A small distance away from the mine three men stood in the darkness. A few dead beasts were scattered around them but none of the men seemed to be injured.
The two bodyguards clad completely in black patiently stood guard behind a young man. Naturally this was Narteik.
After learning of the EFM team's position, the young man had made his move. A special mixture made from a recently deceased Bisera was used to lure a crazy attack towards the adventurers.
Since he liked to stay in the shadows, Narteik was used to all kinds of schemes. Like this, even if a mishap happened and the adventurers all made it out without a fight, there was still no one who knew that he was the mastermind.
Although Narteik always planned for the worst, he was at least 90% certain that Groob's team would be buried here today. Who knew that something completely unexpected would actually happen. A group of rebels took this way and was attracted by the sound his own trap made.
Naturally the combination of rebels and adventurers had high chances to make it through this fight. Judging from the recordings arriving at his SMT, the young man could tell that the fight would soon be over. As some of the weaker warriors cheered for the masters, it was apparent that the humans were winning.
Narteik frowned in contemplation. Normally he would just retreat at this point, but right now he was contemplating the pros and cons.
Rebels, eh. The Roj-Marrim family would be more than pleased with a dead rebel.
The head of a master could completely offset my earlier mistakes.
However, they have three master warriors while we only have two.
We can't win in a direct confrontation, but we were a bit too slow to arrive here.
We already missed the best timing.
If I send two masters now but the rebels win their fight first, I might just loose both.
Should I send one? A single shadow assassin also wouldn't be evidence for our involvement. Many families have shadow assassins. I think I should risk it. The reward is too enticing.
Finally, the young man came to a decision. He never fought about fighting himself. It would be suicide with his strength.
Fortunately, he had his family's assassins with him. Their devotion was unquestionable since they had been raised by his family since childhood. They knew that one day they might have to give their life for the Pox-Worrim family.
In Narteik's eyes they were resources. Resources he could gamble away.
With determination Narteik gave his order:
"Number four. Go! Bring me the head of a master!"
One of the two bodyguards nodded as he vanished into the darkness. No movement could be seen from his colleague.
Back at the mines the fight was still ongoing. The dead Bisera kept exchanging injuries with its living counterpart. As long as the mage could keep up the mana supply the beast wouldn't tire.
Under such conditions the rank four Bisera turned weaker and weaker. It would soon succumb to its injuries. The difficult fight would thus be won.
On Groob's side the fight was in a stalemate. The beast didn't dare to advance, while the adventurer couldn't keep up with its agility. The bald man might have some trump cards left, but judging from how the other fights were going it would be a waste to go all out.
The most promising battle however was between the rebel leader and the rank five Bisera. Surely the beast was confident in its prowess. How could it have ever imagined that a human would put so much pressure on it?
At this point the Bisera was only narrowly escaping serious injuries. Its stingers were chipped, its movements slowed down. Blood loss and exhaustion dragged down its body. From time-to-time freezing water landed on its limbs, driving it into despair.
The beast knew that death was approaching. It didn't manage to land a single blow on its opponent. It was searching for ways to escape, but the master warrior didn't grant it any chance. He didn't let up, constantly pressuring it into retreat.
As everyone continued to watch they were soon confused. The situation seemed so one-sided, but the rebel leader didn't end the fight. They constantly distanced themselves from the mines while putting on a show for everyone.
A weird atmosphere spread. Some uncertainty appeared on the fighter's faces. Everyone was paying attention to the rebel leader. Even the other master warriors hoped he would soon end the beast's life.
Suddenly a change occurred. Everyone had shock on their faces.
The rebel leader smirked behind his mask. His perception tingled. A fish bit his bait.
He silently proclaimed:
"Got you!"
Suddenly a massive amount of mana gathered towards him. Runes instantly formed below his feet. He leisurely held back the Bisera while forming a complicated spell.
Cold air spread. A mysterious aura radiated form the rebel leader.
Everyone gasped in surprise. Seemingly not even the other rebels hat expected this. The other master mage silently whispered in awe:
"Grandmaster!"
Groob' eyes widened. They threatened to plop out of their sockets.
Lilly stared in amazement at the forming runes. She was enthralled by their mysteriousness.
Iain stared at the space next to the rebel leader. A shadowy figure had silently appeared there.
