Hike up the mountain.

The sun is barely piercing over the horizon. Quickly, you and your army devour rations and gather the strength to prepare the upcoming attack. Though there does seem to be a main path leading up the mountain, it's best to stay off it as often as possible. It'll be an exhausting trip, but you can't wait around any longer. It's time to move out.

It takes hours to reach the point where Nyllia commands everybody to halt. She and Vivi discovered the perfect time for both teams to split apart, so that yours can maneuver separately to the back entrance. It's you and five others standing to the side. Meanwhile, the rest continue onwards.

You won't be leaving them completely, however. You pat the ear in your pocket, and then take a deep breath to focus on your connection to the Arcane Eye. It sprouts wings, and then flutters up from Alice's pocket. It's not so bad keeping tabs on the army with one eye closed, and then when you want to switch back to seeing what you're doing, you simply switch eyes. It is a little disorienting still, but it's a lot better than keeping both open at once. Like a drone, you fly the Eye behind the army as they march up the mountain path.

"Are you all ready?" you ask.

Nyllia. Amara. Snow. Delphi. Yin. Those are your fellow members of Team Strike. They nod, and you shut one eye and begin leading the charge. Your team is meant to attack quickly and precisely, so there's no time to dawdle.

You check on the others occasionally. While they march slowly, you all move quickly along the rocky hillside to reach your destination before they do.

As you get closer, the destination comes into view.

It's far more than merely a fortress. This structure is a small castle, and it's built along with the curvature of the mountainside. It rests within a valley between the peaks, completely surrounded by a sea of green--trees and grass, completely solitary among a world of nature. There are walls stretching entirely around the castle with towers at each turn. The building within is towering, and definitely the most beautiful structure you've laid your eyes on. You've seen the royal castle in Tolis, but the stone bricks here are smooth and dark--nearly black. You have no idea how something this grand has existed up within the Eastern Pecho Peaks all this time, but it certainly does look like a home fit for the Demon King of Tivera.

"Get down," Nyllia whispers. She grabs you be the shoulder and pulls you into the underbrush. Thankfully, the trees around the area do an ample job at obscuring your movement. But when you look up along with the others, you spot two large flying figures up in the sky.

"Rocs," Snow says. "I've never seen one in person. That's what they are, right, Lady Tesgella?"

"You are correct. Rocs are monstrous birds. We must be careful."

It takes time to sneak along the mountainside, between the trees--up and down the steep, winding hills. Though you make your way along the wall until you see it curve around a corner tower. You're already close to the entrance, though this has been the easy part so far.

You watch the birds above carefully. Then, all of you sprint over to press up against the cold dark stone. As you peek around, you see that the back end drops off into a steep cliff leading a lengthy way down into the valley. This is also the way to go, however. The back entrance is through a cave located directly within the wall of the cliffside. It's certainly not possible for an army to strike at such a small, awkward weak point, but your team is perfect for it.

"This part's easy for me," Delphi boasts. She flutters off the edge and peeks farther down. "Yeah. I see it. It isn't too far down, but you'll have to climb. Quickly, before someone ends up looking down from the wall."

Snow is the first to slip off the edge and grab protruding rocks like handles with both her hands and feet. She makes it look easy. Her movements are precise, and she climbs down and over to swing directly into the cave below. She looks up from inside and gestures with a thumb in the air.

You look down and swallow hard. Well, here goes nothing. You try to follow the same route as Snow. Thankfully, the wall is coarse and bumpy and it provides many places to grab, but when you look down, your heart sinks into your stomach. Amara is next, Yin follows her, and then Nyllia takes up the rear.

Slow and steady. Don't rush. The birds are up there, but if you panic, you'll fall.

When you put your foot on the next rock, you gasp as it falls loose and tumbles down into the valley below. Thankfully, you move quickly enough to slam your foot into a crack in the wall and save yourself from plummeting too.

That was close.

But almost immediately after, you look to the side to see Amara slip.

You reach out with lightning speed, and grab her hand before she falls straight past you. The weight nearly yanks you down with her, but you manage to just barely keep yourself up.

"Kyle!" Amara shouts.

You groan. "I've got you..."

Delphi then lands on your shoulder. She throws out her arms, and two purple bands of energy snake down and tie around Amara's waist. She heaves her up, and Amara is pulled right into your arms. You hold her close, and calm her down while continuing to grip the wall with only one hand and one foot.

You turn your eyes up. "Thanks for the assist."

"I am so sorry," Amara says softly. "I am not so athletic... but wow. You are rather strong."

"It's no problem." I'm seriously going to fall here... Just move on while I still look super cool.

You see colour across her face as she slides a hand up your chest, and feels along your arm. "Oh Kyle," she whispers.

"Losing your grip?" asks Delphi. "Don't fall to your ****."

"Of course not..."

"Then let's just enjoy this tender moment a little bit longer." She snickers.

"This is... not the time to joke. Do you want me to die?!"

Amara giggles. "Sorry." She then crawls out of your arms and continues ahead of you.

Eventually, each of you land inside the cave.

Another difficult part completed. Though, this still isn't the hardest part of the attack. Not by a long shot.