Chapter 71

Meanwhile, in the flying city of Shadow Mages, Thulganthar, one of the nine mighty Shadow Wizards sat behind her desk and boredly stared out of the window while impatiently tapping her soft chair handle.

"Everything according to plan?" She asked as she repositioned her exquisite, long legs.

She was a beautiful human woman. She wore a deep-green dress that tapered to her neck, revealing her relatively small bosom. Aristocratic nose dominated her perfect face with green eyes filled with wisdom. Her full lips pouted a little bit but was soon replaced by a light smirk.

The elven servant next to her was rattling like a chihuahua. He was tall, lean and almost naked. Just like the woman before him liked it.

"Y… Yes, madam Sia," he stuttered from fear and sexual excitement, "Lucifer broke through and became the first True Path user. He truly did it… However..." He was nervous to say it and heavily gulped.

"Well?"

"He became an oddity," the man gulped, his eyes secretly sliding over her body.

"Oddity? Explain," she knew, but did not care; you could look but not touch. She was no prude like Madam Tia who would punish only for a single dirty glance.

"He is Ethereal, but nothing else."

"Heh!" She chuckled, "that means he is a mind parasite… Not completely unheard off, though rare and even expected. Where is he?"

"We still don't know. Position divination is still acting up. The same happens with Madam Tia's attempts according to the spy's last report."

"What about the other? Stone, was it?" Her previously bored eyes flickered with interest.

"We…" the servant averted his eyes and paused, searching for the best words that would not result in his untimely demise.

"So?" The woman impatiently asked, her long fingernail tapped on the wooden chair. A light wave of greenish mana exploded from the tap.

"We simply don't know anything."

"What do you mean? You have the best tools and divinators at your disposal!" Her green eyes flashed an even brighter colour.

"It's… There is simply nothing…" He perspired, knowing that a single mistake could kill him. The Madam stared at him, her green eyes bored into his very being and soul. His rattling intensified as a malevolently looking green energy bolt hovered above her wrist.

"Whenever divinators tried to merge with the entity, their heads exploded. Only the best one survived and he is in no condition to speak. He constantly repeats one word; 'Loud!' for some reason."

"Bring him here!"

"Madam, please, reconsider it. He is either catatonic or murderously ins…"

'Bang!'

The servant's chest exploded as the green energy bolt hit him. The edges of the wound began to slowly rot away.

"Glup… glaaarp…" The poor servant groaned and slumped on the ground. He was not dead, just in incredible pain.

"Servant!" Madam Sia did not even glance at the quivering mess.

"Yes, mistress?" A new servant, this time an amphibian woman, took the man's place, not even looking at the twitching bloody mess.

"Bring me the surviving divinator!"

"Yes, mistress," the second servant grabbed the almost dead coworker by the ankle and dragged him outside. Before she closed the doors, she cast a single spell and all of the blood simply disappeared.

"Excellent! Oh, Tia, my sister, you don't know what you have done… Leaving him alive just for your own amusement. Luci, I am coming for you~!" Her mouth slightly curved up.

☁☁☁☁☁☁

There was another meeting at the headquarters in the Army of the Abyss's outpost between an annoyed Harkon Boomhammer, a grinning master Therdreag and a disgruntled master Baelgin who had been forced to search for Dafur by his family. His reputation took quite a big hit too when they found out he could be alive…

"The goblins are gathering an army," Harkon frowned at the map before him.

"Again? Do they never learn?" Therdread dismissively asked after he drank from the beer-filled mug.

"It's different this time. Orcs were sighted in the main camp," Harkon glanced at the runemaster lounging on the chair before him.

"Hmm, that could be problematic," Baelgin grimaced. He hated the evolved green beasts.

"Only for you, my friend, only for you… How's the search for Dafur?" Therdreag grinned. He was enjoying this immensely. For every single hour he remained, he was squandering the portal usage and rent of his refit laboratory that was of no use to him anymore. When he thought about the broken casket and logs, it spoiled his mood.

"A few tracks here and there. The Druegars are… Well, no need to tell you how they are. The amount of mana crystals they asked in exchange for the information is simply not worth it!" Baelgin grimaced even deeper. He was not enjoying this. He was bleeding cash every single hour. Not only did he have to pay for the passage, he even had to pay rent for a 'room' here. The dirty tent was no place for a runemaster like him…

Harkon ignored the two and continued, "the goblins are too numerous and growing more daring by the day. They already almost ate through all the natural fauna and flora. However, somebody taught them about agriculture. The Orcs… how the hell could be 11 warrior-Orcs there? Here, in the first layer? Fourth-tier Monsters… Even I would have a problem fighting them all at once!"

"So what are we going to do? We could try to collapse the shafts," Therdreag turned his attention to the muttering general.

"We cannot. A treaty with the pale-skins forbids us," Harkon dismissed the notion.

"It went through?" Baelgin disgruntled face broke into an incredulous expression.

"Yea… It was after the large collapse three years ago the negotiations began. I think your family was there, master Therdreag, right? Eriv, Dori and Breadbeard if I remember correctly."

"Yes, general Boomhammer. The savage ghosts pretty much scared them for life. They were even cursed," Therdreag frowned, his smile gone. His kids… He hoped they were doing fine.

"So why didn't you announce the success?" Baelgin asked. He knew there had been negotiations, but that it went through… Which Lich agreed?

"Lich Hen'Tai wanted to keep it secret. The others would not take it… well. Anyway, it's forbidden to intentionally collapse the shafts and caverns under a death pen…"

A soldier ran inside, heavily breathing and interrupted the general, "sir! Sirs! Goblins! They attacked dur patrols!"

"Where?"

"Near the… huf… huf... second mark! And they were accompanied by a… huf... shaman!"

"Goblin shaman? Attacking some patrols? Does not make sense…" Baelgin muttered.

"Naet goblin! Druegar!"

At this, even the still-relaxing Therdreag tensed.

"A druegar… That would explain a lot. Fine! Recover the corpses and pull back patrols! Send scouts! War is coming!" Harkon gave the orders. "Baelgin, from the order of Army of the Abyss, you are hereby conscripted."

"WHAT?!" Baelgin paled. This was almost a death sentence. Even as 4th-rank and having refined mana… Only 5th-ranks could feel safe on the first level.

"It was a request from your uncle. Something about failing Dafur and smearing family name."

"This is good! Haha!" Therdreag spluttered his beer.

"As a fourth rank runemaster, you are hereby given a position of captain. Your unit, number," the general shifted with some papers until he found the letter, "seventy is awaiting you. Dornus bless yar way!"

Baelgin clenched his jaw, his face hardened. He knew this was all politics… Dafur could go fuck himself for what he cared…