With Tian’s help, Ali had a good idea of where the thugs were. There were four of them and they split up into three groups. Two of them were directly behind the kids while the other two were on the flanks trying to cut off their escape routes. To make use of his new abilities, the teenager had to climb a set of ladders to get a clear line of sight of the thugs. His focus was on the two thugs who were closing in on the kids. As a precaution, Ali checked his prompt briefly on the abilities he inherited from Svenne.
<
[
Ability: Trap Setup
Level: 1 ( 0 / 26 XP to Level Up)
Level Up Requirements: Inflict damage or kill foes of equal or higher level
Type: Support (Other)
Description:
Can set a trap up to 150 meters from the user. The further the trap, the smaller the trap is. User must have line of sight of the location before the trap can be summoned. The location must be suitable for the trap. Traps can be unsummoned at will and have a duration of 5 minutes. Expired traps can stay around for 5 minutes before they are unsummoned automatically. Only spike traps are available. Level up for more traps.
Cost: 1 MP
Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Damage: 1 (+2) per Spike
]
>
<
[
Ability: Trap Versatility
Level: 1
Level Up Requirements: Ability cannot level up.
Type: Support (Other)
Description:
Enhances the Trap Setup ability by giving the ability access to all elements, extending the ability range by 50% and doubling the ability duration.
Cost: None
Cooldown: None
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Defense: 0 (0)
]
>
Alright, let’s see if I can put this into practice. I wish I had a chance to practice more in the summoner realm.
With a clear line of sight on his target location and Tian supporting him, Ali created a spike trap between the two thugs and the kids. The thugs stepped onto the trap only to be impaled. The teenager then unsummoned the trap, creating a hole where the previous trap was. The air serpent confirmed that the two thugs then fell to the first floor where they were too stunned to get up. Upon confirming that the other two thugs had no chance of catching the kids, Ali returned to the alleyway and resumed his trip to one of the Lightning Clan bases.
So this is one of their bases?
Ali had thought the task of finding one of the bases would be tougher. Generally, crime syndicates were hesitant to make themselves too obvious as that would attract the wrong type of attention. Despite the situation in Vliland where the authorities were too short handed, he hadn’t expected the Lightning Clan to basically announce to anyone passing by that they were in business and the building was one of their bases. Large letters saying Lightning Clan were carved above the doorway. As he watched from a distance in the alleyway, he felt a bit of pity for anyone passing the building as random people were harassed and searched. As many in the slums had learned, a bribe could go a long way.
Should I use a few more traps? I doubt they’ll catch on to me very easily when there are so many people here…
After a fierce internal debate, the teenager chose to avoid more attention. The earlier pursuit could be mistaken for a weak roof that collapsed under the weight of two adults. The less the Lightning Clan knew about his abilities, the better. Observing from a distance, Ali started taking mental notes on the number of thugs and their patrol patterns. After an hour of observation, he concluded that these criminals were worthy of being called thugs. They lacked the discipline and organization he saw in the liberation army and they were nothing more than bullies.
I should go and check the other bases. Maybe this is an exception.
As he was about to disappear into the dark alleyway, some shouting caught his attention. Ali poked his head out to see a bunch of the thugs on the ground, appearing unconscious. Meanwhile, the kids he saw earlier were standing nearby faced off against the remaining thugs. In a blink of an eye, the kids were victorious as all the thugs guarding the base were on the ground. He couldn't tell what abilities were used but it was more than what the thugs could handle.
“Oh look! The maggots decided to show themselves!”
The individual was the same man who killed a handful of people earlier. Unlike earlier, he wore a full plate of black armor that somehow made him look more menacing. He walked over towards the kids like how a person would approach a bunch of ants.
“Not bad,” said the man. “I hope you four will entertain me.”
Ali blinked and watched one of the kids sent flying towards a building following a punch from the big man. Because the kid went head first, the teenager doubted the kid could have survived the impact, especially with the pool of blood forming where the kid fell. The other kids then tried to flee but two of them were brutally crushed to death by the man's bare hands. The last kid didn’t get very far before he was knocked down to the ground and stomped to death. In a matter of seconds, the man killed the four kids like they were nothing.
I better avoid that man. I couldn’t even keep up with his attacks.
Ali disappeared into the alleyway and put as much distance as he could. He eventually arrived at a second Lightning Clan base and found it similar to the first. The ones guarding the outer perimeter were also thugs and, if the first base was any indication, there was likely someone strong inside.
In other words, these bases have a bunch of weak individuals acting as soldiers while the one in charge is exceptionally strong.
After visiting all the bases, Ali had a good idea about the Lightning Clan. He also noticed that two other bases, like the first, had signs of a one-sided bout with fresh blood on the ground.