First Light of a New Age

Chapter 113: Conqueror's Will

'We just need her signal.' 

Jawl knew that his second Skill, [Dark Silence], was still activated, so he was confident that his next action wouldn't compromise his mission.

Reassured by the silence of his surroundings, Jawl reached into his cloak and retrieved a Magic Communication Artifact.

Shaped like an orb, it pulsed faintly in the dark and was considerably heavy with the embedded incredible amount of high-quality Mana Crystals needed to make it required for its long-range capabilities. 

Pouring his Mana into the device, he activated it, knowing full well that a single call would drain its reserves. Recharge would be necessary, but that could wait. 

Now, he only needed Lady Scyllary’s go-ahead to strike.

~ZTTTZ!~ 

Before long, the Communication Artifact crackled to life, and a familiar voice emerged from the other end. 

[What’s the situation?] 

Jawl immediately recognized the voice of his master, Lady Scyllary. Even though she couldn’t see him, he subconsciously bowed his head in respect as he began his report. 

"All the necessary parties are present. Ronald Rumpan and Mara Terte Greene are inside the carriage. Their entourage is led by Yuri, their strongest warrior. Most of the other guards are familiar, though there are a few new faces among them." 

He went ahead and succinctly poured out all the intel he had uncovered.

It was brief, straight to the point, and accurate.

As a professional who had served Scyllary for nearly a decade, he knew her preferences and how to do his job to her utmost satisfaction.

The reason he didn't even address her as 'Master' when on the call was due to her distaste for time-wasting formalities.

Jawl desired to please her to his utmost, so he did as he was told and reported exactly what his Master desired to know.

[Good job.]

The praise was simple, yet it struck Jawl like a reward far greater than gold or for all the scrutiny he had put into his work.

Scyllary's words of admonishment, spoken by her soft voice, put a smile on his face.

He wanted to do anything for her.

"My men are on standby. Should we engage passively to delay their arrival to the Dark Gathering, or launch a full assault to eliminate them?" 

A brief silence followed, punctuated only by the faint hum of the Artifact. 

[You mentioned there are many unfamiliar faces you Do not recognize? Are any of them dressed unusually? Perhaps in a manner fitting the title 'Ghost'?]

Upon hearing this, Jawl's mind worked quickly, searching through his incredibly photographic memory of the scene and came up with several results.

"Yes. Seven men in total, all dressed in black, hiding their faces. Four positioned at the flanks, two guarding the rear, and one within the carriage itself." 

[Seven? I thought there would be three. Hmm...]

Jawl didn’t know who or what this 'Ghost' figure was, nor did he care. Names meant little to him and that wasn't going to deter him from fulfilling his duties and completing his mission.

Ghost or not, they would all perish if that was the wish of his Master.

[Do not engage the enemy. You’ve confirmed what we needed. Let them proceed and begin your next assignment.]