Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Chapter 672: Interception

Away from the clamor of the main battalion, the forest’s unique, viscous silence enveloped them once more.

At this moment, the silver glow of Suren’s moon was gradually intensifying, dispersing some of the dark red afterglow left by Shar, casting a cold silver-gray tone over the forest. Visibility was much improved, but shadows remained dense, especially in the recesses and cracks of the rock wall.

Master Ted swiftly assigned tasks, and the five newly joined Wizards began setting up triggered magic traps, trip cords, and energy disruption runes at the entrance of the passage, mid-section, and atop the rock walls.

Una and Hal were dispatched to the farther areas of the forest on both ends of the passage to guard and surveil a larger range of movements.

Aiven and Shadow Raven were responsible for watching over this temporary campsite and monitoring the status of the traps being triggered.

Master Ted himself stayed at the center, ready to respond to any sudden situations.

As for Duke, he was assigned a seemingly simple task that required patience and delicate perception.

He was responsible for selecting several key positions on the side of the passage, near the misty fissure, to plant Tranquility Dust.

This was an alchemical product, which, once spread, could greatly absorb and suppress the transmission of sound and energy vibrations within a certain range, specifically aimed at dealing with those highly skilled in stealth who might try to silently slip past, like dark elf messengers or small squads.

The task was simple, and Duke completed it quickly, then began searching for a place to hide himself.

He chose a recess in the rock wall, where his view was relatively concealed but still allowed observation of most of the passage.

Time passed slowly in waiting. From the depths of the distant forest, a dull, rolling thunder-like rumble could faintly be heard, and flashes of magic intermittently lit up small patches of sky through the layers of the canopy.

The battles in the other three directions had already commenced.

The direction under their charge, towards the Mu Ye clan, did not yet show signs of large-scale conflict, and the Slave Legion dispatched by Master Ted was probably still approaching and clearing the outskirts.

Suddenly, Aiven, who was monitoring the traps, quietly warned, "There’s movement! East side, two traps have been triggered, it’s small creatures... no, the energy response is very faint but very pure, like... a moonlight beacon?"

Almost simultaneously, Una sent back a brief mental message from the front: "Target spotted, three of them, very fast, moving using shadows and treetops, heading towards the pass. One has a very strong energy response, possibly Level 2."

They’re coming! Dark elves seeking aid or attempting to escape.

Master Ted’s eyes sharpened as he immediately issued orders: "Prepare to intercept! Aiven, activate all energy disruption runes, cut off possible moonlight transmissions! Shadow Raven, occupy the left high point cave! Duke, come to my side, be ready for spell attacks! The rest, act according to plan, let the first one pass, take down the other two, prioritize killing or capturing the one with strong energy!"

Duke immediately stood up, came to Master Ted’s side, and quietly summoned a portion of metallic yellow sand, which spread like fine dust across the ground around him for several meters.

Within just tens of seconds, three blurred figures, like silver gusts of wind skimming the ground and rock walls, burst out from the forest on the east side of the passage at incredible speed.

The leading figure was exceptionally agile and almost merged with the wavering shadows of the trees, skillfully avoiding the most obvious trap triggers, seemingly about to dash past the mid-section of the passage.

At that very moment, several pre-arranged runes on the rock walls on both sides of the passage lit up simultaneously, generating a field of chaotic energy that interfered with all orderly energy transmissions, particularly sensitive to moonlight energy.

The leading figure noticeably hesitated, revealing herself slightly from her perfect stealth state: a slender elf carrying a short bow, with a flash of anger on her face.

In that instant, from the high rock wall on the left, Shadow Raven swooped down silently like a real night raven, his black dagger aiming straight for the elf’s back.

On the right, Una and Hal’s figures also flashed out from the shadows, blocking her path from both sides.

The other two figures following the elf reacted a bit slower, being momentarily obstructed by the triggered traps—a paralyzing electric net suddenly exploding from the ground and a poisoned crossbow bolt shot from the rock wall, though not directly hitting, succeeded in disrupting their rhythm.

One of them, an imposing elf warrior at Level 2 holding a Moonlight Scimitar, roared angrily, cutting down several incoming energy arrows, intent on rescuing his companion.

"Your opponent is me." Master Ted’s cold voice rang out. He did not move, but lightly tapped the ruler-like magic wand in his hand, sending forth several condensed, pale yellow rays containing analytical and binding energy, like precise chains, instantly entangling the Level 2 elf warrior, holding him firmly.

The battle at the front quickly concluded. The encircled elf scout was formidable, but under the eerie assassination of Shadow Raven, Una’s agile dual blades, and Hal’s insidious sneak attacks, she was soon covered in wounds, before Una delivered a precise kick to her knee, forcing her to kneel, and she was shackled with special magical restraint cuffs.

Only the Level 2 elf warrior continued to delay Master Ted.

His swordplay was fierce, and his moonlight Fighting Spirit was blazing, but under Master Ted’s precise and efficient spell constraints, he couldn’t break through. Seeing his companions captured, despair and madness flashed in his eyes, as if preparing for a desperate struggle.

At this moment, Duke’s brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

His Spiritual Power sensed that in the deeper forest on the farther east side of the passage, faint but swift energy reactions seemed to be circling around in another direction, attempting to bypass the wind-eroded pass.

"Master, in the eastern woods, there are at least two or three still at large, trying to go around from the south." Duke quickly whispered, transmitting the message to Master Ted.

Master Ted’s gaze sharpened; without pausing his spellcasting, he said in a low voice: "Una, Shadow Raven, take two others with you, pursue them! You must intercept them!"

Una and Shadow Raven unhesitatingly nodded, choosing two speed specialists from the mercenary Wizards, and they leaped into the eastern woods like leopards pursuing prey.

The number of personnel at the interception point suddenly decreased.

The Level 2 elf warrior, evidently seizing the opportunity, let out a frenzied shout, ignoring the energy ray shot by Master Ted that exploded in a bloom of blood on his shoulder, as his entire body erupted in burning moonlight Fighting Spirit, forcibly shaking off the surrounding spell bindings. Twisting his form, he no longer attempted to rescue his companions or break through, instead leaping towards the fissure shrouded in faint purple mist.

"Trying to escape into the mist?" Master Ted scoffed coldly, promptly pointing with his magic wand, as a thick chain of energy shot into the mist-filled fissure, followed by a muffled sound and a faint groan.

But soon, the elf warrior’s presence faded into the depths of the mist, his fate unknown.