Humans Among the Far Travelers

"Kill you bastards, you dog bastards!" The human acted like a madman, cursing wildly while swinging his hand-axe at random. The Forest Trolls were momentarily intimidated by his ferocity and dared not close in.

Tian Sang heard the man, who was surrounded and cursing in a fit of madness, and felt a flicker of inexplicable anger rise within him. He shoved aside a Forest Troll blocking his path, then flicked his wrist and hurled the short spear in his hand at the chaotic, irrational figure.

The short spear pierced the man's flank, freezing his movements. Seizing the opening, Tian Sang rushed forward, grabbed the arm wielding the hand-axe, and clamped his hand around the man's throat, lifting his sturdy, six-foot frame into the air with effortless ease.

"You ugly thing, kill me then! I am a hero of the Alliance." The six-foot human looked at the blue-gray face before him, a look of contemptuous, blood-stained mockery twisted across his face.

"Die." Tian Sang watched the contemptuous human, his tusks twitching slightly. With a sharp twist of the three fingers clamped around the man's throat, he snapped his neck as easily as one would a chicken's.

"Why kill him? Wouldn't it have been better to take him back and sacrifice him to the Goddess?" Lostro watched the limp corpse held like a chicken in Tian Sang's grip, pushed his kin aside, and spoke up. Sacrificing intelligent beings to the Loa could grant one power.

"You forget, Teacher does not allow me to perform blood sacrifices." Tian Sang tossed the body aside and glanced at him with a complex expression, refusing without a second thought. Blood sacrifice did indeed grant power, but the process—gaining strength by consuming the remains left behind—was something he could not accept.

"Take their weapons and armor, leave the bodies here!" Tian Sang did not want to dwell on the topic of blood sacrifice, so he looked up at the massive Forest Troll and spoke.

"Why?" Lostro looked at the man who seemed different after the killing. Zul'Aman was currently gathering many people; these bodies could be taken back as food, or if not for humans, they could be fed to the Raptors.

"We cannot retreat any further. Behind Battleaxe Ridge lies Zul'Aman. These corpses will tell the enemies behind them what happens if they keep pushing forward." Tian Sang found a random excuse for himself; he hated the human's cursing, but he also loathed the cruel customs of the Forest Trolls.

"As you wish." Lostro looked at Tian Sang's eyes, which flickered slightly. He said nothing more, nor did he dwell on Tian Sang's hesitation on the battlefield. If he had possessed magic, Tian Sang might have been able to stop the teleportation, but what use would that have been? It would have only meant killing five more Elves and perhaps keeping three more Forest Trolls alive.

"How did you recognize them earlier? Can you tell where they came from?" Tian Sang looked at the somber giant, glanced at the corpses on the ground, and suddenly remembered something: how had Lostro identified these people?

"Look at their equipment. They should be Farstriders of the Pale Ones, an elite ranger unit that specializes in hunting us. But I'm a bit confused as to why there were humans among them. As for how I recognized them!" Lostro paused for a moment.

"There were no wounded among them, no elderly, women, or children, and no signs of panic. Furthermore, their skin, height, and appearance were too similar. Most importantly, the Farstriders have used this kind of shapeshifting sorcery to ambush our troops before."

"..." Tian Sang looked at the observant giant, blinked, and tilted his head slightly. He then turned to look at the corpse being stripped of its armor and weapons by the other Forest Trolls. Humans among the Farstriders?

"Alright, enough talk. Let's get out of here quickly!" Lostro looked at the brooding man and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.

They swiftly had the troops collect the spoils, leaving the bodies, now stripped down to their undergarments, on the forest path. After careful consideration, Lostro decided to leave a scout to observe before ordering the team to withdraw.

"You left a scout behind—are you planning to watch them?" Tian Sang asked Lostro on the way back.

"Of course. We must keep a constant eye on the movements of those Pale Ones and humans. Actually, we don't need to worry too much about them attacking Zul'Aman." Lostro looked at the man questioning him and raised his tusks.

"Why?" Tian Sang looked at the giant, whose tusks were raised and whose expression was somewhat smug, and didn't quite understand.

"Are you an idiot? Because of the gods! With the gods present, the Pale Ones don't have the guts to attack our city. At most, they'll attack Battleaxe Ridge and then stop; they wouldn't dare push deep inside." Lostro sneered.

"Is it because they fear being cursed? I don't recall Teacher ever mentioning that the gods have cursed races other than the Forest Trolls." Tian Sang blinked, speaking without thinking, but then felt that this might be blasphemous, so he changed the subject.

"Do you know how those Elves shapeshifted?"

"That, I don't know. It must rely on some kind of magical item or a sorcery cast upon them. We warriors know nothing about sorcery." Lostro shook his head. He had fought the Farstriders, but he knew nothing of their specific spells.

"Then can I go take a look at that equipment?" Tian Sang turned his gaze toward the Elven gear held by a nearby Forest Troll.

"Of course. If you discover anything, you must tell me." Lostro nodded.

Having obtained Lostro's permission, Tian Sang stepped forward and took an Elven scimitar. The curved blade was sharpened on both sides, yet it felt as light as a feather in his hand. It lacked the weight he had imagined; the material was indeed steel, but the weight was strangely abnormal.

"Is it Arcane?" Tian Sang looked at the scimitar, which felt weightless yet possessed a chilling edge. A thought suddenly struck him: had this blade been enchanted with Arcane magic?

Enchantment was a vital aspect of magic—bestowing magical power upon an object or even a person to enhance a weapon or grant it special properties.

For instance, casting a weight-reduction or strength-enhancing enchantment on a steel blade could make it light as a feather. Adding an enchantment specifically designed to deal extra damage to Forest Trolls or to increase sharpness could make the blade cut through them like a knife through butter.

Tian Sang couldn't be certain. He tried touching the edge of the Elven scimitar. The blade, shimmering with cold light, caused a sharp sting the moment his finger touched it; his skin was sliced open. Its sharpness could truly be described as "hair-splitting."

After testing it with his finger, Tian Sang tried something else. He used the scimitar to strike a rock. With a clang, the stone shattered, but the thin blade also suffered a nick. However, the result confirmed that these weapons had indeed been imbued with enchantments specifically designed to harm Forest Trolls.

Tian Sang then inspected the Elves' armor and personal belongings. Without a doubt, every piece of their equipment had been imbued with varying degrees of magic. Even their packs contained more food and arrows than their capacity should allow. The inherent capabilities of these objects exceeded the limitations of their materials—this was magic.

"Hiss!" Tian Sang drew a sharp breath. That Farstrider squad had been incredibly well-equipped; it was no wonder the Forest Trolls' defeat by the Elves didn't seem so surprising after all.