Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Surprise

dusk. Fifty elf archers hid behind the first ridge, and fifty more waited behind them, standing on top of the second ridge.This area is known as the Dales, and it is a tangled, rugged region of Simista. Flickering torches loomed among the trees at the far end. "That's not the vanguard." The young female elf Xuelin warned, and indeed, after a while, I saw several columns of goblins appearing in a place much closer than those torches, moving quickly and quietly in the darkness moving.Shailene's violet eyes sparkled excitedly in the starlight; she kept the cap of her cloak fastened, fearful that her golden hair, so bright that even the night could not conceal it, would give away her position.The invading goblins keep pushing.The big longbows were bent back one after another, and the long arrows were already on the strings, ready to strike.

The highly skilled elves held their bows firmly, and none of them trembled under the violent pull of powerful weapons in their hands.Although, they looked around nervously, waiting for Xuelin's order.The elves' discipline was put to the harshest test when orcs, goblins, and larger, more ominous monsters came almost down the ridge. Xuelin walked quickly through the line, "Retreat when there are two arrows left," she instructed with silent gestures and whispers, "Wait for my signal." The orcs reached the hill and began to climb up the ridge.However, Xuelin still stood still, trying to block the enemy with the chaos caused by the assault.Just ten paces from the ridge, a huge orc stopped suddenly, sniffing the air.The team behind the beast also stopped one after another, looking around, trying to figure out what their companions were aware of.The pig-faced creature threw its head back, trying to make out what the unusual shadow was just a few paces before its eyes.

"Fire the arrows!" Xuelin yelled. Before the leading orc could sound a warning, he was shot in the face by an arrow. The force of the arrow made it fly into the air and tumble down the hillside.The invading monsters on the north side of the hill all howled and fell down, some of them were hit by two or three arrows in an instant. Then the whole ground shook, as the second column of the invading army, realizing that the enemy was hiding in the ridge, began to charge at full speed.Almost every elf archer's arrow hit the target, but they couldn't slow down the sprinting speed of these drooling monsters.

According to the plan, Xuelin and her army began to retreat, while goblins, orcs and many ogres followed closely. Galandale, Lord of the Elves of Simista, commanded the second company of archers, and ordered the archers to shoot their arrows as soon as the monster appeared on the edge of the first ridge.Arrow after arrow was on target; four elves were converging on one target - a gigantic ogre - and the massive monsters fell with a crash. Xuelin's team crossed the second ridge, returned to their companions, and then turned and raised their bows and arrows to join the attacking formation.With alarming speed, the entire valley began to fill with corpses and blood.

An ogre slipped out of the crowd and almost rushed to the elves' defenses—holding its club aloft to strike, but a hail of arrows immediately slammed into its chest, causing it to stumble.Fearless and determined, Xuelin jumped over the nearest archer and plunged her delicate sword into the startled monster's heart. ※※※ As soon as he heard about the battle in Dels, the magician Tinteg knew that he and his other three companions who could use magic would soon be exhausted in dealing with the monster invaders.Only a handful of archers were left behind to act alongside the magicians, but Tinteg knew that these archers would spend more time serving as scouts to the east and keeping in touch with key leaders in the west than at war.The four elf mages had carefully mapped out the defensive positions, and they believed in their abilities.If the ambush at Dels was successful, then Tinteg and his companions would have to hold the eastern line of defense.They cannot fail.

A scout hurried past Tinteg, and the magician pushed aside his rich dark hair and squinted his blue eyes to the north. "Mixed legions," the young elf explained over his shoulder, "mostly goblins, but there are also quite a few orcs." Tintage rubbed his hands together and gestured to the three fellow magicians.Almost simultaneously the four magicians began to cast their spells, and soon the air to the north of them began to fill with sticky filaments, which drifted down and formed thick webs between the trees.The front guards didn't give the warning until the last minute, because by the time the thick net was forming, several goblins had already rushed through it, trapped helplessly in it.

Screams began to be heard in several areas in the north.Although the goblins and orcs were powerful, they were still no match for the wizard's spells. Many monsters rushed into the net, choked on the thick net and couldn't breathe, and finally suffocated to death slowly.Alongside the magician, a handful of archers were carefully choosing their moments to shoot, using the few arrows they had with caution, attacking only when monsters seemed to be escaping from the sticky web. There were more monsters still out of reach of the net, and Tinteg knew it.There are many, many more, but at least this spell will buy some time for the elves still in Dales.

