The Golem Mage

Knight wasted no time as he hurried back towards Alec and the rest of the group.

As he was Emerging from the shadows, he was immediately swarmed by everyone, eager to hear the intel he had gathered.

"Not too far from here, about twenty kilometers in that direction, the hunter Orcs entered a cave."

" While I was spying on them, I made a mistake and was seen by one of the Orcs. I had to kill him," Knight explained, his tone filled with a sense of urgency.

Although he had disposed of the body, Knight expressed concerns about the possibility of it being discovered soon, which would ruin their element of surprise.

Brandon, who had been relatively quiet since the journey began, couldn't help but voice his concern.

"How and why would you allow yourself to slip up?, Aren't you supposed to be the perfect Mage for this with your exceptional skills?"

The thought of being chased by seven hundred plus Orcs sent shivers down Brandon's spine, and he couldn't help but fidget.

Alec, displaying his confident demeanor, shrugged off the concern.

"Why are you fidgeting?, I thought you were supposed to be the Cool one, This isn't that much of a problem, I was planning on killing every Orc I see anyway."

" So, let's not see it as a bad thing, All we have to do is eliminate the Orc hunters before they can return to the village to report our presence."

He continued,

"That way, we not only wipe them off the face of the earth, but we also get the opportunity to investigate the cave Knight mentioned, No matter how I look at it, it's a big win as there must be something they are hiding."

Alec's words prompted him to ask,

"Who's up for Orc hunting?"

His wild smile passed through the group, causing most of the mages in James's group to gulp nervously.

The memory of their last encounter in the Abyss realm, where they had to run and fight simultaneously, was still fresh in their minds.

The prospect of going through that again, coupled with the fact that they had not fully recovered from their previous ordeal,

made them turn their gaze towards their captain, James, They glared at him for accepting the mission with Alec without even consulting their opinions first.

James, feeling the weight of the death glares directed at him, purposely avoided eye contact and glanced elsewhere, He could sense tension building among the group.

Among those who seemed eager to follow Alec were the members of the Gordon clan and Lucas Blade, who was jumping excitedly with his hands stretched up in the air, displayed his enthusiasm since he heard the word hunting.

Surprisingly, the twins Grace and Gabriel also raised their hands, volunteering to join the Orc hunting mission.

Alec found their willingness unexpected but ultimately decided it was for the best.

If anything were to go wrong, he wanted to be close enough to handle it.

"Knight, Brandon, Lucas, Grace, and Gabriel, you will form a team with me, and together we will intercept the hunter Orcs halfway and eliminate them all!"

Alec declared confidently, taking a moment to observe Grace and Gabriel.

He noticed the striking contrast in their appearances and personalities, despite being twins.

Grace embodied her name, emitting beauty and vibrancy wherever she went, Her striking features, long flowing black locks, and warm, inviting smile seems to captivate those around her.

While Her eyes sparkled with magic, reflecting an inner light.

In stark contrast, Gabriel appeared aloof and distant, exuding coldness and mystery.

Since the journey began, his demeanor had been unapproachable, as if he were merely tagging along without any interest in actively participating.

Alec couldn't help but notice Gabriel's intense, icy blue eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through barriers and secrets.

These details made him realize that the twins were not ordinary mages, causing him to become more cautious around them.

"The rest of you stay here and be on the lookout. If, by any chance, the Orcs send reinforcements, find a way to light a signal and run back to the city, We will meet you all there,"

Alec concluded, outlining his plan. However, James couldn't contain his worry.

"Are you sure? Is it really okay to go up against Thirty Tier 3 Orc hunters with just this small number?, You have to realize that these are all seasoned warriors," James expressed his concern, fearing that something might go terribly wrong once again.

"You can rest assured that I have already accounted for everything and won't jump into something I'm not sure of,"

Alec reassured James and the few mages he had selected to join Knight in their journey to the cave location.

---

About thirty minutes later, at the cave, another Orc emerged from a secret door, intending to switch guard duties with his partner.

It was part of their routine to switch duties every twenty minutes.

However, when he whistled, there was no response. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire

The Orc raised an eyebrow, sensing that the one supposed to be on guard duty might had abandoned his post.

But Just as he was about to return inside to report, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

He inhaled deeply, his hand reaching for his massive two-handed axe.

"Hmmm, blood!"

the Orc exclaimed as he tried to use his nose to pinpoint the source of the scent.

Knight had been meticulous in cleaning up all the blood spilled on the floor and removing any signs of a struggle or battle near the cave entrance.

However, he had overlooked the fact that the hunters Orcs are always out in the wilderness all day, familiarizing themselves with the scent of blood from their prey.

Although all traces of blood had been removed from the surrounding , a faint hint still lingered in the air.

The hunter Orc followed the scent until he discovered the dead body of the other Orc that Knight had killed and hidden closeby.

The Orc's eyes widened in realization that their position had been compromised.

Before he could sound the alarm, a loud bang echoed through the cave as a bullet-sized hole appeared in his forehead.

Through the hole, Alec could be seen stretching his two fingers forward, forming a gun sign as the earth-colored rune revolved around it.

He then raised his fingers to his mouth and blew on them, causing the smoke at his fingertips to disperse.

"Two down, twenty-eight more to go," Alec said with a smug smile on his face, before shifting his gaze towards Knight.

"Remind me to buy you some decomposing powder or acid. We can't afford to leave any evidence behind like this next time."

" Thank God we made it in time; otherwise, we would have lost the element of surprise," Alec remarked, expressing his happiness for their successful intervention.