The Runesmith

Chapter 723 – Hit-and-run Tactics

“We really should have listened to the Deputy Professor…”

Elian said as he flung a ball of fire into the corridor while his team ran through a tunnel.

“Just concentrate on escaping!”

Selphie held onto her hat with one hand while casting defensive spells with the other. They were all aware that the situation had turned completely against them. The temporary truce between the two opposing groups had not been a coincidence. It was an outright alliance formed specifically to eliminate the leading contenders from Xander Institute.

“Quickly… move to the right! W-We trained for this too!”

Lucienne shouted as Selphie waved her wand and cast another spell. Suddenly, a thick, milky mist surrounded them, obscuring the narrow passage and masking their mana signatures beneath a blanket of watery vapour.

“Keep moving.”

Oxian grunted from the front as he pressed forward. Even though they could barely see anything either, they had trained for this manoeuvre before. The key to their success was Lucienne. She could sense the layout ahead of them and knew exactly when they needed to duck into another passage.

“There, ten meters ahead! Duck into the passage on the right!”

She called out to Oxian, who counted his steps in his head before ducking to the side. The others followed close behind, keeping their heads low as bolts of mana shot past them without connecting. The mist spread throughout the corridor, and after ducking into the side passage, they stopped and waited.

“Go after them! They couldn’t have gotten far!”

They heard other people shouting as they rushed past the corridor they had just ducked into. The pursuing mages’ boots thundered against the damp stone, their frantic shouts echoing through the cavern before gradually fading away.

Lucienne held her breath, pressing her back firmly against the cold wall. Her body remained still, but her mind was active as her clairvoyance mapped out the cavern in precise detail. Seven mages had rushed past their position, completely deceived by the mist and the acoustic distortion Selphie had woven into her magic.

Only two opponents trailed slightly behind the main group. They moved cautiously, casting basic detection spells as they went. Their detection magic washed over the narrow side passage, but it failed to penetrate the magical concealment protecting them.

“Only two people left… I’ll give Leron the signal, just like we practiced. Is everyone ready?”

Lucienne was not sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, she had found herself becoming the main point of their little group. She was not the best mage, nor was she the strongest combatant or the smartest member of the team. Yet, with her specialised skills and unique magic, she was able to guide her teammates and coordinate their movements with absolute precision. In a situation like this, that was more valuable than pure firepower.

She raised her wand and pulsed her mana in a rhythmic pattern, sending a subtle vibration through the damp floor toward the shadow where Leron was lurking. Leron acted instantly. He emerged from the darkness behind the two stragglers like a phantom, his dual wands striking the first mage cleanly on the back of the neck with a localised paralysis spell.

Before the second mage could even turn or utter a single incantation, Oxian lunged forward from the side passage. His massive, stone-clad forearm collided with the mage’s torso, pinning him against the nearby wall. The earth shifted around him, wrapping tightly around his body and holding him firmly in place. Another tendril of stone rose over his mouth, silencing him before he could call for help.

The brief struggle ended in seconds without making a sound. The two ambushed students were disarmed, and soon, with the minimum amount of mana required, they delivered the finishing blows. Their bodies vanished from the event space, leaving behind two cubes.

“This is starting to get tiresome. How many of them are working together?”

Elian asked while picking up the cubes from the ground and handing them to Selphie, who placed them into her spatial bag. The group had been having real trouble in this event. They were being hunted not only by two teams, but by what felt like every team they encountered.

The two groups they had seen collaborating near the first treasure orb were not alone. Soon enough, a third group arrived, discovered them, and called the others for help. While they could more than likely defeat a single team, their chances of survival became much lower when two or three teams worked together. Thus, they decided to make a run for it, and the tunnels proved to be a blessing in disguise.

The narrow passages prevented the other participants from surrounding them. They also made it difficult for the other students to cast large spells or pursue them effectively. With Selphie using basic mist spells to conceal their movements and Lucienne's tracking capabilities to guide them, they could easily maneuver through the tunnels while their pursuers chased after them without any proper plan.

This was something they had practiced extensively with the Deputy Professor. He had analyzed all the previous treasure hunt events and prepared them for every possible type of terrain. In this case, they used run-and-hide tactics, turning the narrow corridors into a series of deadly choke points.

“This is what we get for standing out... but if we continue like this, I think we can still do it.”

