Genn and his men resisted fiercely, but they were, after all, only a hunting party. Although the Royal Guards accompanying them were the elite of the elite, they could not withstand the seemingly endless onslaught of the worgen.
It was only when the Royal Guards ran out of ammunition and had to draw their blades to engage the worgen in close combat that they truly understood how terrifying these savage monsters were.
Their fur was exceptionally tough; even with the sharpness of the Royal Guards' hunting knives, it was difficult to kill them with a single strike. Moreover, the worgen's vitality was incredibly tenacious; as long as they weren't hit in vital areas like the head or heart, being wounded by blades and swords only seemed to ignite their ferocity.
The Gilneans struggled to defend against the worgen's assault using hastily constructed fortifications, but how long they could hold out was a complete unknown.
Genn fired the last bullet from his hunting rifle at a charging worgen. The King then smashed his iron-bound wooden hunting rifle at another worgen, simultaneously drawing the hunting knife from his waist.
The worgen charged savagely, directly smashing half of the stone-stacked wall, but its claws also became embedded in the rubble. Genn's hunting knife flashed with cold light, severing the worgen's sharp claws.
He then diagonally struck the head of the worgen in front of him, and with a heavy blow, instantly killed it.
"Liam, do you have any more ammunition?" Genn shouted to Liam, who was firing beside him.
Liam pulled the trigger, throwing aside his empty hunting rifle. "That was the last one…"
"Here, Liam!"
Rona, rushing out of the cave, tossed a hunting rifle to Liam. "I have one more gun here already loaded with ammunition. Use it to take down another one!"
"Rona, what are you doing here?" Darius said, dual-wielding a pair of scimitars. "Go back into the cave quickly!"
"Father, hiding now won't solve anything!" Rona's leather boots landed on a rock. She used the height advantage provided by the rock to shoot down at the worgen pack.
Her marksmanship was second to none; a worgen hit in the head fell instantly. Rona then quickly and agilely jumped off the rock and began reloading her hunting rifle.
"Only by killing all these beasts can we escape!"
Liam dropped his once again empty hunting rifle and said to Darius, "Rona is right. If we just hold on a little longer, we'll get reinforcements!"
"Alright, but you must be careful. Listen to my commands later!"
Darius glared fiercely at Rona, but this "Flower of Gilneas" was clearly not the type to merely sit in a vase. She picked up her hunting rifle and took down worgen with a speed that matched any man on the field.
Relying on years of combat experience and hunting skills, although they seemed outnumbered in the worgen's siege, coupled with the natural barrier provided by the cave, the brave Gilneans stubbornly held back the surging worgen pack.
Just then, a clear and distinct horn sound echoed through the forest. Genn's expression relaxed slightly. "It's the reinforcements! They've arrived!"
However, this exhilarating news had not yet reached everyone when a chorus of worgen howls, like waves, rose from all directions.
This terrifying sound, which made one's hair stand on end in the dark of night, also caused Genn and the others' faces to stiffen completely—there were more worgen hidden in the forest. What were they waiting for?!
"Are they deliberately letting the reinforcements in?" Rona cried out in surprise. "That's impossible… They're actually… like us…?"
Her words were left unfinished, but everyone had understood her meaning: even though they had anticipated it, they still seemed to have underestimated the worgen's intelligence. They were not merely "beasts" skilled in hunting techniques and concealment; if they truly intended to lure more living people into the forest and had planned this siege for that purpose, then the worgen likely possessed a level of intelligence no less than that of humans.
However, the worgen currently fighting Genn and his group seemed no different from wild beasts; they didn't speak or need to communicate, like a pack of wolves driven to desperation, forced to hunt for survival regardless of the cost.
Rona's thought made everyone present uneasy. If the worgen truly intended to lure more people into the forest, why would they do so?
Was it a lack of food… or some other reason?
Genn did not believe these worgen were after power or wealth. Their ragged clothing and almost beast-like behavior indicated that their social system was still at a very low level.
