The night was still deep, the sky a vast expanse of ink-black darkness punctuated by the cold, distant glimmer of stars. The battle against the Rogue Hill Sorcerers had concluded with brutal efficiency, their scattered remnants crushed beneath the heel of the Brander Clan's elite forces.
The rogue sorcerers had fought desperately—their backs against the wall, their escape routes cut off—but they had been outmatched from the start. They lacked powerful spells, proper facilities, and cultivation resources. They lacked magic equipment worthy of the name. Most of them had become rogues precisely because they refused to join any sorcerer clan or organization, unwilling to be confined to a single faction for a significant portion of their lifespan. In order to maintain their independence and freedom, they wandered the Sorcerer World, engaging in dangerous expeditions and activities, committing crimes when necessary to gain resources for their cultivation.
