"Stay close to me!" Lucian's sharp voice cut through the chaos, and he conjured a frost shield before him while pulling Carrie forward through the fog-shrouded battlefield.
Around them, the scene grew increasingly frenzied. Several sharp-witted apprentice wizards gravitated toward Lucian, recognizing him as a beacon of safety amidst the confusion. Following a Tier-3 wizard apprentice meant significantly better survival odds.
Carrie readied her bow, drawing on her newly enhanced senses. Unlike most who were blinded by the dense mist, she could "see" through a primal connection, pinpointing movements around her. To her, the fog was not an obstacle but a protective veil, shrouding her deadly precision.
From her Origin Bow, enchanted toxin infused the arrows, forming sleek, venom-laden projectiles. She released her first shot, and a strangled cry echoed from within the fog.
"Nice shot!" Lucian commended her. He remained on guard, prioritizing defence over attack, aware that sudden ambushes were always a threat. His focus extended to safeguarding the weaker apprentices who had clustered near him.
Carrie's focus was razor-sharp. One arrow after another streaked through the air, the venom felling several half-fae who had underestimated the unseen predator. Each arrow struck true, her toxin crippling even those who attempted magical resistance.
"She's incredible," whispered one of the apprentices near Lucian. His awe was palpable.
"I thought she was supposed to be weak," murmured another, disbelief flickering in their tone. "Wasn't she just a one-star aptitude wizard?"
They recalled the rumours about Carrie—dismissed as Lucian's pupil solely due to favouritism rather than skill. But now, seeing her rain devastation upon their enemies with clinical precision, they realized how wrong those assumptions were.
Unperturbed by their stares, Carrie focused on the task at hand. Arrow after arrow found its mark, spreading chaos and panic among the enemy ranks.
"She's a monster with that bow," muttered one of the apprentices.
But Carrie's attacks soon drew attention. A male half-fae at the Tier-3 apprentice wizard level, bearing a dark wooden staff, barked commands to his comrades and began charging toward her position. Two Tier-2 half-fae followed closely behind him.
"Kill them all!" bellowed the leader, his staff crackling with energy as he rushed forward.
Lucian narrowed his eyes. In a fluid motion, he conjured three frost shields in front of him, intercepting the half-fae's charge.
"Ha!" The half-fae swung his staff with all his might, the impact cracking one of the frost shields but failing to shatter it.
"Just an average Tier-3 apprentice wizard," Lucian assessed quietly, holding his ground. He feigned strain, making it seem as though he was barely holding back the assault.
Meanwhile, Carrie, shielded by Lucian's defences, continued her barrage. Each arrow was a nightmare for the enemy, her precise aim and venomous payload leaving no room for recovery.
The half-fae leader snarled in frustration.
Then, from deeper within the mist, an eruption of immense power rocked the battlefield. A surge of energy far beyond the Tier-3 level swept through the air, accompanied by an earth-shaking explosion.
"What kind of power is that?" Lucian murmured, his expression darkening. The energy spike was close to a low-level formal wizard attack. It carried the faint signature of plant-based magic, unmistakably tied to the half-fae's natural affinities.
"So, they're bringing out the big guns." Lucian's lips curled into a grim smile. "No need to hold back now."
The half-fae leader before him growled, clearly emboldened by his comrades' display of power. He swung his staff with renewed vigour, aiming to overwhelm Lucian.
Lucian's calm broke into a sly grin.
With a flick of his wrist, Lucian unleashed three vials of toxic liquid into the air. They hovered momentarily before morphing into serpentine forms—three emerald-green snakes that hissed with lethal intent.
The Epidemic Serpent Swarm, a deadly variant of the venom spell Toxic Ring, sprang to life.
The half-fae's confident demeanour faltered as the serpents slithered toward him with unnatural agility, evading his staff and slipping past his defences.
"Help! Someone, help me!" the half-fae leader cried, his voice tinged with panic. The venomous snakes bit at his legs and torso, injecting him with a potent concoction designed to paralyze and incapacitate. His movements became frantic and erratic as he tried to fend them off, but the serpents danced out of reach with each strike.
Lucian watched with cold detachment.
"Pathetic," he muttered under his breath. But his gaze soon shifted to the area where the earlier explosion had occurred, his expression darkening with contemplation.