Chapter 269: A Showdown Between Rivals

To date, three adventurer camps have been established in the Underdark. The Duchy of Nohan was clearly happy to see this happen.

Having fixed bases meant that humans from the Surface had extended their reach into areas they had never touched before. Over the past six months or so, the constant flow of supplies from the Underground brought economic prosperity and also provided the Duchy of Nohan with many rare materials.

Moreover, as more people came here, the Adventurers would kill more creatures in the Underdark and find more useful items and materials while mining and gathering resources. Naturally, the Duchy of Nohan, which held the ruling power here, benefited first from being close to the source.

Without a fixed supply system, most of them chose to trade on the spot. Although they knew that cunning merchants would make huge profits from the price difference, the time spent traveling back and forth and the lack of sales channels made the Adventurers realize that spending such time exploring the Underground was more worthwhile.

Facing an existing profit system, these weak Adventurers had no power to resist. Fortunately, those merchants were also afraid of pushing the Adventurers too hard and causing a mutual destruction—those wearing shoes cannot beat those who are barefoot. So, the lower-level Adventurers were still able to keep some of their wealth.

Of course, it wasn’t that these merchants were naturally kind; many bloody warnings told them otherwise. In a world where information did not flow freely, merchants killed out of anger usually died in vain. Because if the killer was not caught immediately, finding them later was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Furthermore, Lords would rarely spend a lot of manpower and resources to hunt down attackers for a single shady merchant. Although the high rewards offered by the family and the merchant guild could attract many bounty hunters, catching the murderer still depended on luck. Besides, compared to life, money was often just an external thing. For the sake of their own lives and property, they could not push those bloodthirsty characters too hard.

Because it was profitable, the three camps in the Underground became even more prosperous, but the official Duchy of Nohan did not intervene directly. As rulers, they had to consider more complex issues.

Although the peace of the past six months made many people—especially the Adventurers—believe that the Dark Elves had given up on acting in this direction after their last failure, the higher-ups of the Duchy did not think so, because Elves were famous for their long lifespans. This made their concept of time different from that of humans.

To give the most obvious example, an Elf might go on a long journey and temporarily hand over his farmland to a farming family. Of course, this situation was usually recorded by the local Lord and dedicated church personnel. When the Elf returned from his travels 200 years later, what would he face?

Although 200 years was only middle age for an Elf, at least 8 to 9 generations of Humans had lived and bred on that land. It was hard to imagine that in such a changed situation, these illiterate farmers could still remember that part of the land where their ancestors had lived for generations did not belong to them.

So even if they had absolute legal advantages, solving this problem completely was still a troublesome matter.

Therefore, unless the action was taken with the speed of a lightning strike, the actions and response mechanisms of the Elves could not be judged by human habits. Because they still faced the threat of the Dark Elves, the Duchy of Nohan would not do something that destroyed its own defenses—giving up the strong terrain of the Surface to play hide-and-seek with the Dark Elves in this dark Underground.

However, the Church of the Underdark Maiden, which stood on the front line of fighting against Lolth, had now built one of its altars in the camp closest to the Surface. So, with the previous two camps falling one after another, the sword of the Dark Elves was now pointing directly at this final obstacle located at the throat of the passage.

The radiation everywhere in the Underdark affected everything here. Although it was only the first layer, most communication spells could not be used here. The remaining ones either required a higher Spellcaster level, which the low-level Mages who came out to adventure and make a living could not cast, or they were special spells that were not common on the market.

Even the messengers sent out at the beginning of the attack to ask for help had died with regrets under the blade of the elusive Vampire Assassins. So, this camp, which relied on the altar to communicate with the Surface, received no news until the danger arrived.

Having completed two massacres, the Dark Elves carefully hid their figures behind rocks, shuttling back and forth between caverns and caves. At this time, they had to be extra cautious because they had learned from the information provided by the Vampires that not only did their mortal enemies, the Surface Elves, live here, but also the traitors who had betrayed Lolth were among them.

Because Surface Elves could see twice as far as Humans under the dim light of starlight, moonlight, and torches. Of course, for the Dark Elves, the dim environment was like the bright light for Surface creatures, with no obstacles. Or rather, it was slightly too bright.

Plus, the Elf race naturally had talents in hearing, searching, and scouting, so the Dark Elves had to be even more careful this time. Some of the Dark Elves tightened their Composite Shortbows, drew their arrows, and aimed at a target. Although he could not see his companions beside him, he could imagine that they held weapons like his or were aiming Crossbows at the target.

But just then, the warning dogs around the camp began to bark. Although the Dark Elves had been very careful, they could not hide their scent. Those dogs, which had undergone strict training, flew towards the Dark Elves at great speed.

Knowing that their action had been exposed, the Dark Elves stopped hiding. The sound of about ten bowstrings snapping was so neat that it almost sounded like a single shot. Arrows flew towards the Adventurers patrolling the camp, and two flashes of dazzling lightning were mixed in, clearly cast by two Mages in the team who used the spells they thought were most suitable for the current situation.

