From the moment the earthen tendrils had shot out from the ground and wrapped around the Magi's legs, to the moment the wooden spikes had shot out from the tree trunks and impaled them, merely a couple of seconds had passed.
Yet in those few seconds, three Magi had been instantly immobilized. Now, they lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, and unable to move an inch.
"W-What the hell?!" Kevin shrieked in fear, crouching on the ground and looking around in apprehension. "Is there an enemy attack?! Is it Adam?! It has to be him!"
The Magi of the Gracie Family immediately protected the youth, getting ready to cast defensive spells. However, the middle-aged Magi from earlier, the one with the receding hairline, waved his hand and stopped them.
"Easy, lads, I don't sense any enemies or beasts nearby." He calmed them down. "Looks like we've walked into someone's trap."
"Someone's trap?!" Kevin glared at the man. "Hyatt, I'm telling you it's Adam's doing!"
Hyatt glanced at Kevin and couldn't hide the contempt in his eyes for a moment. But he was a loyal Magus of the Gracie Family. Hence, he lowered his head immediately and respectfully replied, "I understand, young master."
Then, he glanced at the three Magi who had walked straight into the trap, and suddenly his pupils constricted.
The Magi had already died.
Hyatt then looked at the wooden spikes, and his eyes narrowed. The tips of these spikes were coated with a faint purple liquid.
Poison! No wonder…
He then looked around at the remaining five Magi, including Kevin, and solemnly muttered, "We must be careful from this point onward. We don't know how many traps the enemy has set for us."
Then, he glanced at Kevin, and added, "Protect the young master at all costs."
"Yes, Sir!" The rest of the Magi spoke in unison.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Kevin suddenly conjured an arrow from his space-type storage ring. Glancing at the arrowhead that was stained with dried blood, his lips curled up into a demented grin.
No matter how many traps you lay…
No matter where you are…
I will find you.
And I will kill you!
…
Edward, Lisa, and the three dwarves stood atop a thick branch and gazed at the orc camp in the distance.
After observing their activities for the better half of the day, they confirmed that there were no more than ten orcs present.
Farald stroked his thick, ginger beard and mumbled, "What do these pigs want?"
"That's what we're here to find out, init?" Durgin shrugged.
Lisa's eyes squinted as she ventured a guess, "They're here to gather intelligence, that's for sure. But what exactly?"
"Either they're here to gather resources or assess our weaknesses."
Suddenly, a voice drifted into their ears out of nowhere, causing all of them to be stunned and immediately turn around to fight.
Seeing the weapons pointed at him, Adam raised his hands in surrender, chuckling, "Relax, it's me."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Damn you!" Farald grumbled as he lowered his war hammer. "Stop sneaking up on us while we're behind enemy lines, you ugly fool!"
"Hehe." Adam rubbed his nose in embarrassment. "My bad, my bad."
"Did you finish what you were doing?" Edward asked, lowering his spear.
Adam nodded. Then, he glanced at the small orc camp in the distance. "So, what have you guys planned?"
"Ambush and gather intel," Lisa replied with a grim expression.
"Not bad." Adam nodded as he stroked his chin. "When do we attack?"
A cold glint flashed through Lisa's emerald eyes.
"When they've gone to sleep, of course."
…
Selene and Luna had risen high up in the sky, casting their silver rays over the Murky Mountains. The air was thick with the sound of snoring and the firewood crackling in the dwindling campfire.
The orcs, tired after a day of hard work, had lowered their guards and gone off to deep sleep, unaware of the imminent dangers that lurked in the shadows.
However, there were still a couple of orc warriors that stood on night patrol. But they didn't pay much attention to their surroundings either.
After all, they would have never expected a group of Magi from the allied forces to have ventured so deep into the Murky Mountains. And as for the corrupted beasts, they wouldn't attack them.
Adam and his group silently crept through the underbrush. Their silhouettes had merged with the darkness and their steps produced no sound whatsoever as they slowly approached the camp.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Ten orcs were currently present in the camp. Six were asleep, while four remained on guard duty.
Adam glanced at the people behind him and nodded. Edward, Lisa, and the dwarves stealthily made their way into the tents, aiming to assassinate the orcs in their sleep.
Meanwhile, Adam approached the nearest orc who was on patrol. His eyes gleamed with a ruthless light as he sneaked up behind him. Then, he sprang forth and immediately grabbed the orc's mouth, preventing him from making a sound.
The orc was stunned, his pupils darting around in panic. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a scar-filled hand holding on to a shiv and stabbing toward his neck with lightning speed.
Adam stabbed the orc's throat multiple times, then silently lay the corpse down on the ground. Then, he snuck behind the next orc and did the same.
Just when he was about to attack the third one, the burly creature turned around at the last moment. When the orc gazed at Adam crouching behind him with a bloody shiv in hand, it froze momentarily.
But that was all the time Adam needed.
He bolted forward and viciously thrust his weapon straight through the enemy's lower jaw and into the brain. Fear and shock flashed through this orc's eyes before they gradually turned dim. He coughed a mouthful of blood and his eyes rolled over.
Before long, this orc had also fallen, sharing the same fate as his allies before him.
It didn't take long for Adam to take care of the final orc patroling the camp. After making quick work of the orcs, he gradually made his way to all the tents.
He opened the tent flaps, peeking inside. He saw that all the orcs had been murdered in their sleep.
Seeing all the enemies die, instead of feeling relief, Adam couldn't help but frown, thinking to himself, This… Isn't all this way too easy?
"Hey, Adam!" Suddenly Farald called out to him from one of the other tents. "Come here. Take a look at what we found."
The youth walked toward the tent where everyone had gathered. They stood before a table filled with all sorts of parchment papers.
Lisa was holding onto one of the parchment papers and struggling to read. It was the language of the orcs. She was not very proficient at it.
"What does it say?" Adam asked, his expression grim.
"If I'm reading this correctly," Lisa began, "then this scouting group had been ordered to come here and set up a supply line from a nearby lake to their settlement. These guys should be the first batch to arrive here."
The frown on Adam's face deepened. "That's it?"
"Yes, that's pretty much it." Lisa nodded.
"Hahaha!" Balron laughed out loud. "Then doesn't that mean we've completed our mission?"
Durgin also broke into a chuckle, "Hoho, let's head back to the eastern camp and drown ourselves in wheat ale."
"Wait."
Adam gestured for them to stop speaking. "Do you hear that?"
Everyone was puzzled, wondering what Adam was talking about. A few minutes of silence ensued.
And then they heard it.
RUMBLE!
The ground beneath them started to tremble. First, it was slow, then gradually it picked up force. Now it felt like an earthquake.
Everyone rushed out of the tent and looked around. Their gaze then fell in the direction they had come from. There, they saw a sight that filled them with dread.
In the distance, amidst the vast expanse of the towering trees, a cloud of dust and dirt rose into the air. The ground shook beneath whatever was approaching them.
Whatever it was, it was massive!
Adam couldn't help but involuntarily gulp as fear gripped his heart.
"Not again!"
