"How ruthless," Oliver muttered under his breath. He had lost his most reliable means of observing the situation, so now he crouched on the mountaintop, peering through a dusty telescope he hadn't used in ages. From his vantage point, he could make out the movement below. There were no large groups of elves moving together, except for the so-called peace faction. They looked more like prisoners than participants, despite the lack of physical restraints. Their faces were etched with reluctance, and if given the chance, they'd likely lash out at their captors without hesitation.
Of course, if weapons were available, they'd probably use those first.
A steady stream of boxes was being loaded onto carriages, confirming this was the enemy's base. Oliver had been watching long enough to note the sentries posted in the four cardinal directions; southeast, northwest, northeast, and southwest, but the dense forest obscured any hidden guards. It wasn't ideal.
The situation was dire. His intelligence was limited, and he was utterly alone. Worse yet, time was running out. The Black Crows could launch their assault at any moment. If Oliver couldn't reunite the scattered elves before the attack, the radicals might escape, but the peace faction would be left vulnerable.
And what good is a dynasty with only one ruler?
Without another thought, he dashed down the mountainside, plunging into the thick, shadowy forest. His mask covered his mouth and nose, a precaution against any airborne powders or toxins that might be lurking. Everything else, he'd have to improvise.
'Hopefully, nothing too strange comes up,' he thought.
But as if on cue, a cold sensation crawled up his spine. He ducked instinctively, and just in time, there was a thin, nearly invisible thread stretched across the path ahead. One more step, and it could've sliced him open. He grimaced, knowing there were likely more traps hidden nearby. As he scanned for a safer route, a deeper sense of danger began to close in.
'Already discovered?' His heart sank. Even worse, though he could feel the threat closing in, without his magical sight, he couldn't pinpoint its source.
'This is miserable,' he thought, spitting under his mask in frustration.
Running back was out of the question. Retreating would expose his position, and worse, he still hadn't pinpointed the enemy's lair. There was only one option left; he had to push forward, no matter what.
He moved quickly but cautiously, his progress slowed by the need to stop, roll, or change course to avoid hidden dangers. Just as he completed a forward roll, he barely had a second to catch his breath before a short arrow whizzed silently from the shadows, aimed directly at his back. Fortunately for him, the glint of reflected light gave the attacker away.
Oliver reacted in an instant, pivoting on his left foot and raising his bow in one fluid motion. His fingers released two arrows in quick succession, striking down the silver streaks that had been aimed at him. The arrows had more power than his enemy's, and they sliced through the air, driving deep into the trees.
Without pausing to check if he had killed the shooter, he kept running. Staying in one place would only invite more enemies. Although his objective was to take on everyone, he couldn't afford a coordinated attack from multiple foes at once.
Not long after, three more arrows shot toward him, but this time the enemy had adapted. They stayed hidden in the shadows, revealing themselves only at the last moment when their arrows caught the light, reflecting directly into Oliver's eyes.
Even with his heightened senses, it was impossible to track all the threats at once. The danger seemed to come from every direction, making it difficult to determine which arrows were closest and which could be ignored. He managed to dodge the first two arrows, but the third one grazed his left arm, slicing through his clothing and drawing a thin line of blood.
'Damn it,' he thought, gritting his teeth.
As Oliver pressed forward, the three arrows had come at him so suddenly that he couldn't pinpoint their source. All he could do was keep moving, and to his relief, the traps he encountered were far fewer than at the start. The forest seemed to thin out, revealing a brightening light ahead, a promising sign that he was nearing safety. Without the dense underbrush to conceal attackers, he felt a flicker of hope.
But life has a way of throwing curveballs. Just as he relaxed at the sight of the light, his foot caught on a rope hidden in the grass. He lost his balance, tumbling forward and bracing for impact. In the back of his mind, a nagging fear surfaced; what if there were sharp stakes hidden beneath the grass?
But as he fell, another thought crossed his mind: Were these traps newly set, or had they been there all along?
——
"Capture the intruder!" an elf shouted, his voice piercing the air. "Check to see if he's dead!"
"Thank you for your efforts," replied a leader-type elf, stepping out from the shadows, his heavy armor glinting under the summer sun. He wiped sweat from his brow, looking out over the chaos.
Unbeknownst to them, Oliver had been exposed from the very beginning. The elves didn't know who had entered their territory. Long ago, Oliver's teacher had covertly contacted a respected elder in the village, using hypnosis to secure a promise of support for An. Only after receiving an affirmative response did she mark the location.
Yet, the aftermath was always unpredictable. Perhaps the hypnosis had been too potent, or maybe the elder simply had a habit of sleep-talking. Whatever the reason, his midnight mutterings had revealed secrets; provided no one was there to hear them. Unfortunately, that day, his grandson had been awake late and had absorbed everything clearly. When a dagger was pressed to his throat, he spilled the secret without a second thought.
Once the enemy realized reinforcements were on their way, they hastily set traps and called back reinforcements from their old hideouts, using the dense forest for cover. Many of the hidden sentries weren't just for lookout but were poised for ambush.
Oliver charged into their carefully laid trap, just seconds before he might have noticed something was off.
——
"What's going on? Why is there no noise?" one elf murmured, looking down into the dense underbrush.
"Shouldn't there be a lot of commotion? If it's still quiet, maybe it's haunted," his companion quipped.
"No, I mean, why didn't we hear anything when it fell?" The elf's brow furrowed.
"Good point," the second elf replied, nodding. They approached cautiously, pushing aside the grass that partially concealed the pit.
But just as they did, two arrows shot through the foliage, striking the hearts of both elves before they even realized what was happening.
——
As Oliver tumbled into the pit, he instinctively reached for his arrows. The pit was narrow, and as he fell, he thrust the arrows outward, stabilizing himself against the earthen walls. Just inches from his feet, a row of sharp stakes awaited him, halting his fall.
Regaining his composure, he pulled out another arrow, wedging it higher into the wall of the pit, and stepped onto it. With one foot on the lower arrow and the other on the higher one, he prepared to continue his ascent.
"Is anyone coming?" he called out, raising his longbow and aiming at the cave entrance, bracing for the next encounter.