These two Chain Lightning spells looked like a giant silver snake jumping in all directions, flashing with dangerous and deadly sparks. They hit the first Adventurer who raised his hard wood shield!

The veteran staggered and immediately fell to the ground. In front of Chain Lightning, even dead muscles would react naturally to the current. Of course, it was unknown whether this person was killed instantly by the electricity or was paralyzed and unable to move.

However, a Dark Elf rushing forward did not forget to finish him off with the hand crossbow at his waist. It seemed that these suspicious guys were still not at ease!

The second victim was a Longbowman behind the shield bearer. The characteristic of Chain Lightning was that the first hit took full damage, the second hit took half damage, and the third hit took a quarter of the damage. And so on. The number of times Chain Lightning could jump among enemies was determined by the Spellcaster’s ability! Even though the damage reduction was large each time, the damage and abnormal states it could cause were terrifying!

Two silver dragons raged in the defensive formation of the defenders. Wherever they went, tearing sounds and screams merged into one. The morale of the attacking side soared greatly. Taking advantage of the widespread paralysis of the defenders, they formed an assault formation and expanded the results to the fullest!

The Mage in the Dark Elf team happily retracted the Crystal Staff he had just used. At the same time, the 12 silver pins on his chest were exceptionally dazzling in the dim light.

Although this spell could hit other targets equal to the Spellcaster’s level after the first contact, the equipment required to cast it was a Crystal Staff and a number of silver pins equal to the Spellcaster’s level.

However, if it were not for this sudden attack, when those Mages took out their Crystal Staffs, the Adventurers would definitely choose to scatter immediately. So, the extreme effect of one shot hitting 13 people would not have happened.

However, in this spell attack, those canines were obviously unaffected and had already pounced in front of the Dark Elves. One of the Dark Elves had to drop his Composite Shortbow and draw his Longsword.

Agile as he was, he almost directly stabbed into the wide-open mouth of the wild boar dog on the right, which showed its large fangs, piercing it from its mouth all the way to its lungs.

A gray wolf pounced from the left. The fist wrapped in an iron glove of that guy smashed it hard on the nose. It cried out and fell back to the ground. Before it could get up again, the Magic Longsword withdrawn from the mouth of the riding dog swung down, separating its head from its body.

At the same time, other assault team members also attacked. A volley of crossbow bolts at the best distance made most of the Adventurers who reacted first lose their combat effectiveness. The rest were stunned by this sudden attack.

The Dark Elves who dropped their Crossbows and drew their melee weapons after shooting quickly approached. Many Adventurers were almost unable to resist before they were knocked down by the Dark Elves working together. The remaining few were just struggling hard, while also having to be careful of the cold arrows shot from the Shortbows from time to time.

Then, more than ten Dark Elves charging in a straight line slipped halfway, while a few others were entangled by spider webs that suddenly appeared between the barricade posts. These were the “Grease” and “Web” spells cast by the Mages on the Adventurer side.

The counterattack of the defenders was quick and fierce. The thick fog enveloped these guys and cut off the line of sight between the Dark Elves and the Adventurers. Then, piercing screams came from the deep inside the invisible fog…

After a while, a strong wind blew in the camp, dispersing the thick fog. It should be that the Mage of the Dark Elves used “Create Wind”.

The area where the thick fog originally was, the barricade posts that were originally painted, became mottled. And those dozen or so guys who had been knocked down by “Grease” and entangled by “Web”, anyone who took a look at them would not want to look again.

It could be compared to the victims who were accidentally splashed with strong acid in reality, but the situation this time was even worse. Their bodies were torn open, corroded to the point where bones were exposed, and their metal equipment was spotted, losing its original luster. This thick fog was not the ordinary “Cloud” spell, but the sixth-level Arcane spell “Acid Fog” cast by the camp side.

Originally, if one left the range of the acid fog in time, the damage would not be too heavy. But those unlucky guys kept falling on the slippery ground affected by “Grease” or were entangled by the spider webs created by “Web”, which is why they died so miserably. In fact, if used properly, these spells, which were not mainly for killing, could not produce such a striking effect.

As a first-level Arcane spell, “Grease”, and a second-level Arcane spell, “Web”, their usual restraining effects were not so effective. The range of “Grease” was only a 4-meter radius. Even if one fell down, rolling slightly on the ground could get one out.

Although “Web” had a range of more than ten meters in diameter, these multi-layered, strong, and sticky threads could be broken free. The stronger the strength or the higher the escape technique, the easier it was to break free. If things went smoothly, even if one was in the center of the spider web, it would take less than half a minute to get out. If “Web” was used against an Ogre, the spider web would be torn into pieces.

However, although the Dark Elves were not strong in strength, their skills in escaping were definitely not rusty because they survived in the dangerous Underdark. The main reason now was that the fog affected their vision, and they were constantly corroded and damaged by the acid fog, causing them to lose their composure. In their panic, they could not escape even more. So, no matter what the situation was, the most important thing was to stay calm at all times. Only then could they quickly find ways to deal with it.

