Spell Battle (Part 1)

Aside from several magical items, they found three stone tablets on the altar. After prolonged blood sacrifices, blood had seeped into the tablets, which were covered in solidified dark-red writing.

No other tablets were found on the altar. Shane called Halduron over. "Have the others look for more tablets like these."

"Yes."

The tablets were ancient. Though he could not recognize the writing, a single glance at the exquisite pictographs was enough to reveal the wisdom they contained.

Halduron found no more tablets. Shane nodded and carefully stored the three tablets in his magical pouch.

Flames and black smoke consumed the troll camp along with its corpses. Shane's force advanced from northwest of Zul'Aman toward the center according to plan, tracing a crescent arc across the map.

The trolls became more densely distributed. Before making camp that evening, they broke through another troll camp. There was another bubbling voodoo cauldron inside, and they found two stone tablets.

Shane absorbed the energy of the three dead priests. This time, he gained memories of a dragonhawk. More and more memories came together, allowing him to piece together the information: the dragonhawk Dulles was imprisoned in a pyramid, so weak that even breathing was difficult.

Shane was now very close to Zul'Aman. In the distant sky, he could see a swirling mass of clouds formed from hex magic. Beneath those clouds lay the trolls' sanctuary—Zul'Aman.

Moonlight spilled over the wilderness, granting it a measure of tranquility. They did not camp in the troll settlement, but traveled another ten kilometers before setting up camp. Ten constructs formed the outer perimeter, with the hawkstriders forming the second ring. Some rangers rested beside the bonfires, while others slept with their hawkstriders, draping wings over themselves for warmth.

For several days, Firehawk had been fighting both the painful march and miserable camping conditions. His eyes were swollen, his head throbbed, and fortunately, his tongue had not tied itself in knots. He went to rest early.

Shane had not yet gone to sleep after his evening meditation. Three sets of mana orbs spun above his head, illuminating several meters around him. He wrote in his journal with a pen, something he had done every day since crossing the blockade.

"Third day after crossing the blockade. The rangers' first battle was fairly satisfactory. We destroyed two troll camps and killed seven priests. I do not know whether the proportion of troll spellcasters is abnormal, so I will record it for the masters to judge. What worries me is the other force. The entire Troll Lands are shrouded in foul-smelling hex magic. Once we entered it, we became as conspicuous as the White Lady in the night sky. The trolls' mid- and high-ranking spellcasters can find us through changes in the hex magic. Yet we have encountered only passive troll defenses. So where has their strength gone? Most likely, they have gone to attack Sylvanas. Do the trolls consider her a greater threat than me? ...I found several troll tablets. They have no magical glow, but anything that may contain knowledge deserves my attention."

After finishing, he set down his pen. Without making any other movement, the mana orbs above his head flew into the sky one by one. As he walked a circuit around the camp's perimeter, he encountered several ranger patrols. They stepped aside and saluted, only resuming their patrols after Shane had passed. The outer perimeter remained vigilant. Returning to Taigo's back, he cast a constant-temperature spell and a windproof spell, then went to sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the camp awoke. The rangers buried the bonfires, ate their rations, and set out again. Their direction remained unchanged as they marched toward the rendezvous point. The closer they came to Zul'Aman, the more fertile the land became. The black soil seemed ready to ooze oil beneath their feet, yet almost no plants grew upon it. When they dug into the mud, startled maggots scattered everywhere.

Shane collected some soil and placed it in an alchemical vial. The stench of decay assaulted his nose, and he quickly sealed it.

"Firehawk, do you think this land despises the trolls, or protects them?" There were only two spellcasters in the force, so Shane asked Hawkins—Firehawk.

"This... I don't know. I think we should leave that to people who enjoy researching such things."

Wrong person to ask. Firehawk wasn't a mage who liked thinking.

From atop the construct, Shane looked ahead. The rolling hills rose and fell like waves, with the road winding between them. The map was centuries old, and much of the terrain had changed, but this hilly region remained the same. The road was easy to identify, and the rendezvous point lay beyond the hills.

