Chapter 221: The Squad

“What’s the situation like recently?” Lucio asked.

Tyron sighed, “Let’s head to the military camp first, and I’ll explain in detail. Things aren’t looking good.”

Lucio nodded, and the group of elves followed Tyron to the border camp, overlooking the Lim Mountains.

“Our scouts have recently discovered many creatures in the Lim Mountains. Their strength is unclear, but there are a lot of them,” Tyron said gravely.

Tyron had been keeping a close watch on the Lim Mountains.

The night Helag and his group began summoning creatures, soldiers noticed something unusual.

Roars from creatures in the Lim Mountains were heard, something that hadn’t happened before.

These soldiers, stationed in Oberstein for years, knew the mountains were mostly devoid of creatures.

But since that night, the roars increased.

Upon learning this, Tyron sent a few soldiers, after writing their wills, to cautiously approach the mountains and use binoculars to investigate.

What they saw made their skin crawl.

Through the binoculars, they saw creatures everywhere in the Lim Mountains.

Some creatures noticed them and roared but didn’t come out, pacing near the entrance.

The soldiers quickly retreated and reported back to the camp.

Tyron immediately reinforced defenses towards the Lim Mountains and increased surveillance.

The growing number of creatures weighed heavily on Tyron.

Though the creatures stayed in the mountains, this worried Tyron even more.

He feared they were waiting for the right moment to swarm out and devastate Oberstein’s border forces.

Besides hoping for elven aid, Tyron also sought help from the Norn Kingdom.

The kingdom promised to send spellcasters and military supplies, preparing for wartime logistics.

Yet, Tyron remained anxious, feeling suffocated by the looming threat.

Seeing Lucio arrive with over sixty elves brought some relief.

Lucio said gravely, “Creatures? The situation is worse than I thought. They’ve reached this stage.”

Recently, Lucio had reviewed various wizard invasions.

He assumed the Lim Mountains base was still under construction, hence the secrecy.

But upon returning to Oberstein, Tyron reported seeing many creatures in the mountains.

Historically, this signaled an impending wizard attack.

Wizards had methods to mass-produce and summon creatures, forming armies.

In past battles, wizards used these armies to wear down opponents.

Summoning creatures seemed costless for wizards, but the elves and humans paid with lives.

Once creatures were defeated, wizards could summon more.

But what about the elves and humans?

Reproduction and growth took time, unable to match war’s demands.

As their forces dwindled, wizards would strike.

Wizards’ elite forces were powerful, often securing victory upon engaging.

Lucio took a deep breath and told the other two elven tribe representatives, “The situation is tricky. Wizards have started summoning creatures. We need to disrupt their summoning altars and request more reinforcements from our tribes.”

“If necessary, we might even seek royal aid. We must crush these wizards early on.”

“Once they grow stronger, our chances diminish.”

The other tribe representatives nodded, understanding Lucio’s point.

“So, we need to form squads to infiltrate the Lim Mountains and destroy the altars,” Lucio said.

An elf named Parado said, “But we’ll suffer heavy casualties. The mountains are full of creatures. We’ll need to fight through them to reach the altars, likely guarded by wizards.”

“I know, but we have no choice. They’re building strength. We must disrupt them. Once they act, it’ll be too late.”

Lucio was resigned, knowing infiltrating the mountains was dangerous.

But he believed they had to thwart the wizards’ plans or face defeat.

“Who will go to the Lim Mountains?” Parado asked.

“I will,” Lucio said without hesitation.

Parado shook his head, “No, you can’t. None of us can. We’re leaders. If we die, who will lead and organize?”

Lucio fell silent, acknowledging Parado’s point.

They were leaders of the operation, and it made no sense for generals to charge into enemy lines before war began.

“Captain, let us try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll retreat. We’ll sneak in after dark. It shouldn’t be too dangerous,” a team member suggested.

Lucio considered and nodded, “Alright, we have to try.”

He planned to send strong team members to test the altar’s defenses.

If it proved too difficult, they’d retreat.

“We’ll send some of our people too,” Parado said.

***

In the end, each tribe sent two high-level spellcasters, forming a temporary squad.

Six high-level spellcasters, equivalent to six crystalline-level wizards, made a formidable team.

After dark, the six quietly left the camp, heading for the Lim Mountains.

They were covered in green plants, a special concealment technique.

To other creatures, they were invisible, their presence and breath hidden, blending with nature.