Trapped in Battle

Roy's fears were confirmed the following afternoon.

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior who were sent out to scout the situation a few days ago have returned to report to Roy that both the southern and central Black Iron Mine have been breached by the Headhunters.

The Highland Slavers besieged the two Black Iron Mine for three days and two nights. Just yesterday evening, the two castles were captured by the headhunters almost simultaneously.

All the Half-Elf Warrior defending the city were killed.

The headhunters cut off their heads, put them in wooden cages, and hung them on the City Wall.

After the headhunters took control of the two mines, the fugitive Mine Owners returned to the Black Iron Mine and took over its management.

Of course, headhunters wouldn't give away the Black Iron Mine for nothing.

The headhunters help the Mine Owners reclaim the Black Iron Mine, and in return, the Mine Owners must forge weapons and armor for these headhunters.

Of course, the existing workforce in the castle is actually those Gray Dwarf, who are not only skilled in metallurgy but also know how to forge.

The Highland Slavers did not continue south...

For a week straight, headhunters from the north flocked to the castle in the snow-capped mountains, with hundreds passing by almost every day along the mountain Mountain Road at the foot of the North Black Iron Mine.

The Half-Elf archers on the Arrow Tower would take stock of these Highland Slavers every day.

Roy was certain that at least five thousand headhunters had gathered in the two Black Iron Mine.

Unexpectedly, so many headhunters have come south, and outside the North Black Iron Mine Castle, there are at least a thousand Highland Slavers surrounding it...

Perhaps the headhunters' previous failed siege made them somewhat hesitant in their next operation against the North Black Iron Mine.

Recently, the headhunters have been besieging the North Black Iron Mine Castle but not attacking it.

In fact, Roy, the North Black Iron Mine Castle, was like a nail stuck in the eyes of the Highland Slavers. Without removing it, the Highland Slavers had no way to continue south.

So when the headhunters captured the two Black Iron Mine in the south, the pressure instantly shifted to Roy's North Black Iron Mine Castle.

The number of Highland Slavers stationed on the hillside opposite the castle is also increasing exponentially.

Almost overnight, more than two thousand Highland Slavers gathered on the opposite hillside, forming a dark, dense mass.

The second siege of the North Black Iron Mine broke out three days after the fall of the South and Central Black Iron Mine.

A large number of headhunters crossed the terraced fields and launched an attack on the castle from three directions.

Despite the meticulous repairs to the City Wall, they couldn't stop the agile headhunters, who, with War Blade in their mouths, could charge to the top of the walls using both hands and feet...

Then the headhunters discovered something else: the assassins rarely appeared during the day.

On the contrary, headhunters become more cautious at night, and even go out in groups.

If they are not careful, their throats will be slit by assassins hiding in the shadows.

The fighting at the North Black Iron Mine Castle is getting fiercer every day, and the City Wall are almost broken down.

Roy moved all the injured Half-Elf Warrior to the mine in the backyard.

The shouts of battle overhead no longer affected the Half-Elf Warrior.

Apart from the elite warriors guarding the City Wall, everyone else in the castle basically just eats, sleeps, and recovers their strength...

White ash was falling from the roof of the restaurant from time to time, and Roy was in line.

A clod of earth fell in front of him. Roy looked up at the cracked vaulted ceiling, wondering how much longer the castle could hold out.

The continuous fighting has left the castle scarred and battered...

Roy took a cup of fruit tea from the cook and carried the biscuits to a table.

Moira, Klayr, and Miss Tiffany were sitting around the dining table. The three of them looked rather listless. It was clear that they had little appetite, and their eyes were dark. They were very tired, but they still had things to do.

Roy carried the tray and walked to the middle of the three people. He sat down on the bench, took a sip of fruit tea, and said, "The situation here has been getting worse lately, but as long as we wait until nightfall, the Assassin Squad will be able to find a breakthrough. I want to send you out first. As long as you keep heading south and find the Sudaso Mountain Range, you can return to the southern part of the Pagisto Plateau along the edge of the mountains. I hope you can leave here as soon as possible."

"So what about you? Will you come with us?" Miss Tiffany stared at Roy.

"How could I? There's a huge mess here that I need to clean up," Roy said in a low voice.

