Ambush

Kalei felt a strong sense of unease gnawing at him. He urged Big Black toward the Temple of the Moon.

When he reached the Temple of the Moon, he found Laria and Lilin safe and sound inside. Nothing had happened, and he couldn't help feeling relieved.

He swung down from Big Black's back, rubbed his aching waist, and was about to enter the temple.

Just then, a short, thin Night Elf man dressed in plain linen clothes emerged from the shadows behind the Moonwell, carrying a basket of herbs.

Kalei glanced at him, assuming he had come to deliver medicine to Lilin, and paid him no mind. He simply nodded in greeting.

The Night Elf man smiled and returned the greeting, then turned and carried his basket into the temple.

His steps were so light they were almost inaudible, but the instant he crossed the temple threshold, a powerful sense of danger suddenly surged through Kalei.

A thought struck him, and he released some of the natural energy within him. It immediately turned wild and furious, and its anger was directed at the man.

Kalei's heart lurched. He hurriedly shouted, "Look out! The one coming in is a demon!"

Laria was already in the invocation stage of the ritual magic and was completely unaware of what was happening outside. The only person inside the temple who could act was Lilin, the priestess responsible for tending to the wounded.

Lilin hadn't noticed the Night Elf man entering the temple. At Kalei's warning, she immediately dropped what she was holding, turned around, and looked at the man.

The Night Elf man was none other than Sain in disguise.

On his way here, he had used Salomon's mount to block Salomon's pursuit, then hurried to the temple. Following his original plan, he had entered the temple to assassinate High Priestess Laria.

Once he assassinated and corrupted Laria, his mission would be more than halfway complete.

But he hadn't expected Salomon to delay him, then run into Kalei, exposing his plan.

With no time to lose, he quickly pulled a dark green short sword brimming with powerful shadow energy from his clothes and thrust it at High Priestess Laria's back.

At this critical moment, Priestess Lilin remained remarkably calm. She raised a hand toward Laria's back and cried, "Elune, protect your servant!"

Generally speaking, priestesses who served the Moon Goddess alone weren't adventurers. They had little power of their own; their strength came from Elune.

Thus, when casting a spell, all they needed was the goddess's response, and they could freely draw upon all the moonlight around them.

As Lilin spoke, the moonlight inside the temple seemed to solidify and gather behind Laria, forming an invisible shield that blocked Sain's short sword just in time.

"Zzzzt—"

The shadow energy on the sword clashed violently with the moonlight the moment they touched.

After several consecutive booms, the moonlight shield shattered, and the precious short sword, brimming with shadow energy, exploded into fragments.

Sain hadn't expected his carefully planned strike to fail so completely. He let out a roar and tried to gather the shadow energy within him, preparing to unleash a powerful Shadow Bolt at Laria.

But just then, a thick vine burst through the ground outside the temple. It coiled around his limbs like a serpent, pinning him firmly in place and putting an end to his ambitions.

While warning Lilin, Kalei had also acted swiftly. He used the natural energy still left within him to cast Entangling Roots on Sain.

Although his mind and mana were still far from recovered, the nearby Moonwell came to his aid.

He easily unleashed a powerful Entangling Roots spell and dragged Sain out of the temple.

After one setback after another, Sain was now being dragged across the ground like a dead dog. He was furious.

He shed his disguise, revealing his Satyr form. Shadowflame surged from his body, burning through the vines. Then he gathered the shadow energy inside him and hurled Shadow Bolts at Kalei one after another, cursing nonstop as he attacked. "You damned Imp! You ruined my plan! I'll kill you! No, I'll eat you! I'll eat your flesh, drink your blood, and crush your soul!"

Damn it, so a Satyr really was behind all this. Kalei swore and rode off on the Saber.

As if! Satyrs were demons transformed from Night Elves. They retained the Night Elves' agility and strength, while also wielding Fel and shadow powers. At the same level, ordinary adventurers could hardly stand against them. And Kalei had almost no mana or mental energy left. What else could he do but run?

Big Black sensed the danger too. Without needing Kalei to guide him, he darted back and forth, quickly moving out of Sain's range.

Sain was so furious with Kalei that he'd lost all reason. He sprinted after him on his two long, fur-covered legs, hurling Shadow Bolts nonstop, determined to shoot Kalei down.

Riding Big Black, Kalei circled the temple again and again, trying to evade Sain. But Sain was too fast, staying right on his heels and steadily closing the distance.

Kalei began to panic. He wondered if he should use Arcane Magic to fight back.

