Maris stood beside Elron, whispering, “If you need any help, my lord, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you, but I’ll handle this,” he replied, forcing a smile as he turned toward the large tent.

He raised his arm to push the flap aside and ducked inside. The room was sparsely decorated, with a table and a few chests scattered about. As he sat down at the table, he ignored the ten other faces staring daggers at him.

Jerok, the dwarf he'd come to know, began to speak. “Let’s get straight to it. We need to take this bridge, here.” He pointed to a brown line on the map in front of them.

The tension in the room thickened, and after a long silence, one of the men spoke up, “How many forces are holding the bridge?”

Jerok hummed, seemingly pleased by the question. “The knives say a hundred.” He paused for effect, then added, “One of yees will lead the attack. There’s only so much room on the bridge.”

The sergeants exchanged grim looks, then subtle grins spread across their faces as they all turned to Elron, who sat near the end of the table.

“The new guy should do it,” one of them suggested, and the others nodded in agreement, their eyes locking onto Elron.

Elron met their conniving gazes and then looked at Jerok, whose expression was unreadable. “Is that an order?” Elron asked.

Jerok let out a long sigh. “You and yee men are best suited for the job... Don’t make me—”

“I’ll do it,” Elron interrupted, folding his arms. “But I have a question.”

Jerok leaned in. “Speak.”

“Why is our company always ahead of the regiment? We’ve barely had time to rest, gather supplies, or even eat. How long do you plan for us to keep this up?”

Jerok leaned back in his chair, studying Elron for a moment. “This stays in this room, lads.” He lowered his voice. “We’re being pursued by a large force. It’s crucial we take that bridge and the town next to it.”

A murmur of surprise swept through the room, and the sergeants began whispering to each other.

“Quiet!” Jerok slammed his fist on the table, silencing the room. The only sound left was the slow trickle of liquid from a spilled cup.

“There will be no talk of this outside. You’re all dismissed,” Jerok commanded.

A few hours later, a force of one thousand soldiers emerged from a sparse forest, marching with purpose toward the Yubo River. The water rushed rapidly, cutting through the land of the beastmen tribes. A single covered bridge spanned the river, and at its far end, a wall of shields blocked the way.

Elron's platoon, one hundred soldiers strong, marched forward under his command. Shields raised in anticipation of arrows or stones, they halted just out of range. But no projectiles came.

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“Halt!” Elron ordered, raising his fist. The soldiers lowered their shields, staring across the river at the enemy: frogmen, standing silent and still, like an immovable wall.

Elron was impressed. For a tribal people, this was a cut above the rest. “Who’s in command here? Step forward!” he called out, walking into the space between the two forces.

The shield wall parted, and a yellow-skinned frogman, clad in scale armor, approached. “Greetings. I am Grand Chief Flop-Wop. And you, ribbit?”

Elron blinked, slightly taken aback. “I am a sergeant of the northern kingdom. My name doesn’t matter.”

“Your purpose, ribbit?” the frogman asked, standing firm with a peculiar helmet under his arm.

Elron studied the chief and replied, “We want you to pull back from the bridge.”

“No, ribbit!” Flop-Wop croaked. “We Flowcroaks have guarded these waters for centuries. You will not pass, ribbit!”

Elron could sense the strength of the creature before him. “We outnumber you ten to one. Even if I fall, you will all die...”

“Maybe, ribbit.” Flop-Wop donned his helmet and returned to his lines.

Elron stormed back to his troops, shouting, “Prepare yourselves! Push!”

The soldiers raised their shields and advanced. As they neared the enemy line, a deafening croak erupted from the frogmen, echoing across the battlefield. Elron acted quickly, casting Chain Lightning. A bright blue arc of electricity shot into the front line, jumping between a dozen frogs and leaving them convulsing.

The frogmen retaliated, charging with a force that caught the elves off guard. The shield walls collided, and several elves were knocked to the ground as the frogmen smashed into them with surprising strength.

Elron, realizing this would be no easy fight, unleashed Thunderbooms and Void Strikes to thin the enemy ranks. Each stomp sent arcs of lightning, disorienting the frogmen long enough for the elves to strike with their spears. The enemies caught in the path of his Void Strikes were left mangled or dead, but the frogmen continued to fight with relentless determination.

Elron watched as an elf beside him had his throat slashed, blood spraying as the soldier collapsed. “Maris! We need to end this now!” he shouted.

Maris smashed a frogman’s skull with her mace. “On it!” she yelled, leading a charge through the left flank with her tower shield. The elves behind her seized the opportunity, cutting down the frogmen as they toppled over behind her.

Meanwhile, Elron found himself face-to-face with Flop-Wop. The two clashed, swords ringing against each other. When Elron tried to overpower him, he realized the chief was stronger than expected. He reached out, using Energy Drain, sapping the chief’s strength through his elbow.

“Trickery, ribbit!” Flop-Wop croaked, visibly weakened.

Elron, sensing the tide turning, cast his curses on the chief. Flop-Wop buckled, nearly collapsing under the weight of the magic. Elron’s sword glowed with a menacing purple hue as he prepared his finishing move. “Void Strike!” he roared, sending an immense amount of mana in form of dark energy at the frog chief.

Two frogmen leaped in the way, sacrificing themselves. One was split in half, and the other had his head cleaved in two, leaving Flop-Wop with a minor wound to his shoulder.

Elron winced in frustration. The attack should have ended the battle. But the fight raged on, and Elron’s mind throbbed with exhaustion. He had pushed his body and mana to the limit.

Flop-Wop, somehow resisting the curses, croaked loudly, rallying his troops. The frogmen then fought harder, forcing the elves back.

“You die here and now! Balmer, here me!” Elron shouted, and his sword blazed with power.

Elron crouched low, then launched himself toward Flop-Wop, his massive sword crashing down. The chief blocked with his shield, but the sword’s fiery energy melted through it, and soon, through the chief himself. In seconds, Flop-Wop was reduced to a pile of melted flesh and ooze.

Elron barely registered the retreat of the remaining frogmen, who splashed into the river in desperation. His men cheered, huddling around him in victory. As Elron leaned on one of his men, he began to hear the entire regiment behind him cheer as well.