Under everyone's incredulous gazes a ring of ice spread from the rebel leader. The Bisera was instantly frozen without any chance to fight back. The rebel's attention was on the human next to him, however. A threatening voice echoed behind the mask:
"I have been wondering who observed us. So, it's a shadow assassin. And even of master rank. Well, I know you won't talk, so…"
A loud scream interrupted the rebel. Everyone's heads turned around. Horror appeared on their faces.
While all eyes were focused on one battlefield, another Bisera took a chance.
Groob's opponent suddenly escaped. It mustered all its speed as it circled around the adventurer. The moment it felt a grandmaster's aura the beast knew that they had no hope of winning anymore.
It abruptly decided to flee. Of course it couldn't run towards the rebel leader's direction. Therefore, it only saw a single hope: Escape towards the mines!
With its agility it quickly left Groob behind. Terrified screams sounded out as the Bisera approached the weaker fighters. The plant mage had to keep his spell up and couldn't react.
A horrified scream sounded form the rebel leader's mouth when he noticed the situation. He turned around and vanished. His speed was unimaginable. Not even the rank five Bisera could hope to compare.
Blood splattered. With a sword in his offhand the rebel leader easily took the frozen assassin's head. His thoughts couldn't even keep up as his head sailed through the air.
A race had suddenly started out of nowhere. The rank four Bisera could never compare to the grandmaster warrior's speed. Unfortunately it had a head start. The rebel leader had miscalculated. The surprise brought by his reveal of strength shocked everyone, But the beasts instincts kicked in and now it was crashing into the other fighters.
Screams echoed through the mine as the experts frantically dodged to the side. Everyone of them knew it was suicide to try and block the beast. Dodgeing was the right action. It didn't matter if the beast escaped after all.
Those were the correct thoughts, but naturally they put their companions behind them at risk.
The Bisera's thoughts were suppressed by instinct. It only ran in a straight line, not bothering to evade. It almost felt the dangerous coldness of a grandmaster warrior breathing down its back.
Running for its life, the beast only recognized the supposed safety of the mines in front of it. It didn't even register the few humans it bumped into, as they crashed to the ground. It didn't register the few spells tearing its skin apart. It didn't register the young rebel staring at it with shock in her eyes.
Hoarse cries reached the last rebel's ears, but it didn't help. The young rebel everyone tried to protect earlier stood alone, facing the Bisera. She was stiff from shock, not knowing how to react. This was her first time in the Frozen Hell. She had just been saved by the rebels. And now her life would already come to an end?
A tear ran down her cheek. Instinctively she gathered mana on her body, but what could a young girl do against a rank four best? Her spells wouldn't even tickle the Bisera.
The beast's disgusting face was already in front of the rebel. It was as if time had slowed down. A despairing scream sounded dull in her ears. The rebel leader's thrown sword shot towards the beast. But even so the Bisera's momentum would already overwhelm the young rebel.
Suddenly an impact hit the girl. A heavy object pushed against her hips. Everyone's eyes widened. Iain's deafening shout sent shudders down everyone's spines.
"LILLY!!!"
The young man had to watch in horror as his sister grabbed the shocked rebel by her waist. Together they flew towards the side. But there was no ground to catch them.
There was only an endless abyss.
Lilly's thoughts hadn't registered this. She didn't plan how to safe the rebel. She just couldn't bear to see someone die in front of her.
Her hand shot up, trying to grab onto anything, but nothing was there. The two young women were already falling. They didn't even scream. Fear clouded their minds as their bodies stiffened.
Happy memories already played out in their minds. Of their families. Their parents' helping them through difficulties. Their love for mana and magic.
A second later Lilly steeled her mind. She didn't want to lose all of this. She had just more or less regained her family. She couldn't die here.
An unimaginable resolve supported her entire being. Her thoughts were fast like never before. She was searching for ideas.
Suddenly one feasible idea came to her mind. She remembered the plant mage. She frantically tried to perceive the surrounding walls, searching for vines.
Her body went into overdrive. A massive amount of mana was absorbed, filling her dried-up reserves. She ignored the message about gaining a new skill as she frantically tried to somehow animate any plant life with her 'life'-mana.
Unfortunately, she was falling to fast. How could she concentrate on a single plant with her speed…