In fact, in the previous situation, a single Fireball could produce a more obvious effect and was also cheaper. However, using Fireball in a cave might cause a collapse to some extent. So, they had to use this relatively “milder” means. It was here that there were Mages with Elf support; otherwise, those mercenaries and Adventurers could not cast such high-level spells.

However, Create Wind could not completely disperse the acid fog. The Dark Elves could only bypass the acid fog range and quickly flank the two wings of the Adventurers. The main force of the Adventurers in front of them were Elves, who were born with the ability to use Longswords, rapiers, and various bows. Their close-range and ranged combat power was not weak. But most of the Dark Elves brought Crossbows that were difficult to string and time-consuming to use, so ranged shooting would inevitably be at a disadvantage.

Cunning Dark Elf archers would not use their Shortbows and Crossbows to fight their old enemies head-on! They carefully hid their figures, seemingly preparing to ambush with arrows during the melee.

But this had already alerted the Adventurers. A guy in robes in the team took out a silver crescent-shaped badge, which was the Holy Symbol of the Elf God Corellon Larethian. In other words, this person in front was a Priest of Corellon Larethian. And as a Priest, the most likely spell to use at this time was one that enhanced the combat power of his teammates around him.

At this time, a heavy crossbowman in the Dark Elf team who had not acted until now made a quick decision to abandon his originally aimed target. He immediately shot this arrow at the Priest, trying to interrupt his casting. But since this was not his pre-aimed target, the arrow shot hastily turned could not be well calibrated. So, the Dark Elf simply shot in the general direction.

The cloth robe on the Priest’s body could hardly be called defensive. He only had time to look down at the arrow tightly stuck in the chainmail on his left chest, ignored the still fluttering feathers, and continued his casting action.

Such a successful result was probably unexpected by both sides. The Priest, who had been shot in the vital area of his chest, continued to cast as if nothing had happened. It seemed that he had received special training in this aspect, but the main reason was the armor under the robe.

Priests were trained to be proficient with all types of armor, even heavy armor. Although heavy armor would hinder the subtle movements of casting and increase the failure rate, Divine Arts were different from Arcane spells. The spell energy regulated by the Deity would not become invalid due to such interference. So, most Priests, when they needed to fight or even just left the city for business, would at least wear a Chainmail under their robes.

After all, facing the sudden threat, even spells could not make people feel as safe as armor!

The short-range confrontation between the two sides began. The Elf who had just shot an arrow immediately dropped his Composite Longbow. He tilted his left shoulder, letting the small steel shield slung over his shoulder slide down his arm. Then, he quickly grabbed the leather buckle on the back of the small steel shield and held it in his hand. At the same time, he drew a magic Longsword that shone with fluorescence from his right hand and held it behind his back, ready.

Facing the charge, with eyes like light bulbs on his black skin, this Elf skillfully used the small steel shield to block the rapier thrust at him, and with a wave of his right hand, he cut the opponent down to the ground. It seemed that this Ranger had quite rich experience in dealing with Dark Elves.

Elves were a race good at getting along with nature, and there were definitely quite a few Druids among them. Just then, a raging giant bear chased five or six Dark Elves around the camp.

Suddenly, its front paws swept back fiercely, knocking away a short sword that came from the shadows. The curved and sharp claws then tore the leather armor of the short sword’s owner and pierced into his chest! The power of the bear claws after this transformation was even greater than that of ordinary weapons.

However, when this bear claw swept over the chest and abdomen of another soldier, it only splashed a few sparks. Although it broke a few rings of the Mithril shirt and left several claw marks on his chest and abdomen, it failed to cause major damage. It seemed that the Enchanted armor of the Dark Elves still had quite good protective capabilities!

Immediately after that, a warrior in heavy armor from the Dark Elf side immediately stepped forward. The giant bear’s claw grabbed a guy wearing a Mithril Breastplate. “Zzzzt—” The piercing sharp friction sound was like fingernails scratching a blackboard, making everyone shrink slightly.

Sparks flew from the claw on the Mithril armor, leaving several scratches, but failing to damage the sturdy armor. However, the giant bear turned around and gave the opponent a big slap with the back of its hand. As the opponent was knocked flying and fell, there was a “Crack” sound. His head and upper body presented a strange angle; he had broken his neck.

It was clear that the power of the bear claws was insufficient; they could only tear ordinary light armor and poor medium armor, with no obvious effect on sturdier armor. The Druid, who was surrounded on all sides and had no time to cast Magic Fangs, no longer deliberately used his sharp claws to hurt the enemy. Instead, he used his giant palms to slap the enemies around him. Every slap would send an unlucky guy flying. Then, the accompanying pounces and rolling crushes were enough to make those seemingly slender and strong Dark Elves unable to stand up again.