83. Repelling the Bearfolk

The minotaur warrior soon dashed onto the beach and delivered the chieftain’s orders to the squad leader commanding the minotaur unit. In a matter of moments, the minotaurs began to retreat in an orderly fashion. As one of the warriors passed by Irene, he gave her a tug, signaling for her to fall back with them.

Irene’s small crossbow had displayed such formidable power that it left the minotaurs astonished. After all, she was an elf—and a female elf at that. Because of this, two minotaur warriors abandoned the fighting to stand guard by her side.

Irene brought up the rear, retreating while continually firing her crossbow at the pursuing bearfolk warriors. As the foremost archer of the elves, she lived up to her reputation. Mo Fei had once thought her boastful, but seeing her arrows strike true time and again, he had to admit she had spoken the truth.

Irene grew anxious, having forgotten that Mo Fei had once enchanted a full quiver of arrows for her with a group-attack spell. Had she remembered, the bearfolk warriors would have suffered even greater losses. Though the enchanted arrows couldn’t kill these bearfolk with their apparent resistance to magic in a single shot, inflicting massive casualties might have still driven them to rout. Yet, perhaps it was fortunate Irene didn’t use those magical arrows—otherwise, Mo Fei’s plan to lure the enemy would have failed.

The bearfolk warriors truly believed the minotaurs could no longer hold out. Suddenly, all three warships drew ashore, and the two thousand remaining bearfolk aboard surged onto the beach in a frenzy.

By this time, Mo Fei had already kept behind him a dozen or so particularly sturdy minotaur warriors who had fallen back. They glanced at the chieftain, who simply said, “Obey his orders,” and spoke no more.

These dozen-plus minotaurs formed two ranks before Mo Fei. He cast enhancement spells on each, then followed up with a restorative spell to revive their spirits and energy, positioning them directly in front of him.

Soon, all the bearfolk warriors had landed. With a unified roar, they charged toward the small village. Mo Fei noticed that the minotaur named Ader had led over forty minotaur warriors around the battlefield and into the water to launch a flanking maneuver. Meanwhile, the rest of the minotaur warriors had already retreated past Mo Fei and his small group, leaving only Mo Fei and his dozen-odd minotaurs in the vanguard.

Closer and closer they came. Mo Fei raised his hand and gave the command: “Go! Take them down!”

The minotaurs, now empowered with numerous magical enhancements, hurled themselves fearlessly into the ranks of the bearfolk, wildly swinging their massive iron clubs. Blows from the bearfolk’s weapons were blocked by the pure white glow encircling the minotaurs. Their speed, strength, and defense had all been multiplied many times over, and in a single charge, they flattened the vanguard of the bearfolk warriors.

With another wave of his hand, Mo Fei summoned yet another group of minotaurs, casting his enhancement spells upon them and commanding them to attack as well. Each time a group charged, another took their place beside Mo Fei, eagerly awaiting his blessing, their eyes expectant.

Mo Fei was left speechless. Did these fellows really think he was a god, or perhaps water from the sea, able to grant his magic endlessly as he pleased?

The two dozen or so minotaurs now magically enhanced formed a single long line. With howls and sweeping iron clubs, they sent bearfolk warriors flying with every stroke. Just these few warriors managed, for a time, to hold back nearly three thousand bearfolk attackers.

However, the narrow road leading to the village could not accommodate the full might of the attacking force. Only about forty bearfolk could face off against the minotaurs at any one time. Had the bearfolk been able to spread out, the minotaurs would not have lasted long.

At that moment, Mo Fei saw that the forty-some minotaurs who had gone into the water were now boarding the three enemy ships in groups. There were few left to guard the ships; the helmsmen were quickly tossed into the sea. The minotaurs commandeered the ships and immediately sailed them away from shore. Realizing their vessels had been seized and that only a handful of foes had held back their thousands, panic spread among the bearfolk.

Disorder rippled through their ranks. Mo Fei shouted, “All units, charge! Encircle them!”

Irene was the first to rush forward. Seeing the lovely elf girl leading the charge, the minotaurs surged after her with renewed vigor. Their morale soared, and they ran faster than ever before. Elves were known for their swiftness, but now, even Irene seemed slower than the rampaging minotaurs at her side.

