Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Actual Magic

"Any news?" Tintage asked Xuelin when she found her standing on the Hill of Stars, also known as Dionysus.It was the end of another day in Simista, another day of fighting and going under the overwhelming force of invaders. "Fifty goblins were killed," Xuelin replied, but there was no smile on her face.That face was very beautiful, although one side was still slightly flushed from the thunder that Tin Taik had thrown a few days ago. "Another giant was brought down as well. Some elves were hurt, but nothing too serious." "This is good news," said the elven magician.He tried to smile, trying to make the young elf happy.But this effort was in vain, because both Ding Taige and Xuelin knew that victory or defeat cannot be determined by the number of corpses.And, as Hamadin had told them, the hostile army had indeed begun to approach.Slowly but surely, though the elves resisted with all their might, they advanced upon fair Simista, scarring the land as they passed.

"They have advanced hundreds of square miles," Xuelin said seriously, "and are burning the forests in the northwest." Tinteg, even beneath the surface of optimism he's worked so hard to maintain, understands that Shayrin isn't the only elf feeling hopeless. "The night sky will be clear and dark, for it is the new moon," the elf magician suggested hopefully, turning his pale blue eyes skyward. "Will the King of Galandale summon Dionysius Tiegfael?" "Star magic?" Xuelin softly responded in Mandarin.Involuntarily, she ran slender fingers through her hair, her face immediately scrunched up in obvious disgust as her blond hair was matted with gore and grime.Xuelin felt so dirty, just like many Simista elves felt.However, the people of the forest have a way to deal with these bad feelings. They use an ancient ritual of rejuvenation to cleanse the body and soul.

Dionysus Tiegfair. "Let's go find Galandale," Xuelin said.In her musical voice came hope and excitement for the first time in days. They found the Elder King in one of the mountain caves that had been turned into a sanctuary for the Elves.From this cavern, Galandale issued orders, commanded search parties, dispatched patrol time, and organized team members.Of course, this is a complex and difficult task, because the elf king must remember which subjects are experienced fighters and which are novice, and balance the composition of each team.To complicate matters, many elves were wounded and in need of rest.

As soon as they entered the torch-lit cavern, Xuelin and Tintage immediately realized the weight of the burden on Galendile's shoulders.His once-straight shoulders were now slumped, and dark circles appeared under his eyes. "What do you want?" snapped the Elven King.He waved his hand aside, accidentally knocking over several scrolls of parchment on the table.Apparently realizing his gaffe, Galandale immediately relaxed the expression on his face, and repeated his question in a calmer tone. "It's new moon time," Xuelin said, hoping that reminder would be enough.However, Galandale just stares at her puzzled, and then he seems to get angry, thinking that these two guys are just wasting his precious time.

"And the sky is clear," added Tintag, "and millions of stars will shine toward us, lending us their power for tomorrow's battle." "Dionysian Tigfair?" Galandelle asked, "You want to dance and play?" "It's not just play," Xuelin reminded him. "Those millions of stars won't help me with my millions of quests!" cried the frustrated Elf King. Xuelin had to bite her lip to keep herself from talking back.She and several other elves had proposed to assist the king before they went to the battlefield, but Galandale wanted to take it all by himself, claiming that it was his duty, although it was obvious that he could not bear it alone. This burden.

"Forgive me," the king said softly, seeing Xuelin's hurt look. "I don't have time to perform Dionysian Tiegfair. Please perform this ritual in my absence," he offered politely. Xuelin was not ungrateful, but the Elf King's request was impossible. "Only members of the royal family can perform Dionysus Tiegfair," she reminded Galendelle.The expression on the Elf King's face said everything to Xuelin and Ding Taige.Galandale was old and weary, and made no attempt to hide his distrust of Simista's ancient magic.To him, Dionysius Tiegfel was indeed just a child's play, a dance that didn't have much meaning other than the pleasure it brought.From the disconvincing point of view of the Elven King, what difference does it make who presides over the ceremony?

However, Xuelin couldn't hide her frown.Her king has become too practical, even too human, but she can't find enough courage to blame him.Only two short centuries ago, when she was a child, thousands of Elves still danced in Simista.All the forests, from north to south, resound with their endless song.These days seem to be far away now.How many children of Simista have gone to the Isle of Evermeet and never returned? Tinteg patted the elf's elbow and nodded towards the exit. "It's time for you to go on patrol." The elf mage urged the female elf to move in a low voice.

Xuelin still remembered to bow when she left, but Galandale had already leaned back to look at the pile of parchment and didn't notice her movement at all. ※※※ A similar sense of frustration hung over the invaders' camp as dusk fell on Simista.Ragnor's advances had made some gains, but they were slow and costly.These elves are better at fighting than the half-beast ogre imagined; it originally thought that it should have reached more than half of Simista at this moment, but in fact, this group of troops is one hundred and fifty miles away. In the long forest, they have only advanced ten to fifteen miles-and they can't even guarantee that these occupied areas are safe!Ragnol feared that his troops were more focused on watching for archers in ambush nearby than on the land to be conquered ahead of the road.

