Sunlight filtered through gaps in the canopy, bringing scattered pinpricks of light to the dense forest.
Woo-woo-woo-
Three short horn blasts sounded.
Elwen's expression changed. "The hunting party is under attack."
The male elf grabbed his bow and ran toward the sound.
Elwen followed, with Ging behind her.
The dozen or so elves passed through the tunnel and ran another kilometer before they heard fighting and shouting up ahead.
In a clearing, a dozen or so elves were fighting a group of humans.
The elves wore dark green clothes and carried bows and short blades. Several slain animals lay beside them; clearly, they had been ambushed just as they were returning from a hunt.
There were over fifty human attackers, representing all sorts of professions, but the biggest problem was that they all wore armor with astonishing defensive strength.
Several elves lay on the ground, bleeding without pause.
Two humans lay nearby as well. With less vitality than the elves, they had already stopped moving.
A burly bald man stood behind the crowd, holding an iron staff.
He watched the elves and bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "Take them alive! Don't fucking kill them.
"Living elves fetch the highest prices at market."
"Hahaha, don't worry, boss. We've spent ages preparing, and we've got those weakening potions we paid a fortune for. They can't fight back," a short, ratlike man said with a nasty grin.
Ging raised an eyebrow. "Human traffickers?"
"Slave-Catching Squad," Elwen said through gritted teeth.
With that, she anxiously surveyed the dozen elves under siege. Her fellow elves, normally so spirited and formidable, were now swaying on their feet, their attacks barely carrying any force.
Without hesitating, and ignoring the male elf beside her as he tried to stop her, she drew her shortbow, nocked an