THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 243: 243. FINDING PIECES TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE

”So, you are saying that we need to break into Tatani to collect intel?” Yoka raised his voice an octave.

”Yes, this is the only way,” Kiuga answered.

”You also know that no one has entered Tatani and come back alive. Do you not?” Yoka asked.

It was now the tenth day since the squad left Alika City and three days since they set foot in the Anki tribe. The tribe was the one to suffer most losses from the Tatani. Being hunters and nomads, the Anki owns lands upon lands, but the scar left by Tatani was too deep, and the chunk of land claimed by them was massive. Yoka knew the Anki terrain best and had led them through it through the uninhabited lands. They were now sitting a couple of hundred vaara from the Tatani lands. It was the first night. Nothing was really unique about Tatani from where they sat. No one lived in those parts, but they did not dare take a step closer.

”I know. This is like asking me to solve a puzzle with missing pieces of information. We have to enter Tatani at some point anyway. We can’t defeat them from here.” Kiuga defended.

”I know, I am just reminding you of the fact,” Yoka said, raising his eyebrows.

”What should we do?” Sagiri asked.

”We go in, well, not to the heart of Tatani, but we have to find out what makes them so deadly. We need to know what traps they have set. To cross a river, we must test the depth of the water.” Kiuga explained

”What is your plan then?” Tavora asked.

”We set three bases. One here, one northward, and one to the south. Each base will have ten members of Squad Yoka. Five will remain far out, and five will touch the Tatani border but will not enter. You can change the watch, but the bases will remain the same for now. That cuts how far you are supposed to go, doesn’t it?” Kiuga asked. He was sitting on the ground, and a proper map had been provided for him. Of course, the map included the former Anki tribe’s land terrain before they were taken away by Tatani.

”Yes,” Yoka said. The two squads were deep in the leafy and thick forest before Tatani.

”Our Sagiri squad will be divided into three as well. The triplets are all good at hunting and have tracking beasts...”

”I was the best in my school in sensory stimulation exercises. I can help.” Lira spoke for the first time in days. Sagiri had not spoken to her on the way, and they had just traveled in silence. He might have let her come by Tavora’s word, but it did not mean he had accepted her.

”I don’t know what happened between you two while you were gone, but you tried to kill Sagiri once. You are part of the reason we are in this twist. It doesn’t matter if you feel guilty now. You are not part of this team as far as I know.” N’varu bit back at her hard. Lira flinched as everyone’s attention fell on her.

”You tried to kill a man I have challenged?” Gavina stepped forward, going for Lira’s throat. The two stood nose to nose. They are about the same height, but with Gavina’s habit of walking with her nose raised, she seemed a bit taller.

”I- I...” Lira tried to speak, but Oka hissed, matching her master’s mood.

”I dare you to fight me. This can only be solved in a fight.” Gavina stepped even closer till the two were standing chest to chest.

”Fighting here will give away our position,” Ulekai said, looking around with fear in his eyes, but the ladies did not look like they heard him. The Yoka squad did not even make a move to stop them. They were neutral to the small argument.

”If only I had women fighting over me.” Kiuga broke the tension, wiping a fake tear. ”But you ladies need to put your claws away, you will fight when this is done, and the winner can marry our Sagiri.”

”I dare you to repeat that.” Gavina snarled, and Kiuga lifted his hands in surrender.

”Calm down, Tsanka girl, or are you afraid to lose to her?” Kiuga egged her own, and her eyes flashed red.

”A man arguing with women. How disgraceful.” Kaka said, still sitting a bit to the back of the small clearing. He had been sitting in a meditative state since they started making a plan. He claimed he wanted to calm his spirit before the mission.

”I might put you on the ladies’ team if you keep talking.” Kiuga taunted back, and Kaka snapped his eyes open.

”You should have died at birth, but it’s not too late to kill you.” Kaka pulled out his blades.

”Fine, fine, I take back my statement,” Kiuga lifted his hands in surrender. ”So much for calming your spirit,” he said, the last part more silently. His mouth could get him killed one day. Hopefully, he had a strategy for that.

The yoka squad now knew that they had two of the sitting grandzoraths ’ descendants on the team. Gavina might not have been Nakai’s blood, but she was strong and just as cold as her. Nakai’s daughter was now just joining the war college, and Gavina stood at a closer position to take after her aunt in chiefdom. Well, if Nakai’s daughter wasn’t colder than her. For the tsanka tribe, the colder the better. Kaka is the son of Zaka Asakana, and the Yoka squad’s hostility had gone down a notch.

”As I was saying,” Kiuga started again, getting back to seriousness. Bukata and Zazarie had silently stood between the two ladies’ factions, and things had cooled down. ”The triplets will take the southern side together with Bukata and Zazarie. You move slowly and find traps set in your way. For tonight, we will move in for only two hours, then pull out and report to the five at the edge. Mark the routes you create so that tomorrow we move quickly and cover new ground. The north will include Lira, she had said she is good at sensory. Maita, banga, ulekai, and zolinka, you will be on this squad.

”The centre team will be me, N’varu, Kaka, and of course Sagiri. The central part is the most dangerous and more treacherous bit we have, Sagiri. Sagiri is the best in sensory, and so we will tackle the centre. We move in a triangle formation. You move inward from the south, and you move inward from the north,” Kiuga said, pointing at the two teams. ”Where we meet at the centre is where we will see our new base, only this time we will have three ways to escape created by us. You must mark the paths well. Remember to move as slowly as possible. I suppose there are many traps, and dying on a scouting mission is just too embarrassing.” Kiuga insisted on making light of it, but everyone could tell just how grave the situation was.

The Sagiri squad was now dressed in old civilian clothes, and they looked nothing like warriors. More like youths who were where they were not supposed to be. The Yoka squad could not go into Tatani, and so they were still dressed in their dark combat suits that covered their faces and hands, leaving no skin untouched except the eyes. Just how obvious were they willing to make it that they were the shadow corp?

”When do we move out?” Sagiri asked.

”When night falls,” Kiuga said, standing to his feet.

”Won’t it be easier to go in during the day if there are traps?” Sagiri asked. He did not have a problem moving and seeing at night, but won’t walking at night increases the difficulty levels.

”Remember, they also see better during the day. We might have it harder at night, but so will they. They are human after all, and we all, even though trained, have a bit of difficulty seeing in the dark.” Kiuga said. ”This puzzle won’t be easy, but every puzzle has a solution and a pivot point; we just haven’t found it,” Kiuga said.

”I see,” Sagiri nodded.

”Not that bad. But some puzzles have several pivot points,” Tovara said. He is also the strategist of the Yoka squad. Even he understood they needed more pieces for the puzzle to be solved.