Rynar and his party planned to traverse the Old Forest Road, heading north along the River Running to Lonely Mountain.
The advantage of this route was avoiding conflict with the wood elves residing in the Woodland Realm.
After all, if a fight broke out, Rynar's side would be the underdogs.
The elves, masters of guerrilla warfare in the forest, could easily crush Rynar's army, which lacked long-range capabilities.
Moreover, with nearly half of Rynar's troops being cavalry, traversing dense woods would be a nightmare—after all, not all cavalry could match the elves' majestic Moon Deer Riders.
Thus, Rynar and his entourage set off in full force along the Old Forest Road.
The Rapid infantry, armed with large shields, formed the outer line, while the knights of Zaltarion and Battanian archers took the center. Reynard and Rynar led the way, while Caslow remained the ever-reliable rear guard.
"Ugh, why are there so many spider webs on this road?" one Rapid infantryman grumbled as he untangled his lance from a sticky web.
"Who knows? With webs this big, it must be the work of some kind of spider beast!" replied another infantryman behind him.
"Maybe… but what's there to be afraid of? We have a full hundred knights with us!"
"Still, I can't shake the feeling that something's off around here," one infantryman remarked, glancing nervously at his surroundings.
"Hmm?" Rynar, hearing the commotion behind him, instinctively looked around.
"What do you think, Reynard?" Rynar asked.
"Do we even need to look? It's obvious there's a problem, my lord…" Reynard replied, exasperated.
"Then why are you so relaxed?" Rynar's eyes widened; he knew the Dark Forest was overrun by a horde of giant spiders.
Was Reynard suggesting they'd be fed to them without a second thought?
"Come on, it's just a low-level beast, the Shadow Giant Spider… Is that really worth all the fuss?" Reynard rolled his eyes.
For context, beasts are classified into six tiers, just like other professions: low-level beasts, intermediate beasts, high-level beasts, super beasts, and catastrophe-level beasts.
Creatures like the Wyvern and giant eagle fall into the super beast category, while legendary beings like dragons and leviathans are classified as catastrophe-level beasts.
"Uh, even if it's a low-level beast, it can still be a hassle, alright? Not everyone can handle it like you, Captain!" Rynar retorted.
"Hawthorn and pear…" After hearing the spiders were merely low-level beasts, Rynar relaxed and began humming a tune.
...
"My lord! There are even more spider webs ahead!" one of the scouts hurriedly reported.
"Are we really walking straight into a spider nest?" Reynard's face turned pale as he looked at Rynar.
"Are you sure the route you took is safe?" Reynard asked with an uneasy grin.
"What kind of look is that?" Rynar felt provoked.
"If there's a problem, it's Elrond's fault; I'm not taking the blame for this!" Rynar snapped.
"Or perhaps it's not King Elrond's mistake, but rather the spread of evil forces here has exceeded our expectations…
The fact that they can spin webs on the Old Forest Road means the east and west haven't communicated in ages…
This road has been abandoned…" Reynard suddenly suggested, his expression grim.
"Heh, I'd much prefer it to be Elrond's incompetence…" Rynar chuckled dryly.
"Formation, everyone! Prepare for battle!" Rynar took a deep breath.
"What's going on? Are we fighting again?" Caslow asked, rushing up from the back as he saw the sudden change in formation.
"This road has been taken over by spiders… We need to clear a path!" Rynar explained with a hint of resignation.
"Can't we take a detour?" Caslow frowned.
"We don't have time for that! The Day of Doom is fast approaching!" Rynar sighed.
"What are you scared of? You're a Dragon knight! There are no outsiders here; just summon your dragon!" Rynar suddenly remembered he had a Dragon hidden away.
Slap! Caslow smacked himself on the forehead, realizing he had forgotten he was a Dragon knight after spending too long in the company of Shire folk.
Caslow swiftly dismounted, pulling out his dragon flute.
A melodious tune resonated through the air, and the sky darkened as a powerful wind swept through, tearing apart the atmosphere.
A bluish Dragon emerged, its majestic form soaring into the air.
"Roar!" The piercing and uplifting roar of the Dragon echoed across the skies.
Boom! The Dragon landed heavily on the ground, startling the Shire's warhorses with its presence.
"Kaldr, long time no see." Caslow happily patted his Dragon's head.
"Roar~" The Dragon responded with a joyful rumble, its long tail sweeping playfully around, making Rynar momentarily think it was a big dog rather than a dragon.
"Fly up and scout the area; we need to carve our way through!" After numerous bloody battles, Rynar was brimming with aggression; why think when one could act more straightforwardly?
Today, the giant spiders nesting and hunting along the Old Forest Road were in for a rude awakening, as wind blades rained down from the sky, giving them a rather gruesome "massage," reducing them to mere pieces.
Hundreds of warriors wielding torches burned the webs along their path, sending the remaining spiders fleeing in terror.
Good heavens, although the Shadow Giant Spiders were not human, they were still being treated like dogs!
Not only were they hunting for crystal cores, but they were also burning down the spiders' homes.
The way they marched through the area felt like a demolition crew, leaving not a single web intact...
The few spiders that managed to survive looked up with their eight little eyes, on the verge of tears…
It was the first time they encountered a Dragon bullying spiders; forget fighting, they couldn't even get close!
Sure, the humans could reach them, but they had to be lucky enough to survive. Just look at that full moon-shaped mithril bow?
And that five-meter-long lance held upright? Not to mention the two holy knights radiating divine energy? Or that shield wall resembling a moving fortress…
There was simply no opportunity to strike! Even using their skills was pointless; the Shadow's stealth was a joke in the presence of the knights; within a hundred meters, they glowed like a lightbulb in the knights' perception.
They didn't even need to charge; just swinging their weapons to unleash a holy energy-infused spear or blade was enough to dismantle a Shadow Giant Spider…
It was truly an existence they couldn't provoke, leaving them only the option to hide.
Therefore, these days, the spiders in the Dark Forest were suffering terribly, as any rustling could trigger a deadly scream from above.
One couldn't deny Rynar's group was rather fortunate; unbeknownst to them, they narrowly avoided a passing army of half-orcs from Dol Guldur as they made their way through the Dark Forest. Just as they left, the half-orcs trailed right behind them…
"A Dragon?" Azog looked up at the sky, surprised. It had taken him this long to realize there was a Dragon lurking here.
Unfortunately, he didn't see the saddle on its back or the knight riding it. If he had, he would definitely reconsider his attack strategy.
At the very least, he would have brought along a few Dragon crossbows (the most effective dragon-hunting weapons in Middle-earth, capable of dealing fatal damage to dragons with specialized arrows).
"Forward!" He shook his head, dismissing the thought of the Dragon, and instead began fantasizing about tasting the blood of the dwarven king.