Spirit of the Eagle (Part 1)

Sylvanas left without saying how she would thank him, smiling as slyly as a fox.

After annihilating the cross-realm demons, Shane projected his will into the void. He no longer received responses from the Legion, nor did anything else answer. It seemed the Legion was the only thing in the void. Though that conclusion remained doubtful, he stopped exploring deep space. The Dimensional Life Summoning is incomplete, or it has not been fully opened. After careful consideration, Shane contacted his mentor.

"It is indeed incomplete," his mentor said through a magical projection. "Each dimensional beacon is several times more valuable than the spell itself. Remember, do not ask around carelessly, or people will take you for someone trying to steal secrets. If you run into a mage who is overly sensitive, a conflict will be unavoidable. But Shane, did you come to ask me because something like a demon contacted you?"

"Yes, Mentor. Have demons responded to you before as well?"

His mentor grinned crookedly at that. "I knew it. Back when I was young and ignorant, I explored the void and received their response. Those self-important demons showed me a huge pile of images of how powerful and invincible they were. Do you know how I replied?"

"Please tell me."

"What~ the~ hell~ do~ I~ care~?!" His mentor burst into laughter, taking quite some time to calm down. "Shane, how did you reply?"

"I told them to get lost!"

His mentor laughed so hard his face twisted.

My mentor and I are alike, yet not alike, Shane thought. After ending the call, only two options remained for contacting dimensional creatures: using the troll method, or communicating with healthy animal spirits.

"Every year, on the day when the twin moons are closest, the trolls hold a god-summoning ritual." When needed, the memory surfaced automatically. After consulting the records, he learned that the closest day of the twin moons would arrive in ninety-eight days.

"I should make preparations in advance and find out exactly where the trolls summon creatures." Shane added another recent goal to hunting priests and contacting divinity: speaking with animal spirits.

Using the materials he had on hand, he made several coordinate stones and prepared to bury them near troll settlements in advance, allowing remote teleportation to those locations.

During the preparations, the population of Windrunner Outpost continued to grow. The inns were packed, people were pitching tents by the roadside, and some had even camped outside the barrier. Nearly all the camping elves were armed rangers. Unlike ordinary rangers, they wore their battle experience plainly on their faces, and anyone could tell at a glance that they were hardened veterans.

Sylvanas's help had arrived, though it was clear that she had plans of her own as well. It was not simply a matter of favoring private interests over public duty.

"They are Farstriders." The female elf's body was strong, supple, and coordinated like a cat's. She flipped in and out of the fifth floor of the mage tower without hesitation. Like an owner inspecting her territory, she strode proudly into Shane's room and settled into the seat most comfortable for her.

"Using my standing among the Farstriders, I suggested that the Troll Lands become this year's training ground. If you are lucky, you might even run into Vereesa." She deliberately raised her voice and watched Shane with hidden intent.

It had been a long time since he had seen Vereesa, the girl whose company always made him feel relaxed. She had said that day that she would catch up to Shane, then disappeared for a long time.

"How has she been lately?" Shane asked.

"I have not seen her either. News from Silvermoon City says Vereesa has grown a great deal. Are you looking forward to seeing her?" Sylvanas drew out the nasal tone in her voice, wanting to see Shane's reaction.

"I am indeed looking forward to it," Shane answered honestly.

Hmph! Sylvanas drained her tea in one gulp, leaned back in her chair, and ignored Shane.

Ah... would it be troublesome if the sisters met? He swallowed the thought from his throat down into his stomach, where it remained bottled up.

The female elf's anger came quickly and went quickly. Shane silently brewed a second cup of tea. When he saw that she had mostly calmed down, he asked, "Sylvanas, do you really want to wipe out the trolls?"

"Of course I do. There is not an elf alive who does not want to wipe them out."

"I have an idea," Shane said. "During armed reconnaissance, I kept logs and observed the trolls' living environment and customs. The trolls are fishing and hunting tribes. They hardly grow food, relying almost entirely on hunting, perhaps supplemented by gathering wild fruits."

"What does that prove?" Sylvanas's ears twitched. She was clearly interested.

"It proves that their food supply is unstable. We can send small units to destroy the habitats of beasts in troll territory, killing the young and the breeding females."

He did not need to say more. Sylvanas understood the rest perfectly. It could become a long-term strategy. "Over time, the trolls will realize they cannot support such a large population. They will either take desperate risks or sacrifice part of their population."

Sylvanas was more than happy to share the idea with her Farstrider companions, while Shane prepared to set out.

Before leaving, however, he needed to arrange his apprentices' lessons. The plants in the nursery had just sprouted, and the two apprentices recorded observation journals every day. Shane also assigned them to learn the medicinal properties of their respective plants, which he would test along with their results.

"Mentor, if I beat Sashana, what reward will you give me?" Kallinda was bold enough to clearly voice what she wanted.

"A secret," Shane said.

Once the two apprentices had gone some distance away, Sashana spat the words "wishful thinking" at her classmate. Shane heard it clearly. The competition between the girls was quite fierce.

Solarian constantly shifted between practice and reading. It was clear she was accumulating experience and nearing advancement. Firehawk's days, meanwhile, grew increasingly difficult. He had nearly squandered away the profits he had borrowed in advance. "I will definitely repay the debt next year, so do not worry," he explained to his two wives. Yet rumors said that his drinking had been strictly restricted. He had once complained bitterly in a tavern, gotten blind drunk, and then been dragged home by his wives.

Farstriders also entered the Troll Lands one after another. They operated in squads, heading out for several days before returning with troll ears. Their goal was to hone their skills and hunt. It was easy to imagine the troll settlements being squeezed even further, while drawing away much of the attention that would otherwise have fallen on Shane.

As he walked across the troll wilderness, the weather gradually warmed, and the stench of rotting earth grew stronger. Trolls usually built their camps in mountain hollows or atop hills. All kinds of skulls hung outside their wooden walls, while unfamiliar totems stood before the gates. Yet the stench of witchcraft remained just as pungent. Following the places where that odor was strongest made it easy to find troll camps. It came from voodoo cauldrons, which spread the scent of witchcraft everywhere.

Pyroblast opened the way, and Taigo charged in. No troll camp could escape disaster. Shane did not slaughter them all. He burned down their camps and drove them toward Zul'Aman.

Fire raged everywhere. Just three blazing-white Pyroblasts were enough to nearly level a camp of several hundred people. This was already the fourth camp he had destroyed. The trolls had passed word among themselves, and by the time Shane arrived, most of the trolls had withdrawn from the camp.

Every structure had been reduced to charred black remains. Riding Taigo into the camp, Shane could tell from the remnants of ornaments and equipment that only one troll spellcaster had remained to guard the voodoo cauldron. Its body was blackened and twisted like a shrimp. After absorbing the pure energy within it, Shane's spiritual power recovered only slightly.

After advancing to the sixth circle, the effect of pure energy had greatly diminished. He guessed that this was because the animal spirit's true body was not very strong.

Following the footprints on the ground deeper into the wilderness, he found a troll altar. The Maya-style pyramid was exceptionally conspicuous. Riding Taigo, he circled the troll altar once, buried a coordinate stone in a tree hollow, and left. The Eye of Truth showed that no animal spirit was imprisoned inside.

Having completed one location, Shane headed in another direction. During armed reconnaissance, he had spotted a strange troll. He intended to find where that troll was hiding and determine whether he would become an obstacle to the operation. If he could find him, Shane was confident he could kill him.