Magic Tree

The group was quickly shocked by the scene before them; they discovered they had arrived in a massive cavern.

The ceiling stood over a hundred meters above the ground, draped with stalactites like sharp swords, and the entire space was broader than most Moonlight Plazas.

In the center of the cave grew a peculiar tree. It was not tall, only sixty or seventy meters, but its trunk was immense, occupying nearly half the cavern.

Eerily, not a trace of green could be seen on this giant tree. Whether it was the palm-sized leaves or the gnarled, furrowed trunk, everything was a sickly dark red.

Beneath the giant tree crouched four furbolgs, each over three meters tall. Their skin had turned dark red, their muscles twisted like clay kneaded by force, and their claws were still stained with wet, dark-brown filth.

Kalei noticed that these four furbolgs and the Magic Tree were all in a deep slumber; the intense commotion around them had failed to stir them.

Thinking of the colors on the Magic Tree and the furbolgs, he guessed they must have been influenced by the power of the nightmare.

The group had barely taken in their surroundings before they had a chance to react.

From an entrance opposite them, two ordinary Satyr, a Satyr leader, and a furbolg with an aged, twisted face walked in.

These creatures had clearly heard the commotion and entered to investigate, but they never expected to see seven Night Elf riding mounts along with three powerful furbolgs appearing here, and for a moment, they were all taken aback.

The Satyr leader in the lead cursed in thick Darnassian: "Damn long-ears, how did you get in here?"

"Shameless traitor, go ask that in hell! For the glory of the Goddess!"

Jinli did not wait for the other side to say another word; she drew her longbow and loosed a magic arrow, aiming straight for the Satyr leader's throat.

Squad leader Arenia followed closely, drawing her longbow to condense a nature arrow while shouting: "Sisters, seal that entrance! Ulu, Una, stop that old furbolg! Ugo, kill those four sleeping furbolgs; they are a massive threat. Kalei, remember your task—stay behind me and don't wander off."

The four sentinel elves immediately leaped off their mounts, their longbows moving in unison as arrows rained toward the entrance, forming an impenetrable curtain of fire.

The three furbolgs also acted quickly. Ulu and Una took heavy strides toward the old furbolg, while Ugo clenched his fists and charged toward the sleeping furbolgs.

Kalei's task was to purify the Magic Tree. Since there was no opportunity to do so yet, he could only ride Big Black and hide behind Arenia, observing the ancient tree in secret.

Arenia's strategy was clearly both correct and timely.

The old furbolg who had entered last from the opposite side saw the group and immediately tried to return to the entrance to summon more furbolgs, but he was forced back by a powerful volley of arrows from Arenia and the four sentinels.

When the old furbolg waited for the arrow rain to subside and tried to rush out again, Ulu had already arrived with the priestess Una, blocking his path.

On the other side, Ugo took massive strides, charging toward the Magic Tree with fearless courage. He looked at the sleeping furbolgs with complex emotions; these powerful kin were the pillars of the Bristlelimb Village, yet now they were completely corrupted by dark power.

However, things had reached this point, and there was no other way. Rather than letting them become minions of the demons, it was better to end their suffering early.

He raised his two claws, each larger than a water bucket, and slapped the two nearest furbolgs. With two dull, heavy thuds, the two furbolgs didn't even groan before collapsing to the ground, their lives extinguished.

The Satyr leader, who was locked in a fierce battle with Jinli alongside two other Satyr, noticed the commotion on Ugo's side and cursed angrily: "Wumu, what the hell are you doing? Don't you see that idiot killing the Nightmare Warrior? Wake them up quickly, or it's all over!"

The old furbolg Wumu had tried to rush to the entrance several times, only to be blocked by the two powerful furbolgs, Ulu and Una, and he roared in frustration.

Hearing the Satyr leader's shout, he finally remembered the four furbolgs beneath the Magic Tree.

He immediately cast Hardened Skin on himself and, risking injury from Ulu, charged violently toward the Magic Tree.

When he reached the base of the tree, he found that Ugo had already killed two Nightmare Warrior, and he cursed in a rage: "Ugo, you idiot, you are killing the hope of the Bristlelimb Tribe!"

Ugo raised his claws, slammed them heavily into the ground, and roared at Wumu: "It is you who destroyed the hope of the Bristlelimb Tribe! You sent them to the demons, making them slaves to evil. Today, you will pay for what you have done!"

Wumu raised a strangely shaped wooden staff and shouted: "You foolish idiot! Even if you found the power of Ursoc, you are still weak, nothing but a lapdog for the Night Elf. Since you are so stubborn, today I will show you what kind of power I have found for our tribe. Wake up, Nightmare Warrior!"

