Let’s turn the clock back by five hours.

Four dwarves and a human teenager were hiding behind a big tree in a snow capped land, staring at a path before them. Two of them had crossbows on their backs, while the other ones had two-handed weapons with them.

“We’ve been here for half an hour, Roy. You sure Kaerwen’s coming out?” Reagan caressed his freezing beard, looking bored, and the other dwarves listened closely. Roy breathed into his hands to warm himself.

“Patience, my friends. I got this from a reliable source.” Roy injected some fear in his reply. “Since we have time, let’s review our plan.

“Kill those Scoia’tael scum,” Drew started.

“C-capture Kaerwen.” Barney clenched his fists in excitement.

“Um…” Dave scratched his head, apparently not knowing what to say.

“Safety first. We’ll make a run for it if we can’t beat them.” Roy’s fingers were getting white with nerves, his heart palpitating. “Go with the flow, Reagan. If the leshen somehow revives when we’re fighting, remember to throw some fire at it.” Even though Letho said there were only four members, Roy couldn’t be too sure about it, since they didn’t know much about the enemy.

“Got it, so relax.” Reagan’s face was getting red. “Fuck it. I’ve been wanting to kick that asslicker in the balls for a while now.”

And then they held their breaths, for they saw someone come out of the mine. It was a dwarf with white-hair and a white-beard, and he was equipped with a hammer as well as an oil lamp.

“He’s here.” They started tailing their quarry.

***

The white-haired dwarf walked on the path filled with wheel tracks for ten minutes before suddenly going into the forest that was flanking it. Roy and the dwarves were surprised by that, and they quickly followed.

The moon was drowning the land in its silvery glow, and the snow ground was filled with trails of footsteps leading deep into the forest. A group of five friends traveled in the dark, silent forest, and Roy would etch the mark of the Viper School on a pine tree after walking for a certain distance.

Half an hour later, their quarry led them to a dark cave. The white-haired dwarf suddenly put his index fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. A moment later, two silhouettes with torches in their hands came out to greet him. The dim light from the fire illuminated them, revealing their pointed ears, sharp chin, and slender, agile figure.

The elf on the left was wearing a dark green jacket that covered his leather armor underneath. His boots looked old and were made out of deer hide. And he was equipped with a bow, quiver, and sword.

The elf on the right had delicate features, fair skin, and had no visible weapons on her, though she had a rhombus-shaped talisman on her belt, and she was slimmer than her male counterpart. They placed their torches into the sconces on the wall and engaged in a quiet conversation with Kaerwen. Roy and his friends couldn’t hear anything because it was too soft, but the dwarves who were hiding behind the bush nearby looked excited. Barney even covered his mouth in case he made any sound, but his body was trembling in excitement.

Two elves? But there should be four? Are they in the cave? But it’s not a bad thing. Even if Kaerwen is there, it shouldn’t be too hard to defeat them. Roy heaved a sigh of relief and scanned the elves.

‘Thoth

Age: 70

Gender: Male

Status: Scoia’tael member

HP: 60 (Marked)

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 7

Constitution: 6

Perception: 7

Will: 5

Charisma: 6

Spirit: 5

Skill:

Bow Master Level 5

One-handed Mastery Level 5

Elegance of the Wind (Passive): Elves possess extraordinarily elegant looks and great dexterity. Charisma +1, Dexterity +1.’

***

‘Lydia

Age: 60

Gender: Female

Status: Scoia’tael member, sorceress.

HP: 50

Mana: 150

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 6

Constitution: 5

Perception: 5

Will: 6

Charisma: 7

Spirit: 15

Skill:

Source (Passive): Has awakened the power to sense chaos energy. Now a magic-sensitive elf. Loved by the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Absorbs mana automatically at all times. Can control Mana and release spells after receiving professional and systematic training, performing feats most people couldn’t.

Magic Trick Level 5: The mildest and trickiest usage of elemental energy. Expends a small amount of mana to perform daily chores. Includes cleaning, bathing, copying, lighting, makeup, and more.

Fireball Level 3: Elementary level fire spell. No materials needed. Summons a fireball to attack after casting. Damage is dependent on skill level and Spirit.

Lightning Bolt Level 4: Elementary level air spell. No materials needed. Releases a bolt of lightning at target after casting. Damage is…

Teleportation Level 3…

Heightened Defense Level 4…

Elegance of the Wind (Passive)…

Oh shit. An elven sorceress? Roy gasped. This is going to be troublesome. She’s a lot stronger than Toya is. I mean, look at all her skills. If she notices us and manages to prepare herself, she’ll be throwing fireballs and lightning bolts at us left and right while her teammates cover her. We’ll all die before getting close. Good thing I noticed her. She’s worse than a normal human in terms of survivability if caught unprepared. Wait, the other elf is marked?

