Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1190 1172. Attack
The breastplate of an Aedirnian officer from the other side of the Mahakam Mountains, the exquisitely crafted and fierce arrows, the traces of destruction like a natural disaster, and no living creatures left in the entire scene.
This was the conclusion that Lan and Fluffball came to after searching the scene.

Although there is no weird and gloomy atmosphere when facing curses and monsters at work as a demon hunter, the whole scene reveals something abnormal.

Lan En handed over all the information to the biochemical intelligent computer for storage and analysis.

Information is mostly scattered until enough is collected to form a clue.

However, if any piece of these scattered information is missing, they will not be able to form a complete line in the end.

After collecting the arrows and breastplate, Lan En called the flannel ball and left the dense forest in the mountains that seemed to have been ravaged by a natural disaster.

After walking out of here, Lan En saw Qilin and Triss who was protected by Qilin.

The sorceress now had bright burgundy hair floating in the air, and the chaos magic was almost active enough to glow on the surface of her body.

The Qilin and the Flannel Ball should have been disgusted by the twisted power of Chaos Magic, but since they were blessed by the Lady of the Lake, they were not affected by it.

So now Qilin was just curiously poking his head around Triss's body, sniffing and looking at the hair that was floating in the air and glowing.

After Lan En came back, it suddenly straightened its stretched neck, looking as if it was working seriously and on guard.

Triss opened her eyes when she heard the noise.

"How is it?" She asked with a heavy heart, "What's the situation in that area?"

She originally thought that although the matter was serious, at least time was not tight and it could be solved step by step. But now, on the first day of entering the Pontar Valley, she was hit hard, and the impact range of the mutation increased directly by ten kilometers.

Anyone would be nervous.

"Inside. All I can say is, it's very strange. But we still found something."

Lan En pouted and spoke as he described what happened to him and the fluff ball in that area.

But when Triss heard that Lan felt something strange, she didn't seem to feel anything.

This is normal, after all, the professional field of the sorceress is very different from that of the demon hunter.

The quest experience of a demon hunter is closer to a combination of a detective and a hunter, while sorceresses are mostly politicians, spell turrets, and scientific researchers.

"I don't quite understand the rest." Triss didn't want to pretend in front of Lan, and said directly, "But about the breastplate of Aedirn..."

She tucked a lock of curly red hair that fell on the side of her cheek behind her ear.

"I've heard that Aedirn has also sent people to the Pontar Valley. The Pontar River is the key route for Aedirn to sell agricultural products to Temeria and Redania. It is the lifeblood of their kingdom's finances. They can't help but be anxious if something happens here."

"Demawi has a military base called Haji Fortress in the valley. It would be more convenient and closer to send someone than Foltest."

"But this news only spread for a while, and then there was no movement."

Then, the sorceress looked meaningfully at the broken breastplate that Lan took out and nodded at it.

So they're all dead?
Lan En narrowed his eyes and knocked on the breastplate.

"But that doesn't make sense, sir." The biochemical intelligence immediately made logical inferences based on the new information and reported the results. "The people of Aedirn might not have been killed by that unknown creature."

"Almost all living things were wiped out within the range of the creature's influence. But the fact that it left behind a breastplate shows that it at least didn't care about steel. It's impossible that only one person in the team Aedirn sent to deal with the trouble was wearing armor?"

Lan agreed with the idea.

If the people of Aedirn had encountered that creature directly, they would at least have left behind a whole team of equipment.

But there is only a breastplate here.

Otherwise, this Aedirn officer got separated from the team and trekked alone to such a deep place in the vast Mahakam Mountains, and then encountered that thing.

Otherwise, the place of his death might not be here.

"Is the induction you spread effective?"

Lan En put away his breastplate. He and the biochemical intelligent computer had vaguely discussed a few ideas in a very short time just now. But there was still too little information.

"I do feel some traces." At this time, the glimmer in Triss's eyes due to the mobilization of chaos magic gradually subsided, "but it's very blurry."

"A rough direction is enough." Lan En said nonchalantly. "Describe the directions of these tracks to me."

Triss was stunned for a moment: "Well, I remember that Seaward had a map of Mahakam, but now I have it in my hand."

"No need for a map." Lan En interrupted Triss before she finished speaking. "Just point me in the direction and tell me the distance."

It is difficult to determine directions in the mountains, and the terrain is complex, so it is generally difficult to describe the location without a map.

But the biochemical intelligent computer is much more useful than the map.

"Well." The sorceress raised her eyebrows, "You really are good at giving people surprises. Is this also a skill of a demon hunter?"

