As the others exchanged information in the black market, Caesar put a perk point into the Stormheart Oak’s available offensive ability. Although he likely wouldn’t summon the tree for fear of alerting others to the abnormal storm, it could aid him in an emergency when surrounded.

[Guide the Storm (B)]: A facet that guides lightning energy in the area to strike at a specific position. Excessive use may cause a noticeable lack of lightning energy, reducing the damage of the attacks until facet use becomes impossible.

[Perk Option 1 – Absorption]: User accumulates lightning energy from lightning-attributed attacks and can utilize it afterwards with Guide the Storm.

This option provided the tree with a method to maintain its offense. However, it only worked against lightning attacks, and required the tree to withstand the blow first. Furthermore, it had no way to activate it by itself. Although synergy with other summons was possible, it was rare enough for him to drop the option altogether.

[Perk Option 2 – Overdrive]: Guide the Storm may draw an excessive amount of lightning energy in the area, exhausting it for a day before it can restore itself. Allows additional usage of the facet before disabling it due to lack of energy.

Another alternative to maintain offensive power appeared but weakened the facet afterwards. Even with an ongoing storm, the Stormheart Oak he had fought could only unleash its full strength blasts once along with a few lesser strikes before requiring recharge. This might allow two of those blasts, if he was correct in his assumption that it hadn’t exhausted its energy reserves during that battle.

[Perk Option 3 – Javelin Bolts]: Guide the Storm may shape lightning energy into a more refined form, consuming more energy for a faster and focused blast.

The third option granted his tree a powerful strike for large, singular enemies, which served little purpose against small humans who could dodge well. It’d work better on bosses – like the Fog Hydra. But summoning the tree might be difficult, as there was no land for it to enroot within. Furthermore, would an immobile tree really make a good giant slayer? He thought not, and thus dismissed this option for the second. Overdrive worked better for area denial – a currently more crucial role.

Coupled with its only spell, Caesar believed the oak posed a deadly threat to everyone here once he provided it with proper support. Even without a storm to fuel it, the lightning strikes should damage these people heavily, although he doubted they’d directly kill the rank two individuals and especially not the ones with perks. He checked the stats of Shock Nova.

Shock Nova

[Effects]: An Aeromancy spell that scatters a cascade of sparks around the user, dealing heavier lightning damage the more that land on a target.

[Rarity]: Rare

[Memorization Cost]: 7

[Mana Cost]: 100 Mana

Summoning the tree by itself likely won’t work. Although interrupting its spellcasting is very difficult, its casting speed is not quick enough to kill everyone here. Their plan needed to change, as he wasn’t willing to risk his life for such low rewards.

Something interesting had finally happened while Caesar buried his mind in the distribution of perks. The covenant leader himself wanted to exchange with a woman who had brought out a particularly special Rare item. One of these items, the Red Fruit of Rishlik, was said to grant Vigor to those who consumed it. But although no preparations were required for those, her fruit appeared different. And so it remained in her left hand like a scale balancing the weights of the notes on her right.

She sat there, undecided, glancing over at the dozens of people but never meeting anyone in their eyes. Even the covenant’s followers seemed to want her Rare fruit yet allowed their leader to make the first move.

“I know exactly what you need.” Alta made her offer by slipping a piece of paper into the woman’s hands. “Read it and you will know why.”

She did. A little jolt went up the woman’s spine, and her mask turned to face Alta again to nod. The others stepped back, discontented. A few even reached their hands to their sides, but stopped, wary of the Midnight Covenant who trained their eyes on the more hostile.

Under the midnight shroud, his Doppelganger talked to the woman, attempting to negotiate. She knew the other person wouldn’t part with the fruit immediately and took creative measures to lure her in.

“You are being hunted, correct? I know of a place where you could hide. All you need to do is wait until after this event.”

“I’m not sure you know my enemy.”

“The foxes.”

“Okay. I’ll listen, for now.”

The shroud disappeared to reveal an unsuccessful transaction. A few onlookers chuckled, but when the woman snubbed them as well, they closed their mouths.

Caesar’s largest teammate stood up next and grunted out a question, holding out a shimmering rank two material. “Which one of you’s got information on the strongest man in this city?”

A man stepped onto the platform to answer him. But after the shroud disappeared, he stepped backwards, shouting curses and clutched his right eye, where a bruise had appeared. It was clear that the brute had attacked him for an unknown reason.

“Sit down, both of you!” The Midnight Covenant’s leader stepped in, alone. They two separated, but damages had been done. With tensions inflamed, the meeting could not continue for long. “Only a few more before you all have to leave.”

The swordsman from earlier patted his brute of a friend on his shoulder then walked up to offer his own information. One of the trio also got up to participate, holding a specially enchanted quiver in his hand. Caesar raised a brow. What’s their plan? A trap? The shroud enclosed them, and he saw nothing more. I think I should go. But Alta… Then, he recalled how hard it was to kill horrors, and realized this was a good risk to take.

His two fellow mercenaries walked back. Nothing out of ordinary happened, and the Midnight Covenant leader made no move to interfere. Whatever they did had gone undetected.

Another few people jumped up, traded away their items, and promptly left. Many were already walking away at this point, with nothing else to say or transact. Caesar stood up to go as well, but Alta stayed behind.

