King of Beings

Chapter 110: Awooooo~~~~~~

Back in the valley where Liam had set up camp, a few of his men reported on the battle and patiently awaited the arrival of the third gnoll hunting party. Unfortunately, the gnolls were on high alert; as soon as their leader sensed something was off, he retreated with his pack back to the wild boar's lair, hiding inside. They hadn't received any news about the previous hunting party's defeat, but their instinctive danger sense told them that something was amiss in these woods. So, they decided to wait in their lair, sending out only a few scouts to patrol the area while waiting for the two outgoing hunting teams to return with news.

"What now?" Magna asked, fidgeting as he watched the gnolls hunker down across the way. They had at least eight hundred warriors, while they had just over four hundred. If they charged head-on, even if their ranged units unleashed maximum damage, they would still be overrun by an equal number of enemies. With only a hundred Riverbend infantry, their small shield wall would be easily crushed by the overwhelming gnoll forces, leaving the crossbowmen and archers helpless. Even if they achieved victory, they might not have many survivors to bring home.

"We can lure them out again," Liam said calmly. "The enemy doesn't know we're here or the size of our forces. We could send a small unit to bait some of them into the valley, just like last time, and take them down."

"No matter how many show up, it's better than going in guns blazing," someone added.

"Then it's settled! Who's going to be the bait?"

"Obviously, it should be the weakest-looking ones. A stronger group would just attract the whole gnoll tribe," another chimed in.

As they discussed this, all eyes turned to Fissa. She glanced around, sensing the pressure. Jumping onto a rock, draped in her "Phoenix Crown and Splendid Garb," she spread her arms wide, trying her best to showcase her impressive stature.

"Gnolls are not weak! Gnolls are the strongest! Gnolls are invincible! Woof woof woof!"

Liam could only reassure her, "It's not that you guys are weak; it's just that you look less threatening, so the enemy won't be on high alert."

He encouraged her further, "Fissa is smart and brave. You've defeated gnolls before; you will be the king of the gnolls!"

Fissa took his words to heart, wagging her tail excitedly. "Fissa is smart and brave! Liam is brave and smart! Smart and brave Fissa will lead the gnolls to defeat the terrible gnolls and become the king of the gnolls!"

Liam was taken aback and quickly clarified, "I don't mean for you to fight them! Just lure them in, and we'll all take them down together." He remembered the last time in the Alligator Swamp when he witnessed Fissa's military command skills and worried she might charge in, leading the gnolls to their doom.

With Liam's encouragement, Fissa set off with her pack of gnolls. Liam, like a doting father, kept reminding her not to attack the rocky hills recklessly, not to use explosives prematurely, and to ignore anything the gnolls said. "Just fire a few arrows at the gnolls guarding the area, and if you see enemies coming after you, run back to the valley!"

As Liam watched Fissa lead the gnolls out of the valley, concern etched on his face, the other leaders exchanged glances.

Magna rubbed his chin, puzzled. "Doesn't this feel like sending a kid out to play war?"

Veik disagreed. "More like sending a dim-witted daughter off to school."

Everyone nodded in agreement, seeing the truth in his words. Fissa, however, had her own ideas. She led her troops to the nearby woods by the rocky hills, ordered them to halt, and then let out a wolf howl aimed at the wild boar's lair.