When the Ranger force set out from the training camp, it was only a small unit of five hundred.
A force that size was fit for a village skirmish, not a campaign to clear the border.
But as the Rangers headed south along the eastern border, other units joined them from time to time.
These were all garrison troops stationed near the border.
They usually remained concealed, monitoring the Forest Trolls' movements.
Now that their side had launched a campaign to root out the enemy entirely, there was naturally no need to continue those assignments.
The High Elf Rangers all rode Hawkstriders.
These powerful mounts possessed incredible stamina and speed, carrying their riders at least two hundred kilometers before needing to stop and recover.
After no more than an hour's rest, they would be full of energy again.
The force left its camp in Eversong Woods that morning and reached the Dawnstar Spire in Silvermoon Forest by noon, stopping there for lunch and a rest.
The Dawnstar Spire was the mage tower of an archmage from the Dawnstar family.
It stood on the eastern border of Silvermoon Forest, monitoring and keeping the mountains beyond the border in check to prevent the Forest Trolls of Zul'Aman from marching north in large numbers and threatening Silvermoon City.
Some distance south of the Dawnstar Spire stood the Farstriders Camp.
A Farstriders force made up of elite Rangers was stationed there.
High Elf society was generally rather indolent.
Few High Elves were willing to train hard to defend their homeland.
Yet the Farstriders commanded immense respect and admiration.
The members of the Farstriders had always devoted themselves to eliminating enemies that threatened the High Elves.
People therefore regarded this Farstriders force as their bravest elite unit.
Commanding this elite force was the Ranger-General of Quel'Thalas, Alleria Windrunner.
She was Sylvanas's elder sister and the strongest of the Windrunner family's younger generation.
Alleria spent most of her time stationed here, hunting Forest Trolls who entered Silvermoon Forest to wreak havoc.
Her younger sister's reckless decision to bring the Rangers out to clear the border instead of properly guarding Silvermoon City had put her in a foul mood.
Taking the initiative could certainly deal an effective blow to the Forest Trolls.
But gains often came with risks.
Trolls were by no means a weak race.
Forest Trolls, in particular, were powerful, bloodthirsty berserkers!
Many High Elves had died along the border. There was no need to add to the casualties.
That was why she had made a special trip to the Dawnstar Spire at noon, hoping to persuade her sister to scale things back, notch up a few easy victories, and return.
But when she entered the mage tower, the three arcane golems in the hall stunned her.
Arcane golems protected from head to toe by stone armor were nothing unusual.
The enormous firearms in their hands, however, shook her deeply.
She had already received several long-barreled muskets.
Their gunshots were painfully loud, but their power could not be underestimated.
A Forest Troll hit by one suffered severe internal damage.
Even their powerful limb regeneration ability struggled to restore their fighting strength quickly.
If the shot struck their head, not even a Troll witch doctor could save them.
Alleria hardly dared imagine what would happen when one of these vastly enlarged muskets hit a Troll.
The Forest Trolls' shoddy armor certainly could not stop the bullets.
They would probably be blasted to pieces, armor and all!
Had Herad known her assessment of the cannons, he would certainly have remarked on how sound her instincts were.
When Gnomes hunted Frostmane Trolls in gunship helicopters, one shot really did blow them to bits!
The Frostmane Trolls ran along the ground while the gunship helicopters picked them off one by one from the air, leaving scattered chunks of bloody flesh everywhere.
Those peace-loving Gnomes often lost the stomach to keep firing partway through, allowing the Frostmane Trolls to cling to life.
High Elves, with the wildness buried in their bones, had no such pity for Trolls.
Looking at the enormous muskets, Alleria likewise felt an urge to go on a killing spree.
When she turned to her younger sister Sylvanas, her gaze had softened.
With sufficiently powerful firepower, taking the offensive against the Forest Trolls would be no problem.
Sylvanas was thrilled to see her elder sister arrive, though she did not show it on her face.
As a member of the Windrunner family, she had to maintain a serious demeanor in front of outsiders.
The two exchanged smiling greetings, then began discussing the campaign against the Trolls.
Herad was sharing his arcane golem enhancement designs with the mages of the Dawnstar Spire.
Seeing the two Windrunner sisters together suddenly sent a chill through him.
The sisters were very similar in both figure and looks.
Their hair color was the easiest way to tell them apart.
The elder sister had golden hair, while the younger sister's was a paler shade of gold.
Their personalities were cut from the same cloth: both were rather forceful.
Fortunately, their goals had not diverged so far.
Otherwise, a war between the sisters would surely break out.
Seeing that the sisters' reunion was going well enough, Herad continued discussing his arcane golem enhancement designs with the mages.
There was more to the three arcane golems he had brought than simply equipping them with a cannon.
First, of course, he had to enable them to use the cannons.
After modification, the aircraft cannons were easier for the arcane golems to grip.
But these cannons used electrical firing mechanisms, with a button-operated firing device.
Herad could hardly install a third hand on each golem just to press the firing button.
He had fitted the arcane golems with dedicated sockets.
Each socket contained a sliding block that could extend and retract.
Once the cannon's firing device was inserted, the block could press the button and fire shells at any time.
After gaining the ability to fire on their own, the arcane golems still needed to learn how to shoot.
So, drawing on the Rangers' experience with muskets, Herad wrote a shooting program for the arcane golems.
The shooting program rigidly copied those methods.
But it worked remarkably well on these golems!
Though they could not match the Rangers' accuracy, achieving seventy percent of their performance was no problem.
They could guarantee hits on stationary targets.
They could also hit fast-moving targets accurately, provided those targets maintained a steady speed.
As for highly agile, unpredictable targets, they could only overwhelm them with a barrage of shells.
Inanimate constructs like arcane golems could never learn the Rangers' uncanny knack for anticipating movement.
Overall, however, the arcane golems were already competent shooters.
Just like that, three crash-course shooters had been created!
Herad did not like keeping things to himself and generously shared this exclusive knowledge.
Of course, the mages would have to pay for their own cannons.
These things were troublesome to manufacture, with production costs alone exceeding a hundred gold coins.
The sale price was even higher: two hundred gold coins.
When Herad ordered the cannons from Jindi, the little Gnome grinned so broadly that even his back teeth showed.
Two hundred gold coins was not much to a mage, but neither was it a sum they would casually hand over.
After learning the price of the cannons, the mages all said they wanted to see them in actual combat before deciding.
To observe the cannons' power firsthand, the mages decided to bring their arcane golems and accompany the army.
These mages of the Dawnstar Spire had faced the trials of war for years.
What weapon was most useful in war?
Naturally, it was a powerful war machine like an arcane golem.
That was why each of them owned two or three arcane golems.
With nearly forty arcane golems joining them, the marching force became an even more imposing sight.
The Forest Trolls fled in fright at the sight of the enemy, even with the Magic Defense Barrier still between them.
Seeing how cowardly they were, Herad wondered how they had held out this long.
The force reached the area closest to Zul'Aman, opened a passage through the barrier, and swiftly crossed, bringing the army right to the city's doorstep.
Before you continue