"So what are you planning to do now that we're gone? Wait for the North Black Iron Mine to be breached by the Highland Slavers?" Miss Tiffany pressed on.

"He might bring a group of Elf Warrior to continue dealing with these Highland Slavers," Roy said, tearing off a piece of bread and putting it in his mouth as he ate.

"We still hope to stay, because we can still help you," Klayr said, putting her arm around Roy's shoulder.

"But Sabrina and Woods are both injured, and they need to rest for a while..." Roy hesitated.

"It's not that serious. As long as we don't run into the headhunter Chieftain, I think we can still fight them."

The voice came from behind Roy; it was Sabrina's voice.

Sabrina, with a tight bandage wrapped around her shoulder, carried her plate, walked around the table, and sat down opposite Roy.

The wound on her shoulder was from yesterday's battle with a headhunter Chieftain, who, as he Chieftain, plunged a Short Flying Spear into Sabrina's shoulder...

Woods has been injured in the past few days, with numerous wounds accumulating all over his body, and he can only rest in bed today.

Roy personally treated the wound on Sabrina's shoulder. Sabrina's injury was not as minor as she made it out to be; the Short Flying Spear had almost pierced through her shoulder. With such a severe injury, even with Roy's Holy Light Art and Miss Tiffany's Hydrotherapy, it would take at least a week to recover.

With both Sabrina and Woods injured, the defenses on the North Black Iron Mine City Wall were significantly weakened.

"I'll check your wound again tonight. Although hydrotherapy is painful during treatment, it will definitely not leave a scar..." Miss Tiffany said to Sabrina while eating grilled fish.

After quickly finishing his lunch, Roy first went to inspect the mine in the backyard to check on the health of the wounded soldiers, and then climbed the City Wall.

Currently, the Highland Slavers almost always choose to attack cities during the day to avoid being harassed by Dark Moon Elf assassins...

Roy climbed the City Wall and saw several Highland Slavers had just scaled the ramparts, wielding War Blade, and forced back the Half-Elf Warrior guarding the City Wall.

He skillfully opened the Hammer of Judgment Book, chanting Holy Prayer fluently. Divine runes shone brightly, and a Holy Light Hammer flew out, smashing the headhunter at the forefront and sending him sprawling to the ground...

Roy's movements were very skillful, but unfortunately, the Holy Light Power in his body had been drained, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He quickly abandoned his plan to throw out another Holy Light Hammer, took out the Holy Scepter stained with a layer of dark purple blood, and Roy rushed forward to block a 'Cleave Slash' for a Half-Elf Warrior was about to collapse.

The Holy Scepter in his hand emitted a faint holy light. Seeing another group of headhunters scaling the City Wall, Roy quickly moved towards them...

Several Half-Elf Warrior were forced to retreat repeatedly by the group of headhunters.

Roy gritted his teeth and chased after the Half-Elf Warrior to help him out of the predicament.

A fresh squad of soldiers came running from the castle. They were full of energy and carried spears. As soon as they appeared, they forced the Highland Slavers to the side of the battlements.

Miss Tiffany, holding a magic wand, also came out from the stairwell at that moment.

Seeing the chaotic battle on the city wall, Miss Tiffany did not hesitate to draw a Magic Scroll. As the Magic Scroll unfolded, a patch of white frost appeared under Miss Tiffany's feet. As the white frost continued to spread outward, part of the City Wall was covered in white frost.

Miss Tiffany's eyes also shone with magic.

These white frosts continuously condense into ice crystals, each crystal sharp as a knife.

The Half-Elf Warrior, clad in armor and leather boots, were immune to the ice blades, but the Highland Slavers were not so lucky. Barefoot, they climbed the city walls, their feet calloused, yet still bleeding profusely from the ice blades.

The Highland Slavers immediately started shouting and constantly gathering manpower.

Before the headhunters' companions could even climb up, the Half-Elf Warrior wielding spears had already knocked them all down from the city walls.

It's clear that these Half-Elf Warrior guarding the City Wall are growing rapidly in battle.

Many of the Half-Elf Warrior were injured, but after receiving some medical treatment, as long as their injuries were not too serious, they continued to hold their ground on the City Wall.

Although the castle could hold out for a while, it was completely powerless to break out.