Elian commented, trying to keep their morale high. Even though they had become targets of the lesser schools, not all was lost. They were still capable of fighting them, and even if they were cornered by two groups, they could still win a direct confrontation.

“Elian is right.” 

Selphie added as she fastened her spatial bag back onto her harness. 

“We can do this. And it’s not like we are the only ones being targeted. The people from the other top three schools are probably dealing with the same thing. If we can just last out the first few hours, I bet the alliances will dwindle or fall apart.”

The others nodded. They knew that once a few mages were taken out, the alliances would begin to crumble. No one was truly willing to sacrifice their own team members to help another team win, and they would eventually turn on each other once they realized that working together was not helping them in the slightest.

“We should limit ourselves to hiding and finding some easy treasure for now. Let them chase after the other teams first.”

Selphie said this while looking at Lucienne.

“Leave it to me. I’ll find us some treasure.”

The others nodded as they huddled closer and discussed a proper strategy to counter the other schools. Soon, they moved through the tunnels again, with Lucienne acting as something of a leader.

The cavernous tunnels grew damp and narrow as they ventured deeper into the lower levels. Luminescent fungi cast a faint turquoise light across the stone walls, creating long shadows that shifted with every step. Every cavern looked slightly different, making it quite easy to get lost without someone like Lucienne to lead them.

To make things even more interesting, the place was filled with various magical constructs. There were not only golems, but also creatures designed to simulate monsters that attacked them without warning, creating a constant threat as they made their way through the tunnels.

*****

“Look, brother, our little Lucienne is growing up before our eyes.”

Robert commented as the two of them watched the competition taking place. Both brothers were back in the Runic Mobile Armor hangar. Their next bout was close to starting, but the two brothers continued to pay attention to what their sister was doing.

“She is seemingly accepting the leader role without even realizing that she is becoming the leader.”

“But those other mages are truly shameless!”

Robert shouted, making Roland turn down the audio volume.

“That’s how this competition goes. It happened the last few times as well. It’s just a tactic that has proven itself in the past, but this time around, they are up against a team that knows how to adapt.”

Roland replied with a hint of pride in his tone. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the more he watched the broadcast and saw the group of kids he had shaped into a cohesive team, the more fulfilling his role as a teacher felt. It was a strange sensation, almost like watching seeds he had carefully tended finally break through the soil and bloom.

“They are using the terrain exceptionally well.” 

Robert said as he continued to watch them hide in the tunnels and wait for another good opportunity to take out a few pursuers.

“They better be, after all the customized training they went through. They still could be better, though. Their reaction times aren’t all that great.”

Roland watched their performance and still found it somewhat awkward. There were many small details he picked up on as he continued watching them, but either way, it was working. Compared to their competition, they were still ahead, so it was clear that he was being a bit too much of a perfectionist. His brother Robert seemed to notice that as well.

“I don’t think you should expect them to act like seasoned veterans. I think for their age, they are doing great. They are students, after all. You should give them some credit for doing so well.”

Robert continued talking, and Roland didn’t disagree with his assessment. However, he wasn’t sure about the baseline for this world. When he had been their age, he was already in Albrook, a Tier Two class holder who was running his own shop and making full-body magical armor.

Perhaps it was wrong for him to judge others by himself as an example. He was probably an exception to the rule.

“I know... but seeing them leave such obvious openings just makes me want to step in and...”

Roland stopped himself before he could continue that train of thought. It was already too late for that, and there were no plans for any further treasure hunts. However, he was still recording the whole match and was already planning to write up some notes for the kids to study before the finals of the treasure hunt, which he believed they would certainly reach.

“But you’re right. I think we should focus more on our own matches and get ready. It starts in fifteen minutes.”

It was finally time for his golem to start its next fight. Roland informed Robert before heading to the arena where the match would take place.

Previously, when everyone had been hiding their golems, it had been difficult to predict what they would be up against. Now, however, after one glance at the enemy golem controller box, Roland knew instantly who he would be fighting.

‘It’s not the Ironspire Collegium. It shouldn’t be that difficult, then.’

Roland had spent the previous days analyzing recordings of all the golem matches he could get his hands on. The crystal ball projectors did not record anything, but with his own console and know-how, he could do it himself. The image quality was a bit worse than the original, but it was enough to give him an idea of who to watch out for, and there were not that many.

