Chapter 4: Time to Use the Town Portal Scroll

The battle had reached an impasse, and Captain Kleine grew increasingly restless. Events were unraveling far beyond his initial expectations.

This mission had not been sanctioned by Lieutenant Commander Vals. Instead, it was a unilateral move by Kleine. Under the pretense of a regular patrol, he had taken his squad out and, relying on intel from a source, staged an ambush on this secluded mountain village.

Kleine’s strategy was to cripple a supply base of the rebels with this surprise offensive. He aimed to draw them out, deal a substantial blow, and potentially take down some of their key leaders. Success would have secured him the merit to extract himself from the political snares of Rem City.

While the initial phase of his plan had gone as expected, everything had started to unravel about fifteen minutes prior.

A heavy greatsword sliced through the air once more. With deft movements, Kleine evaded its path again. Capitalizing on the brief moment his foe was thrown off balance, he executed three consecutive thrusts. 

Yet his opponent masterfully deflected each one with her wide blade. A swift sidekick from her disrupted Kleine’s advance. Their fists collided with force, prompting Kleine to back away.

This face-off had been ongoing for nearly fifteen minutes. Kleine was still comfortably holding his ground, and so was his opponent. 

Regarded as one of Rem City’s elite swordsmen, Kleine was convinced of his superior skills and believed he had greater endurance than his opponent. But even though she was female, her sheer strength appeared to eclipse his.

In a formal duel, Kleine was confident that the wolfwoman would inevitably deplete her energy wielding her cumbersome two-handed greatsword. Yet, on the current battlefield, her weapon seemed to grant her an edge, rendering the outcome unpredictable.

It was unexpected to encounter an adversary equal to him In such a place. She couldn’t be a nobody.

This stirred excitement within Kleine. The informant’s intel was proving to be far more accurate than he’d expected. Was it possible he’d chanced upon a major catch during what he thought was a trivial hunt?

In the blink of an eye, several spears lunged at him from both sides. He had no choice but to execute a series of backward somersaults to dodge the attacks.

Unbeknownst to him, the situation on the battlefield was deteriorating. More wolfkin warriors were converging from the distance. Meanwhile, the foolish mastiff soldiers surrounding him had seemingly lost their will to fight. Faced with the overwhelming numbers of wolf warriors, their defensive formation was clearly beginning to crumble. This collapse allowed even more wolfkin to close in on him.

Anger bubbled up within Kleine. He had a strong suspicion of the identity of his opponent.

Though his intel was scant, only a handful of women in the rebel faction held significant rank. The statuesque silver-haired wolfwoman in front of him fit the description of a specific individual. 

Kleine was almost convinced she was Nina Lams, the notorious rebel leader who topped the duchy’s most-wanted list, also known as the Moon Maiden from the so-called remnants of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan’s royal lineage.

If not for her, this place wouldn’t attract such a gathering of wolfkin warriors.

Grand Duke Sentalus had placed a bounty of fifty thousand renals on her head. If she was captured alive and presented to the Grand Duke, infamous for his lechery and eccentric tastes, the reward would shoot up to three hundred thousand renals.

Even if Kleine simply killed her on the spot and took her head back, he could skip the rank of Commander entirely and be directly promoted to Baron, leading all the guard troops. He might even get a chance to move to the Sil City, becoming a key member of the Baron’s direct forces, and thereby truly ascend to the upper echelons of society.

This was what he had always longed for. Being someone who, due to his appearance that closely resembled a true elf, was constantly ostracized by other half-elves.

However, as the mastiffmen continued to be pushed back, the hope of success seemed increasingly distant.

“Damn it!”

He deftly parried the incoming spear thrusts with the tip of his sword, attempting to lead these impulsive wolfmen into his own lines. Yet, the swordswoman capitalized on the situation, lunging at him from behind those wolfmen. As he swiftly dodged, she cleaved one of his soldiers in two, blade and all.

Their formation was instantly shaken.

The wolfwoman’s ferocity was palpable

Kleine swiftly moved to flank a wolfman, toppling a warrior in his path. However, before he could launch another attack, the telltale whistle of an imminent strike echoed from behind. Using one hand to stabilize himself, he executed a deft sideways somersault, narrowly evading the relentless swing of the greatsword, once again putting distance between them.

Had he known that Nina Lams was here, he would never have come with so few men. Even if it meant letting Commander Vals share some of the credit, he would have brought the majority of the combined troops.

A squad of 120 was more than enough to handle ordinary situations. However, at this moment, they were facing over 500 wolfmen warriors.

Kleine’s rapier danced in the air, swiftly tracing a pattern, and skillfully deflected the incoming spear, causing the wolfman to lose balance and stumble forward. Before the female swordsman could intervene, Kleine’s rapier, like a venomous snake, swiftly pierced the wolfman’s left eye.

