"Boss, boss." Viper rushed into the room without regard for his appearance.
"What's the matter, Viper?" Kieran asked calmly from the other side of the curtain.
"Boss, we're being attacked!" Viper replied.
Even he was shocked by the words he had spoken. It had started out when some of the bandits tried contacting their teammates at the fortress below using the secret smoke signal code. However, they didn't get any response and felt something as weird. Originally, Viper hadn't believed it, but after more attempts were made and then finally some bandits were sent to scout, they realized the truth; the gate and the fortress had been seized and were now under the control of enemy forces.
Kieran's figure froze and despite not being able to see him directly, Viper could feel a sensation of shock from the man who sat behind the curtain.
"I see. I underestimated them. I was expecting some conventional bastard to be the one leading this team, but that was an error in my calculations. Furthermore, I should have already realized this just from the fact that they had sent a small force against us and performed quick operations. The usual Arnhaunt commanders always make big moves, but this commander seems to be the ugly duckling[1]. No matter, this isn't a problem." Kieran said as he regained his composure.
"Viper, have they made any move so far?"
"None, boss." Viper replied.
"No moves yet. So, they don't want to attack? Well, of course, doing so would be suicide with their numbers. Then that means they wish to hold the gate but for what." Kieran's eyes suddenly widened in shock.
"Reinforcements. What a nice plot." Kieran chuckled.
"They don't need to attack and all they have to do is hold the gate. Considering the location and structure of the fortress, that shouldn't be a difficulty for them. For us, however, we can't retreat, and neither can we remain still. We have to seize back the gate if we want to survive what is to come. But if we launch an attack, it would be difficult for us to succeed considering the fortress' structure and I refuse to believe that the enemy didn't anticipate such. However, we have no choice but to do so since waiting is the same as giving up. That means that the initiative is in their hands and we have no choice but to walk into their schemes. Interesting." Kieran said.
Viper was confused about what his boss was saying, but if there was one thing about Viper, it was that he had an unshakeable level of faith in Kieran. It was not an overstatement to say that the Purple Snake gang had got to this level thanks to Kieran's influence and guidance. So, if there was someone that could get them out of the mess, Viper believed it to be Kieran; not just because of his strength, but his schemes as well.
"Take the men over to the fortress. Have Tarik go with you as well as Long. Since the enemy dared to seize the gate, they have to have something to rely on. If we underestimate them, we will end up suffering a loss." Kieran paused and then glanced up at the ceiling.
"I think I'll also be heading over with you guys."
Viper was surprised but in a pleasant way. With Kieran following them, he was more confident in their success.
"You can leave now." Kieran said.
"Okay, boss." Viper left the room hurriedly with a much better expression on his face than when he had barged into the room.
"The Arnhaunts' commander for this operation...what an interesting guy." Kieran chuckled.
. . .
"Young lord," One of the mages who was on guard duty rushed to Asher.
"We've spotted a wave of bandits heading this way from the direction of the mountain's peak."
"Noted. Proceed as planned." Asher calmly replied.
The mage nodded and left the room albeit with a bit of anxiety within him. Asher noticed his but wasn't bothered by it, neither did he see a reason to comfort the mage.
Although it looked like Asher's team had the lower hand since they were 'weaker', the truth was far from that. The talisman Asher had provided them only suppressed their magical power to a level lower. Recall that each progression in the Guardian realm's stages meant not just an increase in mana capacity but also a physical improvement for the mage. In other words, although Asher's men were weaker by one level, this was only in terms of mana capacity; they still possessed the physical advancements from their breakthroughs.
For instance, Luther and Aaron, who were fourth-stage Guardian mages still had the physical body of a fourth-stage Guardian mage despite their mana realms being suppressed. So, when facing a typical attack that could kill a third-stage Guardian mage, they might at most, be seriously injured by it. The same applied to the other members of the team and this wasn't just limited to endurance, but also strength, speed and reflexes.
This was the whole point of Asher's training for them; to have his team utilize their physical advantage more and efficiently, rather than depending on magic. Once they got comfortable doing so, even if they ended in a situation without their magic, they wouldn't be crippled or useless as most mages would be.
As for the risk of dying, with Asher's fifth-stage Guardian senses overseeing the entire battlefield, he could rescue any one of the mages with just a thought. This was similar to how he had killed everyone in the meeting room in the fortress without even lifting a finger. It was a special technique of the Ingens Spiritas race, and Asher could increase the range of the skill although to a certain limit roughly the size of the entire fortress. Nonetheless, it was enough for him to influence the tide of a battle with ease, especially since his mental strength was on par with a fifth-stage Guardian mage.
With no risk of dying and a suitable chance for success, it was no wonder why Asher had decided on this mission for his team.
"Luther, Aaron. You both focus on the two main heads; Kieran and Tarik. Savia, you take Viper while the hidden bandit would be handled by one of the other three. The remaining two would work with our men to hold down the fort and defeat the enemies." Asher sent his orders to his men using a mental transmission spell.
"You might be weakened by one stage but that's only limited to your magic power and not physical power. Keep your mind on the fight and win this or die."