Besides the large, strange sphere, there were only two other schools that he really needed to worry about. Their golems were built from the best materials and had superior operating systems, which would probably prove to be a challenge even for someone like Robert. Nevertheless, the opponent he was facing now was more of a middle-of-the-road team. They had a solid golem with no apparent weaknesses, similar to the first one they had faced, only with an updated model and better armaments.

“It looks like they have similar weapons to us, Robert. I’ll send you the data. Study it and get ready.”

“Sure thing.”

His brother replied, his responses becoming more informal than before. Soon, an image of the opponent golem appeared in Robert’s cockpit. Pictures gathered from the live stream were displayed from various angles, along with a few descriptions of the weak points he should focus on.

Robert had already settled into his harness and simply stared at the images flashing before him. Even though he was new to fighting against golems, as a veteran knight, he knew a thing or two about combat and was quickly improving his skills. With Roland having already analyzed the opponent, the enemy stood little chance, or at least that was what Robert thought.

“Not that many weak points, but the weight distribution isn’t great, and it seems to rely heavily on its frontal plating to compensate for poor maneuverability. If I flank it, the fight will be over in moments.”

Roland nodded at Robert’s assessment as he entered the large arena, all eyes already on him. He was from Xandar, and they were currently in first place and continuing to push forward. It was a stark contrast to their first match, when not many people cared that they were even participating and most believed they would lose.

Just like before, the two platforms holding the golems rose from the ground. Robert’s white and blue golem, resembling a knight with a shield, stood on one side. On the other stood a bulkier humanoid construct, also equipped with a shield and sword. It was wider than the Runic Mobile Armor. Its shield was a tower shield covered in multiple enchantments, while its sword looked much heavier, with a spike at the tip designed for powerful thrusting attacks.

“Let us begin the Golem Battle with a blast! Can Xandar continue their incredible winning streak, or will the formidable construct of their opponents finally halt their momentum?”

The energetic voice of the announcer boomed throughout the massive stadium, echoing off the protective barrier surrounding the arena floor. A loud ring signaled the start of the duel.

The heavier construct immediately planted its large tower shield into the ground, creating a wall of enchanted metal as it prepared for a frontal assault. Mana surged through its frame, casting a bright blue glow along the heavy sword held in its right hand.

The opposing controller clearly intended to force a battle of attrition, relying on raw defense to wear Robert down. Perhaps they were even trying to force a timer decision, as it seemed their magical engine had a larger fuel reserve.

Robert did not fall for the trap. The white and blue golem glided across the stone surface, its movement remarkably fluid compared to the bulky machine across the field. Instead of charging headlong into the reinforced shield, Robert circled to the right. However, the opponent did not follow his movements, and their tactic became apparent.

‘They aren’t attacking… just waiting.’

The golem was heavily armored from the front. Attacking its back was the best way to deal with it, but it kept itself boxed in against the arena wall and barrier. It left just enough space for Robert to slip in, but it was clear that this was a trap.

Robert started attacking, using his sword to strike from the front, but he could not get past the tower shield and bulky sword the opponent wielded. Even though his sword was heated and he used his own shield to bash against the other golem, they were at a stalemate, or at least that was what it looked like.

‘I guess we’ll have to show some of our hand this time…’

Roland had predicted something like this would happen. In the past, some matches had been quite grueling, with the golems grinding against each other for hours and wearing down their power until one of them could no longer move. The rules had not fully adapted to counter this way of fighting, but there was a time limit. After two hours of inactivity, the match would be called to an end, and a group of judges would decide who had won.

This was something to be avoided, as status was also a factor these mages relied on. They hoped that their influence might tilt a close decision in their favor, and depending on who the judge was, it sometimes did.

“Robert, you have permission to activate your support gear. Use it to get that golem to move away from the wall.”

Robert did not answer. Instead, he pressed a button on the console in front of him. As soon as he did, his golem’s shoulders began to move upward, and from behind each one, a shape emerged. They resembled dodecahedrons, larger versions of the floating golems Roland used himself, only simpler. They were controlled by the white Runic Mobile Armor’s internal system rather than having programs of their own. 

The crowd was intrigued. They had never seen a golem deploy anything like that before, and the strange shapes only added to their curiosity. However, the surprise did not last long. The newly deployed constructs quickly moved forward, rising into the air and forming up around Robert’s golem, ready to help him bring the match to a quick conclusion.