The Art of War Part 2

"Lieutenant Jared, I believe we've been tricked. It must be part of those Aleria soldiers' plan to divide us into two groups. All of them are on my side. They've ambushed my group multiple times in the last hour. I recommend we join forces to track them down," a middle-aged man said urgently into the radio.

"Lieutenant Otto, you don't need to cover your incompetency with lies. If you can't handle the Aleria soldiers, just say so," Jared's sneering voice crackled through the radio. "Besides, if all of them are on your side, then who are the more than a hundred soldiers we're following right now?" Jared said with disdain.

"Impossible! Over two hundred Aleria soldiers attacked my soldiers. Even if some are on your side, there shouldn't be more than a hundred," Otto responded in disbelief. "Are there more than two hundred soldiers?" he speculated, a note of worry creeping into his voice.

"Lieutenant Otto, I will say it once again. You don't need to lie to cover your incompetency. If you think you can't even defeat slightly over a hundred Aleria soldiers, perhaps you should resign," Jared sneered before disconnecting the call.

Otto clenched his fists, his anger barely contained.

'That pompous bastard, how dare he look down on me just because he's the heir of a noble family and I'm a commoner. I'd love to screw his head off,' Otto thought, seething with rage.

But no matter how much he despised Jared, Otto knew he couldn't act on his thoughts. Despite their equal rank, their statuses were worlds apart. Jared, the privileged heir of a noble family, had used his connections to secure his position as a lieutenant. On the other hand, Otto had clawed his way up from the lowest ranks, earning countless merits before finally being promoted and awarded a rank 1 potion.

He knew he was stronger than Jared, but harming him would be a death sentence. In the Draconis kingdom, a commoner attacking a noble would be branded a traitor or a criminal on the run, with no place to hide.

…

"That lowly commoner dared to order me around. Just because he holds the same rank, he thinks he can command me," Jared said with disdain, his lip curling.

"What's the status of those Aleria soldiers?" Jared turned to his adjutant, impatience evident in his tone.

"Lieutenant Jared, our soldiers and mercenaries are in pursuit, but they're proving elusive. They seem to have a thorough understanding of this forest. Every time we think we've cornered them, they slip away and gain ground," the adjutant replied, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Hmph, it's no surprise they're familiar with the terrain if they dared enter it. Don't make excuses like that incompetent fool Otto. I want results," Jared ordered, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, Lieutenant Jared. Within an hour, we will either capture or kill them," the adjutant replied, fear evident as he straightened, trying to hide his nervousness.

…

Freya sprinted through the dense forest, a hundred of her sisters close behind. The thick foliage and uneven terrain created natural obstacles that drastically slowed the pursuing Draconis soldiers. However, the Aleria soldiers, familiar with the terrain thanks to the twins' reconnaissance, moved quickly.

Freya occasionally slowed to ensure the Draconis soldiers kept them in sight. Despite their numbers, the soldiers struggled to navigate the thick underbrush and tangled vines that seemed to reach out and trip them at every turn. Following closely, two rank 1 extraordinary warriors also found themselves hindered by the terrain.

Pausing momentarily, Freya pulled out the rough map the twins had drawn during their scouting mission. She quickly scanned it, noting key landmarks and potential ambush points. Satisfied with their direction, she tucked the map back into her pocket.

As the sound of the pursuing soldiers grew louder, she glanced at her sisters, giving a quick nod. With a deep breath, she resumed the chase, darting through the trees and leaping over fallen logs. The forest was their ally, and she intended to use every advantage it offered.

"Run, run as far as you can. Let me see how far you can go. When I catch you, you'll realize why you should never offend an extraordinary," one of the extraordinary soldiers shouted in frustration, his voice echoing through the trees. He was enraged that mere mortals had managed to evade them for over an hour.

Freya and her sisters exchanged knowing smirks, their confidence unwavering. Compared to Drake's companions, these extraordinary warriors weren't even worth mentioning.

After a few minutes, they arrived at their planned destination—a dense part of the forest dominated by massive hives. Tens of thousands of bee monsters buzzed within, their queen bee, a rank 1 extraordinary, presiding over the chaos.

Freya signaled her sisters, and they quickly began provoking the bees. They hurled stones at the hives, the impact causing a low, ominous hum to rise from within. Smoke bombs followed, further agitating the bees. The soldiers were prepared, their bodies coated in an insect-repellent cream that protected them from the mortal bees, though it would be less effective against the queen.

"Let's move now!" Freya ordered, her voice a sharp whisper. The sisters darted away, swift and silent, leaving behind a trail of chaos.

Moments later, the Draconis soldiers stumbled into the clearing. The buzzing grew louder and more frenzied as the bees swarmed out of their hives. The soldiers barely had time to react before the angry swarm engulfed them.

"Damn you, cowards!" the extraordinary roared, swatting at the bees in vain. The mortal soldiers cried out in panic, their formation collapsing as the bees attacked relentlessly.

Freya and her sisters watched from a safe distance, their expressions hard. The strategy had worked perfectly, turning the forest's natural inhabitants into unwitting allies against their enemies.

