Chapter 96 - The Enemy’s Base

  Sifu and I had been on horseback for some time, having passed through a vilge a day ago where we left my mother and a troop of soldiers to protect the area. The vilge was two days’ ride from the castle, and we had been following tracks while asding a mountainion, trying to predict the route the bandits had taken.

  Before leaving, I had to vin irritated phoenix that I was heading out on another mission. Cyl didn’t like the idea at all, grumbling and trying to force me to stay, but I eventually mao persuade her.

  At some point, the bandits seemed to have split into two groups, each taking a different dire. We had to choose one of the paths, fearing that the gang might have already moved elsewhere. However, moving fifty horses wasn’t easy, and it left siderable tracks.

  Thankfully, I could reinforce my body with thunder or wind mana since I’m a Transmitter, allowio jump a bit higher. I’d hate to need help mounting a horse just because I’m still a kid.

  “Why do you think they attacked the vilge?” I asked Sifu. “In our territory, we punish those kinds of crimes severely.”

  We were standing, hiddehe entrance of a trail leading into a forest. There were hoofprints indig that the ones we were trag had ehere. Not wanting to take any risks by entering without knowing the area, we decided to check the trail on foot to e was safe.

  “It’s rare, but it happens,” Sifu replied. “Usually, a gang will take the risk every now and then. Because we have zero tolerance for crime, we’ve created a situatiohe locals don’t have to deal with violeen. That’s a good thing… but it also makes the area fertile ground for bandits who want to cause trouble. It’s easier to rob a vilge in a peaceful pce than in one where everyone is used to dealing with such things. Cowards think that way.”

  Sifu was a bit ahead, unarmed, as his hands were his ons.

  I envy that Aura user…

  I held my sword as we moved through the forest, staying off the trail and moving through the underbrush.

  “This is a vast forest that would take days to cross, and it’s near a protected wilderness area. Few would risk going there and fag the mohat inhabit the region,” he said.

  “So there could be a camp nearby?” I asked.

  Sifu crouched and whispered, “Or aire base.”

  “Aire base?”

  “Did you fet that they have fire mages? If there are earth mages among them, they could struct a storucture to serve as a base in a matter of hours.”

  I absorbed his words, trying to lock them in my mind. The strategies of war in this world were entirely different from my former home, mainly because of magi another reality, a warriht die of thirst, but here, a mage could create water. The same applied to bases; with ah mage skilled in engineering, they could build houses or even rger bases in no time.

  Magic truly is incredible.

  Sifu and I tio walk, ever vigint for any movement. I kept my sword in hand at all times, owing it away. Relying solely on mana is dangerous, and in a battle against multiple enemies, every drop of mana could be the differeween life ah—especially if we had to face many mages.

  Every so often, Sifu would approach the trail to check if there were still tracks, while I kept watch, sing the area around us.

  "They tinued deeper into the forest," the monk firmed, indig we were still on the right trail.

  We walked for a long while until we finally reached the pce where the tracks led.

  "A base," I murmured, the structure ahead.

  There was a rge stone building that resembled a small fort. We stayed hidden within the forest, cirg the area and searg for any signs of life.

  "There’s no one here…" I ented, finding the silence odd.

  "This is strange," Sifu agreed, sing the surroundings. "There should be at least a few guards patrolling the forest, and there should be some stationed outside."

  It was indeed peculiar.

  "There were more horse tracks before we ehe forest, which means the groups merged before arriving here. This could be a temporary base, and they might have already left…" Sifu specuted.

  We moved closer, still cealed by the trees, tinuing to circle the base. There were no lit fires or sounds; the pce was pletely deserted. As we were about to plete our circle around the base, something even stranger caught our attention.

  "A horse…" I said, spotting the lone animal.

  "There's just one horse here, but there are tracks from others," Sifu noted.

  We exged gnces and decided to approach cautiously. The only sign of life was that horse, tethered alone.

  As we drew closer, we noticed something on the ground.

  "Someo the ropes that tied the horses, which expins the tracks. Someone freed them," Sifu said, pig up a piece of rope near a stake.

  "Could the person who did this still be here, or did they just leave this horse behind?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

  Sifu gestured for us to head toward the entrance. We moved silently, with him leading. The pce seemed anized, with wooden doors, suggesting it was intended as a semi-perma base.

  We carefully opened one of the doors, and what we saw inside shocked us.

  "Blood?" I whispered, staring at the stained walls.

  Sifu and I exged wary looks, heightening our alertness. The area was covered with blood sptters on the walls and even pools on the floor.

  We proceeded cautiously and soon found a body.

  "It’s been burned," Sifu observed, iing the corpse.

  "A fire mage," I cluded.

  Could a patrol have passed through here?

  "Maybe we arrived too te, and a patrol did this," I suggested.

  "Or maybe someone wao erase evidence," Sifu tered.

  I nodded, and we tio explore the pce. What we found was not a sight for the faint of heart. The pce was littered with bodies, some missing limbs. Arms were strewn across the floor, and other bodies were charred.

  "A squad of fire mages and warriors," Sifu said, examining the age.

  Someone was very, very angry...