-At Windless Peaks-
A few minutes before, Ulrik had also woken up.
Unfortunately, unlike his colleague, he was not unscathed.
He had been blown away by the mana explosion and broke through multiple trees before finally landing on the ground unconscious.
But as a Master-rank mage, he was able to get by with a few bruises all over his body, a cut on the back of his head, and a very bad headache.
His Acktan was alive, but had broken a leg, something Ulrik was grateful for, as it could have been much worse.
Exerting a bit of his strength, he got back to his feet relatively quickly. He then gathered up those of the entourage that were still alive and could still move, and moved to get out of the domain of the mana fog.
Like Kurt, he had come to the realization that the mountain contained mana stones, and aimed to occupy it as swiftly as possible.
As for Kurt, Ulrik didn't bother. He didn't think even Kurt could survive after being so close to the source of such a massive explosion.
With a gulp of healing potions from within his space ring, his wounds had begun to heal, and as a Master-rank mage with a plant affinity, he was able to navigate the dome of mana dust without difficulty by relying on the positions of the trees around them.
Ulrik had also noticed the elevation of his mana recovery speed and his spells becoming more effective along the way.
With haste, he made his way out of the dome towards the site of the mountain with what was left of the troops trailing behind him.
It was at this time that two horses burst forth into the mana dome, their riders being Grenald and Cavarl.
Both these men had only the desire for treasure on their minds…that is, until now. They had unconsciously stopped their horses to savor the mesmerizing scene in front of them.
Seconds later, the six escorting Cavarl arrived as well, and like those before them, were mesmerized.
Not for long though, because a minute had not even passed when Grenald suddenly pulled out his ax and held it in front of him.
Simultaneously, Cavarl unstrapped his staff and held it in his left hand.
Those behind couldn't understand their sudden change of expression, but did the same nonetheless.
If something could cause Grandmasters to be weary, then they, Expert-ranks, had to be extra cautious.
Lo and Behold, it didn't take long for a group of thirty-five to appear into view.
Grenald's eyes darted all over the new arrivals as he quickly affirmed that most of those in front of him were Expert-ranks.
Moreover, most of them were spotting wounds all over their bodies with some parts of their armor torn and filled with little bits of dirt and blood.
But enough of that, what really hit the bag was the tall but lanky man at the forefront of the group, with a green staff in hand while being covered in light armor of a quality no less than the one Grenald had on.
That, plus the pressure he was emanating, gave Grenald the assurance that…
'This man, he's also a master'
Then a question blossomed within Grenald's mind.
'Could he have also been sent by the Empire?'
After all, he hadn't been told about Cavarl's interference either.
But then, if it was so…
'Why haven't I heard of him before?'
He had met Cavarl a few times before, but even if he hadn't, he would've been able to guess his name by his features.
But the man in front him had small white hair and a long beard, with a face full of wrinkles.
It was a face he had never heard off, and because of that-
'It's better to be safe than sorry'
-he straightened his ax as he deepened his voice and spoke…
"Who are you?"
He failed at trying to look intimidating as a voice from his side spoke up.
"Seriously, Grenald? What are you? Blind or senile? Can't you see the crest on the armor of those standing behind him?'
Grenald's head popped a vein while still maintaining his intimidating pose as he seemed on the verge of exploding, before calming himself down.
'Ah!' only then did he notice the crest on the shoulder plates, one depicting a shield on a mountain.
It would be disgraceful for the Master-rank not to recognise one of their closest neighbors.
Luckily he did, and it set off an alarm in his mind.
'Avilla!'
His interrogative gaze turned fiery as he put more strength into his arm and exuded his aura to make his hostility known.
"I have to ask what exactly a master of Avilla is doing on Nitonian land?"
Ulrik's face remained unmoved as he stared at the two.
He hadn't said anything in a bid to gauge their knowledge, and now he was sure.
'They don't know about the mana stones'
It was a foregone conclusion, because, if they did, there wouldn't be any need for such idle chatter.
