Moira in the Dark

At the foot of Aidasi Mountain in the Kassar Mountains, a group of Highland Slavers sat around a campfire.

Beneath this narrow rock face, at least a dozen teams of Highland Slavers huddled together. The rocks blocked the biting north wind, and with a fire lit, the long night was no longer unbearable.

The fire contained all sorts of things: some branches, the roots and stems of some kind of plant, animal bones, and even a few clumps of Unicorn Wild Ox dung.

The flames were mixed with choking smoke, but these Highland Slavers didn't care about that at all.

They sat around the fire, shoulder to shoulder, as if only in this way could they dispel the fear brought by the darkness...

They were a group of headhunters who came from the northern highlands. They had traveled for more than half a month from the Gazan Ancestral Land to reach the Gaxi Mountain Range.

Just a month ago, they were relentlessly pursued by Silver Pegasus Warrior in these mountains.

At that time, all they knew was to flee north for their lives. On that escape route, they were so frightened that they didn't even dare to look back.

For about a month, these Highland Slavers could only hide in the Land of the Ancestors, trembling with fear, worrying every day that the Silver Pegasus Warrior would suddenly attack...

However, things turned out completely unexpectedly for the headhunters. Just when they thought the Silver Pegasus Warrior would storm into the Land of the Ancestors and drive all the headhunters out of the Pagisto Plateau, the Silver Pegasus Warrior disappeared overnight.

After waiting for a long time, the Highland Slavers finally realized that these Silver Pegasus Warrior were not using tactics or strategies.

They really left, and they left very decisively, even abandoning some of their supplies...

So now... the headhunters have emerged from that familiar valley in the Gaxi Mountain Range, determined to reclaim the Pagisto Plateau no matter what, for life on the plateau is what they know best.

However, the Mine Owners who frequently provided them with various supplies either died or fled.

They would usually provide these mines with some Half-Elf slaves, and the mines would also provide these headhunters with some living supplies, such as saddles on the backs of argali sheep, War Blade at their waists, daggers for handling prey, and so on.

These mines have now changed hands, making headhunters very uneasy...

In the past few days, the headhunters have successively captured two mining castles, but they have not been able to take over the mine at the foot of Aidasi Mountain.

As a result, a large number of Highland Slavers gathered in the mountains surrounding Aidasi Mountain, and the castle was almost completely destroyed by them.

Just when victory seemed within reach, a large flock of griffins suddenly appeared outside the mine, completely reversing the situation.

They left from the hillside opposite the castle and hid under the rocky cliffs on the north side of Aidasi Mountain.

All the headhunters deliberately avoided those heavy topics, but the atmosphere still couldn't lighten up.

"I heard there's a very powerful Assassin Squad in the North Black Iron Mine. They've killed quite a few of our people recently..." A headhunter's tattooed face was reddened by the campfire, and his voice was dry and hoarse.

The headhunter opposite me poked around in the campfire with a thin twig, saying, "I encountered them once. They only appear at night and can leap out of the shadows in an instant. Even if they miss their target, they will immediately hide back in the shadows."

The headhunters were all in a bad mood; the Half-Elf riding griffins in the sky during the day had put a lot of pressure on them.

"My brother was killed by that Assassin Squad!" another headhunter said, his voice filled with resentment and bitterness...

"What if they follow us here?" one headhunter asked worriedly.

The headhunter, whose face was covered in tattoos, appeared very composed. "Probably not. We've lit so many campfires, and we're quite far from the North Black Iron Mine."

Several headhunters sat around the campfire, chatting idly. Some had already rested their heads on their knees and curled up asleep in front of the fire.

In the pitch-black night...

Moira nimbly leaped down from the back of a griffin and landed steadily on a rock.

She wanted to look around a bit more, but then she saw a pair of cold eyes staring at her—it was Vice Captain Tennyson ...

Moira was startled and quickly realized she shouldn't be standing on that rock. She quickly ducked into the shadows, making her body extremely indistinct.

If the elf standing on the rock wasn't Moira, Tennyson would probably have rushed up and kicked her hard by now.

"Stay hidden..."

