Over a year passed in the blink of an eye.
To the north of Silvermoon City, deep within the vast Dark Night Forest.
Towering, massive trees blotted out the moonlight overhead. The surroundings were pitch-black and silent, pervaded by an ominous feeling.
A small mixed unit of elven and human soldiers, clad in Silvermoon City guard uniforms, was making its way through the Dark Night Forest.
"This is the place!"
Sergeant Orlan pushed aside a thick patch of undergrowth and stared at the dark brown bloodstains on the ground, his expression grave.
"Leilin!" He turned around to face the regimental mage attached to their unit.
Detect Evil!
Leilin was currently dressed in his mage's uniform, looking dignified and solemn, with a faint air of maturity about him.
The glow of a spell quickly blossomed from his hands, then descended upon the pool of blood on the ground.
Hiss! Hiss!
Thin wisps of black vapor rose into the air, curling in a ring around the area, before pointing off toward somewhere else.
"All hands, stay alert!" Orlan's voice was low and tense. The moment he shouted, everyone else had already tightened their grips on their weapons.
Even Leilin wore a solemn expression on his face.
This was the Dark Night Forest — a place of danger, overrun with Beastkin who worshipped Mal, the Hunting God. They had formed a powerful tribe called the Black Blood, hostile to the civilized life of Silvermoon City.
Friction and outright clashes between the city guards and the Beastkin were the most dangerous affairs apart from the orc empire's invasions from the Sunrise Mountains.
"Leave it to you!" Orlan and the other members followed the spell's guidance to the mouth of a pitch-black cave. Orlan immediately gestured to Leilin.
The long-forged rapport between them made Leilin nod. Everyone else nearby involuntarily took a deep breath. Then Leilin pointed into the cavern!
Light!
A burst of brilliant white light flooded the interior in an instant. Several crossbows loaded with Dispel Magic arrows were already trained on the opening, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Under the illumination of the Light spell, everything inside the cavern was laid bare — but it was completely empty. There was nothing inside except tattered scraps of clothing and skeletal remains on the ground.
The garments were in severely damaged condition, but one could still faintly make out the style of the Silvermoon City guard. Several fragments were covered with mottled bloodstains that had since turned dark brown.
"Kyle Rosha! Confirmed — this is one of the missing rangers!"
Orlan picked out a name-bearing badge from among the scraps of cloth. Although to Leilin it looked more like a dog tag, Orlan murmured with a heavy expression: "This kind of arrangement… is this a ritual of the Hunting God? Those damned Beastkin!!"
Mal, the Hunting God — a deity who made people's blood run cold at the mere mention of his name.
Though only a lesser deity, he was especially fond of slaughter, and his followers were mostly a pack of vicious Beastkin.
Unlike orcs, Beastkin only retained partial bestial characteristics and suffered from an unstable hereditary condition. In Leilin's eyes, it looked very much like symptoms of genetic instability.
According to legend, these Beastkin had been created in the laboratories of mages, a claim Leilin wholeheartedly supported.
It was precisely their own suffering that drove most Beastkin toward fanaticism. They harbored hatred toward all other living things and revelled in killing — which aligned perfectly with the tenets of the Hunting God.
Captured orcs could at least be converted into slaves, but for Beastkin, that was nothing but a pipe dream!
The Dark Night Forest was the gathering place of these Beastkin, and they had established a massive tribe — the Black Blood — occupying the entire northern portion of the forest. They even posed a direct threat to Silvermoon City.
That lady of Silvermoon City, the Hope Lady, out of some degree of goodwill — or perhaps for other considerations — had once actively dispatched rangers in the hope of improving the living conditions of the other species in the Dark Night Forest. But attacks on them had been frequent.
This Kyle was obviously one of the unfortunate ones.
"Kyle Rosha! You were a loyal and courageous ranger. The heavy suffering of this world could not taint your soul. May you find rest in the divine kingdom…"
Orlan prayed. He was not only a powerful Ranger, but also a Priest.
While Orlan recited his prayer, Leilin and the other team members all bowed their heads in respect.
And just at that moment, Leilin's eyes twitched.
"Someone's there!"
The team's rogue was the second to detect it — a throwing knife was already hurtling into the shadows nearby.
Ugh…
A muffled groan came from the darkness, like the low growl of a beast, followed by the rustling of nearby foliage.
"It's Beastkin!"
A warrior in heavy armor stepped forward and pushed aside the obstruction, finding nothing but a trail of blood. However, the coarse animal fur left behind was unmistakable.
Though Beastkin suffered from congenital genetic defects, they also possessed tremendous vitality and other strange abilities — gifts, according to rumor, bestowed upon them by the Legendary Mage who had created them.
