“Only one way to find out, but I’ll certainly do my utmost.” Black Fang replied without hesitation.
“So Devil is this important to you? I’ve seen the recordings and he is certainly an excellent mage with his four elements and physical stats, but… Those who want to be jack-of-all-trades tend to burn out before reaching their potential. It’s much better to focus on one or two elements, let alone on being both a mage and a fighter.” The human trafficking head mused.
“Whether you’re right or wrong doesn’t matter. I’m not going to say more than this. Leave Devil alone, that’s all.” With that, Black Fang disconnected from the call and submerged herself completely in the poisonous bath.
Black Fang was the strongest assassin in the organization, and if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent to act against her wishes, her three disciples were also extremely mighty. They were each in the upper echelon even amongst the Veil Walker rank, especially the eldest pupil of hers, so much so that if one of the heads were to perish there was a good chance that she would be taking their place. Therefore, none of the other six department leaders wanted to beef with Black Fang, especially not over a simple Phenom candidate.
If she wanted him then it was easier to just let her do as she wished.
…
– PoV: Quinlan –
After two weeks of gruesome traveling, we arrived at the final outpost which would serve as our base of operations for the mission. I can’t say I had a lot of fun in the past 14 days. Soren was permanently whining like the little bitch that he is, and we had to constantly worry about Selene, Cedric, and even Iris doing something ‘funny’. At least Gragan and Abudha were just normal teammates who caused no fuss. As for Vex, I’m not even sure if she’s with us.
The woman was very good at hiding her presence if even Blossom didn’t sense her when we met for the first time. However, her not being present meant that we had to be even more on edge about being backstabbed by our team. We didn’t want to try anything because I was 99% sure that she was here somewhere, but I wasn’t confident that Selene was also aware of Vex’s stealth abilities.
Once we got to the outpost each team occupied a bunker-style home, and after a few hours of rest we met at the big bunker just like we did at the previous place.
“So, any new ideas?” I asked. We agreed to think about a solution while traveling, so maybe some of them cooked up some reasonable plan. Your next chapter awaits on
“With our restricted information we can’t do much. Wrath’s suggestion seems reasonable.” Abudha decreed. He hated my mass murderer idea, so he approved of Iris’ plan to simply retaliate by burning their fields and other properties.
“I like Devil’s much better.” Selene argued. “It’s less risky, quicker, and we don’t have to stumble around looking for properties to destroy.”
“Same.” Soren nodded rapidly. “Maximum efficiency for maximum results.”
“If we want to pass with great results then we should not only destroy valuables but kill enemies too. We should attack an outpost.” Gragan stated.
I shook my head. “Do you have a way to ascertain that they don’t have anyone we can’t deal with? I mean something like a super spy, a scryer, a future teller, etc. Vex said she won’t help us out if we undertake a stupid risk, and your idea sounds exactly as such. I’m not suicidal. Since we can’t all agree to the mass murder plan, let’s deliberate on how we could accomplish the property-damaging one.”
“We have to find a way to cross the border without detection. Unless the Phantom League is made up of incompetents, they should be expecting retaliation from the Consortium for their aggressive actions.” Iris spoke up, once again ascertaining how intelligent she was.
“Let’s put our chips on the table then.” I nodded. “One of my Heralds is a dog-kin with a strong sense of smell. She is a good candidate to lead us through their territory, but her detection capabilities aren’t invincible. Does anyone else have a similarly useful subordinate?”
“Can’t we use Soren like a mole to dig a tunnel underground?” Cedric asked next. A reasonable proposal, especially for a dumbass like him, but I don’t think Soren has enough mana to do that. It would take weeks if not months. Furthermore…
“I refuse! Absolutely refuse! I’m not a mole and won’t be digging anything. My almighty powers are meant to be used for destroying my enemies, not to make shitty underground tunnels.”
Yep, as expected.
“My rangers are pretty good scouts too.” Ambition added. Of course they are, since all of them are elves. We’ve left the forested area of Greenvale, replaced by swampy patches of land accompanied by hills and even small mountains. However, those were still part of nature. While elves were most effective in the forest biome, they were still more spiritually acclimated to these lands than humans were.
“My scout died an honorable death in the first round.” Gragan decreed proudly. She was visibly sad due to the loss, but proud of how the scout went out in a blaze of glory.
“Same, just not honorably.” Iris replied with an emotionless tone.
“I never had one.” Abudha revealed. Of course not, you are surrounded by Monk dudes…
“I only have Lyra left. The rest were trash.” Soren announced dismissively.
“We do have an assassin but he is most comfortable in urban settings.” Selene stated.
*Sigh* I couldn’t help but release a breath dejectedly. So it would be up to us to carry these noobs.
The map Vex provided us with was at least detailed enough to allow us to plan a strategy. We analyzed the borders where they most likely planted their sentries, and where Blossom’s nose could be utilized to the highest effect. However, a new plan suddenly hatched in my mind.
“I propose we travel to the Central Lands which is ruled by the royal family. There we obtain guises and pretend to be merchants.” The Central was the heart of the kingdom, not only militarily and administratively, but also financially. It was the trade hub that connected to all five duchies. The reason I wanted to go there was not only for what I stated but to have a [Warp Gate] point leading to the biggest and most important cities in the human kingdom. There I could participate in much bigger events, such as slave and artifact auctions. I could also sell and buy materials, slaves, equipment, etc there better than in the duchies. Basically, it was the land of opportunities, and in my case, I could exploit this advantage better than anyone by teleporting between places. It would be insanely worth it.
“I agree.” My greatest supporter, Ambition, voiced her agreement.
“I’m not sure if going to the Central is a good idea…” Iris wasn’t so happy. After all, she was a wanted woman and would be walking into the ‘maw of the beast’ so to say.
“I see no reason to refuse.”
And just as so, our plan was set in stone. We set out in a few hours, ready to finally set foot in the royal lands.