"Anduin River..." Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso gazed at the endlessly surging Anduin River and spoke to Okrian-Lujin beside him.
"Finally..." Okrian-Lujin complained with a disgusted expression. The stench of Orcs lingering around his nose had finally vanished. The two of them had already swept through several Orc tribes in the eastern clearing, and the plains near Mirkwood were littered with Orc shacks of every size.
"Have those maggots disappeared?" Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso said grimly as he stroked his Swift Wind Sword.
"No... probably not..." Okrian-Lujin looked despairingly toward the river's upper reaches, where several shifty-eyed Orcs holding crooked spears warily watched the two heavily armored cavalrymen.
"...Hahaha!" Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso laughed in fury. He drew his longsword and spurred his horse forward like a madman.
"Your Highness..." Okrian-Lujin reached out to stop him, but grabbed only empty air. He knew that the constantly appearing Orcs had disgusted Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso so thoroughly that he was nearly losing his mind.
"Alas..." As Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso's retainer, Okrian-Lujin could only sigh and chase after him.
Creak! A rope suddenly sprang up from the grass.
"A tripwire!" Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso cried out. He had no time to pull on the reins and could only watch as his warhorse charged ahead.
Riiip! The trained Monster Wind Chasing Horse instinctively used Battle Qi to activate its skill, its speed suddenly soaring! The vine-wrapped rope could not bear the strain and was torn cleanly in two, the snapped ends cracking through the air.
Thud! Before Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso could breathe a sigh of relief, Okrian-Lujin's horrified cry came from behind him. Before Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso could react, the world spun around him. Only after he landed face-first in the grass did he faintly hear the sounds behind him...
"Watch