Although the space before the ruins and the large hill was mostly visible, it wasn't without bumps and small mounds, which I was darting between, just in case. The spell made me invisible to them, but I couldn't rule out the possibility they had artifacts. After all, I'd never heard of a whip that could unleash energy arcs either.
The closer I got, the calmer I became. You'd think it should be the opposite, but by now, I was certain that they didn't have artifacts capable of detecting my magic at hand. Otherwise, they would've distributed them to their sentries. Or maybe they were just idiots, and only their elite carried such gear.
Climbing the hill, I circled around the main, well-guarded passage through one of the inner walls of the castle — where there had likely once been a gate. Or not; who knows with ancient Fomorian architecture? To the right, however, there was another entrance, one that was unguarded. I slipped through it, realizing something important as I went.
The size of the castle was clearly built to match this magical race — it was perfectly sized for creatures that were three to four meters tall, but gigantic for ordinary humans.
And it seemed I had underestimated the number of creatures here. There were far more than I initially thought. Either my memory was failing me, or there were hundreds of these violet-skinned brutes milling about. Still, despite their impressive size and numbers, a well-trained Auror Star — five battle-ready wizards — could clear this place without losing anyone. They weren't trolls, after all.
The only real concern I had was the hunched figure with lighter skin... and a staff.
Though shorter than the others, this creature was clearly some kind of officer, judging by the emotional tone of its barks in a language I didn't understand and the way the larger Fomorians responded to it. And yes, it was obvious now that it was a mage. It had at least a dozen magical items on it: golden rings, bracelets, amulets... and who knew what in those well-made pouches?
For now, it didn't notice me, but who knew? It might cast something if it got suspicious.
I carefully gave the creature a wide berth, taking a few extra turns — some of which were not entirely natural passageways — and continued onward.
Where was I headed? To the main boss, of course. By the rules of this genre, the thing I needed was either with the big bad or in its treasure room. If the sword was still intact, and considering it was once the talking sword of their king, the local head honcho would definitely have claimed it as a status symbol. And probably a powerful one, at that.
The main boss would likely be in the throne room, which I'd already spotted — it looked relatively intact from the outside.
...That's when the Fomorians first noticed me.
Two of them, clearly elite guards — probably bodyguards or something similar — started talking animatedly as I got closer, shifting their grips on their spears. Unlike the mismatched gear of their lesser kin, these two were equipped with identical weapons and fully enclosed armor.
However, they hadn't spotted me directly, or they would've attacked already. I had only shown them my head while I scouted the throne room entrance. But they were definitely suspicious.
Either way, walking straight through the main entrance was out of the question. Then I noticed something that made me grin. There were gaps in the walls. Too small for the local inhabitants, but just right for me.
Crawling through on all fours wasn't glamorous, but it got me into what appeared to be a hallway encircling the throne room. No guards here... but there was a mage!
I quickly backed out, crawling in reverse, and returned to the passage.
It must've looked ridiculous from the outside, but I wasn't in the mood for laughter. This creature looked more refined and less grotesque than the others, which by the laws of fiction, made it more elite. Hunkering down against the wall, I peeked around the corner, waiting for the mage to walk out of the corridor.
Finally, I saw its bare feet, and I carefully glanced inside, letting my eyes follow its relatively frail body as it rounded a corner. I let out a cautious breath. While less dangerous than the guards — since there were no obstacles for an Avada Kedavra — dispelling my invisibility now would be premature.
Heading in the opposite direction, I soon came across a half-open door that had to be at least four meters tall.
Such carelessness. They didn't think a human would make it this far? Big mistake...
Squeezing through the remaining gap, I found myself in the northeastern part of the throne room, on an elevated platform where the throne was located. Fortunately, it was slightly ahead and diagonal to me, and judging by the massive hand resting on the armrest, someone was there.
However, what caught my attention wasn't the probable big boss, but the kneeling mages in front of him — just like the one I'd seen earlier in the corridor. All of them had their eyes closed, and they appeared to be in some kind of joint meditation... and... hmm...
Hmm!
Were they channeling their magic into the figure on the throne?
And judging by the signs — including purely visual ones — in massive amounts. Damn, that's not good. I don't care what they're planning to do next or where they plan to invade — it's not my problem. Someone else will stop them eventually. But right now, it's getting in the way of my plans.
If only I had something big enough to wipe them all out at once... But I don't have anything that devastating! Information about that kind of magic isn't exactly easy to come by, and I'm still just a fifteen-year-old kid! Sure, I'm a reincarnator, and yeah, I'm talented in magic, but that doesn't mean I have Mary Sue-level abilities.
Heh, alright, calm down, Adalbert. Calm... down. Think.
Killing some of the mages or the guy on the throne would probably disrupt the ritual... but what would I do about the survivors? It wouldn't be a problem if there were only a few; Avada Kedavra could even the odds given their size. But they could literally crush me in their numbers. I could feel that these guys were way more dangerous than the crow had been.
This is a problem.
There is one solution, though. I could hit them with Fiendfyre. But first, I'm not great at controlling it, and I might end up like one of Malfoy's henchmen. Second, there's a risk I'll damage or destroy the sword if it's with the guy on the throne.