Leylin glanced back at his teacher, finding him looking at him with trust. He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze away from the cage. A more important task awaited him.
They bypassed this tomb and entered another chamber. Within this chamber lay blood-red magic circles of varying sizes and numerous troll corpses. Only their torsos remained, their skin barely clinging to their bones, wrinkled and folded.
"They drained the blood of their own people and used them as sacrifices to start the voodoo ritual." Grand Magister Belo'vir concluded.
Dozens of shadow casters splattered blood on the magic circles, chanting incantations in the troll language. The eerie sound was terrifying. Leylin and his teacher scrambled closer to the wall, edging closer to the end of the tomb.
At the far end of this tomb lay a circular chamber. Green mist occasionally emanated from the chamber; this must be where Ral'jin was hiding.
There was no wooden door, only a tattered linen cloth serving as a shield.
Leylin and his teacher exchanged a glance, and Leylin, under the veil of [Greater Invisibility], lifted the linen cloth and stepped directly inside.
Belo'vir followed closely behind. The moment they entered the circular chamber, Belo'vir raised his hand, and a hidden arcane barrier instantly enveloped the entire chamber.
Standing atop a few worn wooden tables, the troll witch doctor continued to work with old parchment books and some oddly shaped containers. Ral'jin's hands were stained with blood as he continuously cast his spells, blending the blood of sacrifices with a unique green juice, pouring a steady stream of voodoo into a large cauldron.
Ral'jin's concentration was intense, his face grim as he processed the voodoo, revealing his deep enjoyment.
Belo'vir walked behind the troll witch doctor, raised his hand, and tapped him on the shoulder.
The troll witch doctor, Ral'jin, towered over both the grand magister and his student. He turned and looked down into Belo'vir's eyes.
"Hello, Ral'jin." Belo'vir said with a smile.
Ral'jin was surprised at first, but then calmed down. Ral'jin's fangs were not as long as those of other trolls, but his eyes were more vivid than those of other trolls.
Leylin judged the trolls outside the tomb as reckless and arrogant, but this troll witch doctor struck him as cunning and malicious.
He spoke Common and even Elvish. "So, you are two guests. According to your elven etiquette, it is rude to come without greeting."
Belo'vir raised a magic circle from his left hand: an arcane cage!
The floating arcane glyphs immediately surrounded Ral'jin, pinning him to the ground, preventing him from moving.
A purple light surrounded him, and the magical runes rotated rapidly. The cage was instantly fixed, and Ral'jin was captured.
Before the Grand Magister, the troll witch doctor, Ral'jin, seemed powerless. But Ral'jin showed no fear, his eyes held a sinister glint.
"Chieftain Kel'gash is stationed in the western tomb. You must think carefully. Also, in the western tomb, there are three elven rangers. Oh, and you should have seen a ranger imprisoned outside the tomb. Judging by her attire, she's also a Windrunner." Ral'jin said.
Belo'vir ignored Ral'jin and continued the mission as usual. Leylin looked at the troll with a cold gaze. The thought of his younger sister being used as a pawn by these trolls infuriated him.
If it weren't for the mission, Leylin would have decimated this bastard troll in different ways.
He unwrapped the magic wrapping and took out the scroll. Using a touch of arcane spell energy, he released the scroll's restraints, and the entire magic circle was instantly unleashed upon the stone slabs of the circular tomb.
Ral'jin finally began to panic, realizing that they weren't just two simple mages before him. A mage capable of activating such a teleportation array must be at least a high ranked magister.
"The Amani will tear you apart!" Ral'jin, knowing he was about to be taken away, cursed Leylin and Belo'vir, angrily calling the trolls outside useless!
Belo'vir stood in the center of the array, channeling magical energy into it.
Meanwhile, within the Sanctum of the Sun's magical sensor, a pale blue stone shaped like a runestone shimmered.
Arcanist Janeda and Magister Idonis began casting spells, preparing to receive the teleportation. Leylin pushed Ral'jin into the teleportation array.
Ral'jin leaped in anger, but with a push from Leylin, he fell to the floor. "Damn mages, my voodoo will completely corrupt you."
Damn it! What the hell are you whining about? "Shut up!" Leylin stuffed a worn, oily rag into his mouth.
The purple magic circle hovering over the Sanctum of the Sun and the one within the Amani Catacombs shimmered simultaneously. On the teleportation circle, identical runes began to rotate simultaneously, reaching the same position.
A flash of light! Vanished.
The teleportation circle and the magical barrier vanished simultaneously. A shadow caster detected the fluctuation of magical energy.
He ran to Ral'jin's room and found that the witch doctor, Ral'jin, had disappeared. He was chattering in troll language, shouting.
The sound reached Kel'gash's ears, through the chambers. The huge Kel'gash was tearing at the roasting meat on the grill, slowly eating it.
"Chieftain, the troll witch doctor Ral'jin has been captured!"
After hearing this, Kel'gash smashed the barbecue grill into the campfire, and the scattered firewood mixed with sparks flew into the air.
He cursed, "Wastes, Chief Zul'jin will use you all as sacrifices."
An adjutant in magic attire stroked his fangs and stated calmly, "Chieftain, things are not as serious as you think. We still have several elven rangers in our hands. We can make a big move on these rangers."
Chieftain Kel'gash puffed, picked up the spear at hand and said, "Escort these rangers to Zeb'Nowa as soon as possible, and then send them to Zul'Aman tomorrow. Remember, don't go through the Fastrider Enclave, go around it, and go through the section of the Dawnstar Spire!"
After receiving the order, the troll squad immediately executed it.
"The remaining trolls, join me in attacking the Farstrider Enclave and drawing attention for our escort team!" Chieftain Kel'gash was no slacker.
He clearly knew that the elven rangers now were far more valuable than his troops. They must be protected; they were the best bargaining chips to exchange for Ral'jin.
The Amani Catacombs began to deploy troops. After a few days of rest, the idle troll soldiers were a little uncomfortable being suddenly forced into this task.
But because of Kel'gash, they weren't given a chance to relax. Like his blood-stained spear, the soldiers and headhunters of the entire troll army were all alert.