Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The Raul Wastelands were only three hundred kilometers away from the core region of the Crimson Clan. The arrogant adepts of the Fabres Clan never expected Mary to be so ferocious and spent far too much time raiding the place. By the time they had filled their storage devices with loot and prepared to return to the clan for a celebration, Mary had descended with seven Second Grade adepts, Billis, Zacha, and Tigule, sealing off their path of retreat.

  After a bloody battle, the Raul Wastelands were wiped off the map, and both parties suffered a terrible price for their confrontation.

  Two Second Grade blood elves died on the spot, with Mary suffering severe injuries and the other clan adepts sustaining wounds of various severity as well. On the other hand, of the two Third Grade adepts of the Fabres Clan, one was heavily injured, and the other had sustained some light wounds. Five of their Second Grade adepts had died, and countless others were wounded.

  The battle of Raul Wastelands stunned the entirety of Zhentarim!

  In the eyes of the people, the only thing that the Crimson Clan could do in response to the aggressive advances of a veteran clan was to defend their headquarters firmly and await the moment the enemy had exhausted all their strength and finally go on the retreat.

  No one could have expected Bloody Queen Mary to have the daringness to bite back and tear a bloody piece of flesh right off the back of the Fabres Clan. The deaths of five Second Grade adepts might not shake the foundations of the Fabres Clan, but it was no less than a wicked slap across their face.

  Zhentarim bubbled with commotion for a moment. Everyone looked on silently to see how the Fabres Clan would react.

  It was said that the battle of Raul Wastelands had caused the Fourth Grade clan leader of the Fabres Clan to fume with anger.

  Chapter 991 - Slaughter at the Castle

  The curtain of night fell over the land.

  There was a small, rural, and unpopulated forest.

  Through the sparse trees, the dim lights of Xavia Castle could be seen approximately one kilometer away.

  Two adepts wearing the Fabres Clan emblem on their chests glared at the castle in the distance with wicked expressions. The one in the lead viciously said, “It’s here; Xavia Castle. Count Thomas that lives within has explicitly rejected our solicitations. The clan has ordered that we must exterminate these foolish idiots today. Remember, leave no one alive. Every man and animal in that castle has to be exterminated. The spoils will belong to yourselves.”

  The eleven adept apprentices following behind the two adepts betrayed joyous expressions upon hearing this. The five dozen black-armored guards standing even further away burst out into soft cheers.

  “Very well, let’s go!”

  As the adept gave the order, the eleven apprentices led the fifty guards out of the forest with swift steps and charged toward the gray castle standing in the darkness.

  They had already investigated the castle prior to this. There were only two adept apprentices in Count Thomas’ castle. One was an intermediate apprentice and the other was an advanced apprentice. Neither of them could be considered powerful opponents.

  The mission reward offered by the Fabres Clan listed Count Thomas’ head to be worth two hundred magical crystals, and the heads of the Crimson apprentices were fifty and a hundred magical crystals, respectively. The other vital members of Count Thomas’ family were listed between five to ten magical crystals each.

  The official adepts leading the party might not care for such ‘pocket change,’ but the adept apprentices they led had gone mad with greed for the rewards. They stormed onto the battlefield as fast as they could.

  Even though it was already dark, the walls of the castle were still heavily guarded. Several guards were patrolling the entire length of the wall with torches in hand, as if enemies would attack at any time.

  Xavia Castle was only an ordinary worldly territory of the Crimson Clan located in the Ailovis Region. Count Thomas, who managed this castle and the sixty square kilometers of land around it, was only one of many worldly nobles within the Crimson Clan. Moreover, he was one of the most insignificant nobles of them all.

  However, as the surrounding noble forces all chose to defect to the Fabres Clan due to their overwhelming strength, Count Thomas stood out remarkably for his decision to wave away their messenger.

  It could be said that the entirety of Xavia Castle had been panicking from the moment they sent the messenger away. Everyone was waiting for an unknown calamity to descend at any time.

  If it wasn’t for his granddaughter who was studying in White Tower of the Northern Lands, Count Thomas might not have found the courage to go against the will of a veteran adept clan. Little Winnie had incredible talent. She was already an advanced apprentice at the young age of eleven.

  If nothing unexpected were to happen, Little Winnie should be able to become an official adept before she was thirty years old.

  Once Little Winnie became an official adept of the Crimson Clan, the Thomas family would find themselves with an opportunity to rise to power. It was precisely due to such considerations that Count Thomas found the courage to refuse the messenger that had come to solicit his surrender.

  Perhaps aware that disaster was unavoidable, Count Thomas sent away his most capable son along with his most talented grandchildren to Pinecone Town after turning away the messenger.

  That was where the Crimson Clan had first come to power. The town should not have been affected directly by this war.

  Meanwhile, he prepared himself for the worst and silently waited for disaster to descend. His idea was simple. He was hoping that the Crimson Clan would treat Little Winnie and the rest of his family well on account of his loyal sacrifice.

  This way, when Little Winnie finally achieved power, the seeds left behind by the Thomas Family would be able to rely on her to rapidly strengthen and regain their former glory!

