After leading his troops for a while, Unas stopped when he saw that the enemy was not pursuing. Looking at the sky, he realized there were still several hours until sunset, so they could continue fighting. "Ashina," he said, "Return to the stronghold immediately to report the battle situation. Have Liante bring his hundred-man squad over. Also, order the High Priest Sally Whitemane and the Blood Elf mage Arenas Fireleaf to come with the reinforcements."
Ashina responded with a "yes," flicked his horse's tail, and rode away in a cloud of dust. Unas led the remaining team members back to the battlefield and monitored the enemy's movements from a high ground 500 meters away from the Plaguewood.
The Undead emerged continuously from the Plaguewood, gathering in the clearing before the woodland. These walking corpses were clearly not the Forsaken; the one who issued the warning earlier was perhaps Undead Mage from Cult of the Damned. He wouldn't have come to this remote woodland for peace. And the spider that ran away from its home in the Canyon —was it a coincidence? Or was it its original destination?
Unas soon realized it was no coincidence. Giant Spiders began to appear in the distant woods, numbering seven or eight, though they moved rather slowly and seemed to have been transformed into Undead.
It seems that the Giant Spiders did not run out of the Canyon on their own initiative, but were captured by the Undead Mage to replenish his army.
Following the Undead Giant Spiders, the necromancer clad in black robes finally emerged from the forest. He wasn't riding Bone Horse, but rather seated atop a massive black spider. Haikesi exclaimed, "The Overlord Spider! He's riding the Overlord Spider!"
The Overlord Spider is the king of the Canyon, the largest and most powerful of all known Giant Spiders. Once the spiders gather in a group, they become the natural leaders, and their numbers are very rare in the Canyon. The fact that this Undead Mage actually captured one as a mount must have surprised the Troll.
"Just a dead spider. No matter how strong it was in life, it's nothing but a small fry after it dies." Unas reassured the troops.
"That Undead Mage managed to poach so many spiders in the Canyon without being detected; our defenses are riddled with holes," Marcus complained. "I suggested building more outposts a long time ago, but the previous Warden..."
He suddenly realized that it wasn't good to speak ill of the dead, so he immediately stopped talking. Unas wasn't interested in hindsight and ignored him.
At this moment, the Undead in the distance split into two groups. A small group surrounded the Undead Mage and fled westward, while the other large group stood in place, assuming a defensive posture.
The Undead Mage's hideout was exposed, and he knew that a human army would soon come to wipe him out, so he decisively abandoned a large number of cannon fodder and retreated with only a few elite subordinates.
Unas had anticipated this outcome. He wasn't afraid of the two hundred or so Undead fodder blocking his way, but he didn't dare to start a battle rashly. If the Undead Mage turned around and attacked, he would be walking into a trap. It was better to wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Unas, unwilling to let him escape, Unas around and asked, "Nightmoon, can you get around the enemy's defenses?"
"Certainly."
"Very good, go and keep an eye on that Undead Mage, don't lose him."
"I can definitely keep up with him." Nightmoon snorted, turned around and disappeared into the nearby forest. She would have to take a huge detour to get past the enemy's defenses.
The Plaguewood is an hour's journey from the Venomspider Gorge. Ashina is fast, so it might not take that long, but gathering the two people Unas specifically requested and Liante's hundred-man squad will take a considerable amount of time. With more people, the marching speed will be even slower, and reinforcements should arrive in two hours or more.
Just half an hour later, Unas couldn't resist the urge to charge. The Undead Mage should be far enough away to return and attack, and the defensive line of Zombies and Skeletons looked like it would collapse at the slightest touch. But after Marcus's earnest persuasion, he had no choice but to give up the idea of Charge.
With only eight men left on his side and over two hundred on the enemy, Unas was confident he had the protection of three shields and wasn't afraid of being blocked if he failed to break through. However, he had to consider his men, especially the promising young men, and it would be a great pity if they were to get hurt because of his Recklessness.
After waiting for another half hour, the enemy suddenly made a move. The Undead, who had been maintaining their defensive formation without moving, suddenly scattered in all directions. Several of them seemed to have smelled the scent of living people and charged directly towards the high ground where Unas and his group were located.
In reality, the Undead Mage's orders to his subordinates were to hold out for an hour and then move freely, because he felt that an hour was enough for him to escape. It would be a waste to have the cannon fodder all gathered together and wiped out in one fell swoop. Scattering them into the mountains and forests would at least allow some of them to survive and wait for his summons again. He had a very shrewd plan, but what he didn't expect was that Nightmoon had already followed him closely.
No one expected the enemy's defenses to crumble without a fight. There was no reason not to take the experience that was delivered to their doorstep. Unas's attributes were much stronger than when he first transmigrated, and with the Firekiss sword in hand, he charged forward and cut down the Undead who dared to rush towards the high ground, dismembering and burning them to ashes. The other people's weapons didn't even have a chance to touch the enemy.
"Forward!" Unas led the way, and the team set off again. He casually cleared away the wandering Undead along the way. As their level increased, the experience gained from these cannon fodder decreased, and killing seven or eight of them only increased his experience by 3%.
Unas's Sense Undead can locate enemies who have scattered and fled into the mountains, but chasing down the Undead Mage is the priority right now. He'll deal with these remnants himself on the way back; they may not have much experience, but every little bit helps.
The group chased after the Undead Mage in the direction he had fled. Every so often, crescent-shaped markers would appear, which were road signs left by the Nightmoon. Unas also kept leaving his own marks along the roadside to guide the reinforcements behind.
The chase continued until dusk, Unas was growing increasingly anxious. The night in the wild was fraught with unknown dangers, and if they hadn't caught up by then, they would have to give up. Just as he was slightly distracted, a whistle suddenly came from the roadside, and a slender, tall purple figure leaped from a large tree into the middle of the road.
Unas yanked the reins sharply, nearly colliding with the suddenly appearing Night Elf. Nightmoon calmly stroked the horse's head, which was almost touching hers, and said, "Your horse needs to rest."
Unas didn't have time for her nonsense and asked directly, "Where's the Undead Mage?"
"There's an abandoned town ahead. The Undead Mage and his minions are inside the clock tower. I came to greet you because I was afraid you might disturb him."
Town? Unas quickly pulled out a marching map to check. They were heading west, and if there was any town, it could only be Stillwater Town. This small town was named after the Stillwater River, a small river that originated from Lordamere Lake. It was a major transportation route in the area, but unfortunately, like most cities in Lordaeron, it was destroyed by the Scourge.
The Undead Mage thought he was safe and had hidden in the town. He probably never expected anyone to chase him this far. This time, we'll catch him off guard!