All of them halted abruptly as the bee monsters swarmed over them. The soldiers tried to fight back, but the bees' small size and rapid movements made them challenging targets. Panic spread quickly as the first stings landed.

Many soldiers screamed in agony, clutching at their faces and necks where the bees had stung. Just one sting caused searing pain, but those at the forefront were stung multiple times and fell to the ground, their faces twisted in torment.

Amidst the chaos, the soldiers began to regroup, hacking at the bees with their swords. The bees were not particularly strong and died with a single strike, but their sheer numbers, speed, and venomous stingers gave them an advantage. Unlike regular bees, these monstrous insects could sting multiple times before dying, making them a persistent threat.

The two extraordinary fighters at the forefront of the battle managed to avoid the bees' stingers. They swung their weapons wildly, trying to kill as many bees as possible. However, the bees' numbers made them hard to eliminate, and the swarm seemed endless.

"Everyone, retreat!" the second extraordinary shouted, his voice carrying over the din. He was one of the players, and his frustration was palpable as he saw more and more of his guildmates succumbing to the bees.

The first extraordinary, a mercenary inhabitant who shouted at Freya, glanced around at his decimated crew. Rage boiled within him, and he wanted to rip the Aleria soldiers into shreds, but he knew they couldn't win against this relentless swarm. Reluctantly, he nodded in agreement.

"Fall back!" he bellowed. "Regroup and retreat!"

The soldiers, now demoralized and desperate, began a hasty retreat. They stumbled over the bodies of their fallen comrades, swatting at the bees that continued to assault them.

But the retreat had no effect. The bee monsters were relentless, following and stinging the soldiers from behind. Seeing the futility of running, the two extraordinary decided to annihilate the bee colony.

Everyone focused on defeating the bee monsters. Despite their best efforts, the bees kept coming. When only a few thousand of the bee monsters remained, the queen bee finally emerged. She was twice the size of the other bees and moved with deadly speed.

In a flash, she stung ten soldiers in quick succession, each one collapsing instantly, their faces contorted in pain. Her venom was far more potent than that of the other bees.

The two extraordinary fighters knew they had to stop her. They charged at the queen bee together, their weapons flashing in the dappled forest light. The battle was fierce, the queen bee stinging rapidly and moving with a lethal grace.

After tens of minutes of intense fighting, they finally brought her down. One of the extraordinary fighters, the local inhabitant mercenary, fell during the fight, his body riddled with stings. The player, though severely injured, managed to survive, barely clinging to life.

As the queen bee fell, the remaining hundreds of bee monsters scattered. The soldiers, bloodied and exhausted, looked around at the aftermath of the battle. More than ten thousand of their comrades lay dead, and another ten thousand were grievously injured. The survivors were left with varying degrees of wounds, their faces etched with the horror of what they had just endured.

The forest was eerily silent as the last of the bees disappeared. The soldiers and the remaining extraordinary fighter stood amidst the carnage, their victory hollow and their spirits heavy.

…

While Freya was luring the soldiers under Jared's command to the bee colony, Isolde started the second operation against the soldiers under Otto's command.

"Look, they are there! Don't let them escape!" a Draconis soldier shouted as he spotted the Aleria soldiers moving through the trees.

But the Aleria soldiers had no intention of engaging directly. The Draconis soldiers hesitated, confused by their enemy's unusual tactics. As they ran through the trees, the Aleria soldiers dropped small objects near the unsuspecting Draconis troops.

The soldiers glanced at the objects, and their initial curiosity swiftly transformed into horror. Their faces went pale as they realized what had been dropped among them.

"Grenades! Run!" one soldier managed to shout, but it was too late.

BOOM!

The grenades taken from the Draconis convoy exploded with devastating force. The blast tore through the soldiers, sending shrapnel flying and bodies sprawling. Dozens of Draconis troops were caught in the explosion, their screams of pain and shock filling the air.

Isolde and her subordinates kept running atop the trees, dropping grenades on the soldiers below. To maximize the impact, they released the grenades just moments after removing the pins, giving the Draconis soldiers little time to react.

Chaos ensued among the enemy ranks. Expecting close combat, the Draconis soldiers were caught off guard by the unexpected assault. As explosions tore through their lines, panic spread like wildfire. The soldiers prepared to counterattack, expecting the Aleria troops to descend for melee combat, but instead, more grenades followed.

There were a few soldiers dropping grenades, each with a storage ring filled with explosives. They moved swiftly, and the rest of the Aleria soldiers followed behind, ready to engage any survivors. The disoriented and injured soldiers who managed to survive the initial blasts faced the relentless blades of the Aleria warriors.

Like the previous harassment attacks, Isolde's group didn't stay in one area for long. They quickly relocated, bringing chaos to different parts of the forest. The relentless assault left the Draconis soldiers disorganized and demoralized.

They received Aria's withdrawal order after using up most of their grenades. The Aleria soldiers disappeared into the forest, leaving behind a scene of devastation. Thousands of soldiers under Otto's command lay dead or dying from the second assault.

Since entering the forest, both groups of Draconis soldiers had been unable to harm even a single Aleria soldier, but they had lost over ten thousand men each.