Age of Adepts

Nightfall. The brutelephant’s territory had been invaded by an adept.

After a brutal battle, five deaths, and severe wounds on the brutelephant leader’s part, they had finally managed to drive off the frightening fire adept.

Yet, just as the numerous magical creatures of the Black Forest were going about their leisurely activities the next night, terror descended once more. Maulhill, occupied by the tribe of a hundred ogres, was set on fire. The crackling sound of flames sounded throughout the woods.

The bloody battle persisted throughout the night.

When day once again graced the magical creatures, they were shocked to find Maulhill burned beyond recognition.

The ogre leader, Two-Headed Ogre Zac was furious. If it weren’t for the advice of Three-Headed Demon Hound Unguja, it would have led all of his subordinates towards that human’s tower in a murderous rage.

One couldn’t blame Zac for his anger. Last night, that shameless and sinister human adept had never even touched the ground. He relied on the manticore’s ability to fly to remain perched thirty to forty meters in the night sky. The adept then took advantage of the high ground as he brazenly started to ravage the ogre’s den with large-scale fire spells as if he was a child pouring boiling water on an ant’s nest for the fun of it.

The adult ogres knew how to dig caves in the mountain and use them as shelter against the constantly changing weather. However, most ogres only knew how to set up makeshift tents and shacks as houses.

They had no effective means of attacking an enemy who came from above, especially not a bold one that spread fire while flying in the night sky. The ogres could only cover their heads and scurry about or try and toss stones at the enemy.

The only one with magic powers among the ogres was Zac, the two-headed ogre. However, it only knew Bloodthirsting Berserk and had no mastery over the lightning spells. Consequently, it also had no option but to curse and swear when faced with this challenging situation.

An entire night of bombardment turned Maulhill into Dusthill.

The already sparse trees were all set on fire. The violent flames turned Maulhill into a bald hill of stone, transforming into a tragic scene of smoldering ruins.

That said, not many ogres had died. Instead, a lot of them were burned or had fainted from inhaling the smoke. With their frightening regenerative abilities, the ogres would be able to recover from such injuries in less than a day.

Two tribes had been attacked two nights in a row by the human adepts. These events undoubtedly set the rest of the magical creatures on edge.

As they had expected, the one assaulted on the third night was the Wyvern King.

No one knew what trick the accursed adept used, but he was able to sneak below the cliff where the Wyvern King resided and planted plenty of alchemical explosives there. He then used a single fireball and toppled half the tall cliff.

This sly and sinister action had caused many wyverns to lose their homes.

And this had also wholly angered the magical creatures in this stretch of the Black Forest. They gathered together and cursed the adept’s acts of aggression. Many wanted to once again attack the human’s tower and exile the adepts from their land.

However, the steady and composed three-headed demon hound Unguja shook his head repetitively. He described the last assault that the old lord had attempted on the tower with a face full of sorrow and tragedy.

The brutelephants, who were basically massive hills of flesh, immediately changed their minds when they heard the tower resided underground. They might have been powerful and unrivaled in the Black Forest, but they couldn’t possibly reach the enemy’s base if it was underground!

What were they supposed to do? Dig a tunnel to attack the adept’s tower?

The flaming tigers and Aba beemen were small enough to make it underground. However, they too immediately changed their minds once Unguja described the sea of lava that had flooded their army back then.

They didn’t have the gigant brutelephants and ogres to act as their meatshields. These magical creatures would never be dumb enough to throw the lives of their tribe members at the tough adept’s tower under these circumstances!

However, if they didn’t do away with the tower, then there was nothing they could do about the adept’s reckless ambushes. The magical creature leaders gathered together and chattered, moaning and grumbling as they did so. Still, they couldn’t find a reasonable solution to the issue.

”Shut up, all of you!” Dana the Medusa’s slender hips swayed as she slithered out of the darkness, ”If we are going to fight, then do it. If we are going to kill, then do it. If you lot don’t have the guts to go looking for vengeance at the human’s tower, then at least send men to blockade the entrance and force them to negotiate with us!”

”Negotiate?” Confusion appeared on the faces of the magical creature leaders.

”Yes, negotiate!” Dana straightened her tail and made herself taller, ”Since no one dares to fight, then we will negotiate with the adept! This forest is wide enough for the two of us. There is no need to exterminate each other!”

”And what if the human adept doesn’t agree to talk?” The Aba Queen was the only female of the beeman tribe. She had arrived here with several footsoldiers, but her tribe members had yet to exceed a hundred men. They were currently the weakest of all the magical creatures. Consequently, they didn’t dare start any conflicts without good reason.