Just then, Laria's voice rang out from the temple entrance. "You who have strayed into darkness, face your fate! Elune will pass judgment upon you!"

Sain, who had been relentlessly chasing Kalei, shuddered at her words as if doused with ice water. He came to his senses, turned, and ran.

He had taken only two or three steps when a soft yet dazzling white light flashed across the sky. It wasn't hot, but it carried an irresistible sacred power, enveloping the entire garden of the Temple of the Moon.

Beneath its radiance, it seemed as though heaven and earth had fallen still.

Sain, who had been running, froze as if struck by lightning. Then his body went limp, as though all his strength had been drained away, and he slowly collapsed. He didn't move again.

"That's... it?"

Leaning against Big Black, Kalei glanced at Sain, still shaken, then looked up at the tranquil sky and slowly let out a breath.

The goddess's power was truly impressive. It had dealt with that demon with ease.

Kalei made a gesture of thanks to the goddess before climbing down from Big Black.

He walked over to Sain and looked him over. Though Sain lay motionless, he wasn't quite dead yet.

Sain glared at Kalei with pale yellow eyes and cursed, "You damned Imp... don't get cocky! You saved that old woman, but you can't save the whole Bristlelimb Village! Ha...ha... No one can stop my master's plan!"

Kalei's expression shifted. He was about to ask, "Who's your master?" and "What exactly is the plan?" when Sain slowly closed his eyes. His deformed body seemed to turn into shards of glass, cracking bit by bit before disintegrating into countless motes of starlight that vanished into the air.

Just then, Lilin helped Laria out of the temple. Laria's face was somewhat pale; interrupting the ritual had clearly taken a toll on her.

Kalei quickly composed himself and went to meet them, asking with concern, "Are you both all right? That was close."

Laria smiled. "We're fine. We should be thanking you for warning us in time. Who knows what might have happened otherwise?"

She sighed. "It's a pity the ritual magic was only halfway done. The shadow energy inside the wounded hadn't been completely cleansed, and then that disturbance interrupted everything."

Kalei said, "I'm just glad you're all right. We can figure out another way to treat them."

Laria nodded slightly, then looked toward the village entrance and frowned. "Were we attacked by Furbolgs?"

Kalei nodded. "More than attacked. A whole lot of them came. I'd guess the Furbolgs of the Bristlelimb Tribe are all here."

Laria and Lilin were both surprised.

Lilin asked, "Why did so many come? Have all these Furbolgs gone mad?"

"It's a long story," Kalei said. He then told them about the battle at the valley entrance, the Furbolg Shaman's appearance, Sain's disguise and attempted assassination, and his own suspicions about what had happened.

For the first time, Laria's expression turned serious. "You think someone is pulling the strings behind the Furbolgs, and that they're targeting me?"

"Not necessarily you," Kalei said. "Their main goal is to assassinate or corrupt a High Priestess. You just happened to be here, so they turned their attention to you."

Lilin couldn't help interjecting, "Kalei, please watch your words. High Priestesses are under the goddess's protection. How could they fall for such a wicked scheme?"

Laria shook her head. "No, Lilin. The goddess's power is limitless, but she has her own enemies. We are her servants, here to serve her, not to cause her trouble. Do you understand?"

Lilin quickly lowered her head. "I'll heed your teaching, sister."

Laria nodded, then smiled at Kalei, who looked a little awkward. "Don't take Lilin's words to heart. I think your theory makes a lot of sense, and I believe that is indeed their goal. But it isn't their only goal."

Kalei asked, "Oh? What else are they after?"

"The village Moonwell," Laria replied.

"The Moonwell... That man just mentioned the village... Has something happened to it?"

Laria sighed. "The Moonwell here has been contaminated."

Kalei was surprised. "How is that possible? Moonwells can purify things. How could one be contaminated so easily?"

"You're right. The Moonwell does have the power to purify, but it can't withstand an infusion of powerful dark energy."

"That Satyr wasn't powerful, but he placed a dissolvable medium into the well. This medium is connected to some powerful evil creature."

"To create water, a Moonwell must connect with the earth's veins and gather some natural energy. Through the medium, that evil creature established a link with the Moonwell, then used the earth's veins as a channel to continuously pour dark energy into it. If we leave it much longer, once the dark energy builds up enough, the Moonwell will likely be completely corrupted."

Kalei frowned. "You mean the Moonwell hasn't been fully contaminated yet, but an evil creature is continuously pouring dark energy into it."

Laria nodded. "Exactly."