Chapter 24 Chapter XXIII A Dwarf and a Bad Place

In the shadows of the woods, Ivan and Pikel could have no enemies at their door.Goblins and orcs emerged from the bushes in every direction, drooling and eager for war. The Stoneshoulders were playing their dwarf qualities, slashing and slashing like mad warriors at once, and although they fought non-stop for a while, they didn't show signs of fatigue.The goblins were sent flying in all directions by Pikel's heavy club, while Ivan nearly sliced ​​an orc in half with a mighty blow to the top of the head. Because of the intensity of the initial skirmish, Danica rested behind the Stoneshoulders for a moment, recovering her strength for the more battles she was sure to face later.In the stillness of the storm, Cadderly occupied the young woman's mind.Until now, Danica hadn't had time to stop to wonder where the young scholar was, and she feared he had unfortunately been killed.However, the task she must accomplish is clearly in front of her, and she will not run away from it.This time, unlike before, Danica had to trust Cadderly to take care of herself, and she had to focus on the last stand.

No matter how many times Danica told herself this truth, her heart still longed to find Cadderly. The head of the last orc flew into the undergrowth.Taking a deep breath, Ivan turned to see the despair in Danica's almond-shaped eyes. "Don't worry, girl," the dwarf reassured her. "We'll save you a few more for the next battle." Danica's face wrinkled at these words, and the dwarf knew he had guessed wrong about the cause of her grief. "That's for your Cadderly." Ivan guessed, and he finally remembered the young scholar, "Where did that man get himself?"

"I left him alone," Danica admitted, looking back to the west, where the Hildritch Tree Quarter was. A stone flew down from between the trees and narrowly missed the three of them.In response, one arrow after another flew out from one side, quickly heading in the direction of the blueberry tree. "Giant!" Shaylin yelled, emerging from her hiding place and putting another arrow on her bow. "I've shot it three times, and it keeps coming!" She drew the bow and fired the arrow, and the three of them watched as the arrow flew through the leaves and hit what seemed to be a moving mountain.Another huge shadow moved beside the first.

"Two giants!" Ivan bellowed hopefully. Danica grabbed him and Pikel as they were about to run towards the new enemy. "There must be a group of guards around," the wildfire young woman explained. "Don't be stupid," she scolded. "You are so important to us—me." "Oh." Pikel replied rather sadly. Shaylin fired another arrow at the approaching foe, then caught up with Danica and the two dwarves. "We have to leave as soon as possible," Xuelin said. "You three go," Danica told them, "I'm going to find Cadderly."

"The pastor was with Tintag," Xuelin replied. "Please don't be afraid, because the only person who can protect him in war is a magician." The news did make Danica feel better.Knowing that Cadderly was with an elf as experienced and wise as Tintegre, she no longer feared that her lover was left alone in the terrible forest to find his way. "Then the four of us will go together," Danica said firmly. "Ooh!" Pikel replied. "Let all the monsters in the way scream!" Xuelin vowed.She turned and shot an arrow at the approaching giants, for a good start.Then the group of combat companions rushed into the shadow of the tree, while they began to study the battle plan.

※※※ After losing the shield, Aberes could only hold the hilt of the sword with both hands to block Ragnor's powerful attack.The half-beast ogre, no longer taking any defensive tactics, decided to end the fight and move on to another battlefield.Holding the sword in both hands, it swept directly towards Aberes' chest. At the same time, it approached with the sword, so that the elf could not retreat, but could only block it with the sword. Under the force of the strike, Aberes' weapon made a huge clanging sound of gold and iron, and it vibrated for a long time.Aberes' arm was numb, and it took all his strength just to hold the hilt of the sword.Ragnol made another attack, in the same pattern as the first time.

Abeles knew that if he blocked the blow in a similar way, he would lose his grip on the sword.So instead he let himself sit straight back on the floor. Ragueno attacked with a murderous spirit, feeling that he had already won the battle. However, the agility and speed of Aberes failed the half-beast ogre's expectations, because the elf suddenly turned and rolled, lowered the sword quickly, and then stabbed forward, sinking into Ragnor's shin, abruptly It stopped the half-beast ogre's charge. Abeles stood up again, carefully keeping a distance from Raguenor, who was limping slightly while cursing, but approached steadily.

