Chapter 87: Arrow Rain, Confrontation, and the Children of the Forest
“Wait!”
Vivi’s warning and Nolan’s sudden yank backward happened almost simultaneously.
Little Donnie staggered from the force of the pull, still not understanding what had happened when a heavy thud sounded in front of him.
A pitch-black arrow slammed violently into the dirt less than a handspan from his toes. The shaft continued to vibrate with a low hum, almost as if mocking his recklessness.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Little Donnie’s back. He stared blankly at the arrow, his mind completely empty. If Nolan had not pulled him just now…
But that was only the beginning. Before any of them could recover from the sudden shock, the surrounding forest exploded with the sharp hum of countless bowstrings being released at once.
Twang—! The sounds blended together into a terrifying chorus. Black shapes burst upward like a disturbed swarm of hornets.
Then the arrows came.
From every corner of the forest, from every hidden gap between the trees, a storm of black arrows poured into the clearing where they stood.
“Enemy attack!” Little Donnie finally reacted. Instinctively drawing his sword, he roared and prepared to rush to the front.
Vivi and Renee entered combat mode just as quickly.
Vivi reacted fastest of all. She yanked Renee behind her, daggers flashing free while her other hand rested on the trigger of her loaded crossbow. Dangerous light gleamed in the half-tiger girl’s eyes as every muscle in her body tightened.
Renee was nervous, but she still immediately retreated behind Nolan. Gripping her staff tightly, she began quietly chanting under her breath.
Just as they prepared to defend themselves, Nolan’s voice rang out, “Don’t move!”
Little Donnie froze mid-motion. Renee instinctively halted her spellcasting as well. Both of them looked toward Nolan in confusion. Even Vivi was stunned. She could not understand why Nolan would give what sounded like a suicidal order.
What kind of logic was this? Enemies were hidden all around them, yet instead of taking cover or preparing a counterattack, he was telling them to stand still like targets?
But the trust built over time made them obey after only a brief hesitation.
Little Donnie gritted his teeth and drew his sword fully, but forced himself not to move. Vivi loosened her finger from the crossbow trigger as well, though she continued shielding Renee behind her.
The psychological pressure of the incoming arrow barrage was overwhelming. Every one of them was fighting against the instinct screaming at them to run. Their eyes followed the rising arc of the arrows before watching them descend straight toward the clearing.
The arrow rain blotted out the sky.
Yet Nolan remained standing calmly at the front, unmoving, watching everything in silence.
“We’re dead…” Little Donnie’s heart sank. All three of them nearly shut their eyes, bracing themselves for the agony of being pierced through.
Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk! Dense impacts rang out one after another.
The storm arrived quickly and vanished just as fast. A moment later, silence returned.
Little Donnie cautiously opened one eye, then froze in shock at the sight before him. Not a single arrow had struck them. Instead, every arrow had landed around the four of them with unbelievable precision, forming a perfectly sealed circular cage of arrows in the surrounding ground. The spacing between each shaft was nearly identical, as though calculated with absolute precision. A fraction closer would have wounded someone. A fraction farther would have left gaps.
It was a warning. And an unmistakable display of power. But it also meant one thing.
Their attackers had no intention of killing them. At least not yet.
As the final echoes of the arrows faded, the forest once again sank into deathly silence. Only the rustling of leaves remained.
“Wh-what is this…?” Little Donnie swallowed hard, his throat painfully dry. Only now did he understand why Nolan had told them not to move. Their attackers clearly never intended to kill them. They only wanted to trap them. If they had panicked and moved earlier, they might have run directly into the arrows themselves.
“They… don’t want us dead. They just want to contain us.” Even Vivi’s face had gone pale as she examined the flawless circle of arrows.
As a Nightingale skilled in ranged combat herself, she understood better than anyone how terrifying this feat truly was. How many archers would it take to fire simultaneously from different angles with this level of precision and coordination?
Whoever was hiding in the forest was extremely dangerous. The hardest kind of opponent to deal with.
Nolan, however, remained completely calm, as though everything had unfolded exactly as expected. Ever since entering the forest, that feeling of being watched had never disappeared. He had already guessed that the true “owners” of the forest would not casually allow outsiders to wander through their territory unchecked. He simply had not expected the welcoming ceremony to be quite this grand.
“Don’t panic. Don’t show too much hostility.” Nolan clicked his tongue lightly. “Looks like we’ll have to properly introduce ourselves to the masters of this forest after all.”
He stepped forward to the edge of the arrow circle and swept his gaze across the silent woods before clearing his throat.
“We mean this forest no harm! Friends who’ve been following us all this time, since you’ve already revealed yourselves, why not come out and speak?”
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly through the clearing, the final echoes fading into the forest.
No answer came. Only silence.
Little Donnie lowered his voice and moved closer to Nolan, his face filled with disbelief. “What? Brother, you mean someone’s been following us this whole time? I didn’t notice anything!”
“No wonder my left ear’s been twitching ever since we entered the forest,” Vivi muttered quietly. She warily scanned the surrounding trees, trying to find the hidden eyes watching them, but all she could see were endless overlapping shadows beneath the canopy.
Renee clutched her staff tightly behind Nolan. Though frightened, she forced herself to remain calm. Her spiritual energy quietly spread outward, connecting with the surrounding elements as she prepared to cast at any moment.
Nolan raised a hand, signaling everyone to stay calm. He was in no hurry. He simply stood there and waited. He knew they were being observed.
And if the people he suspected truly were the ones watching them, then the forest dwellers would be cautious and restrained by nature. Getting them to reveal themselves would require patience.
After another long stretch of suffocating silence, a woman’s voice finally drifted down from the treetops nearby. It was cold, yet beautiful, as clear as spring water flowing through the forest.
“State your purpose, intruders. You will only have one chance.”
Though the voice was pleasant to hear, the tone carried no friendliness whatsoever.
A people who regarded Borderlands Forest as their home, masters of archery, numerous enough to organize a formation like this…
Their identity was already obvious.
Wood Elves.