Among the shadowy trees, a large group of Forest Trolls hurried along a path dotted with withered grass. There were men and women among them, as well as wounded, and they supported one another as they kept glancing back, on edge at every little thing.
"Hey!" Just as the tense group was making its way along, a moss-covered rock beside the path suddenly stood up. The whole group scattered in fright, and one of the hunters nearly hurled a spear at it. Fortunately, he held back—because the "moss-covered rock" was a Troll, too.
"YoMon, don't linger here. Hurry farther in. There's a camp there where you can take shelter. Move!" The Troll disguised as a rock quickly pointed ahead, giving the usual greeting before passing on the warning. At the sound of his voice, the Troll group immediately picked up the pace. They didn't ask many questions. They had pursuers behind them.
"That makes fourteen groups now. Can you tell where they're from?" Tian Sang set down a branch and crouched in the grass, quietly asking Lostro beside him. It had been two weeks since the Horde's withdrawal. The Horde had left easily enough, but the High Elves' retaliation had fallen entirely on the Trolls.
"They look like they're from Sebsole, east of Lake Alendal." Lostro hid his massive, moss-covered body among the trees, still as a rock as he answered in a low voice.
"Then the villages around Sunscar Peak and Lake Alendal must already be gone." Tian Sang shifted the lip drooping over his tusk. The High Elves' retaliation was astonishingly fierce. The fourteen groups they'd encountered over the past few days had all come from villages in Darkwood—the land once known as Ghostlands. As far as the Trolls were concerned, the only safe place left was the ancient city of Zul'Aman, beyond Battleaxe Ridge.
"They're coming." The voice came from the treetops. Tian Sang and Lostro immediately fell silent, then peered out through the foliage. Along the path the previous Troll had taken, about twenty green-skinned Trolls came hurrying through the forest.
"More refugees!" Tian Sang looked at the Trolls and sighed inwardly. But to his surprise, Lostro beside him didn't answer.
"Attack them," Lostro said in a low voice. Before Tian Sang could react, several spears flew out of the forest toward the "Troll group."
One of the green-skinned Trolls shouted something unintelligible. Tian Sang understood it, though: it was Thalassian, the High Elves' language, and it meant "Ambush!" At the cry, the group of twenty immediately reacted. Their green skin and Trollish appearance faded like smoke, revealing their true forms.
The ones disguised as Trolls were all sharp-eared, with long eyebrows and wild features. They wore fine scale armor and carried hardwood bows, throwing axes, and curved blades. Their weapons and armor were first-rate, and they calmly formed a battle line ready for both offense and defense.
"Damn elves!" Lostro roared at the High Elves now revealed. At his cry, the Trolls lying in ambush among the trees and beside the road sprang up. Spears and throwing axes rained down, and then they charged the well-equipped squad without hesitation.
"Holy shit..." Crouching in the forest, Tian Sang watched the warriors surge out on either side. He had no time to think; he grabbed his short spear and charged after them, bottles clinking at his waist. But he saw a ripple of blue light suddenly burst out among the High Elves. Wherever it passed, the spears and throwing axes hanging in the air froze, then dropped to the ground. The squad took the chance to retaliate with bows and throwing axes.
"They're using magic to escape! Zul'ra, find a way to stop them!" Lostro yelled at Tian Sang behind him. Tian Sang looked again and saw the squad form a tight formation, firing bows and throwing axes in reply. The ripple of blue light began to draw back, forming glowing blue letters in the air. The light from the letters coalesced into interlocking geometric shapes, which began to circle around everyone.
"It's a teleportation spell!" Tian Sang saw the magic light encompassing the Elven squad and jolted. Without stopping to think, he yanked two round flasks from his belt and flung them at the enemy.
Bang! The round, grenade-like flasks struck a raised shield and shattered, releasing green smoke. A pungent stench spread through the air, and after accidentally breathing in a couple of lungfuls, the squad's tight formation descended into chaos.
With the formation disrupted and their mage still struggling to complete the teleportation spell, they had no way to cast another protective spell. A few spears and throwing axes flew in and successfully scattered their ranks, though no one was killed—the Elves' armor was simply too comprehensive.
"For Quel'Thalas!" The scattered squad didn't give up hope. Ten of them let out a Thalassian battle cry and rushed at the Trolls closing in, weapons in hand, prepared to give their lives to buy time for their comrades.
At the first clash, the Trolls' encirclement began to falter. The Elves' blades were sharp, and their armor was remarkably good. Most of the Trolls, by contrast, wore only wooden shoulder guards. Their spears and throwing axes were bronze at best, and stone at worst.
The disparity in equipment left the Trolls on the battlefield at an immediate disadvantage. Only Lostro, relying on his size and strength, reached out with a thick arm and snatched an Elf by the neck as if he were a chicken. He tightened three fingers as thick as carrots and snapped the Elf's neck.
"..." Tian Sang threw two flasks and watched the battle around him, the imbalance in equipment tipping the scales so quickly, while the teleportation spell continued. His heart gave a faint twitch.
Although the disparity in equipment had turned the tide almost instantly, the Trolls' savagery won them the upper hand again. The ten Elven warriors didn't hinder them for long. Some Trolls roared, "Damn elves!" as they charged in, grabbing, stabbing with their spears, and smashing into the Elves with their bodies, pushing the people caught in the teleportation spell out of its range.
The blue light suddenly tightened and contracted, leaving only a handful of blue mist drifting through the air. Only five Elves and three Trolls were teleported away. More than ten Elves were left behind, trapped in a tight encirclement. Only then did Tian Sang cautiously step forward, watching for an opening.
"Kill them all!" Lostro crushed the Elf in his hand and looked at the blue mist left by the teleportation spell, then at the Elves still resisting. He let out a mighty roar. The fearless Trolls swarmed over the Elves. They might not have fine equipment, but they believed they had the Loa's blessing and powerful regenerative abilities.
"..." Tian Sang watched the Elves being overwhelmed by his fellow Trolls, feeling conflicted. But suddenly, several nearby Trolls were thrown off. The Elf beneath them stood up, his helmet and scale armor torn away in the struggle, and let out a roar in Common.
"For the Alliance!" After shouting in Common, the figure turned and plunged back into the melee with the Trolls.
"He's human." Tian Sang stared at the "Elf" who had stood up, momentarily stunned. This wasn't an Elf. It was a human.
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