Chapter 398: Battle of the Rock Mountain — The Surging Wolf Pack and the Resistance

Jier gripped his axe tightly, but he was not foolish enough to jump down from the Wooden Wall to charge into the fray. His role was to beat the wolves back from the front of the Wooden Wall once they approached, preventing the beasts from easily breaking through the first line of defense.

"Everyone, stick to the plan! Shoot carefully, and focus your targets on the Northland Wolves caught in the Metal Clamps!" Jier shouted: "Try to make every arrow count! Leave the rest to me!"

"Can you handle it?" a Hunter asked loudly in return.

Jier grinned, glancing at the thick winter clothing he wore while working: "I can!"

In truth, he still felt a bit uncertain, but given the situation, he couldn't exactly say he couldn't.

Northland Wolves ran at high speeds on the snow; when running at full tilt, their four paws could splash snow two meters high, not to mention the impact of a large pack of Northland Wolves running together.

It wasn't just the Northland Wolves charging at Jier and his group from the front; from the Forest on both sides, in places Jier and his group couldn't see, groups of two or three Northland Wolves were also trotting out of the Forest to join the main pack in the attack.

Everyone watched the shadowy darkness in the distance with tension, and amidst their nervous breathing, those Northland Wolves surged forward like the waves on the shore of Umi Lake.

They crowded together as they ran at high speed, and as the trench outside the Rock Passage entrance compressed their chaotic formation, some Northland Wolves were forced onto the mounds of dirt by the trench, only to have their paws slip on the steep slopes, causing them to tumble directly into the bottom of the trench.

At the bottom of the trench, short, thick Fire-roasted Wooden Spikes were waiting for them.

Jier watched excitedly as a portion of the Northland Wolves were pushed into the trench and injured; the abrupt cries of pain proved that part of their previous defensive construction had not been in vain.

Immediately after, the exterior of the ten-meter-long passage flashed by, and a large group of Northland Wolves crowded into the suddenly narrowing entrance. Agile Northland Wolves leaped up, stepping directly on the bodies of other Northland Wolves to avoid colliding and dragging each other down, continuing their charge.

Jier's eyes widened: "Loose arrows, loose arrows!"

"No need to tell us that!"

At that same moment, the fastest Northland Wolves had no choice but to step into the Metal Clamps that Lanisha the Knight had specifically prepared.

These Metal Clamps were gear designed specifically to hunt and injure canine predators; once the not-too-sensitive metal latches were stepped on by a wolf's paw, they would snap the sharp, lightweight serrated iron jaws shut at high speed. The Nuli springs at the base had withstood the cold of the Kendall winter well, and after being set for many days, they could still provide reliable, powerful tension.

Although these Metal Clamps were not as heavy as the hundred-kilogram metal clamps used for hunting bears, and each one seemed quite light by comparison, canine predators were not particularly heavy to begin with.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack, a continuous series of Metal Clamps snapped shut rapidly, accompanied by the fur and flesh of many Northland Wolves' front and hind paws being torn and mangled, along with the continuous wailing and snarling of the animals.

At the same time, four Arrows landed simultaneously on the four trapped Northland Wolves.

All hit their bodies.

The four young Hunters knew this was not the time to conserve arrows or stamina, and they fired arrows in rapid succession. This caused the wailing of the Northland Wolves in the passage ahead to rise up.

Jier had no time to cheer for his companions; he strode to the left behind the Wooden Wall, moved out of the way of a young Hunter who was concentrating on shooting, and as he leaned his body against the side of the Wooden Wall, he brought his raised axe down toward the base of the wall.

A Northland Wolf that had luckily avoided all the Metal Clamps along the way was lifting its front paws to rest them on the wooden obstacle built by the Humans, creating a wolf-ladder for the companions charging behind it.

But an axe, shining with a blue luster under the flickering firelight, descended from the sky and smashed directly into its skull.

The long wolf fur and sturdy skull could not save its life; this strike killed it outright.

Thud.

Jier gripped the axe handle tightly, ignoring the splashing blood as he lifted the axe; it felt a bit heavy for a moment, but as the weight of the Northland Wolf pulled on it, the axe was successfully pulled out of the wolf's head.

