The forest at night was anything but silent. The sounds of insects and the wind echoed like whispers from lost souls, reminding them that they were heading not towards a peaceful home, but into the heart of an unfinished battle.
Cain led the way with steady steps, a short blade in hand, his eyes scanning their surroundings vigilantly. They chose to take a side path through the forest, avoiding the main roads patrolled by officials, finding the journey more rugged and difficult than expected.
"This path... my grandfather used to say it was a hunting trail, but now the weeds are almost taller than a person," Rodi whispered, urgency in his voice.
"No matter how urgent, we can't rush blindly. We're up against an unknown enemy," Aina cautioned, her fingers tightly gripping her longbow.
"We've trained for so long, and finally, it's time to put it to use," Tario added, his joking tone adding a weight to the atmosphere.
Ze walked in the middle of the group, ready to respond from either direction. His eyes were sharp, almost like a hunter's in the darkness.
They spent the entire night approaching the village. From a distance, what should have been a warm village was now shrouded in an eerie silence, with charred remains of burned houses and traces of dragging and animal fur and scent left on the ground.
"...My house's chimney, it collapsed over there," Rodi murmured, staring into the distance.
He was about to rush forward when Cain stopped him with an outstretched arm.
"There are patrols... those aren't humans, they're orcs," Cain whispered, pointing to the village entrance where several tall figures wielded iron axes and wore crude, heavy armor.
As they hid behind a crumbling wall, spying on the first orc, everyone held their breath.
It was taller and stronger than imagined, with full muscles and clad in tattered leather armor, reeking of blood. Its eyes glowed yellow, and its wide nostrils flared with each breath like a beast's growl.
"How is this possible... how did they come to Elamia?" Cain muttered, frowning.
Tario drew a sharp breath, "Are those really orcs? I thought they were just exaggerated legends."
Aina's hand trembled slightly on her bow; she had never seen such a creature—it was no longer a blend of human and animal, but an independent warrior race.
"Our training... can't handle something like this," Rodi gritted his teeth, his gaze wavering, even considering retreat.
"Calm down," Ze said quietly, his eyes never leaving the patrolling orcs. "They aren't invincible. But if you waver, we won't even have a chance to start this fight."
Cain turned to the group, taking a deep breath, "He's right. Fear is normal, but we can't let it dictate our actions."
They decided to move forward, infiltrating the village to check for survivors.
Once inside, the group split into two. Cain and Ze headed towards the barns on the east side, while Rodi, Tario, and Aina searched the northern residential area.
The rubble was filled with the stench of blood and ash, occasionally seeing stray dogs fleeing. The team was on edge, every rustle causing their hearts to skip a beat.
Rodi's team found two children hiding in a cellar, their faces covered in dust and tears. Tario immediately draped his cloak over them, while Rodi held the children close, comforting them.
"I'll carry the little one," Aina said, picking up one of the children. Just as they were about to retreat, they heard the ground shaking behind them.
"...Not good," Tario whispered.
The next second, an orc lunged from around the corner, roaring, swinging its stone axe at them.
"Retreat!" Rodi shouted, raising his short sword to block the first strike, only to be slammed into the wall, pain shooting through his shoulder.
Tario quickly helped him up, gritting his teeth as he hid the children in a wooden box, then drew a chain gun from his back, launching a fierce attack on the orc—but the gun only left a shallow scratch on its iron-thick skin.
"Its skin is as tough as iron!" Tario exclaimed.
The sound of battle attracted more orcs, with heavy footsteps echoing throughout the village.
Cain's team had also found several injured villagers. They planned to return via a side route, but the orc reinforcements quickly blocked their escape.
"We're surrounded... three from the north, and a squad from the west. We need to break out immediately!" Ze assessed the situation quickly, his expression icy calm.
"I have two villagers who can't walk. I'll carry one, someone take the other!" Cain said, gritting his teeth as he hoisted a frail village woman onto his back, ignoring the sweat and sting.
"Move!" Ze shouted, pulling out two special smoke grenades from his back—elven vine smoke bombs. With precise throws, they exploded into thick gray-white smoke, obscuring vision.
