Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Lofty Goals

"We can pass them a mile to the east," Danica explained, returning to the Evergreen Grove to join the others, who were using it as a temporary shelter. "The enemy's defensive line there is not solid. Before they notice anything unusual, we have already run far away." The plan had been approved by Cadderly, but Ivan and Pikel seemed unhappy to know that they had traveled such a long distance without even a chance of smashing the head of an orc.The team set out from the top of Dionysus and walked for several miles without any trouble, but the traces of the enemy's passing - almost every tree left traces of being cut and burned - were shocking. .At last, along the banks of a swift river, the companions spotted the enemy: a line that stretched almost across the entire forest.Abeles's people apparently put up a resistance on the river and camped behind the banks of the defensive terrain.

Aberez didn't immediately accept Danica's plan in its entirety.He also went out to patrol, and when Danica found a breachable gap in the east - from where they might reach the elves' camp - the elf prince found something that could turn the whole war on its head . A short distance to the west of them, on a high ridge above the river, overlooking the south, the enemy encamped and pitched many tents.They were the first group of tents that Aberes saw along the way. "I found the camp of the enemy leader," Abereth explained to Danica, "or I think it was their leader."

"Heavily guarded, for sure," Cadderly could not help interjecting, especially when he saw a twinkle in Danica's almond-shaped eyes. "Perhaps," Aberes replied, almost ignoring the worried young scholar, "but no more than the rest of the enemy line." "Except for the gap that Danica discovered," Cadderly replied, and from his almost frantic voice he could hear his eagerness to return to the elves without causing further conflict. "Don't be afraid," Ivan whispered to Cadderly, "my brother and I can make a breach ourselves."

"How do you feel, Danica?" Aberez asked.This elven prince, who had always only believed in his own opinion, would ask for Danica's consent.Cadderly wasn't sure he liked that. "If we can find the leader of the enemy, maybe we can reverse the situation of the whole war." Aberes added this sentence before the woman could answer. Danica smiled so humorously that before she could answer, Cadderly knew what the adventurous woman was trying to say. "It seems like an extraordinary choice," she began, but without fear in her tone, "an extraordinary choice in an extraordinary situation."

"Ooh!" Pikel agreed heartily.Cadderly frowned sharply at the dwarf, telling the dwarf to stop smiling. Abeles quickly squatted down and cleared some pine needles scattered on the ground.He took a twig and drew a map of the terrain around the ridge. "There are only five of us," Cadderly reminded them, though no one was listening. "I hear their leader is Ragnor," began Aberes. "A hideous beast. My scouts deduce it to be a half-breed, because of the tusk across its upper lip." "Awesome." Cadderly spat the words gloomily, and this time, Ivan heard him and kicked him in the shin.

"If Ragnol is in this camp, then we can expect it to defend itself with all the monster soldiers it can muster around it." "Amazing," Cadderly said again.Danica elbowed him hard in the ribs.The young scholar began to feel that if he continued to make comments, he might not even reach the enemy's camp. "What monsters did you see?" Ivan asked, leaning closer to the scribbled map than anyone else. Aberes was almost taken aback by the dwarf's interest, "mostly bear goblins," the elf replied, "actually, I thought there should be more conspicuous guards, at least some ogres , or a giant or two."

Cadderly flinched, but didn't speak his mind.The orcs, big and strong, frightened him; the ogre's size alone made him nearly faint.He wondered how he would react if the time came when he had to face a real giant. "So, are you sure this is really the leader's camp?" Danica asked. Abeles thought for a while, then shook his head. "It's just a hypothesis," he admitted. "I didn't see any tents in other parts of the enemy's front, only some simple open-air half-roofs propped up by branches. And this ridge is very suitable for the enemy leader to monitor the movements in the south."

"Maybe that's Dorigen's side," Cadderly interjected. "Whichever it is," Ivan rumbled, slamming the giant ax down, "we'll give these bastards some color!" Once again, Abereth was amazed at the dwarf's interest. "I don't know what the best approach is," the elf said honestly. "If we can just sneak in and get as close as possible to the target, we might be able to spot a suitable attack line." "What order?" Ivan asked. Abeles looked at him inexplicably. "In my opinion," the dwarf commented, "you are better at acting alone than leading a group fight. Step aside, elf, and I will plan."