Yet, this formed a stark contrast with the current situation. A group of worgen who couldn't even manage basic production had already learned tactics like "besieging a point to draw out reinforcements"?
Genn preferred to believe that too many soldiers had entered the forest, attracting more worgen's attention, rather than them controlling everything from behind the scenes.
But regardless, the worgen responding to the howls from all directions would surely impede the reinforcements' progress. Before they arrived, they still had to hold this cave.
Upon learning that reinforcements were on their way, the Royal Guards also perked up a little. Although they didn't know how many worgen were still in the forest, based on their trust in the Gilnean army, they believed that a group of monsters attacking based on instinct and savagery would not be able to defeat an entire army.
Judging by the direction of the horn sound, the support troops were not far from them. As long as they could break through the worgen's blockade in that distance and rendezvous with Genn and his group, they could all retreat from this cursed jungle together.
However, Genn and his group did not know that while most of these worgen had indeed lost the ability to think as intelligent beings, within the worgen pack, there existed "brains" capable of directing their various actions.
These "brains" maintained the every move of the worgen in various locations, giving the formerly loose worgen, who fought and acted on instinct, an obedience capability no less than that of elite soldiers.
Moreover, most importantly, this was a forest. Human soldiers' combat capabilities would be somewhat restricted, and large, organized units would find it difficult to move in unison in such a place. However, their enemies, the worgen, could do so, and much more swiftly and accurately than them.
Gradually, when the first Royal Guard, exhausted, was dragged into the forest by a worgen and, after a few screams, completely disappeared, the seed of panic began to sprout in everyone's heart.
Human stamina was not infinite. The high-intensity fighting and combat had left even the elite Royal Guards and the lord's personal guards utterly exhausted. And when the first person fell, a gap finally appeared in the defensive line.
Darius quickly personally filled this gap, and he was met with a continuous, wave-like assault from the worgen. The highly skilled lord instantly felt immense pressure.
Just as he was caught off guard, a worgen found an opening. As its sharp claws were about to tear Darius's body, Genn stepped forward and severed the worgen's arm with his hunting knife.
Darius reacted quickly, finishing the worgen's life with his scimitar. The lord panted heavily, his hair and clothes soaked with sweat. He looked at Genn, who was in a similar state of disarray, and kicked away another charging worgen. "Thank you, Genn, but it looks like we might die together today."
"Hmph, I don't want to die with you in this shabby cave!" Genn's hand, gripping the hunting knife, trembled slightly. The continuous fighting was starting to wear him down too.
The young Prince possessed more abundant stamina than the King and the lord, but he was also at almost the very front, and now he was finding it difficult to hold on.
Genn noticed Liam's fatigue. He grabbed Liam's shoulder and pulled him back. "Let me take over for a while, Liam, quickly recover your strength—"
"But, Father—"
"Listen to your King old man, kid. There's another fierce battle coming, let us old bones exert our remaining energy first." Darius also moved forward with his blade, standing with his Royal Guards, resisting the worgen's charge.
Liam got a chance to catch his breath and returned to the inner side of the cave, sitting against the cave wall.
Rona, holding an empty hunting rifle, quickly walked to Liam's side. With nimble hands, she took a bottle from her waist pouch and handed it to Liam. "Here, this is an alchemical potion. It can restore your stamina, though it doesn't taste very good."
"Thanks." Liam took the glass bottle, twisted open the cap, and, ignoring the pungent smell and the strange snot-like texture of the potion, forced himself to drink it all down despite the discomfort. "Whew… I feel much better."
"The potion's effect takes time. Right now, it's just psychological comfort." Rona rolled her eyes at Liam, then pulled out a few more bottles, saying urgently, "Take these potions with you, and please give them to my father and His Majesty the King. I didn't bring too many; these are the last few bottles."
"I understand, Rona…" Liam held the empty bottle, just about to say something, when he heard a loud shout from Lord Darius at the cave entrance.
"Genn?!"