Klein felt a surge of satisfaction as the tip of his rapier pierced through the eyeball, the sensation of the blade twisting inside the skull echoing up his arm. With agility, he pulled the rapier free, narrowly avoiding a furious blow from the wolfwoman’s sword. Yet, even before he could mount another attack, a barrage of spears thrust his way.

“Nina Lams!” he yelled as he deftly dodged and counterattacked, “Why should our men shed blood in vain? Let’s resolve this simply and with honor. You and me, a fair duel.”

The answer was an onslaught of more spears and swords.

“Coward! Are you even of royal blood? Where’s your honor?” he deliberately mocked aloud, but his opponent remained unfazed.

Instead of stepping out for a one-on-one as he wanted, his words drew even more furious wolfmen towards him. He had no choice but to retreat several steps, pulling completely back into his own ranks.

“When you slaughtered the old and weak, when you cornered the lone with ten times the troops, where was your honor then?”

Nina, the fierce swordswoman, momentarily ceased her aggressive onslaught. With a swift motion, she plunged her massive sword into the ground in front of her, quickly reining in her disheveled silver hair into a neat ponytail. Picking up her sword, she continued, her voice seething with contempt, “And when you preyed upon helpless widows and innocent girls, where did your honor hide then? You loathsome, dishonorable scum. You have no right to speak of honor.”

Her words evidently ignited the fury of the mountain folk. A wolfman standing by her side suddenly let out a howl, and soon, echoing howls resounded from all directions, further unnerving the mastiffmen.

‘What a worthless lot! For a formal army of the empire, even if they’re merely the defense troops under a baron’s command, to be cornered like this by mere mountain dwellers!’ Kleine cursed internally.

However, the other party evidently acknowledged the name he had called out, causing a surge of subtle elation within him.

Even if he were to lose his entire squadron here, as long as he could escape, the intelligence regarding the bounty of three hundred thousand renal should be enough to persuade Commander Vals, that greedy and short-sighted half-elf, to deploy the whole united forces and eradicate this mountain region. As long as he could capture Nina Lams, the merit would surely offset this minor blunder.

The baron, who has been staying in the imperial capital for years, would certainly not care about the lives or deaths of these filthy beasts. The steward, being a half-elf himself, should feel the same way. Although he and Commander Vals would certainly seize this opportunity to humiliate him once again, it would be just another test of his patience.

In the slums outside Rem City and Sil City, there were plenty of mastiffpeople willing to become soldiers. As long as he could secure the head of the Moon Maiden, everything would fall into place.

“Where is Nag?” Kleine suddenly remembered his subordinate.

Before the wolfmen launched their attack, Nag had been acting on Kleine’s orders to round up several wolfwomen. The plan was to publicly defile them in the village, forcing the wolfmen hiding in the surrounding forests to willingly come to their deaths. sparing them the disadvantage of battling in unfamiliar terrain. This strategy aimed to avoid the disadvantage of fighting in unfamiliar woods.

However, they hadn’t anticipated that the enemy would stealthily approach the village and launch a surprise attack when they were most relaxed.

Now that the battle had been ignited, those arrangements lost their relevance. However, in the current unfavorable situation, those wolfwomen could clearly be used as hostages to deter the attackers and make them hesitate.

Perhaps the tide of battle could be turned here?

“Have Nag bring those wolfwomen here,” Kleine whispered urgently, grabbing a subordinate, “Hurry!”

Their defensive line had been pushed back to the few remaining houses in the center of the village, using them as a shield against the wolfmen’s arrows and spears. They weren’t far from the house where the wolfwomen were detained. Both sides were seizing this brief lull to boost their morale, preparing for the next bout of fighting. Yet, during this time, the soldier Kleine had sent returned with infuriating news.

Nag was dead. Not just him, but his entire squad met a tragic end, and all the wolfwomen had disappeared.

“Damn it!” Kleine roared in rage.

How could this have happened right under his nose? That incompetent Nag deserved his fate!

At this point, he started thinking about escaping.

“How many war wolves do we have left?” He called over another squad leader.

“Nine,” The man quickly replied. “But most of them are injured.”

“How many are unharmed?”

“Just two.”

Kleine’s squadron originally boasted twenty war wolves. These beasts were typically fed the corpses of deceased slaves or executed commoners. Sometimes, the wolf riders would set them upon villages that defaulted on taxes or unsuspecting merchant caravans from afar, ensuring the wolves maintained their ferocity and aggression. These creatures might be less useful on plains compared to horses, but in forests, their combat and mobility outmatched any other mount.

The loss of these war wolves pained Kleine far more than the loss of his mastiff soldiers.

However, the enemy seemed keenly aware of this. Their initial attack targeted the camp where these war wolves were tethered. They had concentrated at least thirty bows and numerous thrown spears, inflicting severe damage on these fierce creatures right off the bat. Following this, a large number of spear-wielding wolfmen surrounded the area, dealing another crushing blow to these beasts, who, in the midst of chaos and without the guidance of their riders, were fighting purely on instinct.

If it weren’t for that setback, the charge led by these twenty war wolves could have easily overwhelmed a force ten times larger than theirs.

