[Island of Bones, Dwarven Mountains Underground Level 3, Blue Wolf Mercenary Settlement]
Blue wolf assassin
Rune Master
Party Leader
Vanessa held many names, but her true identity was that of a talented acolyte, one possessing grade 3 talent, thus qualifying in the top 1% of the Magical court in terms of talent.
Holding a knife, she was currently refining her knife mastery by fighting against a famed opponent.
[Shadow Dance]
Just as she cast the spell, her movements were covered in a veil of shadow, making her more unpredictable, and it looked like she suddenly became faster.
Without hesitation, the Ice Countess Sheila, currently the strongest Blue Wolf Mercenary Acolyte below her and Darius, cast a wave of spells
[Icicle]
[Icicle]
[Icicle]
Effortlessly, Vanessa Ryneflower dodged one spell after the other, deflecting the last one with a flick of her dagger.
"You have improved again, Vanessa", Sheila said while looking at her wand with some apprehension
"How do you think I would fare against the party you encountered?", Vanessa asked, trying to pry information on the enemy that cornered the prestigious Blue Wolf Mercenary to the third level underground and confining them to the settlement and its outskirts.
After suffering many losses, it was clear that any acolyte that would be encountered past a certain perimeter would be hunted down by the infamous Godwin, the semi-insect from the Crimson Clan.
A month ago, she had managed to survive one of his encounter and almost succeeded in killing him. Unfortunately, Godwin had gone past the limits of regular humans in terms of endurance and somehow survived wounds that would have been fatal to any human being.
Ever since, neither Godwin nor any other Crimson Clan member would step into the outskirts of the Blue Wolf Mercenary settlement, as if an official agreement between the two factions had been reached. Actually, one crimson clan party had lost their way and entered the perimeter, and died doing so, ambushed by Sheila and Edwin's patrolling team.
Sheila shook her head: "The body refinement lizardman would be tough for you to defeat. He has an incredible physique, high power in close range and worse still, he has an enchanted shield that rendered my spells uneffective. You are nimble, but I do not think your shadow spear spell would be enough to deal damage to him"
"What about the Longlost girl?", Vanessa continued her little interrogation
"The Longlost woman is a bit weaker, but I believe you would be able to kill her. If she does not have time to cast her scale defensive spell, that is. As a bloodline acolyte, her senses are pretty sharp and you would lose if you do not finish her with initiative"
"The third one from this elite party. I read your report, but how strong is he really?"
The Ice Countess Sheila squinted with rare killing intent: "He single handedly protected the golem master and killed my subordinates in a very short timeframe. I was unable to see through him, but my subordinates were not so weak to be wiped out by a regular elite beginner rank acolyte. Strong defensive spells, strong long range spells, and probably strong in close range as well. For someone so young, he looks incredibly talented"
Vanessa sighed: "I still do not understand how the Crimson Clan raised so many elite beginner rank acolytes in such a short timeframe. None of them were listed down in the original list we got from the Silver Union"
Sheila nodded: "At this rate, we might have to settle. The situation might look like a stalemate, but the Crimson Clan holds the advantage. Because of our passive strategy, we managed to cut down the losses by setting a perimeter and patrolling in the area, but even then, we still weaken day by day from the inceasing attacks of beasts in the area, including that annoying mutant kobold. Meanwhile, the crimson clan only gets stronger and unreachable as the construction of their castle progresses. Darius also forbade us from attacking the golem masters, since they are always accompanied by elite beginner rank acolytes"
Vanessa revealed a rare smile: "Darius is no fool, but he is too short sighted. If we continue like that, we will end up paying the price for it. I say we take initiative. How about you take revenge on the acolytes who wiped your party?"
A cold glint appeared on Vanessa's eyes, like a predator. There was no friendliness in Vanessa's words. The Shadow Witch was no friend with Sheila, or anyone from the Blue Wolf Mercenary, really. She most often worked alone, and was distant to everyone.
Sheila knew that Vanessa did not do it without interest. This was how dire the situation was.
"Since you said the words, I suppose you have a plan?", Sheila asked
Vanessa nodded: "It is simple. Elite beginner rank acolytes, including those who defeated you, take a different path in every expedition, making it very difficult to pinpoint their location. However, there is one place we know they get to at some point"
"The City of Steel", Sheila muttered, "But if we go too close, the intermediate rank steel golems would impede our attacks"
Vanessa continue: "The City of Steel golems never leave the doors of the city. Though they are strong, they are bound by powerful rules. As long as we cover our tracks and follow the golem master's trail, it will be easy to set up an ambush. Party leader Edwin already agreed to it"
"Did Darius approve of this?", Sheila asked
"He will not complain if we bring the heads of the Crimson Clan acolytes", Vanessa said
"We will only have one shot. By breaking the unwritten rule between the two factions, the crimson clan might change their formation and increase the number of acolytes assigned to a single golem master", Sheila said, "That's why you wanted to target the strongest party of theirs directly, right?"
Vanessa only nodded, making her very mysterious.
Sheila smirked, muttering: "I can never see through that witch"
As if she had not said that aloud, she continued: "I am in"