Counterattack

Kalei and Thisalee hid behind a stalagmite, watching as the five Satyr lit torches and sat cross-legged in meditation. They were both surprised—these guys were so careless, completely unaware of the danger around them. This was undoubtedly a golden opportunity.

Thisalee tilted her head, signaling for Kalei to leave.

Kalei, however, suddenly had a different idea. His silver-white eyes were locked onto the five tall figures in the firelight as he leaned back to whisper in Thisalee's ear: "This is a chance!"

Thisalee asked in surprise: "What do you mean?"

Kalei used telepathy: "The situation ahead is unknown. If we continue forward, we will likely be chased down from behind. It would be better to take the initiative and catch them off guard."

Thisalee shook her head and replied via telepathy: "That's too risky. There are five high-level Satyr!"

Kalei shook his head: "It is indeed risky, but not impossible."

"Right now, they are in the light and we are in the dark. We can devise a plan for a surprise attack. If we kill one or two Satyr first, the rest will be easier to handle."

Thisalee asked: "What if the plan fails?"

Kalei said: "Even if the plan fails, we can always jump back into the water to escape. By then, they likely won't dare to pursue us further."

Thisalee pondered for a moment, her eyes brightening as she said: "Tell me your specific plan."

Kalei whispered a few words to her.

Thisalee nodded with a smile: "Kalei, it seems that being able to join the Council at such a young age means you have some tricks up your sleeve—at least you aren't stupid. Very well, we'll do as you say. Let's give them an unforgettable lesson."

The two stopped talking, made their preparations, and with Big Black in tow, moved deeper into the darkness.

The five Satyr in the cavern were completely oblivious to the pair's movements. They sat cross-legged around a campfire without a shred of caution, hoping to quickly recover their mana.

Just then, a faint scraping sound suddenly echoed from the depths of the cave, as if something were moving across the ground.

The sound caught the attention of the five Satyr.

Ordos and Etherix, the two most powerful Satyr, were the first to react. They stood up from the ground and looked toward the source of the noise, but they saw nothing.

One Satyr asked: "What was that sound?"

No one answered him, and no one knew what it was.

An eerie, terrifying atmosphere began to spread through the cavern.

But such an atmosphere could not scare the Satyr; they were powerful half-demons, so how could they fear ghosts or monsters?

Ordos said to a Satyr behind him: "Ordan, go take a look."

The Satyr named Ordan was somewhat reluctant, but thinking of Ordos's nature, he knew that if he offended him now, he would have no good future once Ordos regained his footing. He had no choice but to reluctantly agree to check it out.

Using his remaining mana, he summoned a fireball and controlled it as he walked into the darkness. The light of the fireball flickered in the cavern, casting unpredictable shadows.

He hadn't walked many steps before Etherix called another Satyr to follow him.

Seeing a companion join him, Ordan's courage grew significantly.

Under the glow of the fire, the two Satyr passed through stalactites of various sizes and arrived at the spot where the sound had originated.

They searched the area carefully, finding only some tracks that looked like those of snakes or insects; other than that, there was nothing.

These traces did not warrant their attention, and they turned back, preparing to return.

But just then, a rapid sound of movement came from behind them.

They turned to see what it was, only to find their bodies and limbs already tightly bound by several massive vines, rendering them unable to move.

Immediately after, two shrill screams rang out in the dark cave.

In the center of the cavern, the expressions of Ordos, Etherix, and the remaining Satyr changed drastically. They hurriedly shouted the names of Ordan and the other, but there was no response. Only then did they realize they had unknowingly fallen into a crisis.

Ordos was the first to react. He cast a Shadow Shield on himself and cursed: "Damn it, I can smell the stench of natural energy! It's those two elves—they set a trap in the dark and killed Ordan and the others!"

As he spoke, he extinguished the nearby campfire and hissed: "Hide, quickly!"

Etherix didn't need Ordos's reminder; he immediately used Shadowstep to vanish into the darkness, not forgetting to cast a Shadow Shield on himself.

Only the last remaining Satyr, terrified by the deaths of Ordan and his companion, didn't hear what Ordos was saying. He turned and ran toward the river, clearly intending to flee.

This was truly unexpected. Ordos, not caring about the risk of exposure, used Shadowstep to appear behind the Satyr, reached out with his claws to grab him, and growled: "Sorenson, where do you think you're going?"

