"Crap, the crossbows didn't work!" One of the Jackal members shouted, quickly discarding his weapon and drawing the sword at his waist.
"Where the hell did that water come from? Damn it, why did we even think we could take on a mage?" Another muttered, his confidence waning as he unconsciously took a step back, unnerved by how easily Magnus thwarted their ambush.
"What do we do now?"
Sensing the growing chaos, the two Titan Soldiers leading the group raised their voices and tried to restore order. Their booming commands drowned out the fearful murmurs of the Jackal members. Yet, while they were doing so, Magnus's gaze swept over the lot of them. On the outside, it looked as if he were trying to memorize their faces. But internally, Magnus saw something entirely different. Like a hologram projected into three-dimensional space, he was visualizing a precise trajectory in his mind.
[Bullseye]
By the time the trajectory was fully mapped out, it was already too late for the Jackals to react. In that instant, Magnus casually removed Rokshaata from his pocket, with the projectile section bursting through the air the moment it was free. Its movements were a blur, way too quick for the normal human eye to follow. In less than a second, over twenty-five men had their chins struck simultaneously. The impact sent vibrations directly to their brains, causing their bodies to go limp.
As Magnus caught the projectile section of Rokshaata on its return, their bodies crumpled to the ground in unison.
"Huh?" The smaller of the two Titan Soldiers blinked, unable to comprehend how all the men before him had fallen.
"What just happened?" The other Titan Soldier muttered, his gaze darting between the fallen men and Magnus, trying to piece together what had occurred.
"I remember dealing with guys like you before," Magnus said, slipping Rokshaata back into his pocket.
"That armor around your head and neck is the only reason you're not on the ground with the rest of them." Listening to him, the Titan Soldiers exchanged a glance, doubt creeping into their minds as to whether they should stay and try to fight or just run for it now.
"Not that it matters; I have plenty of ways to deal with guys like you now," Magnus continued. Without so much as a gesture, two spheres of water formed at his sides, rapidly churning and growing in size before launching forward like jets. Celia, along with the other captives, instinctively ducked as the jets struck the Titan Soldiers square in the chest, the force cracking their ribs and sending them hurtling back until they slammed into the far wall opposite Magnus.
As the attack ended, Celia and the other captives slowly raised their heads. A few droplets of water clung to their clothes and faces, but it felt as if the water was quickly evaporating as it broke down into mana, eventually leaving no trace that they had ever been wet.
With all the hostiles dealt with, Magnus made his way over to where Celia and the other captives were. The other captives, still reeling from what they had witnessed and likely under the influence of various drugs, recoiled from Magnus as he approached. Only Celia remained still, her eyes fixed on him.
"Sorry, it took me so long to realize you were captured. Did they hurt you?" Magnus asked, kneeling beside her. He formed a knife out of mana and used it to start cutting through her bindings and gag. Celia shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath as soon as her mouth was free.
"No, Magnus, I'm fine. Also, it's not like I'd blame you for not realizing I went missing all of a sudden. It's my own fault really... I should've been more careful," Celia replied, a hint of reflection in her voice and expression before she smiled warmly.
"Thank you, though. For coming for me, I mean. I honestly thought maybe..." She trailed off, but Magnus understood what she meant.
"Hah, like I'd let you skip out on work for that long. I'd have come to find you no matter what," Magnus joked, making Celia laugh as he finished cutting the bindings around her limbs. She rubbed her arms and legs before standing up while simultaneously remembering to ask something.
"Actually, how did you find me?"
"Hmm? Oh, you can thank Eveline for that. It seems like she wasn't too keen on losing her favorite project partner." Hearing that, Celia looked a bit surprised.
"Really? Huh, I guess that means I owe her a thank-you gift next time I see her," Celia muttered to herself, but Magnus's smile faded slightly as he looked at her with a serious expression.
"She's not the only one." Celia gave him a confused look, prompting Magnus to elaborate.
"I mean, she's not the only one pitched in to rescue you. Grial and the other guards from Takerth Academy are here too. And so is Tola. Honestly, if there's anyone you should be thanking, it's her. If she hadn't come to the academy and demanded to talk to me, who knows how much longer you would've been stuck here? Who knows what could've happened to you..." Celia's eyes widened in shock as Magnus spoke.
"Wait... Tola, Grial, and the others are all here?" Celia echoed in disbelief.
"Of course they are; they're your friends after all. The moment I found out where you were and told them I was heading out to get you, they insisted on coming along. Don't worry, though; when we split up, we sent Tola to wait near the entrance." Tola's shock slowly melted away, replaced by a warm feeling that spread through her chest, making her smile grow even warmer.
"Right..." There was a brief silence until one of the captives made a muffled noise through their gag. Only then did both Celia and Magnus realize the others were still bound and unable to speak.
"Oh, my bad," Magnus said, moving over to cut through their bindings, while Celia went around untying the gags. Even once they were freed, most of the captives had trouble standing, let alone speaking properly. In the end, only one of them seemed to have any control over his motor functions, bowing his head gratefully as he spoke.