Jier straightened his back, scanned the area, quickly placed the axe on his shoulder, and immediately moved to the other end of the Wooden Wall.

Fortunately, although it was the other end, because the entire Rock Passage was not very wide, Jier could reach it in time with two long strides.

This Northland Wolf here had amazing jumping power, having previously stepped directly on the bodies of other trapped Northland Wolves to leap over the area of continuous Metal Clamps.

At this moment, after charging over, this Northland Wolf accelerated at the base of the Wooden Wall, and by clawing at the wood, it scrambled with all four paws, about to leap onto the Wooden Wall.

How could he let it climb up so easily?

Jier swung the axe, smashing the heavy axe into its face, knocking it back under the Wooden Wall in one go.

The Northland Wolf fell to the ground, half its wolf face smashed to pieces, its eyeball burst, clear fluid mixed with blood flowing from the flattened eye socket; its originally perky nose was also caught by the edge of the axe and sliced off halfway, blood flowing like a pillar.

Yet even so, this fierce and agile animal still would not give up, shaking its head as if to try again.

Jier glanced at the creature below and casually said to the Hunter companion beside him: "Shoot that one dead."

The young Hunter, who was continuously drawing his bow and shooting, took a look, and as he fired the next arrow, he lowered the bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and released.

Whoosh.

The Arrow flew quickly across the distance of less than three meters, entering through the Northland Wolf's other intact eye socket and killing the animal by piercing its brain.

The Hunter raised his bow to continue aiming at the scattered, trapped Northland Wolves ahead.

Although many Northland Wolves were hit and injured, neither being caught in Metal Clamps nor being hit by arrows was a method that could kill a Northland Wolf instantly, so even though the momentum of the forward charge was hindered, other Northland Wolves were still surging forward in an endless stream.

It was just that most of them were blocked by the Northland Wolves in front; not all Northland Wolves had the guts to step on the bodies of other Northland Wolves to charge up. These Northland Wolves chosen as the vanguard also came from different wolf dens; usually, it was good enough if they didn't argue or fight over territory when they met, so how could they let warriors from other wolf dens step on their heads and bodies to pass?

Jier saw the Northland Wolves at the entrance of the Rock Passage crowded into a mass, so he told the Hunters to slow down their rate of fire. Afterward, he beat back the Northland Wolves that rushed over and tried to climb the Wooden Wall five more times.

Just as Jier drove the seventh Northland Wolf off the Wooden Wall, the heavy hoofbeats of Lanisha the Knight's warhorse and the aged but still vigorous footsteps of the old Hunters came from behind.

The old Hunters brought a large amount of defensive supplies, as well as other things; Jier's Armor and two long weapons were also carried over by the Knight's warhorse.

The four old Hunters hurriedly replaced the four young Hunters whose arms were sore, and at the same time, they brought more arrows.

Lanisha the Knight leaped off the horse, placed Jier's things to the side, called Jier over to point at the items, and then jumped onto the area behind the Wooden Wall herself, replacing Jier to defend the wall.

Jier jumped down from the half-meter-high Corridor behind the Wooden Wall and came to his equipment.

Lanisha the Knight's warhorse seemed to be in a bad mood at this moment, appearing to have some dissatisfaction at being woken up urgently and unhappiness at not being able to be of use.

Jier pushed away the warhorse that had stretched its head over to nudge him, removed the weapons from his body, opened the wooden chest containing the Armor and Shield, and began to put the armor pieces on himself.

He put on the Chest Armor first, then slid his feet directly into the thick armored boots, tightened the Leg Armor on his calves and connected them to the armored boots, then put the thigh armor containing the knee protection onto his legs and connected them.

After that came the abdomen and Skirt Armor; the internal buckles were connected in sequence, and then the Abdominal Armor and Chest Armor were connected inside and out. He put the armor for his shoulders and Upper Arm Armor onto his arms and connected them to the Chest Armor, then slid his hands into the integrated armor that included the Arm Guard, Elbow Guard, and Glove.

Finally, he put the ring-like neck armor around his neck and connected it to the Chest Armor, followed by the Helmet.