Sorenson shook off his claws and said: "Where? Away from here, of course! I don't want to die here with you lot!"

Kalei and Thisalee, hiding in the shadows, hadn't expected them to turn on each other, so they immediately seized the opportunity and launched their attack.

Kalei raised his staff and, using thirty percent of the mana in his body, cast Entangling Roots in the direction where Sorenson was standing.

A massive patch of vines erupted recklessly around Sorenson, but unexpectedly, this strike hit more than intended. The vines not only bound Sorenson but also ensnared Ordos and Etherix, who were hiding nearby.

Ordos and Etherix were furious, cursing Sorenson for a coward while unleashing Shadowflame to burn the vines.

Etherix was the first to struggle free from the vines and vanished back into the darkness.

Ordos reacted a bit slower. Just as he burned through the vines with his flames, he was struck by a headbutt from the charging Big Black, sent flying three or four meters into a stalagmite.

Fortunately, he had cast a shield on himself beforehand; although he suffered a heavy impact and broke a few bones, he managed to keep his life.

By the time Big Black lunged again, the guy had already escaped into the darkness with the help of Etherix.

As for Sorenson, he wasn't so lucky. Bound tightly by the vines and failing to cast a shield in time, he was pierced directly through the chest by Thisalee's claws and died on the spot.

Just like that, of the five Satyr who had pursued them, three were dead before they could even engage Kalei and the others in a direct fight, and of the remaining two, one was severely injured—a truly heavy loss.

Even so, Kalei and his companion did not let their guard down, for they knew the real battle had only just begun.

The two of them, accompanied by Big Black, slipped back into the darkness.

Sure enough, not long after the two of them and the panther vanished, a series of strange howls echoed from behind a stalactite.

Then, two Felhound emerged from the shadows, led by Etherix, and charged straight toward the place where Kalei and his companion were hiding.

These two Felhound had clearly been summoned by Etherix from the Twisting Nether.

The fellow had been enraged by the assassination tactics of Kalei and his companion. Using the two Felhound to pinpoint their location, he recklessly hurled Shadow Bolt at them, cursing, "Despicable, shameless pointy-ears! Go to hell, you pointy-ears, all of you go die!"

Although the damage from Shadow Bolt was not high, it required no cast time and had no cooldown, making it particularly suitable for close-quarters combat.

Kalei, his companion, and Big Black were momentarily stunned by the sheer volume and speed of Etherix's Shadow Bolt, and they scrambled back to take cover.

Fortunately, their hiding spot was on high ground, and the entrance was obstructed by numerous stone pillars and stalagmites, preventing Etherix and the two Felhound from rushing in immediately.

Thisalee cast Ironbark and Rejuvenation on Big Black, urging it to hold the entrance to the high ground as best it could, while she and Kalei hid behind it to channel their mana and unleash long-range spells.

For a time, the two of them took turns casting Starfire, Solar Wrath, and other spells, raining them down upon the two Felhound and Etherix.

Though the two Felhound were ferocious and capable of devouring magic, they could not withstand the dense and rapid bombardment of mana, and were soon smashed into piles of pulp, returning to the Twisting Nether.

Etherix, hiding behind the Felhound and relying on his Shadow Shield to trade blows with Kalei and his companion a few times, retreated in frustration.

Seeing that they had repelled Etherix's assault, Kalei and Thisalee breathed a sigh of relief, though they knew the crisis was far from over.

They had killed the two Felhound in the recent skirmish, but it was ultimately futile. The Felhound were merely demons of the Twisting Nether; once dead, they could simply be summoned again.

As long as Etherix himself remained alive, he could continue to summon Felhound to fight against Kalei and his companion.

In that case, the conflict would inevitably devolve into a war of attrition regarding their mana reserves.

Kalei scouted Etherix and discovered that he was level 50, still significantly weaker than Thisalee.

Kalei and Thisalee had enough mana to deal with Etherix, but the real issue was Ordos.

Although that fellow had been injured by Big Black, it was not a fatal wound. Given the exceptional regenerative abilities of a Satyr, once he recovered, the situation would become unpredictable.

Therefore, they were well aware that they had to end the battle before Ordos regained his strength.

However, given their current abilities and remaining mana, defeating Etherix head-on would not be easy; they had to find a way to seize the initiative once again.