Surprise Attack

After a flurry of activity, the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn. As the hour approached, the Corrupted Furbolg were at their most drowsy and least vigilant—the perfect moment to strike.

The group wasted no time, rising at once to prepare for their departure.

Aside from Kalei and his companions, the Bristlelimb Tribe had dispatched only three members for this operation.

The first was, of course, the chieftain of the Bristlelimb Tribe, Ugo; the second was the berserker Ulu; and the third was a shaman named Una.

Kalei and the others had no objections to this; after all, having Ugo was equivalent to having ten Furbolg berserkers, and whether or not any other Furbolg joined them was of little consequence.

Led personally by Ugo, the party slipped silently out of the valley where the Furbolg were hiding, following a small trail along the back of the mountain until they reached its base.

The forest behind the mountain was dense and shrouded in thick fog.

Under the illumination of the morning light, the group wove their way through the mist.

After walking for more than thirty minutes, they arrived before a thicket of dense shrubs. In front of the bushes stood a cliff face covered in vines, appearing no different from the surrounding crags.

Ugo stepped forward, fumbling against the cliff face for a moment before suddenly tearing away a cluster of inconspicuous vines—revealing a massive tunnel entrance hidden behind them!

Ugo smiled and beckoned to the group, "The secret passage is here. Let's head in."

As the group stepped forward, they discovered the passage was quite large; the entrance alone was five meters high and three meters wide. Even with Ugo's massive frame, he could pass through with room to spare. One had to wonder what the Furbolg chieftains of old had been thinking when they excavated such a cavernous secret path.

By now, the White Lady and the Blue Child had vanished from the horizon, and the first rays of the sun had risen—it was the perfect time to act.

Without hesitation, the group began to move slowly into the tunnel, with Ugo taking the lead and Ulu bringing up the rear.

After traveling a short distance, the sunlight faded, and the entire passage plunged into darkness.

Although Night Elf and Furbolg could see in the night, they still required at least a sliver of light.

Fortunately, Kalei, Jinli, and Una were all capable of casting spells, so there was no need to worry about a light source.

Jinli, walking near the front of the line, snapped her fingers and cast a simple Light spell. A orb of bright radiance floated into the air, illuminating the path ahead.

The group continued forward, everyone remaining silent and keeping as quiet as possible. Even the panthers and the Stag they rode lowered their breathing to avoid alerting enemies hidden in the distance.

As it turned out, their concerns were unnecessary. Just as Ugo had said, this was indeed a secret passage—one known only to the chieftains.

There was not a single enemy inside, only the occasional long worm or bat skittering through the tunnel, giving the group a start every now and then.

After nearly twenty minutes of walking, Ugo, who was in the lead, came to a halt.

He stood in place, turned his head, and lowered his voice as much as he could. "We have reached the end of the tunnel. I am about to open the stone door blocking our path. There may be enemies behind it, or there may be none."

"If there are no enemies, we continue forward. If there are, please launch your attacks immediately to eliminate them. Do not let those Corrupted report our presence."

"If we fail to stop them from sending word, I will cover the rear. You must turn right immediately, follow Ulu's lead, and head in the direction marked on the map. The magic tree is there. Do you understand?"

The group nodded, signaling their understanding.

Once Ugo had finished his instructions and ensured everyone was prepared, he turned back and pressed his massive claws against the wall. After fumbling for a moment, a low, rumbling sound echoed through the tunnel. A heavy stone door slowly slid to the side, and a stench of shadow and rot rushed out to meet them.

Watching the door open, the group held their breath, their hearts in their throats.

"Charge!" Only Ugo possessed the courage of his skill; he let out a low roar, his massive body launching forward like an arrow from a bow.

Jinli followed closely behind, with Kalei and Arenia right on their heels.

Behind the stone door was a stone chamber where the Furbolg usually slept.

At that moment, four Corrupted Furbolg were sprawled out inside, having just drifted off to sleep. Suddenly hearing the commotion at the wall, they had no time to process what was happening before a massive figure burst in, mercilessly swinging its giant claws to strike two of the Corrupted Furbolg dead in succession.

The other two Corrupted Furbolg were just about to react when Jinli, following behind Ugo, drew her bow and fired two arrows in one breath, striking both targets squarely in the throat.

The point-blank shots pierced straight through their necks, killing them before they could even struggle.

Seeing Ugo and Jinli resolve the situation with such lightning speed and precision, the group inwardly marveled at their strength.

However, there was no time to celebrate. After the Corrupted Furbolg died, a thick, bloody scent mixed with the foul stench of shadow energy began to spread rapidly. This unusual aura would soon draw the attention of other Furbolg.

Without a moment's hesitation, they followed Ugo, sprinting at top speed out of the stone chamber and along the tunnel to the right, following the route indicated on the map.

They had not run far when a shrill, piercing howl echoed from behind them.

Ulu, who was running at the very back, let out a low growl. "We've been discovered! Hurry!"

There was no need for Ulu to remind them; everyone knew to pick up the pace.

Following that first shrill howl, more and more cries began to erupt all around them, followed by the sound of frantic footsteps.

Some Corrupted Furbolg began to appear in the tunnel ahead, but in the face of Ugo's massive size and strength, these Corrupted were like clay chickens and pottery dogs, all of them swatted to death by Ugo.

While the Corrupted Furbolg in front could not stop their advance, those behind began to swarm in pursuit.

A Corrupted Furbolg, two-thirds the size of Ulu, managed to touch Ulu's back.

Ulu flew into a rage and swatted him away, but more Corrupted Furbolg charged forward without fear.

Arenia, following behind Kalei, straightened her posture and shouted to the front, "How much longer?"

Ugo was too busy clearing the obstacles ahead to answer.

Kalei caught his breath and said, "Squad leader, we're almost there. I can already feel a powerful shadow energy just ahead."

Arenia let out a sigh of relief and turned to Linda and the others. "Sisters, snipe those Corrupted Furbolg! Help Ulu shake off their pursuit—don't let him fall behind."

Receiving the order, Linda and the others immediately drew their bows and fired at the rear.

The terrifying nature of the mounted archers was now on full display.

These powerful Corrupted Furbolg were completely helpless before the mounted archers, constantly being shot down to the ground.

With the help of Linda and the others, Ulu finally broke free from the entanglement of the furbolgs and caught up with the group.

Una, who had been walking ahead of him the whole time, saw that he was injured and cast a Rejuvenation spell unique to the furbolgs, healing his wounds.

At this moment, a roar erupted from ahead, followed by the sound of masonry collapsing and door panels splintering.

The group looked forward through the light of Jinli's Light spell and discovered they had reached the end of the passage.

At the end stood a gate built of brick and stone, which had now been smashed to pieces, door panels and lintels alike, by Ugo.

Ugo rushed out of the passage, let out a breath, and turned back to the others, saying, "We've arrived. Hurry and get out; I'll hold the rear."

Without hesitation, the group squeezed through a narrow hole beside Ugo.

Once everyone had escaped the passage, Ugo gathered all his strength and struck the walls a few times. The left and right walls buckled under the immense force and immediately collapsed, sealing the passage completely. The Corrupted Furbolg behind the blockage roared and cursed in fury, but were left utterly helpless.

Seeing that Ugo had collapsed the passage to block the furbolgs' pursuit, the group breathed a sigh of relief and began to take note of their current surroundings.