Cadderly groaned and pushed himself up on his elbows, knowing that he, let alone Abereth, couldn't waste a second.The young scholar was thrown to the ground heavily by Ragnol just now, and the air in his lungs was almost squeezed out during the fall. Now he looked at Abereth, the elf tired and outnumbered.Cadderly knew that Ragnor would win the battle soon. "I'm going back to fight," Cadderly said to himself, but he couldn't even stand up, and felt a wet lump on the back of his neck.He thought it was blood, so he pressed there with one hand, and then struggled to take off the backpack.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the soggy stuff was coming from his pack — not himself — but then he realized that, in that case, the only possible source of the fluid would be What time, almost fainted. Slowly and carefully, the young scholar unfastened his knapsack and took out the cracked container.He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if he broke—not just cracked—the extremely unstable impact oil container when he fell.He looked up at the tall beech branches and imagined his own wreckage hanging there, shattered by the terrible explosion. Cadderly looked at Ragnor suddenly, then looked back at the container, a sly smile appeared on his face.He carefully removed the top half of the ruptured container, then reached into the Frisbee to scoop it up, filling it with his hands as well, pouring all the remaining liquid into the Frisbee as best he could.

When Abereth backed against a tree, both the elf and the half-ogre knew the chase was over.Abereth valiantly unleashed a barrage of violent thrusts, several of which hit Ragnor, but none strong enough to stop the gigantic monster. Abeles lowered his head, narrowly dodging the sword of the goblin ogre, and the blow chopped off a considerable section of the tree's trunk.While Ragnol was busy drawing his sword, Aberez managed to score another hit.The half-beast ogre's face twisted, and it shook again, and shortened the attack distance, so it either hit the elf or swung it in the air. Its sword was emptied, because the elf, unable to resist its strength, could only lower his body and fall to the ground. "It's over!" Ragueno said loudly, and Aberes, who was desperate and fell to the ground, had little room for excuse.

