87: Well-trained bandits1

The wind and snow raged on Wan'an Highway, and the biting north wind, carrying snowflakes, slapped against the faces of everyone in the trade company.

I rode on my white mare, tightened the collar of my cloak, and the white mist I exhaled quickly dissipated in the air.

The winding slope ahead was covered with a thick layer of accumulated snow from days of snowfall, and the wheels made a creaking sound as they rolled over it.

"This damn weather," Old Hather muttered, a thin layer of ice on his beard, "If it keeps up like this, we'll have to camp in the snow again."

Just then, the Dragon King in mid-air transmitted a message to me with his mind: there was unusual movement in the forest ahead.

At first, it was just an unusual bird cry, followed by the crisp sound of branches breaking.

In the wind and snow, several dark figures were vaguely visible moving quickly through the bushes, like branches swayed by the wind, but seemingly with some purpose.

I squinted, trying to see more clearly, but the wind and snow were too heavy, blurring my vision.

"Randall," John called out in a low voice, his voice almost drowned out by the wind, "Did you see the movement over there?"

Randall reined in his horse, and his white warhorse stopped, snorting a cloud of white mist.

He looked in the direction I pointed, his brows slightly furrowed.

Randall suddenly raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.

His white warhorse restlessly pawed the ground, the holy emblem on his armor glowing faintly.

I looked back at the trade company behind me:

Old Hather's carriage followed steadily behind, and the large trucks driven by John and George seemed somewhat cumbersome in the wind and snow.

The Village Trade Company followed closely behind us, and I had arranged for Black Little Leopard and two Wild Dogs to guard them on either side.

Amn's large trade company followed last, with 6 guards distributed on both sides of their convoy.

Everything seemed normal, but that uneasy feeling lingered.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it," I thought to myself, "Even if they are bandits, we easily dealt with so many before, they won't pose much of a threat to our current team."

But my hand still quietly gripped the Red Tassel Spear.

The magic patterns on the spear shaft remained bright in the wind and snow, like flickering flames.

"Alert!" Randall growled, simultaneously drawing his greatsword.

Almost at the same moment, a sharp whistle cut through the wind and snow, followed by the whooshing sound of arrows tearing through the air.

My pupils suddenly contracted, and I saw dozens of arrows flying out of the forest, heading towards the trade company with deadly arcs.

"Enemy attack!" Randall roared, his voice like thunder exploding in the wind and snow.

He quickly raised his tower shield, blocking in front of me.

Arrows rained down like locusts, Goblin's poisoned arrows and Kobolds' flame arrows interweaving into a deadly net of fire.

An Amn Trade Company guard was hit by an arrow and fell to the ground, letting out a scream.

The Village Trade Company's wagon was hit by a flame arrow, and the goods on it instantly burst into roaring flames.

"Find cover!" I shouted loudly, my voice carrying an undeniable authority.

I quickly turned my horse around and hid behind the wagon.

Randall followed closely, his tower shield steadily blocking in front of us.

The others also successively hid behind the carriages.

In the wind and snow, the enemies' figures gradually became clear.

More than twenty two-meter-tall colossal figures emerged from the snow curtain, their crimson leather armor like splashed bloodstains in the white world—they were Goblin raiders!

These monsters' coarse fur was covered in ice shards, their dark reddish-brown skin was scarred with knife marks, and their yellowish fangs dripped with foul-smelling drool.

The monsters in the front row were pulling back their longbows with arms as thick as tree trunks, the cold glint of their poisoned arrows stinging the eyes.

"Poisoned arrows on string!" The orange-faced Goblin leader snarled with a jackal-like growl, its blood-red eyes suddenly locking onto my direction.

In an instant, a dozen arrows tore through the wind and snow, the bone fragments tied to their tails emitting a wailing whistle like ghosts.

"Duck!" Randall suddenly tackled me off my horse, and three poisoned arrows grazed over my head.

I smelled the putrid stench of decaying flesh on the arrowheads—traces of Rotting spell! These beasts actually knew how to poison with evil magic!

A burst of fire suddenly erupted on the left.

Half-human-tall dark figures squeaked and darted out from a snowdrift on the other side—they were over thirty Kobold archers!

These red-skinned imps held smoking shortbows, their tails dragging charred marks in the snow. Their frenzied barks mixed with the explosion of flame arrows, instantly igniting three wagons.

I rolled behind the wreckage of a wagon, sweeping my Red Tassel Spear to knock away a flame arrow.

Sparks hissed on the snow, reflecting the Kobolds' twisted rat-faces—their blood-red eyes glowed with sadistic pleasure, and rotten red rags were wrapped around their horns, making them look like little harbingers of death crawled out of purgatory.

Randall's greatsword suddenly exploded with holy light beside my ear, shattering two poisoned arrows. "They have tactical coordination!" The holy emblem on his armor vibrated violently, "Goblin archers providing cover fire, Kobolds setting fires in the chaos—this is an army-level attack!"

My heart pounded faster, and I tried hard to force myself to calm down.

This kind of dense suppressive fire was not like the previous bandits who only started fighting when they got in front of us.

This battle had just begun, and we had to withstand this fierce attack to have a chance to turn the tide.

"Randall," I said in a low voice, my gaze fixed on the enemies ahead, "We need a plan."

Randall nodded, a resolute light flickering in his eyes. "I'll find an opportunity to charge into their ranks," he said, "You're in charge of directing the others, and I'll block their offensive."

"Cover! Find cover!" My voice was exceptionally clear in the wind and snow.

I quickly directed the trade company members who hadn't yet found good cover to use the wagons and terrain to find shelter.

The Amn Trade Company guards scattered in a panic; most of these people were clearly new, but the Goblin's poisoned arrows were precise and deadly, and several guards fell to the ground, their faces quickly turning black, clearly having been poisoned.

The Village Trade Company's situation was even worse. Their wagons were hit by the Kobolds' flame arrows, and the goods on them instantly burst into roaring flames.

The flames were exceptionally dazzling in the wind and snow, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring visibility.

Three members of the Village Trade Company couldn't escape in time and were engulfed by the flames, their screams chilling to the bone.

"George! Get people to put out the fire!" John shouted at George, who was riding a pony.

George's face was pale, but he quickly dismounted and, with a few remaining members of the Village Trade Company, used snow and blankets to extinguish the flames.

However, the power of the flame arrows far exceeded expectations, and the fire was difficult to control for a while.

Hiding behind the wagon, my gaze quickly swept across the battlefield.

The bandits stood before the high slope, and they had even prepared wooden shelters suitable for archers in advance to conceal their figures.

I thought of shooting arrows back, but the effect probably wouldn't be very good.

The Amn Trade Company's guard captain tried to organize the remaining men to counterattack, but their archers couldn't even lift their heads under the enemy's suppressive fire.

"Randall!" John called out in a low voice, with a hint of urgency.

Randall steadily held his tower shield, protecting me.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the enemy's movements. "Their firepower is too dense," Randall said in a deep voice, "We must find a breakthrough, otherwise we'll be trapped here."

I nodded, quickly analyzing the situation.

Although the enemy's ranged attacks were fierce, their shelters were not sturdy, especially the Kobolds' flame arrows, which, though powerful, had a shorter range.

If we could close the distance, we might be able to disrupt their formation.

"We need to distract them," I said in a low voice, a flicker of determination in my eyes, "Randall, can you draw their fire?"

Randall smiled slightly, a glint of battle intent in his eyes. "Leave it to me." He said, then suddenly stood up, strode out, and shouted loudly: "In the name of justice, receive judgment!"