Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1695: Don’t Get Caught (Part 2)

When entering the heart of the Noble Guild territory, Raze was, of course, mentally prepared to be found out at any given point and time. He walked with a calculated gait, fully aware of the risks. Who knew what sensory items they had in their possession, what magical security systems they had in place, or whether any given individual would actually believe his facade or not? He was playing a high-stakes game of poker where the price of a tell was his life.

From what he could gather through his initial observations, things would only get stricter and harder to navigate the further he progressed toward the inner walls. The security density increased the closer one got to Idore. He had hoped that by staying in the outer sector for now, he would be relatively more safe. This was exactly why he had already made a decision on his sequence of operations.

His plan was methodical: once he had identified the key members to eliminate at each of the outer barracks, he would set up a secured path for the others to follow. By decapitating the local leadership first, he could ensure his team had a foothold. Because of this, he was truly hoping he wouldn’t be found out so soon, as it would force him to move before the pieces were fully in place.

Before heading away from the first guard, Raze turned back and looked the mage in the eye, maintaining his composure.

"I’m afraid that during my fight, the device was destroyed," Raze answered, his voice steady. "Dark Magic is quite fiddly with how it seems to work. The surge was unexpected, and the communicator simply couldn’t handle the interference."

Raze was hoping this was a plausible enough answer. These communicators usually had a high level of resistance to standard elemental magic; something created by a master like Idore would undoubtedly have strong wards. However, if they were talking about the chaotic and corrosive nature of Dark Magic, it would at least provide a believable exception for the device’s failure.

The man let out a long, heavy sigh of annoyance.

"They won’t let you through the second wall without your communicator. You should know that as well as anyone," the man said, shaking his head. "But then again, you haven’t really been one for following the rules, have you, Natty?"

The man pointed toward the distance. "Head to the third barracks. Even you should be able to read the numerals above each of the guild halls. Over there, the logistics team will give you a replacement communicator, and then you can go make your report to the inner circle."

After receiving the information, Raze gave a slight, perfunctory bow. He was careful not to make it too deep or respectful; he had to stay in tune with Natty’s overconfident and somewhat arrogant nature. For now, it seemed the lie had held, and he was free to move deeper into the complex.

As Raze left the area and walked toward the third barracks, he started to think about a few technicalities. If each of the barracks set up by the walls had their own internal systems, it meant there was almost certainly a direct path to the Underside located within each facility for maintenance and drainage. Ideally, he wanted to secure one of these points. He envisioned bringing his team through the tunnels, dealing with everyone inside the barracks quickly, and using the facility as a forward base.

’If it’s the third barracks that handles the distribution of communication devices, it’s bound to have more high-level information as well,’ Raze thought. ’I can use that access to figure out exactly where the key members are stationed, the ones who will actually give me trouble.’

Since Raze was getting better at this art of lying and social engineering, he was feeling a surge of confidence. He truly believed he wouldn’t be caught until he was ready to strike.

The third barracks stood out immediately. It had three long lines of mages waiting outside the building and even the gates to get in were heavily reinforced. It was clearly the largest of the six locations, a fact Raze had noted when he first passed by. This was part of the reason he hadn’t gone to this location first; a larger crowd meant more eyes and more chances for someone to recognize a flaw in his disguise.

Entering the grounds was fairly easy despite the crowd. Raze wore the high-ranking robes, and everyone seemed to recognize Natty’s face. It was expected, as she had been a famous and formidable mage within the Noble Guild even before the recent string of chaotic events.

As he was let into the inner courtyard, however, he noticed something immediately. Within the grounds of the barracks, a massive event was taking place. There was a staggering amount of people gathered. Rather than heading straight inside to the logistics desk, Raze took a moment to peek at the field outside, and he could see the reality of Idore’s expansion.

There were hundreds of mages sitting down in the grass, while others were being moved through various stations as if going through an official assessment. Those being tested didn’t wear the standard-issue clothing of the Noble Guild. These were the new allies, the opportunistic guilds that had agreed to join the Noble Guild after the conflict in the North and the recent skirmishes involving Raze’s resistance.

’I guess they’re going through a selection process to test their skills,’

"Hey!" a voice called out sharply from behind him.

Raze had been watching from afar, standing within a shadowed tunnel that connected the sleeping quarters to the main building of the barracks. The tunnel sat on a slight downhill slope, providing a good vantage point over the training fields without being too exposed to the hundreds of mages outside.

"Ah, I came here to get a new communicator since mine was destroyed," Raze explained, turning around slowly and keeping his voice calm. "But I got distracted for a moment. I was looking at the new recruits we’ve brought in."

The man in the tunnel stepped closer, his brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at Raze’s face, then stepped back as if he had seen a ghost.

"Wait a minute... Natty?" the man whispered, his eyes widening. "But... Carlos came back hours ago. He reported that you were dead. He told the council he saw the Dark Magus kill you directly with his own eyes!"

Raze’s eyes narrowed in that moment. The air in the tunnel suddenly felt cold. Instantly, he knew there was only one thing he could do to stop the alarm from being raised. He looked to his side, his peripheral vision confirming that no one else was paying attention to this specific corridor.

With a movement too fast for the human eye to follow, Raze reached out. He grabbed the mage’s face, his palm covering the man’s mouth to stifle any scream. At the same time, he blasted a small, concentrated amount of Dark Magic directly into the man’s skull. The magic acted like a silent poison, killing the mage in an instant. Raze caught the body before it could hit the floor.

"Change of plan... slightly," Raze whispered to the empty tunnel.

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