Ragnor saw Cadderly approaching quickly from one side, the young scholar's arms extended, ready to throw the strange (and useless) weapon.The goblin ogre, sword aloft for the fatal blow to the elf, paid no attention to the young scholar, not even lowering an arm to block the blow. Cadderly roared, using all his weight to throw the frisbee with all his strength.The frisbee slammed into the side of Ragnor's massive, barrel-like chest, and the force of the explosion spun the half-ogre to face Cadderly. For a moment, Cadderly thought Ragnor was running back, away from him, but then the young scholar realized that Ragnor's feet, flailing helplessly, were actually several inches off the ground. Ragueno's hands and feet continued to swing and kick, trying to slow down his flying away.A branch bent and snapped behind it, and it came to a sudden stop with the branch passing through its back bone and its body nailed to the trunk.There Ragnor hung, a foot above the ground, with a scorched hole in the side of his fur tunic (and the skin underneath), his legs hanging limply.It can't feel the pain in the lower limbs, it can't feel anything at all.It tried to put its feet against the tree so maybe it could break free, but oh god, its legs just wouldn't work. Cadderly was speechless in astonishment, looking down at his weapon hand.The rope was hanging there, only halfway, and the ends were blackened.As for the frisbee made of crystal stone, there is nothing left except for a piece of charred matter left where Ragnor had originally stood. Aberes, who was equally astonished, also stood up.He watched Cadderly curiously for a moment, then picked up his sword and stomped towards Ragnor. For the burly leader of the invading army, the world was a blur.Raguenor had to force his sternum to open in order to breathe.However, the tenacious creature quickly grasped its sword and tried to lift it up, reluctantly making a defensive posture against Aberes who was approaching firmly. Abelesger parried the sword, once, and then again, knocking it aside.The elf's sword sliced ​​through the goblin's eyes, blinding Ragnor.Then Aberes stood up wisely, allowing Ragnol to slash ferociously until the force of anger was exhausted. Cadderly began to think that Ragnor was a poor thing as the blind half-ogre kept slashing his sword fiercely into the air.Raguenor began to grow weary, and Cadderly looked away as Abereth started to walk forward.He heard a growl, then a groan. When he turned his face back, Aberes was polishing the crimson-stained sword, and Raguenor hung there dying, one hand resting pitifully on his throat, as Aberes stabbed twitching in one of the holes. ※※※ "Stupid thing," Ivan whispered, looking across a small clearing at the mixed legion.The dwarf and his three companions tracked back without too much trouble, coming around behind the two giants, a few orcs, and a mass of goblins who were pursuing them.One of the giants was a little stiff because it had already hit Xuelin several times. "Lead them up." Ivan said, winking at the elf girl.He and Pikel slipped out of the woods and into the lush green grass of the meadow. Xuelin looked at Danica.This elf is by no means a timid person, but it seems a little too reluctant to use such a small team to deal with the group of monsters in front of him. Although Danica had similar worries, she knew better about the extraordinary strength of the dwarves, so she nodded firmly, signaling Xuelin to follow the plan. Xuelin drew up her longbow and aimed at the injured giant.She shot a second and a third arrow before the first arrow hit the mark. The first arrow struck the base of the giant's thick neck.Howling, the monster grabbed the quivering tail, and a second arrow landed beside the first, pinning the giant's hand there.When the third arrow came and hit the bottom of the first two, the giant had already begun to fall.It knelt down, swayed unsteadily for a while, and then fell into the grass. The rest of the monsters howled angrily together, turned around one after another, and rushed back towards the grass ferociously.Xuelin immediately shot down a ferocious Uruk, hitting it between its protruding eyes. "Go to the tree," Danica instructed her. "Shoot those smaller monsters. Believe that the dwarves have plans for the giants." Xuelin looked at the grass where Ivan and Pikel had just entered, and then smiled, because she was surprised to find that she had indeed begun to believe A pair of dwarf brothers.Using the natural agility of elves, Xuelin found a place to climb, and then climbed the nearest tree very easily. The remaining giant strode ahead of its smaller companions.It threw a large boulder at Danica, and the nimble monk ducked narrowly to avoid it, and the boulder flew past and knocked down a sapling. An arrow shot overhead, knocking down a goblin. Danica looked up and gave Xuelin a grateful wink.Then, to the elf maiden's amazement, Danica charged forward, toward the approaching giant. While the hulking creature was still raising its huge club, Danica stabbed the bloodstained short swords into its face.Howling in rage, the giant dropped the club and grabbed the weapon impaled in the face.Danica turned abruptly to the side, smiling, as Ivan and Pikel emerged from the bushes, slashing and slashing at the monster's thick feet. The confused giant didn't know which way to turn.Ivan chopped off one of its feet, cutting the gap like a tree, but the pain of the wound on the monster's face also demanded its attention.At last the giant summoned up courage to draw a short sword that was stuck tenaciously, but it was too late to save the foot.The creature fell unsteadily to one side. Ivan rushed past the monster, meeting the oncoming orcs; Pikel ran towards the giant's head and took over to finish it off.As Pikel approached the giant's face, it reached out and grabbed him with one hand, and began to squeeze hard.But Pikel didn't care too much about it, because he was close enough to swing a club, and Danica's dagger, still deep in the giant's cheek, was a perfect target. When Danica turned aside, the three orcs followed her.Danica continued to turn the corner, keeping the monsters close to her so they wouldn't give up the chase.In no time, the monk was almost making a full circle, returning to the tree from which she had originally left.The orc's sword nearly fell to her heel, but Danica was sure she could stay one step ahead of these stupid things.She heard a wail of pain and surprise behind her, followed by a gasp, and knew Xuelin had started her part of the job. Danica ducked her head forward, rolling and twisting so that she stood facing the charging orc.The closest monster looked back and saw its companion take two arrows, then turned back just in time to face Danica's punch, and was hit in the cheek by a punch.A sickening crack echoed across the clamor of the battlefield, and the orc's jaw snapped in two.When the creature finally fell to the ground, the lower half of its jaw was closer to its left ear than its