How is this supposed to be played!

Amidst the gloomy forest, along a path dotted with withered yellow grass, a large group of Forest Trolls hurried along. Among them were men, women, and the wounded, supporting one another while constantly glancing backward, gripped by the feeling that every tree and bush was an enemy soldier.

"Hey!" Just as this jittery group was moving along, a moss-covered rock by the roadside suddenly stood up. The entire party scattered in fright, and a hunter among the travelers nearly let a spear fly, but held back, realizing the "mossy rock" was also a troll.

"YoMon, don't stop here, hurry inside. There is a camp there to settle you, move quickly." The troll disguised as a rock pointed forward, issuing the notification after the routine greeting. Hearing this, the group of trolls immediately picked up their pace; they didn't ask many questions, for there were pursuers behind them.

"This is the fourteenth group. Can you tell where they are from?" Tian Sang set down a branch, crouched in the bushes, and whispered to Lostro beside him. Two weeks had passed since the Horde retreated; the Horde had left easily, but the retaliation of the High Elves had fallen entirely upon the trolls.

"They look like people from Sebsole, east of Lake Alendal." Lostro kept his massive, moss-covered body hidden in the grass, motionless as a rock, and whispered his reply.

"If that's the case, I fear our villages around Sunscar Peak and Lake Alendal are already gone." Tian Sang twitched the lip hanging over his tusk. The High Elves' retaliation was astonishing. The fourteen groups over these past few days were all from villages in the Darkwood (the predecessor to the Ghostlands). For the trolls, only the ancient city of Zul'Aman behind Battleaxe Ridge remained safe now.

"They're coming." The voice came from the treetops. Tian Sang and Lostro immediately fell silent, casting faint, watchful gazes. On the path the trolls had just left, twenty or so green-skinned trolls were rushing through the jungle.

"Refugees again!" Tian Sang sighed inwardly as he watched the trolls, but unexpectedly, Lostro did not reply.

"Attack them." Lostro let out a low growl. Before Tian Sang could react, several throwing spears flew from the woods toward that "troll group."

A green-skinned troll let out a roar that could not be understood, though Tian Sang caught it—it was the Thalassian of the High Elves, meaning "Enemy attack." Faced with this shout, the group of twenty reacted instantly. Their green skin and appearance dissipated like smoke, revealing their true forms.

These creatures disguised as trolls were actually beings with pointed ears, long eyebrows, and wild features. They wore high-quality scale armor and carried hardwood bows, hand axes, and scimitars. With fine weapons and armor, they calmly formed an offensive and defensive combat formation.

"Taz'dingo." Lostro let out a roar as he watched the High Elves reveal their true forms. Following his shout, the trolls who had been lying in ambush in the jungle and by the roadside rose up, throwing spears and axes raining down, before charging ferociously at the well-armored squad.

"Damn it..." Tian Sang crouched in the jungle, watching the warriors lunging from left and right. Without time to think, he grabbed his short spear and the bottles and jars at his waist, charging out with them. But he saw a ripple of blue light suddenly erupt from among the High Elves. Where the ripple passed, the throwing spears and axes in the air froze, then fell to the ground, and the squad took the opportunity to counterattack with bows and axes.

"They're going to use sorcery to escape, Zul'ra, find a way to stop them." Lostro roared at Tian Sang behind him. Tian Sang looked again and saw the squad forming a tight formation to counterattack, while the circle of blue light that had just rippled out began to retract, condensing into blue text in the air. The light released by the text formed interlocking geometric patterns, rotating to surround everyone.

"It's a teleportation spell." Tian Sang felt a jolt as he looked at the magical light enveloping the elf squad. Without hesitation, he snatched two round flasks from his waist and threw them with a flick of his wrist.

Bang! The grenade-like flasks smashed against the raised shields, shattering and immediately releasing thick green smoke. A pungent stench spread, and after accidentally inhaling a breath, the squad's tight formation fell into chaos.

The panicked squad's formation loosened, and since the mage inside was busy preparing the teleportation spell, they couldn't cast protective magic. Several spears and axes flew over, successfully breaking the formation, though no one died because the elves' gear was too comprehensive.

"For Quel'Thalas!" The squad, their formation broken, did not give up hope. Ten of them let out a war cry in Thalassian, charging at the surrounding trolls with their weapons, intending to trade their lives to buy time for their companions.

Upon contact, the trolls' encirclement wavered. The elves' blades were sharp, and their armor was exceptionally good, while most of the trolls were equipped only with wooden shoulder guards; their best throwing spears and axes were bronze, and the rest were stone.

The asymmetrical equipment caused the engaged trolls to fall into a disadvantage almost instantly. Only Lostro, relying on his height and strength, reached out with a thick arm and scooped an elf's neck up like a chick, snapping it with a flick of his three carrot-thick fingers.

"..." Tian Sang threw two more flasks, his heart twitching as he watched the battle caused by the asymmetrical gear and the ongoing teleportation spell.

Although the equipment disparity caused the battle to tilt instantly, the savagery of the trolls won them the upper hand. The ten elf warriors didn't pose much of an obstacle; some trolls roared "Taz'dingo" as they charged, pulling, stabbing, and slamming their bodies to push those within the teleportation range out of the area.

The blue light suddenly condensed and shrank, leaving only a wisp of blue mist drifting in the air. Only five elves and three trolls were teleported away, while the remaining dozen elves were left behind, trapped in a heavy encirclement. Seeing this, Tian Sang cautiously stepped forward, eyeing the gaps.

"Kill them all for me." Lostro crushed the elf in his hand, looked at the blue mist left by the teleportation spell and the remaining elves, and let out a great roar. The fearless trolls swarmed the resisting elves; though they lacked fine equipment, they believed they had the blessing of the Loa and possessed superior regenerative abilities.

"..." Tian Sang watched the elves being swarmed by his kin with complex feelings. Suddenly, he saw several trolls nearby being pushed aside. An elf who had been pinned beneath them stood up, his helmet and scale armor torn open in the chaos, and let out a roar in the common tongue.

"For the Alliance!" After the roar in the common tongue, the figure turned and joined the melee with the trolls.

"It's a human." Tian Sang was slightly stunned as he looked at the "elf" who had stood up. This was not an elf, but a human.