Book 4, Chapter 30 (1/2)

To Battle

Although the will of the forest was severely weakened near the devil’s gate, the gate didn’t cover a large area. Even the strongest of the invaders that tried to enter areas protected by the will were forced to retreat. This was something that had boosted the tribe’s confidence greatly.

However, the elven grand elder’s primary worry was the leader of the invaders. That was a frightening individual, possessing immense patience. He was in no rush to act, only cutting down the forest faster and faster. This was clearly a plot to weaken the will of the forest.

So far, the invaders’ progress was pitiable. Compared to the sea of trees covering tens of thousands of square kilometres, the invaders had only cut down a drop in the ocean. Still, whenever there was an ambush, the elves were sure to be decimated. This was a situation completely different from any invaders they had faced in the past.

This opponent was losing patience; in their unmatched arrogance, they seemed to be intent on flattening the entire forest. Such unmasked savagery was much more frightening than the previous invaders who had just let the ancient trees wilt in silence.

Jubu was far too young and had entered battle without consent. Losing him was even worse than losing all of the tribe’s warriors, but fortunately they had managed to capture one of the opponents’ important subordinates. Still, this was only accomplished with the sacrifice of a dozen of the ancient treant Uranor’s children.

No matter how much the grand elder tried to console himself, his worries refused to fade. Even the Tree of Life was showing fear…

Did the invaders really have no way of dealing with the will of the forest? Although his kin had relied on the will to fight back the invaders repeatedly in the past, he felt an omen of a disaster this time. He decided to wake the Tree of Life at next light, leaving this piece of earth that was full of life for the depths of the forest. He would completely ignore the druids’ objections.

……

As the first rays of green light began to flush out the darkness of the night, Richard was stood upon the crown of an ancient tree staring at the imposing Tree of Life that was several kilometres away. A smile hung on his lips.

They finished their last rest about thirty kilometres away from the elven tribe. Richard stroked the head of his unicorn, “Can you still go on?”

The sacred beast seemed somewhat tired, but upon hearing his words it gave a long, dissatisfied neigh. Its hooves started rubbing against the ground as it became alert once more; over the past two days, this beast had contributed the most by resisting the will of the jungle. Without it, it would be impossible for them to make it so far.

Everyone present was a battle-hardened warrior. Knowing a difficult fight was upon them, they spent their time eating, resting, and calming themselves so they would be at their peak for the upcoming confrontation. Nyris’ smile had disappeared as well, replaced by hints of aggression as he silently sharpened the legendary axe in his hands.

The only one not resting was Richard, who instead worked on inspecting the condition of his soldiers. The most detailed check went Demi’s way, so much so that she watched him with fear as she moved on to the next one. ‘Is this what a leader is?’ she couldn’t help but think.

“It’s what a leader should be,” Agamemnon’s voice sounded beside her. She couldn’t help but jump, startled that he appeared to know what she was thinking. It made her somewhat nervous.

“The battle will start soon, keep within ten metres of me,” he instructed her once more. Demi bit her lips, but despite her reluctance to do so she nodded. She now understood that war was no game; she could not burden others because of her own capriciousness.

The time for battle kept closer, and Richard started to grow a little nervous. This battle was unlike anything he had faced before, the enemies far more powerful. Without the soul links he relied so much on to control the battlefield, he wasn’t as effective either. His followers could fight as a cohesive unit, but what of the others? In such a small-scale battle, command was no longer a priority. The key to victory was in being able to react dynamically and coordinate.

This was the first instance in recent times where he felt like he didn’t have control of everything, and he realised just how much he hated such situations. His battles ended with powerful enemies being overwhelmed by hordes of weaker units.

No matter how uncomfortable it was, however, they had to fight. All he could do was prepare the best he could.