upper jaw. The remaining Uruk immediately turned and started running.It took only a few steps before Shailene's arrow pierced its thigh, slowing it down so Danica could run after it and finish it off. Ivan went straight into a gang of goblins and orcs with typical dwarven tactics.The dwarf, with his antler helmet on, bit into everything he could, kicked, and swung his ax back and forth with such ferocity that the whole pack of monsters had to keep falling back.Most of the monsters, caught between the dwarves and their companions and unable to retreat, fell to the ground at about the same time as their severed limbs. The shortcoming of Ivan's tactic—besides the fatigue that such a ferocious action would inevitably bring—was that he couldn't clearly perceive what was happening around him.So when a Uruk managed to slip behind his non-stop assault, he was defenseless.The creature timed it well, finding a gap between the ax swings to avoid a collateral attack, and then rushed directly to the dwarf, striking down with the heavy club so that Ivan could neither duck his head nor block it. "Bad," Pikel said, realizing that he didn't need to hit the giant on the head anymore.The giant's hand had begun to loosen by then, and Pikel stepped back deliberately from the disgusting thing that had been the giant's head.The dwarf wondered if he should take back Danica's short sword, now buried in the giant's flesh, its point protruding from the other side of the gigantic head.But Pikel quickly decided that if Danica wanted it back, she would have to get it herself. Mission accomplished, Pikel climbed over the giant's chest to join his brother.He only had time to let out a warning scream before the Uruk's club fell on Ivan's head. "You called me?" Ivan replied, and then he added, "Ouch!" as if it were an afterthought.He spun around to hit the Uruk, but kept on turning, round and round, until his cheek landed on the cool grass before finally gaining his balance. The Uruk howled in triumph, Shaylin's next arrow cut the cry of joy, and Pikel's rage did more damage.The dwarf did the same thing the Uruk did, but the Uruk's club knocked Ivan out of his wits, and Pikel's blows sent the creature into a weird huddle: legs jutting out at the sides, head slumped hanging slumped over his useless neck. Pikel wanted to hit the thing one more time, and then again, but he didn't have time, as the other monsters were already pounced on the helpless Ivan. "Oh!" roared the dwarf, following another arrow into the crowd of monsters.The goblins flew in all directions—even the mighty Uruk leaped judiciously—and a moment later Pikel was fighting back astride Ivan on the ground. Danica flanked the group of monsters a short time later, equally furious, while Shaylin knocked down another orc, shooting an arrow through its eye. The defense lines of the monsters were broken and scattered. Pikel stayed on top of his brother, while Danica pursued.She intercepted a Uruk and rolled it flat in the hay.Xuelin fired a few more arrows, but then found, to her dismay, that there was no way to knock them all down before they fled to the shelter of the woods. However, the reassuring laughter of the monsters after reaching the woods was very short, because in that woods, a group of elves appeared.After a while, there wasn't a single goblin or orc left in that blood-soaked field. ※※※ Cadderly just stood there when Abereth came over to join him.He felt that the world had gone mad, and he was completely involved in this madness.Only a few weeks ago, the young scholar knew nothing but peace and safety, and had never seen any living monsters.But now, everything was turned upside down, Cadderly—almost by accident—had become the hero, and monsters, a lot of monsters, had suddenly become very real in the young scholar's life. The world has gone mad.And Abereth's next words of congratulations—the great elf thanking him for bringing down a monster that was worse than his worst nightmare—only confirmed the young scholar's thoughts.Come to think of it, Cadderly did what Abereth couldn't do, what the elf king Galandell, who fell dead at their feet, couldn't do! There was no sense of honor in the heart of the young scholar, only sheer astonishment.How cruelly fate played a trick on him, letting him fall into such a role and such chaos without any preparation.Is this the will of God Denier?If so, did Cadderly really want to continue serving the god? Aberes' astonished expression made the young scholar turn away.Ragnor left about six personal guards composed of strong bear goblins, holding a trident smeared with venom—the only possibility that these two men thought was possible—charging towards them, never far away. At least not long enough for Cadderly to escape. "That's why we're going to die like this," he heard Abeles spit out angrily.The elf raised his bloodstained sword, and the unarmed and weary young scholar could find no words to refute the claim. A flash of lightning abruptly removed the threat; four bear goblins died instantly, while the other two rolled on the ground, blackened and crippled. Cadderly looked aside to see Tintage standing bravely leaning against a tree, a smile on his face, interrupted by shudders of pain every now and then.Cadderly and Abereth ran to their friends.Abereth began to tend to the wound, but Cadderly pushed the elf away. "Denir, I curse you if you don't help me now!" growled the young scholar. It doesn't take much medical knowledge to see that Tinteg's injuries will soon kill him.Cadderly had no idea where the elf had found the strength and spirit to unleash magical attacks.But he knew that such courage would not be the prelude to death. Although he has no basis to say so. Abereth put a hand on his shoulder, but Cadderly spat out a few words angrily, then shook it away.The young scholar gripped the shaft of the spear, which was still deeply lodged in Tintag.He looked up at the blue-eyed elf, who understood him and nodded. Cadderly yanked the spear free. Blood gushed from the wound, and Cadderly's fingers couldn't stop them.Ding Taige fainted and fell to one side. "Hold him up!" Cadderly yelled, and Abereth—who could only watch helplessly at the sight—did. Cadderly tried in vain to stop the gushing blood, blocking Tintage's entrails that were about to bleed. "Denier!" cried the young priest, with more anger than respect, "Denier!" Then something magical happened. Cadderly felt power flow through his body, though he had no idea what it was, and hardly expected it to happen.It was like the notes of a distant and melodic song.The young priest was so stunned that he didn't know how to react, but obeyed desperately. He was amazed to see Tinteg's wound start to heal.The blood flow decreases and eventually stops completely.The magically closed skin pushed Cadderly's hand away. A minute passed, and then another minute. "Let me go back to the war," a rejuvenated Tinteg urged them.Abereth gave his elf friend a hug.Cadderly sank to the ground. The world has gone mad.