Omira stared at the newcomer with wide eyes. With everything going on she wasn’t sure what was happening anymore. The sight and appearance of the newcomer, especially with how close he was to them made her start to panic. However, after she took in a breath, she recognized a familiar scent mixed in with all the mana floating within the air.

  This did confuse her even more as she looked around for the one person she connected the scent with. She wasn’t able to find him. She sniffed again to see if what she was smelling was right and after sifting through each mana smell and connecting them one by one to where each mana smell went to, she found the smell she was looking for, but before she could follow the trail, her body began to be pulled away.

  Omira let out a startle yelp as Val called out, “Are we running now?”

  “Yup,” Artem, Blair, and Roman said in unison as they started to pull Omira away.

  “But…,” Val started to protest as she looked back at the individual who had puffed into existence in front of them earlier.

  “No buts,” Mercer argued as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the scene. As Mercer did this, Val’s Venom Mana created instrument suddenly shattered, stopping the venomous dark green fog from continuously washing over all the targets caught in its wave.

  Ariyana had stopped moving and turned to look at Liam’s back. She was about to open her mouth and say something but stopped as a message suddenly appeared before her.

  [I already informed him of that special plant you left for him as well as the hidden other ones. Leave this to him. He needs to do this on his own. – Eri.]

  Ariyana frowned at the message. She didn’t like this, but after Eri had informed them of what was going on she understood why. Plus they needed to make sure no one would tie him to them. It would help anyone if she blatantly called out to him in the middle of all this. She quickly turned back around and caught back up with the others.

  “Do you know that man? Are we not going to help him?” Val questioned, growing even more confused.

  Mercer looked at her and noticed she had a hand on her pocket in a way Liam would during certain instants which made Mercer curious. However, he didn’t let that stop him from responding, “No to both questions. However, it looked like he needed us to flee, which if he was there to stop those people from attacking us then it was a wise move. Can’t properly attack or hold people back when you’re too worried about protecting people. So our best option was to listen and leave.”

  Val didn’t say anything for a moment as they continued to run. She looked to be contemplating something, but after a few moments she nodded her head and committed to the run.

  Omira on the other hand was still looking behind her at the man standing in between them and the group. Her curiosity grew with each distance they created. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she felt that the words Mercer stated were a lie, but at the same time she couldn’t argue they were a lie. What she thought was true was different than what she was seeing. There were two very physical things pointing that out. More specifically the ears and tail. The man who she thought was there didn’t have those which made things very confusing to since the voice sounded the same. However, she didn’t have much time to think more about it as they turned a corner and disappeared completely from sight.

  Liam kept staring at the group before him. He knew they were still under the effects of the that new girl’s Song of Venomous Stun and his Grasp of the Shadows making it hard for them to move. Adding in his disguised Lunar Exposure he was able to place in a vial, they all were bound and blinded. It wouldn’t last long, but it was long enough for him to throw a couple more spells out on one of the people he deemed to be the most threatening.

  Without wasting anymore time, Liam chanted, “Shadows come forth, pierce this creature’s sight, temporary blinding it with a pain, Blanket of Darkness!” He focused the spell on the man who had taken it upon himself to speak to Mercer and the others earlier. The shadows beneath his feet started to quiver as a single strand of shadow snaked up his body and wrapped around his eyes before they covered and pierced his eyes.

  Liam didn’t stop there as he went into the next chant. “Hidden and lying in wait, the poison is never late. Bellow out and slip into the stream. Corrupt the body, Corrupt the mind. Deliver the fear you wish to create. Shade’s Corruption.” An explosion of thick black smoke erupted around the same man. Liam could hear a deep throaty cough start within the cloud of smoke.

  “Shadow Magic!?” the man exclaimed as the coughing kept getting worse.

  Liam could see the confusion and wary in the others’ eyes after they heard the man’s proclamation. He was hoping that when they both saw and heard this they would back off and leave this as a failed request. However, what he hoped for and what these guys decided to do were completely opposite.

  “We need to take care of this guy first!” someone exclaimed. A few others were in agreement, but like any thrown together group, there were a few who didn’t.

