The magical familiars traversed expertly through the dense forest, slowly closing in on their mission objective. The group of Magi had been traveling non-stop for days, only stopping by for a couple of hours every night to rest.
After days of travel and combatting the dangers that lay dormant in the Murky Mountains, the group had finally arrived before a clearing. Adam, who was at the forefront of the group, raised his hand, gesturing for the rest to stop.
In the distance, they were finally met with the sight of a squadron of enemy orcs.
Everyone's eyes narrowed as they gazed at the orcs' brutish forms clad in crude, leather armor and wielding sharp yet jagged weapons.
"What do we do?" Edward whispered as he shifted his gaze from the orcs to Adam.
Adam remained silent for a long time before replying, "Have Lisa come up with a plan." He then turned around and looked deeply behind his group, his gaze seemingly crossing hundreds of meters.
"I'll scout the perimeter once again and lay some traps."
Farald frowned. "You think more enemies might arrive?"
Adam glanced at him, his lips curling up into a faint smirk, "Something like that."
With that said, he got off Ennea and dashed toward the forest on foot. Everyone glanced at his departing back for a moment, thinking that he was just being cautious about laying traps as a contingency.
After all, they had already surveyed the area and confirmed that the enemies they were after were in front of them. They only thought that Adam was being extra vigilant, but they weren't surprised.
That's how Adam was.
But none of them would have guessed that while they were searching for the enemies up ahead, they were actually being covertly followed by another group from behind.
It couldn't be helped, after all. The group that was following them was extremely discreet and had phenomenal tracking methods.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Adam would have never found them if it weren't for his Sphere of Resonance.
…
The youth's black cape gently fluttered behind him as he vaulted from one tree to another.
Adam had a grim look on his face as he thought about his pursuers, Last I checked, there were six people following us. But I can't scrap the possibility of there being more of them…
He jumped down from the branch of a towering tree, activating the Ring of Lightfall. His descent slowed down and he gracefully landed on the ground like a feather.
The youth then conjured a quill from his earring. Following that, he coated it with a layer of pristine white mana. Then, he glanced at the tree trunk beside him, and with a deft hand, started inscribing small runes on it.
With the help of runic formations, a Magus could borrow power from nature itself. Magi who specialized in runic formations were known as Runesmiths.
Adam had very superficial knowledge about runes. However, it was enough for him to use them to lay traps. These traps would only work if he had the element of surprise with him. The attack output of these traps wasn't all that great.
The youth had a solemn look in his eyes as he continued to carve small runes on one tree after another. Every time his quill danced across the bark, the symbols he left behind pulsed with magical energy.
As he continued to work, the forest seemed to quiet down, seemingly witnessing his work of art.
After he had carved sufficient runes on the trees and the ground, he paused and looked around, satisfied with his work.
"Good." He nodded. "This will make sure that the magical mechanisms activated upon their deaths don't lead back to me."
The next moment, he weaved a series of hand signs. Following this, the runes around him glowed softly, casting ethereal lights on the surroundings.
A few seconds passed and the lights dimmed. Then, the runes merged with the tree trunks and the ground, completely hiding from sight.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Unless someone heavily scrutinized these areas, they would never find the runes.
"This should be good," the youth mumbled, his lips curling up into a faint grin. Then, his eyes narrowed, the grin on his face widening.
"Now, onto the next layer."
…
A group of Magi stealthily made their way through the deep forests. Their expressions were a mix of hesitation and resolve, their eyes darting around for any hidden dangers around them.
They all wore similar cloaks, carrying the same insignia on their chests.
The Gracie Family.
"Young Master…" A middle-aged man with a receding hairline glanced at the brown-haired youth traveling with them in the center of their formation.
"It's been close to a week now. The sudden absence of so many Magi is sure to raise some concerns back at the camp."
Kevin couldn't even hear the words that this man was saying. His attention was on something else entirely.
A crazed and desperate look flashed in his eyes from time to time as Adam's words continued to repeat inside his mind.
Cripple.
Spineless.
Trash.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})These words and the face of the raven-haired youth had been constantly haunting him for the past weeks. So much so, that he couldn't stop himself from leaving the camp when he heard that his mortal enemy was going on a long-term mission.
This was the perfect chance for him to finish things.
Or so he thought.
If he were of sound mind, he would have never tried to do something like this.
But how would he know?
That he was under the effect of spells, causing him to make irrational decisions.
"…Master?"
"Young Master!"
Kevin suddenly snapped out of his daze and glanced at the man calling out to him. "What?"
The middle-aged man nervously gulped. "That… Won't headquarters question us about deviating from our mission and following this group—"
"Shut your mouth," Kevin growled. "Just do as I say. I'll worry about the rest."
The man deeply looked at Kevin's borderline maniacal expression. In the end, he could only helplessly nod. "Your wish is my command—"
But suddenly!
The ground beneath them pulsated and the runes carved on it glowed ever so slightly. Following that, earthen tendrils shot out from the ground and immediately coiled around the legs of three unfortunate Magi.
Then, the runes carved on the nearby tree trunk hummed with energy. The next moment, dozens of wooden spikes emerged from the trees and shot toward the three immobilized Magi, viciously impaling them.
The middle-aged man, who was leading this group, grabbed Kevin's collar and hurriedly drew back.
"It's a trap!" He screamed in panic. "Retreat! Retreat!"
