Chapter 38 : Art of war

The moon, high and indifferent, barely lit the undergrowth with a pale, spectral glow. The elves of Vollua were no more than a breeze in the shadows, an elusive presence melted into the thickness of the forest. And yet, with every heartbeat, their blade came down, mowing down an enemy before disappearing as quickly as a mirage.

Foster watched the bustle of the enemy camp from a high branch, hidden by the canopy. The obscurus swarmed below, trampling the earth, snarling, tearing bits of flesh from one another. Beastly creatures, hungry, misdirected. But in numbers. Numbers that overwhelmed all logic.

The smell of blood and charred flesh rose in the night air. Below, a tent collapsed in a raging inferno, consumed by the flames his men had unleashed before evaporating into the darkness. This was their strategy: harassment, sabotage, terror.

The forest was their terrain. And they had become its vengeful shadows.