In the distance, a ranger signal arrow shot into the sky with a shrill whistle, followed by three more.

"Enemy sighted!" Halduron Brightwing roared. "Nock your arrows! Don't blink—the enemy will be here soon."

The scouting rangers ran back into formation, shouting that there were three hundred enemies. Trolls emerged from behind the hills and slowly advanced toward Shane's side. After moving some distance, they entered the Eye of Truth's detection range.

"Three hundred and twenty-one in total. Fifty warriors, one spellcaster, and the rest are civilians."

The enemy was weak. Shane suppressed the spellcaster with two spells, then the constructs charged through and shattered their formation. The lightly equipped rangers followed, harvesting heads. The battle ended almost as soon as it began, leaving them somewhat unsatisfied.

Not long after entering the hills, they encountered a second attack. It too was swept away in a single wave. The third came quickly and was likewise crushed. Before nightfall, the trolls launched a fourth attack, this time without even a spellcaster.

Were the trolls trying to wear down our strength? Or delay us? Shane leaned toward the latter.

After night fell, Shane led the force to a water source and made camp. To prevent a troll night raid, he set several alarm barriers around the area. The mission seemed to be growing more difficult, but morale remained high. Troll ears and spellcasters' heads could be exchanged for many gold coins in Quel'Thalin, or used to increase ranger merit.

Before going to sleep, Halduron Brightwing came to see him. He had reached the same conclusion as Shane.

"Lady Sylvanas may be in trouble."

"What makes you think so?" Shane asked.

"I think the trolls we encountered were too weak. We are not far from Zul'Aman. Where have all the trolls gone? It is worth considering. And Lady Sylvanas has been urged many times to surpass Dawnblade. Perhaps she grew a little impatient. If she pushed too deeply too quickly, she may have become the trolls' primary target."

The two discussed it and decided to increase their marching speed the next day. They would stop collecting troll ears and simply rout the enemy.

The rendezvous point was less than a day and a half away. Small-scale interceptions became more frequent, and they encountered six waves in a single day. The trolls were using civilians to delay them.

On the sixth day, Shane was supposed to reach the rendezvous point before noon. At this point, they were close enough to Zul'Aman that traces of hex magic could be seen everywhere.

"Who's ahead?" After rounding the last hill, several hawkstriders came racing over the horizon. Judging by their clothing, their riders were Sylvanas's rangers.

"I am Malgallon of Dawnlight, Lord Shane! We have been surrounded. Please, hurry and save our brothers and sisters!" he shouted from outside the Crimson Sun Guard's formation.

"Lead the way. That is exactly where we're headed," Halduron replied at once.

The force accelerated once more. Along the road, they encountered a group of retreating rangers. They were dejected, their will to fight completely gone. Shane watched them from atop the construct. Their weapons and armor remained, and they had not lost their banners. They had been covered during their retreat.

"Elves who still have the strength to run, are you going to abandon your commander? If you flee here, where else can you go? Back to Silvermoon City to enjoy the lowest rations? To hold elves you do not know and brag about how brave you were today? Or hide in Sun Sail Harbor and keep seaweed company? If you have even a shred of shame left, then come with me and save your commander, Sylvanas."

After delivering those words through magical amplification, the force continued onward. The retreating rangers automatically fell in behind Shane, raising their own banners. More rangers joined them along the way, and by the time they saw the battlefield, their number had exceeded two hundred.

Sylvanas was still fighting. At a distance too close for bows, she used twin blades, and trolls fell one after another. When there was no place left to stand, she stood atop corpses. When there was no room to move, she carved out room with her blades. The trolls drew back, and dozens of javelins shot toward her. Her feet remained rooted in place while her upper body dodged at high speed, leaving several afterimages. The trolls could not harm her in the slightest. Corpses piled into a mountain beneath her feet, and she stood atop it, looking down proudly upon the surrounding enemies.