Ugo stretched out his two claws, patted his chest, and let out a dull roar: "Then come! Let me see your power."

Ulu and Una, who had rushed over to stop Wumu, were caught off guard as the two furbolgs—referred to by Wumu and the Satyr leader as Nightmare Warrior—opened their eyes and climbed to their feet.

As these two furbolgs awakened, a strange, corrupting power manifested in the cavern.

Everyone present, including Kalei, felt a momentary trance, faintly hearing murmurs and whispers coming from some distant place. The sound was indistinct, like countless people muttering, sending chills down their spines.

Except for Kalei, everyone else was confused as their vision suddenly shifted. The dim cavern vanished, replaced by a rotting cave floor covered in red, green, and yellow pus.

The ground was sticky and slick, the air filled with a nauseating stench, and unknown viscous liquids dripped constantly from the surrounding rock walls, looking incredibly real.

The group was terrified by this sudden apparition, especially the two furbolgs, Ulu and Una, who were completely at a loss.

Fortunately, Kalei, who had been following behind Arenia, knew that the two Nightmare Warrior had released their nightmare power to alter the battlefield. He quickly shouted: "Ignore whatever you see! It's all fake—an illusion! Ugo, kill those two Nightmare Warrior quickly to break the illusion!"

He paused, scanning his surroundings, and added: "Also, everyone watch your surroundings! Beware of the Satyr; they can move stealthily within the illusion. Watch out for their ambushes!"

With the warning from Kalei, who acted like a prophet, the group quickly steadied themselves. Ugo followed Kalei's advice and charged recklessly at the two Nightmare Warrior, his massive claws whistling through the air as he slammed them into the shoulder of one of the Nightmare Warrior.

Ulu and Una once again became entangled with Wumu, who was trying to interfere with Ugo.

On the other side, the three Satyr who had been fighting Jinli had been waiting for this opportunity, intending to use the power of the nightmare to land a fatal blow on the powerful ranger. They hadn't expected Kalei to call them out with a single sentence.

Enraged, they tried to stealthily bypass Jinli to eliminate the obstacle that was Kalei, but Jinli caught their opening. She unleashed a set of rogue skills, Blade Flurry, instantly killing the two weaker ordinary Satyr while leaving a gash on the Satyr leader's chest.

This high-level Satyr leader, terrified by Jinli's prowess, quickly used the nightmare power to hide, not daring to show himself again.

The group saw Jinli defeat the three Satyr and Ugo pushing the two Nightmare Warrior to the brink, thinking victory was at hand, when suddenly, more furbolgs appeared from all directions of the cavern.

These furbolgs looked even more terrifying than the previous Nightmare Warrior—their bodies were mostly rotted and festering, exposing white bones, and some even had their intestines dragging on the ground.

They seemed completely devoid of sensation, controlled by some unknown power, their yellow eyes wide as they shuffled toward the group with stumbling but determined steps.

Kalei knew these must be the Corrupted Furbolg summoned from the nightmare by the Satyr leader using the corrupted Magic Tree as a medium, so he was not surprised. He simply reminded the group that these furbolgs were not an illusion, so they wouldn't misjudge the situation.

The others, seeing these walking-corpse-like Corrupted Furbolg and witnessing the power of the nightmare, were stunned by this unknown force.

Fortunately, Arenia, Ugo, and the others, while not as informed as Kalei, were battle-hardened and quickly recovered from their shock, responding according to Kalei's advice.

Ugo continued to lead Ulu and Una in a desperate life-or-death struggle against the two powerful Nightmare Warrior and Wumu.

Arenia recalled Jinli, forming a diamond-shaped formation with herself at the lead, Jinli at the rear, and Linda and the others on the flanks, shielding Kalei in the center.

Arenia then drew her two Moonlight Scimitar from her mount and shouted, "Now, everyone, follow me!"

"For the glory of Elune, charge!"

All the female knights, including Jinli, drew their scimitars from their waists and shouted in unison.

"For Elune!"

The six female knights, with Kalei in tow, sprinted rapidly around the cavern, brandishing their lunar scimitars as they wove through the swarm of Corrupted Furbolg.

Wherever the blades passed, flesh flew and pus splattered; the Corrupted Furbolg fell one after another, quickly shattering their attempt to surround the group.

Arenia's ability to fully utilize the advantages of their mounts for mobile defense was undoubtedly an excellent tactic.

It was a pity, however, that these Corrupted Furbolg, having been completely corrupted by the nightmare, were unlike others; no matter how much they were struck or how much damage they sustained, they would not stay down, continuing to surge forward in wave after wave to surround the group.

After Arenia and her companions successfully broke through the encirclement of the Corrupted Furbolg four consecutive times, the situation of the battle once again turned grim.