The Obsidian Void

Ten: Practically Perfect

Several hours of Quinn joyously reciting legends and Artemis trying her best to not be airsick later, Rosa touched down a short way outside the gates of Keatsea. She tipped herself back in such a way that the three tiny humans (at least as far as she was aware) could slide down her tail and land upright on the floor- except for Quinn, who landed on his butt, being too invested in his book to notice what was happening.

"Well, enjoy yourselves!" Rosa said, "I'm not sure how you'll be able to, but I wish you luck." And with that, she took off into the skies once more.

"She was very friendly!" Moridaì smiled, waving to her as she left.

"Well, by the sound of things, I wouldn't get too used to people being friendly." Said Artemis, as the trio approached the gates, "I've got a feeling these guys won't be so cooperative."

Upon first inspection Keatsea was, in a word, extravagant. The gates alone were made from a combination of marble pillars and glittering gold accents. If Rosa, with all her decadence, refused to come here, there must be a good reason for it.

They approached the gate when they were stopped by a guard, covered in armour made from pure silver; with his pointed ears slightly visible from behind his helmet.

"Halt!" He ordered, "Noone is to enter, by order of the prince!"

"Our apologies sir." Artemis said, using her important-court-business voice, "But we only need to visit your library for a moment, then we'll be on our way."

"I'm afraid not, miss. We're on lockdown right now. Someone recently spotted a you-know-what, so no one's allowed in. Have a nice day!"

"I will, thank you!" Smiled Moridaì, as Quinn led them away from the gates. Artemis begrudgingly followed them, regrouping behind a tree once they were out of sight.

"Alright." She said, "Plan B then."

"What's Plan B?"

"It consists of several steps."

"Alright, what's the first step?"

"Come up with Plan B."

"Oh, I can do that!" Said Mori, excited.

"Brilliant! What's the plan?"

***

"This is a terrible plan."

Fifteen minutes later and the three of them were hiding in a bush just outside Keatsea's East Wall. The East Wall was incredibly lightly defended, with only twelve fully armed guards patrolling the border.

"Art, if you have a Plan C, I would be more than happy to hear it." Quinn said, trying to focus on his impromptu alchemy setup.

"No, this just seems very risky is all." She told him.

"Perhaps, but I believe it should be comparatively less risky than the rest of the alphabet." Moridaì explained, "Especially Quinn's idea for a distraction, which is far better than anything I could have come up with."

"Probably not as simple though. A smoke bomb this big was not as quick to make as I assumed it would be." He paused, tinkering with the bottle for a few more moments, and then beamed.

"There! We're ready to go!"

Artemis took a deep breath and braced herself to make a run for the wall. Moridaì did the same, slightly modifying their form to include their wings. The three exchanged a silent nod, the signal that everyone was ready to go.

Quinn began by launching the smoke bomb towards the wall and the swarm of guards that were near at that moment. He'd modified the formula to reach significantly farther in every direction, high enough to completely shroud the wall in smoke.