17 The Magnolia Fores (1/2)
Following a war, the victorious adept family would require several years in order to truly absorb its earnings. There would always be obstacles.
The first challenge for the Thornfield family was to truly integrate the citizens from the newly conquered territories. Naturally, it was a minor issue and acolytes wouldn't be troubled by this more or less difficult task. They would send a knight as a n.o.ble, and if he failed to control his territory and meet the Thornfield family's expectations, he would be replaced by a more talented knight. End of the story.
The territories conquered were mainly baronies or viscount's territories, so the population rarely exceeded a hundred thousand of inhabitants after all. Among them, very few knew how to fight, so earning their trust could be easily done by giving them a few years free of taxes. Money was a real power in this world.
There was a second challenge though, one which required the Thornfield family's full attention. With their expansion, nearby adept families were looking at them with suspicious glares. It wouldn't be surprising if they tried to cause trouble here and there, to probe their reaction. Should they show weakness, a new war would erupt. Should they be too overbearing, a new war would erupt. And the Thornfield elders all agreed: they couldn't go through a second consecutive war!
Last but not least, the Thornfield family had obtained its forth resource point: The Magnolia Forest, filled with tens of thousands of Magnolia trees, magical resources, extremely attractive to adept families wanting to gear up their knights.
However, as long as there were magical resources, there was 80% of chance of it being either filled with numerous monsters or humanoid tribes, or difficult to access like the magical vein found several kilometres underground within the Elysian county.
While the Huntingwood family had made a deal with its inhabitants, rumoured to live in a small elven settlement, the Thornfield family wouldn't be pleased with just a yearly offering. They were greedy. Elder Water Dragon thus ordered the Water Troop to exterminate the elven species within the Magnolia Forest. In order to make sure no mishaps happened, Elder Water Dragon even sent three intermediate acolytes with the water troop, as well as 20 beginner acolytes.
Selene Dawins, now an elite knight with an enchanted heavy armour, and a looted spear made by the famous dwarf craftsman Pyro Forgemaster, was without any doubt one of the most powerful powerhouse in the Thornfield family. With her fire wolf mount, an intermediate-level magical beast, she was definitely one of the 10 strongest individuals in the Thornfield family. She was a true genius as she wasn't even 30!
However, not all geniuses were lucky.
Three months pa.s.sed already pa.s.sed since the sweet Water Fortress Banquet, and she was already on the verge of breaking down.
In the past three months, they suffered all kind of misfortunes. They encountered several packs of magical beasts a day, and the vegetation was so wild and uncontrolled that it slowed the army considerably. Adding to these daily life and death experiences, there were also countless conflicts opposing beginner acolytes and knights. Selene really didn't know which side to pick!
Her knights from the Water Troop were genuinely skilled and talented, they had earned their strength through hard work. In comparison, the beginner acolytes were weaker, and for sure, they pa.s.sed their lives in laboratories and libraries, making them look frail. Even though they mastered one or two spells, they weren't powerhouses, unlike her men. Yet…because of their status within the Thornfield family, some having close ties with the main family branch, or some having good talents, they had a really bad temper.
Compared to their cosy life in the Water Fortress, the Magnolia Forest was h.e.l.l. Insects were biting them, wolves scared them, and the knights, who went through this ordeal without mumbling a word of discomfort, humiliated them more than anything! Petty actions began to spread, and conflicts burst more and more often.
Selene, however, had other concerns. She was lost in this forest. The three past months had considerably weakened the army, and the moral couldn't be any lower. For sure, they had captured one or two elves. However, because of the peace-advocating elders wis.h.i.+ng to avoid an all-out war, she couldn't even torture them to get the elven settlement's location!
Eventually, three months pa.s.sed and she had yet to return with results! Her previous glory and n.o.ble lady demeanour were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't even return, since she was completely lost!
For some reasons, her magical compa.s.s stopped working as soon as she entered the forest.
In this cold day of winter, snow began to fall, and some younger acolytes, far from their family and home, started to cry. They were children, after all.
”Stop weeping, a.s.sholes”, she shouted, obviously angered that she had to play the nanny.
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In the eerie silence of the night, a shout reverberated. People started to panic for real. Chaos descended on the Water troops. They couldn't see in the darkness, but their enemy could! An elven attack!
”Where is Thomas?”, a voice mumbled in fear. However, as he asked this question, a volley of arrows pierced his head, along with 8 other members of the Water Troop. This was a ma.s.sacre. The elders reacted immediately, casting two frost spike spells, which failed to hit their hidden enemies.
Elves were beautiful beings, but legends were completely false. Elves weren't kind, at all! Ther were narrow-minded, selfish and incredibly xenophobic creatures!
Wors.h.i.+pping nature, they were worse than fanatical believer from the Church of Light! Conservative, unwilling to look forward, and unbelievably narrow-minded, their madness prevented their race from being the dominant species in Alphen. Physically, they weren't any weaker than humans. Spiritually, there were much more druids with mana abilities than human acolytes.
However, they lacked the greediness and open-minded nature of humans. Elves were very balanced, allowing them to have superior agility compared to their peers. Combined with their elegant wood craftsmans.h.i.+p, their sight and their stealth in the forest, most of them had the potential of becoming fearsome rangers.
Cultivating their bloodline, they could reach Grand-knight physique as long as
they invested enough time and effort.
The Water Troop was strong, but the extent of its strength could easily be seen. After 3 exhausting months, the knights were tired, and unfit to battle. Acolytes weren't of much use, as they spent their lives in laboratories and libraries, unsuited to battle.
Each second that pa.s.sed was one knight who lost his life. As soon as she saw an arrow pointing towards her, she deflected it with her spear and charged towards the location where it was shot. The impact was brutal, blood splattered everywhere, and the corpse could barely be recognized.
However, her individual prowess was barely noticeable in the grand ma.s.sacre that was taking place.
Elven archers were deadly, but the strongest powerhouses were actually druids, similar to acolytes as they had spirit, except that they had the strange ability of healing and shapes.h.i.+fting into bears, wolves or gigantic spiders.
Eventually, after 15 minutes of trying to retaliate with little success, Selene Dawins sighed, knowing when to stop. Half of her knights were killed; all beginner acolytes had been focused by the enemy and ma.s.sacred. Out of the three elders, two were killed, and one was on the brink of death. She knew there were no hope of getting out of this alive, should this battle continue.
”I surrender. Everyone, obey my command, and drop your weapons! I, as the commander of the Water Troop, demand to be treated according to the Silver Union Code of conduct and be treated as war prisoners”, she said.
An elven beauty came out of the shadows. Astounded, Selene could guess her strength…She was as strong as a Peak Knight physically, and she was wielding a long elven bow, beautifully crafted, with runes flickering in an extraordinary weak grey light! She had the cunningness and patience of the devil, as well as the decisiveness of a politician.
She had blond hair, so clear that they almost seemed white. Yet, her face seemed exceptionally energetic, with no wrinkle to be seen. She was already 72 years old, yet she was only considered a youngster in the eyes of other elves, who could live up to 200 years even without cultivating their body. Her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with killing intent.
Her bow released a powerful arrow, which seemed to be as strong as an advanced apprentice's arrow spell. This arrow could deal as much as 50 points of damage! Selene saw the arrow, and she closed her eyes. She knew her death was unavoidable. If she fell, at least, she would make sure the Water Troop -or what remained out of it- survives.