Once the fire subsided, Unas immediately sent several scouts to investigate. The result was both surprising and puzzling: the spider swarm had indeed completely withdrawn from Blue Rock Pass, and had not gathered outside the pass, effectively abandoning this easily defensible and difficult-to-attack pass.
The Canyon's terrain resembles an irregular gourd; if Blue Rock Pass is the gourd's waist, then the area outside the mouth is the gourd's belly.
Unas led his team through the narrow valley to the exit on the other side, where, as the scouts had said, the spiders had completely disappeared.
Judging from the messy marks on the ground, their retreat was scattered and disorderly, clearly indicating that they dispersed into the increasingly vast forests Blue Rock Pass.
This strategy of breaking the large group into smaller ones gave Unas a headache. There had been about a thousand Giant Spiders gathered here before. He originally planned to crush them in one fell swoop and then quickly pursue and annihilate them in order to achieve a quick victory.
Now that the spider swarm is scattered and fighting a guerrilla war, it's become more difficult to deal with. Unas promised the Druids that he would no longer use fire attacks, and sweeping them away by manpower would inevitably be time-consuming and laborious.
The scout reported another discovery ahead, "Sir, there are some Giant Spiders corpses ahead, and a female Elf."
"A female Elf? What female Elf?"
"I don't know, she said she wanted to see an adult."
Unas was puzzled that the scout had returned with the news without asking any questions, but he didn't press the matter. "Go and see for yourself," he said. "Lead the way."
After following the scout for another fifteen minutes, the corpses of more than a dozen Giant Spiders came into view. They were either charred or frozen stiff by a layer of white frost, completely devoid of life.
A tall, blue-haired High Elf stood amidst the corpses. Whether it was an illusion or not, she exuded an invisible pressure that made the scouts surrounding her feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy, gripping their weapons tightly and not daring to make a move.
The arrival of the Warden and his large force brought a sigh of relief to the scouts. Unas observed the giant Giant Spiders corpses around him in astonishment; several of them were very ferocious species. Could this female Elf have killed them all?
Looking into the Elf's amber eyes, Unas felt like prey being watched by its hunter, and his whole body tensed up involuntarily. He cautiously asked, "Madam, I heard you wish to see me?"
"I'm not a lady, just call me Mati," the Elf's voice was softer, unlike her aggressive demeanor. "Are you the commander of this army?"
"I am Paladin Unas, the garrison commander of the Silver Dawn Knights stationed here. Miss Mattie is...?"
"You don't need to know who I am. If you want to completely eliminate the spider threat, I can help you."
The female Elf spoke with an incredibly arrogant tone, as if she alone were worth an entire army.
Is Miss Mati alone?
"I have another companion," the female Elf said, not at all bothered by boasting, "There's a small hill five kilometers away. You can go there anytime before dusk to discuss cooperation with us. We also have a gift prepared for you."
Seeing that she seemed about to leave, Unas quickly pointed to the corpses around them and asked, "Did you kill all these spiders? Was the spider swarm's retreat also because of you?"
My companions and I wiped out the spiders. As for why the spider swarm retreated, perhaps it was because of us, who knows?
Unas's doubts deepened, and he pressed on, "Why go to the hill ahead? Now we can talk about cooperation. Call your companions over. Since our goal is the same—to eliminate the spiders—I'll treat you well."
"My companions don't like places with too many humans, nor do they wish to be seen by too many people. You'd better come alone." After saying this, the female Elf smiled and nodded, then vanished in a flash of light.
She clearly used a long-distance teleportation spell. The female Elf disappeared instantly without any spellcasting animation or delay, which at least indicates one thing: she is a spellcaster of considerable rank.
Unas asked the Elf Rangers following him, "Do any of you know this female Elf named Mati?"
The Elves looked at each other, seemingly unfamiliar with the creature. One of the rangers replied, "Sir, we have never seen High Elf with amber eyes before."
Indeed, High Elves mostly have blue and green pupils, while black and brown are relatively rare, and I've never seen an amber-colored Unas.
At this moment, Perella and Huoye arrived from Blue Rock Pass. After listening to Unas's description, the two shrugged, neither of them recognizing this fellow clansman.
