The Scarlet Call

-Sir, Torck has arrived.

-Get him in.

Torck had never been invited to the mansion of Heart Crusher before. It wasn't because he didn't know Heart Crusher until now. On the contrary, he had taken many orders from him in the past and successfully carried them out. As a result of his ability to complete Heart Crusher's challenging missions with excellent performance, the reputation of the Hammer Team, which consists of about 30 warlocks under Torck's command, has increased and gained an irreplaceable place in challenging missions. But while taking all these quests, Torck had never had face-to-face contact with Heart Crusher. Instead, he learned the details of his mission through his servants or a magical envelope that suddenly appeared before him. Only the warlocks to whom it was sent could open such envelopes by casting a spell. Every warlock in the army had a spell registered in the system. This application was a kind of identity control system. It was the dream of every warlock in the military to receive such an envelope. Everyone dreamed of being able to use his registered spell again when he entered the army. Because such envelopes were only sent for unique and high-level missions. But this time, it was different. Torck had been summoned to Heart Crusher's mansion. He still couldn't understand why. What kind of a quest could be so profound that it would allow him to take a step into the house of one of the Great Warlocks? There wasn't a single person he had ever heard of taking a face-to-face order from one of the Ten Great Warlocks. Now, this had to be on a whole different level…

Torck was seeing Heart Crusher for the first time in his life. His appearance was not that different from what he had imagined. His crimson red horns looked quite imposing through his long, black, straight hair as if it was struck by lightning. His sparse but downward mustache and beard, which only grew under his chin, but were darker and more tangled than his hair, were strikingly prominent. He wasn't looking too hard, but those naturally frowning eyebrows and the wrinkles on his forehead made him look severe and scary. He seemed reminiscent of a mad scientist, but he also looked wise. Looking at it for a long time, his face gave off an air that was not much different from a typical warlock. But that long dark blue uniform he was wearing… It was as if it kept him from being an ordinary warlock! It could be that an average warlock has never seen such a uniform, let alone wear it once in his life. Dark blue is the color of eternity. The great warlocks use this color in their clothing to represent their invincibility, a symbol of the brave warlock nation's vast power. Torck thought of the excellent task that had allowed him to see this shade of dark blue. He had no idea. In the army, they didn't talk about what high-level missions were. You would go on the task. You would return if you could and keep silent. He had a great curiosity about what this mission might be. Excitement and fear at the same time. When all these were together, one felt nothing. Sometimes emotions would reach such a different dimension that they exceed the perceptual capacity of one's brain or heart and become numb. He would wait in silence and accept everything that happened.

Torck was startled by a loud voice as he eyed Heart Crusher in excitement and surprise.

-Commander Torck of the Hammer Team!

-I am under your command, sir.

-Yes, Torck, your current mission differs from the usual simple hit-and-run missions. But, of course, you already know that when you came to my house.

-Tell me the task, place, and time. Then, leave the rest to me, sir!

-Good, but impudent.

And Heart Crusher fell silent and started to look at Torck. It was as if he had a scanner in his eyes to determine if Torck was worth the task and what was going through his mind and soul. This uncomfortable situation continued for several minutes. Torck, who couldn't feel anything a few minutes ago, felt a few drops of sweat run down his neck to his waist. He was worried, and he should have been. Heart Crusher couldn't have summoned him to his house for a simple task. This was the last goodbye to a group going to die. Did they have any belief that they could do this task? He didn't know.

-This place is more humid than the environment you are used to. Sorry, we're keeping everything closed for security reasons. We prefer not to use magic in order not to reveal our existence. I wouldn't want to overwhelm my guest, but sometimes even I can't do anything.

Torck thought for a moment, "What is this guy saying? Why is he talking to me about the security system?"

I couldn't understand, sir.

-You started to sweat, Torck. Also, your heart rate has fastened, you're afraid! The brain signals also show that you are angry with me.

Torck couldn't say anything, just a confused and shy look. It was like the great warlock was reading his mind. Well, it was Heart Crusher, one of the Ten Great Warlocks.

-We've been at war with the Upper World for years. Losses on both sides are equal, but gains… there is actually no gain. I want to unbalance this scale. I want to subtract something from the other side so that as soon as it's taken, they will crush the ground they stand on with their weight. I want something from the sorcerers to break this balance of power in a way that cannot be recovered again.

While saying all this, the expression on Heart Crusher's face and the tone of his voice changed completely…

Torck couldn't think of the consequences of doing the task anymore. He was just under the spell of the man in front of him.

-I want you to bring something from the Upper world for me… no, no, for our valiant warlock people, whatever the cost. Something that provides tremendous strength and confidence. I want you to infiltrate one of the sorcerers' most protected places.

Torck couldn't be sure his ears were hearing right. Yes, they were in a constant war with the Upper world. But there was no ongoing front. That's why Hammer Team hasn't been very active for a while. Their specialty was to inflict massive damage to the opposing side at the time of an encounter, leaving the rest to the untired, lively soldiers. But this mission was espionage. He could not understand why his team had been chosen for this mission, although there were many teams in the entire warlock army trained purely for spying. The Hammer team would sneak up on the enemy to increase the blow in the first hit, but this was a total concealment operation. It was a task that Torck had never experienced before.

-Yes, it's perfectly normal that you can't understand why I chose you for this mission. Why your field team, with all the espionage teams out there? Like I said, the infiltrating place is one of the sorcerers' safest places. After a certain point, war will be inevitable, although undesirable. So a great defense and attack potential is critical besides concealing. I don't know anyone else with all these abilities, Torck. There are many levels your team can reach. And with your leadership, the probability of success increases.

Torck didn't know what to say. If such an important task was deemed worthy of being given to him and Heath Crusher trusted him, there was nothing left to think about. All he had to do was obey the order, and regardless of the course of time and events, the result would have been like Heart Crusher had envisioned. The power he needed was in the blood that flowed through his veins. Only activation was required to awaken his abilities.

-I like people like you, Torck. You are intelligent people who know what they can do but still try to push their full potential!!! Therefore, I find it appropriate for you to be the leader in this mission.

-Thank you, sir!

-The details like "when" and "where" will be notified by letter as usual. You have a week to select and prepare your men.

-Understood, sir!

As Torck left the mansion blindfolded, he thought about the mission. He could do it. He was chosen. At least it was worth a try, right?