Magellan, although not the largest gang in Garbrandt, is one of the most infamous. This is due to the influence of their leaders, a set of twins that had dominated the landscape since they were children. Together they formed a massive group united by their goal to take over the lawless city and transform it into a unified kingdom. Although their plans have stalled for over a decade, it does not mean they aren't powerful. The twins are capable and powerful fighters in their own right, having fought off one of Idil's finest soldiers on their own. Although they deal in their fair share of illicit trades and contraband, their operations remain somewhat ethical in comparison to the Twilight Bandits and Fourth World Syndicate.

~ An analysis of the political climate in Garbrandt by Ming Gua

"Heroes in a half-shell, turtle power..." Chester sang to himself quietly, chipping away at the tunnel walls at an impressive rate.

The illusionist had returned to the down-under without much of a fuss, going through a shortcut closer to the Palace. Although he knew he couldn't exit the same way, it didn't matter much as long as he covered his tracks. He had given Damien the excuse of tending to his wounds and resting and told Alda of the spar to give himself a reason to not be disturbed for the night. Going past the heightened patrols throughout the kingdom, Chester got an upgrade to one of his most useful skills.

Greater Invisibility Level 1 - A target becomes invisible upon use. Sounds and smells from the user are not revealed unless willed to. Being attacked will make the illusion vanish. -100 MP to cast.

With his newly evolved skill, he was able to pass through the bloodhounds and worry less about the noises he created such as footsteps and breathing. Even clapping, talking, or shouting didn't create any noise. The only caveat was that noise created by objects, including those in his hand, still retained some sound, although muted,

He encountered a significant obstacle in his plans; solid earth. The vault itself had no tunnel going underneath, which posed an issue. But Chester refused to give up so easily. Knowing where the sewer system was on top of him was easy, and he did his best to recall the directions from the washroom in the palace and the fortified depository.

Double-checking his plan and going to the archives to confirm the closest sewer tunnels, he headed in an almost straight line to the heart of the vault. Chester had spent much time with Alda, using his relationship with her to his advantage and taking notes of its position in relation to the underground sewer system. He had mixed it in with various other topics which involved how the kingdom was run so he could give himself a perfect alibi. He had mentioned many times his desire to help support the founder of Metropolis and learn from Welton to better help his friend. It was a complete lie, although he learned much about government infrastructure and Welton's rich history.

'I should meet up with the Royal Family. If I can talk with them and earn some more trust with these people, the less they'll suspect me.'

In a way, he was slightly thankful that the upcoming invasion was deflecting the suspicion that would otherwise be placed on him. Chester planned on taking advantage of this opportunity at all costs.

With the Attainium in his hand, the illusionist slaved away in the sewers tunneling through a mix of concrete and dirt for hours on end. Occasionally he encountered reinforced metal rods, and he simply went around them, not liking the idea of the structure caving in on top of him. The idea had greatly unsettled him but he simply considered it one of the many risks of his job.

"Come to think of it, this reminds me of Stillwater. Except I got ores from mining. This time around its just trash. Ah, shit!"

The man cursed as an area of the tunnel he dug collapsed and blocked the way back, forcing him to begin shoveling the debris into a disposable bag.

He periodically left to find the drain where he almost fell from. Taking the utmost precautions, he brought several empty bags to fill with dirt and concrete and tossed them into the hole below so it wouldn't block the area he worked. Transforming the iridescent pickaxe into a shovel, he began filling up the bags once more. His ears perked up, hearing an unusual noise and he paused his operations. The sound of rushing water and footsteps above made it slightly difficult to hear through the suit, but his senses were sharper than average.

'Fuck, there are workers here!'

Chester tried his best to make the hole inconspicuous, but it wasn't difficult to spot a gaping hole that clearly wasn't part of the sewer system. The sides of his tunnel were rough, with water pooling inconsistently since the floor wasn't as level as the dwarven designs. He tried his best to limit the splashing noises caused by him wading through the wastage and panicked as he could see the tell-tale sign of an oil lantern approach. Before the dwarves could turn the corner, he used his powers to his advantage.

"Improved Minor Illusion." He whispered, making a large wall that covered the entirety of the hole with the matching tunnel's surface. From Chester's view, it was see-through, but the unaware dwarves could only see dimly lit tunnel walls as they passed through. Adding a sense of realism to his mirage, he made sure that the light of the oil lantern was properly reflected on the surface instead of passing through the mirage. Predicting how light and shadows worked took experience, and Chester had that in spades.

"-and that's when we hid the clams. Honestly, can't believe they didn't see it." The dwarf said to his partner. Chester tilted his head at what kind of conversation they were having, and silently eavesdropped as he waited for them to go away.

"You're lucky nothing happened. Those aren't pets. Just hope that they've gone without a fuss."

"That's why we're here, innit? Come on, looks like this area is clear."

The two dwarves didn't see anything, as the sewer system for this area led to a dead-end. It was why Chester thought it was the perfect spot to hide his manhole in. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he dispelled the illusion and waited a few more minutes until they were out of the area.

He continued mining through the foundation of the building. His nose had gotten desensitized to the smell of fecal matter but he still dry-heaved on occasion. It only made him want to work faster. Chester estimated that he was halfway through, knowing there were at least a hundred feet of dirt he had to tunnel through. The illusionist knew he could get away with being slightly off thanks to the sheer scale of the vault. Before he began digging upwards, he planned on confirming the location to make sure he didn't dig himself into a patrol unit of dwarves.

