"Woo … Woo."
The rainforest at night was covered with a layer of haze. It was the howl of a beast that resembled a wolf or a fox. The blood-stained leaves danced in the wind, and the mournful howls rose and fell in the forest.
Athas leaned against a tree trunk, holding his halberd and looking around vigilantly. He was like a warrior in a desperate situation. His determined face was covered with sweat due to the long period of exhaustion, and the wound on his back was throbbing.
Foxes, foxes!
He had never thought that there would be so many foxes and wolves in the north, and they were so strong. These foxes and wolves had obvious social characteristics. They were organized, had plans, and had tactics. What was even more exaggerated was that they knew how to use tools and weapons.
These were not the beasts he had seen in the swamp at all, but a new and terrifying humanoid species!
More than once, Athas had seen these foxes and wolves holding long blades, steel ropes, and bows. They used traps and their advantage in numbers to hunt his tribesmen like prey.
"Disperse, attack!"
"Hunt for their heads!"
The faintly discernible figures and the rising and falling howls made Adas realize that the attack was not over yet. Another wave of enemy reinforcements had arrived.
"It's been two days …" Artas Xiongxin took a deep breath. Perhaps it was because of food, greed, or simply the desire to kill, but since the moment the two sides met, the foxes and wolves had launched an endless attack on the dwarves of Graycastle. Their energy seemed endless, and their numbers were almost inexhaustible. Up until now, the dwarves had not closed their eyes for even a moment. They had not even eaten or drunk a mouthful of water!
No matter how strong the dwarves' bodies were, they could not bear this level of exhaustion, not to mention that the dwarves of Graycastle were not good at fighting.
As time went on, Adas went from being at ease at the beginning to slightly strained, and now he was exhausted. The Ambitious Clan that had been greatly weakened after the Battle of the Three Fortresses found it difficult to face such a large scale attack. Without supplies, positions, and support, they could not engage in a protracted battle with any army.
The dwarves of Graycastle were forced to retreat continuously, shrinking their defensive circle time and time again, and finally forced into the depths of the forest.
The legendary halberd trembled slightly. His sore muscles and exhausted spirit constantly challenged the will of the dwarf prince.
In the end, Adas stuck out his tongue to wet his dry lips. He picked up his halberd and walked forward. The heads of the Fox and Wolf soldiers who had charged into the forest flew into the air. Warm blood splattered on their faces.
Right next to him, the exhausted dwarf warrior was pushed to the ground by the foxes and wolves. The sound of flesh being torn apart and his painful cries for help completed the symphony.
Athas wanted to rescue him, but his body didn't listen to him and staggered. It was because of this slight difference that when he killed Fox and Wolf, he found that the dwarf guard's neck had been bitten off. Blood was gushing out from his throat, and his body was twitching as he made "huff, huff" sounds. It was obvious that he wouldn't survive.
"Retreat, retreat!"
If they wanted to reduce their losses, they had to shrink their defensive circle as much as possible. But at the same time, the enemy's encirclement was also shrinking, and the situation was getting more and more dangerous.
The only chance of survival was to break out of the encirclement.
But it wasn't that Athas didn't try. As soon as he realized the possible danger, Prince Ambition, who still had the strength to spare, tried to break out of the encirclement with his people. But the foxes and wolves were faster and more sensitive. They used a very efficient howl to convey the message, and then all of them moved together with the dwarves of Graycastle.
In the war of attrition that had lasted for two and a half days, the battlefield had shifted five times. In other words, the dwarves of Graycastle had tried to break out of the encirclement five times, but without exception, they all failed. Without large-scale destructive spells, they couldn't deal with an attack of this scale at all.
Even the legendary halberd could only play a limited role in a war. It couldn't be the key to victory or defeat.
At this time, Athas couldn't help but miss Prince Maran. Not to mention the fact that the entire Thunder-Roar clan was present, even if the Red Castle only sent a small group of spellcasters to help, they wouldn't have fallen into such a situation.
…
"Is it … too much?"
Flickering fireflies in the dark night, Karanu Burned Mane squatted on a tree and stared at the dense forest burning with blood and fire in the distance. "The dwarves who keep retreating are not what we want. I'm afraid they'll lose the courage to break out of the encirclement."
"We're just teaching them the rules of the Northern Region first."
Not far from him, Hirnu Bloodtooth said. He stepped on the tree trunk with his four feet, which was completely different from his companions. He looked more like a beast. "It's not that we didn't give these dwarves a chance, it's just that they're too weak. Only that weapon is slightly interesting."
Like most humanoid races, the Foxwolfmen in the Northern Region would use their clan name as their surname, and the clan leader would add a "Nu" at the end of his name as a symbol. It was obvious that the Council of the Kingdom of Wolfheart was very concerned about the first order of the Northern Empire. The leaders of two clans were present in person.
"I don't understand. Why would that person be interested in these dwarves? I don't see anything better than the Foxwolfmen. That person should pay more attention to our request," Hirnu added angrily.
"They're not dwarves, they're dwarves. Haven't you seen dwarves before?"
Karanu Burned Mane corrected him seriously. "Maybe that person's subordinates are interested in them. After all, this order was given by that annoying Gnoll."
"You mean Hogg?
I've seen him a long time ago.
Many years ago, he brought a bunch of pus-ridden weaklings and said that he wanted to join the Bloodtooth Clan, but I didn't agree.
That guy was very big. I remember him. "
"You can make it up however you want."
Karanu's beard trembled as he glanced elsewhere. At this moment, he saw a burst of light that was not too blazing in the depths of the forest. He quickly said, "These dwarves have finally decided to try again. Make way for them. Call your people back. Don't let them lose more, or it'll be hard to explain."
After that, the other leader immediately let out a howl. The ears of the Foxwolfmen who were fighting on the battlefield twitched. Some of them quietly left the battlefield and disappeared into the dark forest.
…
"Follow me!"
Prince Attas held his halberd and risked everything to launch a charge. Just now, the dwarves saw a possible gap in the battle, and he knew that this was the last chance for the Ambitious Clan, so he immediately decided to break out for the sixth time. If they still could not find a way out this time, then he was willing to lead the charge and die.
He and his tribesmen moved forward quickly in the darkness, their ears filled with the howls of foxes and wolves. Athas was originally a valiant dwarf prince, but now he looked like a desperate refugee. Arrows and sharp blades left indelible marks on his face and body. His armor was full of scars, and his hair was dyed red with blood. Even his right arm that held the halberd had a large piece of flesh cut off by a fox-wolf ambusher.
But even so, Attas still managed to accomplish an impossible feat. He led the dwarves of Graycastle to break out of the encirclement and return to the territory of the Northern Empire's Fort of Sighs.
When the outline of the towering fortress appeared in the rising sun and gradually expanded, the pursuit of the foxes and wolves became more and more fierce. But in the end, they suddenly gave up their pursuit and stopped at a short hill some distance away from the fortress. They stared at the dwarves with hostile and vicious eyes that were already struggling at death's door.
It seemed that these Foxwolfmen knew what this fort meant. They were afraid of this place.
Attas thought.
After realizing that the Foxwolfmen did not pursue, the dwarf prince adjusted his body and slowed down. He stopped and turned his head. Leaning on his halberd, he said to his clansmen, "Ask for help from the Northern Empire. We agree to join …"
Before he could finish, he fainted because his body could not bear the burden and his mind suddenly relaxed.