  “Fuck that! Shadow Magic is tricky as fuck to go against. Plus you don’t know if you’re dealing with them! You can attack him all you want. I’m going after the target,” someone in the group yelled. A few agreed with this person as they started to struggle to get free.

  “I don’t care if he is one of them. there’s only one of him and lots of us,” another argued.

  “We’re not even from the same association, what makes you think I can trust that you won’t leave us behind to handle him while you or any of yours goes after the target,” a random person sneered.

  “Fuck you all. Its everyone for themselves!” a final person called out.

  Liam watched as everyone started yanking, straining, and leaning forward with all their might, trying to break the shadowy tendrils that were stretching. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time left before they got free, Liam quickly summoned two Shadow Hands. He then handed them a dagger each before scanning each and every person. He charted a path based on who was breaking free quicker than who. When he was ready, he took in a deep breath before activating Shadow Step.

  He disappeared into a puff of smoke before reappearing in front of a tall muscular man who had finally broken free. As the man took a step forward with a hand stretched out, Liam turned his body while hooking his arm under the man’s armpit. He then used the momentum the man had going on from breaking free and trying to move forward as he pulled the arm over his shoulder while bending his knees. Once Liam felt the man was off balance, he quickly stiffened his legs and threw the man over him onto the two small figures in front of them.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Liam sent his two Shadow Hands at the man and the two people who fell down and slashed at a part of their body that wasn’t being protected. Liam then used Shadow Step once more to appear in front of another person. However, instead of attacking that person, he stomped his right foot down to his right and threw a left hook at the person next to the individual he had appeared next to while twisting his body swiftly.

  The force used behind the hook was enough to send that person off their feet and land on their side. Liam went to punch the person he had originally appeared in front of, but the timing was thrown off as that person lunged at him with a sword. Liam’s two Shadow Hands quickly collided with the sword causing it to veer off to the side, giving Liam enough time to abort his original attack and slide his left foot around and landing a back hand across the side of the person’s head.

  Liam then used the person as a spring board to jump out of the way of two more people coming in to attack him. While in the air he noticed a couple of people who were making a break for it in the direction Mercer and the others headed. He pulled out two throwing daggers and threw both the ones in his hands and the other two in his Shadow Hands at the runners. Each dagger found purchase in the back of a calf, causing both people to fall to the ground.

  As Liam’s feet touched the wall of the building he was flying towards, he used Shadow Step, once, twice, three times before appearing in front of one of the fallen runners. He freed his daggers with his Mana Manipulation, sheathed the daggers he grasped with his physical hands and went to reach for them. However, before he could crouch down, he felt mana gather in two areas in the crowded people.

  Liam quickly gathered two pools of shadowy blobs with his Shadow Manipulation to both of his hands. He placed both arms out in time to suck in a blast of air into one shadowy blob, while the other sucked in a torrent of water. After he was successful in absorbing the magical attacks, he quickly jumped back to get a little more distance from the two people who were getting back to their feet.

  As soon as his feet touched down, Liam focused on the shadowy blob on his right hand and released the magical attack he had sucked inside it. A blast of dark air erupted from the shadowy blob and slammed right into the two people causing them to fly off their feet backwards and into the crowd of people.

  Some of the people were knocked off their feet while a few dug their feet into the street keeping their balance. They were too focused on trying not to fall off balance from the powerful blast of air that they didn’t see Liam release the dark torrent of black water at ankle height. Those who had maintained their balance before now fell face first into the dark water while those who had fallen over from the air blast were washed with the liquid.

  After the water stopped coming, a few had looked up in time to see Liam finish chanting a spell. Liam’s right hand sparked with lightning before he placed it into the water sending a current of lightning their way. Some felt their muscle tense up as sparks of lightning ran over their bodies while others tried to push through it.

  Those that were able to push through the pain of their muscles tensing and relaxing in intervals made it to their feet. They turned their glowering faces at Liam, both enraged and pissed. However, before they could do anything, Liam threw several vials at each person who had stood back on their feet. Confusion grew on their faces as nothing happened after the vials shattered against their chests. That confusion was quickly replaced with pain filled expressions as lines of lightning raced across their chests right before fire erupted following the lines.