The two teams converged in the ruins, Rodi's face bloodied but still clutching a child as he ran. Orcs were closing in from all sides, their pursuit and growls incessant.
"We can't go back the way we came, escape through the river!" Ze led the way, his knowledge of the terrain surprising.
"How do you..." Tario began to ask but realized now wasn't the time.
They plunged into a culvert under the river, water up to their knees, icy cold, but it muffled their sounds and scent, temporarily eluding the orcs.
"There's a fork ahead, take the right into the forest path," Ze instructed, his tone unwavering, as if he'd rehearsed this escape route.
Just when they thought they could safely withdraw, a loud roar came from the depths of the forest path. An orc leader stood blocking the exit, its large axe gleaming menacingly.
"I'll distract it!" Cain rushed forward, but Ze pulled him back.
"No, you need to protect the others, I'll handle it," Ze whispered.
To everyone's surprise, Ze drew two elven short swords, skillfully flanking the orc and engaging in close combat. His movements were swift and fierce, revealing a level of skill he had previously concealed during training.
Cain quickly reacted, "Cover him, we're moving through!"
Everyone hurriedly led the injured and children through the forest path exit, with Cain being the last to pull Ze away from the fight, using vines to topple a dead tree to block the path.
They finally shook off the orcs, retreating to an old station a few kilometers away, sealing all entrances and setting up torches and traps.
The entire squad collapsed on the ground, some starting to cry, others silently staring at the blood on their palms.
Rodi hugged his brother tightly, murmuring, "I thought I'd never see him again..."
Cain patted his shoulder, then turned to Ze, asking quietly, "Did you... know this route beforehand?"
Ze simply smiled faintly, offering no explanation, and this time, no one pressed him further.
They had successfully evaded the orcs, finding refuge in an abandoned station. It was once a small outpost set up by the elves for forest border patrols a century ago. The stone walls were weathered, the roof partially collapsed, and the air was filled with dampness and mold, but in this desolate forest, it was their only sanctuary.
Cain led everyone to quickly block the entrance, set traps, and establish watch posts, while the rest tended to wounds and cared for the villagers and children.
Night quietly descended.
Outside, the forest occasionally echoed with beastly roars, as if enemies could infiltrate at any moment, the entire space shrouded in an invisible pressure.
Ze sat by a broken window, gripping his short sword, his eyes scanning every shadow with vigilance.
"What do we do now... will anyone really come to rescue us?" Tario's voice was low, his hands still bandaging Rodi's arm. The wound wasn't deep, but the blood had dried long ago.
Rodi was pale, cold sweat on his forehead, staring at the floor as if blaming himself for dragging everyone into this disaster.
"Stop thinking like that, we all came voluntarily," Aina said firmly, sitting beside him as she wiped a child's forehead with a damp cloth. The child slept fitfully, mumbling in their sleep.
"What if... what if the orcs find this place?" Rodi asked softly.
No one answered, but the weight of the question hung heavily in the air.
The fire flickered weakly, shadows stretching and shrinking on the walls.
Cain slowly stood, addressing everyone.
"We've sent out a distress signal. According to the Ark satellite feedback, a scout team should arrive within two days at most," he said calmly, trying to sound organized. "Our job is to hold this place, not letting anything in."
"Two days..." Tario murmured, "Do we have enough food?"
"Only for a day and a half," Ze replied, his tone calm as water. "We can filter rainwater, but we must conserve firewood. Smoke will reveal our position."
He then moved to the wall, sitting down to sharpen his elven short swords, the firelight reflecting in his eyes like a lurking wolf, quietly waiting.
Rodi was silent for a long time before finally speaking, "I'm sorry... if it weren't for me..."
"Shut up, Rodi," Tario responded bluntly, "You're our teammate; your family is in trouble, and we should have come to help."
"Yeah, we're a squad, not machines following orders," Aina added, "Stop carrying this burden alone, okay?"
After speaking, Aina stood up and distributed rations to everyone, "Whether we fight or flee later, we need to eat something today."
Soon, the station was filled with the soft sounds of chewing and murmurs, the atmosphere slightly relaxing. But everyone could feel something creeping closer in the darkness outside the windows.