The trio was surprised by the sheer number of monsters; it was hard to believe that so many were hidden and none of them noticed.
Even Tia hadn't imagined so many. She thought there was only a small group of 12, but if you count the monsters from both asteroids, it would be more or less…
"62!!" The archer shouted, alerting his two companions, visibly affecting them.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Dragomir cursed harsh words, mentally insulting everyone present, including himself.
The situation had become difficult even before they reached their destination.
Which wasn't a good sign at all. Raiziquer's missions usually became excessively complex. But this was the level of the end of his missions, not the beginning.
Something told him that the scale of problems would only increase from here on out.
"We don't have much time," the archer changed his posture. He had decided to move from the defensive to a more offensive stance. "Dragomir, advance and make way for us!" His words were strong. The swordsman simply nodded in agreement with the orders given to him; for the first time, he seemed to recognize Raiziquer's leadership.
"Tia, take care of the rear, don't let them corner us from behind," Tia replied with a low murmur, her arms outstretched to the sides, creating several floating points of magic.
"I will provide cover for both of you, and try my best not to let anyone fall," her vision covered the entire area around the bridge. Now that her enemies were visible, she would not fail to locate them.
"At my signal," the self-proclaimed leader began his instruction; the order was clear, and everyone knew what they should do, they were just waiting for the best moment to put it into practice.
Dragomir had his hands on the hilt of his sword, his fingers firmly gripping the scabbard, ready to release the weapon.
The points created by Tia began to take shape. They ceased to be merely focused points of energy, transforming into masses of fluid, purple mana, and mysteriously, each consistent mass of mana gained a smiling face that seemed to be laughing.
They were ready, any action from the enemy, and any of the three could react almost instantly, but they wouldn't initiate the advance.
The most prudent course of action was to wait for the reptilians' move and only then react. Since they were more vulnerable, it was best to act cautiously.
A thought not shared by their enemies. They were offensive; they wouldn't be passive in their actions and decisions.
And without waiting for the trio's reaction, one of the monsters advanced.
He held one end of his staff, with a care that displayed technique and skill; his clumsy movements masked the care he took in what he was doing.
The unheld end of the staff was being shaken rhythmically, causing mana to flow through the object like the current of a wild and uncontrolled river.
These movements had a purpose of their own, one that became clear as the action progressed. The shaking tip used the circulating energy and began to produce small incandescent flashes.
*Vrr*
*Zarr*
In a few movements, yellowish lights emanated from the shaking tip, lights that gradually joined together forming a sphere of edgy energy.
This was obviously a magical attack, but not an attack intended to hurt or injure, but to bring down. The reptilian monster aimed at the bridge, not the trio.
The movement it made became more brutal, the energy produced strengthening the magical sphere, its arms tensing and preparing to launch the sphere at its target.
The movement stopped, the staff pointed at the base of the bridge, the energy accumulating in the sphere, increasing its lethality.
*Vrr*
*Blan*
The shot was fired. The reptilian made one last precise movement and launched its magic at the base of the bridge, in a place that would cause it to collapse in one fell swoop.
But he wasn't the only one in action.
Raiziquer was already prepared for this. In a swift shot, his arrow is launched towards the magic sphere.
*Flum*
*Zim*
The arrow travels lightly, but also with unerring lethality. Raiziquer could be fatally accurate when he wanted to.
This was one of those times. His intention was completely offensive and precise.
Before the sphere even had a chance to approach the target, the arrow intercepts it, and the two spells collide violently.
*Booom*
An explosion is formed by the interaction of the spells; the collision generates a shockwave that reverberates through the air, causing small tremors in the nearby rocks.
This clash of powers ends up creating a small curtain of bright smoke, the result of the aggressive burning of mana.
Those lights were not just a detail. The collision of two spells with equal power causes the mana to overload, generating magical radiation, radiation that was now impregnated in the smoke.
This curtain was exactly what Dragomir needed, and he couldn't miss this chance.
His hand gripped the sword hilt tightly at his waist, his feet bent, ready to propel him to his destination.
He was ready, just waiting for the right moment to act.
The monsters surrounding him were alert.
They didn't have the best eyesight; their eyes, adapted to low light, couldn't perfectly identify what they saw. They weren't blind, but their vision was weaker than that of nearsighted dogs.
Like snakes, they don't hear; they feel the vibrations caused by sounds, but they don't have organs prepared for hearing.
Even without good eyesight or hearing, they had their own way of "seeing" the world.
Their tongues could detect odors in an area of up to 100 meters vertically and horizontally. A keen sense of smell, difficult to deceive.
But the best sensor they had was their magical perception.
Mana was focused between their eyes, projecting energy into a cone-shaped area where their senses were extended.
This area sends information directly to the brain and is very sensitive to mana particles, being a strong substitute for vision.
Any minimal trace of mana in this cylindrical area was detected. The field created by the projection of this energy was an extension of their sensory capabilities, and could be considered a sixth sense.
They could identify any trace of mana present in the environment, their brains receiving the information collected in the area directly, without an intermediary organ to delay the processing of the collection.
Their brains had adapted to this tactic. In a neural area developed precisely to process the collected information, the separation of information was done. This developed part of the brain could distinguish information coming from the cylindrical area, separating ambient mana from the personal mana of an individual or material.
With this, they created a mental image of the space around them.
A rather unique way of understanding the world. It wasn't the best; it had its limitations, and the images in the reptilians' minds were a simplification, not a perfect montage of their surroundings, but it was an advanced form of sensory processing.
The tiniest particles present in the atmosphere were detected and processed in their minds; nothing escaped their radar.
At least, that's how it was supposed to be…