  Liam breathed heavily as he stared at the people suffering. He didn’t know how much time had passed already, but he knew he still had to hold them back until those people arrived. He glanced at his resources and saw his stamina was starting to get low. His mana was still decent as well. His Shadow Hands didn’t take away from both of those since they were considered Crafting Spells. Instead they drained from his Crafter Mana Pool and Crafter Stamina Bar. His stamina drain came from his moving around and combat. As for the other resources, he was at a decent level as well with that.

  He had replenished his Spirit Pool along the way over here after he left the Fiddler’s Spider Web. He hadn’t drained a lot after he replenished it from his crafting session earlier, but he still devoured a few Flawed Soul Orbs. After he topped off he used Devour on the next tier of Soul Orbs since it would replenish a bit more than the flawed ones. He wanted to time those for when he was about to run out.

  As he drank a Minor Orange Stamina Potion, Liam thought about his next move. He needed to keep these guys busy or distracted for a good amount of time. While he didn’t have any spells in his Field of the Shadows, he did have a spell that could help keep them distracted…or at least focused on something else. In order for that to happen though he needed to bind them, so they didn’t run off.

  Liam grabbed his daggers on his hips and pulled them out of their sheathes. He then pointed one of the two daggers at the group and chanted, “Hidden within the dark, I call upon you to bind my target. Grasp them with the tendrils you possess. Remind them why they should fear their own Shadow. Grasp of the Shadows!” The shadows underneath everyone quivered before they snaked around them and snared them in place once again. Liam could see the glares and snarls on everyone’s faces as they became rooted in place.

  Liam let out a breath as he readied himself for what he was about to do next. This was something Eri had suggested him to do. While he was reluctant to use it, he had agreed that he needed to use the spell more to level it up. And since these people don’t know who he really was, his identity as Liam the Crafter would be safe. However, his identity as the Shadow Cat would be questioned…Albeit, that would only happen if any of them really understood what had happened.

  As quietly as he could, Liam started chanting, “Can you hear the bells, Vibrating through you feeling like hell. Discord is near, filling your mind with Fear. Each sound grows loud, drowning all sound. Lose your brain in the play, as your sanity washes away. Get lost in the symphony, Discordant Bells of Cacophony!”

  At first nothing happened. The group of people rooted to their spots thanks to the shadows hurled insults and curses as they struggled to free themselves. As they did this a loud bell suddenly rang in their minds. A quarter of the people had suddenly dropped to a knee. They hadn’t noticed as they kept yelling and struggling.

  As a second bell rang with a different volume, another quarter of the people fell face first into the soaked ground, their mouths still running. As a third joined in, another quarter either fell to the ground or dropped to a knee. As more bells joined in the struggling arms and legs stopped and grew limp, except for a select few. These ones stood tall and strong; however, they still didn’t know what was going on. Their shouts were getting quieter and quieter, however, they believed they were screaming at full volume as even more bells joined the chaotic orchestra of sounds.

  Then as the final bell joined in and added the last beautiful cacophony of sounds, blood started rolling down their cheeks and ears of the ones who were still standing. Their clears eyes grew blood shot as tears of blood ran down. Their teeth clamped down tightly as pain wracked their entire bodies as they violently thrashed within their prison of shadows.

  If Liam had to be honest, the scene before him was horrifying. While those who were standing were bleeding from their eyes and ears, those who were on a knee started bleeding from their mouths as their clenched jaws tightened every second. Those who were laying on the ground started to suddenly scratch at their ribs or legs, wherever their fingernails could dig into.

  Liam started to relax a bit as he stared at them. This spell would keep them preoccupied for a while here as he made his way over to where Mercer and the others were. He went to turn around to leave, but after he did so he suddenly stopped moving as he heard a new voice calmly state in a playful way, “Well now. I know we’re late to the party and it doesn’t look like the target is here, but I must ask…what is this delectable mana I am sensing right now? Is this your doing little kitty?”

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