Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1690: The Plan (Part 1)

The River Moon Guild had reached its absolute limit. In the wake of the recent chaos, they simply couldn’t look after all of the guests anymore. Their resources were stretched thin, their halls were filled with the wounded, and they couldn’t even spare a single squad of mages to escort the representatives back to their respective guilds. The atmosphere was one of exhaustion and defeat. Seeing the predicament, Liam had taken it upon himself to step up. He had decided to personally escort the guests back, going with them one by one to ensure they reached their destinations safely through the fractured streets of the city.

To make movement quicker and to minimize the time spent in the open, Liam had even resorted to carrying some of them. In his mind, he was acting as a shield, a solo guard dog for those who were too drained or too terrified to move at a decent pace. At first, he was somewhat against the idea. He had grumbled to himself, thinking he could just walk by their side like a normal person. He couldn’t help but wonder why it was just him doing such a grueling task while everyone else seemed to be occupied with their own worries.

However, the logic behind the decision had been explained to him quite clearly. Because of his physical prowess and his specific skillset, he was the one most likely to survive if they happened to get into any tricky situations or ambushes. A large group would be a beacon for trouble, easily targeted by remnants of the noble guild’s forces or opportunistic scavengers. By traveling light and fast, he was their best bet. Lastly, Kelly had mentioned a more political reason: by Liam performing such a selfless act of service, there was a good chance the other guilds would see Raze’s entire group as capable, honorable, and reliable. She hoped they would feel indebted to them, perhaps enough to join the fight the next day when the real battle began.

When the next day finally arrived, however, it didn’t seem like Kelly’s hopeful plan had worked at all. The air was cold and stagnant as Song headed toward one of the southern entrances of the River Moon Guild, one of the few gates that hadn’t been completely destroyed by Trubin’s devastating rampage. This south street was the designated rallying point. It was where any allies willing to stand and fight against the Grand Magus and the noble guild were meant to meet.

The reality of the situation was grim. As Raze stood on top of the high wall, flanked by his close allies and Song, they watched the empty street below. They had already waited over half an hour past the set time, and the silence from the city was deafening. There was no sound of marching boots, no clinking of armor, and no magical signatures approaching their position.

"It’s a shame, but after everything that has happened, I suppose it was an expected result," Song said reluctantly. He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the horizon rather than looking at any of them. He looked like a man who had hoped to be proven wrong but was ultimately met with the cold reality he had feared.

"Those damn idiots!" Liam complained, his voice echoing off the stone battlements. He slammed a fist against the top of the wall in frustration. "So, I carried them all back to safety for absolutely no reason? Not even one single person from any of those groups wants to help us? Don’t they see that this is their only chance? If we don’t take down the Grand Magus now, there won’t be anything left of their guilds to go back to!"

Regardless of his outburst, there was nothing that complaining could do to change the situation. The streets remained empty.

"I already promised that we would head to the noble guild with or without them, and I was serious about that," Raze said. His voice was calm, a sharp contrast to Liam’s heat. He turned around to face Song one last time, acknowledging the man who had hosted them. "I know you are not coming with us. There is no need for you to feel guilty about it. You have a lot to protect here, especially after what happened to your people and your home. I understand that perfectly."

Song looked at Raze with a mixture of respect and sadness. "If you were a large army, I have no doubt that the Grand Magus would do everything they could to stop you before you even reached their gates, and in that case, I would have headed out with you to bolster your numbers," Song commented. "But with such a small group, your entrance will be less dramatic, I imagine. Because you are few, there is a higher chance of the River Moon Guild being targeted in your absence, maybe not even from the noble guild, but from other vultures looking to capitalize on our weakness. Thank you for understanding the position I am in."

Song bowed deeply, a gesture of true sincerity. He had one last sentence to say before they departed. "I truly wish you all the best of luck. I hope you succeed in taking on the Grand Magus. If you do succeed, it would be great if there was some type of signal for all of us to see. Something to let the city know the tide has turned."

"Don’t you think you’re asking a bit too much of us?" Alen interjected, leaning against his weapon. "We’ll be lucky if we can still stand after all of this, let alone worry about setting off fireworks for the neighborhood."

With those final words exchanged, the group hopped off the wall, dropping down to the dusty ground below. They began their journey, moving through the northern sectors and heading toward the south, where they would eventually cross into the heart of the noble guild’s territory.

"So, we’re not just going to head in there with no plan at all, right?" Liam asked, his earlier anger replaced by a growing sense of nervousness as the massive spires of the noble land appeared in the distance. "We can’t just turn up to the wall and fight every single mage they have on staff... right? Raze? Tell me there’s a plan."

Raze’s continued silence was worrying, to say the least.

Deep within the noble land, at the primary structure where Idore was currently based, the landscape had been transformed. Idore had changed part of the palace into a massive, oval structure that dominated the skyline. The palace grounds were tiered, and the section of the city he sat upon was significantly higher than the rest. From a distance, it looked almost like a giant, stone cake. From his vantage point, Idore could see everything; he could see the entirety of the noble land stretching out beneath him, as well as the shimmering river that acted as a natural moat.

The defenses were layered with meticulous care. In between the palace and the outside world, there were three distinct walls. The first was a heavy barricade just outside the palace grounds. Further out, there was a second wall situated at the midway point of the territory, forming a perfect, unbroken circle around the inner sanctum. Lastly, there was the final border edge, a massive fortification that ran right along the river and encircled the rest of the central city.

This was the absolute defense of the noble land. It was a fortress of stone and magic that Idore was entirely confident in. He sat in his high seat, looking down at the world, certain that not even the Dark Magus himself could find a way through.

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