The time had come to move on. The villagers came to bid us farewell, and Ricardo handed us the trophies from the dungeons.
"May luck be with you. I will hope for your victory," he said.
"Make sure to come to the closing ceremony. It will be interesting," I waved to the elder as we set out from the town.
When the town was far enough, I turned to Ragni:
"Now it's time for you to attend to your own business."
"Yeah, I got it already. I hope you didn't deceive me about a proper meal waiting for me there with dinner?!" Ragni replied.
"Of course not, and please ask them to set my trophies aside in a separate pile."
"A bucket, a ladle, and a vial of blue liquid. You're not planning to cook soup out of it, are you?"
"Just do as I ask, alright?"
"Fine, fine. And I'll also set aside Vina's belongings."
Ragni jumped off the carriage and transformed into a dragon with a dark shimmer.
"Ragni! Wait for me!" Vina followed the dragoness.
"Why do you need to come along? I have enough ballast already," the dragoness assessed the weight with one hand.
"I need to fly to the Academy. I'd like to get some info on the Leran dungeons. They should be known by now. Besides, if everything goes well, we won't have to return to the Academy until the very end," Vina explained.
Ragni looked at me with a questioning glance.
"Just take her for one ride; it won't be a problem," I said.
The dragoness let out a deep sigh. "Fine, get on already. I'll have to make a loop. I suppose we'll meet at the entrance to the orc caves."
"Yes, no later than in two days."
The dragoness went to the storage, and we continued our journey.
The path was long, but there were no significant adventures on the way. Neither assassins nor thieves ambushed us. It seemed that no one saw us as serious competitors.
After one and a half days, we arrived at the base of the Renerim Ridge. Ragni and Vina joined us at the foot of the ridge. The dragoness was tired from flying back and forth, and for some reason, our merchant looked a bit sad.
"Vina, what's the matter? Couldn't you find the necessary information? It's not like you," Seleria tried to talk to her.
"No, of course not. I found out everything we needed. At least now we have information about three dungeons in Leran, and I also learned a bit about the Golden Tomb that Levris mentioned. So everything is fine. I'll tell you all about it after the dungeon," Vina reassured.
"Alright then, but you don't look well. Maybe you should rest?" Seleria suggested.
"No, I'm fine. Who else but me will help you choose the right loot?"
Soon, we reached the cave. Again, one of the teachers stopped us to check our numbers.
The orc lair was of considerable size. It was a large clearing with an obviously artificially constructed hut made of big stones piled pyramid-style on top of each other.
As we stepped onto the clearing, the sound of drums echoed from the cave, and soon its owners emerged. Orcs, muscular humanoid creatures slightly taller than an average person but significantly bulkier. Three cave trolls followed them, massive beings standing three to four meters tall, wielding huge clubs. There were about fifty orcs in total, but luckily, there were no shamans among them, so we didn't have to worry about magic.
"Form two lines: warriors protect the mages. Mages, try to take down the trolls first. Kurone, find a spot with a good view. Grain, can you create a corridor to force them to attack us head-on?"
"Certainly, more than ten won't be able to attack at once."
Grain made a few motions, and two thick earthen walls sprouted from the ground, restricting the movement of the orcs.
"Charge!"
We moved forward and stood in the narrowest part of the corridor. I, Algo, and Asura stood in the front row, with Miriam, Vivien, and Werner slightly behind us. At the first opportunity, the twins fired arrows at the orcs who came too close, while Werner pushed back anyone trying to break through our defense line. Katrina, Ragni, and Seleria stood behind us on a small elevation created by Grain's magic. They carefully aimed at the ranks behind us, taking out the orcs one by one without exerting much effort and without risking hitting us. Leira and Rizel took positions on the sides, using their magic to knock down anyone attempting to climb over the walls.
Everything was going relatively well. After each wave, we retreated to clear the battlefield of fallen orcs. Soon, it was time to face the trolls. Next to them, not simple orcs with clubs, but elite ones clad in armor and wielding somewhat decent weapons gathered. The fight became considerably more challenging; it turned out that the trolls' hides were covered with stones, giving them good protection against fire and lightning. The princesses' magic couldn't harm them.
"These are troublesome creatures. Katrina, Seleria, Leira, deal with the smaller ones. Ragni, I need your strength. Werner, Algo, cover the princesses. Asura and the twins, handle one troll, Ragni and I will take care of the other. Rizel, you deal with the third."
"Yes. My magic still affects them," Rizel replied.
We quickly rearranged our formation. The swordsmen with the princesses rushed at the orcs, as they didn't pose much of a threat to them. The sorceresses easily dispatched them with a single attack, and the swordsmen protected them with all their might.
Ragni and I circled around one of the trolls. Even with two swords, blocking its strikes felt like falling from the fifth floor onto a stone floor, so I left this honorable duty to the dragoness. I circled around, cutting circles, severing tendons on its legs. Despite its massive swings, it almost hit me a couple of times, but Ragni was quick enough to grab its fists before the impact. Soon, the monster dropped to its knees from the pain, and with one precise strike, I severed its head.
Rizel was doing quite well, as usual. She dodged the troll's attacks, trying to agitate it. Meanwhile, she cast small spells on its legs, and I noticed how rocks gradually fell off its skin. She certainly enjoyed wearing her opponents out. Finally, the troll made a mistake, taking a big step to try and crush the annoying bug with one stride, and Rizel jabbed the sharp end of her staff into its supporting leg. Howling in pain, the troll fell to the ground, and the violet flames of decay destroyed its heart.
However, things weren't going as smoothly for Asura and the twins.
Meanwhile, on a hill in front of the battlefield, the last member of the squad lay hidden. Vina was lying on the ground in a way that she couldn't be seen, holding a small magical crystal in her hands. The crystal displayed the entire battlefield, although she had a clear view from her position. Occasionally, she looked at the field through the crystal. Something was bothering her. Through the crystal, she could see Kurone standing amidst the crowd of orcs, calmly giving orders to the group members. But when she looked away from the crystal, Kurone was nowhere to be seen. What kind of magic allowed her to disappear like that remained unknown.
At that moment, the warrior with blue hair was engaged in a fierce battle. The troll attacked her with powerful swings of its claws, and she skillfully dodged the attacks at the last moment. Vivien circled around the troll from the side, trying to strike it in the left flank with her spear. All the troll's attacks on the spear-wielding twin were interrupted by a hail of arrows from the opposite side. Despite being physically inferior to the enemy, they never lost their composure. In a short time, Vivien dodged and deftly pierced the monster's heart with her spear. After resisting for a couple more seconds, the massive body of the troll collapsed to the ground.
The victory was theirs. The guild members congratulated each other on their triumph and headed towards the cave. However, at that moment, the last troll slowly rose to its knees and lunged at them. No one noticed the resurrected creature, except Vina from her vantage point, but she couldn't warn the others in time.
Suddenly, Kurone turned around, and at the same moment, the guild members scattered to the sides to avoid the attacking monster.
"Thanks for the warning," Kurone's voice sounded directly in their heads, which naturally startled the merchant.
She can do that?! An amazing ability.