"Thank you! Whether intentional or not, you saved my life! My name is Howard Woodland, and I swear I'll do my utmost best to repay you when I get the chance." The vibrant gratitude came from a sharp-eyed older man, likely in his early to mid-thirties. Despite being held captive for who knows how long, dressed in bland clothes, and without a proper bath, leaving his short black hair now grimy, the man seemed upbeat. His deep brown eyes sparkled in the torchlight as he stared at Magnus.
"Uh, no problem. Really, it's fine," Magnus responded awkwardly, raising his hands slightly. He really wasn't good when it came to handling people who were so energetic. When he disguised himself as Cain and had to talk to Syrna, who was practically a bundle of energy that could literally bounce off the walls, he could just act stoic, nod, or shake his head. But now, that wasn't really an option.
"Ah, such a modest young man. Regardless, the Hazle Merchant Guild owes you a great debt, and we won't forget it." Seeing how energetic the man seemed to be, Celia couldn't help but comment.
"You look like you're in pretty good shape for someone who's been constantly drugged for the past few days." Howard chuckled at that.
"Well, it wasn't easy, and I have to thank my looks for it," Howard said, tapping his chubby cheeks before explaining.
"I didn't trust a thing those bastards gave me to eat or drink, but I couldn't just refuse, or they'd force me. So, I'd stash whatever I could in my cheeks until I had a chance to spit it out behind my bed. Of course, I still needed to eat and drink sometimes, so I'm not completely drug-free, but I'm in a lot better condition than those poor fellows," Howard said, pointing at the other captives, who were still struggling to regain their bearings.
"Huh, that's pretty smart," Magnus remarked with genuine admiration, causing Howard to laugh again.
"Well, you have to think on your feet when you're a traveling merchant. Who knows when you'll get ambushed by bandits, suddenly attacked by a monster, or, in this case, kidnapped by traffickers? But I'm more impressed with you, young lady," Howard turned his attention to Celia, who looked surprised as she pointed to herself.
"Me? Why?" she asked.
"Well, I had my build to help me hide the food and water in my cheeks, but I doubt that would work for you. Yet you still managed to avoid consuming what they gave you—that's impressive." Hearing that, Celia chuckled softly, a half smile forming on her lips.
"Uh... yeah, I guess so."
"Well, anyway, we should get out of here," Magnus stated, to which Celia and Howard agreed, though Celia seemed a bit conflicted.
"But... what about the other people who've been captured? And there are still a lot more of these guys around here," Celia added with a hint of spite in her voice as she gave one of the unconscious Jackal members a kick.
"Don't worry. Alwen and Kolten—uh, two knights I came here with—will handle it." Magnus had shared her concerns when he first saw what was happening down here. Although he had initially come only for Celia, he didn't think his conscience would let him just leave all the people he had seen in cages behind. It was already engrained in his memory. The Major General had planned to hold off on raiding any of the Jackals' operations until they knew exactly where all their locations were and had enough evidence to bust them all at once.
But, since they had attacked this one early, Alwen said there was no point in trying to remain covert. The moment Celia and him escaped and everyone met back up, Alwen and Kolten said they planned on coming back here with two platoons of soldiers to wipe out any remaining Jackal members and rescue all the captives. Then, before the other cells had a chance to react to the news of their raid, they would spring on all the other trafficking fronts they had found.
Hearing Magnus explain all that, Celia nodded, feeling a lot more comfortable with leaving, though she also seemed to feel a bit bad.
"It's a shame. Because I got captured, they won't be able to hit all these places at once like they had planned." There was no doubt things would be a lot more messy and uncoordinated since they would be launching raids at the last second without having proper time to plan.
"Don't be; I came here without thinking too straight... If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," Magnus said, with a slightly dejected look on his face. He had thought about what Celia had just brought up when Alwen and Kolten told him their new plan. There would definitely be complications now because of him—maybe even more deaths than there would have been originally.
"Hey now, don't you feel too bad. You did what anyone would do in your situation. Besides, if you really waited a few more days, who knows what would have happened to your friend here, or any of us for that matter? You did what you thought was right given what you knew; no point second-guessing that now," Howard comforted with a friendly smile, with Celia nodding in agreement with him.
"He's right, Magnus. No point in pondering over what-ifs; it'll just keep you stuck in the past, trust me." Listening to the both of them, Magnus's expression lightened slightly as he nodded.
"Right." They had been talking for a while, and by now most of the other captives had gotten their barrings enough to at least walk properly. But just as Magnus and Celia were going to gather everyone to leave, suddenly they heard loud footsteps coming from the tunnel Magnus busted in from.
"Get behind me!" Magnus yelled to everyone. They didn't bother arguing, quickly huddling together as Magnus formed a twenty-layered mana barrier to surround all of them, simultaneously forming an armada of mana spheres ready to blast whatever came through the frame of the now broken metal door. But as the clearly hurried footsteps got louder, Magnus saw the figure that was running their way and lowered his guard, letting the mana spheres and barriers he had constructed disappear.
