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Chapter 9 - Chapter 9 - The battle begins.

Chapter 9 - The battle begins.

After talking to the Elder, Ed was feeling more confident. He wasn't completely sure, but, subconsciously, insecurity and mistrust were keeping him from connecting with the villagers.

Despite his best efforts to remain calm, there was a fear that everything around him was a lie, that perhaps the Arachnos didn't exist, or the reality was as simple as he being tricked in some strange way. - I've heard of the 'peter pan complex', but never the 'hansel and gretel complex', hehe. - Ed thought jokingly.

However, the conversation with the Elder really helped him accept the situation, and to reaffirm reality once and for all. - Also, if the information that the elder and Gih got after communicating with the forest is true, tonight things should start to heat up. - While walking through the village, Ed reviewed the information that the Elder had just passed on.

- On Earth, how many physicists would kill to have a first-hand extra-dimensional experience like this? -He joke with himself, while looking for a quiet place to rest. After all, night was approaching, and no one knows the dangers it would bring.

....

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours.

From late afternoon, the elves began to take turns guarding the walls. From time to time the Elder would comune with the trees in the forest, and had already felt the presence of Arachnos near the village. But they were standing still, waiting.

- What do you think? - Asked Gih, while watching Ed look at a simple map of the region he had drawn. In it was the relative position of the Arachnos, as the Elder had felt.

- The plot thickens. - Ed murmured. - From what I know about the Arachnos, and I've seen several of these type of cards, from several different editions; if only the lineages of Soldiers and Commanders were in the woods, they would have already attacked. Arachnos Soldiers are brutes, they don't think nor plan. Commanders can order soldiers through their superior lineage, but they are not strategists either. Without commanders, the soldiers would have attacked directly; with commanders present, they would still be attacking, only it would be a more synchronized attack. - Answered Ed.

- You mean that if they are getting organized, waiting, then...- Luh thought, unable to complete the sentence due to nervousness.

- A general must be leading the attack. Maybe the Queen is involved too. - Gih completed the thought, in a serious tone.

Hearing the two of them, Ed's brows furrowed even more. His mind working at 110% for information.

- Let's not rush. You said that the first attack was made up of spider-type creatures only; in the second attack a few days ago, you spotted Arachnos soldiers and a commander. Today, despite being only the third attack, they have already sent a general. This gives us some information.

- What do you have in mind, Ed?

- If I had to compare our situation to a competition, I would say that the opponent's deck is lacking, maybe weakened. An Arachnos-based deck should have more low cost creatures, the opponent would attack in waves of weaker creatures, until a chance for soldiers and commanders to initiate the attack showed up. The generals would only appear after the soldiers and commanders had secured a breach, and only then would the real attack begin. Finally, if necessary, the queen would only appear at the end, to give the maximum bonus and end the battle. - Analyzed Ed.

- According to the lore, Arachnos live in a hierarchy-base community. It shouldn't be easy for superiors to appear one after the other like that. They should've make a lot more attacks with low level creatures and soldiers before general showing up. This mean that they are having internal problems. This explains why they are acting harshely, and why they are not using continuous attack tactics.

- If we manage to maintain the defenses, they are likely to give up or, if the queen is around, she might appear. In any case, for better or worse, this invasion will end soon.

- In any case, at the end of the day the plan remains the same. We focus on defense, wait for the general to appear, and eliminate it, hoping to disperse the invasion. If the queen appears, things get complicated. Queens, unlike other Arachnos, are as intelligent as other sentient races; perhaps with the Elder's skill we can communicate with her, see what it wants. If the problem is territory, committing to get out of here and go on pilgrimage might solve the problem. If the problem is food, and they see us as food... well, there's nothing to talk about, we'll fight. - Ed concluded.

- I hate this wait. I've never felt so insecure - Luh said. - But our faith did not let us down. The Elder was right Ed, you really are the help Arboreus sent to us. Hearing what you say made me calmer. At least we know what we're fighting for and we what options we have.

-I thought I was good enough, I called myself the military leader of our village, the leader of the hunters. But Ed is on a different level. - Said Gih, with a bitter tone.