After a quick check of all the connecting buckles from the boots to the Helmet to confirm they were all securely and reliably fixed together, Jier buckled the Armor Belt that could hold weapons and equipment around his waist, tightened it, hung his Long Sword and Dagger, and fixed his axe and Shield to the back of his armor. After considering it, Jier leaned the All-metal Spear against the rock wall of the passage and picked up the Long Spear with the wooden shaft to use instead.

That thing was simply too heavy; it was fine for swinging around to exercise his body, but it was too heavy and cumbersome during a fight. He had thought it was a good idea at the time—that the heavier the weapon, the greater the power—but he had overestimated his own strength.

It wasn't that he couldn't use the all-metal Double-edged Spear simply, but for a life-or-death battle, it was not yet a weapon he could use proficiently for long periods.

Jier kicked the empty wooden chest to the side of the passage to prevent it from getting in the way.

Then, carrying the spear, he came to the Wooden Wall.

With the addition and rotation of the old Hunter and Knight Lanisha, the defense here at the Wooden Wall immediately became impregnable.

The Northland Wolves at the entrance of the passage crowded together, forced to step on one another to climb over those Northland Wolves whose legs and paws were caught in the Metal Clamps. But when they ran to the foot of the Wooden Wall, they would be knocked to the ground one by one by Knight Lanisha with a single punch each, without her even using a weapon.

Seeing this, Jier would immediately lean out and thrust his Long Spear out from above, wounding the Northland Wolves that had been knocked to the ground. Or he would bring the Long Spear down, stunning or injuring the Northland Wolves.

After a stalemate like this for a while, the Northland Wolves saw they could not break through the Human defensive line, and they retreated.

The injured Northland Wolves also followed, retreating back, wanting to withdraw into the darkness where the Humans could not see them.

But obviously, they could not be allowed to have their way.

"Shoot them all, kill everyone who tries to retreat!" Knight Lanisha drew her Armor-piercing Rapier and issued the command while waving it. At the same time, she beckoned to Jier, signaling for Jier to jump down from the Wooden Wall with her to pursue the retreating Northland Wolves.

Jier hesitated for a moment before agreeing. He was worried that the Northland Wolves might pull a trick of a feigned retreat to lure them out of their position, surround them, and kill them.

But thinking that the Knight could throw him out of the Wolf Pack's encirclement with one hand, Jier felt reassured and boldly jumped down from the Wooden Wall, raising his hand to thrust his Long Spear and kill a Northland Wolf that was playing dead to ambush him.

"So cunning!" Jier was startled.

Knight Lanisha did not care; she ignored the Northland Wolves near the Wooden Wall and instead, holding a Torch in one hand and her Fine Sword in the other, she quickly charged toward the large group of retreating Northland Wolves in the distance.

Seeing Jier jump down from the Wooden Wall, the injured Northland Wolves on the ground grew spirited; they tried one after another to attack Jier while they still had strength, but they were either knocked down by Jier again or shot dead by the Hunters above Jier raining arrows down.

Jier was in no hurry to follow Knight Lanisha out to charge and kill; instead, he probed the fallen Northland Wolves one by one from under the Wooden Wall to see if they were dead.

If they were dead, he gave them a poke with his spear; if they were alive, he gave them an even harder one.

It sounded like they had killed many Northland Wolves, but in reality, looking at it now, there were not actually that many; after being injured, if the large number of Northland Wolves were not heavily wounded, they all managed to escape.

After all, Jier and the others were all on the Wooden Wall, and they had no good way to deal with the injured, retreating Northland Wolves. The Hunters' main targets for shooting were still those Northland Wolves whose legs and paws were caught by the Metal Clamps. This was where the highest number of Northland Wolves were killed in this battle.

Inside and outside the front and back of the Rock Passage entrance, Jier and the others had placed all the Metal Clamps here, so at this moment, the ground was covered with Northland Wolves waiting for death.

Some were already dead, shot from a distance by the Hunters with bows and arrows, but more were wounded yet alive, and one by one, they were killed by Jier, who came over and split their heads open with an axe.

Jier counted them; the Northland Wolf corpses covering the ground actually totaled less than forty. Although it looked like a lot, it was actually not that many. And most of the arrows shot by the Hunters had only wounded many of the Northland Wolves.

Jier put away his weapon, watched the Torches moving back and forth at the edge of the Forest in the distance, and guessed how much of a result the female Knight could achieve.

