Chapter 312
The lead mage, a stern figure draped in robes of deep indigo, looked up as the report came in. His eyes narrowed at the description of the strange mist and the disappearance of the female goblin.
"Bring me those guards," he ordered. "All of them. Now."
As the guards were rounded up and brought to the tower, those infected with the mist maintained their calm façades, standing perfectly still, their eyes no longer glowing outwardly. The magic of the mist had woven deep into their minds, allowing them to appear normal to anyone who did not probe too closely.
The mage, suspicious but thorough, began inspecting the guards. His eyes flickered with blue light as he used his magic to scan them for traces of corruption. He sensed something was off but couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of the disturbance. The enchantments on the guards’ armor were designed to resist external magical influences, but the mist had bypassed those protections by targeting their minds.
Frustrated but without clear evidence, the mage dismissed the guards. As they left the tower, the infected ones quietly shared a glance, a silent communication that the spider demon observed from afar. The time was not yet right to strike, but soon—very soon—they would act.
The goblin mage would have taken the time to investigate the affected guards further, but all his attention was needed on the demons in the distance. So, while he let the guards go, he had someone secretly keeping an eye on their movements.
Meanwhile, the affected guards, who had been released from their duties, were grouped in a building where they were kept under watch. Unknown to the guards and those observing them, as the pink mist settled into their lungs, it did more than just exert control over their minds. It carried within it the essence of the fifth-stage spider demon—twisted ingenuity designed to spawn new life in a world hostile to her kind. The mist was a talent unique to higher-tier spider demons, not just for mental manipulation, but one that had evolved over time to bypass the suppression that the invaders faced in different worlds.
At night, when sleeping, the infected guards lay paralyzed, unable to rest, their eyes faintly glowing. However, deep inside their bodies, the mist was working, spreading its seed. It embedded the essence of the spider demons into the very fabric of the guards’ flesh.
The mist, acting as both a subtle poison and a seed of demonic birth, began to affect the guards physically. As days passed, the guards began to feel odd sensations in their bodies—a growing heat in their bellies, slight discomfort under their skin, which they could not explain. Some of the guards chalked it up to fatigue from being unable to sleep, while others dismissed it as a passing illness.