Chapter 206: Battle Of Waiting

Meanwhile, from where he sat, Aelric watched the battle unfold alongside Sylveris and he had to admit, Regaleon’s quick thinking had impressed him.

Using flames as a deterrent against the wolves had been a smart decision—one that, when implemented, had proved remarkably effective and decisive. The sudden inferno had disrupted the pack’s initial charge, exploiting a natural vulnerability and forcing several of the creatures out of the engagement altogether.

However, there was also a slight flaw in Regaleon’s strategy.

At first glance, it might have seemed as though the group had successfully established a defensive perimeter and neutralized the wolves’ numerical advantage.

But that was not the case... Not even close.

Because Aelric was a third party, he could see the battlefield with a clarity that those directly involved could not. He was not surrounded by claws and fangs neither was he responsible for protecting six other people nor did he have to divide his attention between the movements of an entire pack while simultaneously anticipating the next attack.

He simply watched and from where he sat, the board was clear. It was quite obvious that the odds were still firmly against the group.

Flames might have worked exceptionally well during the first exchange, and against ordinary creatures, there was little doubt that the sight of fire alone could provoke instinctive fear. Most animals would hesitate before an unfamiliar wall of flames, retreating from the heat and danger it represented.

But these were Animas; creatures that had survived in an environment where weakness was synonymous with death. Furthermore, they are creatures that had spent their entire existence adapting to the brutality of the Nether Lands.

So if anything, the sight of fire would not make them tuck their tails between their legs and flee. Rather, it would only make them cautious... And caution, in a predator, was far more dangerous than fear.

Aelric knew that while Regaleon’s idea had been sound, it was unfortunate that his opponents happened to be creatures capable of learning from adversity.

The first assault had already taught them something; the flames were dangerous and the humans were organized. Most importantly, the fire could not remain an insurmountable obstacle forever.

Yet despite realizing all of this, the green-eyed youth made no move to intervene.

Why would he?

The fight had barely begun.

Besides, there was something rather entertaining about watching someone else struggle through a problem when he already knew several possible solutions.

Aelric leaned back against the trunk, casually watching the battlefield while Sylveris sat beside him.

He was curious. Very curious, in fact, about how Regaleon would handle this particular predicament.

Moreover, there was another reason for his investment in the battle. He also wanted to test the capability of the group.

More specifically, he wanted to determine whether they possessed the requisite aptitude and resilience to survive the journey to the Sanctuary.

If they managed to overcome this ordeal through their own ability, then Aelric would have little reason to interfere with their journey.

If they failed... Then, unfortunately, he would have to conceal their existence and prevent their immediate passage into the Sanctuary.

In other words, this battle would determine their next course of action.

Were they truly prepared to enter the Sanctuary? Or would they be better served remaining within the relative confines of the Crimson Forest until they had accumulated more experience?

The group, of course, had no idea that Aelric had quietly transformed this encounter into a litmus test for their worthiness.

Had they known, they probably would have fought with twice the ferocity and would have stopped at nothing to prove themselves and ensure that their journey to the Sanctuary did not slip through their fingers.

But even without such a catalyst, the group had more than enough reason to fight with everything they possessed.

This is because in their current predicament, holding back was not synonymous with caution; instead, it was synonymous with suicide...

After the inferno subsided, the vicious snarling that had accompanied the wolves’ initial assault gradually died down.

That silence, however, did not mean the beasts had settled neither had their savagery diminished. Instead, their agitation had merely been restrained.

The wolves now surrounded the fiery perimeter, prowling along its edge with measured steps as they stared maliciously at the seven figures within.

Their crimson eyes glimmered through the shifting flames like embers buried beneath ash. Also, every now and then, one would bare its fangs, another would lower its head while one would scrape a claw against the earth...

Yet despite the palpable maleficence radiating from the pack, it was no longer enough to shake the group to their core.

If anything, the display only emboldened them.

The fiery barrier had bought them breathing room, and now the bloodlust that had been simmering beneath their restraint was beginning to rise once more.

Valmyr, especially, could not stop grinning like an idiot.

The failed Vanguard looked like a battle maniac who had finally found an excuse to indulge his most violent instincts.