After watching for a while, Jier discovered that Knight Lanisha did not seem to care very much about killing the Northland Wolves; she was searching for something more. Jier could not understand it, so he stopped worrying about the Knight's gains and turned his focus to tidying up the position.

It was impossible to leave the corpses where they were; although it seemed like it might slightly deter those Northland Wolves, it simultaneously covered up the Metal Clamps, which were their most effective tool in the battle.

"Jier! Do you need help carrying them?" On the Wooden Wall, the old Hunter leaned his Hunting Bow against the wood, braced his hands on the Wooden Wall, and leaned out to ask Jier.

Jier shook his head: "Forget it, let's stick to the previous plan. You all keep a close eye on the passage entrance and don't let any stray Northland Wolves sneak over. I'll just carry these corpses back one by one."

To prevent the Northland Wolves from extending their overall battle time after gathering by eating the corpses of their dead companions, Jier and the others planned to transport all the corpses they could control from the battlefield back, first temporarily moving them behind the position, and then, during the lulls in the fighting, moving the Northland Wolf corpses deep into the rear of the position.

Let them wait one more day before they could touch these corpses that could be used as food.

This was an action that looked strenuous and was equally strenuous to carry out, but while the effect was not intuitively visible, one could understand it by using their brain.

It was not until the sky became very dark, the thick clouds in the sky obscured all three moons, and all the illumination relied on burning bonfires, that Knight Lanisha returned to the first-layer position at the entrance of the Rock Passage, accompanied by the sound of metal Boots treading on the ground.

Everyone recognized the sound of the Knight's Boot footsteps, so they felt relieved and let the Knight approach from the darkness.

"How is it? How many Northland Wolves did you all kill just now?" The female Knight walked over quickly, then with a light jump, she vaulted over the Wooden Wall and came to the bonfire behind the Wooden Wall to ask.

She did not care about the Hunters' answers, sitting directly on the ground, sticking her Armor-piercing Rapier into the rocky ground beside her, and bringing her metal Boots close to the bonfire to warm her feet.

Everyone looked on; Jier was beating his shoulders with his fists to relax while resting his palm on the hilt of the Long Sword at his waist to recover his energy, and he had no energy to express an opinion.

"My Lady, not many. After you went out to drive away the Wolf Pack, Jier brought back all the Northland Wolves killed here; there are only thirty-eight. During the previous battle, most of the Northland Wolves were only slightly injured and then ran away." An old Hunter exchanged glances with the other three old Hunters before speaking up.

"As I expected. Don't be discouraged, everyone; actually, this is already very good. Although not many were killed on the spot, it is still a significant number, not to mention the Northland Wolves that were injured, which are surely double that." Knight Lanisha warmed herself by the fire, and after seeming to recover some of her energy, she said to the Hunters: "They are injured and cannot be like a regular army with a Church Cleric Corps for rapid healing. Now, for every Northland Wolf we injure, we can subtract one fierce enemy from the most intense battles to come. They can only lie silently in dry places, licking their wounds with their tongues, and will miss the climax of the battle."

"Everyone, hurry and eat something. Divide the team into two groups and take turns resting. You must know that when dawn comes, all the Northland Wolves led by the Wolf King will arrive, and there will be no time to rest then."

Knight Lanisha took out some things, roasted them, and began to eat.

The Knight's words were reasonable; everyone divided into two groups and began to rotate resting and eating.

After Knight Lanisha had rested, she took the initiative to transport all the Northland Wolf corpses in the passage behind them to the platform at the top of the Rock Mountain to be placed there.

In this way, although there were sporadic Northland Wolves poking their heads out to scout them on both sides of the Rock Passage entrance, after the previous failures, these Northland Wolves did not dare to try to swarm over and attack them again.

Jier leaned against the Wooden Wall with his eyes closed, dozing, while his mind was filled with thoughts about the habits and hunting customs of the Northland Wolves. He estimated that before this, after those Northland Wolves gathered into a pack, they certainly had never encountered an opponent they could not handle.

At least in this Forest where they lived, there were no opponents. Or perhaps there were, but these opponents were certainly not active in winter, otherwise, the Northland Wolves could not have developed such behavioral patterns.

Soon, it was dawn.