Matilda's expression was harsh as she approached the smoke. The first thing she needed to do before joining the battle was assess the damage to the wall. She needed to see if the northern gate had completely been destroyed, which would give the attackers access to storm into the city. However, if that was the case, Matilda didn't understand why the attackers weren't running into the city at this very moment.

  Though, the attackers running into the city wasn't the only thing she was worried about. If the northern gate was indeed destroyed, that meant that the wards cast along the walls of Tri-Union City could be crippled. Matilda knew the wards were vital to the city's protection since they prevented a powerful mage from just portaling into the city. She knew all outposts and cities had these wards, and chaos would ensue if they were taken down.

  Matilda stopped as she stood close to the smoke, and she coughed a little as it filled her lungs. Beneath the smoke, she could see and feel the raging fire engulfing the entire area. She tried to look at the destruction, to assess the damage, but the fire and smoke obstructed her view.

  Looking up, Matilda pointed her wand high into the sky, above the black smoke filling the air. She began to concentrate, and wind and water magic began to swirl together above the smoke but not fuse together. She wanted to assess the damage to the gate and wall but also put out the fire and take care of the smoke at the same time. So, that was precisely what she was going to do.

  The wind and water magic continued to gather above the smoke, growing larger by the second. Once a considerable amount of water and wind magic circled above the smoke, Matilda flicked her wand down, and a wet microburst shot down. The powerful microburst knocked the smoke away and hit the flames with a hiss, dowsing the intense fire. Matilda stepped back as the smoke was now replaced with steam that began to rise into the air. With another flick of her wand, a powerful gust of wind flew past Matilda, blowing the steam away.

  With the steam and smoke gone and the fire out, Matilda's eyes widened at the sight before her, seeing the entire portion of the wall where the gate had once been was gone. Stepping forward, Matilda looked down and gazed upon the rubble that lay across the scorched earth beneath her. Red brick and the metal pieces of the gate were scattered all over the blackened earth, with charred and mangled bodies of Tri-Union Cities soldiers scattered in the rubble.

  Matilda's eyes saddened at the sight of death and devastation, but when she looked to her right, her eyes widened in surprise. She observed how a young elven mage was standing before the rubble with her wand raised in the air. Her face looked strained, and her light yellow hair clung to her sweaty forehead as she maintained a barrier around the chasm where the gate had once been. Looking at the back of the female mage, she could see her white cloak had been singed but not completely burnt, which Matilda thought was most likely due to its elemental resistance enchantment.

  Matilda smiled proudly at the mage, seeing it was mostly because of her barrier spell that attackers hadn't been able to storm into the city. She made sure to make a mental note of the mage, as she would be rewarded later. However, now was not the time to congratulate her. Matilda looked over her shoulder for Lucian, but her eyes narrowed, seeing he wasn't behind her. She looked around and quickly noticed him standing near the edge of the wall, with a tight expression as he gazed outward. Matilda began to approach him, and when she came to stand beside him, she nearly gasped at the horrific sight before her.

  Approximately thirty-foot soldiers dressed in sleeveless red and black armor were intertwined with Tri-Union City knights in front of the barrier the mage was holding. The knights fought valiantly against the attackers; however, they were outnumbered as there seemed to be almost twice as many attackers. The knights seemed to move in sync with each other, covering each other's backs as they attacked and defended simultaneously, evidence of their proficient training. However, that training wasn't always effective, as she noticed several bodies of Tri-Union City soldiers lying across the battlefield.

  Matilda's eyes glowed green as she cast eagle sight, allowing her to look closer at things, and narrowed her eyes on the battle. She looked at the attackers, seeing how they ranged in size and shape, with some being short while others were incredibly tall. She also noticed how some of the attackers were coated in a mana guard, while others weren't, yielding they were using enchanted armor and weapons. She quickly surmised that the ones using enchanted gear must have low-level mana cores. As she continued to analyze their armor, her jaw clenched as she noticed a symbol of a black dead tree tattooed on their left arm.

  "Damn them," Matilda spat, and she looked at Lucian with an angered expression. "It's the Infernal Cult."