※※※ The second ridge was withdrawn, but not after the small valley was filled with the bodies of the invaders.The elves withdrew quickly, descending a hill, passing the piles of leaves at the foot of the hill, climbing up another hill, and forming an array in a similar position on the top of a third ridge. Cries from the east let Xuelin know that many monsters were approaching from that direction, and hundreds of torches lined the night in the far north. "How many do you have?" the young elf whispered breathlessly. As if in answer, dark forces surged from the south of the second ridge.

The invaders found a surprise waiting for them at the bottom of the small valley.And the Elves had jumped over the leaves, for they knew there were pits full of spear points hidden beneath them. When the rushing army was blocked all at once, the rain of arrows that fell was even more devastating.One by one the goblins died, and the mighty ogre howled as he deflected a few arrows, only to be hit by more. The elves roared angrily, rewarding the evil invaders with the rain of death, but there was no smile on Xuelin's face.She knew that after these miscellaneous fish advance troops, the regular army that kept coming would be more organized and strategic.

"Death to the enemies of Simista!" shouted an impassioned elf, leaping to his feet and throwing his fists into the air.As if answering him, a huge boulder cut across the darkness and met the stupid elf head-on, nearly knocking his head off. "Giant!" Shouts came from several places simultaneously. Another stone whizzed by, narrowly brushing Xuelin's hooded head. ※※※ It is impossible for the magicians to cast enough nets to block the entire eastern area. They knew this from the beginning, so they chose some specific trees to support the nets, creating a maze to slow down the enemy.Tintage and his three companions nodded firmly to each other, and stood at the pre-determined position at the opening of the net passage, ready to cast the next spell.