Abeles neither moved nor blinked. "Listen, you stubborn willow thing," Ivan growled, poking a stubby finger in Abereth's direction, "I know you doubt my friendship—you should , because I'm not a friend of yours. And when the war is over, I have a date with you. Don't think I'll forget about it, not for a minute! And I don't care about your people, or you Ghost Forest, not at all!" Pikel's growl slowed down Ivan's growing momentum. "Well, my brother likes your tree," Ivan said, to calm the would-be druid.Then he turned back to face Abeles. "But however suspicious you may be, don't doubt my friendship with Cadderly and Danica. If they're going, then my brother and I will fight with them, and I bet my ax will be thinner than yours The deadly sword cut off more heads!"

"We'll find out if your bragging is true," Abereth said, his silver eyes narrowing.As proud as he is, he has to admit that he is more used to fighting alone, and Ivan may be more suitable to plan this attack.His stern expression remained the same, but he moved away from the map, giving the dwarf enough room to look at it. Ivan leaned over the picture, grunting and tugging at his still-black beard. "How deep is the river behind the ridge?" he asked. "Maybe up to my waist," the elf replied. "Um..." the dwarf said vaguely, "then the drop is a bit too high to go that way. We'll have to whack 'em and then hurry to the east where you—" he pointed at Danica, "see where there's a gap .”

