Invading a Palace

The communication device was one that Arthur had designed himself. It was a bracelet engraved with more runes than most signal towers. According to him, it could communicate following a specific mana frequency across unlimited distances. Arthur could even transfer calls directed to him to her, making it possible for her to replace him.

"Is something wrong?" asked Alaric with confusion since Diana rose from her seat without warning. She reached for her bracelet and received the coordinates of the summon, but she could not teleport like Arthur did. Hence, she stayed in Hikma.

"I need to help the sand thieves," said Diana with a frown. However, she was soon stumped by a silly question. "In which direction should I go?"

Although Arthur had explained to her what coordinates were, Diana was still confused. There was no such thing in Alka. Even more, their world did not have any of the 'technology' that seemed to make the world easier for them. However, she promised Arthur that she would take care of this, and she would.

Alaric took a look at the hologram she activated and took a moment to use something too. He was writing in the air, just like he did back in the library. It was his 'Hacking' ability. Diana couldn't understand how he could hack something without a blade, but her world was already filled with bizarre things.

"Alright, I hacked into the portal system of Hikma. There is a station nearby that will transfer us to the nearest coordinates to that place," said Alaric before he rose from his chair and led the way. Although she felt a little annoyed that he was coming too, Diana was nonetheless grateful for his help. The hacking man walked ahead of her, leading the way to a building that Diana had only heard about but had not entered. These places were called Portal Stations, points where spatial runes are employed to transfer people and goods across great distances. It blew her mind that such runes were easily accessible to the public.

Arthur had always been the one to teleport her around. He was her mini-portal station, of sorts. She had newfound respect for him now that she realized how much he made her life easier. Alaric gave some money to the station worker and found a corner where he once again used his ability.

"There will be some commotion once we hack into the system," said Alaric as he typed into empty air in front of him, his eyes darting from one place to another. "Before you jump into the portal, freeze the room. The portal will reset one minute after we enter. We need a wall of ice that prevents anyone from entering after us."

"That's easy," said Diana and waited for his signal. Alaric nodded to her when she was ready, and Diana flicked her hand. The ice rose from the ground instantly, creating a wall that blocked access to the portal. People staggered backward as they screamed in fright.

"Let's go!" shouted Alaric as he rushed through the portal. Diana followed him, and the two of them felt their consciousness shift and expand away from their bodies as they appeared inside a station. As soon as their bodies stabilized, Alaric and Diana found themselves surrounded by armored knights.

"Who are you?!" shouted one of them as they pointed their spears at the two. The two of them were confused, looking at each other while backing away. Diana was ready to fight the instant a weapon was pointed at her, but Alaric tried to hold her back to understand.

"We did not come here to fight!" shouted Alaric, stopping the knights in their tracks. He could feel their hostility toward them, evident in their eyes. "I'm sorry, but we really have no idea where we are!" "You must be with the sand thieves!" shouted the captain as he unsheathed his sword while glaring at them. "We will not let you harm the Wisemen!"

After hearing his declaration, Alaric and Diana realized their location. They had teleported straight into the palace where the sand thieves were conducting their attack. It made sense that the guards would rush to the portal to prevent reinforcements. freewёbnoνel.com

"That means they are the enemy, right?" asked Diana as wings appeared on her back, made of ice and blue flames. "I no longer need to hold back."

As soon as she unleashed her wings, the temperature inside the room fell by several degrees. The ice flames worked to not only freeze but also destroy whatever they touched, forcing the guards to retreat once frost covered their armor. Alaric hurried to hold her back, making Diana frown at him. freewēbnoveℓ.com

"We cannot cause a massacre. According to Arthur, we have yet to choose a side, right?" asked Alaric, who let go of her once he saw her frown. He laughed nervously as he turned to the soldiers. "If you can just freeze them, that would be ideal."

"...Fine," muttered Diana with a sigh as she called back her flames, but icy mist rose from her body. The guards looked at her with fear, given her Ice Spirit features like the shards on her ears. She smirked at them before flicking her wrists.

Whoosh!

In the next instant, the guards were frozen still. Alaric watched with amazement as Diana walked out of the station. They were indeed inside the palace, but the station was outside the inner palace where the sand thieves had summoned them from. As long as she got to them in time, everything would be alright.

More guards rushed through the royal grounds as they noticed the new intruders. Diana froze them with a wave of her hand before rushing farther into the palace. Alaric followed her, fighting off any enemies that managed to break through the ice.

A giant guard protected the palace's gate, wearing red armor that sparked fire. Diana tried to freeze him, but the armor seemed to protect him against the frost. He laughed as he summoned the rest of his followers, ready to fight off the intruders when blue flames appeared to signal the beginning of their nightmare.