"Our stronghold is vulnerable; we must send troops back to defend it," Liante, Unas's most trusted centurion, who was also present at the meeting, immediately offered his advice. "As for Sir Thomas's orders, don't rush to execute them. Let's wait and see the follow-up battle reports. Ashina is right; he doesn't have the authority to command us."
Unas brought almost all the soldiers from the stronghold with him during this battle with the spiders. The journey from Balnir Farmstead to the Canyon takes less than half a day, and the consequences would be unimaginable if the Rot Hide Gnolls broke in.
"Liante, take your main force and Feniel's men and return to the stronghold immediately to defend it. I will send another three hundred Dark Iron Dwarves to you. Make sure the stronghold is absolutely safe!"
The stronghold was built on a steep mountainside, and five hundred men were enough to hold it for a time.
"Yes!" Liante quickly replied, then turned and went out to gather his men.
"Baer, Bate, go find Colonel Thunderaan-Deepstone and follow Liante's orders."
The Copperhammer Brothers responded loudly, knowing the situation was urgent, and quickly ran out of the Tent.
"Gentlemen, the situation has changed; we may face fighting on two fronts."
"It's not just a possibility, I think we'll definitely be fighting on two fronts, because the Rot Hide Gnolls are coming for this place." Natasha rarely spoke up, but her words surprised everyone.
"Why?"
"The leader of the Rot Hide Gnolls is a necromancer Thule Ravenclaw, a member of the Scourge. Gunsel was once a friend of his. The Rot Hide Gnolls' decision to launch a war against us at this particular time suggests that Gunsel invited reinforcements to distract us."
Natasha possesses Gunsel's memories, so her guess is probably pretty accurate.
"The arrival of the Gnolls was indeed very unusual. In fact, the Monastery had long had the ability to wipe them out, but it had not made up its mind to take action. One reason was that the counties they occupied were severely affected by Scourge disasters, and the water sources and land were no longer suitable for human habitation. Taking them back would only result in wasteland."
Secondly, it's to guard against the Forsaken. The central and northwestern parts of the woodlands are the Dark Lady's territory, Rot Hide Gnolls can serve as a buffer. Thule Ravenclaw should be well aware of this; he never dares to attack the Monastery or Undercity proactively. This time, his actions are indeed suspicious."Perella had been fighting in Tirisfal Glades for a long time and was very familiar with the situation there.
Unas, believing most of them, slammed his fist on the table. "The Orcs and Troll hundred-man squads, along with three hundred Dwarves, go back to defend! Since they're coming for us, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!"
Nightmoon hurriedly advised, "No, hastily withdrawing so many troops will definitely affect morale. What if this place falls first..."
"No, we have the Molten Giants to hold the line. Each giant is worth a hundred; it's impossible for us to fall."
"I don't think so. You've seen what happened to the Iron Golems. The venom rain from the Mutant Spiders will also make the Molten Giants suffer terribly. If they can't withstand it, we risk total annihilation."
The female Elf's words made sense. Unas suppressed his frustration. "Alright then, we won't send reinforcements for now. But we're being attacked from both sides, and this can't go on. We can't continue with the tactic of fighting and retreating. We must hold our ground with all our might, and even drive the spider swarm back."
"Actually, I have a risky plan that might allow for a quick victory."
What method?
"I think you've had this idea in your heart for a long time, you just haven't said it aloud."
Unas understood that Nightmoon had guessed his risky tactic: a direct raid on the Mutant Spider's stronghold.
Gunsel's strongest asset right now is the Mutant Spider swarm, and the core reason he can subdue the spider swarm is that he controls the Spider God Shadra. If Shadra can be freed from this control, the spider swarm will definitely no longer obey the Lich's commands, and may even turn against him.
This is a desperate measure, but the problem is that it's very risky. The Mutant Spider's lair is guarded by countless Giant Spiders, and it's riddled with traps. The core area is completely covered by several layers of dense spider silk, making it impossible to sneak in. The only option is a direct, forceful attack.
Furthermore, Shadra himself is a powerful magical beast, making it a difficult task to extract the Lich's Phylactery from his head.
Unas explained his plan, then said, "I originally wanted to discuss this further, but unfortunately there's no time now. It's either take action or give up and fight them head-on."
"Who says there's no time? It's quite a distance from Balnir Farmstead to the Canyon. Liante the Rot Hide Gnolls arrive early, they can hold out for at least half a day. As long as we take down Shadra first and eliminate the threat of the Mutant Spiders, we can immediately send most of our troops back to reinforce."
"So you agree to my plan? What about the others? If there are no objections, we'll go find the dragon, and set off as soon as it gets dark!"
Today the sky is cloudless, and the dragon would be easily spotted flying during the day. It can only be spotted during the darkest period of the night, just after sunset and before the moon rises.
The team that carried out the operation was mostly the same as before, but the original ten Night Elves were missing Rudel, Masa, and Silver Shadow, making them look quite forlorn. Unas's side was missing a Warrior and Dwarf brother, but gained a Rosebayne.
The Beautiful Spider longed to see the mother body of her lower body, the source of her misfortune, but she herself had little fighting power, and no one wanted to take her along.
Finally, Haikesi convinced everyone. After all, the Troll was "once" a priestess of Shadra. He gave a long, rambling explanation about how to influence Shadra using the Beautiful Spider, leaving everyone confused. This led Unas to decide to bring Rose along, hoping it might work.
Their tactics this time were simple: since they couldn't sneak in anyway, they might as well charge straight into the core area.
The requirement this time was to finish the battle quickly. After the two giant dragons ascended to a great height in the sky, they flew at full speed towards the center of the Poison Spider Forest.
In less than an hour, they reached the airspace above their destination. The two giant dragons circled briefly before swooping down without stopping towards the area in the heart of the Forest that seemed forever shrouded in white gauze.
The spiders' piercing hissing sounded like an air raid siren. The dragon's Dragon's Presence and Charge momentum of the two giant dragons were enough to scare away any ordinary Giant Spiders, but the Mutant Spiders would attack any enemy they encountered.
Hundreds of venomous streaks, spikes, and giant webs shot upwards from the Forest, while two giant dragons unleashed their respective breaths. Waves of white freezing air and crimson flames surged forth, sweeping away all the spider swarm's ranged attacks.
The two dragons showed no signs of slowing down. The Red Dragon targeted an exceptionally large Scorpion-tailed Spider and pounced on it, instantly biting it in two. The passengers on its back were shaken senseless.
Blue Dragon chanted a few incantations and used five or six ice pillars to cover the people on his body as they landed.
Taking advantage of the moment, Unas leaped from the Blue Dragon's back to the top of a large tree, and the others followed suit, quickly gathering safely on the ground.