Night Reconnaissance of the Furbolg Colony (2)

After Andy finished speaking, he gave Hilar a faint smile, stood up, and left his hiding spot. Remembering Tyrande's instructions, Hilar followed closely behind Andy.

Andy didn't seem to care about the Furbolgs standing guard; instead, he wandered around the edge of the village as if he were just taking a stroll. Only when they reached the area behind the village did Andy crouch down, sit on the ground, stick a blade of grass in his mouth, and stare blankly at the sky.

"What are you doing?" Hilar asked, puzzled. "Why are you resting here?"

"It's not time yet!" Andy gestured for Hilar to sit down as well. "With the moon so bright, how do you expect to get in? We have to wait until the clouds cover the moon before we can enter."

Hilar had no choice but to sit on the ground and wait with Andy, though heaven only knew when the clouds would actually cover the moon.

After the two had waited for about an hour, Andy stood up and said, "That's about right!"

Hilar looked up at the sky and saw a cloud drifting over, gradually obscuring the moonlight. Andy crouched down and crept into the village, his eyes scanning the surroundings. In truth, he was just putting on a show to make it look more realistic for Hilar; every move he made was guided by the Monster Spirit. When to walk, when to stop, and which hut to hide behind when they paused—all of it was detailed in his instructions.

When the two reached the back of a thatched hut, Andy waved his hand to signal Hilar to stay quiet, then poked his head out slightly to assess the situation. Beside the path that wound deep into the village stood a single Furbolg. It was the only one there, positioned at a bend in the road where it was difficult to see what was happening from either direction.

Andy crouched down and mouthed to Hilar, "Watch me!"

With a soft "poof," Hilar's mouth fell open—Andy had vanished into thin air. The suddenness of it left Hilar feeling inexplicably flustered. What was going on? Hilar crouched on the ground, scanning the surroundings, trying hard to find Andy's figure. But the area was silent and pitch-black; there was no sign of him anywhere.

"Andy?" Hilar couldn't help but whisper.

"Quiet, I'm right next to you, you just can't see me for now!" Andy's voice came softly from in front of Hilar. "Wait here, I'll be right back!"

Hilar wanted to ask what was happening, but no more sounds came from the darkness. Helpless, she could only wait quietly for Andy's return. Hilar poked her head out a little to check the situation. One look was all it took to nearly make her jump out of her skin: the Furbolg that had been standing by the road was now swaying and stumbling toward the very spot where she was hiding.

Hilar quickly pulled her head back, weighing her options. She wasn't afraid of the Furbolg—she could handle one even if another came along—but she feared that starting a fight would inevitably make noise. If all the Furbolgs in the village swarmed out, she would surely die several times over.

Hilar stole another glance at the Furbolg; it was even closer now. I have no choice. If it comes to it, I'll have to run, but what about Andy? Hilar thought to herself. Where did that kid go?

Seeing the Furbolg almost upon them, Hilar steadied her nerves, instantly shifting into her panther form. She used the cover of night to flatten herself into the grass, eyes locked on the Furbolg, hoping it would just circle around and leave.

As the Furbolg drew closer, Hilar noticed something strange. The creature's posture seemed wrong! Its upper body was leaning forward, its whole frame swaying with every step, and most importantly, its two feet were dragging along the ground!

This...

"Hilar?" A voice called out from behind the hut—it was Andy.

Hilar was startled. Andy? She stood up, maintaining her panther form, and stepped out of the grass. "Andy?"

"Hey? Why did you turn into a panther?" Andy asked, looking puzzled.

"Andy, where are you?" Hilar asked, looking around.

"I'm right here... oh, right, I forgot!" Andy chuckled, and his figure gradually materialized from beneath the Furbolg. "It's so heavy, it wore me out!"

Hilar shifted back into her human form and punched Andy hard, fuming, "What are you doing? How did you just disappear like that?"

"We'll talk about that later. Let's ask this Furbolg what's going on with them," Andy said.

"How are you going to ask?" Hilar asked skeptically. "They don't understand human speech, and they only know how to roar!"

"I have my own ways. Just watch!" Andy laughed. "Use a spell to keep him from moving."

Hilar glanced at Andy, unsure of what he was up to, but she chanted a spell, and green vines sprouted from the ground to bind the Furbolg's limbs. "Done!" Hilar said.

Andy nodded and spoke to the Monster Spirit in his mind: "Spirit, it's your turn. You translate!"

"No problem, that's my specialty!" the Monster Spirit replied.

Andy grinned and slapped the Furbolg across the face a few times. The force of the blows was evident from the blood trickling from the corner of the creature's mouth. "Damn, that actually hurts my hand!" Andy hissed, wincing.

The Furbolg, jolted awake by the slaps, saw two strange elves before it and instinctively tried to roar. Andy was quick; he drew his skinning knife and held it to the Furbolg's throat. Strangely, the ferocious beast immediately clamped its mouth shut. Hilar watched in stunned silence.

However, the most baffling and incomprehensible part was yet to come.

"Big Brother, Big Sister! Please don't kill me!" the Furbolg actually spoke. Its voice was very low, seemingly out of fear of the knife in Andy's hand. To Andy, it was a simple plea for mercy, but to Hilar's ears, it sounded like a series of low, guttural beastly growls.

"Who the hell is your big brother and sister!" Andy slapped the Furbolg again. "I'm asking you, do you have guards posted every day?" The Furbolg heard Andy's question clearly, but Hilar only heard a few growls coming from Andy's mouth.

My god, he's actually communicating with this Furbolg! Is this really Andy?

"Andy, you..." Hilar wanted to ask for an explanation.

Andy waved a hand, stopping her.

"No, we only started posting guards a few days ago," the Furbolg answered.

"Who ordered you to? Why are you guarding?"

"King Ursal. I don't know why we're guarding!"

"Where is Ursal?"

The Furbolg pointed inside and said, "The King is right inside the village!"

"Why did you attack the elf caravan?"

"I don't know, King Ursal ordered it." The Furbolg shuddered involuntarily at the mention of the attack. "Those who escaped back were miserable; they were all executed by the King!"

"Why?" Andy was stunned.

"If you don't complete the King's mission, you die!" The Furbolg shuddered again.

Andy and Hilar exchanged a look, and then, with a quick movement, Andy knocked the Furbolg unconscious again.

"Hilar, I'm going to check the depths of the village. You wait here for me!" Andy stood up and said. "If this Furbolg wakes up again, knock him out."

"It's too dangerous to go alone!" Hilar said, her face full of concern.

"It's fine, they can't see me!" Andy winked. With a soft "poof," he vanished again.

Hilar had no choice but to sit and wait. She didn't know how much time had passed; she had already knocked the Furbolg out three times, and Andy still hadn't returned. Just as she was knocking the Furbolg out for the third time, Andy materialized beside her.

"How did it go?" Hilar asked, standing up.

"Let's talk when we get back!" Andy said, catching his breath, his face looking exceptionally exhausted.