Bright - was the first thought Mila had as she stepped out of the darkness. The owners of this place didn’t skimp on light sources.

Torches, magical light sources floating around, a bright imitation of a sun shone from above, and the walls and ground seemed to reflect some of the light.

Spacious - was the next thought. Mila had expected a large area but not such a ridiculous degree. This place could hold a city’s district and a half. The ceiling was high up and shaped like a dome.

But despite there being a lot of space, most of it was occupied by various constructions and layers of defences and protected engravings carved in the ground.

Crowded - was the third thought. Mila quickly ducked inside a gap between the wall and a scaffolding leaning against it. Numerous people were running around, each having a task in mind.

Most of the defenders Mila spotted gave her senses feedback. They were not just any fodder. They had a purpose in mind and the capability to fight. There were too many. She glanced at the door she had slipped out to see Agata make the same conclusion. They couldn’t afford a direct confrontation.

Mila nodded towards the scout and proceeded further while trying to grasp everything in her surroundings. But there were too many things to follow for her tired mind.

The fact that the place was covered in a thick blanket of mana didn’t help either. Mila slowed down and narrowed her field of perception. It was pointless to poke at people further than a few meters away. She couldn’t read anything from them in this environment.

Instead of constantly observing everything, Mila switched to pulses of awareness to keep her overtaxed mind functioning. She brushed her palm against the wall while noting any outliers passing by.

It wasn’t made of mundane stone. The wall was strengthened long ago and enchanted by a spell today. This place would not collapse. Mila also felt a mana pulsate below the surface.

This place was a… Mila looked up at the shining imitation of the sun. This place was a cage. Everything in this room was surrounded by tendrils and pathways of mana.

The ritual encompassed the whole area. This was an insanity! Mila felt another rush of mana flow into the floor, then disperse up the walls towards the sun.

Mila now knew where the centre of the ritual was. And there was no way of getting there. From the half-removed scaffoldings arranged against the walls, she knew the master behind this had just finished the formation. And now, there were no more paths leading up left.

The most vulnerable spot of the ritual was out of Mila’s reach. She looked at the shining object for a while longer.

As mana flowed up, the shine grew brighter. Mila tore her gaze away from the miracle of magic. It was impressive in a very horrible way. She knew what it had taken to fuel the array. The city and its people had paid a terrible price for this madness.

Then Mila’s gaze travelled towards where a large, almost soundless explosion happened. Whoever muted the Military officer's shouts was still keeping his spell up.

Dust, debris and bloody chunks were thrown into the air, followed by a storm of ice shards. Then, lighting began lashing out at the surroundings, pushing the defenders back.

It was hard to tell what was happening from where Mila was hiding. But from what she could see, it didn’t appear the artificially created monsters could stop the combined forces of the Military and Inquisitors.

They served as another wall. The tortured souls of once-people were just another way to fuel the ritual. Mila felt their deaths contributed to the evil schemes the defenders had conjured.

Mila turned away from the sad, horrific sight of death and carnage. The devastation where the Military was pushing in was spreading and would soon reach her spot. She had to move.

Another scan and a prod of the old ghost made Mila turn her head towards the centre of the large area. There, right under the artificial sun, was another set of fortifications.

There, Mila could see tens of armoured and armed people all looking towards the fighting. She narrowed her eyes. They were pristine and imposing. Some stood taller and in front, while others stood at the back, ready to act.

Those were the Nobles and their personal guards. And if Mila had to bet, the second most vulnerable part of the ritual was hidden there. She had to get there. The question was - how? And could she? They probably had ways to detect stealth specialists.

Mila would think about it later. For now, she had to move. It would be dangerous, but there was no time.

“Wait.”

Mila felt her heart jump, and it took all her willpower to not react visibly. She looked at Polonomia, who had appeared next to her. “Shouldn’t you be guarding Mortimer?” It wasn’t what she truly wanted to know, but it bought time for Mila to calm down.

“I am. Your group is waiting, too.”

“For-”

Shockwave and thundering sound shook the underground base. Mila looked at the other side of the place. From what she could tell, another entrance had been breached or created.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Panicked shouts spread around Mila as people began to trickle away to plug the new vulnerability. She didn’t spare a glance to the spot from where Polonomia had vanished.

There was no point in guessing what the woman’s motivations were. The Sage group as a whole was irritating like that. For now, she would accept the help and hope it wouldn’t lower her value in their eyes.

To Mila’s relief, most of the Nobles and their handlers had shifted their attention from this part of the area. The searching eyes were now turned towards the new threat.

With the guards running towards the new battlefront, Mila could move more safely. After wiggling through the scaffoldings, she bolted towards the rack of building materials but didn’t stay there.

Mila’s eyes followed each person in her vicinity, making sure they were looking elsewhere before bolting again and slipping under a stack of planks. To her displeasure, she had noticed what looked like tentacles whipping about.