"Our mission is reconnaissance, not annihilation! They'll definitely go fetch more of their kind. We're pulling back for now!"
Orlan's hand tightened around the slender elven sword at his waist, but in the end he let go with a helpless sigh.
Playing hide-and-seek with Beastkin in the Dark Night Forest? He'd have to be insane to attempt that. The Beastkin were the finest hunters in their element — unless an entire army was marched in, led by high-ranking mages and a Legendary to clear the path, there was virtually no chance of flattening the Dark Night Forest.
Though Orlan's squad retreated quickly, they were still caught up by the Beastkin reinforcements that followed.
Wild roars and howls echoed from every direction. The shadows of the trees swayed, and every shape seemed like it could be one of those damned Beastkin. The faces of everyone in the squad grew grim.
"Damn it! Leilin!"
Orlan unslung the longbow from his back and nocked an arrow tipped with grey hawk feathers.
"Right! Magic Weapon!"
Leilin and Orlan had cooperated many times before, and their coordination was seamless. A ring of arcane light spread from the arrowhead outward.
Orlan's eyes were sharp as a hawk's — the bowstring snapped free!
Whoosh!
Elven archery was always exceptional, and Orlan was a Ranger to boot. Almost the instant he released, a muffled grunt came from the darkness, and a massive dark silhouette toppled over. A normal arrow would never have pierced a Beastkin's defenses, but an enchanted arrowhead posed no problem.
Magic Weapon! Force Deflection! Bull's Strength!
Leilin kept casting without pause, spreading multiple enhancement glows across the other team members.
"Well done!" Orlan praised. In truth, he had been worried that this newly assigned colleague would be arrogant due to his magical talent and refuse to follow orders. But Leilin's performance had clearly exceeded his expectations.
Not only did he follow commands diligently, he coordinated seamlessly with the rest of the team — hardly what you'd expect from a mage!
"Perhaps when we get back, Leilin's rank insignia will need to be changed… With Leilin's experience and merits, the promotion will probably happen this month…"
Orlan thought to himself, but then cast the matter aside. No matter what the future held, he had to get out of here alive first!
"Kill them!" A shrill voice, like metal scraping against metal, rang out from the darkness. The surrounding Beastkin went berserk, charging straight at Leilin.
"Follow me! We're breaking through!!!"
Orlan gritted his teeth, loosing arrow after arrow from his bow. Then he tossed the wooden bow aside and drew the slender sword at his waist.
As the regimental mage, Leilin was protected in the very center of the formation, taking no direct harm.
"In battle, a mage's spell slots must be devoted to supporting allies — but a mage's spell slots are limited, so personal safety must be entrusted to other team members. Under these circumstances, unless they were life-and-death comrades, it was nearly impossible to achieve smooth coordination…"
Leilin put on a frantic appearance, hurling lightning and fire that turned several charging Beastkin into corpses.
"I'm running low on spell slots!"
he shouted with a grave expression. This was, of course, a lie. Whether it was the first few levels of spells that could be cast directly through Spiritual Power, or the Mage's Ring, Leilin still had enormous reserves of strength. But secrecy was paramount, wasn't it?
"How many spell slots do you have left?"
Orlan didn't even bother wiping the blood from his face. All traces of elven elegance had vanished, and he looked at Leilin with taut nerves.
Without magical support, they had absolutely no chance of breaking through the Beastkin's encirclement.
"I have one 5th-level slot left — Cloudkill. After that, I only have 1st-level and cantrip slots…"
Leilin answered with a 'heavy' expression: "In the forest, there's no way for me to recover…"
"Damn it! Everyone, break out now! Run for it — however many make it, make it! Leilin, stick with me. Once most of them are clear, unleash the spell immediately!"
Orlan and Jinxi, the squad's other dedicated priest, both began to glow with divine magic. Though Orlan's priestly level was low, divine spells didn't require Spiritual Power or mana — only daily prayer to earn spell slots. Incredibly convenient.
After several healing spells, the other warriors all regained their vitality, and even their minor wounds were restored.
Riding this surge of power, Orlan and the others finally battered their way through the encirclement.
"Now!" Orlan roared.
Cloudkill! Leilin pointed behind him. A terrifying cloud of death billowed outward, engulfing the Beastkin within.
"Move!"
Fueled by the hope of survival, the remaining survivors summoned every last drop of courage and followed in Orlan's wake.
…
"We made it!"
Orlan looked back at the scattered remnants of his squad, hatred burning in his eyes.
"Those damned Beastkin have been getting more and more active lately… And Leilin, this time we owe you. The timing on those spells was perfect. I'll make sure to note that in my after-action report…"
"Next — we go home!"
Orlan gazed at the distant silhouette of the Dark Night Forest, heaviness lingering in his eyes. But when he turned back around, his expression had already changed.