Slias crafted a light spell and let it float around the group.
"Careful."
Roland nodded.
Ice-pick closed her eyes and opened, her crimson eyes deepened as a wave of demonic energy rose from her body. Roland turned to look at her and chuckled to himself.
Ice-pick tilted her head and asked. "Why are you laughing? I am just preparing my ability?"
"Sorry." Roland smiled. "It is just strange that you are here to save someone with us. Normally, you are the big bad."
"Oh." Ice-pick murmured. "Yeah. I am different from all the demons. In fact, I am even superior to those after all, I am searching for the greatest treasure."
Silas looked at the two and sighed. "I spread mana around the two floors but didn't find any living beings. But someone in the basement stopped my advancement. We should check that out first."
The two nodded. Thus, a pair of polar opposite forces and their cowardly leader entered the basement.
Immediately the temperature dropped.
Mist formed under their breaths.
"Magecraft?" Roland asked.
Silas shook his head, checking the mana around them. "It is just the passive effect of his domain."
Roland frowned. "But I believe Domains were part of the seventh circle advancement. Is our enemy the seventh circle mage?"
"No." Silas said. His tone was direct. There was no mistake in his voice as if he knew for sure that the mage is not the seventh circle.
"Because he is getting closer to death, his magic breaks through. It is not strange for an old mage to gain power and suddenly die from natural age." Silas explained.
"It is like the world is giving them hope and taking them back." Ice-pick said.
"Not Hope. It is a test. Some crazy old men in history took that power and advanced their craft, extending their lives. Anyway, this is both good and bad for us." Silas chuckled.
"Why?"
"First, he is getting used to his new found power. That means his attack will be unrefined for a skilled mage. But don't underestimate, he is still a skilled mage." Silas paused. "But of course, he can just use the spell he was familiar with and kill us instantly."
"That is a scary thought." Roland muttered.
They stopped at the center of the basement, looking down, they noticed a door which led to the underground. The door was closed by spell.
Silas crouched down and scanned the spell crest.
"Can you open it? Or should I just destroy it?" Roland said.
"I can charm it as well."
The thought of Ice-pick seducing the old door came to his mind and disappeared in a flash. He didn't want to imagine that.
"No need. I can do it. It would be better if I am the one doing it." Silas said, placing his hand on the door. The spell broke and was replaced by a new one.
The door opened automatically, revealing an old staircase to them.
Silas mentally ordered the floating light around him. The light flew into the staircase, showing them a pathway underneath.
"Well, shall we go?" Silas said.
Roland led the group with his nimble physique.
There were no traps or spells on the way inside. It was so carefree that if not from the cold, they would have thought it was just a regular secret lair.
But it was the base of the sixth circle mage. It was bound to be dangerous.
As they went on, the conversation between them slowed down.
At the end of the staircase was a pathway. The pathway was large enough to fit two school buses from the earth.
Silas took out his sword and braced himself.
"Looks like this path is the one that kid is talking about." Ice-pick said.
Roland nodded. "He said about monsters, right? They howled or something like that."
As the light drove deeper into the pathway, a pair of blue eyes revealed from the darkness. The growling echoed in the pathway, followed by movement of something stepping.
And slowly, the eyes multiplied. One pair. Two pairs. Three pairs.
Silas lost count of the number. He chuckled. They were all wolves. But looking at their traits, Silas knew what they were facing.
Spectral Wolves.
Their fur was thick and had a color of blue to it. They were much bigger than regular wolves, reaching almost the size of a car. Their claws were sharp.
But Silas was not worried about their physical stats. If that was all they had, they were just a prey to knights like Roland.
They couldn't be hurt by regular weapons. You needed to attack them with a weapon imbued with energy or spell.
That meant, wasting energy at the start.
Thamior probably planned that.
'What a crafty old man? How did he acquire the wolves? They are notoriously hard to tame. Ah..' Silas's eyes widened. 'Mind control Crest.'
Roland took a stance and dashed forward. The knowledge of Spectral Wolves was easily accessible for regular folks. Silas didn't need to warm the other.
"Come. I will be an evil you have to slay. Come to me, childs. Come and give me." A booming voice echoed the pathway, coming from the path behind the wolves.
It was no doubt from Thamior.
"Yeah. We are coming at you, bastard." Roland yelled. "You will pay for all you have done."
The voice went silent.
Silaid was sweating at the thought of the sixth circle mage coming up at him because of Roland provocation.
Thankfully, Thamior was not that kind of person. He was a wise mage. He knew how to stay alive. He knew how to live.
If he fell for such provocation, he would have already died at a young age.
Roland clicked his tongue and focused on the wolves. One wolf jumped forward and landed onto him.
Roland dodged the assault and cut the wolf's front limbs. The wolf dodged the sword by turning its body part into a mist.
Beside the ability to not die under the regular weapon, they also had supernatural abilities.
Fire, Water, Wind.
Their abilities derived from these three affinities.
The ability to cover itself with blue flame.
The ability to conjure the wind attack.
The ability to turn itself to the water vapor.
These were the standard abilities of Spectral Wolves.
"Roland, don't kill them yet. Drag a little to see their abilities." Silas ordered.
Roland nodded. "I will make sure to hold back."
Roland circulated energy inside his heart and evenly spread around his body. The strength, speed, reaction. Everything exploded.
He then used battle technique engraved into the second circle.
Wind Flow Footwork. The technique which allowed him to mimic the wind.
He moved past the wolves and attacked them. As he didn't intend to kill them, he just used his sword to engage how the wolves respond to his attack.
"Fall back." Silas ordered.
Roland backflipped and double jumped in the air, landing gracefully beside Silas.
"Good job, revealing their abilities. There are no strange abilities in wolves." Silas said. "You remembered the wolves and their abilities right?"
Roland nodded.
"Good. You attack the one which can use Wind." Silas said. "I will attack one with flame attribute."
He looked at Ice-pick who was still counting the wolves. Feeling Silas's gaze, she laughed in embarrassment.
"You attack the one we left behind."
"Got it."
Silas took out his sword and ordered with an unweaving tone. "Attack."
Roland vanished.
Ice-pick covered herself with demonic energy, morphing her body, revealing her true body. The black wings behind her back were hellish. The clothes she previously wore dissolved and black liquid warped around her.
The black outfit she now adored heightened the red from her eyes and lips. She was the incarnation of lust.
"Don't look at me. It is embarrassing." She yelled. Even her voice was sexy, increasing his heart beat.
Silas evaded her gazes. 'Not good. I am getting Charm by her.'
He focused his mind and jumped into the wolves, targeting the one with a flame covered body.