Everyone was confused about that until they saw that the person who had rushed into the room was a man dressed in armor. They all assumed it was a city guard, though Magnus and Celia knew right away that it was actually one of the guards from Takerth Academy. Upon seeing Magnus, he seemed both relieved and even more anxious. He was clutching one of his arms, which was hanging loosely, showing it had been dislocated, and there was blood dripping down half his face from a wound on his head.
"Magnus, finally—Oh, and you found Celia, thank goodness!" The guard looked genuinely relieved to see Celia, but she was more concerned about his condition.
"What happened to you?" She asked. Magnus was confused as well. He had seen these guards in action, and while they might not be as strong as knights, they were definitely more skilled than most of the Knight Division students he'd seen at the academy; it was simply a difference of experience. They weren't the kind of people the Jackals could easily overpower, let alone one on one; even three against one Magnus felt they would win.
The man caught his breath as he came to a stop before explaining.
"We... We were attacked by a woman... No, she was a monster! She came out of nowhere; we didn't even notice her until two of us were... dead." Hearing that, both Magnus and Celia felt their stomachs drop, with Magnus clenching his fist so tightly that his arm seemed to be trembling.
Dammit...
Celia looked even more distraught, but she pushed past it and asked, "Did she have black and orange eyes?"
The injured guard looked surprised but nodded.
"Yeah, actually, she did. They almost seemed hypnotic; just looking at them made us feel like all the strength drained from our bodies and we were being thrown into some nightmare. In the end... Grial ordered us to retreat and regroup with you and the knights."
Magnus frowned as he asked, "What about Grial himself?"
The question caused the guard to lower his head in shame.
"He... stayed behind to buy us time to escape."
"Fucking hell, of course, he decides to play hero!" Magnus snapped, frustration clear in his voice as he began thinking to himself.
"Hmm, alright. You get Celia and the rest of these people out of here. I'll go help Grial; just tell me which way to go, and I'll memorize it," Magnus said, causing the injured guard to hesitate.
"Magnus... I know you're strong, but that woman is dangerous. I don't think even the two knights we came with could beat her in a head-to-head fight." Hearing that, Magnus frowned slightly. Although they never brought it up, he was fairly confident Alwen and Kolten were both Master-level knights or close to it, so hearing that this woman might be even stronger wasn't something to take lightly. Still, he was confident in his own abilities. Although he had never seen a Master-level mage or knight fight seriously, he was considered a Pseudo-Master level back at the academy.
"Magnus, he's right about that woman. She visited my cell just before you got here, and she's definitely not normal; she has some kind of ability, I'm sure of it," Celia added, worry etched on her face. She wanted to save Grial, but the thought of Magnus risking his life against this woman terrified her. Seeing the concern in her eyes, Magnus grinned.
"Relax; I'll be fine. Just trust me." His words were meant to reassure both Celia and the injured guard, who, after a few more moments of hesitation, relented. He had known Grial for years; even if he couldn't help Grial, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try to send help his way.
"Okay, listen closely," the injured guard said as he began explaining the path to Magnus, who quickly added it to his mental map.
"Got it," Magnus said once he memorized the directions and wasted no time before running off toward where Grial was. As he sprinted through the broken doorway, he heard Celia and Howard's voices behind him.
"Magnus, be careful!"
"Yes, don't get yourself killed before I can repay my debt to you!"
Magnus gave them a thumbs-up without looking back, then quickly dashed around a corner and out of sight. With him gone, the injured guard turned his attention to Celia and the others.
"Alright, come on, let's get you all out of here."
=====================================•=====================================
Dammit, who the hell is this woman... No, more like, what is she? She killed them both before I could even react. She doesn't fight like a mage or a knight.
Grial was panting heavily, his breath visible in the chill air around him. Blood pooled on the ground where he stood, trickling from the gashes in his armor. The deep cuts beneath the metal revealed the flesh beneath. His injuries weren't fatal, but at this rate, he would bleed out to death even if he wasn't killed. Still, his gaze never wavered from the woman standing a few meters away. His blade was steady in his hands, centered on her.
"Hmm, you're not bad for a normal human. Better than these two fools, at least." The woman's voice was cold, and almost mocking, as she glanced down at the two bodies at her feet. They had been beheaded—not by a sword, but by some unimaginable force. Their faces were frozen in expressions of utter pain and horror, with one of the heads still attached to the upper portion of the spine, as if it had been brutally torn from the body.
Grial gritted his teeth, anger flaring at her words, but he didn't let it push him into a reckless attack. He couldn't afford to, not against the monster standing before him.
"It's a shame, really. With your talent, if you had been trained as a knight when you were young, you might have reached the Master-level by now," the woman mused, tilting her head to the side. Her gaze was inhuman, so much so that when it landed on Grial, he felt an almost irresistible urge to step back.
"Oh well. I still need to find that mage and those two knights, so it's time for you to die."