Meanwhile, the minotaurs who had seized the ships left a few behind to guard them, while the rest dove into the sea to outflank the bearfolk from the rear. The bearfolk’s will to fight completely broke, and they scattered, fleeing for the mountains.

Mo Fei couldn’t help but feel perplexed. How was it that, back in the Wyvern Empire, he’d never seen the bearfolk break and run like this? Was it true that every creature had its nemesis?

He knew that the scattered bearfolk stood little chance of survival now. Had they rallied and fought to the death, there might have been a slim hope of escape. As it was, their fate was sealed.

Thanks to Mo Fei’s strategy, the three thousand-strong bearfolk force was utterly destroyed by the minotaurs. It was the greatest victory the minotaurs had seen in more than twenty years. That night, the entire village was swept up in jubilant celebration.

“It’s all thanks to you!” the old chieftain exclaimed, grasping Mo Fei’s hands. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did, we would have been forced to abandon our home yet again.”

“If not for Wodo, we wouldn’t have been so lucky,” Mo Fei replied with a smile. “He couldn’t stop talking about your delicious food, and his mouth was watering so much we just had to come.”

At that, everyone burst out laughing. Wodo scratched his head, lowering it in embarrassment. His skin was so dark, it was impossible to tell if he was blushing.

It seemed that all the peoples of this continent shared a tradition: in times of joy, they gathered together to dance wildly to the simple yet stirring beat of the drums. Having experienced the wolffolk’s festivities, Mo Fei had picked up a little of their exuberant rhythm.

After a night of revelry, Mo Fei decided to stay in the seaside village for a while. Here he could see the sea, the forest, and a towering mountain at the forest’s edge. From his perspective, the forest and the mountain formed natural barriers. With the right defenses, the village could be made nearly impregnable.

The village could send ships out to sea, but it would be far harder for anyone to land from the sea. The narrow mouth of the harbor could easily be defended; no warship would be able to force its way in. Yet, the minotaurs seemed unaware of such common military knowledge. On the other hand, they did understand the need to guard the mountain pass, which made Mo Fei reconsider his assessment of their intelligence.

He had witnessed their formidable fighting spirit the day before—they fought with a berserker’s ferocity. Their thick skins rendered ordinary blows nearly useless, leaving them free to attack unimpeded. Perhaps this was how minotaurs had evolved differently on this continent. When wounded, they became even more frenzied, their strength and speed increasing, which left Mo Fei puzzled. Did they always need to be hurt first before unleashing their true power?

Blood? Minotaurs? Mo Fei felt he was on the verge of understanding something, but the insight slipped away. No matter—he decided it was best to help the minotaurs fortify their village. He might need their aid someday, and laying the groundwork now could yield great rewards in the future.

With that in mind, Mo Fei, led by Wodo, went to pay his respects to the old chieftain. After the previous night’s celebration, the chieftain, though he hadn’t danced much, had drunk plenty of homemade fruit wine. When Mo Fei and his companions arrived, the old man was still rather groggy.

“I’m getting old—please excuse me,” the chieftain said, still basking in rare happiness. Even if he had to do it all over again, he would gladly down another jar of that wine.

“Nonsense, you’re as vigorous as any of us,” Mo Fei replied. In truth, Mo Fei himself had never drunk alcohol before; after just two bowls offered by minotaur warriors during the festivities, he’d been sprawled out senseless, while Irene and Vivian had downed much more without the slightest effect. This morning, he’d caught the two women chuckling at his expense whenever they looked his way.

“Well, enough of that. What brings you all to see this old man so early?” the chieftain asked with a smile, clearly remembering how quickly Mo Fei had passed out the night before.

“It’s like this, Chieftain,” Mo Fei began. “This morning, Wodo and I surveyed the village. I believe with a few fortifications, it could serve as an excellent early warning and defensive outpost. What do you think?”

“That’s wonderful! Please assist us in any way you can. Our people can’t bear another catastrophe—we’ve suffered enough.”

“In that case, would you gather all the warriors fit for battle and have them follow me? I’ll show them what to do.”

“Of course, I’ll see to it right away.” With the fate of the entire tribe at stake, the old chieftain wasted no time. He hurried out of the house and began calling out loudly to his people.