Liam quickly scrambled to his feet. He didn't even have time to take the potion bottles from Rona's hand, rushing desperately towards the cave entrance.
A scene that filled him with dread appeared: his father, Genn Greymane, the King of Gilneas, was sitting slumped behind the Royal Guards, clutching a bleeding arm.
He quickly rushed to Genn's side, embracing his father. "Father, what happened to you?!"
"Damn it… I was careless. I didn't notice that short worgen… It bit my right arm when I wasn't looking, but Darius reacted quickly and killed it."
Genn gritted his teeth, the pain stimulating his nerves, making his facial expression tense.
"His Majesty the King!" Rona arrived with a first-aid kit, quickly treating Genn's wound with medicine and bandages, and then took out a bottle of alchemical potion and handed it to Liam. "Quick, give this to His Majesty."
Liam fed the red liquid into Genn's mouth, which slightly eased the complexion of the continuously bleeding Genn. He asked Rona, "What is this… I feel much better."
"This is the work of an alchemy master. It's said to instantly heal one's injuries—but… why is the wound healing so slowly?"
Rona looked at Genn's almost unchanged wound, somewhat at a loss. She had experimented with this expensive potion before, and it was supposed to heal wounds quickly, requiring only simple treatment to restore them to their original state.
But now, the hideous gash on Genn's arm showed no signs of healing at all; instead, more blood was oozing out.
Rona could only immediately use bandages and ordinary medicine to stop Genn's bleeding. "That worgen seems to be able to slow down wound recovery… The alchemical potion's effect is greatly reduced!"
"At least it didn't let the wound worsen." Liam sighed, his usually optimistic self now somewhat dejected. "Father… can we really hold on?"
Genn did not respond for a moment. After a long while, he finally said to Liam and Rona, "Liam, in a bit, you figure out a way to take Rona and the others and leave quickly. Darius and I will take the remaining Royal Guards to cover your retreat. Take as many as you can, find our troops, and then come back to help us."
"That's impossible, Father!" Liam flatly rejected Genn's plan. "How could I abandon you and run away alone?"
"Foolish boy, if you don't leave, we might all perish here. I'm old already, with not many years left to live, but you and Rona are different. You still have a great future ahead of you."
Genn stroked Liam's head, just as he had when Liam was a child. The old King picked up his hunting knife, looked at the wound Rona had bandaged, and moved it slightly. Then, ignoring Liam's protests, he walked towards the cave entrance again.
Liam wanted to follow, but Rona, standing nearby, held him back. He was about to break free from Rona's grasp, but when he turned his head, he saw tears in the beautiful girl's eyes. "Liam… what should we do? Before we were completely surrounded, my father told me his plan…"
"Even so, I won't abandon my father—" Liam was about to state his resolve, but when he saw Genn's back, the rest of his words caught in his throat.
"His Majesty the King is already injured… Royal Guards are falling one after another, Liam, what on earth should we do? I don't want to leave my father either!"
He stood in front of Rona, remaining silent. After a long while, as the scales in his heart swayed back and forth, shouts of surprise echoed from outside the cave.
Rona and Liam turned their heads and couldn't help but cover their eyes: dazzling holy light illuminated the open ground outside, like daylight, driving away all darkness and evil.
Those worgen, who had previously shown no fear of death, actually stopped their charge on the cave's defensive line. They cowered and trembled at the edge of the forest, not daring to advance a single step.
A somewhat familiar figure stood in the center of the clearing, holding a strange "spear" in his hand. This weapon was covered in intricate, dazzling holy light runes, and the spear shaft seemed to have golden patterns.
The spear pierced the body of a worgen with somewhat unique fur, pinning him to the ground. The owner of the spear stepped his combat boot onto the worgen's corpse, pulled his hand back, and gripped the spear.
The metal spearhead was not stained with a single drop of blood, only bathed in the aura of holy light. It wasn't until the medium-length golden hair was stirred by the night wind that Liam remembered the identity of this man.