Because Marcus Monroe adamantly objected to Paige Summers helping with the Array, they were one person short, and it simply couldn’t be set up.
Maisie Joyce opened her mouth to plead several times, but a single icy glance from Marcus Monroe silenced her. In the end, she said nothing, merely lowering her head in frustration.
She knew not to push her luck.
Bloodfall could offer three people, while her side only had one. The fault didn’t lie with Marcus Monroe or Paige Summers, but with her own people’s weakness. She was the City Lord, a strategist, but at a time like this, she felt that brains were no match for brawn. The thought was a bitter one.
Unable to do anything about Bloodfall, she had to settle for the next best thing: first, they had to find the person who cast this Spell.
She wasn’t the only one who sent out search parties; Bloodfall did as well.
With Superpower Users who had enhanced senses of smell, others with enhanced perception, and so on, hundreds of people searched for nearly ten days before finally finding traces of Sanford and his companions.
The southern region was vast, so finding people who were deliberately hiding in such a short amount of time was actually quite an achievement. For the people of Southreach, however, the wait was agonizing.
For one, they had to constantly move supplies back and forth. Maisie Joyce, Colin Koenig, and the others took turns personally supervising the effort. The Superpower Users also worked in shifts, but they were still mentally and physically exhausted.
For another, since the Vortex moved slowly, the loss of supplies wasn’t catastrophic toward the end. The primary issue was that all the buildings had been destroyed. Even the City Lord’s estate was in shambles. Looking at the now-barren base was a painful experience for everyone.
The Superpower Users out on the search didn’t know the specifics, but they could well imagine the situation. So, the moment they discovered the hiding place of Sanford and his group, everyone was ecstatic.
But finding them was one thing.
Aside from Sanford and his apprentice, Theodore Pierce, the others were all in a ravine, gathered around the Vortex. They were clearly in the middle of casting a Spell. Everyone present immediately recalled the Shaman’s warning, and no one dared to make a rash move.
’Killing them might be easy, but what if that makes the Vortex spiral out of control? What then?’
The group surrounded the ravine from the outside. A member of Bloodfall quickly sent Sweetie back with a message, asking for instructions on their next move.
Back in Southreach, Sweetie’s return was met with everyone’s undivided attention.
When he learned they had found their targets, the Shaman raised an eyebrow. ’Their luck isn’t half bad,’ he thought. Based on his observations, if the Spell wasn’t broken soon, the Vortex would likely intensify its activity. By then, it would be too late to even attempt to set up the Array.
Since he was the only one who knew the Vortex’s origin and had a way to break it, everyone naturally looked to him to lead the next course of action.
The Shaman didn’t refuse. He took Rhonda Rhodes, and the two of them prepared to ride Sweetie over to assess the situation first.
Maisie Joyce and the others were still worried, so Keith Preston personally led a team to follow them.
As for Paige Summers’s group, there was little point in them remaining in Southreach, so Marcus Monroe simply ordered everyone to head over, including Zephyr Mercer and his people.
On the way, Paige Summers quietly said to Marcus Monroe, "What if the Shaman can’t handle them, and we still need the Array to deal with the Vortex in the end? Why don’t I give it a shot? It should be fine. You know my condition..."
Marcus Monroe shot her a harsh glare. "Don’t even think about it. Absolutely not!"
He had already asked Sean Raines about her condition. Due to the previous Blightworm infestation and her premature labor, her body still needed careful management, even after all this time recovering. If he hadn’t been tied up with matters in Concordia, and if she hadn’t been so eager to get out, he wouldn’t have even let her come to Southreach. Getting involved with this Array business was completely, utterly out of the question.
If anything else were to happen, he might as well just kill himself.
As he thought this, he saw Paige fall silent and felt a pang of guilt. His tone softened involuntarily. "Don’t be stubborn, okay? Annie’s waiting for you at home."
Paige Summers glanced at him and suddenly laughed. "Is she only waiting for me? Isn’t she waiting for you, too? I was just thinking that this whole thing is truly bizarre. You worry about me, but don’t you think I worry about you? So, I think neither of us should do it. Let’s just let things play out. If it really comes down to it, we can just kill the caster! I refuse to believe the Spell can last after the caster is dead."
Hearing her say that, the corners of Marcus Monroe’s lips curled into a smile. "Exactly!" he said with conviction.
Intimidated by Marcus Monroe’s imposing presence, the other team members in the vehicle felt too constrained to sit with them. As a result, only the driver and Norman Ross were up front, leaving Marcus and Paige alone in the back.
The two of them hadn’t bothered to lower their voices, and after overhearing the conversation, the team member driving and Norman Ross exchanged a glance, both suppressing a smile.
’Captain Monroe is usually a living King Yama around us. He’s appallingly brutal during training, but when he’s with the Deputy Base Chief, he’s like a completely different person!’
’"Don’t be stubborn..." and all that... Tsk, it’s like he’s coaxing a child!’
’And that grin! Does it have to be so wide? It’s totally ruining his image!’
The attitude of Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers directly influenced the rest of Bloodfall. As a result, the team arrived at their destination with an almost carefree disposition.
They traveled quickly, but they still arrived long after Sweetie.
Before Marcus Monroe, Paige Summers, and the others could even enter the ravine, they found the Southern Army and their own search party standing guard outside. Keith Preston was waiting with them. Paige was a little surprised. "Why haven’t you gone in? What’s the situation inside?"
"Deputy Base Chief, that Mr. Wise told us to stand guard out here. He and Mr. Rhodes went in alone. He said he knew the people inside and wanted to talk to them first. If they can’t come to an agreement, then we’ll figure out what’s next."
"I see." Paige wasn’t too surprised. She’d already had a feeling that the Shaman was familiar with this type of Magic. Still, a new worry surfaced. ’Don’t tell me it’s another Cultivator,’ she thought. ’If it is, this is going to be a real pain.’ "How long have they been in there?"
"Five hours already."
"And no sign of activity?"
"That’s right."
’No fighting means they’re still negotiating,’ Paige thought. ’But this is taking way too long...’
Marcus Monroe spoke up. "We’ll wait for now, too."
She nodded.
Inside the ravine, the negotiations had actually broken down long ago.
The Shaman sighed as he looked at the Vortex, which he had spent a great deal of time and effort freezing with a Spell. He had to admit he’d miscalculated.
The Vortex before him was merely a relay point. The one truly controlling it wasn’t here.
His Condensation Technique wouldn’t hold for much longer. Once it failed, this Vortex would collapse, taking the one above Southreach down with it. The only way to truly resolve this was to force the five people currently subdued by Rhonda Rhodes to reveal the true method for breaking the Spell.
But that was easier said than done.
Worse, his current Power wasn’t high enough to perform a Soul Search.
They had been at a stalemate for some time, yet none of the five had wavered.
He stared grimly at one of the men. "I remember your name is Sherman, correct? Have you still not recognized me?"
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