Chapter 22: The First Ripple.
The Commander's sharp words-"Get ready! We're here!"-caused a jolt of anxiety to ripple through the column. Paranoia set in immediately. Cassian, perched atop the carriage, could sense the adventurers' mounting fear.
The feeling of something being profoundly wrong was crawling on their skins, and they were right to be fearful, as the bright sky above suddenly choked into a deep, heavy gray, not like a rain cloud, but an oppressive shadow.
Cassian felt a peculiar disruption in the air, almost like a localized warp. He had been feeling strange since they entered the woods, a persistent feeling of being watched, but he had dismissed it until now. Whatever was lingering in the atmosphere made his skin crawl, like being touched by an unseen, cold hand. He instantly recognized the sensation: this was the work of a powerful, manipulating entity.
"So, it begins," Cassian murmured, a thrill cutting through his boredom.
He drew a single Arcane Card and pressed it flat onto the carriage roof. The Card instantly began to wither away into fine ash, as if consumed by an invisible, internal flame.
It released a subtle pulse-too low for anyone but a Master Mage to register-followed by the silent activation of a long-range, transparent magical perimeter. As they continued moving, no one else noticed the subtle sphere passing over the trees and ground.
This was a high-tier spell known as Search.
This technique is widely used, especially among dungeon raiders or labyrinth explorers, Cassian mused. The construct blends perfectly with the air, and anything passing through it won't be aware of its existence. When someone or something steps into the Search range, the user is immediately alerted.
"Very convenient. Just something you pick up after getting lost in dungeons and labyrinths many times over," Cassian whispered with a wry laugh. Sometimes he surprised himself with the sheer breadth of his unique abilities.
As they pushed deeper, fear was a palpable, growing miasma in the air, but nothing alarming registered on his grid.
Suddenly, a severe Mana Disruption seized the air around them.
The adventurers and Knights felt it instantly. A sharp, stinging interference made them clutch their staves and weapons. The Mages, in particular, gasped, their internal energies flickering and unstable.
Attackers who relied on physical enhancement were mostly fine, as their strength relied on weapons and little magic, but the Mages, who relied solely on casting, could not conjure even basic spells. Their power had been severely weakened.
"Commander, there seems to be mana interference in the surroundings!" a Knight yelled, his voice tight with alarm.
"Stay sharp! Don't let your guard down!" the Commander roared back, trying to project a confidence he didn't feel.
They continued moving, but at this point, many of the adventurers were visibly scared, some openly regretting their decision to sign on. From the top of the carriage, Cassian noted the stark change in the Knights: he couldn't sense their previous anger, or even fear.
Currently, the desperate situation at hand has utterly averted their attention from him. In a matter of seconds, FADE reactivated, silently cloaking him once more.
Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the Mana Disruption vanished. The Mages and adventurers gasped, immediately regaining their magical composure. The air was stable, though the sky remained dark and oppressively cloudy.
"Hmm, strange. The disruption passed. Does that mean it's over?" Cassian wondered.
His thoughts began to race, connecting the strange sequence of events:
*"First, the sky went dark. Then, the mana disruption, almost like whatever it is, is trying to scare us away... or most likely, those were warnings before it would launch its true attack. So, that means..." *
His analysis was cut short. A sudden, violent burst of energy slammed through his invisible Search barrier.
"What is that?" Cassian's eyes narrowed, his casual demeanor vanishing.
"Something heavy, but unbelievably fast. Coming from..."
He snapped his head back, tilting it to look straight up into the choked, cloudy sky.
"UP!"