Ancient Chapter 27
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Chapter 27

    Kyle and Yukina spent their night anticipating the “raid” they were going to do with the town’s guards. After some back and forth, they settled on entering the Blood Flag’s lair like normal, civilized people. Which means that they will follow the hallways of the labyrinth, guiding themselves with some strands of mana, and not carve a hole in every wall until they got the the leader’s room.

    There were several reasons as to why they settled on this method. First, they didn’t want the leader to fly away, what he would inevitably do if he felt an overwhelming power raid his lair. They also wanted to stay in good terms with the town’s Guard in case there were difficulties finding the researched information. And finally, Yukina suggested that it would help them not get more attention than needed from the Consortium. The later would be way too much of a hindrance if they started bugging their quest. 

    Kyle also chose to not show too much of what he was capable. Until now,his two witnessed battles showed him throwing magic lances, striking both with his hands and a greatsword, and occasionally firing a beam of pure mana. His attack consisting of mana shards scattering in every directions was only seen by three people, and, because they were feeling gratitude toward him, they wouldn’t spill the beans to the first stranger to come. This attack was a really strong move against multiple enemies in enclosed areas and he wanted to keep it as a surprise attack.

    He finally settled on what he wanted to let the other guards see. Since the battle was taking place in hallways, he wouldn’t use his greatsword. Instead, he would use mana infused punches to create explosions. His mantle would also double as a slash weapon if he ever had to fight in a room. Finally, he would cast smaller mana spears to catch fleeing enemies and the like. After all, it’s well known that bandits are gentlemen that always fight to death right?

    Finally finished with his “preparations”, he summoned his mantle and put on pants made out of mana. The original ones he had from his years of captivities was filthy beyond redemption and Kyle hadn’t had the time nor the willpower to go buy new clothes when he could just create them with his mana. Which he did. So he had now ample trousers, metal-like boots and a shredded mantle that was almost touching the floor and had a deep hood. There was also  a hole at the top of the mantle, between his shoulders, where he would usually put his summoned greatsword. It left a gap in his back revealing a bit of Kyle’s pale skin.

    And his arms were covered as usual in this black spiky iron-like matter, allowing him to parry and land hits fairly easily. Yukina once asked him why he was always wearing these strange armor pieces. At which Kyle simply answered that “They are part of me now, like my arms w-are.” The answer left Yukina even more puzzled but she decided to not dig too deep, feeling a sensitive spot.

    Kyle got out of his room and left the inn while greeting the innkeeper and his daughter. Then, he headed at a brisk pace toward the agreed on place with the knights, inside the poor district. 

    He was there greeted by captain Darius and two squads of ten men each. One, commanded by Darius, was the vanguard in which Kyle was going to be. There was then the second squad, charged of reinforcement and rearguard duty. The narrowness of the corridors wasn’t playing in favor of large troops, hence this choice of composition.

    “Good morning! We were waiting for you to start the raid.”

    “How many mages do we have?”

    Darius remembered that his interlocutor wasn’t on the talkative side. “Ah, we have one in each team, they are mainly specialized in support and healing magic. The damage is mainly dealt by our armed men.”

    “I see, they will not need to cast spells on me, I am auto sufficient in this regard.”

    “Ah yes, I was told you aren’t bad at using body reinforcement magic.”

    Kyle silently nodded. “When can we start?”

    “Well, now. Everything is ready, so let’s start the operation.”

    They walked several hundred meters, going down main arteries before venturing in much more cramped ones, and arrived at the entrance of the Blood Flag’s lair. The entrance was widely known, what really mattered was the infamous labyrinth settled inside, deep underground. it was said that several mages specializing in earth magic spent a fair bit of their lifetime digging this maze, making it almost indestructible and impregnable.

    Darius opened the door, and made a sign for his troop to advance. However, Kyle stopped him. “I will take the frontline.”

    Taken aback, Darius answered briefly. “...Sure.”

    Kyle removed the bandages of whitish fabric that were covering his arms, revealing the black armor pieces under them. “The one who follow me takes a torch, then proceed as you best know, I am not an expert of battle formations.”

    He stepped inside the gloomy place, dimly. Some veins were covering the ceiling, they were a kind of mineral that conducted mana, and thus, while fueled by mana stones, was able to make light. Its low consumption made it unsuitable for most tasks but it was an excellent light source. Kyle warned. “Keep the torches lit. It’s easy to remove the fuel source and plunge us i the dark.” The soldier behind him nodded and Darius relied the order to the other troops.


    Somewhere in the deepest part of the labyrinth, Hendrick was sporting a deep frown. His men had spotted the intruders way before they actually entered but he let them come in, knowing that his best chance was to take them down inside the maze.

    Lots of traps and dead-ends were waiting for the squad. It wasn’t the first and Hendrick was confident in the fact that it wouldn’t be the last. This maze was the Blood Flag’s, his domain and everything on it was known by him.

    The labyrinth was built long ago, in an era were magic was abundant, and it took full advantage of  this perk. The entirety of the facility was magically connected to the room he was in. In fact, Hendrick was able to see everything that happened inside his dear maze and react in consequence. 

    The labyrinth allowed him to place traps almost everywhere and its sturdiness was legendary. In short, he was sure that this time, none of the invaders would come back alive. 

Hendrick licked his lips in anticipation, trying to forget this deep, nagging feeling that something would go terribly wrong.

 

Probably only chapter of the week. I have mock exams in basically all subjects I study and I have to edit something for a friend so I will be kinda busy.

I hope that you liked it a that the "cliffhanger" isn't too hard lol.

Anyway, thanks for reading and see you soon!

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