  When alarms rang across the castle walls, Count Thomas closed his eyes in agony, alone within his room.

  He was eighty years old now, and did not have much time left. This was all he could do for his family.

  The other nobles might not be optimistic about the Crimson Clan’s future.

  They had chosen to be fence-sitters, swaying to whichever side held the advantage. However, Count Thomas had a strange feeling that the Crimson Clan would still obtain the final victory, much like the way they had during the last clan war. Once the Crimson Clan won, these nobles who had chosen to surrender to the enemy would be facing a bloody purge.

  Flowers grown with blood would grow stronger and bloom brighter!

  Count Thomas had chosen the right side during the last adept war. He had risen from the mere Baron Thomas to the rank of Count. However, he never expected a second choice to so quickly arrive in front of him, a mere dozen years after the first.

  The war this time was greater in scale, and the enemies of the Crimson Clan were even more terrifying. Choosing during such circumstances was only more complicated. Fortunately, Little Winnie’s existence saved Count Thomas from the trouble of having to choose.

  He was old now. He could no longer lead the Thomas Family. As such, it was time for him to sacrifice himself to win the family more space for development!

  Thomas trembled as he sat up from the couch. He drank the red wine in his winecup and stumbled to his bed. In his hand, a gold-laced dagger inlaid with a big bright ruby gleamed with cold light.

  Since the enemy had arrived, it was time for him to die!

  He did not wish to fall into the enemy’s hands only to suffer even more torture. It was better for him to commit suicide.

  Just as he arrived by his bedside, a soft knocking sound rang at the wooden door.

  “Lantz, don’t try to convince me anymore. I will not leave with you guys! Hurry and escape before the enemies enter the castle! The secret passage at the stables in the backyard should let you leave the castle safely.”

  Lantz was one of the two Crimson apprentices that Count Thom
as had hired at a high cost. He had attempted to convince the Count to escape to Pinecone Town with him countless times. Unfortunately, Count Thomas still rejected the offer after hesitating repeatedly. That was why Thomas had instinctively assumed the guest to be Advanced Apprentice Lantz when the knocking resumed.

  The wooden door opened.

  A tall and sinister figure loomed at the entrance. The bright light poured in from behind, adding a golden halo to his figure.

  This person was not Lantz!

  Thomas’ heart thumped furiously. He stepped back in terror and said with a shaking voice, “Who…who…who are you?”

  The tall figure ignored Count Thomas’ question and walked to the window. He looked down upon the black guards swarming into the castle through the narrow wooden window. A strange smile appeared on the peculiar face hidden beneath the shadow of the hood.

  Advanced Apprentice Lantz walked in from behind the towering figure with a lamp in his hand. He smiled at Count Thomas.

  “Alright, Lord Thomas, stop thinking about death already. This is a Lord Adept sent by our clan. He’s here to bring you to Pinecone Town. Hurry up and come with me. The journey is very far still!”

  Who would be willing to give their life up if they didn’t have to die?

  Count Thomas hastily put the dagger away upon hearing this. He couldn’t be bothered to bring any of his wealth or treasure. He called for his closest servants and wives, got onto a black carriage that had been waiting behind the castle for a while, and soon rumbled into the distance.

  The black carriage might be inconspicuous, but it could not escape the eyes of the Fabres apprentices and guards. However, to their surprise, anyone that got within fifty steps of the black carriage was slashed in half by a silent and unseen blade.

  Eight guards and two apprentices had already died to this mysterious killer from the time Count Thomas got onto the carriage to when it drove into the darkness.

  Of course, everything that was happening here had been discovered by the magical eyes activated by the Fabres adepts.

  An invisible eye in the night sky slowly moved to the back of the castle, secretly scanning everything in sight.

  Meanwhile, the black figure was still looking out of the window in the Count’s bedroom. He silently observed the ‘deathmatch’ happening between the black-armored guards and the soldiers of the castle. The castle’s soldiers were all brave warriors. However, they could not defend themselves when faced against the adepts’ guards, who were dressed in magical armor and equipped with razor-sharp blades.

  Just as the black guards charged into the castle for a slaughter, Lantz returned to the room after sending the Count away. He walked before the cloaked figure and bowed, “My Lord, the castle has been emptied. Everyone who should be sent away has been sent away!”

  “Good, very good. Then let my little babies have a proper meal once more!”

  A sinister screech came from the tall figure as countless black beetles fell out of his cloak like dumplings falling into water. These black beetles swarmed across the ground like a tide and surged out of the bedroom. They avoided the apprentice as they moved, making sure not to drag him into their midst.

  Even though Lantz knew that these beetles were under Lord Billis’ control and would not harm him, he couldn’t help but be nervous seeing the tide of insects pass by him at point-blank range.

  Lantz had to grit his teeth with all his strength to not let out a rude scream of fear.

  The fighting outside only lasted for a few moments before falling silent. All the guards and servants left behind in the castle had been killed. The guards and apprentices searching the castle quickly ran into the swarm of black beetles.

  The sound of swinging swords, the crackling of torches, and the loud explosions of elementium fireballs quickly rang out from every corner of the castle.

  The sound of crazed fighting and terrible screams continued throughout.

