CHAPTER 14: FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH TROLLS

If Sean claimed that he had no thoughts about the stunningly beautiful Sylvanas with her alluring figure, he would undoubtedly be deceiving himself.

He even contemplated impressing this lady with his remarkable performance on the troll battlefield.

Though she was a Farstrider born to humble origins, Sylvanas held the title of the future Farstrider General. An alliance with her would be greatly advantageous to his family.

While noble families from Silvermoon City might lack some common sense, they had been trained in political sensitivity from a young age. As a family that had held the position of the Farstrider General for generations, the Windrunners controlled the majority of the high elven Farstrider army. Any family that could win them over would secure a powerful ally.

Sean had already envisioned a future where, after aligning with the Windrunners, he would increase his influence within the family, become a minor clan leader, marry a high-born lady, and ascend to the pinnacle of life. Just thinking about it got him a little excited.

If Sylvanas ever discovered his naive thoughts, she would likely scoff at him. However, given that the Morningstar family mage had readily agreed, she had no need to delve into his intentions at the moment.

After the council meeting, Sylvanas took the initiative to work with Skelan to organize the camp's tasks. Charles saw this as an opportunity to learn some new techniques from Arwen.

"I see. So, you've reached this level already? It seems you're not far from advancing."

Arwen smiled contentedly when he heard Charles's question. Charles had inquired about control issues related to focus concentration. Recently, he had sensed a potential breakthrough in his total focus pool. The familiar techniques felt slightly off due to this alteration.

"Since your focus is still rapidly increasing, it's best not to change your techniques for now. Pretend the alteration doesn't exist and focus on changing your output rotation after your breakthrough stabilizes."

Since they were currently stationed on the front lines, there wasn't much time for Charles to experiment with altering his techniques at a leisurely pace. Waiting until his focus reached a stable state after the breakthrough seemed like a prudent approach.

"Very well, Uncle Arwen. Thank you for your guidance."

Arwen patted Charles's shoulder reassuringly. "You're welcome. By the time Miss Sylvanas advances to a higher rank, I'll likely be nearing retirement. The faster you younger generations progress, the more at ease I am."

It seemed that the high elves had entered a period of abundant talent once again. Prince Kael'thas had already reached the seventh circle of power, and word had it that he was not far from the eighth. Both Charles and Alleria were on the cusp of a breakthrough to a higher rank, and the young Lireadelyn had already reached mid-level senior status. Others like Lothar and Veressa were also exceptionally talented.

However, amidst the emergence of this new generation of prodigies, the experienced Arwen sensed the brewing of an impending storm. "The last time we saw so many rising stars was during the Troll Wars, wasn't it? I hope it's not what I fear."

While the Farstrider camp began to stabilize, the primary battlefield under Liressa's command had initiated a new round of combat. Though Sylvanas couldn't witness the situation at the Sunwell Plateau, reports from scouts suggested that Liressa's forces held the upper hand.

However, a typical elven problem, the lack of a front line, made it challenging to convert that advantage into an outright victory. Upon temporarily repelling the trolls, Liressa was hesitant to press too far without proper vanguards. An ambush in the dense forests would be disastrous for the high elves, who relied solely on ranged attacks.

The Amani trolls were skilled forest combatants, and the previous war had been a stark reminder of the consequences of underestimating them. The trolls had inflicted lasting damage, which the Farstriders had yet to fully recover from.

From scout reports, Charles learned about the troll leader on the primary battlefield.

"Nalorakk, is it?"

If he remembered correctly, this troll seemed to be a worshipper of the bear loa. At present, however, Nalorakk hadn't harnessed the powers of the loa; he was just an ordinary high-ranking warrior.

As the primary forces clashed, the trolls on the outskirts of the Farstrider camp once again initiated a probing attack.

Since Sylvanas had to stay at the camp to command, Arwen and Charles were tasked with confronting the trolls. Lireadelyn's priestly unit and the mages led by Sean took up positions in the rear.

Under the command of Harlaz, the trolls were divided into two wings, each attacking one side of the camp.

"Charles, the left side is your responsibility. There aren't many trolls, so they shouldn't cause too much harm. However, be cautious of the few headhunters in their ranks."

Since the enemy had split their forces, the high elves, who were on the defensive, could only adapt accordingly. Arwen assigned the left wing to Charles, consisting of over fifty Farstriders and three mages. Arwen himself led an equivalent force on the right side, while Lireadelyn's priestly unit remained positioned slightly further back, ready to heal wounded soldiers.

"Leave it to me. However, Uncle Arwen, shouldn't we assign an additional mage to your side?"

With a self-assured smile, Arwen drew his longbow from his back. "Haha, I don't need you to worry about an old timer like me. Go on; don't let the trolls break through."

Saying this, he nocked an arrow and began aiming at the approaching trolls. Charles promptly rushed to the left wing to organize their formation.

"At 800 meters, Farstriders, prepare to fire! Mages, get ready to cast spells!"

As the trolls gradually quickened their pace, the well-disciplined Farstriders, following Charles's orders, launched a volley of arrows without hesitation. They didn't pause to assess the results but immediately drew a second arrow from their quivers to continue rapid fire.

However, the thick-skinned trolls, apart from a few unlucky victims who took arrows to vital spots, mostly raised crude wooden shields to block the arrows. Under the command of their imposing squad leader, they continued to advance.

"At 500 meters, fire volley! Mages, begin casting spells!"

Eager to start, Sean immediately initiated the magic flow in his body, along with the two mages under his command.

He issued orders to the mages, "Prepare Blizzard! Target the front-line trolls. Start casting after they enter the 500-meter range!"

Grumbling under his breath, Sean, clearly displeased, was none other than the mage assigned to Charles's side. Nonetheless, he had the presence of mind to understand the gravity of the situation and promptly issued orders to the two mages under his command.

"They expect us to listen to this ground-walker. I'm not pleased."

Feeling their frustration, the mages reluctantly followed Sean's instructions and prepared to cast Blizzard. Charles saw the trolls approaching quickly and gave his orders to the Farstriders and mages at the left wing.