"Our lives don't matter," Aberes said, "if we can kill the enemy leader, it doesn't matter whether we escape or not." Cadderly's jaw dropped. "Your life isn't important," Evan agreed, "but the rest of us would rather be alive, thanks." Cadderly's breath sounded like infinite gratitude to Ivan. "But if we can hit them hard enough and fast enough, we can come back," Ivan continued, "it would be nice if you and your bow could take the lead, elf, but I'll have to shoot a bear or two too Goblins. I think you elf and Danica lead the way. You two are the quickest and should be able to take the leader. Cadderly follows, watch where he needs his help." Cadderly understood that Ivan was politely asking him to get out of his way—although he didn't mind Ivan doing so. "My brother and I will take care of the back," Ivan continued, "so you don't have to worry about a goblin bear coming up from behind you." Abeles studied the location map he had drawn, and found that Ivan's plan had nothing to complain about.It seemed well thought out, though the elf was a little taken aback by the dwarf allowing him to fight Ragnor himself.Aberes originally thought that Yiwen would claim this honor himself. "Assuming Dorigen is still there," Cadderly interjected, still not at all enthusiastic about the whole plan. "Then we can deal a bigger blow to the enemy." Aberes replied. "Many of my martial arts are designed to take on wizards," Danica added, giving Cadderly clearly much-needed comfort, "like my previous fight against Dorigen, I don't believe she has much power can hurt me." "But if you're busy dealing with bear goblins or other monsters," Cadderly retorted, "you could be an easy target for Dorigen's lightning spells." "It's up to you." Yiwen concluded, "Pay attention to that magician. If you see her, use your beautiful bow to knock her down." "I lost it," Cadderly said. "Then use your cane, or that toy that's thrown on the string," Ivan said. "Dorigen took my crossbow," Cadderly said, almost panicked, but no one else could appreciate his anxiety about it.They all looked at Yiwen, waiting for him to continue explaining the plan. "She has my crossbow, and some magic arrow points!" Cadderly said again, more anxiously this time. "It would be better for us if Dorigen focused on that weapon instead of her own magic," Danica said, her calm tone making Cadderly's panic seem unnecessary. "We can only hope she's not as good at shooting as you are, boy," Ivan added.Also not paying much attention to this matter, he went back to explain the plan. "I think it's better to attack at dusk. It's a bit dark then, but not too dark for our human friends to use." Aberez looked to Danica, who nodded in agreement. "After you finish that monster leader, you'll have to ask me and Pikel to send you out again," Ivan explained to Aberes. "We'll carve out a road that you can pass on horseback," "We trust you," Danica said, and even Abereth, who had been quite angry with the dwarves a moment earlier, didn't respond sarcastically. "Let's go, then," Ivan said, picking up the huge axe.He reached out and directed Abeles to take the lead. The group of people quickly positioned themselves under the branches of a very lush pine tree, and waited there.The last ray of sunlight was fading, and Cadderly sat at the western edge of the shadow, trying to make use of every ray of sunlight that remained, diligently studying an open book.At first, Danica thought he was still trying to translate the Book of Delaniel Quelquin, but then she saw that he was holding the Book of Universal Harmony, the Denieran Bible. "There are some spells in here that might come in handy," Cadderly explained, giving her a questioning look. Danica's expression showed her surprise; she had never seen Cadderly try to cast magic beyond simple healing spells, and she didn't really think he would be a spellcasting priest. "I've been working in the Denirian sect for a long time!" Cadderly protested, causing Ivan who was next to him to hit him, and Pikel let out a low "shh!" Cadderly turned back to the book. "There is a silencing spell," he whispered. "If Dorigen shows up on the battlefield and uses magic, it might stop her." He found that Danica didn't seem persuaded, and he really couldn't find anything to argue with the look on her face.Cadderly had performed lesser rituals before, had created a cup of holy water (in which he dipped the vial containing the dreaded Chaos curse), but really, he'd never been much into priestly magic. .He served Deniel, the god of arts and literature, primarily because he was brought up under the sect's precinct in the library, and also because the order of the Denirian order was well suited to Cadderly's intelligent and benevolent nature. .He also spent almost as much time with the priests of the Oghma sect, the God of Knowledge, and privately considered himself a priest who did not belong to either sect—much to the great disappointment of Dean Avery. "Let's go," Ivan whispered.Cadderly hurried to look for the silence spell one last time, hoping he'd find the courage to use it should the situation arise that required it.Panicked—perhaps he should have spent his time reviewing healing spells—he stuffed the book back into his knapsack, next to the Book of Delaniel. They set out cautiously up the slope, the grassy slope leading up to the tented ridge.Danica stopped them after they had gone a short distance, then disappeared among the bushes, returning a moment later. "There are sentries," she explained when she returned to the group. "Bear goblin?" Aberes asked. "Goblin." "Dead goblins," Ivan said, winking at Danica approvingly, and Pikel added a happy "hee hee." They paused in a line of thick trees directly below the enemy camp, crouching low.The grassy slopes are an inviting silence, with a few bear goblins wandering aimlessly.And looking through the open curtains of a tent on the edge, they could see other monsters walking around, too.The tent at the top of the ridge-depression, which attracted the attention of the companions, was smaller than the other two, and by far the most elaborate.This made them more certain of where the enemy leader - if this was indeed Ragnor's faction - was. "It's now," Ivan whispered to Aberes.The elf turned to face the dwarf and nodded firmly.Then Aberez looked at Danica, and together they rushed out of the bushes and started running wildly down the hill. With her head down, Danica quickly moved her hands and feet with perfect coordination, quickly overtaking the elf.The first two bear goblins didn't even realize they were being attacked, and she jumped on them, knees and elbows flying wildly.And the