“They are free to do as they please with the worldly soldiers and subordinate armies!”
A series of orders were quickly relayed. Several adepts nodded, and their bodies exploded into black mist, vanishing from the room.
As it turned out, their bodies in Kerslin Castle were illusions formed out of projection spells. Their actual persons were still in their own rooms in their adept towers.
In the blink of an eye, most of the Fourth Grade adepts in the room had disappeared. Only Chairman Freed and Elder Mirva remained. There was a heavy frown on the Chairman’s face. They had attended the meeting in person.
“What do you think about what happened today?” Chairman Freed suddenly said.
“If my estimation is not wrong, that fire adept known as Greem has over a forty percent chance to advance to Fourth Grade. A person like this…we should try and recruit and get on our side!” Elder Mirva thought for a moment before replying.
“But Matthew and Alfred…” Freed couldn’t help but brood.
“Hmph! Their opinions mean nothing! I heard that the Crimson Clan’s development in the Northern Lands has not been going well. Even though they have made allies out of the Fate Witches, they are not welcome by the other witch branches. They also broke out into a war with the Coldwinter Witches not long ago; it’s said that the Coldwinter Witches were the ones who lost. It’s truly unbelievable!”
“Oh, there was such a thing?” As the Chairman of the Zhentarim Association, Freed controlled the adept forces in the entirety of the continent’s Central Region. The daily tasks he had to manage had taken up most of his time. Naturally, he could not pay any extra attention to the conflicts between the witch branches of the Northern Lands.
That said, since this matter concerned the Crimson Clan, he had no choice but to find out more.
“Send some people to perform an in-depth investigation of the relation between Greem and the Fate Witches. If he isn’t a spy planted by the Northern Lands in the Central Region, we can consider recruiting him into the Association. Cough. It’s been over two hundred years since we had a new face in the Zhentarim Association, hasn’t it? It’s about time for us to inject some fresh blood into the system.”
As the two higher-ups of the Zhentarim Association left the room, the place once again returned to ghostly silence.
How could the adepts and apprentices of the Fabres Clan possibly know that their fates had already been decided by several Fourth Grade adepts tens of thousands of kilometers away, in a matter of a few sentences?
…………
When Adept Declan’s stamina reached an incredibly dangerous level, he finally abandoned all his dignity and glory as a Fourth Grade adept. He turned to flee.
The tens of thousands of adepts, apprentices, warriors, and soldiers who witnessed this scene were stunned.
By the time they realized something was wrong, the overjoyed Crimson adepts were already charging over at the lead of their magical machine army.
The same two armies, the same vicious warriors, but when the position of attacker and defender switched about, their mentalities changed entirely.
The Fabres Clan were the ones on the offense earlier, while the Crimson Clan had been on the defense. Now the Crimson Clan were the ones on offense, and the Fabres Caln were the ones on defense!
When the gigantic golem dragon stormed forward with an army of magical machines in tow, the adepts of the Fabres Clan had yet to break free from their utter shock and horror. By the time they understood the situation, a torrent of magic energy fireballs and the energy beams of the golem dragon had already fallen on their position.
Adepts and apprentices alike were blown to bloody bits in the earthshaking tide of magic energy. Pieces of flesh and bone splattered everywhere.
The adept force that had lost their will to resist weakly retaliated with two volleys of attacks before quickly abandoning the formation and fleeing into the distance. The subordinate armies and the worldly soldiers were all left behind to intercept the pursuers from the Crimson Clan.
Thus, a chaotic melee broke out as one party chased after the other, spreading the flames of war to further and further territories.
At the same time, news of the Fabres Clan’s defeat spread in every direction like a plague.
Chapter 1016 - The Situation Changes
The Fabres Clan had been defeated!
The pursuit on the battlefield continued, but news was already spreading out like a plague.
Every person and organization that heard of this news couldn’t believe their ears and scrambled to confirm the validity of it. By the time they obtained confirmation through their various means, time was no longer in their hands.
Ailovis was now a chaotic battlefield, as well as a giant vortex. It was dragging all the adept organizations and forces around it into the fray of battle.
The Crimson Clan’s rampant expansion and invasions over the years had driven away all the adept organizations in Ailovis. When the clan war broke out, these defeated forces and opportunists came out of the cracks, spurred by the might of the Fabres Clan. They became supporters of the Fabres Clan, shouting in favor of them and traveling everywhere to get former Crimson forces to surrender.
The Fabres Clan was not opposed to this uninvited ‘alliance’ either.
After all, the Fabres forces needed to be concentrated in a single place before they defeated the Crimson Clan. They could not afford to send soldiers all over Ailovis to maintain order. As such, the Fabres adepts chose to simply turn a blind eye to these scavenging vultures trying to make some profit by raiding resource sites while the two adept clans fought.
At any rate, once the Crimson Clan was defeated, ownership of all the territories and resource sites they had obtained would be transferred to the Fabres Clan without exception. A few people taking a little advantage of the situation to gather some resources while the war was going on wouldn’t hurt their final profits too much.