  "I know," Lucian said, malice in his tone as he gazed upon the sight before him. He looked up, and his eyes narrowed, "But why isn't that one attacking?"

  Matilda looked at Lucian, confused, before she followed his gaze. Her eyes fell on a hooded figure adorned in a black cloak. Casting eagle vision again, she looked at the figure more closely. She could see the figure casually standing there, holding a black staff with a circular amethyst gem on top. Their face was covered with a black cloth, and their crimson eyes were locked on the battle.

  Suddenly, the figure's crimson eyes flicked to Matilda, staring directly at her. They seemed to narrow for a moment before the figure turned around. They pointed their staff forward, and the crystal produced an amethyst light before an amethyst oval-shaped portal opened before them.

  Matilda's eyes widened, and anger and disgust filled her at the sight of the amethyst energy as she spat, "Dark magic."

  Matilda knew dark magic was a vile power that was derived from the demonic blood running through the veins of the orc race. To her knowledge, only orcs and people who managed to acquire dark magic crystals could use this awful power.

  "They're going to escape," Matilda said, staring at the mage, preparing to fly after her.

  "Let them," Lucian said, and Matilda looked at him, surprised, as he gazed at the battle. "Our priority is keeping the city safe. We need to end this battle."

  Matilda's eyes flicked down, and she nodded, knowing he was right. She looked back at the mage, who gave a mocking wave over their shoulder before stepping through the portal, and the portal closed behind them.

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  "Matilda," Lucian began, and she looked at him again. Lucian glared at the cultists murderously, "Entangle them. I'll take care of the rest."

  Matilda nodded and looked back toward the battle. She raised her wand into the air and concentrated on the ground beneath the soldiers. The ground began radiating a teal energy, and several of the cultists stopped and stared at the ground. One of the cultists began quickly looking around before they looked up.

  The cultist pointed at Matilda and Lucian and yelled, "Above us!!"

  Some of the cultists who weren't currently fighting looked to where he was pointing but were too late to react. Dozens of thick vines shot up from the ground, wrapping around and grabbing the cultists. The vines quickly tightened around the cultists, locking their arms to their sides and preventing them from moving. Several of the cultists physically tried to push themselves free, but the vines kept them restrained. Others tried to burn or cut away the vines with magic, but the vines that were destroyed were simply replaced with more.

  The Tri-Union City soldiers looked around in confusion as they breathed heavily. Not that they were complaining, though; they welcomed the reprieve from battle, as they were sweaty, bloodied, and tired from the fighting.

  "All yours," Matilda said darkly, glaring at the cultists.

  Lucian nodded and jumped onto the edge of the wall. He coated his hands and feet in earth magic before sliding down the wall to slow his descent. His earth-coated hands and feet scraped against the wall until he harmlessly landed on the ground in a kneeling position. All the Tri-Union city soldiers twirled toward him, weapons raised, at the sound of him landing on the ground. However, their expressions soon turned hopeful, and they lowered their weapons.

  "Commander!" One dwarven knight yelled ecstatically.

  The cultist looked at Lucian with gritted teeth and yelled, "It's the White Wolf!"

  Lucian's expression narrowed menacingly on the cultists as he took his golden longsword out of his spatial ring. He slowly got to his feet and spoke in a dark tone, "Soldiers of Tri-Union City. You've done well. Now, get back."

  The Tri-Union knights nodded and quickly ran back toward the barrier, with some of them limping. With his knights out of the way, Lucian looked at the cultists and spoke menacingly, "If I spare you, would you willingly surrender?"

  One of the cultists clicked their tongue and spat, "So you could get information out of us?" They gave an unwavering chuckle, "Not now, not ever."

  The other cultists nodded in agreement.

  Feeling the conviction in the cultist's statement and seeing the defiance in the other's eyes, Lucian stated firmly, "So be it."

  He got into an attack stance and coated himself and his sword in lighting magic. The cultists gritted their teeth as they desperately burnt or cut at the vines, trying to free themselves, as they eyed Lucian with pure, unadulterated anger. However, all their efforts were in vain as Matilda continued to replace the vines.

