Adil looked across the battlefield from the war table. A team of human and goblin were gathered around him. Urakle, the skinny green goblin was sitting at the table, altering what the group could see in the tables generated image dictating to Adil what he had seen as the battle went on. 

"As you probably know, they're leaving the injured. It's not like they can do anything, just sitting there so I can't blame them." Urakle got an awkward look from the Adil and a few others in the group.

"I think the army doesn't want to waste time or any men, so they are just sitting there. Injured in the jungle. We have captured some of them, taking them off with the other captives. And check this out."

Urakle pointed to the cardinal on the map. They zoomed into his location and inspected the area with a mana vision allowing them to see through the trees. Especially vivid with how close they were getting to the cave.

"There is no reason they would have the troops spread out like that and that formation is a joke. But... If you look at it from this position, it would be difficult to see any damages or loss of units. I think the cardinal is hiding the damage from the high elf. like some sort of an ass-kissing bitch." Adil had to wonder what goblin words were used to convey this speech.

"Cool. Do you think we can capture the rest of the injured?" Adil asked flatly.

"We are already on it. Aku and team B are en route."

"What of the captives, how are they"

"Secure within the catacombs."

"Ok, sweet. Can you run back over to the cardinal." 

Urakle went back to him, in the detail the war table provided there was almost a face. He still held the standard robes of a cardinal, what seems to be the basic setup of a priest. 

"Any idea how he created glass spikes from the floor? I thought you could only emit mana constructs from yourself." Adil asked. He had learnt about mana mostly from trial and error, but even in his designs, he couldn't fathom how the cardinal could create something from nothing away from himself.

"The fuck are you asking me for?" Urakle said, looking slightly confused at the question. He then started twitching his goblin fingers and added unceremoniously. "Sir."

One of the larger goblins leant forward; he had a gruff voice and two tusks pointing up and out of the sides of his mouth. "I have seen him, he creates the glass from sand."

Adil looked visibly focused, and so the large goblin moved the map towards the cardinal, switching the vision to focus on intensities of mana in the area. The men were highlighted through the trees, and the vegetation shone out with a faint hue. From they could see an almost hazy mist surrounded the Cardinal. The cardinal appeared to be emitting this haze which stayed for a long time until parts of it faded away. The concentration was especially intense around where he stood. 

"The sand, it can change into glass. I have seen it. He changes glass from sand he creates and spreads it through the area," the goblin added.

"That would explain the large concentration by his feet. I was speared by hundreds of spikes that erupted from under him."

Adil's eyes grew wide.

"He must have enormous mana reserves to pull that off."

"Likely, he is a cardinal," Urakle added almost sarcastically.

"Well, good work keep it up. I'll check on Steve" Adil announced before departing to another room. He found a few goblins standing guard but looking mentally strained, and as he turned further around the corner, he saw Steve, held up against the wall, surrounded by dark roots.

Steve was gasping for air.

"Enough!" Adil announced, creating an aura of intensity around him.

Steve was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"We are trying very hard to keep the fighting out there and not in here. Do not attack your own team. You are starting to appear like the bad guys, like an angry tyrant hell-bent on destroying anyone that stood against you," Adil hissed.

Morganna looked insulted.

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"If I appear angry. It's because I am. This fool has nearly thrown away everything. And for what? Pity for a high elf."

steve whimpered. "I'm sorry," he whined, getting a flare from Morganna in reply.

Morganna visibly softened.

"It is not your fault; you are cursed. The powers of a mentalist are a double-edged sword. You cannot hide your intentions or change yourself. For if you were so easily able to change your essence it would not so easily integrate with the environment you wish to change."

Adil perked up at that "you what now?" he asked.

"It is as I said. Mentalists place a part of themself into the world so that they may manipulate it as they do themselves. You may assume one that could influence another's mind would make a good spy, but this is far from the truth, for they would find it very difficult to lie. whether pureness of one's mind is a prerequisite or a cause of the magic is hard to tell, which is obviously what we have now found out."

"So what you're saying is they cannot lie?"

"More likely, it is incredibly easy to tell if one lies due to the discomfort it would cause them."

"Sweet. Steve, do you want to or will you betray the cave?"

