Counterattack

Kalei and Thisalee hid behind a stalagmite, watching the five satyrs light a fire where they stood and sit cross-legged around it. They were both a little surprised. These guys were so careless that they hadn't noticed the danger around them at all—giving them a perfect opportunity.

Thisalee tilted her head, signaling for Kalei to leave.

But Kalei suddenly had another idea. His silvery-white eyes fixed on the five towering figures in the firelight. He leaned close to Thisalee's ear and whispered, "This is an opportunity!"

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

Kalei sent his thoughts to her. "We don't know what lies ahead. If we keep going, they might catch up with us from behind. We should strike first and catch them off guard."

Thisalee shook her head and replied through their mind link, "That's too risky. There are five high-ranking satyrs!"

Kalei shook his head. "It is risky, but it's not impossible."

"They're out in the open, and we're hidden. We can make a plan and launch a surprise attack, killing one or two satyrs first. The rest will be easier to deal with."

"What if the plan fails?" Thisalee asked.

"Even if it does, we can jump back into the water and escape. By then, they probably won't dare chase us again."

Thisalee thought it over. Her eyes brightened, and she said, "Tell me exactly what you have in mind."

Kalei whispered a few words in her ear.

Thisalee nodded with a smile. "Kalei, you must have something going for you to have joined the council at such a young age. At least you're not stupid. Fine, we'll do it your way. Let's teach them a lesson they won't forget."

They said no more. Each made their preparations, then led Big Black deeper into the darkness.

The five satyrs in the cavern had no idea the two of them were there. They sat cross-legged around a fire without a care in the world, hoping to quickly recover their mana.

Just then, a faint scraping sound came from deeper in the cavern, as if something were moving along the ground.

The sound caught the five satyrs' attention.

Ordos and Etherix, the two strongest satyrs, were the first to react. They got to their feet and looked toward the sound, but could see nothing.

"What was that?" one satyr asked.

No one answered. None of them knew what had made the sound.

An eerie, ominous atmosphere spread through the cavern.

But it couldn't frighten the satyrs. They were powerful half-demons—why would they fear ghosts?

Ordos turned to a satyr behind him. "Ordan, go take a look."

Ordan was reluctant, but he knew what Ordos was like. If he crossed him now, Ordos would make sure he paid for it once he was back on top. Left with no choice, Ordan reluctantly agreed to investigate.

Using the little mana he had left, he summoned a fireball and guided it into the darkness. Its light flickered through the cavern, casting shifting shadows.

He had only taken a few steps when Etherix called another satyr over to follow him.

Seeing a companion come along gave Ordan a good deal more courage.

The two satyrs passed among the stalactites and stalagmites, guided by the firelight, and reached the place where the sound had come from.

They searched carefully and found some tracks that looked as though they had been left by snakes or insects. Apart from that, there was nothing.

The tracks didn't concern them, so they turned to head back.

But then, a rapid scraping sound came from behind them.

They turned to see what it was, only to find several enormous vines already wrapped tightly around their bodies and limbs, leaving them unable to move.

Two piercing screams rang out in the dark cavern.

In the middle of the cavern, Ordos, Etherix, and the last satyr turned pale. They hurriedly called out Ordan's name and the other satyr's, but received no answer. Only then did they realize they had unknowingly fallen into danger.

Ordos reacted first. He cast a Shadow Shield on himself and cursed, "Damn it! I can smell the stench of all that nature magic. It's those two elves! They laid a trap in the dark and killed Ordan and the others!"

As he spoke, he put out the nearby fire and growled, "Take cover!"

Etherix didn't need Ordos to tell him what to do. He immediately used Shadowstep to disappear into the darkness, while casting a Shadow Shield on himself as well.

The last satyr, however, was so terrified by Ordan and the other satyr's deaths that he hadn't heard a word Ordos said. He turned and ran toward the river, clearly trying to escape.

It was so unexpected that Ordos couldn't afford to worry about being exposed. He used Shadowstep to appear behind the satyr, grabbed him with a claw, and growled, "Sorenson, where are you going?"

