V2Ch113 New Plan

"Wrath knows how strong you are now. Wrath won't attack you again."

All of those that refused to follow me had left. Most of my followers were griffons, a few beast-men, two dwarves and Wrath. All of which were male.

"Great. A sausage fest..."

I was half teasing.

"Ah... Leader? The sausage fest isn't for at least another sixty moons."

I rolled my eyes.

"Okay. I didn't just waltz in here to take over. I have an objective. I need your help."

"Anything, Leader!"

"Whatever you need!"

"Allow me to assist you."

A lot of support is great.

"First off. I would like a higher education in the finer details of sneaking like a master assassin. I'm strong in a fight but weak when it comes to hiding in the shadows."

"Wrath is living proof that you don't need to hide in the shadows to be an assassin!"

"I believe you, Wrath. But, someone was taken from me. Someone important. If I go after her with brute force alone, she will be killed before I can even get close. I need stealth more than anything right now."

"Who took her?"

I hesitated to answer. I almost feared that some of these hopefuls would run off and attempt it on their own.

"If I tell you, you all have to promise not to make an attempted rescue on your own. When the time comes, I would prefer an organized effort."

They all seemed happy to agree. I filled them all in on the details. Needless to say, the griffons were the ones that responded with the most sympathy. Their lifelong enemies have wronged their new leader. What more could convince them to help out?

Some of them were more difficult to deal with when I revealed the impending attack. I wanted everything out on the table. I wanted them to trust me. At the same time, they wanted to warn their friends and family. If they did that, the rumor could spread in no time.

I convinced these few individuals to keep quiet. At least, I hope I did. I wanted to rescue Babur before warning anyone else.

When I informed them about the attack happening on the next full moon, I was told that it was happening in about 20 days.

I had intended to get as much training done in two weeks and see if I feel ready. If I feel up to the task, I would lead a small group to infiltrate and attempt to rescue Babur. That would give us around four days to warn everyone.

I spent the next two weeks training in the finer points of assassin tactics. I also learned a lot about the anuran race. Their Kingdom is entirely underground. They live in an upside-down castle. The King rules it from the lowest layer. The upper layer has most of the defenses and civilians. The rest of the "castle" is reserved for royalty, nobility and high-class individuals.

If Babur were taken as an important hostage, she would likely be in a middle layer where the lower class could not penetrate the defenses of the castle. That meant that she would be harder to get to. This information was acquired by the dwarves and the beast-men. They were able to visit as fake neutral traders. The griffons would never be able to get this kind of information. I was grateful for the non-griffons that stayed.

Not that I wasn't grateful for the griffons. In fact, they showed me techniques that gave me ideas. A normal human would never be able to cling to the underside of an awning with their feet. A griffon could grasp onto a wooden beam with their large claws and lower themselves when a target got close.

I was able to use my shadow control to imitate that technique. I grabbed my feet with my shadows and clung to a wooden beam upside down. I was even able to run along walls and ceilings by clinging to them with my shadows.

It wasn't without its cons. I had to use the shadows as claws and would have to pierce the substance I was walking along if it was flat. Something like metal wouldn't work. Stone could be iffy depending on how porous and strong it is.

I was also able to apply this idea to another. I could reach out with my shadows and grab objects in order to bring them to me. Handy if I lose a sword or want to sneak items from pockets.

The day came when I felt ready to attempt our infiltration.

"Leader. You have progressed at an incredible rate. The kind of training you went through would normally take years. What's your secret?"

"I don't know. I just always seemed to pick things up quite easily."

Thinking back, that wasn't true. Back on Earth, it was never that easy.

'Wisdom.'

Rage's voice rang out.

'Wisdom has given you a large advantage in this world. He keeps your mind sharp and helps you retain your teachings. That is the power you have gained from him.'

'Really? How come I never knew this before?'

'He is you. He wasn't aware of his abilities himself. I had someone similar in my mind as well. It took some time but, I was able to figure it out while watching your progress.'

I guess I had been a bit more confidant in my ability to pick things up after I met Wisdom for the first time. It's a relief that not all of my emotional powers are destructive.

I decided to hold a meeting to start planning our infiltration. I was going to follow a small group into the city, Anura Alpha. I wouldn't lead just in case someone was caught. Wrath was going to be a guard at the edge of the Swamplands in the case of followers after Babur was rescued. He would go on a rampage if I gave him a signal as we approached.

Two assassins would be poison specialists, two would be throwing specialists and the last one, other than myself, is a speed and stealth specialist. He would be on point, leading the pack and watching for dangers ahead. Essentially he would be a scout.

Since I am bringing up the rear, I would be able to protect my comrade's backs while causing destruction to hinder any followers.

We all agreed on our roles and would set the plan into motion at dawn. The anurans were fairly nocturnal, so we would be going while it was still dark in order to stay hidden in the shadows.