Realization struck Roy, and he knew the male elf was their primary target, the key for the leshen’s revival. ‘Show no mercy. Kill him when you have the chance.’ He recalled Letho’s reminder and pointed at the male elf before pointing at himself. Then he pointed at the female elf and pointed three fingers at Reagan, who was holding Blood Brothers.

They loaded their crossbows and knelt down, aiming at their targets’ vitals. Roy activated Crossbow Mastery and aimed at the elf’s heart, while Reagan aimed at the female elf’s neck. The other dwarves held their breath and watched silently as Roy whispered the countdown. “Three, two, one, fire!”

Two crossbow bolts flew across the air, slamming into their targets. The male elf who was chatting with Kaerwen felt as if his chest had been hit by a sledgehammer, and he fell down with a contorted face as a bloody arrow pierced through his chest. Even though he’d hit his target, Roy looked dark, for he noticed the elf nudging ever so slightly to the side at the last moment. Because of that, the arrow didn’t manage to pierce his heart, and the elf survived, but only just.

Reagan’s shot was not much better than Roy’s. In fact, it was much worse, for a white light covered her, deflecting the bolt before it could hit it. 

“Gar’ean! Gar’ean!” the female elf screeched in horror before darting back into the cave, hiding within the safety of the dark. Then she started chanting, and the pressure from her eerie magic hung over everyone’s heads like a reaper’s scythe.

Kaerwen Hoger charged at their hiding spot, his hammer trailing along with him, and his hair billowed in the wind. 

“Drew, Dave, you guys take him on!” Reagan reloaded his crossbow. “Roy, finish that Scoia’tael scum! Barney, you’ll take care of that sorceress with me!”

Roy raised his crossbow and took out the bomb from his inventory. “No, we’ll take care of that sorceress first! That elf is just inches away from death! I’ll deal with him later!”

The battle’s tides started to turn, and a few moments later, Drew and Dave charged toward Kaerwen with their hammer and greataxe. Kaerwen swung his hammer and barely deflected the weapons away, but he was forced backward, and he ran into the forest.

At the same time, Roy quickly hurled the dimeritium bomb into the cave, and the white smoke enveloped the sorceress. She suddenly let out a chilling scream as the magical fire in her hands was extinguished. The light that enveloped her shattered into pieces, and blood trickled down her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Her magic backfired on her.

Roy didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and buried an arrow into her eye. A moment later, the arrow pierced through her skull, sending chunks of flesh, blood, and grey matter flying everywhere.

The sorceress fell back onto the ground and died, never getting the chance to cast any spell. ‘The sorceress, Lydia, is killed. You gain a hundred EXP. Level 3 (110/1500).’

Whoa, a sorceress is worth five times more than a normal human. But that wasn’t the time to think about that. He heard the howls of the wind coming from the cave, and a third Scoia’tael member showed up, holding a greatsword. He was obviously an elf, judging by his ears, but instead of having a slim body like his brethren, the elf with the greatsword was muscular and covered in dark, grey armor. His neck and left shoulder were exposed, and Roy could see a tattoo in the shape of green leaves, branches and vines sprawled on the elf’s skin.

His face contorted in rage and sadness, and he jumped out of the shadows the moment the sorceress had died. The elf swung his greatsword, aiming for Roy’s chest. The gale that brushed past Roy suffocated him, but he managed to roll away, though he was a moment too late. However, the greatsword was blocked by a black hammer.

“Y-you want to kill him? O-over my dead body!” Barney’s face was as scarlet as the setting sun, his eyes wide with fury. Barney slammed his leg against the elf’s chest, sending him flying back into the shadows, and he swung his hammer down on the elf’s head.

“I’m going in! There might be more of those scum inside!” Reagan went into the cave with his crossbow in hand.

Only ten seconds had passed since the first shot had been made, but only Roy and the marked elf were left, with the latter being near dead with a hole in his chest. Blood trickled down his mouth, and his face was contorted in rage, his green eyes filled with hatred. He bared his teeth at Roy, threatening to kill him, but to little effect.

“I’m sorry.” Roy couldn’t understand why Scoia’tael hated humans so much, but he wouldn’t spare them a shred of pity. He then grabbed a bolt out of thin air, but before he could do anything, a wrench was thrown in his plan.