"Indeed." His old friend smiled as he put his hands behind his back. "We got the information from a soldier who was recently in The Rocky Gorge, the place where Cesar got the 3rd-stage mount. Anyway, he probably has the herb with him, and several local experts are already moving against him.
A few minutes ago, a group of three Mages left the headquarters of the local royal army. They were preceded by a Mage from the Awakening Temple, who left the city shortly after receiving a letter from Cesar Mazzanti."
How could this group know so much? Through their coins, of course, but also through the greedy souls present in the army and the local Awakening Temple.
With the right contacts, coins, and a willingness to act, anyone could find out the most important things going on in a town like Millfall!
"What about Jasmine?" Mark understood the value of such information and the reason for the movement of the two Mages in his group. But his dear Jasmine's situation could worsen if they didn't act quickly.
"She can wait. Cesar isn't in Millfall, so nothing will happen to her. Anyway, this is our chance to get ready to rescue her, Mark."
"Okay. How long will they be out of town?" Mark asked.
"It could be a week, it could be a month. I don't know."
...
At the same time that Mark was learning about the movement of the strongest of his group, four people from that group were already outside Millfall, following in Kohen's footsteps.
Two of them were the Mages who had come from Ironcrest with Mark and the rest of the staff, while the other two were level 5 Acolytes, great trackers who would "read" the tracks left by Kohen.
Soon after discovering the man's movement and the visit of one of the Mazzanti family men to army headquarters with a note, this group decided to follow that Sacred Devotee.
They didn't know exactly where they were going, but they thought they would find Cesar if they followed Kohen. As people who could benefit greatly from the 3rd-stage herb, there was no way they wouldn't "invest" in this opportunity.
A wild 3rd-stage herb was extremely rare and precious. A single one could help a Low-level Mage reach Mid-level in a matter of hours!
Such an herb could be used to make pills and potions. Yet, it could also be consumed directly by 3rd-stage magicians who had the digestive capacity to handle the medicinal power of the herb.
Considering how valuable the item in Cesar's possession was, they didn't mind putting aside their plans for Jasmine and began this silent pursuit.
While they were doing this, one of them had already noticed that the army Mages who had left the Millfall headquarters at the same time as they were heading in the same direction as Kohen.
"It looks like we were right to go after Kohen Reeves." The man with many tattoos on his body said with a smile, seeing the two groups notified by Cesar were probably moving because of the 3rd-stage herb.
"Perfect." The bald Mage smiled. "Keep your powers under control. Let's surprise these parties and take this high-level herb for ourselves!"
They agreed with their leader and headed towards The Vile Altar, not knowing exactly where they were going but willing to take the risks along the way.
If they succeeded, they could easily increase their strength. So, how could they hesitate in the face of such an opportunity?
The world was full of dangers and opportunities. Not taking risks because you didn't have enough information before you acted was foolish!
A successful magician was not necessarily the most cautious. They were those able to seize opportunities and survive the risks that came with them!
So they set out into the unknown, confident these other Mages weren't moving for nothing.
...
Simultaneously with the movement of 6 Mages and 2 level 5 Acolytes towards The Vile Altar, Vicente flew towards that area a few dozen kilometers away from Millfall.
Although he had left Millfall almost the same time as the last group to leave, he was ahead of Kohen, the most advanced of his opponents.
Since Vicente was the only one of these people going to The Vile Altar who could fly, he could move 40% faster than Kohen and the royal army Commanders, even though these individuals were Mages while he was only a level 3 Acolyte.
Thus, Vicente was already ahead of these people on their way to The Vile Altar, already wearing his typical Cesar mask and armor, flying on a large metal sword while using his special ability.
Already aware of the movements of Kohen and the army Commanders, Vicente had many things on his mind.
'I must ally myself with Kohen. He probably doesn't know about the 3rd-stage herb I have and will be willing to help me deal with these soldiers.' Vicente narrowed his eyes, ready to make a deal with that man.
The soldiers of the kingdom would surely try to fight him. And in a battle of Mages, everyone would be at risk of death!
From his point of view, it would be worth making a deal with someone who could die very soon.
That was his bet, to pit his enemies against each other and be the only one to escape the confrontation at The Vile Altar!
"Anyway, I have a few hours to prepare the meeting place for my guests..." He muttered as he thought of The Vile Altar, an abandoned ruin where he was sure there were many dangers.
Every ruin was dangerous. After all, broken mechanisms could be just as dangerous or more so than working ones. At the same time, ruins always held possibilities related to the instability of the terrain and the occupation of the area by magical creatures.
All this meant danger for anyone who entered a ruin, something positive for Vicente as he prepared to meet several enemies.
"Sigh..."
'I just hope everything goes well in Millfall... Unfortunately, that bloody Commander and the Viscount are in town.' He lamented, imagining Bart and the men of the Mazzanti family would have to fight to ensure that Liam successfully absorbed the pentagram from the herb.
They could try to get Liam and the herb out of Millfall so they could do what they planned to do on the Mazzanti estate under Bart's protection. However, any strange movement by the family would be observed by enemies and attract pursuers. Moreover, the variables in the woods and unknown places were even more numerous and problematic than in Millfall.
Though they had other options, Vicente and his men would continue with the plan to do everything on the Mazzanti estate, the place where they felt most confident!
Vicente sighed in anticipation, wishing the best for his people but knowing that in a few hours, trouble would surely reach his headquarters.
'Rory, I hope you can handle this situation. After this challenge, we'll have some peace!'
