Elemental Cats

?The handsome man got incredibly flustered when he noticed that his magic had disappeared and hurriedly restored the magic and pulled his hood back as he looked around in anger and suspicion.

He hid his appearance as quickly as he could, but it was already too late. Everyone else had already seen his appearance, which had been enough to make everyone stop laughing as they instead stared at him with wide eyes.

The handsome man turned away from the others and would have probably also walked ahead of them if it weren't for there only being a few meters to walk. Braxton only made the tunnel as large as it had to be. And as they walked on, he collapsed it behind them.

Everyone except Toz looked at the handsome man in curiosity. And it seemed like Braxton and Wyrie wanted to get him to tell them his name, at least. But before they could ask, Toz sniggered and spoke up, which practically exposed him as the one who revealed the handsome fellow's face. No one knew how he did it, but all suspicion fell on him.

"I'm Toz, T.O.Z. I'm quite well-rounded in terms of attack, stealth, defense, and movement. And I look forward to our success. But I think that we all need to cooperate for that. Right?"

Toz looked pointedly in the direction of the handsome man in regard to the last sentences he said. Toz wasn't the greatest at cooperating with others himself. But he was willing to suck it up for the sake of the mission since it had to succeed, after all. That also meant that the others had to cooperate.

Seich was a little rude and standoffish, but he told the others his role and that they should watch out when he began attacking. And the others also revealed their positions and what they would do during the mission. However, the uncooperative, handsome man didn't seem like he would do anything other than the bare minimum, which had to change if they wanted to ensure as great a chance of success as possible.

Toz knew he used wind magic thanks to his mana vision. And Braxton and Seich might also know something since they were the subordinates of the one who organized the mission. But them revealing the handsome man's identity and skills might have the opposite reaction.

Toz and Hal stirring up his emotions might also have a negative impact, but it wasn't the same as telling everyone about what he could do. However, it would at least show everyone that he was human and thus easier to trust.

And if the others began to trust him, he might be more willing to tell them at least his name. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝒘𝙚𝓫𝒏𝙤𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝒎

Thankfully, it seemed like it had worked. Flustering and angering the handsome man and then letting him cool down had softened his attitude.

"Mifter."

But he didn't say anything more than his name. But since everyone sensed the gust of wind as it wrapped around Mifter's body and shrouded his presence, he had also told them that he was a wind mage. He just didn't use his words. That was proof that Mifter was willing to cooperate for the mission.

Although the atmosphere in the tunnel didn't go back to laughter, Mifter showing his willingness to cooperate, despite his personality, had everyone in a good mood. Well, as good as it could be, considering they were literally marching toward death.

Caught up in the silence of the tunnel, where not even footsteps could be heard due to the cloak, it was easy to get entrenched in a jumble of worries and thoughts. Whether or not they would make it out alive. Whether they would succeed or not.

The general hadn't told them about it, and it didn't seem like Braxton or Seich would know or be willing to answer the question. But Toz and the others didn't even how the success or failure would affect the war.

They might win the war, even if they fail. But the opposite might also be true. What do they do if they succeed in their sneak attack but still lose the war?

The worry that their efforts, maybe even their lives, wouldn't be enough to change the outcome of the war weighed on their minds.

Toz's wasn't quite as affected as the others were. He knew from Dyra that it was a proxy war. It was very likely that the others, at least Braxton and Seich, knew. But he also knew that it was fought over resources, like most wars. But the Mortal Realm was nothing more than the battlefield.

The Tribe of Death and the Obsidian Empire fought using the powers of the mortal realm to even the playing field and limit the cost of waging the war.

To those two transcendent factions, the war between the human realm and the demon realm of the Mortal Realm was just a proxy battle to settle a dispute that had reached a degree of severity that required more than a discussion to settle.

Even if the humans lost the war, nothing much would change within the mortal realm. Maybe the demon realm would expand. And the four kingdoms would lose some territory and have to pay tribute to the demon realm for some time.

Well, that was what would probably happen if there weren't others scheming to interfere.

The others were worried about what would happen if the humans lost the war against the Tribe of Death.

Toz was worried about what was actually going to happen. But he didn't waste time occupying his mind with useless anxiety. Toz was analyzing his surroundings with mana vision at all times, carefully investigating the flow of mana. And he was also trying to use the meager few details he picked up from the general's words and Braxton's explanation of the plan.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see very far with his mana vision due to the thick layer of earth surrounding them. But he still noticed how the mana in the tiny opening Braxton created was too thin.