The last person who came up onto the platform was a woman, with the item they were looking for in a safe container. Not the supposed man their patron had mentioned, but probably just a servant of his. He did not look back as he stepped through the black shroud. Yet his hands still trembled a little.

Alta’s POV

Her mind lingered on that Rare fruit she tried to secure. It’d help a lot for the Forest From Before, as it granted various forms of Waterbreathing depending on how well the final product was created. She felt confident in her herbalism ability. Even if she failed, a bad product could still grant a Talent to better hold one’s breath. But she’d like to do the best she could, and so she continuously thought about herbalism while the transaction continued.

The woman nodded to the covenant leader to exchange. He agreed, stepping forwards to do so, but stopped halfway and frowned. His eyes roved over the floor for a short while before an expression of fear appeared on his face.

Suddenly, an explosion shattered the silence. It blasted open a crevice in the middle of the pavilion – knocking over everyone who had not left the pavilion – and revealing an opening in the earth that shone with a familiar oval light. With her head buried into the ground, Alta spat out a few crumbs of dirt and turned to face the blast. Her eyes went wide.

Dungeon Detected!

Hidden Grotto

[Type]: Field

[Level]: Mid Rank 2

Some immediately rushed to their feet and stabbed downwards at the bodies nearest them. Their weapons punctured a few corpses, but some still moved. Those remained alive, and the ones who had failed to secure their easy kill also failed to secure their own lives. In the ensuing struggle, plenty died. A few tried to run, but many prevented them from doing so. Alta herself fought off a team of two who tried to push their way out, not wanting any information to escape.

The Midnight Covenant agreed. They themselves had known about the dungeon, using it as their base for their profits. To retain control over this dungeon, a covenant member stalked outside the shroud to chase any fleeing enemies, few as they were, and quickly swept back in with shadows churning around his feet. Another two rushed to save their heavily injured leader, close to the blast, but were intercepted by those who realized their danger.

Meanwhile, Alta rushed into the fray and beheaded a few concussed people with her khopesh. She flickered out of sight and exited from invisibility, blade through a man’s neck, then whirled back into her veil to dodge another hit. Her blade smashed thrice against an enemy’s armor, breaking it utterly and blending his insides apart.

But others in the pavilion were no slouches either. A few with prior relationships teamed up to fight off the covenant’s men. Two groups had merged into one, implicitly agreeing to share the dungeon as long as the Midnight Covenant fell. Her other three fellow mercenaries stood together, sending those fleeing back onto their enemies’ blades. The brute laughed, fists glowing; he was having fun. She tried to investigate their abilities, but another hostile forced her to defend.

The three parties stared at each other, wary, while they sent their least injured to kill off the remaining stragglers. None could leave.

Alta finished off her last enemy and looked around, only to glimpse a blade aimed toward her neck. She shifted slightly to the left, retreating, as another man joined the battle. Without help, she had no hope of remaining alive. Although her khopesh had managed to hack off skin and dig into bone, their weapons didn’t falter. Then, a mistake – she stumbled and staggered back, her enemy surging forward to finish her off.

Her eyes went wide, then glossed over. Her head tumbled onto the floor and rolled as her body collapsed, while the man closest snatched up her weapon and shouted at the other man to back off. Blank eyes stared at the scene in front of her.

Although headless, the Doppelganger remained alive and still witnessed the three factions beginning to negotiate. The Midnight Covenant had fought the hardest, sustaining the most severe injuries but also equipped the best equipment. Five remained. The second faction had six people but looked just as miserable. And the three mercenaries, although strong, were clearly outnumbered.

The situation looks even, she thought. But Alta knew something was wrong. Her senses, or perhaps her intuition, had detected soft footsteps on grass from when she entered the pavilion. Yet nothing was there when she looked. Does the covenant still have people hidden?

Suddenly, another foe joined the fray. Her final, paranoid teammates had returned with their patron Elias, bringing over a dozen men in with them. Although they had left earlier in fear, who knew they’d pull something so daring?

Apparently, the swordsman did. He smirked and lobbed his third and final vial at the newcomers. Elias immediately called for a retreat, but the damage had already been done. Without knowing about the second explosive vial placed at the entrance, over half his forces became consumed in the blast. The situation stalled once again.

In the commotion, nobody noticed the disappearance of a headless corpse.

----

Caesar’s POV

“Caesar, the time to move is now.” Alta appeared in a nearby hiding spot – head still in her hands – and told him about what had just happened. He nodded. It was indeed a good act of foresight to have an escape plan ready before they went into the black market. Now, he had the advantage.

But how could he unleash his Stormheart Oak without alerting the entire city to the sound? The weather was currently clear, and flashes of lightning would appear too suspicious. Then, he shrugged. Did it matter? Without the instantaneous strikes, his life might be at risk fighting Level 25 elites.

He helped her hold her head in place while he poured some healing potion around her neck, then let her drink two of his four healing potions to reattach it. Although it still felt a little tender to the touch, her horror constitution and his black essence would eventually repair all damages.

“This fight shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as we enter at the right moment.” Caesar nodded, thinking about how best to use his tree and hippo. “We’ll simply sit outside the shroud and wait. You can scout with your Illusory Veil and tell us when to strike.”