Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 160: War (2)

"I will deal with the enemies ahead; since they are only scouts, they won't be a problem, and I will deal with them quickly," Rain declared while the group was getting ready to move. "I suggest that you stay here and only move once I return after confirming that the path ahead is clear."

"What if something happens to you?" Branden asked.

"I will attack the enemies before they can notice me," Rain said. "I have been training hard in the art of Stealth, after all, still, on the off chance that something happens. I will make the ground tremble. Others will think that it was just an ordinary earthquake, but you guys won't."

Level 15: Disguise - Learns to adopt various disguises to blend in with different environments while not moving.

Level 20: Silent Movement - Master the technique of moving silently and without making noise, reducing the risk of detection.

Level 25: Sleight of Hand - Improves the ability to manipulate objects and perform tricks, useful for misdirection and sleight-of-hand theft.

Rain trained the others with surprise attacks; thanks to it, the Thief Path leveled up quite a bit. His dexterity grew to the point that he could do juggling with six very sharp knives without getting hurt. At the same time, he could jump backward and spin in the air exactly as many times as he wanted. Being more dexterous was awesome.

In any case, the others nodded, and Rain began to move while using the darkness of the night. While using Impulse was the best option in terms of speed and efficiency, he used some blasts of wind under his foot to make him move more silently.

The terrain ahead was filled with undulations, and that explained why the scouts were ahead since it was easier to hide and blend in the scenario. Still, their aura changed the environment a bit, and they were easy to find since they were always checking the surroundings while behind the peak of the hills.

"We don't know tribes specialized in that, but those guys should be good at communicating over long distances… that explains why some places were attacked fast last year when the number of guards decreased," Rain thought when he found the first target. "I have to get rid of them before they can inform their allies.

However, their main group will soon notice that something is off since, most likely, they receive constant reports."

Rain jumped with all his might and then increased his jumping ability with a blast of wind under his legs. Thanks to that, he was able to see one of the scouts… the guy was one of the water snipers… Rain couldn't see the guy, but he could see their spell in action… it was amazing that it could stay active for so long…

Still, the water cloak had zero defensive capabilities… Rain fired a wind bullet from the tip of his fingers and hit the head of the enemy, canceling the spell and killing the scout instantly. Rain landed nearby while looking in all directions and soon found another aura further West, three kilometers away.

"I didn't feel any magic being used, so I stopped him from alerting others, but maybe that isn't enough, and I need to speed up," Rain thought.

Rain charged in again and soon found that all of the scouts were water snipers… their water cloak sure was valued among them. It was a pity that it was useless against Rain.

In any case, Rain disposed of seven scouts before he finally could see some lights in the distance. Ahead, he saw a large group of lights. He imagined that it came from the city where he was born, but soon, he saw another source of light up North.

"It must be the army…" Rain thought. "Let's check this area further and then return to the others.

Branden, Jori, Reca, Liss, Asche, and Terra were starting to get impatient since one hour had passed since Rain had left but soon returned. He didn't smell like blood, but they could feel the scent of death on him. In any case, he soon gave them the report of what had happened.

"I don't think that neither side knows that we are approaching," Rain said. "Still, I feel that something is off. The water snipers are good at Stealth, and they have powerful long-ranged attacks. However, long-distance communication isn't their thing."

"You are worried about how they can communicate like this…" Branden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can understand your worries, but we should approach that area for now."

Everyone nodded, and then they began to move in the wagon. Along the way, Rain disposed of the bodies by burying them deep in the ground. That was pretty easy for him now, and he didn't use that much mana, either.

"You two are good at magic as well; if you could only use water magic and had to find a way to communicate using that, what would you do?" Branden asked while they approached the city.

"If I were them, I would use their water spears toward the others; that would be a good sign that they are being attacked," Rain replied.

"That wouldn't be enough to alert the others in case they aren't noticed, but they need to inform their allies of enemies approaching," Liss said while looking around, then stopping while looking upward. "If they are truly good at water magic, perhaps they can make clouds appear in different shapes that will give messages to their allies."

It was a pretty costly way in terms of mana to pass a message that would only work for a couple of kilometers… but it was also a pretty interesting one that few people would think of. Rain recalled that back on earth and in the past, people used that kind of trick during wars… using flags and even colorful smoke… maybe that could also be done with magic.

He didn't have time or an army to lead, though.