"They're entering the second passage!" the scout called. Ting Taike counted to five in his head, then clapped his palms.Taking this sound as a signal, the four magicians began to chant in unison.They saw that the vague figures of some monsters covered by the net screen began to pass through the maze, and the mystery of the maze had obviously been solved.Goblins rushed forward, hungry for elf blood.The magicians, however, remained calm and absorbed in their magic, trusting that they had timed the monsters out through the labyrinth correctly. Several packs of goblins were heading straight for each of them, forming a single file between the screens that formed the pathway. One by one, the elven magicians pointed at the foe and spoke the final activating spell.Flashes of light sliced ​​through the darkness, sealing every pathway with deadly fury. Before the goblins could make a cry, they fell down and became charred corpses in the forest grave. ※※※ "It's time to evacuate," Galandale said to Shailene, and for the first time, the young elf didn't object.The forest beyond the second ridge was lit by so many torches that it seemed as if the sun had risen—and more were pouring in. Xuelin couldn't tell how many giants had already set up formation behind the ridge, but judging from the number of large rocks flying towards the elves, at least many of them had already set their positions. "Five more arrows!" the impassioned elf called to her troops. But many of the Elves could not obey this order, and suddenly dropped their bows and drew their swords, for a great pack of bear-goblins, heavy though they were, had stalked from the west. Xuelin rushed to join the melee; if the bear goblins delayed the elves' retreat, even for a moment, the elves would have suffered heavy casualties.However, when she arrived in the war zone, the highly capable elves had quickly eliminated most of the bear goblins with only a few casualties.Three elves surrounded one of the remaining monsters, while another group hunted down two bear goblins trying to escape back to the West End.But a bear goblin appeared from the side, and only a female elf stood in front of it to block it. Xuelin turned and rushed in that direction, because she recognized the female elf as Seranie, and knew that she didn't have enough experience to deal with monsters like bear goblins. But the young elf fell before Shaylin could get there, her head crushed by the bear goblin's heavy club.The seven-foot-tall, furry bear goblin stood there, grinning evilly with its yellow teeth. Xuelin lowered her head and roared loudly, as if she was going to rush over.The bear goblin stood firm, clutching the wicked stick, but the young elf stopped abruptly and threw the sword violently forward. Bear Goblin stood dumbfounded, the sword is not used for this kind of attack!But if the creature doubts Shaylin's wit with such a weapon, or such tactics with such mastery and fearlessness, it need only look down at its own chest, at the hilt of the elven sword sunken there, where it was in the bear goblin. Five inches from his ribs twitched horribly.The creature's blood spurted across the hilt and onto the ground. Bear Goblin looked down, looked up at Xuelin, and then fell down dead. "Go west!" Xuelin yelled, rushing to retrieve her sword. "According to the plan! Go west!" She grabbed the hilt and pulled hard, but the sword lodged in it.Xuelin kept her attention on the retreat of her troops, not on her own vulnerable position.Still turning her head to oversee the retreat, she planted her foot on the dead bear-goblin's chest, her hands gripping the hilt of her sword. She realized her folly when she heard a breath overhead.She keeps both hands on a weapon she cannot wield, either to attack or to block. Without any resistance, Xuelin looked up and saw another bear goblin and its huge, spiked stick. ※※※ The wizards returned to join their companions, focusing their magical attacks on the torches of the enemy group behind the second ridge.The enchanted flames enlivened with magic, and sparks flew wildly, igniting any monster that got too close.Other torches belched thick smoke, filling the area, obscuring vision and being very choking, forcing the monsters to either back off or fall. As the magic veil blocked the enemy, the elves quickly withdrew from the third ridge. ※※※ A flash of light shot from next to Xuelin's cheek, burning her and blinding her for a moment.At first, she thought it was caused by the bear goblin's stick attack, but when the young female elf's thoughts and eyesight recovered, she was still standing on top of the bear goblin she had killed, holding her hands together. Looking at the jammed sword. Then she finally saw another goblin bear, its back against a tree, and a smoking hole piercing its belly.The creature's hair was bristling, and Xuelin learned that it was caused by the magician's lightning. Tintage was beside her. "Come on," he said, helping her pull the sword from the dead monster. "We've slowed the enemy down, but have been unable to stop the large, dark force. Our lead scouts are already meeting some resistance to the west." Xuelin tried to answer, but found that she couldn't move her jaw. The magician looked at the two archers covering his back, "Take poor Celanie away together," he said firmly, "We can't leave any dead for the enemy to play with!" Ding Taike helped Xuelin Arm, withdrew behind the rest of the retreating elf force. Howls and monster growls erupted from all around them, but the elves did not panic.They follow a carefully laid out plan and execute it thoroughly.They encountered some sporadic resistance in the west, but the broken terrain was more favorable to the elves than the slower and less agile monsters, especially since they were able to accurately shoot their bows and arrows even when retreating.Every pack of monsters was routed, and the elves moved on without any new casualties. It was not until the eastern sky had turned red with the approaching dawn that they were able to regroup and rest.Xuelin didn't encounter any more fights all night, which was lucky for her, because her head hurt so badly that she couldn't get her way without Tinteg's help.The magician had been by her side the whole time, willing to die with her if the enemy caught them. "I must ask your forgiveness," Tinteg said to her when the new camp was set up south of Dals, "the bear goblin was too close—I had to send lightning too close to you .” "You're apologizing for saving my life?" Xuelin asked, giving the heroic teen a headache with every word. "Your face is flushed from burns," Tinteg said, stroking her flushed cheek and wincing with sympathy at the touch. "It'll be fine," Xuelin replied, trying to force a weak smile. "It's better than having my head smashed with a wooden club in the hands of a bear goblin!" However, she couldn't force a smile when she said this, not because of the pain, but because she remembered When Celanie fell to the ground. "How many companions have we lost?" Xuelin asked seriously. "Three." Tinteg replied in the same solemn tone. "There are only three." The voice of the elf king Garandell came, and he approached them from the side. "Only three! There are hundreds of goblins and their accomplices whose blood stained the earth. According to some elves, there was also a giant who was knocked down last night." When he touched his face, the muscles in his face twitched. "It's nothing." The elf said into his wide-eyed eyes, and waved in his direction. Galandale quickly stopped his staring, a little embarrassed. "It's all thanks to you," he said, with the smile returning to his face, "because of your careful planning, we had a big win tonight." The Elf King nodded, patted Xuelin on the shoulder, and walked away, Because there are many other things to do waiting for him. The grimace that Xuelin made told Ding Taige that she was not in a good mood for this battle like the Elf King. "We did win," the magician reminded her, "and the outcome could have been very, very serious." From his serious tone, Xuelin knew she didn't need to explain her fear.They attack the enemy by surprise, on a battlefield that they have prepared for and that the enemy has never seen.Although it was true that they only lost three companions, she felt that to them, these three dead elves were more important to the invasion of Simista than the hundreds of goblin companions who died tonight. For countless armies, it is of great significance to come again. Moreover, even if they were attacked by surprise, and there were still many casualties, it was the elves—not the invaders— who were forced to go to war.