Chapter 3.3. Rescue
In the morning, Daqian opened his eyes and looked at the cabin ceiling.
There was a slight knock on the door, and Edmund said outside: "My lord, it's time to get up and eat."
Dacus sat up and asked, "What time is it?"
"My lord, it's past nine o'clock."
After breakfast, Dacun walked onto the deck. The fog had dissipated and the three-masted sailing ship was anchored in an extremely hidden corner of the sea cliff.
Edmund said, "Sir, the boat arrived around four in the morning, and the three siblings have already climbed up the cliff using the rope."
Dastan Lengyan also came over and saluted, saying, "Master, they asked the ship to wait for a day. If you don't return by evening, there's no need to wait for them."
Dacius asked, "Is there anyone on guard at the cliff? Is this place safe?"
Edmund quickly replied, "Sir, a group of soldiers have been sent up to guard."
"Master, it's safe here. This area is all sea cliffs, and there are reefs outside. Normally, no ship would pass by here, and even if they did, they wouldn't see us."
Darkus looked up at Haiya, frowned, and said, "Then why do I feel uneasy?"
Dastan Lengyan and Edmund exchanged a glance. Then Dastan Lengyan hesitated and said, "Sir? Will the three siblings get into trouble?"
Dacius's frown deepened, his inner uneasiness growing stronger. He looked at Edmund and asked, "Are there any soldiers who can track us?"
"My lord, there are two captains and the trainer who will track us."
"Dastan, you stay on the boat. Edmund will pick the men and we'll go after them."
The two Druzis were so frightened that their faces turned green. They said in unison: "Sir! Master! You can't go."
Daxus looked at the two of them, his inner anxiety reaching a critical point, and said, "Execute! It's so damn unlucky." After that, he quickly walked back to the cabin to put on his equipment.
Back in the cabin, Dastan Lengyan followed him and stood at the door and said, "Master, can I assist you?"
Dacus, who was donning his full-body mail, nodded. Dastan Lengyan untied the noble curved sword from his waist and slowly placed it on the ground. He then removed the two serrated daggers from his left and right boots and placed them on the ground. Finally, with an odd gesture, he pulled out the fist dagger from his inner thigh.
Dacus stared at him in amazement, wanting to exclaim, "Wow! You're quite good at hiding!" Dastan Lengyan walked over slowly, his hands raised, and helped Dacus put on his plate armor.
A Druzian's wartime gear typically consisted of a thick-skinned kaitan worn underneath, then a full coat of mail, a silk robe, and finally plate mail.
Darkius tied his long hair and donned a bizarre helmet. He looked at the Gothic-style black steel gilded Grand Duke's gauntlets and the pointed shoe armor on his legs. He did his second set of Cold One Dread Knight radio gymnastics. The Witch King Malekith was calling!
The armor, fused with black steel and sacrificial blood and engraved with powerful talismans, was incredibly light, its joints moving freely and weightlessly. He donned the talisman-engraved Messer blade and shouldered the Druzy halberd. He looked at Dastan Lengyan and said seriously, "You must watch the ship carefully."
Dastan frowned coldly, stared at Daquus seriously and said, "Master, I still don't agree with you going!"
Dacus sighed, patted Dastan Lengyan's shoulder and said, "We'll be staying on the boat anyway. We'll be back before nightfall. If something unexpected happens, we can grab a boat. See you in Lyonness."
Dastan Lengyan wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat and he sighed.
Dacus's uneasy premonition grew stronger. He went up to the deck and saw five more ropes on the cliff, and soldiers were climbing up.
"It's like a rock climber encountering a landslide. It's a disaster. Edmund!"
"grown ups!"
"What's the team's configuration?"
"Sir, two squads have already gone up. They are a mixed group. One squad consists of a captain, four Dreadspearmen, four Dark Swordsmen, and two Black Crossbowmen. Two squads are Black Ark Pirates, and four Beastmasters. Do you need to hoist your Cold Ones up?"
Dacus looked up at the height of the sea cliff, shook his head and said, "I feel like it's too late. Bring a few more harpoon crossbows."
After saying that, he jumped onto the shallows, walked to the bottom of the cliff, and climbed the rope. After climbing up, a trainer with a high-top pigtail knelt on one knee and said, "Sir, I saw the unique Druzy mark on the tree. It was left there this morning."
Edmund, the last man standing, also climbed up. Dacius took the harpoon crossbow and slung it around his waist. He then took the eagle-shaped black pine wood-clad steel shield from a guarded soldier. He glanced at the three-masted sailboat below the cliff and exclaimed, "This location is incredibly tricky. You can't see it unless you're flying."
"Set off!"
There were exactly fifty Druzis in total, with two animal trainers leading the way, followed by two mixed teams. Daquus, Edmund and two animal trainers were at the back, and the two Black Ark pirates were scattered on the left and right, and began to move into the woods.
In the mysterious forests of Chrace, the White War Lions are the most renowned beasts. Muscular and deadly, these felines stand almost as tall at the shoulder as elven warhorses, yet are far stronger. Each swipe of their claws can break bone, and even a helmeted head can withstand the merest bite of their fangs. Cold Ones are no match for them.
Deep in the forest, five ferocious white lions lay on the ground, having been dead for a long time. Two of the lions had obviously been pierced by magic.
Next to the white lion's corpse, Franais was using a Druzy halberd to fight a White Lion guard in a life-and-death duel. Ryan, holding a shield and a serrated sword, protected Alyssa behind him. Alyssa leaned against a tree trunk, her face pale and breathing heavily.
Two White Lion Guards watched the duel from a distance. The other dozen or so Asur, some holding giant axes and some holding bows, surrounded the three siblings and guarded the perimeter.
Alyssa whispered, “I’ll try to hold them back for a while, so when you see the chance, run, don’t look back!”
Ryan responded firmly: "If we're going to die, let's die together!"
The duel between Flannais and the White Lion was extremely bloody, with both sides engaging in life-or-death combat. Flannais sustained a deep axe blow to his left shoulder, exposing the bone, while the White Lion suffered a massive wound in his right calf. Both sides had long recognized each other's family crests, and the encounter between these enemies sparked a burning jealousy.
The White Lion Guard stared at Franais fiercely and said, "You guys from the Kaitaia family, you still have the nerve to come back!"
"Shut up! You lackeys of the false king! You have brought shame upon the Kingdom of Chrace!"
The two sides engaged in another exchange of blows. Flannais launched a defensive left lob, but the White Lion's axe blocked it. Then, with a thrust, the axe swung towards Flannais. Flannais dodged sideways and hurled his halberd at the White Lion's chest. The axe missed, and the halberd struck the White Lion's chest hard. The White Lion stepped back, hurled the axe at Flannais, then stepped forward, grasping the halberd with both hands.
Flanneth was struck in the chest by a huge axe, the axe head embedded in his plate armor, and blood spurted out of his mouth. The White Lion Guard smirked at Flanneth, pulling his halberd back, as if he had already seen the end.
Franais grabbed the halberd with one hand and pulled out the giant axe with the other hand and threw it on the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood at the White Lion Guards, then dropped his halberd and pounced on them. The White Lion Guards couldn't react in time and fell back. Franais pulled out the serrated dagger from his waist and stabbed it directly into the White Lion Guards' neck.