings unfurled. A powerful gust of wind shot out of Gale's embrace, breaking the man's balance. His arms flailed in place before slamming into the dark water below.

The man barely had time to gasp as the cold water sent a shock through his body. But just as he fell, a shadow surged up from the depths, thrusting his dagger through the back of the man's heart. The soldier's muffled screams were drowned out by the saltwater as silver bubbles dissolved to the surface. Alex wrapped his arm around the man's body, dragging him deeper into the current. Away from the surface, and away from any hope of being heard.

"Oi!" The soldier on the surface raced to the edge of the wharf, peering down at the water. "Shit! That idiot—"

Before the words could escape his lips, he felt a sudden force shove him forward. His head snapped over his shoulder to see Tucker stabbing him in the back with one hand clamped around his mouth. He tried to cry out for help, but it was already too late. The only thing he could hear was the sound of rushing air and the roar of seawater rushing into his ears as they plunged into the ocean together. It only took a minute before both of the Empire's soldiers lost consciousness, and another for them to succumb to their injuries.

As the bodies went limp in their arms, Tucker slowly released his corpse but froze as Alex immediately shook his head. He watched his mentor firmly place the body on the ocean floor before moving a series of boulders on top. Once Tucker had secured the corpse in place to stop it from drifting, the three swiftly climbed ashore before sprinting into the cover of the wooden crates stacked to the side of the dirt pathway.

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Their black iron armor softly rustled against each other as the three loosened their helms, releasing the locks that sealed the air. The azure light from the engravings slowly faded as Ray pulled the visor off.

"Fucking hell, it's ridiculously hard to breathe in these things," Ray grumbled in a low voice. "Don't tell me we have to do this shit again."

"Hopefully not." Tucker shook his hand to remove the numbing sensation. "From here, we need to figure out how to draw their attention."

"I don't suppose we could just go on a killing spree," Ray said.

They peered over the crates, towards the port they had planned to destroy. In their sights were dozens of heavily armored knights. Soldiers who had been trained to perfection and could easily cut them down with their sheer numbers.

"Even if we did, something like that wouldn't be enough to pull their forces." Alex tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck while rubbing it with his hand. "Our initial plan to blow up the port won't work. Not with those knights there."

"What if we lured the knights first?" Ray asked. "Start a big ass fire somewhere and pull the guys from the port away."

Alex softly chuckled. "It's possible, but we would have to run past them to get to the port. Far too risky for my liking."

Tucker fell deep into thought. "No… we don't."

Alex raised a brow.

"Remember what we did at the bandit hideout?" Tucker pulled out several small black crystals from his pouch. "We could use these guys to bomb the port."

"We won't be able to guarantee the results," Alex pointed out. "It won't be as effective as last time."

"But we would greatly reduce the risk."

Alex pondered the options for a moment before nodding. "Let's get to it then."

Tucker crushed the black crystals in the palm of his hands, releasing a dense swirling mist. The smoke lingering from the fragments of the crystal coiled together before taking the form of a small hawk. Each spirit fully materialized before spreading its wings. Their ethereal feathers shifting and twisting with the slightest bit of movement.

He reached into his leather pouch and pulled out several grey orbs before placing them in their talons, watching the hawks as they clung on to them. "Drop these on the Empire's ports once the city is in flames. Do I make myself clear?"

The two mist hawks held out one wing and brought it to their heads in a simple salute. Before another word could escape his lips, the spirits' figures disappeared into the darkness like shadows. Their wings gently fluttering in the wind as the three watchmen stared on.

"We'll need to move deep into the city if we want to pull them as far away as possible," Ray said. "It'll be a lot of ground to cover."

"Don't worry." Alex patted Ray on the shoulder. "Stay close; it's not the first time I've been through here."

The three fell into line, with Alex taking the lead. In a wide city environment like this, Salamander was the best when it came to navigating the terrain with his years of experience. They weaved in and out of alleyways while slipping past the patrols with Gale's help. Their figures moved under the cover of the night, staying out of the Empire's line of sight.

In order to create a fire big enough to pull the knights, Sally was already channeling their spirit essence under Alex's command. The watchmen maneuvered through the winding cobblestone roads, through the shadows of the streetlights, until finally reaching the brewery district several hundred meters away from the port. Just far enough to warrant the manpower of those at the port.

"This'll do," Alex said, falling to one knee while brushing the dust off the fallen wooden plaque.

Tucker scanned the old rundown warehouse. The walls were made of hundreds of wooden planks, some of which were crumbling beneath the weight of the structure itself. "What is this place?"

"Just an old building that used to be one of our hideouts," Alex answered. "The place has long since been abandoned since the previous watchmen couldn't find a successor to take over."

"It's the perfect place to start a fire then," Ray said. "Not a lot of people would come by here."

"Precisely," Alex grinned while pushing the old wooden furniture towards the warehouse wall. "If we stack enough timber on one side. It'll be enough to start a blaze."

Tucker grabbed a broken leg from a stool and tossed it over. "Could the other watchmen know of this location?"

"Hm… I would say it's unlikely," Alex replied. "The last watchman stationed here was an old acquaintance of mine. He left this place nearly a decade ago and took everything with him."

"Shouldn't the Order have stationed someone else here?"

"They did, but not in this district." Alex revealed a faint smirk. "My friend accidentally created a dandy business here selling wine. Did a bit too well and pulled in a lot of customers. Once he left, the brewery district lost twenty percent of its revenue."

"Sounds like he was a better businessman than a watchman."

"I would say so."

Both of them quietly laughed as the pile of timber was placed along the warehouse wall. The wood here was enough for Sally to easily set the building into flames in minutes. Yet before they could begin, a voice called out to them.

"Uh… guys?"

Alex and Tucker immediately grabbed onto the hilts of their daggers before staring at Ray, who waved them over.

"You said this place was abandoned, right?" Ray kept his eyes locked on something in front of him. "Then could you explain this?" He pointed at an open iron hatch within the basement of the warehouse, causing Alex's expression to slowly darken. It was pitch black, without a trace of light emerging from the depths.

"I… don't have the slightest idea what this is," Alex said.

"It looks like this was opened recently." Tucker tightened the strap holding the scabbard of his sword. "Could it have been some kids playing around here?"

"In a time of war?" Alex furrowed his brows before picking up an old wooden plank. He pulled out a linen cloth and tied it to one end before holding it close to his chest pocket. Soon, Sally popped their head out and happily waved their small claws at Tucker.

"Sally, I'll need you to light this for me," Alex said, watching as his companion blew a small flame onto the linen cloth. Once the end was ignited, he tossed the stick down into the hatch, watching it tumble down the long stone staircase.

Clack… clack… clack…

They listened as the torch bounced down the stone staircase in a series of chaotic beats. The eerie noise sent shivers down their backs, and a sense of unease crept down their spines. Even Alex, who had been to this warehouse many times before, had no recollection of this mysterious hatch.

"Should… should we leave it?" Ray asked.

"It's your call, Tucker," Alex said.

Tucker stared into the darkness before him. He tightly clenched his hand while holding the dagger, feeling the cold draft coming up from below. They still had plenty of time before sunrise. If they wanted to crack open the defense of the city, there was still a wide window of opportunity to do so.

"Could you have Sally stay above ground and light the warehouse?" he asked.

"I can do you one better," Alex replied, pulling out a thin, rolled-up parchment. He untied the string, revealing a simple magic circle with the word Tempus drawn in the center with overlapping characters. "The max duration is about an hour. You reckon that's enough time for us to investigate this?"

"Without a doubt."

"Alright." Alex nodded and handed the scroll to Sally before turning to the hatch. "Let's see what's down there."

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