  Lucian's eyes darted around the cultists, determining the best path to take. Once he determined his path of death, he took a step before he burst forward at unimaginable speeds. He was like a living bolt of lightning as he crossed the battlefield in a blink of an eye. He moved swiftly around the cultists, almost like a dance, as he swung his sword and cut through the cultists and their mana guards like they were butter, slicing through their necks.

  Once he sliced through the last cultist, Lucian skidded to a halt, frozen in a pose with lighting magic buzzing around him. The lightning magic ceased, and Lucian remained still as everything around seemed to be still and grow silent. Matilda and the other soldiers stared at the cultists, who had become as still as statues. However, a moment later, their heads slid off their bodies one by one, with their heads hitting the ground being the only sound in the area. A moment later, the vines dissipated, and the cultist's bodies fell as well.

  Seeing the cultists were dead and the attack was over, the mage holding barrier canceled her spell and fell to her knees, taking a deep breath. Lucian's eyes flicked to the mage and the knights, and he began to walk toward them. The knights' eyes flicked to Lucian, seeing him approach, and they quickly straightened. The female mage looked up, and her eyes widened on Lucian, seeing him approaching. She groaned and gritted her teeth as she began to stand up, but she felt exhausted.

  "Relax," Matilda said in a calm voice.

  The female mage looked up with surprise and watched as Matilda slowly descended and landed beside her.

  Matilda knelt beside the mage and smiled proudly, "What's your name?"

  The female looked at Matilda in shock before she stuttered, "L-Loraine."

  Matilda gently patted Loraine on the shoulder, "You did incredibly well, young lady."

  "So did all of you," Lucian said, looking at the knights with respect. "You did well protecting the gate." Lucian's eyes flicked to the opening in the wall, seeing reinforcements quickly approaching. "The other outer defense units have arrived."

  Matilda scoffed as she stood up, "A little late, if I may say so."

  Lucian nodded in agreement and approached Matilda, "That is something we will need to discuss at the next meeting."

  Matilda nodded before she looked at the knights and Loraine, seeing them all take seats or knees and breathe heavily. She looked at them with admiration, knowing they performed their duties well. Matilda looked back at the destroyed wall and said, "Once we get the troops healed, we need to repair the walls. I'll also ensure the wards are still intact and reform any that were destroyed."

  Matilda waited, expecting Lucian to respond, but when he didn't, she looked at him curiously. She watched as Lucian had a perplexed expression as he looked around.

  "This doesn't make sense," Lucian began, shaking his head as he racked his brain, thinking. He looked at the death and destruction around him, "Why attack with such a small force?"

  "I don't know," Matilda said as she pointed her wand into the sky. She released a green bolt of fire that shot high into the sky before it exploded. She watched the sky intently, waiting until she smiled as three other green bolts of fire, all in the direction of the other gates, shot up in the sky and exploded. Relief filled her as she knew that was a symbol of all clear. "But it seems that their attack has failed."

  "Or did it?" Lucian said, his tone dark.

  Matilda looked at him, seeing him looking down deep in thought as he held his chin, "What do you mean?"

  Lucian shook his head, "An attack force this small never had a chance to breach the city. And I'm guessing it was the same size at the other gates. Then, there was that mage. They left as soon as we arrived."

  "What are you getting at?" Matilda asked.

  Lucian was silent for a moment, thinking, "It was... It was almost like they were testing us?"

  "Testing us?" Matilda said and looked to the side. She watched as the reinforcements arrived and immediately got into action. Some of them began to move the rubble off bodies, while others tended to the wounded. She watched as a few of the mages flew to the top of the wall and knew that the dwarven mage above would now have help.

  Matilda sighed as she watched several of the soldiers pull out dead bodies from the rubble, "If only we got here in time."

  Lucian nodded, still looking down. However, as soon as he registered Matilda's words, his head snapped to her, wide-eyed, "Our reaction time..."

  Matilda looked at Lucian confused, "What?"

  "That's what they were testing," Lucian began. "They were testing our reaction time. How long it would take us to prepare our defenses and counter an attack." He looked to where the mage was standing, "That's why they left as soon as they saw us. They had their answer."

  Matilda's jaw clenched, "If that's true, then that means they are planning something big."

  Lucian nodded gravely, "But the question is what... and when."