The remainder of Oscar weighed heavily on her, but Mila couldn’t afford to go and attempt to kill him now. Not now. She needed to alter the ritual.

Yes. It was too late to stop it. Mila hadn’t told that to her comrades, but the ritual was too far gone to be stopped. She could only hope to alter its goal and stop it from absorbing more sacrifices.

The chaos was spreading. While Mila crawled forward while hiding under the planks, she noted how increasingly panicked the weaker guards grew.

They were being slaughtered. Mila peeked out from her hiding spot. The ground level made it impossible to see the surroundings, but a pulse of her awareness informed her it was safe to proceed.

Mila found the next location to hide behind. Several mining carts were lined up nearby, and she quickly found herself among them. There, she paused again to see if anyone had noticed her.

After heart-pounding two seconds, Mila was sure she was still safe. The battle between the two sides was spreading quicker than she had expected, but not quickly enough to reach the Nobles in time.

After chewing on her lip, Mila decided to trust her temporary comrades. They would create another distraction and divert more defenders away from the main battle site.

There was still some time before they would move. At least, that’s what Mila had thought.

The piercing squawk of Mr Crow held its sway over the battlefield for just a moment. Then, another battle began behind Mila.

While cursing, Mila hurried forward. She used the moment well, as everyone's attention once more was diverted and split. Of course, she had forgotten about tone little detail - Helly and Andrew had other plans. The damned woman was too eager to die in her attempt to get back that bauble of her grandfather the Nobles held.

Helly was strong but not nearly enough to act so brazenly. What was Andrew offered to endure the woman’s madness?

It bothered Mila greatly. But she struggled to string together a decent line of thoughts. “The ritual. Yes. The number one priority.” She muttered.

While it was risky to whisper like such, Mila needed it to keep her focused. “Shut up.” She continued. “I know.” Her voice became quieter as she addressed the annoying ghost.

And it was cold, too. Mila blinked. It was too cold. She looked back towards the oversized lightbulb. Was the damn thing eating up the warmth?

It didn’t matter. Mila stumbled forward, seeking one hiding place, then another. She jumped from the mining carts to one of the abandoned barricades. Her steps faltered but didn’t stop.

Mila did her best as the fires of the battle kept increasing in size and swallowed the precious few hiding places. She forcefully changed the direction to avoid the exploding stack of crates.

The movement hurt, but more scary was the numbness Mila’s body experienced. One sluggish step later, she was hit by a falling limb…

It was enough to make her fall. Mila’s knees buckled, and she suddenly found herself on the ground. Her breath was pushed out of her lungs by the impact, and she winced.

When Mila opened her eyes, she saw a cold fire spreading next to her. Despite the nearby flames, there was no warmth. “What?”

A sudden surge of emotions made Mila flinch. She swept the surroundings with her senses but didn’t find anything. “Why the urgency?”

Then it hit Mila. She had lost consciousness for a moment. The battles were now much closer to her. The fortification standing above the rest was now bombarded by countless mana bolts.

The Nobles sent their own rain of attacks back at the sources of those bolts. They were just prodigy attacks, but just a moment ago, both parties had been out of the reach of each other.

“How long?” Mila wondered. How long had she been out?

Too long was the answer.

Mila pushed herself up. At least she hadn’t lost control of her spell. No one had spotted her. She could continue. She had to. There still was a chance…

The suffocating feeling suddenly increased. Mila felt a heavy cloud of coldness settle over the area. She looked up but didn’t see anything different.

Yet, Mila’s senses screamed there was something. She didn’t try to look. Instead, she pulled back all of her senses and dashed forward.

Or tried to.

Mila’s steps were too disorderly and closer to something a drunken person would call a walk. But her legs moved.

The world shuddered. A mantra of otherworldly voices brought back warmth to the world and began to struggle against the chilling light.

Finally, the Inquisitors had began their prayers. They countered whatever horrors the Nobles had created.

While it was easier to move now, Mila also felt her heart sink. The beautiful songs meant the Inquisitors were not fighting, or at least not at their full power.

This would slow the Military down.

They didn’t have time.

Mila stumbled again and ran into a support beam holding a giant torch. She took a deep breath and marched on. No one was paying her attention.

Above Mila’s head, she felt great, unearthly will clash and pull and push against another.

It didn’t matter. Mila didn’t think about it. It didn’t matter. She had more important things to do. They wouldn’t find her. “Shit…” It fucking mattered. She was too vulnerable.

If any of the gods used even a sliver of their awareness to see the whole place, Mila would be in great danger. Because the fucking ghost’s emotions were still seething.

A giant crack in the ceiling made the whole pandemonium freeze. Mila refused to look up.

The crack repeated, demanding Mila’s attention. She ducked and moved on.

But the cracking… It didn’t stop.