Elemental Cats

?The piece of paper appeared in the middle of the air, right in front of Toz, with minimal spatial fluctuations. Since Toz was so deeply absorbed in his grimoire, he almost reacted instinctively and blew apart the letter with a Fireball. But he caught himself in time and snatched the letter out of the air before it could land on the ground.

There were so few words in the letter that it was almost empty, and if it weren't for Toz understanding what the words 'Same circle' meant, he would have been at a loss for what to do. But the letter's message was probably intentional and made in such a way that only someone who knew what they meant would understand.

If it were a stranger, or maybe even a spy, who received the letter without knowing about the magic circle that led to the secret room beneath the base, the letter wouldn't mean anything, even if it ended up in their hands.

After reading the letter, Toz burned it, and not even ash remained, just like he did with the last one.

The cats knew what the letter meant, and they also stopped what they were doing and lined up in front of Toz with resolute expressions. It was finally time.

They didn't know what they were getting themselves into, whether it was a suicide mission or an achievement freebie. But they were in the middle of war. Things weren't going to be peaceful no matter what happened, and if they were unlucky, they might even be dragged into something beyond the proxy war between the Obsidian Empire and the Tribe of Death.

However, no matter what happened, it was almost a guarantee that they would risk their lives. It was nothing more than natural to fear death, and none of them wanted to die.

If they didn't have to do something so dangerous, they wouldn't necessarily do it unless it sounded fun enough. However, Taienra's life was at stake.

It wasn't the most optimal route or solution, but it was a step they had to take if they wanted to find a rescue Taienra. Neither Toz nor the cats held any kind of hesitation as they set out.

If it were to save one of their dear companions, family, they would willingly risk their lives several times over.

The cats slipped into the familiar space of Toz's inclination as he covered himself in stealth and left the tent.

The combination of darkness, void, and space magic rendered Toz completely undetectable by almost all means. Things like Cooper's unique magic were rare. And after the experience of Cooper's tracking mark, Toz had gotten more sensitive to similar magics and spells, so he would hopefully be able to notice if something similar happened again.

Not to mention how his magic vision let him see the mana of the world around him. He could see it if someone noticed his presence, maybe someone like a spy, and reported it. At least as long as they used mana. He wasn't so sure when it came to demonic energy, even if it was similar to mana. If it were obvious enough, he would notice the fluctuations. But spies prided themselves on being unnoticeable.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, considering the situation, Toz didn't get to discover anyone spying on him. If they did, he didn't notice it.

But Toz arrived at the same spot with the same magic circle without noticing anyone noticing him. He had focused on stealth. But he had also made sure not to delay too much, so he arrived after only a few moments. With the size of the camp and Toz's speed, he could cross it in only a couple of seconds if he wanted. But since it was more important that he did it undetected, he had lost a few seconds.

After only a couple of moments of waiting, the magic circle opened, and Toz disappeared into the ground through a smooth tunnel. Toz hadn't been in the right state of mind last time, but this time, he noticed that the magic circle detected him despite his layers of stealth.

He wondered how since he hid his magical and physical body. And since he did something similar to walking on air, the magic circle shouldn't have sensed his weight either.

But Toz didn't get much time to ponder on it since, unlike last time, the tunnel went straight down. It didn't wind or twist around in unnecessary and time-consuming pathing.

Toz plummeted through the ground and reached the same speeds he did last time, but without having to use magic to propel himself forward, and he arrived at the secret room after a third round of moments.

Toz landed gracefully without making a single sound, despite the speed he had as he flew through the tunnel. And since he still had his magic active, he would almost have gone unnoticed by the people in the room if it weren't for the fact that the tunnel opened up in the same place where they looked.

Escaping the detection of high leveled mages and fighters while they looked directly at him was something even Toz couldn't do, at least not in a brightly lit room.

The room was filled with a tense atmosphere that, while it didn't bother, didn't make anyone else in the room any more chatty than last time.

Since no one seemed to want to talk or explain anything just yet, Toz moved to the side and waited for the rest of the combatants that the general had chosen. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝙢

However, as he waited, Toz looked around the room leisurely.

General Scoll sat in the same place as before, and he had his five bodyguards and assistant next to him. But there was also one other person hiding in a corner behind them.

Just the fact that Toz hadn't sensed their presence at first was proof of their eligibility to join the mission. Toz was a little curious about the person since their appearance was hidden by a dark blue cloak. But now obviously wasn't the time to indulge in idle curiosity, so he patiently waited for the next person to arrive.