bear goblins, too, staggered to the grass, not wanting to go back and fight the crazy woman. Abereth rushed past Danica as the second goblin bear ran away, and the elf bullied himself in front of the third monster, equally startled, but with enough time to take out a weapon. Spears to deal with attackers. The elf prince's attention was not on the creature, but on what he thought was Ragnor's tent.He barely noticed the spear thrust at him. His dainty longsword swung swiftly, knocking out the bear-goblin's crude weapon before it could get close to its target.Abereth ran to the right of the stunned bear goblin, driving his sword into its knee as he passed, preventing it from chasing him up the hill. The unfortunate creature tried to cover its wounds, and unwisely stood in front of Danica, who was following the elf.Barely slowing, she kicked out perfectly simultaneously with her running feet, hitting the bent monster in the jaw, sending it straight on the ground. Moments later, the fallen monster noticed another human running past, and felt the dwarf's boots thumping heavily on it.The last thing the bear goblin saw was a huge ax falling rapidly towards it. Shouts of warning sounded from all over the camp; the tents on either side opened, and bear goblins and goblins sprang out onto the grassy slopes. "More than we thought!" Ivan growled. Cadderly held his frisbee and walking stick close to him, hoping he wouldn't be forced to use them.He looked around frantically, expecting and fearing Dorigen's presence, while trying to remember the words of the silence spell in the midst of the growing commotion around him. Danica and Abereth widened the distance between them and Cadderly, and suddenly Ivan and Pikel were completely locked in the rear fighting.Cadderly turned away, then back, looking around, and then the bear goblins—more pouring from the tent—began to surround the small group. Abeles and Danica didn't notice what was going on behind them, because their target was right in front of them.Their steps quickened as a burly, brutish monster stepped out of the elaborate tent.Both of them immediately understood that it was Ragueno who came out to deal with them.It was huge and terrifying, with that conspicuous fang protruding from its upper lip. Standing atop the ridge, the half-ogre grinned evilly and beckoned them up. However, Danica learned that they couldn't get near it.There's a group of three bear goblins approaching from the side, and the angle of the monsters puts them between the boss and the attackers.Danica was confident that if she ran at full speed, she could outrun them, but Abeles would have no chance of getting close to Ragnor. "Run!" she called to the elf, and she turned sideways to face the interceptors. She jumped high, forcing the monsters to raise their spears, and then she dropped quickly onto the grass, slid aside, and pinched their feet, causing all three monsters to fall near her. Abereth's first instinct was to help her, since she was surrounded by such a powerful enemy, but the elf then moved forward in his own line of attack, because he understood that Danica was doing it for him .And he also reminded himself again that personal life and death are not important compared to the huge gains that can be brought by killing Ragnol. If the half-ogre had any fear, it didn't show it.Aberes came fast and hard, his sword swinging and stabbing, using his own momentum to make an attack that was too fast for Raguenor to resist. Blood oozed from the monster's shoulder, and another slash cut its cheek.However, Ragueno kept smiling, and the speed advantage Aberez gained from sprinting quickly faded. This time, it was time for the goblin ogre to attack. ※※※ Cadderly had never seen such effective teamwork.The dwarf brothers stood taller, but not enough to make them as tall as the giant bear goblins, and the bear goblins outnumbered them two to one. But none of that seems to matter. Ivan made a criss-cross with the axe, but missed the target.A bear goblin advanced confidently from behind him, and Cadderly realized that the dwarf's attack had been a cover, to lure the monster over.For Pikel broke free from his own fight and spun with his brother, thrusting low and low with his tree-trunk club. The bear-goblin lunged, snapping its knees backwards—the shape, Cadderly thought, resembling the stance of an exotic bird he had read about—and the monster fell away, Body contorted with pain. At the same time, Yiwen was not idle.Using the momentum from his hard slash, he moved next to his head-down brother, taking Pikel's place, facing the other two monsters.The stunned bear-goblins didn't have time to figure out what was going on—the two dwarves were moving in such a coordinated way—that they couldn't understand for a moment why the dwarves were fighting differently. They spread their arms out, an effective defense against Pikel's wide-reaching clubs, but useless against Ivan's sheer ferocity.The dwarf lunged into their outstretched arms, thrusting his antler-helmed head forward, kicking and kicking with his heavy boots, while swinging his double-bladed ax in a series of short slashing blows. chop action. One of the monsters fell, and the other ran away, all before Cadderly could draw another breath. "Whoa!" Pikel bellowed appreciatively, seeing his brother take out two so quickly.At the same time, he deliberately turned his back on the remaining bear goblin who was fighting with him. "Look out behind!" Cadderly yelled, unaware that the dwarf was well aware of the enemy's movements. The bear-goblin raised the spear above its head and jumped to its feet, but Pikel ducked his head low and rushed backwards, bumping his back into the monster's knee.The bear goblin barely managed to keep its balance and didn't roll over on its head over the dwarves, but it would have been better if it did.Pikel dropped one knee, took hold of the thinner end of the stick, and punched the bear-goblin straight up between his legs, lifting the monster entirely off the ground. When the bear goblin fell back to the ground, it was still standing, but curled up badly, and Pikel was directly behind it, re-grip the stick.The dwarf swung all the weight of his hulking frame, hitting the bear goblin in the lower back. The choking monster tried to roar, and when it found it couldn't make a sound, it resignedly collapsed, dropped to its knees, grabbed its wounded back, and watched the world spin . "Wish we had time to finish off some more monsters," Ivan muttered, moving toward the hill with Pikel.More bear goblins charged at them from either side, and now the whole camp echoed with cries of warning, not just