Despite the dire circumstances, Armis persisted in his attempts to reason with Adrian, but his efforts proved futile. Alan quickly grasped the severity of their situation, recognizing the trap they had fallen into.
"Armis," Alan's voice cut through the tension, urgent and firm, "this was a setup. They've ambushed us. We need to act fast; these guys aren't here to chat."
At Alan's warning, Armis surveyed their surroundings, taking in the grim reality of their situation. The men encircling them wore expressions devoid of emotion, their eyes filled with a fiery rage as smoke emanated from them.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Armis made one final attempt to reach Adrian, his voice echoing with desperation and anger.
"ADRIAN?!!! What is going on?!!! Answer me!!!"
This time, Adrian finally turned to face Armis, confirming his presence. However, to Armis's relief and surprise, Adrian's expression mirrored that of the other men—grave and devoid of emotion. His eyes, once filled with warmth, now held no trace of soul or pupil. Without uttering a word, Adrian raised his sword into the air and let out a battle cry, signaling the other men to attack Armis and his companions.
As the first man lunged at Armis with ferocity, Armis, still keeping his eyes fixed on Adrian, swiftly dodged the attack and maneuvered past the assailant. Adrian, still unresponsive to Armis's calls, launched himself at Armis with relentless force. Armis, quick on his feet, shed his robe and summoned his armor, preparing for the impending clash. With impeccable timing, Armis intercepted Adrian's blow with his forearm guards, trapping the sword in between them.
Armis locked eyes with Adrian, his frustration boiling over as he shouted into Adrian's soulless gaze, "ADRIAN!!! What has happened to you?!!! Look at me!!! It's me, Armis!!! Don't you recognize me?"
But Armis's desperate pleas fell upon deaf ears. With a forceful yank, Adrian retrieved his sword and, taking two steps back, launched another attack at Armis. This time, Armis swiftly dodged the assault and retaliated with a blow to Adrian's gut, sending him crashing to the ground.
Panting with frustration, Armis glared down at Adrian and declared, "I don't know what has happened to you!! But you are coming with me to Layla, either by your own will or by force!!!" With determination, Armis lunged at Adrian, aiming to subdue him without causing further harm.
As two men charged at Alan and Relecta, swinging their swords menacingly, the duo sprang into action. Alan deftly evaded the first attacker's strike, swiftly moving to intercept the assailant targeting Relecta. With a powerful kick, he knocked the aggressor off balance, allowing Relecta to counterattack.
Meanwhile, the assailant aiming for Alan found himself interrupted as Relecta unleashed a water ball, sending him tumbling backward. Alan flashed a grateful smile at Relecta for her timely intervention, but her response was less enthusiastic. Rolling her eyes in frustration, she leaped over Alan to confront another attacker, leaving him with a disappointed expression.
As Aurelia rushed to aid Armis in his confrontation with Adrian, she found herself beset by two attackers wielding swords. Before she could react, a massive slab of rock hurled itself between her and the assailants, knocking them aside. Startled, Aurelia turned to see Lyco and Poduria at her side, offering nods of encouragement.
Taking advantage of the diversion, Aurelia swiftly summoned her whip and charged toward Armis and Adrian. With practised precision, she lashed out, wrapping her whip around Adrian's arms mid-air. Landing with determination, she exerted all her strength to pull Adrian away from Armis, despite his vigorous resistance.
Observing Aurelia's valiant attempt to subdue Adrian, Armis swiftly intervened, delivering a decisive blow that forced Adrian to his knees. With a solemn expression, Armis wrested the sword from Adrian's grasp and addressed him with genuine concern.
"Forgive me for this," Armis murmured, before shattering the sword with a forceful strike against the ground. As the weapon disintegrated into shards of light, it was absorbed back into Adrian's thigh, returning to its mark.
Adrian convulsed in agony, but instead of succumbing to unconsciousness like a typical wielder, he rose to his feet, his eyes filled with primal fury. Ignoring the pain, Adrian staggered to his feet, his movements erratic and animalistic. With a primal instinct, he lunged at Armis, his teeth bare, trying to bite him like a beast.
Armis stood frozen in shock as he witnessed his uncle's feral behavior. Suddenly, Aurelia's grip slipped, and Adrian broke free, lunging at Armis. Still processing the surreal scene unfolding before him, Armis was unable to react in time. However, Alan swiftly intervened, leaping into action with lightning agility. With a powerful slap kick, Alan incapacitated Adrian, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.
Startled and overwhelmed, Armis pushed Alan away and rushed to Adrian's side, his emotions swirling with shock and anger. Turning to Alan, he scolded him in a voice laced with frustration and concern.
"What's wrong with you, Alan? You could have killed him!"
"What is wrong with YOU?!!" Alan retorted, his voice thick with rage. He gestured towards Adrian, his expression filled with urgency. "That man is clearly not your Adrian, at least not right now! Look at him!"
