Chapter 93: The River Trap and the Frozen Shadows
After escaping the foul-smelling Academy sewers, the party took a moment to breathe by the banks of a crystalline river that cut through the dense northern woods. Aki, still dripping with murky water and clutching a half-drowned frog in his pocket, looked utterly miserable as he tried to wring out his expensive silk robes.
"Von, I swear, if our next 'secret route' involves more sewage, I'm retiring from this quest and opening a bakery," Aki grumbled, shivering as the cold mountain air hit his damp skin.
Von (Volt) didn't respond. He sat cross-legged under the heavy canopy of an ancient oak, his fingers tracing the hilt of the Void Reaper. He could feel the blade pulsing—a rhythmic thrum that matched his own heartbeat. The Academy's trackers were close; he could sense their mana signatures flickering like dying stars in the distance.
"Sai, watch the perimeter," Von commanded, his voice low and sharp. "The water is too still. Something is wrong."
Sai instantly stood, his massive shield grounded in the soft earth, but before he could draw his sword, the river began to boil. Giant, humanoid figures made of mud and enchanted water surged from the depths—Water Sentinels, the Academy's specialized trackers.
"Oh, come on! Again?" Aki shrieked, fumbling for his daggers. He threw three blades in rapid succession, but they passed harmlessly through the Sentinels' liquid bodies. "They're made of water! How am I supposed to stab something I can drink?"
Rena stepped forward, her hands glowing with an intense orange light. "I'll boil them alive!".
"No, Rena," Von intercepted, grabbing her wrist. "Fire creates steam. Steam creates a beacon that the aerial mages can see for miles. Let me handle this with a quieter touch.".
Von stood up, his cloak billowing despite the lack of wind. He didn't draw his sword. Instead, he simply tapped his foot on the ground. [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Skill 'Shadow Freezing' Activated.].
In an instant, Von's shadow stretched across the grass like a stain of spilled ink, reaching the river's edge. The moment the shadow touched the water, the Sentinels froze mid-step. The mud and water hardened into jagged, black glass. With a final, silent snap, the creatures shattered into thousands of harmless shards.
Aki stood frozen, his mouth wide open. He walked over to a shattered arm of a Sentinel and kicked it. "That was... terrifyingly efficient. Von, can you teach me that? I promise I'll only use it to freeze the locks of royal vaults!".
Sai sighed, cleaning a speck of mud off his armor. "Aki, you can barely catch a fish with a net. Do you really think you can control the fabric of shadows?".
Rena looked at Von with newfound awe, her suspicion slowly turning into respect—or perhaps fear. "That wasn't normal shadow magic. You stopped the flow of time within the matter itself. Who are you really, Von?".
Von ignored the question, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the Foggy Caves lay. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that we move. Now.".
[SYSTEM ALERT: New Quest: Reach the 'Foggy Caves' before dawn. Reward: 500 Gold (Game Currency) and unlock the 'Abyssal Map'. Current Progress: 20%.].
Aki scrambled to pick up his half-cooked fish. "Fine, fine! But if we meet a Cave Troll, I'm hiding behind Sai's shield. It's basically a portable wall anyway!".