the grassy hillside. Cadderly gripped his weapon tighter and continued to search Dorigen with his eyes, though it was beginning to dawn on him that the missing wizard was the least of their problems. ※※※ Every blow from the bear goblin always seemed to land an inch away from the crawling woman, and no matter how much Danica twisted to dodge the blow, she always seemed to be able to deliver her own. attack.A bear goblin howled with glee, thinking he had finally hit the mark, only to get a hard kick in the face from Danica. Danica jumped to her feet as a bear goblin was kneeling in front of her, and she immediately pictured it in her mind as a stone in the way, slamming headfirst into the monster's chest.Ribs—perhaps several—cracked apart, but all joined together to make a sickening sound. Then there are only two monsters left. ※※※ "Another elf head to add to my loot!" Ragnor sneered.Aberes drew his shield to ward off the heavy sword of the goblin, but his hands were starting to numb from the impossibly powerful blow. "You'll look good next to your kind!" Ragnor boasted, shaking his necklace with elf ears so his opponent could see it.Raguenor thought Abeles would be distracted by the disgusting scene, so he bullied him.Aberes was indeed taken aback, but still managed to turn around and avoid the attack of the half-beast ogre, although he slipped on the thick grass and almost fell to his knees on the ground.Quickly, however, he rose, ducked into Ragnor's next attack circle, and plunged his sword into the half-ogre's thigh.It was a good riposte, but Ragnol's free hand caught him as the elf passed by, and with great force pulled Abereth back, pinning him to the ground. The heavy sword slashed at him, but Aberes twisted frantically aside so that the sword was half buried in the ground. When Ragnor drew his sword back, the elf stood upright again.Abeles quickly took a look around and saw that the situation was not good for his companions.Ragnor had to be defeated as soon as possible if he was to have any chance of winning.However, a quick glance at the goblin ogre's condition seemed unlikely.Abeles has the advantage of speed and agility, but Ragnor can block all the attacks that Aberes sends towards it.It took time, a lot of time, to defeat the monster, to tire the much stronger beast, and to keep chopping and poking until Ragnor was covered in hundreds of tiny bleeding wounds. "Go to hell!" Abereth spat out the words angrily, and, betting his whole world, the heroic elf threw himself upon Ragnor.He slashed once with his sword, then, when he got too close to use the longsword, began to strike furiously with the jeweled hilt. ※※※ "There's no time!" Ivan roared, realizing that his plan might not work because there were too many bear goblins, goblins, and a new pack of ogres coming up from around the base of the ridge.He turned and winked at Pikel. "Plan two!" "Ooh!" Pikel agreed heartily. Cadderly was about to ask what "Plan Two" was when Pikel charged straight at him, passed by, and dragged the stunned scholar all the way up the hill at high speed. ※※※ Ragueno and Aberes locked in each other's desperate grip.The goblin's pig-like snout was distorted by the elf's fist, and thick blood splattered across the monster's face.However, Raguenor kept grinning. Finally, a huge hand clamped around the scruff of the elf's neck, and Abereth was torn away by one arm.Their distance was still too close to make an effective attack with the sword, but Ragnol's hand holding the sword, which was originally blocked by Abeles' shield at the wrist, was now raised dangerously above the elf's head.Abereth feared that the half-ogre's strength would overwhelm him and drive the sword into his head. Abereth's terror quickly redoubled as Ragnor pressed a secret button on the hilt of its weapon, and a second sword popped from the bottom of the hilt—a gleaming short sword with a wicked point at the An inch above Abeles' head. Abeles struggled violently, kicking Ragueno's knees and groin repeatedly.The half-beast ogre just continued to laugh, pressing down its huge arms hard. Something bumped into Aberez's side.He saw the sudden astonishment on Ragueno's face, and then the world around him spun.He fell waist-deep in the river, twisting an ankle and a knee in the process, and he knew what had happened because he heard Ivan whining and splashing. "You dragged me out of the fight!" Abeles yelled, clutching his sword. "I could have—" "Death," Ivan finished for him flatly, though it wasn't what the elf had in mind. "Stop whining, elf," the dwarf said with a mocking chuckle. "Bring me the helmet, will you?" Abeles growled and snarled, trying to find words to refute.Then, to Ivan's surprise, the elf reached out and picked up the floating and sinking helmet, and he even jumped a few steps downstream to retrieve a loose antler. Next came Cadderly, flying down the cliff, on his back, his flustered feet barely able to hang on Pikel's thick stick.The human and the dwarves fell into the river not far from their companions.Cadderly emerged from the river spat heavily, slapping the water in horror.Still, he remembers hoisting his precious pack over the water and pulling his stocky, stunned companion out of the river. Pikel tried to express his thanks, but ended up spitting water into Cadderly's eyes.The dwarf shrugged sheepishly, then smiled. "There she is!" they heard Ivan call, and looked up at the ledge to see Danica whirling past.The incredible monk half-runs and falls to the bank, trying to keep his balance on one hand, but the other injured arm clings to his body.During the fight, Danica accidentally opened the wound from the original bow and arrow, and the entire sleeve and the side of her jacket were soaked with blood. However, she managed to control the way she landed, entering the water smoothly at the edge of the river, and easily throwing the two bear goblins chasing her some distance away.The two monsters doggedly followed, then struggled for something to cling to as they fell. From the far end of the river bank came a hail of arrows, and every arrow hit the two monsters who had no escape.Danica had to get out of the way as the two hairy monsters fell. There was no cheering from the companions, however, for another arrow shot from the woods struck Ivan in the leg, sending the stunned dwarf spinning and falling to the ground.Before Yiwen could recover his senses, the exquisite long sword hit his shoulders heavily, one on each side of his thick but unprotected neck. "Ooh." Pikel spat out the words, and he immediately realized that there was a misunderstanding, and quickly hid under Cadderly for shelter.