Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage - Chapter 403
Chapter 403: Navi Temple
CH403 Navi Temple
***
The next few minutes were almost an exact repeat of what the party had done at the militia camp.
Splitting into four teams, they spread out along the fortress wall, moving like drifting shadows as they quietly eliminated every guard stationed there.
They made certain no lookout remained alive—no stray pair of eyes to alert the fortress, no lingering obstacle to complicate matters once they descended to deal with the ground forces.
For a moment, Alex considered leaving the crossbowmen atop the wall to snipe priority targets as the battle escalated.
But after a brief contemplation, he shook his head.
The crossbows’ effective range was still limited, and the wielders lacked the proficiency required for consistent accuracy and precision at long distances.
He regretted—for the first time—not pushing harder to produce more units.
But time had been against him, and without a proper assembly line or specialised workforce, mass-producing such a proprietary weapon on short notice had been unrealistic.
He exhaled softly, shaking off the creeping frustration, and refocused.
Through their comms, he directed the crossbowmen to move freely below the walls and prioritise shooting down any tough-looking hostile once the fighting began in earnest.
As with the militia camp, stealth wouldn’t last long.
The advantage of surprise would eventually evaporate, and the operation would devolve into open battle.
When that happened, the crossbowmen would be essential.
After their earlier difficulties at the militia camp, Mogal and Kavakan—despite preferring their bare hands or broad axes respectively—picked up daggers for the stealth kills.
Daggers were faster. Not to mention cleaner and quieter. Definitely far easier than snapping necks or trying to quietly hack someone down with an axe.
Backstabs… Group ambushes…
Whether the targets were sleeping, patrolling, or standing around chatting, the expedition party used quick assassinations and tight close-quarters tactics to silently thin the fortress guards.
They cleared the lower troop encampment and were cutting across the main courtyard toward the fortress’s facilities when Alex suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?” Zora whispered over comms.
Alex’s voice was sharp, almost a hiss.
“A Navi Temple. We need to take it out immediately—before a Priest or Paladin gets their Navi involved.”
Alex wanted to cuss.
The scout team hadn’t reported a Temple inside the fortress.
But he couldn’t blame them.
Neither the Pangean scouts nor Kron Belloc had known that such a thing was even something to look for.
A Navi Temple wasn’t just a simple religious structure—it was a local conduit of faith, a node where a deity’s influence pooled.
Its clergy—priests and paladins—served as the watchmen of that conduit.
If the number of active followers within the fortress suddenly dropped below a certain threshold, the watcher of that Temple would notice.
And if a Priest was present and had enough time to call down a ‘miracle’, the situation would spiral instantly.
Alex’s feat back at the Northern Dankrot Fort—where he used a faux Grand Array to heal, rejuvenate and buff the Fury soldiers—would seem like child’s play in comparison to a real Navi miracle.
And this was in a fortress where they were already outnumbered.
The Temple’s existence also confirmed Alex’s earlier suspicion:
This fortress was not something a supposedly insignificant baron like Leland Helton could have built alone.
Navi Temples weren’t constructed on a whim.
They were erected only in places of strategic importance to a deity or its cult—locations with a strong worship base, or strategic areas where the cult wanted one.
Barnsil was neither.
It was just a small town built around a border fortress.
Which meant the Temple’s purpose here had little to do with worship, and more to do with security.
A noble with enough wealth and ambition could request one—if they were powerful or influential enough to be granted that privilege.
A minor barony couldn’t request one.
But a Duchy could.
The Temple’s presence was a major snag in Alex’s assault plan.
“Everyone, change of plans. We’re going loud.” Alex said over comms, voice sharp. “We need to destroy that Temple.”
“Kavakan, Mogal—on me. The rest of you hold back the fortress troops!”
Alex immediately began chanting.
It started like a standard [Fireball] incantation, but soon shifted—his personal modifications layered into the spell structure.
He hadn’t focused on traditional spellcasting thanks to Rune-Tech, but that didn’t mean Alex hadn’t studied spells at all back at the Enclave.
Among all his spell studies, this one stood above the rest.
[Fireball]!
The quintessential spell that every commoner assumed all mages mastered.
Alex’s mastery wasn’t enough to insta-cast it, but it was more than enough for more layered casting techniques.
Meanwhile, Mogal charged the Temple’s large gate.
[Beast Totem]!
His right arm ballooned with condensed strength as the barbarian’s energy flooded into it.
Bang!
Shockingly, the reinforced Temple gate resisted the blow—though a massive dent warped its centre.
Kavakan arrived a heartbeat later, twin axes raised.
[Call of the Wild]!
Violent reddish mana wrapped his arms and weapons.
Boom!
His axes crashed into the exact centre of Mogal’s dent, ripping the thick double doors apart.
The moment the breach opened, both men dove aside.
[Delayed Spells: Triple Cast—Fireball]!
Three fireballs formed above Alex’s head in a fiery triangular array.
The instant the doorway cleared, they launched.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion tore through the Temple—shaking the entire fortress.
If Mogal and Kavakan’s assault hadn’t alerted the stronghold, Alex’s strike certainly did.
“Rush in!”
He didn’t bother catching his breath. Pushing through the heat and residual shockwaves, Alex sprinted into the burning Temple with his two hulking followers at his heels.
Humm!!!
A pulse of divine energy vibrated through the air.
“Tsk.” Alex clicked his tongue.
Just as he feared, the Temple wasn’t fully destroyed.
Constant faith energy had seeped into its structure for years, refining and strengthening it beyond mundane materials.
A gold-white wave rippled outward from the innermost chamber—extinguishing the flames almost instantly.
The blaze died, revealing several silhouettes still standing.
Alex’s frown deepened.
He had expected one survivor—the Priest.
But along with the Priest, three Paladins had survived as well.
Worse, the Priest and Paladins all radiated energy equal to Gold Rank by Verdantis standards.
From Senu’s vantage in the sky, Alex sensed the fortress troops mobilising as well.
‘Forty Bronze, fifteen Silver, and four more Gold ranks…’ He recalled the scout team’s earlier report.
If those troops converged with the Priest and Paladins—
‘This might get annoying.’ Alex thought grimly.
****