Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2170: The Gnomes’ Camp

The Mayor took the lead as the group of experts flew eastward toward the Gnomes’ camp. The morning sky stretched clear above them, the wind rushing past as more than a hundred Sovereigns moved in a steady, disciplined formation.

Grey and Reynolds flew just behind the Mayor and Elder Harrington. Elder Voss kept the golden-furred Ninth-stage bunny in her arms, absently stroking its soft fur as they traveled. The small creature remained completely still, its presence so subdued that anyone without prior knowledge would have mistaken it for an ordinary rabbit.

Grey had always found that particular trait of the bunny leader’s army impressive. As long as the bunnies did not actively circulate their essence, even experienced experts could overlook them. That quiet concealment was one of the main reasons the bunny leader’s scouts remained so effective and difficult to detect. Of course, it was not perfect. During the earlier investigation of the Necromancer hideout, one scout had still been discovered. Fortunately it had not been killed, and the bunny leader had simply recalled it into the ranks when the attack began.

The human force continued flying in silence for some time, the landscape below shifting from open plains to denser woodland as they drew closer to enemy territory.

...

Hundreds of kilometers away from Cinderloch City, deep within a large forest, the Gnomes had established their camp in a wide clearing created by felling dozens of trees. Rows of tents stood in rough order, and the largest tent sat near the center of the camp.

Inside that tent, six Gnomes sat around a long table. A single human stood off to the side, a Necromancer who kept his head slightly lowered.

”Any news from the city?” asked a Gnome dressed in brown clothing. His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp.

The Necromancer shook his head. ”We received no word from them last night.”

”We’re wiping out Cinderloch tomorrow,” another Gnome said, visibly irritated. He slammed his hand down on the armrest of his chair, causing a web of cracks to spread across the wood. ”What do you mean they haven’t sent any word yet?”

Still keeping his head down, the Necromancer answered carefully, ”I tried reaching out to Grand Regent Varkas, but he still has not replied.”

”Just him?” the brown-clothed Gnome raised a brow.

”No,” the Necromancer continued. ”I also tried contacting Liora, who should still be inside the Mayor’s manor. She did not reply either.”

”You know how things are with her,” another Gnome said with a dismissive tone. ”It’s normal for her not to answer right away.”

”Normal or not, this is strange,” the brown-clothed Gnome said, eyes narrowing slightly. ”In previous situations when both the Regent and Liora failed to report, someone else always reached out to us before long.”

One of the other Gnomes widened his eyes. ”Are you saying something is wrong over there?”

The brown-clothed Gnome nodded without hesitation. ”Yes. I believe something has gone wrong in the city, and it may affect the attack planned for tomorrow.”

The atmosphere inside the tent grew heavier at once. The casual posture of several Gnomes straightened, and even the Necromancer’s expression tightened.

After a short silence, one of the Gnomes suddenly asked with a faint smirk, ”Is this because your granddaughter told you she dreamed you were killed?”

Every pair of eyes in the tent turned toward the brown-clothed Gnome, including the Necromancer’s.

”It has nothing to do with that,” the brown-clothed Gnome replied with a cold snort. ”I simply find the lack of contact strange.”

”Haha, it definitely has something to do with it,” the mocking Gnome laughed. ”This is not the first time we have lost contact with them before an attack and still proceeded. Why is this time different if you are not simply afraid?”

The brown-clothed Gnome stared at him and answered evenly, ”Because this time we plan to kill the Mayor and their top experts. Any serious error, and we may be the ones who end up dead.”

”Relax,” the opposing Gnome said, still carrying a tone of ridicule. ”There are three of us at the Peak of the Sovereign Plane, and all three of us have Peak Sovereign puppets. Do you really think two Peak Sovereigns on their side can stop us, especially with the two Regents joining our ranks this time?”

The brown-clothed Gnome opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, his expression suddenly changed. At the same moment, the faces of the mocking Gnome and one other Peak Sovereign also shifted.

The abrupt change in the three Peak Sovereigns’ expressions immediately put the remaining three Gnomes and the Necromancer on edge.

Just as one of them was about to ask what was wrong, the brown-clothed Gnome spoke in a low voice.

”You see? This is why I said it was strange.”

The other two Peak Sovereigns did not reply at once. Their spiritual senses were clearly stretched outward, confirming something in the distance.

The previously mocking Gnome finally snorted. ”Hmph. Even if something is strange, we will still kill them all. It makes no difference whether we do it today or tomorrow.”

The third Peak Sovereign nodded in agreement. ”I am perfectly fine with ending the Mayor today. I have taken an interest in that Water Elementalist by his side. The sooner I can claim him, the better.”

The other Gnomes and the Necromancer still looked puzzled by the sudden shift in conversation, but understanding arrived only a few seconds later.

The Necromancer’s eyes widened in shock as his own senses finally picked up what the three Peak Sovereigns had already detected. At first he thought he must be mistaken, but a second careful sweep confirmed it.

The Mayor of Cinderloch, along with a large force of experts from the city, was flying directly toward their camp. They had just entered the outer range of his spiritual sense, which was why he had only now noticed them. Unlike the three Peak Sovereigns, he was only a Ninth-stage Sovereign, so his detection range was naturally shorter.

Inside the tent, the three Peak Sovereigns remained silent for a moment longer. The remaining three Gnomes and the Necromancer now fully understood the situation. The enemy was not waiting for tomorrow. They were coming today.

The brown-clothed Gnome no longer argued with his companions. Since the other two Peak Sovereigns had already decided to fight, there was little point in trying to change their minds. They were well-informed and knew that no external army had secretly arrived to reinforce Cinderloch. On paper, there should be no major surprises waiting for them.

Even so, as the human force drew steadily closer, the brown-clothed Gnome could not shake the heavy premonition settling in his chest. Something about this approaching battle felt wrong.