Huoye examined the spider corpses around him, his face filled with disbelief. "These Giant Spiders don't have any extra wounds; they were all killed in a single blow."
Upon hearing this, Unas also jumped off his horse and examined the body carefully. The charred corpse was not very convincing, but the spider that had been frozen to death by the frost had no wounds. It was lifelike, frozen in its last moment before death, like a masterpiece by a sculptor.
"Mati and her companion must be two powerful mages, one of ice and one of fire," Huoye speculated. "They killed these dozen or so Giant Spiders, but that wasn't enough to make the swarm retreat."
"Yes, why did the spider swarm retreat?" Perella couldn't figure it out either.
"Whatever the reason, as long as it's to our advantage, we must firmly control Blue Rock Pass Valley," Unas waved his hand. "Take these corpses back as spoils of war. You all go back to the valley to defend it. I'm going to meet those two mysterious guys."
"No!" the two Elves exclaimed in unison.
Huoye advised, "We haven't fully figured out whether Mati is friend or foe. What if it's a trap? You might be in danger all alone, sir."
Unas instinctively felt that the tall female Elf meant no harm, but Huoye's words also made sense. "Mati said her companions don't like meeting 'people,' so let you Elves escort me there. It should be easier to talk to people of the same kind."
"My lord, Mati said the meeting time could be any time before dusk, there's no need to rush, we can..."
"There's no need to discuss it anymore. The time she set isn't urgent, but I am."
Ever since receiving the distress signal from Rosebayne and Haikesi, Unas has been on edge. None of the five Druids who went to their aid last night have returned to report back, and he remains worried.
Now that Blue Rock Pass has been captured, he desperately wants to find the Beautiful Spider and the Troll directly to find out their whereabouts before he can feel at ease.
The sudden appearance of the female Elf has become a top priority; Unas must first find out the details about Mati and her companions.
The rest of the group stayed behind to move the corpses, Unas, along with Huoye, Perella, and several Elf Rangers, headed five kilometers ahead.
Along the way, they could see broken branches and leaves at the edge of the forest and scratches on the ground, all traces of the Giant Spiders retreating in all directions. Without encountering any danger, the team quickly reached the small hill that Mati had mentioned.
The tall female Elf had already noticed the arrival of Unas and his party and was waiting at the foot of the hill.
Perella sized up the female Elf a few times, about to probe her identity, but Mati didn't give her the chance. The tall female Elf looked at Unas, "You come with me, the rest of you stay where you are."
Unas nodded, signaling his men to stop, and followed Mati's retreating figure toward the mountaintop.
The Blood Elves were on guard at the foot of the mountain. They had already discussed that if the Warden encountered any danger, he should immediately send a signal and they could provide support quickly.
Unas followed Mati over the mountaintop and came to the other side of the hill, where there was a large natural Stone Cave.
Mati went straight in. Unas peeked inside, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. He activated his Sacred Shield for illumination, and also to guard against any ambush.
The Stone Cave wasn't deep, and the path beneath his feet resembled a downward spiral staircase. Unas quickly reached the bottom of the cave, never expecting that two enormous creatures awaited him.
What appeared before me was a Red Dragon!
The red behemoth lay prone on the ground, its golden eyes shining like two light bulbs in the darkness, its long, spiky tail coiled before it.
As far as dragons are concerned, their size... Unas thought for a moment and could only be described as "petite," but to humans, the Little Red Dragon was still a behemoth.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the Red Dragon slightly spread its wings, which were tucked behind its back, and exhaled a scorching breath from its nostrils.
This gesture was far from friendly; Unas slightly lowered his back, preparing for battle at any moment.
"This is my companion, Alexstrasza," Mati said calmly, gesturing as she introduced. "As you can see, she is a Red Dragon."
Unas looked into Mati's amber eyes and suddenly realized, "You're a dragon too?!"
"Yes," Mati said, making no attempt to conceal her identity from Unas alone, "I am a member of the Blue Dragonflight, my full name is Mati'gosa. Due to space constraints here, I cannot revert to my original form."
Huoye had previously speculated that they were two Archmage, one of ice and one of fire, Unas believed it to a large extent. He never expected that they were actually two giant dragons.