Then, Triss frowned and recalled, pointing her fingers in many directions and saying the distances.

Sometimes she would directly point out the extension direction of a long track.

And with every word she spoke, Lane and Mentos worked together to sort out the information and fill it in on the rough topographic map they had made.

When Triss was halfway through her speech, Lan's expression became noticeably more relaxed than at the beginning.

Because according to the integration and calculation, this unknown creature did not expand its territory explosively, resulting in it being only 20 kilometers away from the Pontar River Valley overnight. It just changed its direction of travel.

The trajectory trend a few days ago showed that it had actually been wandering around without a clear goal.

But in recent times, although its trajectory is still crooked, its general direction is heading straight towards the Pontar River Valley.

Although this is still not good news, it is much better than 'unknown creatures can suddenly spread their power in a flat and explosive state'.

"It was affected by something, which changed the direction it was wandering in."

Lan En whispered the theory he had derived based on the current situation.

"Influence?" Triss's eyes widened. "What kind of creature can cause such a commotion and influence it?"

"Not sure, there's too little information." Lan En licked his lips. "But this is such a coincidence, isn't it? On the first day that Seaward's team entered the valley, this thing stopped wandering and headed straight for the valley!"

"You mean it's coming for us?"

Triss's expression was even more ridiculous.

After all, Lan En's description just now was enough to make people feel what kind of destructive power it was, like a natural disaster.

And that's like saying: God sent a flood just to kill you.

Who is so prestigious?

"But it's not a natural disaster after all." Lan En explained to Triss as he climbed back onto Qilin's back.

"It has the destructive power of a natural disaster, but it is still a living creature, and living creatures can be guided. Someone must be targeting it!"

"Hold me, come up."

Triss had calmed down by now. She grabbed Lan's hand and sat on the Qilin's back with him again.

The fluffy ball also climbed up by grabbing the unicorn's tail, causing the unicorn to kick its feet in dissatisfaction.

"Where should we go now?" Triss asked, holding Lan's arm. "To alert Heward?"

"Reminding him is useless." Lan En turned his head and looked at the dense forest that had been destroyed and abused and was now devoid of any living creatures. He said in a deep voice, "We have to make him turn around and run away!"

"We've advanced ten kilometers overnight. If the speed doesn't slow down, that thing will reach the Pontar Valley in another full day!"

"Not to mention that it will take at least two days for the team to reach the floating port at the current speed. Even if they get there, what will happen?"

"A small town built for trade transit can stop this thing?"

"You didn't actually see the destruction that thing caused, Triss."

Lan lowered his head and spoke seriously to the sorceress who was holding his arm.

“If there weren’t a few great wizards present, this thing would be in trouble once it reached the Pontar Valley.”

"Don't even mention a floating port. Everyone, including the Haji Fortress, will die!"

Lan said, while Triss had already frowned and stopped talking.

However, there are even more terrifying data in the calculations of the demon hunters and biochemical intelligent computers.

This thing advanced at a speed of ten kilometers overnight yesterday, but it also made many turns in the middle.
-
On the southern bank of the Pontar River Valley, on the dangerous and busy mountain road, there were flickering fires and the smell of smoke.

The two frightened horses neighed, dragging the reins, harness and broken shaft, and rushed out of the mountain road, all the way to the river valley below where the waves were constantly roaring.

The convoy was on fire.

The burning arrows shot out from the bushes and dense forests beside the mountain path like flaming birds, piercing through the canvas and nailing into the wooden boards.

With shouts and war cries, the Scoia'tael attacked.

The commander of this group of attackers was undoubtedly a master of tactics and planning.

Seaward put the non-humans in the team at the front to act as pioneers. This not only prevented the enemy from planting spies among the non-humans, but also allowed the Squirrel Party to vent their anger on these "race traitors" first.

But the commander of the Squirrel Party had undoubtedly foreseen this happening.

Arrows rained down like fire, with only a few but accurate ones fired towards the front of the convoy.

And the goal was not to kill, but to scare the pack animals and the horses pulling the carts.

The panic of these animals would not cause much damage, but they could disrupt the progress of the team and block the entire passage.

Instead, it was the subsequent human convoy that received the attention of the main force.

The enemy's tactical prediction was unquestionable, leaving Seaward and the White Rose Knights surrounding him at a loss as to what to do.

Those people who were eager to see the non-human races kill each other were instead hit hard.

As the center of the convoy, they also became chaotic.

According to the usual tactical style of the Squirrel Party, after the rain of arrows, a wave of soldiers rushed towards the convoy on the mountain road.

(End of this chapter)