Thus, while the Fabres forces were having their final showdown against the Crimson Clan outside Pinecone City, the adept organizations and clans that had reached their dirty hands into Ailovis were enjoying the feast of their lives, freely exploiting and raiding everything that once belonged to the Crimson Clan.
Perhaps the name of the Fabres Clan had given them the illusion of inevitability. Still, it caused them to abandon their much-required cautiousness, and they did not pay close attention to the final battle that would decide the fate of Ailovis.
Consequently, Fourth Grade Adept Declan abandoned the battlefield and fled while the Fabres elite forces left behind the voodoo beast army, the modified beast army, the subordinate armies, and the other soldiers to retreat; the battlefield rapidly spread outwards in every direction.
A top-tier adept could instantly decide the outcome of the battlefield!
Even though the elites of the Fabres Clan were still present, and even though the Fabres Clan’s overall military strength was still several times that of the Crimson Clan’s, all of it became an illusory bubble when their greatest fighting force was defeated. Everyone began to flee.
The adepts that owned magical flying beasts summoned their steeds and escaped the battlefield as quickly as they could. The rest of the elites took out the best of their abilities to escape pursuit as well; they no longer tried to fight against the Crimson forces and instead started running to the border of Ailovis.
Naturally, the subordinate forces had no such discipline or ability. They were quickly routed after a few assaults by the Crimson magical machines.
These individuals had been recruited from all sorts of places and had many peculiar abilities. Some summoned magical beast as their mounts to run, while some turned into ravens, deer, and rats to hide. Some used their innate abilities to hide in towns or villages while others simply crouched down and surrendered.
Faced with this swarm of ants that had just had their nests destroyed, the Crimson Clan decided not to spread their forces to capture them all
. Instead, they concentrated their soldiers and chased after the few, still composed, elites of the Fabres Clan.
If someone were to look down upon Ailovis from high in the sky, they would find that the Fabres elites were fighting as they fled, trying their best to reach the border. Meanwhile, the main forces of the Crimson Clan were using the Motherships, goblin chariots, and other vehicles to travel to important mountain passes to intercept the enemy.
As the two parties engaged in the chase, the battlefield spread to every corner of Ailovis.
While the web of war was cast across the entire region of Ailovis, all of the opportunists and fence-sitters that did not belong to the Fabres Clan-those only here to net a profit and scavenge for goods-found themselves in trouble. By the time they realized something was wrong and tried to leave, all the principal roads and mountain passes around them had become fiercely contested regions that the Fabres Clan and Crimson Clan were viciously fighting over.
Meanwhile, these fence-sitters were like pathetic bugs caught between two raging elephants. They no longer had the chance to escape and survive unscathed!
These opportunists had brazenly trespassed into Crimson Clan territory its and resource sites, chasing away or imprisoning the adepts and apprentices that the Crimson Clan had stationed here before rampantly robbing the places of their resources and wealth.
However, while they were enjoying this rare and sumptuous feast in high spirits, the situation around them took a terrible turn. The entire region of Ailovis had become a bloody battlefield where one clan chased after the other.
These small adept organizations and forces that had placed the wrong bets were caught in-between now. They were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, desperately searching for the opportunity to escape.
Unfortunately, these two clans had gone berserk in their attempts to chase and escape. No one had the time to investigate the validity and actual factions of these ‘allied’ forces. Any outside force with no clear affiliation had only one outcome if they ran into the two clans- death!
Several parties sent out by the surrounding small adept organizations were murdered and exterminated by the two clans.
Of course, the leaders of some of these organizations were smart enough to save themselves. They immediately let out the imprisoned Crimson adepts and apprentices and treated them to good food and service while promising grand compensations to the Crimson Clan. In doing so, they barely managed to whitewash themselves into ‘allies’ of the Crimson Clan.
What could you say? These fence-sitters and opportunists were just that shameless!
After covering for themselves, they quickly waved their flags and joined the Crimson Clan, becoming the most passionate group of people chasing after the Fabres Clan.
While the forces of the two powerful clans engaged in difficult battles all across Ailovis, all sorts of ridiculous and unimagine stories of betrayal and loyalty occurred all over the place.
…………
Stoneshard Valley.
It was a winding valley caught between two towering mountains and one of the key passes of Ailovis, controlling the southwest border.
It used to be a fortress territory where the Crimson Clan had stationed forces, but when the clan war broke out, the garrison was recalled, and this place became an abandoned fortress.
It was noon when the blue skies suddenly burst with activity.
A silver Mothership arrived carrying several hundred magical machines, with the full intent of taking back control of the fortress.
However, just as the four hundred magical machines charged down the ship and got into formation to assault the fortress, a gray flag rose from the tallest stone tower of the fortress.
The sigil of a bloody spear had been embroidered on the flag with golden thread. This sigil represented a famous name in Zhentarim- the Dener Clan.
