Orders

"Captain, we're running low on arrows."

Sir Taize continued to offer his reminder.

"We should retreat, or we'll all die here."

He remained steady, drawing his bow and releasing the arrow, but his tone was already anxious. "Those images are bait to lure us forward. There's no Civilization here, and even if there were, we're no match for these damned Black Beast! We should retreat!"

Estes was silent for a moment, then said, "We can't leave, and we can't leave either."

Sir Taize turned around upon hearing this. The entrance to the cave they had come from was shrouded in malevolent Shadow. The cunning Black Beast had already cut off their retreat, which made his heart sink, followed by a surge of shock and anger.

What exactly do you want?

He shouted the question.

Upon entering this underground space and encountering the Black Beast, the captain cried out in alarm, calling out its name. He then charged forward recklessly, leaving the elves with no choice but to follow.

Unexpectedly, they are now surrounded.

That's practically suicide.

Sir Taize, upon realizing this, was extremely alarmed and enraged. He roared, "Captain, please state your intentions immediately! Even the captain of a ship has no right to order his men to their deaths without cause!"

As the captain spoke, he continued to draw his bow and fire arrows, each shot a kill, striking the Black Beast that tried to advance. He slowly exhaled, "Because these are Void Spirit... minions of chaos, spirits from beyond the curtain."

Sir Taize shouted, "And then!"

The captain said in a deep voice, "It's difficult to explain in a short time, Sir Taize. You only need to know that, given time, all these things will reach the surface, and the entire Holy Seal Archipelago will change. The forces beyond the Veil will continue to erode until they spread to the whole world—we must stop this from happening!"

At this point, the captain's face also showed a look of rage and unease. He hissed, "Damn it! Weren't these things completely sealed away by the gods? How did they reappear!"

Sir Taize looked bewildered.

He simply couldn't understand or accept it based on the captain's few words alone.

He shouted, "At least let's get out of here first, regroup, and then devise a plan. We should discuss it with Master Laclais! Or we can turn back and ask the dynasty for help!"

"It's too late! The passage is already open. If these guys get outside, they'll cause endless trouble. Even if just one of them manages to escape, it'll be a huge risk to the entire world!"

The captain gritted his teeth and said, "We're already this far! If we go back, we'll encounter countless obstacles and suffer extremely heavy losses. We must continue forward, establish a defensive position in the town ahead, and await reinforcements—Lieutenant Mailun will definitely send someone to help us. Only through a coordinated attack from within and without can we break through!"

"Besides... we should at least find out what's inside!"

The captain, gazing at the still hesitant Sir Taize, shouted sternly, "Isn't this enough to make you decide, Sir? I know you find it difficult to understand and accept what I'm saying, but I demand that you demonstrate the responsibility and duty of an elven noble. I swear by my soul that everything I've said is true—the fate of the entire world may now rest in our hands!"

Sir Taize paused for a moment, then shouted, "You all heard that! Keep moving!"

They charged forward along the smooth road, heading towards the town in the center of the underground space. Eerie roars of beasts echoed all around, and an unsettling power permeated the vast space, as if something terrifying was staring at them. The elves cleared a path with their bows and arrows, and with their precise archery skills and fierce strength, they broke through the encirclement of the Black Beast and entered the desolate town.

"To the center of town!" Captain Estes shouted, "The biggest building!"

After a long and arduous journey, Lieutenant Mailun arrived at the Rift Valley.

Accompanying them were a dozen or so elves.

Several elves quietly left along the way.

The remaining elves exchanged silent glances, said nothing, and quietly descended.

They cautiously followed the captain's footprints, seeing the scattered fragments of the holy artifacts, witnessing the awe-inspiring images, and arriving at the entrance to the underground space.

They saw the eerie black pool, the ferocious beasts, the deathly silent town, and the corpses of their people.

The Black Beast discovered new prey and pounced on them.