- Envious, Gih? - Luh laughed, teasing her sister.

- Envious of what? I may know a lot, but if I put myself in the middle of battle, I probably won't last a second. - said Ed. - We all have our strengths and weaknesses. What I know you will learn, fast; you have more than enought time for it. But the training you had since childhood, whether psychological or physical, magic or fighting, living in the forest, hunting, facing death in your daily life; it's not going to be easy for me to catch up with you in this. Alas, you have a life expectancy of what? 1000 years? I might not be over 100. There's no comparison between us." Ed replied.

- Well, if we survive this challenge, we'll start training you Ed, the pilgrimage won't be easy, you will have to endure walking all day and still have the energy to fight in case any danger appears; will have to sleep in the woods, and be on alert at all times. Let's get you in shape, fast. And don't say you're still recovering from your accident; when you arrived here the Elder personally healed you, you are probably as healthy as you were when you were a baby. - decided Gih, leaving no opportunity for Ed to retort.

"Ahh..." Ed groaned, imagining what his next few days would be like. - I'm starting to want to cry again.

The tension in the room immediately dissipated, followed by a heary laugh Luh couldn't hold back any longer.

...

As night fell, the silence of the forest was finally broken. Sounds of creatures moving among the trees and leaves could already be heard from the wooden wall. Without waiting for an order, the standing archers shot incendiary arrows, lighting two huge fires built in front of the forest and lighting up the place.

With this, the elves on watch saw dozens of spiders, large and small, running towards the village.

- Luckly Ed said to cut the trees in front of the wall. If we hadn't, these spiders would invade the village using the trees as support to launch their webs right at the top of the wall.

- Ed is the person that Arboreus sent to us after the Elder prayed for so long. Of course he will be smart. But as the Elder said, a miracle doesn't just happen, we still have to fight for it.

- Well, I don't mind fighting. As long as there are still enough people left to go in the pilgrimage, take the children to the border, and keep our village's flame burning, I'll be happy, even if in the company of Arboreus.

Conversations like these took place around the perimeter of the wooden wall. The elves talked among themselves, trying to convince themselves that hope was not lost.

- MEN! - shouted Gih, catching the elves' attention. - Our battle begins now. FOCUS! We got help from Arboreus, we cannot let Him down. We must get pass this trial.

*zing* *zing* *zing*

As Gih worked on the elves' morale, the sounds of arrows being fired came from another part of the wooden wall. Looking there, Luh had already started the battle, shooting three arrows towards the forest. Instants later the three biggest spiders that were coming towards the wall stopped moving. A good observer would see on each of their heads feathers consistent with the ones used in the making of the elven's arrows.

At the same time as the spiders fell, Luh raised his right hand, and with the whisper of a few words he snapped her fingers. With a faint flash of a greenish aura, the bodies of the fallen spiders exploded, from them countless thorny vines grew rapidly, darting and striking other creatures in the vicinity, also creating a thorny field in front of the ditch.

.....

Inside the Elder's house, in a room, in front of an altar, Ed and the Elder were sitting in the ground, holding hands.

- 'First blood' - muttered Ed, who was watching the battle with the Elder's help; who was using his powers to synchronize Ed and one of the trees near the shore, giving him a view of the battle.

The feeling of being connected to the tree was certainly different. A feeling of peace and serenity invaded Ed's mind, his thoughts extremely clear.

Outside, spiders still continued to emerge from the woods towards the wall. The vines were able to slow them down, but not stop them. But they were easily being fought off by the elves on the wall.

- If you have an elf who can use some magic to generates a strong gust of wind, ask him to do it. Arrows help with giant spiders, but small ones are very difficult to deal with and the expense is not worth it. Letting them enter is also not a good idea, since they can be poisonous.

- In that case, wouldn't it be better to light the ditch? asked the Elder.

- If we light the ditch now, it will consume fuel, it will keep the spiders away, but we may lose this line of defense sooner than we would want. A spell that generates strong enough wind will force the smaller spiders away, that buys us time before lighting the big fire. - Ed replied, after some consideration.