Chapter 25: Invasion of the Wolf Territory
The might of a duchy was enough to easily wipe out any population in the central region of the Misty Forest. For the goblins, this was undoubtedly a catastrophe.
If the goblins could control the wolves, they could not only organize goblin cavalry to aid in hunting, raid other populations' territories in the central region, and steal herbs and food supplies, but also form a special line to guard against humans—disguising this area as wolf territory—and even retake the outer rim to keep building defensive lines, delaying human discovery as long as possible.
So long as there were several years—no, even a single year—during which the place wasn't discovered by humans and wasn't ravaged by an overlord, he could surely turn the original Goblin Cave into a strong combat defense!
When the time came, they would seek human females whose only genetic talent was intelligence, to raise the intelligence of their offspring. This would certainly bring a great transformation to the goblin clan.
This time, Altair decided to take the field himself to ensure everything went smoothly.
Once Altair arrived, the military department of the Goblin Cave was activated.
At the military department, without affecting daily hunting, Altair mobilized:
50 Goblin Warriors8 Goblin Scouts10 Goblin Knights (Light)10 Goblin Knights (Heavy)4 White Goblin Giant Warriors1 White Goblin Tank1 Violet Goblin Shaman (Illusion)1 Violet Goblin Commander (Wolf Clan)1 Violet Goblin Priest
In this wolf territory between the central and western sectors, the number of wolves was much smaller than on the western side—fewer than eighty in total.
The combat effectiveness of a single Dire Wolf was equivalent to that of a human guard, and it took three Goblin Warriors to match one Dire Wolf.
There were also pack leaders and alpha wolves in the clan. The Dire Wolf pack leader was a mid-tier beast, with combat power above that of an ordinary White Goblin Giant Warrior.
The alpha wolf was the leader among the hunters, usually the fiercest female. The alpha's combat effectiveness was not low, and one could easily bite four or five Goblin Warriors to death.
The likely population structure of the pack was: 1 pack leader, 5 alpha wolves, 60 hunting wolves, several sentry wolves, and n wolf pups.
Its fighting strength was roughly equivalent to: 2 White Goblin Giant Warriors, 15 Goblin Knights, 180 Goblin Warriors.
The enemy was on home ground and familiar with the battlefield. Even if you deployed forces twice as strong, you would very likely return empty-handed.
Therefore, a bit of modern warfare craft was needed.
The mighty goblin force followed Altair into wolf territory. The wolves were unaware that their "friendly neighbors" were already outside their home, ready to enter and plunder.
Altair and eight Goblin Scouts split off to the flanks to search for any human adventurers who might appear today, so they could withdraw in time and avoid being discovered by humans.
After that, Altair ordered his forces to divide into two groups.
Led personally by Altair, two White Goblin Giant Warriors, one Violet Goblin Priest, twenty Goblin Knights, and fifty Goblin Warriors created a ruckus and advanced to pinpoint the pack leader's location.
The other team—Violet Goblin Commander (Wolf Clan) and Violet Goblin Shaman (Illusion)—sat upon the shoulders of the White Goblin Tank on either flank to direct the advance.
They were followed by the remaining two White Goblin Giant Warriors. Finally, the Illusion Shaman, per Altair's instructions, conjured four fake White Goblin Giant Warriors behind them.
They formed up and headed toward where the wolf pups were.
Not long after, the goblins' movements were detected by the wolves, throwing the entire pack into alarm.
At the sign of a large-scale goblin incursion, the whole pack grew restless.
The wolves immediately stopped hunting and gathered to oppose the invaders. Twenty to thirty Dire Wolves hurried back to defend, blocking the seven White Goblin giants and the two Violet Goblins before they could close, baring fangs and warning the intruders to retreat.
Perched nearly two meters above the ground on the White Goblin Tank's shoulders, the two violet goblins muttered and signaled the white goblins to halt.
What Altair had just said echoed in their minds: If you meet a pack returning to defend, just stand there and face them. Don't brawl—play with them.
As long as the pack leader wasn't present, the returning wolves would see seven hulking white goblins—seven slabs of meat with terrifying striking power—and two violet goblins giving cunning cover. Who would dare make the first move?
On the other side of the wolf territory, Altair counted on his fingers and concluded the skirmish was won without bloodshed—and at least half the wolf hunters had been lured away.
Here, thirty hunting wolves led by the pack leader and three alpha wolves soon appeared before Altair.
They bared fangs and darted through the dense forest, seeking the best angle to strike.
They were not taking a defensive stance; rather, they were on the attack—there were invaders in their territory.
Among the wolves, the pack leader bared savage fangs and stared at Altair among the goblins.
The wolves formed a battle cluster around the leader and encircled the goblins.
In the wolves' eyes, this would be a fierce battle.
They could not cede this territory, because they had been driven from the wild wolf pack on the western side; they could not go to the outer goblin ring, where humans hunted retreating goblins, nor to the Ledgebreak Monkeys in the east.
They had to guard their own land; otherwise they would wander between the cracks of various domains and be attacked wherever they went.
"Spread to both sides, and take no action until I give the order!"
As the wolves closed in, Altair issued orders to the goblins.
Each detachment was led by five Heavy Goblin Knights and five Light Goblin Knights, with twenty-five Goblin Warriors following behind them. They split to either side and drew the wolves' attention around the pack leader.
The White Goblin Giant Warriors guarded the Violet Goblin Priest in the rear, with orders to keep watch for anyone wounded and give timely treatment.
At the same time, Altair approached the pack leader alone and offered two choices:
Either a group battle—or single combat.
Seeing this, the pack leader understood the goblins were stronger than they were and it would not be easy to drive them off.
Sensing the challenge from the goblin leader, the surrounding wolves all looked to their chief, awaiting its decision.
The pack leader stared hard at Altair, then finally let out a long howl, dismissing the nearby wolves, and strode out from the pack alone.
Leaders from both sides faced one another.
Leaders dueling one-on-one to decide the outcome was a common way to settle battles between races in the wild.
This was exactly what Altair wanted—prevent goblin casualties, go with the flow, and avoid losses among the wolf pack, preserving their combat strength so they could be added to the goblin military arm.
Minimize losses as much as possible and keep the forces recruitable.
Often, different races merged and absorbed one another—but this usually excluded the chief, most of the hunting wolves, and their pups. Only females would be accepted.
Thus, bloody scenes were nearly unavoidable in wars between species.
But—
Altair looked at the very strong and handsome leader before him.
Entity Name: Dire Wolf Pack Leader (Mid-tier)
Age: 12 years
Attack: 21 (+67)
Vitality: 52 (+138)
Mana: 4 (+5)
Intelligence: 11 (+24)
Impact Resistance: 10 (+23)
Magic Resistance: 4 (+6)
Attribute: None
Beast Talents: Wolf's Strength, Enhanced Sense of Smell, Reinforced Wolf Jaws, Reinforced Wolf Claws
As expected of an evolved pack leader, it had an attack power over 80, higher than the average White Goblin's roughly 70. With naturally enhanced weapons, even two White Goblins together might not match it.
Thinking of this, Altair glanced down at his current profession with complex feelings.
Individual Name: Altair (Golden Emperor Goblin)
Profession:Goblin Commander (Wolf Clan)