The Magic Tree

The group was quickly stunned by the sight before them. They realized they had entered a gigantic cavern.

The ceiling was over a hundred meters above the ground, its surface covered in stalactites as sharp as swords. The cavern was wider than most Moonlight Plazas.

A strange tree grew in the middle of the cavern. It was only sixty or seventy meters tall, but its trunk was enormous, taking up nearly half the cavern.

Strangely, not a hint of green could be seen anywhere on the giant tree. Its leaves, each as large as a palm, and its deeply furrowed trunk were all a sickly dark red.

Four Furbolgs crouched beneath the tree. Each was over three meters tall, their skin entirely dark red and their muscles twisted like clay that had been forcibly kneaded. Dried blackish-brown stains still clung to their claws.

Kalei realized that the four Furbolgs and the Magic Tree were all asleep. Even the commotion around them hadn't stirred them.

Thinking of the colors of the Magic Tree and the Furbolgs, he guessed that they had to be under the influence of Nightmare power.

The group had only just taken in their surroundings and hadn't had time to react.

Two ordinary Satyrs, a Satyr leader, and an elderly, twisted-looking Furbolg entered through an opening opposite them.

The newcomers had clearly heard the commotion and come to investigate. They hadn't expected to find seven Night Elves mounted on their steeds and three powerful Furbolgs there, and they all froze in shock.

The Satyr leader at the front cursed in heavily accented Darnassian. "Damn pointy-ears! How did you get in here?"

"Shameless traitors! You can ask that when you get to hell. For the glory of the goddess!"

Before the enemy could say another word, Jinli drew back her longbow and fired a magic arrow straight at the Satyr leader's throat.

Captain Arenia immediately followed, drawing her longbow and gathering a Nature Arrow as she shouted, "Sisters, seal off that entrance! Ulu, Una, stop that old Furbolg! Ugo, kill those four sleeping Furbolgs. They're a huge threat. Kalei, remember your mission. Stay behind me and don't wander off."

The four Elf sentries immediately dismounted. Their longbows flashed as they unleashed a rain of arrows toward the entrance, forming an impenetrable curtain.

The three Furbolgs sprang into action as well. Ulu and Una charged toward the old Furbolg with heavy strides, while Ugo clenched his fists and rushed toward the sleeping Furbolgs.

Kalei's mission was to cleanse the Magic Tree, but there was no chance to do so just yet. He could only ride Big Black behind Arenia and observe the ancient tree from there.

Arenia's strategy was clearly both correct and timely.

The old Furbolg, who had been the last to enter through the opposite opening, saw the group and immediately tried to retreat through the entrance to summon the other Furbolgs. Arenia and the four sentries drove him back with a powerful barrage of arrows.

When the old Furbolg waited for the rain of arrows to stop and tried to leave again, Ulu and the priestess Una had already rushed over and blocked his way.

Meanwhile, Ugo charged toward the Magic Tree with enormous strides and fearless courage. As he looked at the sleeping Furbolgs, his feelings were complicated. These powerful kin had been the mainstay of Bristlelimb Village, but now the forces of darkness had completely corrupted them.

But things had come to this, and there was nothing to be done. Better to end their suffering now than let them become demons' lackeys.

He raised his two bucket-sized paws high and struck the two Furbolgs crouched beside each other, landing a blow on each. With two dull thuds, both Furbolgs collapsed without even a groan. They were completely lifeless.

The Satyr leader was fighting Jinli alongside two Satyrs. Hearing the commotion on Ugo's side, he shouted furiously, "Wumu, what the hell are you doing? Can't you see that idiot's killing the Nightmare Warriors? Wake them up, or we're all finished!"

The old Furbolg, Wumu, had tried several times to charge toward the entrance, but Ulu and Una had blocked him. He could only howl in frustration.

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

He immediately cast Hardened Skin on himself and charged toward the tree, risking a blow from Ulu.

By the time he reached the Magic Tree, Ugo had already killed two Nightmare Warriors. Wumu was so furious that he shouted, "Ugo, you fool! You're killing the hope of the Bristlelimb Tribe!"

Ugo raised a paw and slammed it down on the ground, then roared at Wumu. "You're the one who destroyed the Bristlelimb Tribe's hope! You handed them over to the demons and made them their slaves. Today, you'll pay for what you've done!"

Wumu raised a strangely shaped wooden staff and shouted, "You hopeless fool! Even after finding the power of Ursoc, you're still weak. All you can do is be the Night Elves' lapdog. Since you refuse to see reason, I'll show you what kind of power I found for our tribe. Awaken, Nightmare Warriors!"