“Good.” Kleine nodded immediately. “Bring over those two wolves. After that, you’ll lead the charge north for our breakout.”

The squad leader immediately grasped his intent.

“Lord Kleine…” His voice quivered.

“Only if I go back alive I can find a way to avenge you, and only then can your family receive compensation. If I die here, you’ll all die according to military law, and you will get nothing,” Kleine said matter-of-factly. “This is the only way out now.”

The squad leader and surrounding mastiff soldiers fell silent, then nodded in resignation.

“My lord, please don’t forget us.”

“I remember your names clearly, rest assured,” Kleine said. 

Promises from elves to their vassal races were amongst the least trustworthy pledges in the entire continent, second only to the conscience of a slave trader. Half-elves, however, seemed to have perfected this untrustworthiness. But in this dire situation, the mastiff soldiers had no other choice but to force themselves to believe him.

The Empire’s military law was relatively lenient for elves and half-elves. Yet, for the vassal races, it was exceptionally severe. If a commanding officer was killed in battle, all his personal guards were executed. For squads like theirs, which inherently had few members, if a half-elf commander was killed, unless they managed to defeat the enemy and secure significant military achievements, all surviving members would be executed upon return. Their families, too, might face repercussions.

They dared not even contemplate desertion, for if a deserter was identified, all their kin would be publicly executed. At best, they’d be pushed into slavery.

The news rapidly spread among the remaining mastiff warriors, casting a palpable shadow of despair. It was evident that even more wolfmen were on their way, numbering more than five times their own. In these dire circumstances, Kleine, the squad leader who had brought them to this point, chose to forsake them and escape.

Yet Kleine remained utterly indifferent. The vast disparity in their bloodlines, coupled with the strict and ruthless martial laws, had long determined the difference in their fates. Moreover, these predetermined roles ensured the mastiffkin would never dare to rebel. Unlike the wolfkin who pridefully hid within the forests, switching allegiances at will, the mastiff kin had clung to the elves as foot soldiers for thousands of years. They were adept at oppressing other races, but toward elves and half-elves, submission had seeped into their souls as an innate reflex.

A mastiff soldier howled at the sky. Within mere seconds, the entire group joined in, their howls echoing with despair and frenzy. Then, under the leadership of the squad captain, the remaining mastiff soldiers raised their weapons and charged toward the enemy’s north flank.

A bloody battle immediately ensued. When the mastiff soldiers finally engaged with a resolve to fight to the death, the numerical advantage of the wolfmen became less pronounced in that confined space.

The swordswoman quickly grabbed her greatsword and rushed to where the battle was most intense. She sent the two foremost mastiffmen flying, causing them to crash heavily into their comrades behind them. However, this only momentarily slowed the mastiffmen’s advance.

Every single mastiff soldier seemed to have gone mad, launching reckless charges without regard for their own safety. In just this brief span of time, over thirty wolfmen warriors and ten mastiff soldiers met their untimely end.

The standard equipment of the mastiff soldiers was far superior to that of the wolfmen. When the ferocity within them fully erupted, the wolfmen, despite outnumbering them five to one, found themselves chaotically scattered by the canine onslaught.

Yet such feats on the battlefield did not earn Kleine’s approval. On the contrary, it only amplified his displeasure.

“Had they displayed such spirit and courage earlier, they would’ve captured the Moon Maiden long before these wolfmen assembled,” he scoffed as he steered his war wolf. “A bunch of useless trash!”

Under his command, the two war wolves charged out from the formation at top speed, breaking through the wolfmen’s scattered defense line, causing carnage and chaos among the crowd. They soon shook off the pursuers that closed in and dashed out along the nearest path.

With a swift motion, Kleine swung his lance, slashing through the throat of an overly brave wolfman and skewered another to death. For someone of elvish lineage and rigorous training, such feats came naturally.

The thrill of battle temporarily quenched his rage, prompting a bout of hearty laughter from him. However, at that moment, he caught sight of a war wolf. It was clearly one that had been separated when the war wolves had been attacked. It stood not too far ahead, vigorously tearing at something with its jaws.

As he passed the war wolf, the creature instinctively looked up, allowing Kleine a clear view. Beneath its paws was a body that appeared vaguely familiar. Strangely, despite the wolf’s evident gnawing, the body bore hardly any visible wounds.

How could this be?

He swiftly passed by the mysterious half-elf, but within seconds, he urged the war wolf to turn back.

The wolfmen were closing in quickly. He didn’t have much time to escape.

Yet, Kleine’s gaze remained fixed on the evidently alive body, his mind racing. Anything out of the ordinary surely had some inherent value. Although he was uncertain of what it was yet or its significance, he felt that this might be a chance for him to counteract the adverse effects of his earlier setbacks.

He issued a command to the other war wolf. It hesitated for a moment but then swiftly returned, clutched the half-elf’s body in its jaws, and followed closely behind Kleine as they continued their dash forward.