Sorenson shook off his claw. "Where? Away from here, of course! I'm not going to stay here and die with you!"

Kalei and Thisalee, hiding in the darkness, hadn't expected the satyrs to turn on each other. They seized the opportunity and struck again.

Kalei raised his staff and used thirty percent of his mana to cast Entangling Roots where Sorenson stood.

A mass of vines burst from the ground around Sorenson. By sheer luck, they ensnared not only him but also Ordos and Etherix, who were hidden nearby.

Ordos and Etherix were instantly furious. They cursed Sorenson for being a coward as they unleashed Shadowflame to burn through the vines.

Etherix was the first to struggle free, then vanished into the darkness again.

Ordos was a little slower. Just as he burned through the vines, Big Black charged in and slammed him with a headbutt, sending him flying three or four meters into a stalagmite.

Fortunately, he had shielded himself beforehand. The impact broke several of his bones, but at least it didn't kill him.

When Big Black charged again, Etherix had already rescued Ordos, and the two of them had escaped into the darkness.

Sorenson wasn't so lucky. The vines held him fast, and he hadn't had time to cast a shield. Thisalee's sharp claws pierced straight through his chest, killing him on the spot.

Of the five satyrs who had pursued them, three had died before they ever faced Kalei and the others in a direct fight. Of the two remaining, one was badly injured. Their losses were devastating.

Even so, Kalei and Thisalee didn't let their guard down. They knew the real battle had only just begun.

They led Big Black back into the darkness to hide.

Sure enough, not long after the two of them and the leopard disappeared, several strange howls came from behind a stalactite.

Then two Felhounds burst from the darkness, led by Etherix, and charged straight toward Kalei and Thisalee's hiding place.

Etherix had clearly summoned the two Felhounds from the Twisting Nether.

Their ambush tactics had enraged him. Using the Felhounds to find their position, he hurled Shadow Bolts at the pair without restraint and cursed, "You filthy, despicable pointy-ears! Go to hell, you pointy-ears! Die, all of you!"

Shadow Bolt didn't inflict much damage, but it took no time to cast and had no cooldown, making it especially useful for close-range attacks and defense.

Kalei, Thisalee, and Big Black were caught off guard by the sheer speed and volume of Etherix's Shadow Bolts. They hurriedly fell back.

Fortunately, they were hiding on higher ground. The entrance was blocked by numerous stone pillars and stalagmites, preventing Etherix and the two Felhounds from getting in for the time being.

Thisalee cast Ironbark and Rejuvenation on Big Black, telling him to do his best to hold the entrance to the high ground. She and Kalei gathered mana behind him, preparing to cast long-range spells.

The two of them took turns hurling Starfire, Solar Wrath, and other spells at the Felhounds and Etherix.

The two Felhounds were fierce and could even devour magic, but they couldn't withstand the rapid barrage of spells. Before long, they had been blasted into two heaps of mangled flesh and returned to the Twisting Nether.

Etherix took cover behind the Felhounds and traded blows with Kalei and Thisalee, relying on his Shadow Shield. In the end, he retreated, unwilling to keep fighting.

Kalei and Thisalee were relieved to have driven Etherix back, but they knew the danger wasn't over.

They had killed two Felhounds in the fight, but it had been pointless. Felhounds were demons from the Twisting Nether, and they could be summoned again after they died.

As long as Etherix himself remained alive, he could keep summoning Felhounds to fight Kalei and Thisalee.

That meant the battle would eventually become a contest of mana.

Kalei assessed Etherix and discovered he was level 50, still considerably weaker than Thisalee.

Kalei and Thisalee had enough mana to deal with Etherix. The real problem was Ordos.

Although Big Black had injured him, the damage wasn't critical. Satyrs recovered exceptionally well, and if Ordos had time to recover, the outcome would be uncertain.

They knew they had to end the fight before Ordos recovered.

But with their abilities and the mana they had left, defeating Etherix head-on wouldn't be easy. They had to find a way to seize the initiative again.