Ugo raised both paws and thumped his chest, letting out a muffled roar. "Then come on! Let me see your power!"

Ulu and Una hurried over and tried to stop Wumu, but the two Furbolgs that Wumu and the Satyr leader had called Nightmare Warriors had already opened their eyes and risen from the ground.

As the two Furbolgs awoke, a strange corrupting power filled the cavern.

Everyone there, Kalei included, felt momentarily dazed. Faint, muttering whispers seemed to drift from somewhere far away. The sounds were indistinct, like countless people murmuring, and sent a chill through them.

Everyone except Kalei was still trying to understand what was happening when the scene before their eyes suddenly changed. The dim cavern vanished, replaced by a rotting cavern covered in red, green, and yellow pus.

The floor was slick and sticky, and a nauseating stench filled the air. An unknown viscous liquid dripped constantly from the surrounding rock walls. It all seemed terrifyingly real.

The group was startled by the sudden transformation. Ulu and Una, in particular, were completely at a loss.

Fortunately, Kalei, who had stayed behind Arenia, knew that the two Nightmare Warriors had unleashed their Power of Nightmare and changed the battlefield. He hurriedly shouted, "Whatever you see, ignore it. It's all fake, an illusion! Ugo, kill those two Nightmare Warriors quickly and break the illusion!"

He paused, sweeping his gaze around before adding, "Also, everyone watch your surroundings. Be careful of the Satyrs. They can move unseen through the illusion, so don't let them ambush you."

With Kalei's almost prophetic warning, the group quickly steadied themselves. Ugo followed his advice and charged at the two Nightmare Warriors without hesitation. His enormous claw swept through the air with a sharp whoosh and slammed into one Warrior's shoulder.

Ulu and Una once again grappled with Wumu as he tried to interfere with Ugo.

Meanwhile, the three Satyrs fighting Jinli had been waiting for this chance. They had planned to use the power of Nightmare to land a fatal blow on the powerful ranger, but they hadn't expected Kalei to expose their plan with a single sentence.

In a fit of rage, they tried to turn invisible and slip past Jinli to eliminate the obstacle Kalei. But Jinli spotted an opening and unleashed the rogue skill Blade Flurry, killing the two weaker Satyrs and slashing the Satyr leader across the chest.

Terrified by Jinli's strength, the high-level Satyr leader hurriedly used Nightmare power to conceal himself and didn't dare show his face again.

Seeing Jinli defeat the three Satyrs and Ugo nearly drive the two Nightmare Warriors into a corner, the group thought victory was within reach. But then Furbolgs began appearing from every direction in the cavern.

They looked even more terrifying than the Nightmare Warriors. Most of their bodies had rotted and festered, exposing gleaming white bones. Some even dragged their intestines along the ground.

They seemed unaware of it all. Their yellowing eyes fixed ahead, they trudged toward the group with unsteady but determined steps, as if controlled by some unknown force.

Kalei knew these were likely Furbolgs completely corrupted and summoned from the Nightmare by the Satyr leader, using the corrupted Magic Tree as a conduit. He wasn't surprised, and simply warned the others that these Furbolgs weren't illusions, lest they mistake them for one.

The others stared at the mindless, shambling Corrupted Furbolgs, shaken by the unknown power they had witnessed.

Fortunately, although Arenia, Ugo, and the others didn't know as much as Kalei did, they were battle-hardened and quickly recovered from their shock. They followed Kalei's advice and responded accordingly.

Ugo continued his desperate battle alongside Ulu and Una against the two powerful Nightmare Warriors and Wumu.

Arenia called Jinli back and formed a diamond-shaped battle formation with herself at the front, Jinli at the rear, and the four of them, including Linda, protecting Kalei in the middle.

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

"All the way to glory for Elune—Charge!"

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

"For Elune!"

The six female knights, with Kalei among them, raced around the cavern. As they ran, they swung their moonlit scimitars and cut through the Corrupted Furbolg horde.

Wherever their blades passed, Furbolg flesh flew and pus splattered. The Furbolgs fell one after another, and the group quickly thwarted their attempt to surround them.

Arenia was making excellent use of her mount's strengths to defend while on the move. It was undoubtedly a superb tactic.

Unfortunately, unlike other Corrupted Furbolgs, these Furbolgs had been completely consumed by Nightmare. No matter how many times they were struck or how much damage they took, they wouldn't fall. They kept surging toward the group.

After Arenia and the others had broken through the Corrupted Furbolgs' encirclement four times in a row, the battle once again took a turn for the worse.