”If he doesn’t want to talk, then we will force him to!” Savagery unique to the magical creatures flashed on Dana’s pretty face, ”We might not dare to attack the human adept’s tower, but we can seal off their entrance. If the human adept rejects our request for negotiations, then we will take shifts to blockade his entrance. I don’t believe they can last for long without supplies from the outside.”

Dana’s suggestion was far more in everyone’s favor. The magical creatures thought hard and long before agreeing with her judgment. However, when it came to the topic of who to send as their representative, fear once again appeared on their faces.

Much like their relationships with one another, not one of them would trust a human adept. The human adept was on a murderous spree. Wouldn’t it just be sending a lamb into the mouth of a wolf if they sent someone there at this time?

While the magical creatures were pushing the responsibility around, Dana once again stood forward.

”I was the one that came up with this suggestion. Let me be the one to go!” Dana’s beautiful eyes looked around the area, ”However, it is far too dangerous for me to go alone. Who can come along with me?”

Wyvern King Rrakk felt an unknown fear that caused a cold sweat to run all over its body when Medusa’s eyes fell upon it. It had the feeling that its life would be coming to an end if it volunteered.

Several of the magical creature leaders used all sorts of excuses to reject their obligation. In the end, the delicate matter fell upon the ’unfortunate’ Unguja.

The last war had caused Unguja to lose one of his heads. During this period of rest, a massive bulge had appeared in the location of his original head. It seemed he would regain his title as the three-headed demon hound in a couple of months!

However, right now, it was the weakest magical creature leader apart from the Aba Queen. Thus, under the ’persuasion’ of the magical creature leaders, it had no choice but to accept this dangerous task. Of course, he had a bitter smile on his face throughout the whole thing.

Nightfall.

Dana and Unguja circled past the mercenaries’ camp and stood by the only entrance to the Fire Cave.

Finally, they managed to halt the human adept who was just about to leave. It was the owner of the tower, Greem.

A dangerous and tense negotiation followed in front of the entrance of Fire Cave. Several scouts of the other magical creature leaders appeared in the forest nearby as well.

The evil fire adept was finally forced to sign a temporary truce pact after Dana’s intimidation and persuasion.

The adept’s tower was not to expand into the northern forest for the next two years. Any of the adepts belonging to the Fire Throne were also forbidden from entering the territories of the magical creatures.

In exchange, the magical creature leaders would acknowledge the existence of Fire Throne and place the surrounding ten-kilometer area under the tower’s jurisdiction. All leader-level magical creatures were not allowed to cross the boundary and abduct the subsidiaries of the tower. They were also not allowed to attack any humans who were within the tower’s safe zone.

This pact was crude and simple, but it certainly expressed the reluctance of both sides to escalate the conflict. The limitations and rules of the agreement only extended to leader-level magical creatures and the adepts of the tower. Not a single word mentioned the ordinary magical creatures or the apprentice adepts.

This was also a preparation made for the conflict that was likely to resume in the future!

This pact unexpectedly won the support of all the magical creatures once it was established.

They all believed that this pact effectively restrained the reach of the humans and their adept’s tower. They thought that this had practically chased the human adepts out of the Black Forest. As for the mercenaries and apprentices sent out by the humans? Just as they were trying to hunt the beasts and magical creatures, the magical creatures were also excitedly waiting for a chance to pursue them.

Greem, on the other hand, was secretly relieved.

The establishment of the safe zone would subtly increase the image and prestige of Fire Throne in the eyes of the mercenaries and outsider adepts. A law that even magical creatures would have to follow was undoubtedly impressive news.

Compared to magical creatures, the humans were the best at exploiting rules to their advantage!

The safety of Fire Throne would increase by several-fold once this pact restricted the movements of the magical creature leaders. Greem put down his worries and could leave Fire Throne now that this was done.

However, before he left, he still had to transfer most of the control authority over to Gargamel. After the complicated and strict process of transferring power, Gargamel essentially possessed control authority over the entire tower. Apart from Greem’s room on the fourth floor and the entirety of the fifth floor, Gargamel could go in and out of anywhere else within the tower.

Greem believed that Fire Throne was in good hands. He had the sharp Gargamel managing everything, with Eva secretly aiding him in the shadows, along with Unguja and Dana, their two spies.

Not to mention, the small teleportation array on the fifth floor had also been constructed. If anything happened in Fire Throne, Greem could return here within minutes as long as he was willing to pay the expensive teleportation fee.

Greem finally started on the journey towards Gilneas City after making all the necessary arrangements. He brought along Sabrina and Billis, a beginner apprentice that Gargamel had recommended to him.