Clash of Scouts

Along the fringes of Storm Heights, over forty giant eagles flew in rigid formation. Mounted upon each eagle was a knight clad in plate armor, their breastplates emblazoned with the crest of an eagle crossed with swords. They were sworn retainers of House Lakeman, the renowned North Wind Eagle Guard. For this campaign, they had deployed an entire knightly order—a full forty-eight Eagle Guards—to serve as scouts, conducting aerial reconnaissance on the enemy's movements. House Lakeman had truly emptied its vaults for this endeavor. This particular company was the Sixth Order of the North Wind Eagle Guard, reconstituted from the remnants of Alger's former command. Their current commander was a woman named Nellie. She was the only female commander among the six North Wind Eagle Guard orders, as well as Alger's former trusted subordinate. Clad in heavy plate armor, Nellie held the Eagle Screech Silver Sword reserved exclusively for order commanders. Her bright, exposed eyes were filled with resolve. "Back here again..." "Storm Heights." She murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly. This place was the source of her inner demons. The commander she had once idolized had remained behind forever so that they could escape. Whether he was alive or dead remained unknown, though she believed he would never submit to an evil dragon. More than half of the Sixth Order comrades who had fought alongside her had perished in that sea of dragon flame. At the thought, Nellie gritted her teeth and made a silent vow. "I will avenge you, Commander." "And my fallen comrades." "I swear, even at the cost of our lives, we will trample that nest of evil, repay His Grace the Duke's benevolence, and carry justice and order across all of Anzeta!" With that resolve, Nellie squeezed her thighs, urging her mount forward. "Screeech—!" A long eagle cry echoed through the air. Yet she had forgotten one thing: the skies above Storm Heights were no longer free for the Eagle Guard to roam as they pleased. Cinder Nest now boasted eighteen Redscale Conquerors. With the outbreak of full-scale war, the Redscale Conquerors patrolled the borders day and night, obliterating any potential enemy in sight. "Commander, movement ahead!" the lead Eagle Guard reported. Nellie peered into the distance. More than a dozen massive wyverns were surging toward them aggressively, and flying at the head of their formation was a rare dragon-blooded giant eagle. Riding atop these draconic beasts were knights clad in heavy armor and armed with an assortment of weapons. Yet each of them bore a hideous dragon head, presenting the savage aspect of half-dragon beasts. "Damn it, red dragon lackeys!" "North Wind Eagle Guard, prepare for battle!" Nellie growled through clenched teeth. She brandished her Eagle Screech Silver Sword through the air, drawing a sharp, whistling shriek from the blade. She knew nothing of the Redscale Conquerors, but these evil dragon-blooded thralls had long gained notoriety in the surrounding lands. On the Redscale Conquerors' side, Alger, flying at the fore, had spotted the enemy long ago. The Eagle Guards had swaggered into Cinder Nest's airspace without the slightest attempt at concealment. Naturally, they could not escape Alger's seasoned eyes—to say nothing of how draconic senses were inherently keener than those of ordinary humans. Yet when his gaze fell upon their leader, a flicker of astonishment crossed his golden slit pupils. "Nellie?" It was his former subordinate, the girl who had always tagged along behind him—a remarkably tough woman. He had never imagined their reunion would take place on a battlefield. Alger quickly regained his composure. His gaze hardened as he stared at the approaching enemy. "The Eagle Guard named Alger died beneath dragon flame. The one who survived is merely a red dragon lackey—a ruthless Redscale Conqueror." He gently stroked the giant eagle's feathers, soothing its sudden restlessness. It seemed Igor had recognized his former acquaintance as well. "Igor, get ready." "It is merely..." "Each of us serving our own master." His quiet murmur scattered into the howling wind. Alger raised the Everburning Greatsword, setting the blade ablaze with roaring flames that shone like a beacon in the sky. He shouted, "Redscale Conquerors, with me! Destroy them!" The dozen-odd players behind him broke out into a cacophony of cheers. "Charge, charge, charge!" "I'm hyped!" "For Cinder Nest!" "For Faction Contribution!" "Holy crap, aerial dogfights are this epic?!" Facing wyvern riders that were far larger in size but fewer in number, the North Wind Eagle Guard under Nellie instinctively broke into a wide encirclement formation. They intended to leverage the giant eagles' superior maneuverability and their numerical advantage to surround and wipe out the wyvern knights. Yet before they could even draw close, they suffered their first casualty. Hundreds of meters away, Singo had already nocked an arrow, drawn his bow, and aimed straight at the giant eagle carrying the vanguard scout. "Wyvern, steady." A purple rune flickered into existence upon the giant eagle. Entirely unaware of the mark, the beast continued to fly forward steadily under its rider's guidance. Singo released the bowstring. Augmented by his Elven Accuracy feat and the Hunter's Mark spell, his arrows practically never missed. *Whoosh—* The arrow streaked through the air with blistering speed. It punched cleanly through the giant eagle's chest, piercing straight into its heart. The giant eagle plummeted limply from the sky. Its rider cried out in terror as he tumbled downward toward inevitable death. A roar of excitement erupted among the player Redscale Conquerors. "Badass!" "Sing-dog got first blood!" "My contribution points!" "No way, man!" Beside him, Mantou watched the falling scout and couldn't help remarking, "Holy crap, Sing-dog, you had to have guessed that, right? Hitting from that far away?" Singo gave a cold snort. "Do you even understand the value of an archer fighter with Elven Accuracy? That's pure skill. If you don't believe me, step up for a bow duel." Knowing he was no match, Mantou still stubbornly talked back. "You got lucky on one shot and now you're acting all high and mighty. You got the guts to land another?" Singo replied, "They were just caught off guard. As long as they aren't complete idiots, they'll adjust." He pointed toward the Eagle Guard, whose formation had indeed begun to shift. Within the North Wind Eagle Guard, Nellie stared in utter disbelief at her fallen subordinate, muttering under her breath: "How is that possible...?" According to her years of combat experience, shooting a bow from eagleback severely degraded one's accuracy, let alone from hundreds of meters away—a shot that was difficult to land even on solid ground. That was why she had made no special defensive arrangements while closing the distance. The scout's death proved only one thing: the prowess of these evil dragon lackeys far exceeded their imagination! Nellie hastily raised the Eagle Screech Silver Sword and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Disperse formation!" "Watch out for their archer!" The Eagle Guards fanned out to avoid colliding with one another. Demonstrating their exceptional riding skills, they constantly shifted flight paths, attempting to close in and encircle the wyverns from every direction. *Whoosh—* Another arrow flew. Feathers burst across the sky. An Eagle Guard performing an evasive roll wailed as he plunged from the sky. Singo lowered his longbow, glanced at Mantou—whose jaw had dropped to his chest—and said with casual indifference: "All that flashy nonsense, and he folds in one hit." With no room left to talk back, Mantou could only mutter sourly, "You really did manage to flex, didn't you?"