The one leading the Crimson magical machines was Second Grade Blood Knight Soros. He saw the Dener Clan’s banner waving above the fortress and immediately called for the forces to stop. He started to evaluate the location.
Perhaps discovering the arrival of the Crimson Clan’s magical machine army, the gates of the outpost opened, and a party of adept forces emerged on magical steeds. The one in the lead was a man. His face was filled with messy cuts and plenty of stitches. At first glance, it almost looked like his face had been diced up and bound together with cured and simple rope.
Soros’ heart sank.
The ‘monster’ leading the Dener forces was a Third Grade adept.
The scar-faced adept rode up to the Crimson magical machines and looked down upon Soros on his horse. Even as a vampire, Soros felt a chill run down his spine when the adept stared at him with his murky, pupil-less eyeballs.
“I am Gallow of the Dener Clan. In accordance with Lord Kerala’s orders, I am here to make an announcement. Your war with the Fabres Clan cannot cross the borders. It must be restricted to the Ailovis region. If any side is to break this rule, we of the Dener Clan have the right to correct them!”
Soros’ crimson eyes flickered as he protested, “Sir, this valley is our clan’s asset to begin with.”
“No longer!” Scarface adept Gallow coldly said, “For the sake of supervising and enforcing this rule, we have temporarily confiscated this valley and outpost. Naturally, we will return it to you once the war resolves. You may leave now!”
As Adept Gallow explicitly threatened Soros, the hundreds of clan soldiers behind him slowly pushed forward. Judging from the aura and energy intensity they were radiating, this was an adept force with powerful fighting ability.
None of them might be an actual adept, but strengthened by their magical steeds and their mysterious armor, they could exhibit fighting power equal to an adept. Moreover, the ones leading the force were a Third Grade adept and five Second Grade adepts. An army with this much power would have no problem tearing through the Crimson Clan’s four hundred magical machines!
Soros’ face twitched a few times, but after some quick thinking, he finally waved his hand and signaled for the magical machines to retreat several hundred meters away. He then quickly contacted the Crimson leadership. However, just as they were waiting for orders from above, a large army of defeated Fabres forces swarmed from a distance.
Soros was about to lead the machines to intercept them, but the Dener Clan’s squad of magical steeds stood in front of them and blocked their path forward.
“Lord Gallow, what does this mean?” Soros couldn’t help but scowl.
“Exercising our duty to supervise the battlefield. You are free to do as you please.”
Soros’ nose almost went crooked from anger when he heard the opponent’s casual and relaxed answer.
“Alright, you got us!”
Chapter 1017 - Sweet Sleep
Pinecone City. Mothership.
Gargamel shut off the communication furiously, stood up, and left the command hall. He walked through a long metal corridor and arrived in front of the entrance of a secret room.
Deng. Deng. Deng.
After a few light knocks, the metallic doors opened, sliding silently into the walls.
Greem was naked from the waist up in the room, Mary and Alice carefully treating the wounds on his body.
“What matter do you have to report now? Do you not know that the clan leader is currently receiving treatment?” Mary frowned and reprimanded with a scowl on her face.
Gargamel smiled awkwardly.
“Speak, what has happened?” Greem asked. He could discern many things from Gargamel’s expression.
“All the magical machine squads we sent to the border regions have been intercepted.”
“What? Who dares stand in our way with these circumstances? Who is it? Tell me who is it! I’ll go and tear them apart right now!” Mary’s crimson eyes lit up upon hearing this. She seemed incredibly eager to go.
“In the southwest is the Bloody Spear Army of the Dener Clan, in the northwest is the White Ghost Army of the Entom Cl
an, and in the south is the Swamp Flying Dragon Army of the Banda Clan. More armies of other clans are appearing in the other directions as well, and the magical machine squads we sent on pursuit have been intercepted.”
“Only intercepted and sent back, correct? No direct conflict?” Greem frowned and followed with a question.
“No!” Gargamel shook his head and said, “All interfering adept clans have claimed that they are acting on orders of the Association and are responsible for supervising the battlefield and potential violations. They did not directly attack our clan’s forces.”
Greem thought for a moment and turned to look at Alice.
A look appeared on Alice’s gentle, pretty face that said she had already anticipated this. She explained to Greem softly, “The fact that they didn’t initiate a fight means that the Association leaders don’t want to go to war yet. Intercepting our forces and sending them back is telling us that there’s a boundary to our war that we must not cross. Judging by the implication, the Association has tacitly consented to our rule over the Ailovis region, but we are not allowed to spread the fires of war beyond the region.”
“They say ‘wage war’ on us, and they wage war on us; they say ‘stop fighting,’ and we have to stop fighting? Hmph! Those old bastards. Don’t they just like to manage everything?” Mary’s temper was still as fiery as ever, and it was written all over her face.
Greem sighed and turned to speak to Gargamel, “Notify all clan adepts that our main target of pursuit is still the Fabres Clan, but we can loosen our chase on the enemies outside of the Fabres Clan! However, execute all enemies that remain within Ailovis and refuse to surrender by nighttime!”
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 624