The news is better from the part of the flank where there is least resistance.The orcs and strong beasts marching at the foot of the Snowflake Mountains have already crossed the middle point of the forest, while a group of goblins on the western plain have almost entered the southwest pass of the forest. Any reinforcements from Rhea Tavon. But Ragnor knew that it didn't have enough troops to encircle the entire forest, and if the elves continued to stop it at the current rate, they would sooner or later capture Simis in the name of the Trinity Fortress. Before the tower, find allies.And what about the coming winter?Even the proud Ragnor didn't believe that he could still get the rabble of goblins to stand by him when the first snow fell.Time was against it, and the ruthless elves intended to hold out to the end.

If the half-ogre still had any doubts about the elf's intentions, the evidence to dissuade him was at hand.Across a steep gorge and a swift river, Ragnol watched the latest battle.A team composed of goblins, orcs, and a few strong orcs is encountering a group of elves' surprise attack.As Raguenor's troops crossed a field and were approaching a thick grove, a hail of arrows sent them scrambling for cover.From this distance, the half-ogre did not know how many enemies his forces faced, but he suspected that the elves were not many.However, they were still quite lethal, because neither the orcs nor the goblins came out of cover, and the few orcs who boldly and stupidly rushed out of the trees fell to the ground with several arrows in their bodies.