Now, thinking about the charred and frozen corpses of those dozen or so Giant Spiders, everything makes perfect sense. The Red Dragon's breath is flames, while the Blue Dragon's breath is freezing air.
The spiders must have been ambushed by two giant dragons that fell from the sky, which is why they were killed instantly.
The other enormous creature beside the Red Dragon Unas, was very familiar; it was a giant black Giant Spiders with its head frozen stiff— the Overlord Spider.
Seeing Unas's gaze shift to the Overlord Spider, Mati'gosa continued, "This beast is a gift we prepared for you. You seem to really enjoy collecting these black spiders?"
In the past two days of battle, Unas has indeed captured two heavily wounded Overlord Spiders, intending to hand them over to Rosebayne for subjugation. Judging from Mati'gosa's words, the two dragons have been observing the battle between humans and spiders?
"Is this Overlord Spider still alive? I only need the living one."
The Red Dragon let out a deep roar, and the temperature in the cave suddenly rose. "Human, don't push your luck. This gift isn't meant to please you!"
"Oh? Why is that?" Unas was not intimidated by the dragon's threat and asked calmly.
With a whoosh, the Red Dragon "stood" up from the ground, its huge wings fully spread, almost filling the entire cave. Its long neck, covered with crimson scales, was raised high, its menacing appearance as if it wanted to devour Unas on the spot.
"Alice," Mati'gosa called out her companion's nickname to calm her down, then turned to Unas to answer the human's earlier question, "You call this spider the Overlord Spider, which I think is very fitting. It seems to be the leader of the spider colony. My breath can freeze other spiders to death, but it is the only one that retains a trace of life."
The Overlord Spider, enveloped in white frost, lay motionless beside the Red Dragon. Unas couldn't tell if it was dead or alive. Overlord Spider possessed remarkable vitality, Mati'gosa was likely not lying.
"Thank you for your generosity, esteemed Dragonflight," Unas said with a slight bow. "If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask."
Unas knew perfectly well that two dragons were offering gifts without any apparent reason, especially since they were bringing him such a present. They must want his help.
"We don't need your help, but we really do need it."
It turns out that Alexstrasza was Little Red Dragon who had just come of age. After becoming pregnant during her mating season, she found a secluded place to build a nest and give birth to her children. However, one day when she returned from hunting, she found that all of her dragon eggs had disappeared.
She searched frantically, relying on the special connection between mother and child, heading north, crossing half a continent, from the Ruby Sanctuary, the habitat of the Red Dragons, all the way to Tirisfal Glades.
She met the Blue Dragon by chance on her journey. Mati'gosa was originally on a mission ordered by the Blue Dragon King, but after learning about the Red Dragon's plight, she decided to put the mission aside and help this fellow dragon of a different color whom she had met by chance find a dragon egg.
The two dragons chased each other all the way to Venomspider Gorge, where Alexstrasza lost her connection with the dragon eggs, but she was certain that her children were in the Spider Forest.
They searched the Forest like headless flies, only to find that the Spider Forest was not so easy to traverse; some treacherous areas deep within the Forest even threatened the dragon.
Moreover, the mutated Giant Spiders in the forest were not afraid of the Dragon's Presence and took the initiative to attack them. Although the dragon is a creature at the top of the food chain, it is not Invincible. Faced with the siege, it could only fly away to escape.
Just when they were at their wits' end, Unas launched an offensive against the spider swarm in the Canyon. The two dragons secretly observed the war between the Argent Dawn and the spider swarm and decided to try to seek help from humans.
The temporary leader of the spider swarm was the three-headed Overlord Spider. Unas captured two of them, and the remaining one no longer dared to Charge, hiding in the rear to direct the fight.
Seeing that the battle between humans and spiders had reached a stalemate at Blue Rock Pass, the two giant dragons decided to help the humans first. They located the last Overlord Spider and launched a full-scale attack from the air, killing more than a dozen Overlord Spider guards in one fell swoop, freezing their target and capturing him in this temporary cave.
The spider swarm suddenly lost its leader, and the Dragon's Presence's might terrified them, compounded by the heavy casualties in the battle ahead.
Various factors combined to cause serious chaos and division within the spider colony. Several brief internal struggles failed to produce a new leader, so the spiders abandoned Blue Rock Pass and dispersed once again into the wide valley.