There were far too many headhunters outside the castle, and their Chieftain was planning a siege...

The military supplies stored at the Black Iron Mine were already limited, and after guarding the North Black Iron Mine for nearly a week, the supplies in the warehouse were being rapidly depleted.

Roy knew that if a solution wasn't found soon, the food here would soon be gone.

Due to a lack of supplies, this castle was destined not to hold out for long.

Every day, the Half-Elf Warrior on the City Wall longed for nightfall to come quickly, so that the Assassin Squad could freely enter and leave the castle once it was completely dark.

The Highland Slavers would obediently retreat to the opposite hillside...

These headhunters have gotten smarter; they rarely attack cities at night now.

Even so, every night, some of the Highland Slavers would have their necks inexplicably slit and die silently.

Captain Timothy and Vice Captain Tennyson, along with a group of assassins, launched surprise attacks on the Headhunters under the cover of night.

Assassin warriors and headhunters frequently clashed around Aida Snow Mountain.

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior ' fierce counterattacks at night always leave the Highland Slavers unable to cope.

Since the Black Iron Mine Castle had not yet been captured, the Highland Slavers dared not continue south.

The siege of the North Black Iron Mine Castle lasted for nine days.

More and more Highland Slavers are staying on the Aida Snow Mountain side, and Roy has also noticed that the Highland Slavers have recently climbed the city walls have some metal armor plates strapped to their vital parts...

These metal plates are mostly made of black iron and are very sturdy.

As the group of Highland Slavers opposite them continued to grow, they added some simple armor and armor plates to their bodies.

Both sides suffered casualties in each siege.

But there are only three hundred Half-Elf Warrior in the castle. The Half-Elf Warrior are frequently injured, and fewer and fewer Elf Warrior are able to stand on the City Wall to resist the Highland Headhunters.

The castle walls were riddled with holes by the headhunters, who kept scaling the walls until they captured all four of the castle's Arrow Tower...

The headhunter stood atop the Arrow Tower, Short Flying Spear in hand, and the City Wall immediately fell into the hands of the Highland Slavers.

Roy could only retreat to the various rooms inside the castle with the Half-Elf Warrior and Dark Moon Elf Warrior who were still able to fight.

The headhunters were unfamiliar with the castle's interior. Nearly a hundred headhunters rushed into the castle, only to be picked off one by one by the Dark Moon Elf assassins. Not a single one of them managed to leave alive...

The headhunters dared not easily enter the castle, and could only break into the castle rooms one by one.

Roy, along with his Elf Warrior, guarded some corridors and doorways. The two sides fought fiercely for two days inside the North Black Iron Mine Castle. The headhunters captured the castle gates, and a large number of headhunters poured into the castle.

Left with no other choice, Roy could only lead the remaining Elf Warrior to retreat to the Black Iron Mine in the backyard.

The stored food was running low, and the mine was filled with wounded Elf Warrior.

Roy was considering how to keep those ruthless headhunters out...

Captain Timothy led a group of twenty-odd Dark Moon Elf Warrior as they strode into the mine. He went straight to Roy and said, "Roy, we can't stay here any longer. Once Boss Headhunters occupy the mine shaft, we'll be trapped here. Come with us and retreat from the North Black Iron Mine tonight. Even if we fight in the mountains outside, we can still put up a fight against the Headhunters. If we can retreat to the Sudaso Mountain Range, we can reorganize a battle group to fight the Headhunters."

"..."

Roy turned to look at Woods, who was fast asleep on the blanket. After being injured, Woods had forced himself to transform into a giant bear and fight for most of the night before, and then fell into a coma. Even drinking some Tree of Life Sap didn't help.

Roy then looked at Sabrina, Moira, Miss Tiffany, Klayr, who were also sitting against the stone wall.

His resolve began to waver...

Roy pointed at Moira and Sabrina and said, "Timothy, you help me get them out of here..."

Before Roy could finish speaking, a massive earthquake suddenly shook the ground outside the mine, causing the entire Black Iron Mine to tremble.

A Half-Elf Warrior rushed in and shouted to Roy, "Boss, you'd better go out and see! There are lots of griffins outside the mine, and Half-Elf Warrior are sitting on them..."