美国18一19DOCKER

After scanning his brain, Aldritch came to the conclusion that there was the possibility that the elves may be suffering from some internal conflict that had made them this way. In the end, there was no way of knowing, so Aldritch let the thoughts go for the moment.

Slowly, night time came, the atmosphere carrying the faint hum of magic that seemed to saturate everything.

That night, as the family regrouped, forming several large camps due to their numbers, Aldritch stood alone on the ridge, his sharp gaze sweeping over the valley below. His crimson eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, reflecting the firelight of their camp behind him. With his new vision, if he focused, even a rat a mile away was not hidden enough. His senses had become that sharp. For now, he just needed time to get used to the changes so he could utilize them effectively.

…

Far away, in a shadowed hall, an elder vampire\'s eyes snapped open as the pair of crimson eyes that matched the same intensity as Aldritch\'s shone through the dark ambient room.

\'What is this? Strange…\'

The vampire slowly awakened from his long slumber, his bones cracking softly as he came to his feet, showing just how long he must have been asleep.

From the shadows, a man appeared, walking towards the man who had just woken up, prostrating softly with one arm over his chest, "you\'ve awaken, my lord."

"Indeed, I have… Take me to our Lord immediately, as must meet with her." He said.

"As you wish, my lord."

The ripples of Aldritch\'s power had reached the Vampire Society, and the reaction was immediate. He had yet to take any major step, but had already been found out, without him even knowing it.

…

Far from the plateau, in the depths of the forest belonging to the Emerald Court, the silver-haired elf who had lost disgracefully to Aldritch, stood before a council of high-elves. The elven council convened in a vast hall carved from living wood.

The silver-haired commander, his armor still stained from the earlier battle, stood before the council, his expression grim.

"The vampire is unlike what we expected, his strength is definitely around Rank I," he said, his voice steady but urgent. "His forces are disciplined and just as terrifying, our men couldn\'t do much against them, their power is undeniable."

An older elf, draped in ceremonial robes, leaned forward. "What of his weaknesses? Surely, no one is invincible, even vampires and dragons." His words carried a ting of venom in them.

The commander hesitated. "His power is deeply rooted in blood magic, much like all vampires. If we can sever his supply, it will weaken him. But that alone is a problem, since they can use blood from the battlefield itself, just like he did. Apart from the weaknesses we already know of vampires, I didn\'t see any other, not one."

The room fell silent as the implications sank in. Finally, a voice from behind broke the silence.

"It doesn\'t matter, we will strike before he consolidates his power," said a figure cloaked in emerald light. "The Emerald Court will not bow to invaders. Not even those that bring an army with them."

…

Later that night, back at the center of the camp, Sigmund could be spotted crouched over a large magical map etched into the ground, something he had received from Lodestar some time ago.

Tiny orbs of light hovered above it, representing the movements of their scouts. His muttering was punctuated by the occasional flash of light as he adjusted the wards protecting their base. A kind of automatic defence mechanism.

Ingrid approached him to check on how things were going, out of concern. "What are you seeing, Sigmund? Any signs of activity?"

Sigmund glanced up, his sharp features illuminated by the glowing runes. "I must say, the mana in this world is incredibly dense. Even though this is not the same as the mock version I had experimented with back in the lower world, the effectiveness is still quite shocking. Well, any direct magical assault will falter against our defenses without question." He explained.

"And indirect threats?" Ingrid asked, crossing her arms.

Sigmund hesitated. "You mean the elves?... they\'ve retreated, no signs of them yet, at least, I haven\'t noticed any disturbances, and it seems the scouts haven\'t found anything either." He said, looking over towards the side where Lina and Maggie were, as they were in charge of scout duty that night.

"Then again, the elves have access to ancient magic, as intel suggests. If they bring out capable reinforcements or use artifacts, things could get complicated."

Ingrid\'s expression became serious as she thought about it, "that is true…"

…

Elsewhere with the various camps, the witches gathered around a lit camp fire, quietly resting. They hadn\'t participated in the skirmish earlier, but that didn\'t mean it would remain like that when the elves returned. Though they had come along seemingly without a choice, their minds were beginning to change, and quickly.

"There\'s something about this place," Veronica said, her voice breaking the silence around their camp. "It\'s alive in ways I\'ve never felt before."

"This world is saturated with magic," Helga replied, not looking up from her notes. "It\'s what makes it so dangerous. Everything here is more... intense."

"Dangerous, sure," Nahia said with a short grin, "but doesn\'t that just mean more opportunities? I haven\'t been able to grow past this point for years, perhaps now, that will change."

Veronica shot her a look. "You\'re right, but you do strike me as someone who will easily lose control, better be careful." She said in a teasing manner.

Nahia only scoffed. "Softie."

"What did you say you old woman?"

"Alright both of you, cut it out and stop behaving like children. We have better things to focus on."

…

As dawn approached, a scout returned to the camp, his expression urgent as he moved through several camp sites.

Once he came before the tent where Aldritch was, he bowed low prostrating to Aldritch, who was seated in his darkened tent, reviewing some latest findings.

"Lord," the scout said. "We were able to infiltrate deep into the elven territory. The elves are gathering forces and calling for reinforcements from neighbouring communities. And... they\'re bringing something else."

Aldritch\'s gaze sharpened. "So we only faced off against a weak bunch… makes sense. What is this something else?"

"A weapon," the scout replied. "An artifact. We hear it is a relic capable of amplifying their magic a hundredfold."

"A hundredfold, I see." He said calmly.

\'A hundred fold?! Are they preparing for a world war or something? Why pull out the big guns so fast?\'

Aldritch rose slowly, his presence filling the room like a shadow. "Good. Let them bring their weapon. I\'ll make it mine."

The scout hesitated, feeling the overwhelming confidence Aldritch exuded, washing away any doubt he may have had in his heart, if any at all.

…

Far off from the forest, in a volcanic region of the higher world, a figure clad in crimson armor stood atop a cliff, gazing into the distance. The man\'s lips curled into a grin as the volcano raged behind him, "So, the game begins," the man murmured. "Let\'s see if this new one is worth my attention."