Into the Enemy's Lair

Masako stood still as the armorer carefully took her body measurements, then selected various pieces of armor of appropriate size and ensuring proper fit and assembly. Slipping on the cuirass for an initial fitting, she couldn't help but fidget as it was wrapped around her torso. "I-I've never worn this kind of armor before... um... that is, at least not in this life," she clarified.

"It will come back to you," the Emperor promised, "much like how your swordsmanship has. Besides, the armor is enchanted to offer you the best protection possible with enchantment to reduce the weight and enhance mobility. Properly fitted, you should barely notice it."

"And you say... this person... killed me in my past life?" Masako confirmed trepidatiously.

"Yes..." the Emperor confirmed. "It was a battle that took place about two years ago, outside of Fort Lyntala during a siege against a hostile rival. You were leading a strike force against a formidable enemy commander, and it was down to the two of you fighting in the storm as night fell. You fought bravely... but your opponent managed to get the upper hand and..." he paused and lowered his head. "The truth is... you allowed yourself to grow complacent because of the power the soul sword had granted you, and in that battle, your opponent was particularly skilled and experienced, and you paid the ultimate price. That must not happen this time," he emphasized. "If you doubt what I'm saying, the sword was there; you can see the battle for yourself through its eyes, though I warn you it can be... traumatic to watch..."

Masako closed her eyes and trembled and once again, could feel the wind-swept rain blowing against her face along with the impact of her sword strikes against armor and steel. Her breath felt short as her blood felt hot and each step through the mud was heavy as both combatants struggled with their footing. She felt her own frustration as she raised her sword, trying to power through her opponent's guard by force, only to watch him sidestep under the strike, counterattacking and scoring a successful strike against her torso. She felt the sharp crippling pain as the side of her body went numb and refused to function. The sword's magic was already trying to help heal her, but her opponent wasn't going to give her the opening as his blade came once again with a killing stroke through her chest before the final stroke made everything go black. She dropped to the ground on her knees, gasping for breath, sweating with tears coming out of her eyes.

"And h-he's still out there?!" Masako confirmed. "And you want me to... face him?"

"This fight is destined to happen," the Emperor ordained. "Our seers have foreseen it. But the victory is up to you. This time, the armor you're wearing will change the balance of power. More importantly, you know what not to do... keep your balance, fight strategically, and you will prevail."

Masako took a moment to recover, then bowed, "I will... and I won't fail..."

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Akiko, Jun and Hiroshige sat in a private room watching a magically generated image coming from Akiko's kumihimo bracelet that had been placed in the middle of the table as Lady Hiromi maintained a magical spell. The image showed a crude but functional point-of-view moving image moving through the city heading to the citadel.

"Can we ask her to look around the perimeter? Some of the prison facilities might be in the adjoining buildings," Hiroshige asked.

"Not without increasing her risk," Hiromi warned. "If we send her a message, there's a chance someone else will hear it, so we can only send one if she's completely alone."

They continued to watch until the image showed the face of a guard, followed by a check in procedure entering the palace. "Careful now..." Jun muttered. "The citadel is going to have the highest chance for magical defenses... avoid any high security areas. Stick to the general areas only..."

The view continued, passing through the grand dining halls, guard barracks and armories, listening in on various mundane conversations, with on occasional snippet that caught everyone's attention. "There's quite a bit of grumbling about extra hours I'm hearing," Hiroshige noted. "Surprising they would dare voice that in this regime. Normally orders wouldn't be questioned; it must be really above the normal hours if they've dropped their discretion like this."

"What's this Fort Magish they keep talking about?" Akiko asked.

"It's a training facility, about a day's travel from the capital," Hiroshige clarified. "It used to be one of the main staging areas for troops to get ready before they prepared to head off for battle because its grounds were wide enough for large formations, including air power. Nowadays though, with the Empire mostly at an easy peace with the rival foreign factions, the fort sits mostly empty, or at least so everyone's been told."

"Why would the Empire be sending troops to a training base that's supposed to be on skeleton duty?" Akiko asked.

"Generally, troops aren't encouraged to ask questions," Jun pointed out.

"Could we go to that base and see for ourselves?" Akiko asked.

"If it's packed with soldiers as those troops are saying, I wouldn't advise it," Hiroshige warned. "In its heyday, it would have had watchtowers, sentries and even sky patrols. If that base really is back to full operating status, then trying to sneak in would be like trying to sneak into the capital or even worse."

"Keiko's disguised like a soldier now, right? She'd be one of many, so it's not like they could magically scan every single soldier coming in," Akiko suggested.

"The problem is every soldier reports to a superior officer," Jun reminded Akiko. "A common private eventually is going to be asked which unit he should be with. Any higher rank and it'd get more difficult since the number of soldiers would be smaller and people would start recognizing one another. She can only say she's a transfer from another unit so many times before people start to get suspicious."

"What about servants like scullery maids, chambermaids, or laundresses?" Akiko suggested. "If the fort is full of soldiers, it's going to need staff to keep things going, right? I've seen enough to know how castles and keeps operate and a place that big needs support just for basic sanitation, room and board."

"That... could work," Hiromi considered. "As long as she keeps her head down, avoids standing out, yes, they would always be looking for competent servants, especially since the Keep is as remote as it is. Not many servants can easily make the trek because many of the better ones have commitments in the city. It... might not be very pleasant duty for her in the meantime, but yes... no one really questions or notices the servant staff as long as they do their jobs reasonably well. She might not even need an illusion spell and could just use a conventional disguise, which would help since it would avoid the awkward questions she would face if her spell were to suddenly be dispelled."

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"You want me to do what?!" Keiko exclaimed. She was standing in an alley, after taking the time to make sure no one else was around. Even still, she had to be wary, as she was warned that the Empire's scryers were listening in for any sign of disloyalty, so she kept her voice low.

"Hey, it could be worse," Akiko replied, "You might have ended up as a gong farmer or scavenger."

"I am so going to get even with you for this!" Keiko hissed, the magical communication doing nothing to mute her annoyance.

"Be that as it may, the Empire's military logistics branches recruit their servants from these offices. If our hunch about the base's operations is correct, they should be constantly recruiting. Offer yourself as a chambermaid or laundress," Jun suggested. "Either of those positions should keep you moving around the base as part of your duties, which should give you ample chance to get a good view of things."

"OK, but once she knows what she needs, how do we get her out?" Akiko asked.

Hiroshige pulled up a map. "Let's see... we can set up a group of us in the town of Fireside. It's a half-day's ride from the fort and nestled in the woods. Pretty small town and off the main trade routes. So, once you're ready, during the next servant rotation, break away during one of the stops and head due east and we'll meet up with you there."