Elemental Cats

?With the multiple layers of magic on top of the stealth cloaks, Toz even had a hard time sensing himself. He was reminded slightly of his magic, Void's Embrace. If someone experienced the sensation of being hidden from themselves for too long, it wasn't impossible for them to lose themselves and go at least slightly crazy.

However, the effort needed to replicate it wasn't something that would make it worth the effort. Four mages, one with a unique inclination on top of a heavily enchanted cloak, all combined to hide Toz and the others away so that they could only rely on their sense of self to know where they were.

Toz and the others couldn't even tell where the others were. They could only rely on and trust each other. Thankfully, they had already gone over the plan together with the information Braxton had told them several times. As long as everyone remembered everything correctly and followed the plan, there shouldn't be any issues.

Ten seconds after everyone disappeared, Braxton melted the earth that separated them from the Fortress of Death and the place where their mission lay. After that, the ground slowly rose up to fill in the hole they had been in, and Toz and the others were officially inside the Fortress.

Toz and the others had been subjected to the overwhelming death attribute demonic energy ever since they entered the territory of the Fortress of Death. But it was nothing compared to the density inside the Fortress. However, no one was affected by the demonic energy. And it wasn't due to Hal this time.

Toz's stealth magic was a combination of void, darkness, and space. And void part of his magic served to separate the people affected by the stealth from the effects of magic. The others were surprised but mostly relieved since it meant they didn't have to endure the pressure with nothing but already frayed nerves.

After the hole was filled in and the ground restored to its original state, it was time to move.

The layers of stealth magic on them could keep them undetected even if they stood right in front of someone. But they, especially Wyrie, didn't have infinite mana, and because she amplified several instances of magic at once, she was quickly running out. They had to reach their target before they lost the effects of the amplified stealth.

There was no way they would be able to complete the mission without fighting, but they could still do as much as possible to make sure that the fighting came after they were finished. It was unlikely, but the ideal mission was for them to sneak in, do what they came for, and then sneak back out again.

However, that seemed to approach the realm of impossibility more and more with each step they took.

Toz and the others couldn't see each other, and Hal had muted their sounds. But before they entered the Fortress, Hal had told them that if they had to say something, he could arrange that.

Naturally, no one was in the mood for chit-chat while inside the depths of the enemy's base.

But when Toz heard Hal's voice inside his ear, he realized he had to speak up.

"There's something down the right that's emitting powerful mana fluctuations."

There were a few meters left until they reached the hallway that Toz indicated. And since time was precious, no one stopped walking.

"Is it our target?"

Seich had already picked up that Toz was perceptive and sensitive to mana, so he didn't bother asking how Toz knew.

"No. There are massive fluctuations of space instead of death. And I can sense our target where it's supposed to be."

"Space? Could it be a portal, perhaps?"

"No way. Space is supposed to be locked."

Toz was curious about Seich's answer to Hal's guess. But he didn't indulge. Instead, he asked what was actually important.

"Do we investigate and find out, or do we head to our target?"

It took a few moments of silence before Braxton answered in a tense voice. 𝙛𝙧𝓮𝓮𝙬𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝓮𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝙢

"The mission takes precedence. If we have time or the opportunity afterward, we can check it out. But before we lose our stealth, let's go."

Hal was still muting the sounds, so no one heard Braxton begin walking. But his tone made it more than clear that he took the lead and continued toward their target.

He was right and also the leader of the mission, so no one objected. They came here for the mission, after all. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could get out. And the quicker they moved, the greater their odds of survival, something everyone wanted.

Although they wanted to get it done quickly, no one rushed. Since they couldn't see each other, they didn't know where the one in front of them or the one behind was. To avoid bumping into each other or leaving someone behind, they all agreed on a set pace.

The pace should be fast enough that they should be able to reach their target before Wyrie loses all her mana and the stealth slips. But they couldn't guarantee the details of the Fortress' floor plan before the mission. And if it was longer between where they entered the Fortress and their target, they simply had to use force to breach the last bit in case they were discovered.

But it might also be shorter than the estimation. Not that anyone was foolish enough to hope that they would be so lucky.

No one worried that they wouldn't be able to find their target.

It had been quite weak at first, but it became almost impossible not to notice after they stepped deeper into the Fortress. And if they couldn't sense it, they could always use the ghastly blue flames on the torches on the walls to guide them. The ghost fire reacted quite clearly to the death attribute mana, after all.

Thankfully, the map wasn't too inaccurate, and Toz and the others arrived at their target with only a minor delay.