"Did you send the giant with a group of bear goblins?" the goblin snapped at the nearest captain, a weak but cunning goblin. "Yes, yes, General." The goblin replied flinching.It has good reason to be so scared, because Ragnor's previous "close aides" are all dead, although they never took a step close to the elf. Ragnor glared at the goblin as it shrank even lower, its belly almost touching the ground.Fortunately for the sad creature, the half-beast ogre had other things to worry about.Ragnor looked back to where the battle had taken place in the distance, trying to figure out how long it would take his giant men to cross the river and get within stone-throwing range. Another howl of pain pierced the morning air as a monster warrior was shot by an elf's arrow.Ragnor reflexively swung his hand to the side, but hit its staff with a backhand, causing the goblin to fall away. "It really helps inspire loyalty." A female voice came from behind.The half-beast ogre turned sharply and saw the magician Dorigen, with a little devil with bat-like wings sitting on her shoulders, and a huge human being beside her. "Magician, what are you doing here?" the half-beast ogre spit out the words. "This isn't your place, and it's not your spoiled brat's!" It gave Tenek a dangerous look, and Dorigen worried that she'd have to start getting involved in the fight between the two. "Nice to meet you, too," the magician replied.She hadn't expected Ragnol to give her such a warm welcome, he was smart enough to know that Aballister had sent her to monitor its progress and ambitions. Ragnol took a dangerous step toward Tenek, and Dorigen began to genuinely wonder if she had enough magical skill to stop the monster general.She touched the onyx ring on her hand, wondering how long it would take to let go of its burst of goblin magic, and whether that burst would stop the brusque half-ogre. "I am here by order," she said solemnly, hiding her apprehensions, "you have been away from Trinity Wall for many days, Raguenor, but you seem to have been stuck in the northern forest for a long time, and there is no obvious gain. It's worth the huge price we're paying." Ragnol backed away a little.Dori treasured her smile, surprised at how easily she could put the mighty beast on the defensive.The conclusion she had just made was an educated guess—she had no idea what Ragnor's battle plan was—but the half-ogre's reaction confirmed her guess was not far from the truth. "We're concerned about that," Dorigen continued tactfully and without threat. "Summer is almost over, and Aballister wants to take Caladon before the snow falls." "So he sent you here," Ragnol said menacingly, "thinking you could help poor Ragnol?" "Maybe." Duo Ruizhen said in a soft tone without saying anything. "You need help," Druzil added, before scurrying back under his bat-like wings to escape the goblin's glare. "I don't need any weak magicians in my camp!" growled Ragnor. "Go, take Aballister's bat with your boy." It turned back to look at the valley and river, trying to Looks very busy. "So everything is going well?" Dorigen asked in the most innocent tone possible, tilting her head timidly to one side. Ragno didn't respond.Dorigen selected a few materials from her own pocket to form a defensive spell in case Ragnol might react violently later, and then she went on to speak more directly. "You're blocked, Ragnor," she asserted, "before you follow in Barjin's footsteps, admit it." The half-ogre turned sharply toward her, but she didn't flinch. Do you have to use that metaphor?Druzil asked telepathically, because the imp didn't like the way Ragnor looked at it at all. "That's what you came to say?" Raguenor spat out the words. "I am here as an emissary of Talona," Dorigen insisted, "to assist an ally, even if he is too foolish to accept much-needed help!" Dorigen then looked past the half-beast ogre to the valley and the battle in the distance, where conditions were not favorable to Ragnor.She shook her hand and chanted a spell, and then a flickering blue light appeared in front of her. Ragno took a step back.Dorigen handed Druzil to Tenek, stepped forward, stepped into the blue light, and disappeared. After only a moment's consideration of his new position, Druzil followed her through the entrance. Ragnor instinctively spun around, and saw a similar blue light flashing behind the river.When Dorigen walked out with Druzil on her shoulders, the light disappeared immediately. "I don't like elves," Druzil whispered, before it cloaked, "Dirty creatures!" Dorigen ignored it, intending to give it a scowl to show that she wanted it to stay with Tenek, but she had no time to waste on the imp.She studied the battle situation, trying to figure out what happened around her.She saw orcs and goblins in the distance ahead, crouching behind fallen tree trunks, hills, anything that could get between them and the woods.Other monsters were dead or dying on the ground, and some ogres were riddled with arrows.Dorigen used Druzil's magic to become invisible all together, and did not dare to risk underestimating the range of the elf bow. Even under the spell of invisibility, Dorigen dared not go near the woods.Elves with magical talents have a natural response to this kind of magic.Dorigen considered her options before beginning to rummage through the many pockets of her robe. "Damn it!" she growled, and then, on a sudden inspiration, she reached out to touch Druzil, and plucked a tuft of hair from the base of its wing.This offensive action made the invisibility magic no longer protect the magician, and exposed her form. "What are you doing?" Druzil demanded.It struggled and dug its claws into Dorigen's shoulder.For a moment it also lost its invisibility before becoming transparent again. "Sit down!" Dorigen ordered.She touched the lock of hair, hoping it would work.The magic required bat fur, but at the moment the magician couldn't find that material on her body, and she didn't have time to hunt down bats.Dorigen hid behind a tree and began to prepare. This spell was not something that could be done quickly and easily, so the magician took a while to do the preparatory actions, chanting the spell softly.During this time, another goblin died, but in the face of the magical effect that was about to be displayed, Dorigen didn't care about this small loss. Then the spell was complete, and an eye circled a few feet above Dorigen.It became translucent almost at once, and drifted toward the woods at Dorigen's inner command. Dorigen closed her eyes and looked through the eyeball, which was far away from her.It passed through the woods, skimmed here and there, peered here and there, and flew past where the elves were hiding.Dorigen moved the eyeballs rapidly, but even so, several elves froze as it passed, and looked around nervously. Dorigen quickly came to the conclusion that all the Elves - and there were not many of them - were in the trees in the forest.It was their own fear that most affected the orcs and goblins, for it only took a bold dash to dislodge these few elves from their vulnerable positions. "I must attack," the magician whispered. She chose a huge elm tree in the middle of the elves' camp.The floating eyeballs flew closer so that the magician could count the expected number of targets.However, a girl with blond hair and violet eyes suddenly turned her head and stared at the path of the eyeball. Dorigen withdrew her spirit from the floating eyeballs, took another material from her robe, and began another spell. "Come down! Come down!" she heard the elf girl shouting in the distance, "Magician! They have a magician! Come down!" Dorigen worked her next spell as fast as she could.She saw a slender figure drop from a distant tree, and then another, but she didn't care much, because her spell was done and the remaining elves would not be able to escape. A small fireball flew out of Duo Ruizhen's fingertips and rushed towards the tree at an extremely fast speed.Dorigen had to partially expose herself to steer the fireball, but she knew the elves would be too busy dealing with it to notice her. The fireball sank into the trunk of the elm, and in the blink of an eye the tree became a torch. The brutal flames quickly consumed the elm tree and the elves on it.The branch broke and fell, followed by the scorched body and the blackened exquisite armor. Dorigen directed her next spell on her troops. Do not hesitate!she roared with a magically enhanced, thunderous voice.Rush at them!kill them! The powerful force of her command, like the roar of a dragon, made the orcs and goblins stagger towards the woods.Several of them were killed by the arrows shot out randomly, but many more headed straight for the woods.They found only one living Elf to deal with, badly wounded at the base of the burnt elm.He was dying before the goblins arrived, so he had to fight weakly.With wicked glee, the goblins quartered him. The monsters began to collect the corpse, feeling equally satisfied, the first corpse of an enemy they had seen since the war began: charred and blackened elves. Satisfied with their joyous cheers, Dorigen turned and conjured another door beyond time and space, and walked through it, back to the plateau above the river. "I believe they killed a wounded elf," the magician said quietly, passing the stunned half-ogre. "Stupid, because he might be a valuable prisoner. You'd better rein in your bloodthirsty troops, General Raguenot." Ragnol's sudden burst of laughter made her turn around. "Did I welcome you to Simista?" the half-beast ogre said, its one-fanged smile nearly grinning from ear to ear. Dorigen was glad she put the surly monster in a better mood.