  However, the guards who had been the predator earlier had now become prey in the eyes of others.

  Screams echoed throughout the castle but quickly fell silent, leaving behind only the strange sounds of gnawing and crunching in the darkness.

  “Dammit! It’s Bug Adept Billis.”

  The expression of the two Fabres adepts turned dark. Their hearts couldn’t help but start beating furiously.

  The bug adept of the Crimson Clan was even more terrifying than the legendary fire adept.

  The legendary fire adept might be powerful, but he had only displayed his power in public a few times. He was far less dreaded than this bug adept who had committed slaughter everywhere with far more cruel and bloody means.

  More importantly, Bug Adept Billis could be considered a core adept of the Crimson Clan.

  They might have failed this mission when they ran into him, but they would still be greatly rewarded if they reported his appearance to their leaders!

  Chapter 992 - The Battlefield is a Chessboard

  There was a large wooden ship.

  Unlike an ordinary wooden ship, it didn’t sail on a river but, instead, slowly cruised through the air.

  Its tall mast, magnificent golden exterior, and sharp ram at its forefront gave it a strangely noble and majestic appearance. The eye-catching emblem of the Fabres Clan was branded on the side of the ship, where it was most visible.

  Meanwhile, groups of organized troops slowly marched forward on the ground below, with the wooden ship at the center of the army.

  Inside a secret room within the cabins.

  Seven adepts gathered before a magical sandbox, whispering in soft voices.

  The uneven shapes on the sandbox represented the geography of Ailovis, along with its most iconic landmarks and architecture. The entire area to the southwest had turned bright green, while the other regions were red, yellow, or a lighter shade of green scattered haphazardly across the region.

  Green represented territories that had surrendered or been conquered, yellow represented territories that still belonged to the Crimson Clan, and red designated territories that were currently contested.

  The seven Third Grade adepts discussed their strategy in soft voices. Every time they made a decision, they took a three-dimensional chess piece and placed it somewhere on the sandbox. The chess pieces would flicker with magical symbols of various colors and designs.

  Whenever any changes occurred on the sandbox, a clan member would immediately record the leaders’ decision and send it outside. Once the orders had been passed down layer after layer to reach the hands of the adepts and troops responsible for its execution, they would immediately leave and hurry off into the distance to accomplish their mission.

  Of course, there were always parties that had completed their mission returning to the army.

  In this manner, the chess pieces to the side of the magical sandbox remained in a constant dynamic state!

  Just as the people in the room were busy laying out more strategies, a few cracking sounds rang out from the magical sandbox. Several chess pieces within it suddenly exploded. Fine cracks first appeared on these pieces before the magic symbols branded upon them dimmed after flickering a few times.

  That typically meant a clan adept had died while on a mission!

  The seven high-grade adepts weren’t bothered by such a phenomenon if it happened at a few irrelevant locations. After all, this was a massive adept clan war; it was impossible for there to be no deaths or casualties at all.

  However, five missions simultaneously failing, and this many adepts dying all at once; it couldn’t help but demand their attention!

  Ummah, one of the seven Third Grade adepts, looked at the sandbox and began cursing beneath his breath.

  Four of the five missions that had failed were ones that he had given out. Even he had to be frustrated at the sheer coincidence of so many of his tasks failing. He felt as if he had just lost face.

  Ummah retook a good look. Chillwind, Silverspring Mines, Xavia Castle, the Stone Tower of Ilga
lar, and Alexston City. Those were all worldly territories or resource sites that lay outside of the Crimson Clan’s core dominion. Supposedly, the forces sent by the Fabres Clan to each of these locations should have been several times that of the enemy. The chances of failure should not have been so high.

  Ummah picked up the shattered pieces located at Xavia Castle and immediately identified the adepts based on the extinguished magical symbols. With his authority as a core adept of the clan, he quickly managed to connect to the spiritual frequency of that adept party.

  “This is Adept Ummah from headquarters. Is there anyone still alive from the Crystal Spear squad?”

  ……

  Ummah had to repeat the same mental message several times to obtain a response.

  “Lord Ummah, hurry…hurry and come…save us.”

  Judging from the spiritual frequency, it was an apprentice adept who replied. However, he appeared to be running away as fast as he could. The message was choppy and experiencing severe interference.

  “I don’t care who you are. Speak, who did you run into? Why did the mission fail?”

  “It’s…the bug adept…it’s…aah!”

  The apprentice let out a pained cry before he could finish.

  The connection cut off.

  Bug Adept. The core Second Grade Bug Adept Billis of the Crimson Clan?

  Ummah’s forehead twisted into a frown.

  If it were that guy, then it would be a lot harder to execute the missions that came after.

  Since the incident occurred in an area that Ummah was responsible for, the other Third Grade adepts smiled and ignored the situation. Only Adept Linus, who was close to Ummah, couldn’t help but send a voice transmission, “How is it? Do you need help?”

  Ummah rejected without any expression on his face.

  It was just a skirmish on the outskirts. As a veteran adept of the Fabres Clan, he had more than enough subordinates at his disposal. There was no need for him to request assistance from the other Third Grade adepts. If he did so, he would be laughed at by the others.