Chapter 103: Skirmish of the Scouts
Chapter 103: Skirmish of the Scouts
At the edge of Storm Highlands, over forty giant eagles flew in a tight formation.
Each eagle bore a knight in plate armor, marked with an emblem of an eagle and sword on their chest.
They were kin of the Lackman Family, the famed Northwind Eagle Guard. This time, they deployed an entire knight regiment—forty-eight Eagle Guards—as scouts to survey enemy movements from the skies.
The Lackman Family had indeed staked everything on this.
This was the Sixth Eagle Guard Regiment, reassembled from Alger's former unit.
Their current commander, Nelly, was the only female captain among the six Northwind Eagle Guard regiments and had once been Alger's trusted subordinate.
Clad in heavy plate armor, she gripped the commander's silver blade, Eagleshriek, her clear eyes resolute.
"Back here again…"
"Storm Highlands."
She muttered to herself, her voice trembling slightly.
This place was like a nightmare to her. Her former commander, whom she admired, had remained here to ensure their escape, lost to the fiery breath of a dragon, refusing to submit to evil.
Many of her fellow soldiers from the Sixth Regiment had perished in the inferno of dragon fire.
Remembering this, Nelly gritted her teeth, making a silent vow.
"I'll avenge you, Commander."
"And my comrades."
"I swear, even if it costs my life, we will lay waste to this den of evil, repay the Duke's favor, and bring justice and order to all of Anzeta!"
With that, she pressed her legs firmly against the eagle, urging it to speed up.
"Kreeee—!"
A long eagle cry echoed through the air.
However, she had forgotten—Storm Highlands' skies were no longer free for the Eagle Guard to roam. Ember Nest now had eighteen Crimson Scaled Conquerors.
With the looming war, the Crimson Scaled Conquerors patrolled the border tirelessly, eliminating any potential threats.
"Captain, it looks like there's something ahead!"
The lead Eagle Guard reported.
Nelly squinted into the distance and saw a group of massive dragons advancing, led by a rare dragon-blooded giant eagle.
On the backs of those dragon-blooded beasts sat knights clad in heavy armor, wielding an array of weapons, but each bore a fierce dragon's head—half-dragon, half-human in a terrifying blend.
"Damn, it's the Red Dragon's minions!"
"Northwind Eagle Guard, prepare to engage!"
Nelly clenched her jaw.
She raised Eagleshriek, which let out a sharp, piercing whistle through the air.
She didn't know of the Crimson Scaled Conquerors, but these dragon-blooded minions were already infamous in the region.
Meanwhile, Alger, leading the Crimson Scaled Conquerors, had already spotted the enemy.
After all, this Eagle Guard troop had brazenly entered Ember Nest's airspace, making no effort to conceal themselves, easily detected by Alger's keen eye—and dragon-kind had far sharper vision than humans.
When he focused on the leader, his golden slit-pupils flashed with a hint of surprise.
"Nelly?"
This was his former subordinate, the persistent shadow that used to follow him—a resilient woman.
Yet, he hadn't expected their next meeting to be on the battlefield.
Alger quickly steadied himself, his gaze unwavering as he looked at the distant enemy.
"The Alger who once served the Eagle Guard died in dragonfire. The only one left now is a minion of the dragon, a heartless Crimson Scaled Conqueror."
Stroking his eagle's feathers, he calmed its agitation—it seemed Igor had recognized their old comrades too.
"Igor, let's go."
"After all—"
"We each serve our own masters."
His soft words dissolved into the rushing wind.
Alger raised his Everflame Greatsword, igniting its blade in blazing fire, shining like a beacon in the sky.
He shouted, "Crimson Scaled Conquerors, destroy them with me!"
The dozen or so players behind him erupted in a mix of cheers.
"Charge, charge, charge!"
"Let's set this place ablaze!"
"For Ember Nest!"
"For the faction points!"
"Damn, aerial combat is intense!"
Against the fewer but larger dragon riders, Nelly's Northwind Eagle Guard instinctively chose a wide formation, aiming to exploit the eagles' agility and their numerical advantage to encircle the dragon riders.
But before they even got close, they suffered their first casualty.
Hundreds of meters away, Singo nocked an arrow, aiming at the lead Eagle Guard's eagle.
"Steady, dragon."
Purple runes appeared on the eagle's body, but it was unaware, still flying steadily under its rider's control.
Singo released the bowstring, and under the combined power of his [Elven Precision] and the spell [Hunter's Mark], the arrow flew true.
"Whizz—"
The arrow shot forward with blinding speed.
It pierced the eagle's chest, striking the heart with deadly accuracy.
The eagle faltered and plummeted, its rider screaming as he fell, inevitably meeting death.
The Crimson Scaled Conqueror players buzzed with excitement.
"Awesome!"
"Singo got first blood!"
"There goes my contribution points!"
"I won't accept this!"
Mantou, seeing the falling Eagle Guard, couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, Singo, did you get lucky? You hit from so far away!"
Singo scoffed, "Do you even understand the skill of an Elven Precision archer? This is pure skill. Don't believe me? Try a solo arrow duel."
Knowing he was outmatched, Mantou still tried to save face, "So you got lucky with one shot and now you're showing off?"
"Think you can hit again?"
Singo replied, "They weren't prepared this time. If they're not fools, they'll adjust."
He pointed toward the Eagle Guard, who had already begun shifting formation.
In the Northwind Eagle Guard, Nelly stared in shock at her fallen comrade, muttering,
"How could this be?"
With her years of battle experience, she knew aerial archery was incredibly challenging, especially over such a long distance. Even on the ground, hitting a target from this far was difficult, so she hadn't made any special arrangements on approach.
The death of that Eagle Guard could mean only one thing—the Red Dragon's minions were far more skilled than anticipated!
Nelly raised Eagleshriek, shouting commands:
"Scatter formation!"
"Be wary of enemy archers!"
The Eagle Guards dispersed, avoiding unnecessary collisions.
They displayed superb riding skills, changing directions constantly to approach from all angles.
"Whizz—"
Another arrow flew.
Feathers scattered in the air.
An Eagle Guard, rolling mid-flight, let out a scream as he fell.
Singo lowered his longbow, glancing at Mantou's gaping expression, and said calmly,
"All that flashy stuff is still nothing but weak."
Mantou had nothing more to say, grudgingly muttering, "You actually pulled it off."
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