Before nightfall, the caravan indeed arrived at Ye Ruige Town. Though it was called a town, to Ronan it was really just a larger village. Ye Ruige Town was only a third the size of Ravenwood Town, with wide gaps between its houses, no walls, and few guards.
Belicha led the caravan to the only inn in Ye Ruige Town. Its conditions were poor, utterly incomparable to the inns in Ravenwood Town, and even the food was less appetizing.
There were not many rooms, so Ronan had no choice but to squeeze into one with his subordinates for the night. Early the next morning, Ronan put on the armor he had bought from the blacksmith in Ravenwood Town. At the caravan workers' call, he stepped out of his room and went downstairs for breakfast. There was little variety, only bread and sausages.
However, after enduring the harsh life in Ravenwood Forest, Ronan had deliberately taken advantage of the system backpack's ability to keep items from spoiling and brought plenty of tasty food and seasonings. His provisions also included quite a bit of dried meat, smoked sausage, salted fish, and the like. They could not be called delicious, but they were still far better than dry, hard flatbread and dark bread.
After checking the supplies, Belicha led the caravan onward once more. This time, they would cross the vast Vizan Plains, spending nearly ten days exposed to the wind and sleeping in the open. They also had to face possible wolf packs and bandits.
As Ronan and the others set foot on the Vizan Plains, Lase and his men, hidden within Ravenwood Forest, also made their move. The goblins had already rushed out a batch of ladders, enough for Lase's forces to use. The nearby wild nonhuman tribes had also been gathered, providing important cannon fodder.
By then, rumors had already spread throughout Ravenwood Town, and the people were panicking. As the rumors passed from person to person, they became tales of a powerful nonhuman king emerging from Ravenwood Forest to break free and build a kingdom, with Ravenwood Town as its whetstone.
As a precaution, many mercenary groups and adventurers left Ravenwood Town. Knight Warren had yet to recover from his injuries, and the plea for aid sent to Shadow Garrison had received no response. Ravenwood Town's strength had never been so depleted.
It was not that Shadow Garrison did not wish to support Ravenwood Town. They had long since been surrounded by the Ravenwood Forest nonhuman tribes conscripted by Lase and led by his subordinates. Though those forces were not strong enough to destroy Shadow Garrison Fort, they successfully completed the task Lase had given them, delaying Shadow Garrison's relief force from reaching Ravenwood Town.
On the second day after the caravan and Ronan's group entered the Vizan Plains, Ravenwood Town fell under siege. Lase led over a thousand soldiers of various races brought from Moran and completely surrounded Ravenwood Town's main exits. From every direction, they used ladders to climb the low walls and fight the defenders.
Inside the town, in the church, Dorodamenro instructed the Priests beside him, "You few, take men and spread out. Gather the townspeople and bring them to the church basement for shelter. Hurry."
By then, Knight Warren had already put on his armor and walked to Dorodamenro's side. "Bishop, I'll go reinforce the walls."
"Your injury?"
"It doesn't matter. I had the physician give me a numbing medicine. It won't affect my fighting!"
Dorodamenro looked deeply at Knight Warren before saying, "Good. Remember, if you cannot hold the walls, lead the men back to the church. I will gather all the townspeople here for shelter. Something may have gone wrong at Shadow Garrison, but judging by the number of enemies besieging Ravenwood Town, Shadow Garrison should be able to resolve its situation soon. We only need to hold out for a while. Warren, come back alive!"
Knight Warren nodded. After putting on his helmet, he turned and led the guards toward the walls. By the time Warren climbed onto the wall, the situation had already become dire. Although Ravenwood Town's defenders fought desperately to protect their home, they still struggled against the tremendous disadvantage in numbers. Half the wall had already fallen.
Warren was stationed at Ravenwood Town's main gate, where the enemy forces were also the greatest. With Warren joining the battle, the fighting once again became deadlocked. Gripping his sword in both hands, Warren continuously cut down enemies climbing onto the wall with his skillful swordsmanship.
From beneath the wall, Lase saw Warren. Watching Ravenwood Town's defenders regain the upper hand under Warren's leadership, he finally could not restrain himself any longer. Snatching a greatsword from his adjutant, Lase slung it across his back and climbed the ladder.
Warren used the vambrace on his left arm to deflect a Gnoll's incoming curved blade, then gripped the blade of his own sword with his right hand and thrust it into the Gnoll's throat. As blood sprayed across his armor, a Lizardman struck Warren's back from behind. The blow left only a scratch and a shower of sparks on his armor. Warren staggered forward under the Lizardman's strength, then roared and spun with his sword held in both hands, sending the Lizardman's head flying.
At that moment, Lase climbed onto the wall. He roared at Warren, "Human, I will twist off your head and make it into a gift for my youngest son!" Then he leaped forward and slashed down at Warren. Knowing he could not meet him head-on, Warren could only roll aside. Lase's greatsword struck the ground and sent shards of stone flying, but he immediately adjusted his stance and swept his sword sideways. Warren had only just risen. Never expecting Lase to recover his strength so quickly, he could only raise his greatsword to block the horizontal slash.
But his unstable footing and the difference in strength sent Warren staggering back four or five steps. Shaking his numb hands, Warren lowered his body and assumed a stance with his sword held in both hands. Looking at the powerful, brown-skinned orc before him, Warren realized that this man was likely one of the generals Moran had sent.
"So weak, human. How did you kill Rello? Was that Dragonman really stupid enough to get himself killed?"
Warren took a deep breath and chose to attack first. He lunged forward, thrusting his greatsword at the same time, but Lase reacted swiftly. The heavy greatsword moved in Lase's hands as effortlessly as though it had no weight. With a casual one-handed sweep, Lase knocked Warren's thrust aside, then drove a heavy punch at him with his other hand. Warren could only release one hand from the hilt to block Lase's punch, but Lase then kicked him, sending him stumbling back several more steps before he steadied himself.
Lase bared his teeth and gave a low growl. Striding forward, he raised his sword overhead with both hands and slashed diagonally down at Warren from the upper right. Warren gripped the hilt with one hand and braced the blade with the other, blocking Lase's strike. Yet although the medicine left his injured left shoulder numb and free of pain, the injury still affected his strength, and there was already a gap between their power.
Warren nearly failed to stop the blow. Lase's greatsword forced Warren's blocking blade down a considerable distance before it halted. The edge even struck Warren's helmet, leaving a gash in it, while the corner of Warren's brow was cut open. Blood ran down from his brow and dripped from beneath his helmet.
At the sight of blood flowing from beneath Warren's helmet, Lase could not help growing excited. His bloodshot eyes reddened, and the muscles in his thick arms tightened further as he exerted more force. The blade pressed down continuously. Warren struggled to hold on, his knees already buckling under the pressure.
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