The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 290: The Plan

"No, this place is still our best option. Multiple escape routes, reinforced walls, and Richard's forces don't know about it yet. We'll just need to double the watch tonight."

Jan nodded, accepting my assessment without question.

The trust in his eyes made the guilt twist in my stomach, but I pushed it aside.

Sometimes protection required deception.

"I'll let the others know," he said, turning back toward the main room.

"Jan," I called after him, "don't cause a panic. Just say we need to be cautious. The last thing we need is everyone on edge after what they've been through."

He gave me a reassuring nod before rejoining the group.

I took a moment to compose myself, staring at the scorched footprints.

Louise wasn't the type to attack immediately I'm sure he'd wait, plan, choose the perfect moment for maximum impact and finally execute.

He had anger issues for sure, but he was a smart maniac.

Even for me, I knew the time I had was more than enough to prepare for his arrival.

When I returned to the main room, the atmosphere had shifted.

The initial excitement of reunion had given way to a more subdued mood as Jan quietly informed everyone about potential threats lurking outside.

Their faces showed concern but remained calm – a testament to how much they'd all grown during their time in this world.

"So," Valencia said as I took a seat against the wall, "are you finally going to tell us what's been happening with you all this time?"

All eyes turned to me, curious and expectant.

Christian and Anouz exchanged glances, knowing only portions of what I'd been doing during our months in the central city.

"It's a long story,"

"After we got separated, Christian, Anouz, and I ended up in the Iron Fist territory."

For the next hour, I recounted our journey on how we'd liberated New Eldervale, dismantled the Iron Lord's regime, and helped rebuild a community from the ashes of tyranny.

The others listened intently, occasionally interrupting with questions or exclamations of surprise.

"So you became heroes to an entire region?" Bazz asked, clearly impressed.

Anouz snorted. "Rel's being modest. The people there practically worship him now. They even wanted to build a statue."

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"Which I firmly rejected," I added quickly, noting Valencia's raised eyebrow.

Camila moved closer, her eyes bright with curiosity. "And after that? You came straight here?"

"More or less," Christian replied.

"We realized pretty quickly that all the troubles in the outer territories could be traced back to this central city. Someone here was pulling the strings."

"Richard," Jan said, the name sounding like a curse on his lips.

I nodded.

"Exactly. We've been here for months now, mapping the city, learning its defenses, trying to understand what we're really up against."

"And how exactly did you know all this about Richard and his operations?" Jan asked, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

"Even after months here, that's an incredible amount of intelligence to gather."

I hesitated, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze.

This was the moment I needed to reveal just enough truth to guide them, without exposing everything.

"Because Richard isn't just collecting people and building an army," I explained, reaching into my pocket to withdraw the crystalline fragment we'd recovered from the Iron Lord's fortress.

"He's after something far more dangerous."

The shard glimmered in the dim light of our hideout, casting prismatic reflections across the walls.

Valencia leaned forward, her eyes widening as she recognized the object.

"That's similar to the artifact we found in the Shadow territory," she said quietly.

I nodded.

"Richard has enslaved an ancient being called the Soul Forger. A god-like entity capable of creating weapons and armor beyond imagination. The kind that could reshape reality itself."

"A god?" Bazz scoffed. "That sounds—"

"It's true," Christian interrupted.

"We've seen the evidence. Weapons that shouldn't exist, technology far beyond what this world should be capable of producing."

"The Soul Forger is bound beneath the central fortress," I continued.

"Richard uses its power to create his mechanical army and worse things we haven't even encountered yet. But his ultimate goal requires these." I held up the shard again.

"Five fragments, scattered throughout this world."

Jan's expression grew serious. "And what happens when he collects all five?"

"Complete control over this reality," I said, the half-lie sliding easily from my lips.

"But if we collect them first, we can use their power to defeat him and escape this world."

"Escape?" Camila echoed. "You mean, go home?"

I met each of their gazes in turn. "These shards are the key to completing this quest. Gather all five, defeat Richard, free the Soul Forger from his control, and we can return to our world."

A heavy silence fell over the room as they processed this information. I could see the doubt and questions swimming behind their eyes, but also the desperate hope that what I said was true.

"That sounds..." Valencia began carefully.

"Insane?" Anouz supplied with a grim laugh.

"Yes," she admitted. "But then again, so does everything else we've experienced since entering this place."

Jan studied me intently. "You're certain about this? These shards are our way out?"

I met his gaze steadily. "I am."

"How many do we have so far?" Jae asked.

"We have one," I said, carefully placing my fragment on the table. "I found it in the Iron Lord's fortress. What about the rest of you?"

Jan reached into his pack, extracting a similar crystalline object that pulsed with a soft blue light. "I discovered this after defeating the Shadow Lord. It was embedded in his throne."

He set it beside mine, the two fragments seeming to resonate with each other, their inner light pulsing in unison.

Valencia hesitated only briefly before producing her own shard. "The Golden Scales leader had this locked away in a vault. It took considerable effort to retrieve it."

As she placed it alongside the others, Alice stepped forward, holding her fragment with reverent care. "The Crimson Flame territory... their leader wore this as an amulet. When we defeated him, it fell into my possession."

I couldn't help the satisfied smile that spread across my face. Four fragments, safely in our possession. The relief was palpable—I had been certain Louise had managed to get his hands on at least one of the shards during his rampage through the Crimson territory.

"That's four," I said, surveying the glittering collection. "One from each territory."

"And the fifth?" Bazz asked, leaning forward to examine the fragments more closely.

"The fifth is here, in the central city," I replied, moving to one of the maps covering the wall. "Richard keeps it with him at all times, according to our intelligence."

I tapped a location marked with a red X.

"This is the central fortress—Richard's seat of power and the prison of the Soul Forger. It's heavily guarded, with mechanical sentries, modified humans, and worse things we haven't fully identified yet."

The others gathered around the map as I outlined what Christian, Anouz, and I had discovered during our months of surveillance and reconnaissance.

Jan studied the map, his tactical mind already working through the possibilities. "What kind of resistance can we expect inside?"

"Heavy," Christian interjected. "The outer perimeter is guarded by the mechanical constructs you encountered earlier. The inner sanctum has enhanced human soldiers and Richard's elite guard. And somewhere at the center is Richard himself, along with whatever personal protection the Soul Forger has crafted for him."

"We'll need a diversion," Valencia suggested, her eyes still scanning the map. "Something to draw attention away from our main infiltration team."

"That's where Anouz and Christian come in. They'll create a distraction at the main gate—something flashy enough to draw most of the forces there."

"Meanwhile," I continued, indicating a different entry point on the western side, "the rest of us will infiltrate through this maintenance tunnel. Our reconnaissance shows it's minimally guarded and leads directly to the lower levels of the fortress."

"And once we're inside?" Jan asked.

"We split into teams," I replied, drawing an imaginary line through the complex's interior.

"Bazz, Jae, Camila, Alice, Lyra and I will clear the main level and secure our escape route. Their combined abilities should be enough to handle whatever resistance they encounter."

I tapped the central chamber, marked with Richard's insignia.

"Jan and Valencia will push deeper into the complex to locate and neutralize Richard. Your speed and combat prowess make you two the ideal team for this task."