"..No..."

"Do you want to save the high elf girl."

"..Yes..."

"Mar, can you lock him away so he can't interfere. We will deal with this afterwards."

One of the guards moved towards Steve and took him by the hand; they walked further out into a section of the catacombs more secluded. Leaving only Morganna and Adil in the room. 

"I need to see if you can rush some research for the spawn crystal," Adil said.

"Sure," Morganna added.

.....

Further, into the Cave, the sounds of people slamming into each other and the occasional explosion echoed.

Swift and Seras were practising in the training room as they awaited more directions. They left Urakle and the other tacticians to decide what was best, knowing their strengths lay in their combat proficiency.

Seras had dropped her axe and was instead trying a hand to hand combat technique, she channelled a wave of energy around her fists whilst carrying out some short jabs in mid-air. Swift, on the other hand, was sitting in the corner, somehow he had gathered some of the wild creatures and was attempting to train them to carry out a few tricks, he was also failing, but he was trying. 

One of the dummies in the area began to regenerate, and Seras stood up next to it again. She took a boxing stance and went at the dummy. She shot one fist into its shoulder which with a low concussive beat exploded the construct's upper right side. She followed again with her right into the dummies stomach, shattering it into dust. Another two dummies appeared around her; she tapped one with the back of her palm seeing it explode and roundhouse kicked the other, causing it to shatter, but not explode like the others. The sound wave energy she had placed into her fists was not over her feet.

"Watch out!" Swift called. 

Seras looked behind her and nearly stumbled, one of the critters that swift was taming had moved closer to where she was back-pedalling, and she didn't want to step on it.

"Fucking hell dude, I nearly trod on the poor thing."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Swift threw the creature a piece of crispy mushroom and saw it perk up.

A goblin appeared and came over closer to Seras. He took to one knee on his approach.

"We would be honoured if you would join us for training," the goblin asked.

"You want me to help you train?" Seras replied, feeling as though they would be unlikely to be accepting of her even if they were in the same group, after how many goblins she had killed.

The goblin looked up at her with wide eyes. " Of course, the great demon must be a fierce warrior. It would be our honour to train with someone with such raw power."

"Ah, I'd be happy to help you train."

Swift gave the goblin a concerned look after hearing the word demon used to describe Seras. The goblin only seemed confused by this.

They stood across from each other, three reasonably trained goblins against Seras bare-fisted. She altered the flow of her mana to cushion her fists, thinking that she didn't want to blow them open like the dummies. The first came at her with a disciplined strike, she blocked easily but seemed to leave her self open to the another. The other goblin came in seeing that opening. 

"Whoa," Seras said, moving the goblin that hit her into the way with ease and stopping the battle with her visible placidness.

"Don't attack like that, you might attack your allies."

They nodded in acknowledgement and then got ready before the exercise started again. They kept attacking periodically, not using any different tactics but refined and coordinated. They did not attack in situations where Seras could force them to hit each other. Neither did they allow themselves to be grabbed. The fight was uneventful.

Seras broke off one of the attacks and moved in for a surprise strike with a burst of speed. Before she hit into one of the goblins, the goblin stared at her with a look of pure fear, and she stopped in her tracks. Another goblin saw the opening and went to hit Seras around the face catching her on the side of her cheek.

"I did it. I hit the demon." Then to goblin froze, almost in the realisation of what he had done.

She turned to him.

"You did well. But I think I'm going to go practice on my own," she announced. Walking off, back to the respawning dummies. All 13 of them had come back, to appear where they once stood.

Before she reached the dummies, the goblin she had frightened walked up to her.

"I am sorry if I offended. I.. I know that there were-are feelings of resentment between the goblins and you, but I wish only to make this a better place. It just took me by surprise how much you were holding back... If you could fight us without doing so...it would be... Nice" 

Seras saw the goblin look up at her but not meet her eyes. She tried to smile and put her hand on the being's shoulder. 

"Let's give it another shot."

A few moments later, Swift saw several goblins fly across the training grounds. The cushioned blows from Seras dulled the impact but appeared to spring the goblins in a set direction. Swift began to meditate, the animals gathering around him, and they all carried on with their plans until duty called.