Free Web NovelChapter 285: The Predator’s Game
"Then we do not use the door," Isabella stated confidently.
She walked toward the far corner of the vault and pointed at a large iron drainage grate set into the floorboards. She traced the architectural lines of the basement before turning back to the group.
"Noah, put the standard key in the lock and crack the door open just a fraction of an inch," Isabella instructed.
Noah followed her request immediately. He slid the metal key into the mechanism, turned it with a soft click, and pulled the door inward by a mere sliver. The temperature difference between the lower vault and the upper estate instantly created a sharp pressure draft.
A quiet whistle echoed through the room as air rushed aggressively toward the cracked entrance.
Isabella knelt beside the drainage grate and held her hands over the metal bars. She released a highly concentrated stream of corrosive mist from her palms.
Instead of spreading outward to poison the rest of the room, the newly created air current pulled the toxic green vapor directly downward into the drain.
The iron bars sizzled and melted away in total silence. The concentrated acid chewed through the stone foundations with terrifying speed, cleanly exposing the rushing water of the city’s subterranean aqueducts directly below them.
"Go," Marcus ordered quietly, gesturing toward the newly formed escape tunnel.
Liam and Emma dropped into the dark aqueduct first, followed closely by Mason and Sophia. They utilized the rushing water to mask the sound of their descent.
Marcus waited until everyone else had successfully climbed down the melted drainpipe before slipping through the hole himself.
They completely bypassed the ambush, leaving their enemies standing uselessly upstairs.
A few minutes later, once Lupis’ condition had stabilized, Gulag casually kicked the iron door, letting it swing inward and bang loudly against the stone wall.
She strolled into the quiet vault and immediately spotted the melted drainage grate in the far corner, confirming the room was completely empty. The lingering scent of corrosive acid hung heavily in the air.
She leaned her bone club against her shoulder and looked back at Torix, who was already crawling across the ceiling to inspect the damage.
"Novus and Hawl spent days carefully orchestrating this trap," Gulag pointed out, sounding mildly disappointed as she kicked a discarded piece of Aether-glass across the floor. "Are you sure letting them slip away was the right move?"
Novus stepped through the doorway and chuckled, twirling a dark matter blade effortlessly between his fingers. Hawl followed right behind him with a calm, indifferent expression. freёweɓnovel.com
"If I actually wanted Noah dead, he would have been completely obliterated the exact second he materialized in the study," Novus explained, leaning against the doorframe. "He thought he was being stealthy, but we felt his shadow creeping up the ventilation shaft before he even reached the grate. I gave Lupis that kinetic amulet specifically to deflect the strike and make the failed assassination attempt look believable."
Torix dropped down from the ceiling and landed softly near the melted iron bars. He clicked his mandibles together and looked at the rushing water below.
"Iron-Scale ordered their release," Torix said, addressing Gulag’s concern. "Trapping them in a cage breaks their bodies, but allowing them to escape breaks their minds entirely."
Gulag raised an eyebrow, prompting Torix to elaborate.
"They are completely isolated in a hostile city," Torix continued, gesturing toward the dark aqueduct. "To survive and defend themselves, they will eventually have to use their magic. The moment they draw upon their mana, we will track the signature and hunt them down. They will be forced to run and hide again. The cycle will repeat until they become so deeply discouraged and paranoid that they will be terrified to even use their own powers."
Hawl nodded in agreement. "They will constantly look over their shoulders, jumping at every shadow."
"Exactly," Torix affirmed. His multiple eyes glinted in the dim light of the vault. "We can capture them whenever we please, but for now, they are the prey and we are the predators. We will let them exhaust themselves running through the dark."
Torix looked up toward the ceiling, his gaze seemingly piercing through the stone estate to acknowledge the orbital sanctuary waiting far above the world.
"In the end," Torix added quietly, "this grand hunt is simply to entertain the Spiral."
The Tarnstead aqueducts smelled of rot and stagnant water.
Marcus waded through the waist-deep current, holding his golden broadsword tightly as the freezing water soaked through his clothes. The absolute darkness of the underground maze pressed against them from all sides, amplifying the sound of their splashing footsteps. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Elena shivered uncontrollably beside him, her silver robes heavy with sludge. The psychological toll of the betrayal hung heavily over the entire group. They had survived Aethelgard, only to be chased out of their new refuge and forced into the sewers like rats.
"Stay close," Marcus whispered, his voice echoing off the curved stone walls. "Do not use your magic. If we channel any mana, they might sense the fluctuation."
They navigated the twisting tunnels for hours, completely blind and increasingly exhausted. The damp cold seeped into their bones. Liam and Emma took the rear, constantly checking their six to ensure they were not being followed.
Suddenly, a low, guttural growl echoed from the tunnel directly ahead of them.
Marcus halted immediately. The splashing footsteps of the group ceased. In the absolute darkness, six pairs of glowing, sickly yellow eyes slowly opened in the water ahead.
"Subterranean rot-hounds," Noah muttered quietly from the shadows, recognizing the shape of the mutated creatures. "The city’s runoff forces them to hunt in the deep channels. They are completely blind, but their sense of smell is incredibly sharp."
"We smell like blood and sweat," Ethan noted grimly.
The largest rot-hound lunged forward, its jaw unhinging to reveal rows of sharp, diseased teeth. It splashed violently through the water, closing the distance in seconds.
Marcus swung his broadsword blindly, relying entirely on the splashing sounds. The flat of his blade caught the beast under the jaw, knocking it backward into the water.
However, the heavy impact caused the other five hounds to attack simultaneously.
"They are too fast!" Sophia screamed as a hound nearly snapped its jaws around her ankle.
"I have to use it!" Emma yelled in panic.
