Chapter 400: Ambush in Black Rock Valley
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Half a day later, in a forest west of Rayleigh.
The lush plant life and the dark of the night acted as perfect camouflage. Nobody could tell how many mages there were hidden in there unless they actually walked right in.
The mages inside were tightly crowded together, leaving little to no breathing room. Although entire forest was jam-packed, it was still extremely silent. Only Benjamin’s voice could be heard quietly giving out orders.
"You might still be puzzled as to why I have called all of you here to this forest." He was standing on a huge rock, speaking slowly, "The truth is, the demonstration was a hoax, the purpose of which was to lure the Bishop away. Moments ago, I got confirmation that a troop of priests and a thousand soldiers led by the Bishop will be drawing close to Rayleigh in just a few hours. We are here to ambush them."
He had brought a group of mages from the Desert City and members of the rebel organization to act as his standing army for today’s battle.
The mages of the rebel organization showed expressions of surprise and shock at the news; It was now very clear to them that they were about to be forced into battle. These members were under the impression that they were going to join an ordinary demonstration, however now he was telling them that the demonstration was a ploy all along and that they were about to attack the Bishop himself. This had to be some kind of sick joke.
But they had no choice. To prevent information from being leaked and the Bishop being alerted, Benjamin did not allow them to leave.
"Are you serious?" A mage asked.
"Of course I am, Jerome." Benjamin looked at the mage and answered with a smile, "But relax, we will win, and Ferelden will be saved."
To be honest, even though there were more than five hundred mages before him now, Benjamin had never even seen most of them before. However, the System had saved every one of their names. Because of that, Benjamin could call out every person’s name at will.
This was one of the little tricks that he used to win over the people. After Benjamin called him by name, the mage was temporarily stunned but looked much calmer after that.
He was not the only one; amongst the crowd, a lot of mages actually looked quite excited. Although the news had come without warning, many of them were looking forward to directly fighting with the Church. If not, they would not have wanted to join the rebel organization.
Although some were rather anxious, their only worry was that everything was too rushed and that they were not well-prepared enough, not due to lack of motivation.
The only ones who were uneasy were the spies that the Church had planted – and it was written clearly on their faces.
"Mage Hans, where are you going?"
Using water elemental induction magic, Benjamin spotted a mage who had a look of uncertainty on his face and was taking a few steps back, acting as though he wanted to secretly slip away.
Benjamin looked at him and called out icily, immediately destroying the excited atmosphere.
Everyone was stunned. The mage in question trembled as he looked up to meet Benjamin’s gaze.
However, he did attempt to explain himself. Before anyone could react, he spun around and darted towards the fringes of the forest.
Benjamin was ready and immediately took action.
Without any incantation, an icicle suddenly grew outwards from Mage Han’s heart, causing him to drop mid-run and die on the spot. He was clutching a cross in his hand, which shattered helplessly after blocking the first wave of icicles. The other mages were left with their jaws still gaping – what the hell just happened?
Benjamin merely stared at the corpse cruelly, he had no mercy for the Church’s men. The cross proved the "mage’s" true identity, Benjamin did not need to explain anymore.
Somebody from the crowd tossed out a fireball and cremated the corpse, erasing all trace of his existence.
"It is only because there are such people around that I had to keep the plans a secret from everyone." Benjamin shook his head and continued, "Now, we do not have much time. Perhaps some of you are unprepared for battle, do not worry, I have got some magic potions and tools ready for everyone. You may use them later."
After saying this, he gave the soldiers next to him a nod. The soldiers then opened a few big boxes before distributing its contents.
They distributed a wide assortment of potions such as the Short-Term Magical Ability Boost Tonics, Energy Regeneration Tonics and Instant Healing Tonics. But they fell short in the magic tool department; in the end, everyone only got a protective small wooden plaque that worked like the cross and acted as a magical shield.
This was the best that Benjamin could come up with in the short span of time. The mages received their accessories one by one and slowly regained their calmness, inwardly acknowledging what they were about to do.
It was time to fight.
No one had any objections. They listened to Benjamin’s orders and prepared themselves, lining up to form separate troops. Then, they began to march toward the location of the ambush. With only four hours left, they could not afford to waste time.
An hour later, they entered Black Rock Valley.
It was a remote path, running from the City of Snow to the City of Rayleigh. The terrain was cramped, and the forage was thick, with many magical creatures hiding inside. According to the Prime Minister, the Church would lead his troops through this path. His spies had also confirmed this information.
This place was perfect for an ambush. There were plenty of hiding spots and the tracks of the numerous magical creatures could help cover up any giveaway signs of an ambush. Not to mention, Morris had created a magic tool that could help repel magical creatures - it was perfect for the current situation. The pitch-black night was void of stars and the moon, voiding any natural lighting. The circumstances could not be any more ideal.
To be honest, Benjamin had no clue about how the battle itself was going to take place. Everything from lining up the troops to the ambush strategy was all arranged by Chief Knight Lance. Hidden in the woods, Lance could not help but pat Benjamin’s shoulder, "I have never imagined that I would one day be leading an army of half a thousand mages into battle."
"They can’t really be considered an army, though." Benjamin shook his head calmly. They don’t even have a concrete battle plan. Benjamin would probably cast a non-verbal spell and strike first, and the mages would jump out and follow. The targets would be, in the order of importance, the Bishop, the priests, and then the soldiers. Everything else was up in the air.
They were by no means an "army".
"In the end, they are all still mages. We can’t ask for too much." Lance consoled. "Don’t worry, from all my years of experience I can tell: We will not lose this battle."
Benjamin smiled back at him, "Let’s hope so."
Benjamin was actually quite confident.
In any case, they were all battle mages and were sure to have at least some basic combat knowledge. The Church only had about two hundred men, even if they had to rely on sheer numbers to crush them, it should not be a problem.
And just like that, over five hundred mages hid themselves in the trees of Black Rock Valley. Benjamin kept the water elemental induction magic switched on, monitoring the direction that the Bishop and his men were supposed to arrive from.
Like an owl in the night, he watched for his prey.