บท 303: Duke William's plans

*Rustle! Rustle!*

His pitch-black boots crunched the dried, yellow leaves underfoot, while the massive battle axe at his back swayed gently with each purposeful step. In his right hand, a one-handed axe twirled nimbly, dancing within his grasp.

With a low grunt, he propelled himself from the ground, landing effortlessly on a treetop. "Hmmm," resonated his deep, contemplative hum in the quiet surroundings.

'There's no way the Duke could have built this. It's clearly the work of a dark god or some freakishly powerful witch,' Cristian mused inwardly, gazing at the stone tower nestled within the sparsely populated part of the forest in the distance. He was about to set off according to his plans when a thunderous explosion echoed from behind.

His expression shifted abruptly as he realized the explosion had occurred right where the rest of the team was.