Chester balanced himself, making sure to be careful without slowing himself down too much. He knew that finding the closest sewer system from the vault had cut down the time it took to mine by half. Memorizing the path which led to the massive hole where he could dispose of the additional dirt and debris made the operation much faster.

Deciding that this was enough for today, he shoveled the last of the dirt and debris and hoped the dwarves didn't come around. He surmised that he'd have to finish the tunnel by tomorrow if he wanted to reduce the chances of any dwarven workers finding his hole. As a method of protection, he covered the trench he created with dirt and carefully stacked the leftover bricks with a mix of dirt and sludge. It would break easily if knocked over, but it was better than nothing. It simply looked like an especially dilapidated part of the sewers.

SHLOOP

Just as he turned to leave, an unusual noise entered his ears and he turned to see something bubbling along the surface of the murky water. It wasn't a slime, the noise was far too distinct and had more heft to it. Nevertheless, Chester attacked first and asked questions later. He swung his shovel in a downward arc, facing the sharp end to lessen the water resistance. His Attainium struck something dense, revealing a giant, mutated clam with serrated teeth in its maw.

"Oh, fucking hell."

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" Damien asked the illusionist. They had met up near Wisperium's barracks. Chester had a tired expression on his face, with his shoulders slumped as he ate his hearty stew. He shivered upon remembering the mutated crustacean he had to kill right before he exited the tunnel. They had torn suit, making him set some time for later tonight to fix the suit.

"Don't worry about it. By the way, do you mind if we stay here a bit longer? I'm on the verge of a breakthrough with one of my skills and I wanted to spend some more time training before we hit the road, considering all that I heard about Garbrandt. That's fine, right?"

Chester lied confidently, mixing in half-truths with other innocuous remarks that couldn't be scrutinized too deeply. He wasn't worried about the city of Garbrandt, despite the things he had read up on or heard from Damien. Although he honed his skills constantly, none were on the brink of a breakthrough. Darkness was the next closest skill, which he had been training both in real life and in his subconscious all the way to level three.

The vampire nodded, deciding to go along with the man's change of topic. "Yeah, I was actually on asking you that as well. My helmet and sword are finished, but I just want to make sure that the place is well-protected. I've been spending a lot of time with General Drake and Jensen trying to get this place up to speed."

Chester had noticed the slight change in the kingdom. The frequency of dwarven patrols and bloodhounds, sentries along the kingdom walls armed with crossbows and cannons. The boy had been working hard to ensure the kingdom was well-equipped, going as far as to hunt down more spies on his own. Damien was a frequent topic amongst the civilians who noticed his contribution, and the illusionist was well aware of his constant efforts.

"Awesome. You know me, I'll be here to help, but I'm not gonna go out there and lay my life for the kingdom if you know what I mean."

The vampire noble shook his head. He seemed much looser than before. Chester could see that the boy placed an incredible amount of pressure on himself to succeed and always walked around with a sense of urgency, but he noticed the boy's body language had been at its calmest since Elway.

"I know. I don't expect you to go to the frontlines. But I do appreciate any contributions you have regardless."

Their conversation continued for a bit longer. Chester liked that he had no obligation to protect a kingdom he had no attachments to, but since he had ties with Damien and Alda, he didn't mind cracking some skulls if they happened to be in his way.

'It's the least I can do, after all.'

Chester and Damien decided to visit Welton, having heard that their items would be finished around the same time. The two looked forward to the dwarven blacksmiths' craftsmanship after seeing the results of their refined armors. The illusionist had frequent updates about his commission, going to the bars closer to Welton and conversating with Jerry Sharpax. The man didn't make any additional requests and was content with the news he received from the pink-bearded blacksmith. They had both entertained the idea of lining it with adamantium, and Jerry ultimately added in a small plate of the magic-resistant metal to the armguards with no added cost but warned it would cause a slight delay.

Arriving at the building with billowing smoke rising from high above, they scaled through the area and noticed a well-dressed dwarf addressing a crowd of the lower-tier blacksmiths on the first floor.

"Who's that guy?"

The dwarf had no facial hair and slicked-back brown hair. He looked more of a scholar, with a slimmer build than an average dwarf and subtle, but expensive jewelry lining his neck and hands. Chester got the sudden urge to 'bump' into the man and take some of the trinkets as his own.

"I think that's the crown prince of the Royal Family. This is my first time seeing him."

Even though they technically resided in the same building, the said area was so large and populated that they both had trouble differentiating between the vertically-challenged individuals. The boy had wondered why the Royal Family hadn't come to personally greet them, although he surmised that the chance of them being kidnapped or held for ransom prevented much of their public appearances.

Chester recalled Alda mentioning the Royal Family being aware of the ancient defenses placed upon the Vault and barring intruders from entry. Although he was confident that he wouldn't need it, making conversation with them would serve his purposes. With both of them deciding to say hello, they approached slowly and the royalty noticed them from far away.

"Greetings, you Highness. This is my companion, Chester Everheart. I'm Damien Rose, scion of Wisperium. It's an honor to meet you."

"No need for formalities, young sir! Our family is indebted to yours, and I apologize on behalf of the Royal Family that we never got the chance to engage in pleasantries." The dwarf turned to Chester and gave the man a firm handshake and a small bow. "Esteemed guest, my name is Kent Welton II. I had heard many stories about you."