Vice Captain Tennyson's voice came through.

Moira knew that this Dark Moon Elf vice-captain was very strict when carrying out missions.

Startled, she stuck out her tongue and cowered motionless in the shadows...

Moira's companion in the shadows ahead suddenly darted forward a few steps, and she immediately followed. It was a gentle slope, and the hillside was full of loose pebbles. If she was not careful, the pebbles would make a sound, so Moira was very careful.

By this time, she had become accustomed to this hunting operation.

They walked forward in the dark for a while when their companion suddenly stopped, Moira quietly squatted down behind him.

Vice Captain Tennyson was at the very front of the squad, his body almost completely pressed against the rocky ground, slowly crawling forward like an iguana.

A headhunter was pacing back and forth about ten meters away from him.

The headhunter stood barefoot on the cold gravel, one hand resting on the hilt of his War Blade, watching his surroundings warily.

He was completely unaware that Captain Tennyson had already crawled up to him...

Just as the Highland Slavers turned around, Vice Captain Tennyson silently stood up, reached out one hand to strangle the headhunter's neck, and with the dagger in his other hand, slit the headhunter's throat.

The headhunter gripped Vice Captain Tennyson's arm tightly with both hands, trying to shout, but no matter what he did, he couldn't make a sound.

Only his legs could weakly push against the loose stones on the hillside.

Vice Captain Tennyson gently laid him down on the rocky ground, crouched down to observe the surroundings, and immediately waved to the Assassin Squad members behind him, signaling them to follow.

Ahead was a rock wall, which seemed to block the cold north wind.

A dozen or so campfires were lit at the foot of the rock face, and a group of headhunters had gathered in front of each campfire.

Some headhunters were already dozing off, while others were still chatting quietly.

Vice Captain Tennyson crept to the very edge of the headhunters, followed one by one by the Dark Moon Elf Warrior Dark Moon Elf Warrior, who were all hidden in the shadows, with Moira mixed in among them.

As instructed by Vice Captain Tennyson, Moira was assigned to the third group, which meant she had to deal with the Highland Slavers at the third campfire.

There were six Dark Moon Elf in the third group. They communicated with each other using hand gestures. These Dark Moon Elf Warrior took good care of Moira. She only needed to take down one headhunter, and not even the strongest headhunter with the most black markings on his face.

Moira gently bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth. She had been told off by the instructor many times for having a bad habit, but unfortunately, she still hadn't corrected it...

Moira walked cautiously along the edge of the firelight.

For the Dark Moon Elf Warrior, this boundary between light and darkness is actually the easiest place to hide.

Seeing that the Dark Moon Elf Warrior ahead had already taken their positions, Moira followed her teammates around to the ambush point. Moira calculated the distance between herself and the target, pondering how many steps it would take to charge forward.

With Thrust Sabre in hand, he wanted to kill his opponent with a single blow. Should he slit his throat or backstab him...?

She was a little nervous, her right hand gripping the Thrust Sabre tightly.

Seeing her nervousness, the Dark Moon Elf Warrior quickly gestured for her to slow her breathing, and then made a strangulation gesture towards Moira.

Moira nodded quickly, indicating that she understood his gesture.

This kind of communication between teammates can make their cooperation more seamless.

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior was a seasoned veteran; he gripped a jet-black dagger in his hand...

The next second, all the assassins lurking in the darkness emerged almost simultaneously. His arm, like an octopus's tentacle, accurately wrapped around the headhunter's neck, and the dagger in his hand slashed across his neck and throat.

The sharp dagger slit the headhunter's throat in an instant. The headhunter could only helplessly clutch his throat with both hands, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets...

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior tried to pull the dagger from the headhunter's neck, but the still-breathing headhunter held him tightly.

The headhunter next to him had already reacted. In a moment of desperation, he delivered an elbow strike right to the Dark Moon Elf Warrior's face, and then pounced on him with both hands and feet, pinning the Dark Moon Elf Warrior to the ground.

The headhunter's ferocious face held a hint of ruthlessness. He suddenly lowered his head and slammed his forehead into the Dark Moon Elf Warrior's nose.