So his brain worked out a plan to take the mana stones without their knowledge.
For it to be successful, he needed to understand exactly how much they knew, so he replied…
"Last I checked, this land was a border between Niton and Avilla-"
Ulrik's aura shot forth as a counter to Grenald's.
"-so do enlighten me, what exactly do you mean by 'Empire's Land'? As a border, I am free to do whatever I wish"
Grenald was momentarily lost for words, because the old man was right. It was a land owned by both powers, so he had no power whatsoever to question Ulrik's actions.
But he wouldn't be a master if he backed off that easily.
"True, but why do you have so many expert's behind you while adorned in armor for battle? Does Avilla wish to attack the Empire?"
'Hmm' Ulrik's eyebrows creased slightly.
It was indeed a justified assumption, and if not handled properly, could start a battle.
So, with a neutral face, Ulrik replied…
"That is-"
Or at least he tried to, but was cut short by the sudden warning bells his instincts transmitted, causing him to turn his head to look behind him.
Simultaneously, Grenald and Cavarl looked in the same direction.
Then-
*SOOM!*
A black blur, one that even Ulrik's eyes could barely follow, cut through the mana dust and passed him over.
The next sound he heard, was-
*BAM!*KIIIIIN*
-a loud sound, followed by an intense screech caused by metal edges scraping each other, which quickly stopped all together.
'What in Orion's name was that?!'
Grenald looked at the spear by his side with a shocked gaze.
Just now, he had almost died.
While he was talking to the Avillian master that somehow found himself traversing the borders at the same time a manite mine was found, his instincts transmitted a signal of utmost danger.
A second later, an object arrived right in front of his face.
It was only thanks to his reflexes that he managed to place his ax right in front of the left side of his chest to face the weapon.
Unfortunately, he learned a tad bit too late that he had still underestimated the momentum behind the black object, which turned out to be a spear, because the collision threw him off his horse in one go.
The spear quite literally carried him backwards a bit with his sharp edge trying to penetrate the ax.
Grenald quickly found his foothold on the ground and put more power into his legs to avoid being pushed back even more.
Then he tilted his body and the ax, allowing the spear edge and the ax's sharp end to graze each other, redirecting the spear, which embedded itself into the ground.
Had he been just a little slower, he would have been skewered like a pheasant on a stick, and he knew it.
Everybody was momentarily silent as they looked to see Grenald standing under cracked earth far from his original position with sweat all over his face. Beside him was something long and black embedded into the ground.
Experts couldn't see it completely, but Ulrik did, and his eyes widened as he affirmed the object embedded into the ground to be a spear covered in black clothing with golden markings on it.
The sight of the weapon gave him a ridiculous thought, because he had instantly recognised the weapon.
Actually, it would have been weird if he didn't.
'He's alive?'
Within seconds, his question was answered as a man glowing blue appeared in their sight.
It was Sir Kurt, who he believed to have died.
But the man in question paid Ulrik's look no mind as he hollered at him.
"What is this that you're doing?"
The voice stunned Ulrik for a second, but he quickly replied while calibrating the situation at hand.
"I was trying to negotiate, before you came along"
It was Kurt's turn to be stunned as he paused and had his gaze pursue Ulrik's entire visage with an expression that quite literally said "Are you okay?".
Kurt's reply came swiftly…
"There's nothing to negotiate! Didn't you see the stone?! Rather than doing pointless things, let's kill these two. We'll decide what to do after that"
Without halting, Kurt buckled off the ground and jumped into the air like a spring, leaving a small crater in his wake…
"I'll take the short one, you handle the other guy"
Ulrik looked at the youngster and sighed heavily.
But it didn't matter at the moment.
Since the negotiations had already broken down before it could even begin, there were only a few plausible solutions.
And since Ulrik couldn't leave such a precious resource for others to claim, he would have to follow through with Kurt's plans.
He would have to fight!