In actuality, he was fighting desperately to contain himself from abandoning the formation and charging straight into the wolves.

His fingers were already pale white as a result of the intensity with which he used to grip his Broadsword. Apparently, Valmyr’s greed and avarice for wealth were nearly matched by his thirst for battle and bloodshed.

And he was not the only one experiencing that impulse...

Vaelorin’s grip on his Staff had also tightened, Aureleah’s twin Daggers remained poised in her hands and even Caelestra, despite her more cautious disposition, watched the wolves with an intensity that had not been present before.

They had survived, grown stronger, and now, for the first time, they were facing opponents they had the power to fight rather than merely flee from...

The temptation to seize the initiative was therefore understandable. But temptation was not strategy.

So despite the surging battle instinct within them, the group understood that this was not the moment to be reckless or impulsive. Rather, now was the time to be deliberate and to act only when action served a purpose.

After all, a battlefield did not reward the person who moved first; instead, it rewarded the person who understood why they were moving.

For that reason, they restrained themselves and chose to rely upon Regaleon’s judgment.

Meanwhile, the youth in question had remained almost completely motionless ever since the wolves’ probing attack.

His attention had been fixed on only one thing... The Alpha, studying the creature in silence.

He was not looking at it as an ordinary beast. Instead, he was studying it as a commander would study an enemy commander. And somehow, the longer he watched, the stronger the feeling became that whatever came next... They might not be prepared for it.

After the success of their defensive maneuver, it would not have been unreasonable for the group to launch an immediate counterattack.

In fact, from a purely aggressive standpoint, striking while several wolves were still recovering from the flames had obvious merit.

But Regaleon rejected the idea because such an action would be premature. Worse, it could have even expose the entire formation to unnecessary danger.

At this stage, Regaleon would rather have them defend than attack; not because he lacked confidence in their strength but because he lacked information.

And information was the foundation upon which every sound battlefield decision was built.

Had they been fighting humans, Regaleon could have relied more heavily on conventional military reasoning.

A human opponent possessed motives, intentions, fear, ambition and pride. Therefore, a human could be baited into making mistakes. They could be deceived, pressured, intimidated, or forced into predictable responses.

A battle against such an enemy would become a contest of wits, tactics, and stratagems.

But these creatures were wolves, beasts if he was being totally honest with himself.

Even if the Alpha possessed an intelligence far beyond that of an ordinary animal, its instincts remained an integral part of its behavior.

And that distinction mattered.

Regaleon could discern intelligence within those crimson eyes but at the end of the day, it was still a beast. And if there was one thing beasts were notorious for, it was their tendency to act upon instinct.

Intelligence could be analyzed, patterns could be identified and intentions could be anticipated. But instinct... Instinct was something inherently primal.

It existed beneath reason, beneath deliberation, beneath conscious thought. Moreover, it could erupt without warning and disregard every prediction a rational mind might make. And that was precisely what made it dangerous.

Furthermore, Regaleon knew almost nothing about the wolves. The only information they possessed had been gathered from a single exchange and that was not enough.

The flames had worked, yes... But even that had been a gamble.

Regaleon had wagered that the wolves’ thick fur would become a liability when exposed to intense heat, much as it would with ordinary wolves.

Fortunately, fate had favored his calculation and his gamble had paid off. But he had no intention of building his next decision upon another one.

A commander could gamble once when circumstances demanded it. However, he could not afford to make uncertainty the foundation of his strategy.

There was no room for guesswork now neither was there room for assumptions. And that was why Regaleon chose to hold his position.

He would let the wolves make the next move because every attack they launched would reveal something. And once enough information had been gathered, Regaleon would be able to formulate a countermeasure.

Only then would he commit the group to an offensive maneuver. So until that moment arrived, the defensive formation was their strongest asset.

They had already forced the wolves to reveal one weakness; now they needed to discover another.

Regaleon tightened his grip around his Halberd, his golden eyes never leaving the Alpha...

The wolves continued circling while the humans continued waiting. At this point, neither side was willing to make the first decisive move.

For several long moments, the forest seemed to hold its breath. Then the Alpha slowly lowered its head, it’s crimson eyes narrowing.

Regaleon’s expression hardened. Whatever came next, it meant that the real battle was about to begin...