The elves maintained a high level of combat prowess. Moreover, the cave entrance was a small space, making it easy for them to maneuver. With swords in front and bows behind, a dozen elves were more than capable of blocking the cave entrance. Mailun anxiously searched for the captain and his companions, but could not find them. He then blew the Azurewood Horn.

A deep, resonant call filled the entire space.

"I heard the bugle call!"

From a building in the center of town, the archers of the archery corps, firing arrows to block the enemy, shouted, "They're here!"

In the room on the third floor, Sir Taize put down the scroll in his hand, his back soaked with sweat.

He glanced through the contents, and even though the ancient script was difficult to understand, he discerned a clue... just a clue was enough.

The captain said, "Still questioning my decision?"

Sir Taize said in a trembling voice, "It must be taken back to Twilight Moon and given to His Majesty!"

The captain said in a deep voice, "Destroy this place too."

The sergeant's report came from outside.

The captain's spirits lifted. "First Lieutenant Mailun has arrived with reinforcements! Let's join them!"

At his command, the remaining elven warriors immediately gathered. They left the building, intending to return the way they came, but the moment Sir Taize brought out the scroll, the entire underground space trembled, and the Black Beast leaped out of the black pool as if they had gone mad, their attack becoming ten times more ferocious.

"It's this scroll!"

Sir Taize roared, "Break through! Break through! Break through!"

The elves, arrows flying like locusts, raced towards the cave entrance. The hundreds of meters ahead were filled with death and obstacles, while Black Beast pounced from all sides. Sir Taize, advancing relentlessly, roared, "Lieutenant Mailun! Mailun! Go and summon all reinforcements! They must come and join us! Now!"

Captain Estes shouted, "First Lieutenant Mailun! This is Captain Estes! Send word that the Wings of Wayne must set sail by force and approach the shore, salvage all cargo on board..."

They were close enough that they could hear each other shouting across the distance.

So they also heard Lieutenant Mailun's desperate roar, choked with sobs.

"Captain! Sir! I'm so sorry!" the first mate cried. "The Wings of Wayne has been captured by the Goth People! The troops on the island have been almost completely wiped out! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to the Royal Navy!"

These words struck the two elven officers like a thunderbolt.

They almost lost their footing and narrowly escaped being grabbed by the Black Beast.

An overwhelming sense of despair pressed down upon them.

It wasn't for their lives, nor for their honor.

It is for... the entire country, and even the entire world.

This means the scroll cannot be sent out, and this place cannot be destroyed.

This may mean... the beginning of the end for everything.

"No..."

Sir Taize murmured, "There's another way."

Captain Estes said slowly, "There is another way."

In this situation, the jazz man actually gave a wry smile, "How ironic."

"How ironic..."

It's like playing a riddle.

But the two elves already knew each other's thoughts.

Consistent.

Sir Taize took a scroll from his personal collection, wrapped it around an arrow, and carefully secured it. He looked at the captain. "Are you coming?"

The captain laughed, "You do it yourself, country bumpkin."

He drew his bow and swiftly shot down the approaching Black Beast, struggling to advance forward.

Let's make the plan more secure.

Sir Taize took a deep breath, nocked the arrow, held his breath, his eyes sharp, and slowly drew the bow, pulling it back little by little. This was the most important arrow of his life, and he could not afford to make a mistake.

"Mailun Yikelesi!" he shouted sternly, "In the name of the Queen, I issue you this order, which must be obeyed without question, without evasion, without failure!"

The arrow flew, whistling through the sky, and shot towards the cave entrance.

Lieutenant Mailun's voice rang out. "Yes, sir! I will obey your orders! Regardless of life or honor!"

He wished he could atone for his failures and mistakes with death.

Even if the Jazz were to shoot him dead with an arrow right now, he would be willing.

But what the jazz called out from afar made him almost think he had misheard.

"Lieutenant Mailun, I order you..." he shouted sternly, "Surrender to the Goth People!"

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PS1: Second update... Goodnight everyone.