Armis turned his gaze to Adrian, observing his bloodshot eyes and the smoke seeping from them. His heart sank with despair and disbelief as Alan continued, pointing to the other attackers they had incapacitated.
"It's the same with all of them. Just like those students who were under Venatus's control."
Armis looked around at the fallen attackers, his mind reeling with confusion. Turning back to Alan, he asked in a voice heavy with helplessness, "But... how?"
Alan shook his head, his expression grave. "I'm not sure, but somehow they're all under the influence of Tractator herb. They've become mindless attackers."
Armis, his frustration reaching a boiling point, seized Alan's shoulders and erupted, "But how?!"
"Just as I mentioned, I can't be certain, but once we administer the Sanita potion, Poduria," Alan replied, his voice steady despite the chaos around them.
Poduria, catching Alan's unspoken directive, swiftly moved into action, aided by Lyco, to administer the potion to the attackers.
As each assailant received the Sanita potion, they were securely bound and carefully relocated towards the gate. Adrian, also bound, lay nearby, alongside Armis and the others, awaiting the moment the attackers would awaken from their stupor, hoping for the potion's effects to counteract the mind control induced by the Trectator herb.
Suddenly, two of the attackers stirred, their eyelids fluttering open. The tension in the air eased as their eyes met Team Goliath's, revealing clarity devoid of the ominous smoke and bloodlust.
Alan wasted no time and stepped forward, his tone stern as he addressed one of the men who gazed back at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Who are you all? Do you remember what happened ? Why were you attacking us?"
The man, still disoriented from his ordeal, gradually composed himself enough to respond. "What... What are you talking about? We... We're the merchant's bodyguards," he stammered, glancing around anxiously before his gaze settled on a figure lying nearby, nodding towards him. "Yeah, him. We were hired to protect him while he gathered some herbs here."
"Is there anything else you remember? Why were you attacking us?" Alan pressed, observing the man's growing confusion and irritation. Struggling against his bindings, the man's frustration boiled over as he retorted, "Attacking you?! What nonsense is this? I don't even know you people! Untie me now!"
Before he could continue his tirade, his gaze fell upon Adrian, and terror seized him, causing him to recoil and scramble away like a frightened worm. The others, catching sight of Adrian, mirrored his reaction, perplexing everyone present. Alan, unperturbed by Adrian's seemingly harmless appearance, approached the trembling men and inquired, "What's the matter? Why are you frightened?"
Quivering and in obvious distress, the merchant who had hired the men stuttered, "He... He's a demon! Take him away! Keep him away from us! He'll control our minds again!"
Perplexed by the men's reaction, Armis approached Adrian and gently lifted his head, attempting to discern the source of their fear. Suddenly, one of the men cried out, "Don't look into his eyes! That's how he takes control!"
Despite the warning, Armis, curious and determined, opened Adrian's eyes, only to find them devoid of any threat. His gaze shifted to Alan, who nodded inquiringly, silently asking if he sensed anything amiss. Armis shrugged and shook his head, indicating he felt nothing out of the ordinary.
Alan joined Armis, examining Adrian closely to verify the man's claim. Despite their scrutiny, they detected no signs of danger in Adrian's unconscious form. Alan turned back to the frightened man, his tone firm and inquisitive, as he asked Armis, "What do you propose we do?"
After pondering for a moment, Armis, still uncertain about Adrian's condition, turned to the men and spoke to Alan, "Let's release them for now. I'm sorry, but we can't proceed until Adrian wakes up and we figure out what's happening."
Aurelia, sensing Armis's concern, approached from behind and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to apologize for, Armis. If any of us were in trouble, you'd do the same. We'll find out what's wrong with him and fulfil your promise to Layla by sending him back safely."
Armis responded with a humble smile to Aurelia's words, gently lifting unconscious Adrian into his arms and giving a nod to Alan.
Alan's gaze hardened as he addressed the men, his voice firm and commanding, "You're free to go, but—"
"Yes, yes, just let us leave this cursed place! And keep that away from us!" the leader of the men interjected, his voice trembling with fear.
Understanding their terror, Alan turned to Lyco and Relecta, instructing them, "Lyco, Relecta, release them and ensure they safely exit this floor. And Poduria," he turned to her, "begin setting up camp. We'll need to wait until we unravel what's wrong with Adrian and find a solution."
Lyco, Relecta, and Poduria nodded in agreement, swiftly moving to fulfill their assigned tasks. Alan turned to Armis, offering further reassurance to ease his troubled mind. "Aurelia is correct, Armis. We're here to support you, no matter what decisions you make. After all, we're friends," Alan said with a humble smile, infusing hope into Armis's heart. Together, they carefully placed Adrian in a safe position and assisted Poduria in setting up camp for the night.