Commence operation Teutoburg

Ethan saw the terrain that they would have to fight on and realized he could use many of his previous life's examples to win the upcoming war. He had discussed the strategies with his commanders a few days ago and they settled on a particular example- The Battle of Teutoburg Forest. 

They stood at the border and one of the many key natural barriers was the Great Elpine Oakwood forest. They decided that they would use the forest as the battleground, ambushing the enemy beforehand. 

The Great Elpine Oakwood forest, much like the dense Teutoburg Forest, was riddled with narrow pathways and areas with limited visibility. It was a terrain that offered a plethora of opportunities for an ambush if played correctly. 

Ethan turned to his commanders, "Commence operation Teutoburg" 

With the command given, the army marched into the forests and hid away waiting for the ambush signal. Much like the Germanic tribes had done, Verdant Vale's forces lay in wait, hidden amongst the dense foliage. The enemy would march through the narrow pathways; their visibility would be limited by the thick canopy of leaves overhead. They would be unsuspecting of the ambush that was about to unfold. 

As the time passed the soldiers of Verdant Vale did not have to lait to long before the sound of steel clattering against each other could be heard and a few soldiers on horseback could be seen slowly walking forward, bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of Argenthrall." 

As they inched forward, the axemen was getting uneasy as they prepared to ambush and awaited the signal. Moments later a strange bird call could be heard echoing in the forest. The signal to attack. 

"Attack!!" 

"Contact!" The group leader barked, 

"Ambush! Take cover!" Fear electrified the air. "Where's it coming from?" A man cried out in panic. "All around!" A frightened soldier on a horse yelled back, his voice choked with fear. 

"Stay calm, men!" 

The group leader commanded. "Regroup, on me!" The alarm was palpable. "Archers in the trees!" The soldiers' warning rang out. "Fight back, men!" 

The battle commenced at dawn and just as the invaders were caught by surprise, the enemy found themselves amidst a sudden onslaught. Arrows rained down from the treetops, and soldiers burst forth from the underbrush. The element of surprise was on Ethan's side, and he used it to devastate the enemy scouts. 

The battle waged on relentlessly for four days, the Kingdom of Verdant Vale kept using the same tactics throughout the forest. The soldiers of Verdant Vale, using their superior knowledge of the terrain, decimated the enemy ranks. They emerged from hidden crevices, exploited the narrow pathways to bottleneck the enemy, and used the dense forest as their shield and weapon. But not all ambushes were successful as a significant number of enemy soldiers escaped or Verdant Vale teams suffered heavy casualties. 

The invading Kingdoms realized that they would be unable to pass through the forest on foot for fear of being ambushed and decided on a temporary retreat. 

Ethan once more called for a meeting to be held and report on the progress of the war. "We have decimated 7 teams of scouts, with each having about 10 people in them. There was some that escaped and could not be killed. We have also sustained significant casualties in some raids as those teams had more men-at-arms level soldiers, rounding about our casualties to 30 people and 5 severely wounded and 10 only lightly wounded. They lightly wounded will be able to fight in 2 days' time given enough rest." Asher said first. 

"The enemy forces were caught off guard, their numbers dwindled with each passing day. It's estimated that about 60 of their soldiers fell during the battle and the rest are wounded that died off or would die due to injuries in the coming days. They have stopped appearing in the forests halting any further expansion attempts from the enemy west of Verdant Vale. My soldiers report that they started to send out scouts into the surroundings. They scouted into the east where the Darkness Mountain range lies, to the west where the Jubi river converges." Rowan stated calmly. 

"Any movement from their Knights?" Ethan asked. "No, my lord. They are still staying at the main encampment." 

"Good, force some war beasts down the mountain toward the enemy encampment. There may lie hidden forces, let's see if we can force them out into the open." He spoke. 

The Darkness Mountain that lies east of the Great Elpine forest is known for its shadow element war beasts. The mountain does not have a high amount of high tier beasts except for the king of beasts that lay in the center of the mountain- the Duskfang Viper, a rank-low tier rank 3 beast. 

< Two Kingdom allaince camp > 

In the heart of the crimson-lit encampment, ensconced within an imposing fortress of tents, the generals of the two kingdoms congregated. Their faces stern, etched with lines of fatigue and worry, reflected the flickering glow of the fire. The makeshift war room was a hive of nervous energy, filled with the hum of terse whispers and the rustling of maps. 

Their mission to traverse the dense, Great Elpine forest had been thwarted by relentless ambushes from the unseen enemy. The generals gathered now to reassess their strategies. It must be noted that there were 5 generals all at the late-stage apprentice realm. The Ravens only reported four Captains, yet here stood one more among the men. Evidently the hidden forces are exactly this man. 

General Alaric, a seasoned veteran with a fiercely scarred visage from the kingdom of Argenthrall, broke the silence. "We've been outmaneuvered at every turn. The forest is their ally." His voice, rough as a gravel path, echoed the gravity of their predicament. 

"We can't continue like this; we must find an alternative. Either going through the Darkness Mountain or crossing the Jubi river." A stout, fierce looking said. 

Just as they were about to decide their next course of action, the air was suddenly punctured by a chilling symphony of roars and howls, the likes of which none had ever heard. The generals froze, eyes wide, hearts pounding in their chests like war drums. The cacophony outside grew, a wild orchestra of fear rippling through the encampment. 

The canvas flap of the tent was violently thrown open, revealing a soldier, his face pale and eyes wide with terror. "Attack! War beasts!" he stammered, moments before a beast of shadow and smoke burst into the tent, its razor-sharp claws slashing the air. Killing the messenger on the spot.