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior was instantly struck and saw stars...

Moira was also moving with her companions. Although she was not the strongest or the fastest among the group of assassins, her body possessed an absolutely precise rhythm, and the point of each of her steps was almost meticulously calculated.

So when she took her first step, her speed suddenly increased significantly...

As Moira took her second step, she had already flashed behind the headhunter, even pressing the Thrust Sabre in her hand against his chest.

The sharp blade easily pierced the headhunter's rough leather armor.

The instant Moira's dagger pierced the headhunter's heart, the headhunter reacted. He arched his back, a rough hand gripping Moira's wrist, attempting to forcibly pull Moira away from behind and throw her over his shoulder...

But Moira's body was like an incredibly resilient rubber band; the moment the headhunter pulled, the Thrust Sabre slid effortlessly into the headhunter's heart.

With her exceptional coordination, Moira twisted her wrist and used Thrust Sabre saber to sever the headhunter's heart tube.

Blood spurted from the headhunter's chest, splattering all over the face of the other headhunter across the campfire...

By the time Moira killed these headhunters, her hands had stopped trembling.

Her body sprang high behind the headhunter, then disappeared into the night like a wisp of smoke, the entire sequence of movements incredibly smooth and fluid.

While the headhunters opposite were still in a daze, Moira brazenly disappeared into the night right before their eyes.

Moira only then saw the headhunter, his face covered in tattoos, pinning the Dark Moon Elf Warrior to the ground. He had already pulled a dagger from his thigh and viciously plunged it into the Dark Moon Elf Warrior's eye socket.

Moira had no time to think. She forcefully flipped her body in mid-air and suddenly appeared beside the headhunter covered in barbs. Her Thrust Sabre slashed across the headhunter's elbow, tearing through his leather armor and spraying out a string of blood beads...

The headhunter's hand holding the dagger suddenly lost all strength. Moira didn't linger for long; as she turned, she disappeared back into the night.

Although the Dark Moon Elf Warrior was covered in blood from the impact, he was finally able to catch his breath and took the opportunity to plunge the dagger in his hand into the left side of the headhunter riding on his back.

The headhunter let out a shrill scream as he gripped the Dark Moon Elf Warrior's neck tightly...

A Thrust Sabre pierced the back of his head, the tip protruding from his Adam's apple.

The headhunter opened his mouth wide, making gurgling sounds in his throat. He tried to cover his neck with his hands and turn around, but he couldn't turn around successfully and was pushed to the ground by the Dark Moon Elf Warrior beneath him.

The Dark Moon Elf Warrior scrambled to his feet.

The headhunter fell with his eyes open, crashing heavily onto the rocky ground, his blood staining a large patch of gravel...

He couldn't even see Moira's face before he died.

In the Black Iron Mine Castle, Roy finally finished his work in the clinic. He walked back to his room, somewhat tired. The temporary room contained only a single bed and a desk, with a bottle of Mana Potion on the desk.

Roy looked at the light blue medicine bottle and felt a bit nauseous, so he simply left the medicine on the table.

Roy walked into the next room and saw Woods sitting on the bed, looking down as he unwrapped the bandages wrapped around his body.

"How are you feeling?" Roy walked over and asked Woods.

"I'm much better now. After another night's rest, I estimate that my injuries will be fully healed by tomorrow morning..." Woods was still a little out of breath as he spoke.

When he unwrapped the bandages and examined the wound, it was indeed healing rapidly, just as Woods had said.

After examining Woods, Roy said to him, "The recovery is going quite well..."

After leaving Woods, Roy went to the door of Sabrina and Moira's room. He knocked on the door, and Miss Tiffany opened it. She was holding a bottle of Mana Potion and seemed to have drunk half of it.

Miss Tiffany wore a nightgown, her long, algae-green hair cascading over her fair shoulders. Even in her elven form, faint fish-scale-like lines remained on her cheeks and neck.

Roy looked past Miss Tiffany and saw Sabrina sitting on the wooden bed, untying the bandages on her shoulder.

"Let me take a look at the injury on Sabrina's shoulder..." Roy said.