The Devil's Cage

An old jade pulling a trailer cart left the campsite.

The wagoner was an officer wearing a set of leather armor with a longsword at his waist. The trailer cart was carrying an unconscious Torstar whose hands were tied up behind his back.

The wagon was going straight along the path.

There was nothing that stood in its way while it traveled and soon it reached the designated location: the connecting point between Lightning Fortress and Riverdale.

Because of how Lightning Fortress was built, the path was not only wide but extremely leveled out as well. The woods on both sides of the path were purposely cut off and arranged, allowing the officer to take a clear look around.

"I've come with His Majesty's order!" The officer shouted.

His voice was sonorous, making him look brave but the fingers that were holding his sword were pale. It seemed like the officer wasn't as brave as he presented himself to be.

As his voice subsided, he still hadn't got any reply after a while.

The officer frowned and shouted again.

He went on for a couple of times yet no one replied.

The path was emptied of people in the middle of the night since the promised person didn't show up. Only the night breeze was blowing softly, carrying some beastly growls around from time to time.

The officer gulped out of tension, he couldn't hold back is nervousness anymore as it was smeared all over his face.

Suddenly…

Footsteps sounded behind him. As he wanted to turn around to the source of the footsteps, a dagger was quicker and it sliced open the officer's throat.

The officer's nervousness lingered on his face as fear started to float but the splash of his blood and the loss of his life was quicker than his expression.

"They really sent out a nobody… His Excellency's strategy to mislead the enemies is too effective! That 2567 must be worrying this is a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

A black figure was wiping off the blood of his dagger on the officer's leather armor.

Another black figure behind the first one was laughing softly, it sounded easy and casual.

"The grasslanders are a bunch of hungry wolves. Given the chance, they will bite whosoever that crosses their path. That 2567 might be powerful but leading a bunch of discomfited troops and beaten generals, what could he achieve?"

"No, no, no! Not troops and generals, after those nobles ran away, where are the generals now? All he is left with is a bunch of soldiers. Let's bring Torstar back first. His Excellency is quite curious about this traitor's background you know. The first time ever that a traitor among the Viper Sect, this is really… hehehe!"

The one who killed the officer was praising the person that he was mentioning from the Viper Sect. However, his cold laughs came soon enough and his eyes towards the unconscious Torstar were overflowing with killing intent.

No one liked to be betrayed, especially those who experienced it before.

The other black figure heard his comrade's words and quickly headed over to Torstar without a second delay but his hand went through "Torstar"'s body.

"Illusion!?"

Two of the Viper Sect figures reacted to what happened after being slightly stunned but the "officer" who was killed was quicker than both of them.

The illusion shrouded both of them without any obvious signs or noises.

A moment ago, both the figures wanted to resist with their lives but a moment later, all they could do was dully stare at blank space.

"Master!"

Bloody Mary removed it's disguise and bowed after Kieran walked out from the shadows.

"Bring them back to the campsite and let Fanner take care of them," Kieran ordered.

"Yes, master!"

With the presence of [Fantos Manuscript], Bloody Mary didn't resist the orders at all.

Kieran too nodded in satisfaction after when he saw the high demon drive the cart wagon back to the campsite.

"A strong helper for 250 Points in 10 minutes… This is what I consider as affordable plus decent quality." Kieran commented.

Bloody Mary wasn't just able to shapeshift but it possessed powerful illusory abilities as well, it was super effective against enemies with lower Spirit and Intuition attributes.

At the same time, it was a very needed helper similar to the Fire Raven for a lone wolf player, like him.

Right after that moment, Fire Raven which shared a connection with Kieran located Rover and his awkward situation.

"So they've decided to come out of hiding now? They purposely leaked Torstar's identity to the Viper Sect and used them to provoke me. Not only to attract my attention but the Viper Sect as well, so they could clear the obstacles in the fastest way possible. Seems like the secret Mary has is really attracting!" Kieran muttered.

He then swiftly disappeared into the shadows.

He also had to hasten his movements as new notifications came.

[Discovered sub-mission: Save Rover]

[Save Rover: Although you warned him to be careful, the surprise third party caught the royal wizard off guard. Rover is in danger right now and requires your aid! Note, should you fail the sub-mission, it will affect your reputation and authority within the Warren army!]

...

"Damn it!"

Rover was pressing the bleeding wound on his left shoulder as he recalled the previous scene with lingering fear.

Back when Rover was trying to escape the place where he was abducted, a sudden sword ambushed him as he opened the door. If his reaction was any slower, it would be his throat that was sliced rather than his shoulder and he might already be a dead body by then.

Still, the situation wasn't any better since then though. Suffering injuries on his shoulder, it was difficult for Rover to cast his spell to form a counter attack.

In fact, even if his shoulder was intact, it was hard for him to counter the attacker's relentless attack.

The strength of a wizard was based on his spells, if a wizard was robbed of his abilities to cast, he would be as good as nothing.

Fuu!

Rover took in a deep breath and started running again.

The royal wizard knew deep in his heart if he didn't want to lose his life here, he would have to run as hard as he could and at least reach any place with city guards to ensure his own survival.

However, his running was halted soon enough because more footsteps sounded in front of him.

This time it wasn't just one but five person in total.

Their steps were messy and rushed.

Without further delay, Rover arched his back and hid into the shadows cast by the moonlight. He dished out some powder with his right hand to conceal his own bloody stench.

As for the blood stains on the floor, there wasn't enough time for a thorough clean up of his tracks. All he could hope was the darkness would slightly blur the men's sight.

After some time, a person with a red robe and a red scarf over his face appeared within Rover's sight.

The person was in bad condition though, a small crossbow arrow hung over his back and the blood around the wound had turned black. Rover frowned when he picked up the slight scent from the person.

The arrow was laced with poison! The lethal kind!

The royal wizard was curious about the other person who was also being hunted but his own condition forced him to keep quiet. Rover couldn't spare any extra thoughts about others right now, all he could afford was to stay alive.

Huuhaa! Huuhaa!

The poison spread throughout his body, causing Celty's stamina to deplete quickly. He could already feel coldness on his hands. Yet he knew he must hurry, otherwise even if he could ditch the pursuers behind him, it would be hard for him to survive.

As the thought bloomed, Celty hastened his steps but was forced to a slowdown right after he started to run. More precisely, Celty came to a complete halt of his movement.

A man with longsword suddenly appeared before him.

The sudden situation also forced Celty's pursuer to a stop as well. Their eyes were shifting between Celty and the man with the longsword and so did the man with the longsword at them.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned extremely strange.