#Estonia City
The day’s assault began with the City Lord ordering a few Tier 6 mages to enter the array and attack from within.
Zack’s interference had stalled them for too long, and now the City Lord, who is driven by obsession, had lost all restraint, because to him the Gordons Clan had to fall, no matter the cost.
Once he confird Zack was the thorn preventing his army from advancing in the array formation, he formalised a plan to turn the hunt on his head instead.
So he had Five Tier 6 mages planted among the troops he was sending in for the day, as they masqueraded as ordinary fighters with their auras tightly concealed, they did this so when the Gordons’ hit-and-run squad appeared, the sa unit Zack always used to attack, they would trap him shut,
And eventually Zack’s squad showed up as usual, as the Tier 6 mages revealed themselves and moved with one intent: and that was erasing Zack.
But the mont Zack realized they’d been waiting for him, he decided to toy with them instead.
He ordered his team to retreat, while he then darted deeper into the outer region, each step asured, deliberate, his pursuers mirroring his movents, careful not to trigger anything buried in the array.
Then, as they neared the auction district, Zack suddenly surged forward, his speed exploding in a burst that left them struggling to keep up, they didn’t see what he did this ti—no obvious trick, no clear setup—but they were too afraid to lose him again, after spending so long hunting him, failing now would earn them a brutal scolding from their master.
And that fear made them reckless, as they chased him straight into the auction house.
Every one of them had heard the rumors, that the auction grounds were a special zone, one that is desired by even the higher-ups, because they believed it was filled with rare stockpiles and hidden value, there was even a standing order forbidding forced entry from the attacking force so they don’t destroy anything,but as they crossed the threshold, they were grinning, in their minds, they already had the excuse ready.
And they would say it was only because they were chasing the hated Zack that they failed to notice the mont they stepped in—until it was too late.
Five of them entered in a tight rush, then the first two abruptly halted, while the other three pushed deeper inside, the three who were still moving only noticed sothing was wrong when the two behind them didn’t follow.
So they stopped and looked back, confused, irritated and trying to understand why their comrades had frozen in place, that was when they saw it.
A rune-like imprint had ford beneath the first two, pinning their legs to the floor like nails through shadow. The markings looked ancient—too old, too strange for them to recognize how to break it, and for a heartbeat, none of them even understood what they were even looking at.
One of the three who was still free tried to step closer, but the mont he moved, black runes crawled up from the ground and wrapped around his limbs, locking him in place.
As a sixty-second tir flickered into existence beneath his feet, and that didn’t help to calm the other two who were still free, if anything, it terrified them more.
Zack was nowhere to be seen, and now three of their colleagues were restrained by rune-glyphs, each stamped with a ticking countdown, and the trap felt intelligent, like it was watching them, then the two free mages finally noticed the tir beneath the first pair.
It was almost finished, that was how they held their breath and waited, and when the countdown hit zero, the runes restraining the first two faded, sinking back into the floor as if they’d never existed.
Relief rushed through the group. One of the free mages even smiled, and the other exhaled shakily, thinking the danger had passed.
But things never went the way you expected them to, especially inside an array formation, the ground beneath the first two suddenly caved in, it opened like a mouth.
As the pair dropped instantly, like they were being dragged down into the darkness as they scread, arms flailing, boots scraping uselessly at the collapsing floor.
Shock hit the remaining three like a hamr, as the one still bound, and the two still free, began staring at the hole as if the arena itself had decided to swallow n whole.
The other two mages couldn’t help but panic, they wanted to rush forward and pull their falling comrades back up, but the mont they rembered what happened to the one who tried to move earlier, and how the runes latched onto him the instant he shifted, they froze where they stood, hearts pounding, unsure of what to do.
No one had explained what they were facing, and the array gave them no rcy, they started shouting their comrades’ nas anyway, calling into that pit that looked like a mouth from hell, begging them to hold on and survive.
Their shouts weren’t just because of concern, it was also because of desperation, as if those n lived, then it ant there was a way out... and that they might survive too if the sa fate ca for them.
No one scread louder than the mage whose tir was dropping the fastest.
But no matter how the trapped n clawed and struggled, they couldn’t pull themselves free. Whatever was down there dragged them deeper, swallowing their voices until the pit took them completely.
The two free mages who were a step away couldn’t see what was truly happening inside, but they still craned their necks from a distance, straining to look without stepping closer, terrified of triggering the sa seal, but it was all useless.
The darkness below gave them nothing, then the bound mage’s face twisted into pure horror, as his countdown hit zero.
And he knew what was coming, because unlike the two who were still free, he had seen it clearly, exactly what had dragged their comrades down.
And now, he knew it was coming for him.
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