Shadows in the Stronghold

Kael crouched low, his breath steady as he studied the towering stronghold ahead. Stone walls, iron gates, and watchful eyes lurking in the dark.

The Syndicate's headquarters was a fortress. A place where few entered—and even fewer left alive.

Tonight, they would change that.

A Silent Approach

Mira pressed herself against the shadows, scanning the high walls. "Two sentries on the eastern tower. Another patrol circling the west."

Orin nodded. "No alarms yet. If we move now, we can slip in unnoticed."

Kael eyed the fortress's weakened defenses—small, almost unnoticeable cracks in the Syndicate's security.

Reven's warning had been clear: The Syndicate knows you're coming.

But they didn't know when.

And that was their only advantage.

"We go in quiet." Kael whispered. "No unnecessary kills. We get what we need and vanish."

Orin smirked. "That's no fun."

Kael shot him a look. "Get caught, and you won't live to enjoy it."

Scaling the Walls

Mira went first. Agile, precise, silent. She climbed the stone wall with practiced ease, slipping past a blind spot in the guards' vision.

Orin followed, his daggers glinting in the moonlight.

Kael brought up the rear. Every step calculated. Every movement controlled.

They reached the rooftop undetected.

Below them, syndicate enforcers moved in organized patrols, their weapons gleaming in the dim torchlight.

Kael signaled. They had to move fast.

Eliminating the Watchmen

Mira struck first. A swift chokehold. A silent takedown.

Orin followed—a quick slice to the back of a knee, muffling a guard's fall before he could make a sound.

Kael moved like a shadow. A dagger to the throat. A body lowered without a whisper.

Three guards down. No alarms raised.

The way forward was clear.

Or so they thought.

A Trap Waiting in the Dark

As they slipped deeper into the stronghold, something felt off.

Kael's instincts screamed—something wasn't right.

That's when he saw it.

A dead Syndicate enforcer. His throat slit. His body still warm.

Orin cursed. "We weren't the first ones in."

Mira's eyes narrowed. "Then who was?"

Then, from the shadows—a voice.

"You're walking into a grave, Kael."

The air grew colder.

From the darkness, figures emerged. Cloaked. Armed. Waiting.

They had been expected.

And now, the real battle was about to begin.

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