The Battle of Pathfinder Camp

To make themselves look more like Forest Trolls, they could no longer use their previous weapons. After all, the weapons of the High Elves of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas were completely different from those used by Forest Trolls.

Just as they finished preparing and were about to head for the Forest Troll assembly point, they happened to run into Dakuro Warfang again.

"Yo, it's you lot. What a coincidence, Brother Barkan." Dakuro Warfang was quite familiar and outgoing, taking the initiative to greet the four of them.

Though they belonged to two hostile races, Tyrel could not summon even the slightest disgust or hatred toward Dakuro Warfang. He said amicably, "We just went to prepare some food and caught some fresh lynx meat. Dakuro, want to try some?"

"Sure, but it'll have to wait until later. I hope that after soaking ourselves in High Elf blood, we can happily build a bonfire and roast some meat." Dakuro Warfang's eyes burned with fighting spirit. In his view, battling the High Elves and reclaiming the land that belonged to them was the most glorious thing of all.

This time, Tyrel merely smiled and did not reply.

Before long, under the leadership of Forest Troll general Dakara, the gathered young and able-bodied Forest Trolls set out. They held a grand ritual, with Forest Troll shamans and Witch Doctors offering sacrifices to the Loa Spirits they worshipped.

Afterward, the Forest Troll shamans and Witch Doctors danced ancient dances around the bonfire, bestowing blessings upon the Forest Troll Warriors marching to war.

It was worth mentioning that Dakuro Warfang was a captain under Dakara, while Tyrel's group of four had also been assigned to Dakuro Warfang's unit.

At their peak, the Forest Trolls had a population of several million. They had pressured the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas so severely that it had been forced to ally with the human Arathor Empire before it could barely claim victory.

Even now, the Forest Trolls within the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, led by the Amani Clan of Zul'Aman, still numbered several hundred thousand.

The Forest Trolls were a race in which every citizen could become a soldier. They were stronger and more savage than their distant Troll relatives. For this operation, just one outlying Forest Troll village—the one Tyrel's group belonged to—had gathered over two thousand Forest Troll Warriors.

There were more than twenty such villages around Zul'Aman. Adding the elite Amani Clan forces of Zul'Aman, the Troll army for this campaign would likely exceed eighty thousand troops.

And with the Forest Trolls of Torvasa in North Eversong Woods added in, the Forest Trolls' total strength could even reach one hundred thousand.

The Ranger-Expeditionary stationed at Pathfinder Camp numbered only thirty thousand. Together with the ten thousand troops of the Dawnblade Legion, they had just forty thousand soldiers.

Forty thousand High Elves against more than a hundred thousand Forest Trolls—a difference of more than twofold. This was undoubtedly going to be a brutal battle.

Just as Tyrel had expected, by the time Dakara's forces arrived at Pathfinder Camp, tens of thousands of Forest Trolls were already attacking it.

Fortunately, Valeera must have sent the intelligence back in advance. The High Elf rangers at Pathfinder Camp had long been prepared.

As a major frontline camp resisting the Amani Clan Forest Trolls of Zul'Aman, Pathfinder Camp possessed exceptionally comprehensive defenses, with sturdy fortifications capable of withstanding the Forest Trolls' ferocious assault.

The High Elf rangers stood upon the various platforms of Pathfinder Camp, continuously firing arrows down at the Forest Trolls from above.

Besides their unparalleled affinity for the arcane, High Elves also possessed eyesight and accuracy beyond anything humans could match. High Elf rangers were exceedingly powerful, and their arrows almost never missed.

Unfortunately, the Forest Trolls' innate gifts perfectly countered High Elf rangers. Trolls possessed extraordinary vitality, and ordinary arrows could not kill them outright unless they struck the head.

Even when arrows buried themselves deep in Forest Troll bodies, these strong and savage creatures would simply rip them out by force. Before long, their powerful regenerative abilities would have them lively and vigorous again.

Because of this, the combat effectiveness of the High Elf Ranger-Expeditionary was greatly reduced when facing Forest Trolls.

What truly countered the Forest Trolls' formidable vitality was Mage Fire Magic. That was precisely why the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas had such a large number of fire-specialized Mages.

Sure enough, as Tyrel was thinking, a powerful magical fluctuation appeared. Great sheets of flame instantly erupted from the previously empty ground, swallowing large numbers of Forest Trolls.

The scorching flames burned the Forest Trolls' bodies. No matter how great their vitality, it became exceptionally fragile before Fire Magic. Most Forest Trolls did not even have armor for protection, wearing only easily flammable feather ornaments and the like.

After several Flame Storms, a huge gap instantly opened in the Forest Troll army. Thousands of Forest Trolls had been consumed by the Flame Storms.

The Kingdom of Quel'Thalas had been founded upon magic. Even within the Pathfinder Legion, which mainly consisted of High Elf rangers, there were still a certain number of Mages. Not to mention a crucial large camp like Pathfinder Camp, which naturally had a number of Mages assisting with its defense.

After witnessing the terrifying power of the High Elf Mages, the Forest Trolls sent out Forest Troll Dragonhawk Riders mounted on tamed Dragonhawks. Holding spears, they flew into the air, intending to kill the High Elf Mages of Pathfinder Camp by hurling spears from above.

The lynxes on the ground and the Dragonhawks in the sky were both creatures unique to the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. Both High Elves and Forest Trolls had tamed them.

Dragonhawks were noble creatures, said to possess dragon blood, which granted them the ability to breathe fire. They were extremely beautiful, with splendid feathers and elegant forms.

Only equally noble High Elves could make Dragonhawks willingly become their mounts.

Among the Loa Spirits worshipped by the Forest Trolls was a Dragonhawk God. With the aid of this Dragonhawk Loa Spirit, the Forest Trolls were able to tame large numbers of proud Dragonhawks in cramped spaces and turn them into Dragonhawk Riders.

Several thousand Forest Troll Dragonhawk Riders flew into the sky. To avoid the High Elf rangers' precise shooting, they scattered and circled Pathfinder Camp. One hand gripped the reins while they stood on their Dragonhawks' backs, raising their other arms to prepare to throw spears.

Even elite High Elf rangers found it difficult to quickly aim at and shoot down Dragonhawk Riders flying rapidly through the air, while the Mages were practically sitting targets.

At that moment, the High Elf Dragonhawk Riders of the Pathfinder Legion also flew into the air from Pathfinder Camp.

There were fewer than a thousand High Elf Dragonhawk Riders at Pathfinder Camp, but with the rangers supporting them, they resolutely launched an attack against the Forest Troll Dragonhawk Riders.

This was an exceptionally dangerous mission. Once a High Elf riding a Dragonhawk was shot down, even if they survived the fall from such a height, they would not meet a good end if they landed among the Forest Troll forces.

But from the day they joined the High Elf Dragonhawk Rider Corps, they had already prepared themselves to face death. Especially when they were protecting the vulnerable Mages, they feared nothing.