It took over half an hour until Evelyn found him and in the meantime Thalion was forced to listen to Jacks horror stories about how easy everything would be.
"So good to see you again." Evelyn cheered, hugging him tightly. She hadnt changed at all since the last time he had seen her.
"Same, but I have to say Iam quite worried about how to get in and especially stay unnoticed. I bet that Ethan will be watching your house." Thalion said while hugging her back. He couldnt remember the last time he had hugged someone. The system had its advantages but social life wasnt really a thing anymore.
"Yes, we have the perfect cover for you." Evelyn said while starting to pull clothes and a mask from the little backpack.
"So these is a normal guard uniform but we also have a little emblem for you just in case you want to keep wearing your current one." Evelyn said while pointing at the little emblem on her uniform. "The mask will cast an illusion over your face that shouldnt be pierced. Otherwise we need to put on some makeup. You can stop your eyes from glowing right? Maybe we could also get some contact lenses for you but in the short time I hadnt thought of anything else."
Thalion wasnt particularly interested in wearing makeup or contact lenses.
"Lets just do the mask and uniform." Thalion muttered. He would have preferred his current one because it was just so powerful and comfy to wear but the normal uniform was clearly the safer path.
The uniform was a bit too small and he felt quite restricted while moving in it. If he really had to fight in this uniform it would most definitely rip. He put on the mask and felt how mana moved around it and the edges of his face. The uniform also included gloves so his skin colour shouldnt be a problem.
The illusion of the mask also covered his neck which was the only other visible spot. So far things were looking good. Thalion just wasnt sure that they had no way to look through illusions otherwise the elves would have already infiltrated the human base.
"You sure the illusion will work? Isnt there someone at the gates who can see through it?" Thalion asked. This all sounded a bit too easy given how much this base had developed.
"Of course, but you are with me. They wouldnt even try to use a skill on you since Iam far better at seeing through illusions than they are. Dont worry that much and just follow me." Evelyn said with a smug grin.
"On another note, you sure I should go back to the house you live in? I still think its too dangerous. There is no way Ethan doesnt have someone watching you. He likely is just looking for an excuse to get rid of you."
"Hmm we could place you in the barracks with the other guards. I think you are right. There should be some around keeping an eye on us. Caught Sylas trying to follow me a few times. This is also why I came. With my illusions and speed they cant follow me through the streets." Evelyn explained.
That somehow eased Thalions mind at least a little bit. At least he now knew what he was up against. A bit of guard duty on the wall couldnt be that hard, right?
"Say, what do I need to do as a guard or is there something I need to know?" Thalion asked as they both walked towards one of the gates of this insanely powerful stronghold.
"Hmm not much. If you find someone stealing or something like that you put them in custody. A murderer you can kill outright. Most who are doing guard duty are weaklings. You will just stand on the wall for most of the time and watch the surroundings. It will get more interesting when the fighting begins but you should be able to manage that easily." Evelyn replied with the same confidence as Jack.
Thalion on the other hand wasnt really feeling so confident right now and those walls just got bigger and bigger the closer they got. The gates were massive now and there were only a few hunters returning. The gate was filled with far more guards compared to the last time. Most of the time the hunters just waved at the guards, clearly knowing each other.
"Oh Evelyn you are already back. Any news on the elven side?" One of the guards asked with a loud voice.
"Dont have any news, hopefully next time." Evelyn replied while quickly walking through the gate with Thalion right behind her. Thalion also waved at the guard, hoping that it wouldnt stand out too much but so far everything was going well and no one asked any questions. Maybe he shouldnt have been this nervous to begin with. Evelyn probably was some sort of commander and it would make no sense for a guard to ask for his identity or whatever they were checking.
"Oh before I forget, how should we call you? What do you think of Hannibal or maybe Bobo?" Evelyn chuckled.
"I dont know. Why not something simple like Kevin or Mark?" Thalion said instantly regretting what he had said. It was just so weird going with a different name.
"Haha Kevin. Yep right thats even better. Lets go with Kevin. Kevin." Evelyn began to giggle uncontrollably. "Okay, okay now lets get you to one of the guard quarters so you can do your first shift. We can talk with the token should you need more help. Maybe we also come by from time to time and dont look so glum. This is your first day working for the amazing Solarion."
Great. Thalion thought, not happy at all where this was going. They did a few turns that brought them closer to the wall which loomed outward like a skyscraper. It was probably a smart decision to put the guard quarters close to it since this way they could get faster into battle should the elves attack. So far it also looked like a lot more humans had joined Erics faction. Maybe the gods had found a way to send more E grade mortals through the portal? The other option would be that the other human camps had found more survivors and sent them here.
The closer they got to the wall it felt like they were walking through some kind of guard district. Most wore the same uniform as Thalion did right now with the only difference being the many stickers they had on their uniforms.
"Those with the same stickers as you are from Erics fort. The others came from one of the many other camps. Everything below or above are emblems as rewards for their service." Evelyn explained.
Everyone seeing Evelyn nodded their heads respectfully. Thalion guessed that it wasnt smart pissing off a healer and the best friend of Kargul and Vorlok. She opened the massive door to one of the barracks and announced with a loud voice.
"Hello everyone. I found a talent which should help you out greatly. His name is Kevin and he proved himself in front of me and my friends. In exchange I promised him a job on the wall."
One of the guards, a broad shouldered man with a white beard, immediately stood up and hurried over.
"Of course, of course we could use a few more men anyway. Is there something else we can do for you?"
"No thats all. Have a good day captain." Evelyn said before leaving without another word and the small backpack with Thalions robe and mask.
She better didnt forget that one when they had to leave, Thalion thought. He now had a pretty cool skill to create his own armor but there were definitely other things he wanted to do first. With his new Acquire Form the skill hunting could truly begin. Probably a thousand things would get in the way but a man could hope.
"So Kevin I will put you in the next night shift. You have ten hours on the wall. William here will tell you everything there is to know. He also will be your new partner, Kevin. Your shift will start in four hours so you still have time. Good luck and welcome to Solarions guards. When you are hardworking you might even get a baptism."
William was a relatively slim guy carrying a worn down wooden staff in his right hand. His eyes were a bit sunken like he hadnt slept in days and his long black hair looked greasy and like it hadnt seen a shower in quite some time.
"Finally Iam getting some assistance. Until the shift I got stuff to do. We meet here in three hours then we go through the details." William said in a depressed voice before stepping out.
"Okay is he sick or just naturally optimistic?" Thalion asked the room which resulted in a bunch of chuckles.
"Na just the typical life of a guard stuck in a war against elves. Elves are quite fast and for mages that can be very disappointing when they dodge every skill." Another guard chuckled.
From there on a lively discussion broke out about the war, how to best kill elves, what the new best food was, the shortage of mirrors, and how hard it was to keep relationships these days.
Having still roughly an hour until he would have to meet William before the shift started, Thalion decided to try the best food in the city. Food was free for everyone in the city but as a guard you got special treatment which Thalion intended to abuse just a little bit. According to the guards the best food was some sort of insect meat soup. The name alone didnt make it sound like something Thalion would normally eat but it also made him curious and now he wanted to try it out.
The meat was one of the materials brought in through the portal from integrated space and those insects supposedly were very resistant to damage which was why they had such excellent meat. Thalion also wanted to try if he could take the form of the insect from the meat in the soup. In theory it should be possible, right?