Chapter 531: Ambush

CH531 Ambush

***

"Leader, we found the goat path," Silver reported over the comms.

Alex immediately led the rest of the party away from the entrance of the narrow Rock Monkey Gorge and toward the left side, where the scouting team was waiting.

Hidden within a cluster of rocks was the entrance to an even narrower path that cut through the rock formation along the side of the gorge.

’It’s here...’ Alex thought. ’...just like he said it would be.’

The revealed path between the rocks was the second way Raven Horn had mentioned the expedition party could get past the gorge without having to kill the important Rock Monkeys.

The cave tunnel was tight—just wide enough for two people, or one person leading a horse, to pass through.

The path was far from smooth. Not to mention it inclined upward ever so slightly, making the trek even more cumbersome, especially for the female spellcasters in the group.

Still, they were tough women in their own right. None of them complained. They simply endured it.

Surprisingly, the route wasn’t entirely subterranean. At some point, it opened up onto a narrow cliffside path that overlooked the gorge below—fortunately far beyond the reach of the Rock Monkeys, should they decide to show themselves.

As Raven Horn had warned, the path was a claustrophobe’s nightmare.

But it was also an acrophobe’s nightmare.

Thankfully, no one in Alex’s party was either.

Well... at least, not fully.

Though barren, with rocks being the only thing visible ahead and behind, the gorge possessed a certain rugged charm.

’It’s a view tourists from my previous life would pay to experience,’ Alex chuckled to himself.

"Hey, look down. Something’s happening," one of the party members called out.

Halfway along the cliffside path, with the entrance back into the subterranean tunnel already in sight, the party saw a group of beasts—at least fifty of them—rush into the gorge from the Wildlands core side.

Immediately, the rocky walls of the gorge disgorged their defenders.

The Rock Monkeys.

’Actually, they should be called Stone Gorillas,’ Alex thought.

After all, the so-called Rock Monkeys were essentially moving, one-and-a-half-metre-tall gorilla-shaped boulders.

The Stone Gorillas—rather, the Rock Monkeys—clearly outnumbered the beasts, their numbers approaching a hundred. They quickly surrounded the intruders and made short work of them.

Of course, not without significant losses on their side.

The party watched the entire fight unfold.

Although both sides were technically berserk creatures, the Rock Monkeys showed far less corruption by berserk property compared to the invading beasts. Because of that—or so it seemed—they were able to display coordination and group synergy when taking down their enemies.

Alex quietly evaluated the combat strength of the Rock Monkeys below.

’With my wives on our side, we’ll indeed be able to break through an encirclement,’ Alex concluded. ’However, not without significant losses.’

His particular source of worry were the orc and the newly joined barbarians— the latter more so.

’At least the orcs have some measure of military discipline. Things would have been much worse if they didn’t,’ he thought.

He sighed and subtly shook his head.

’Beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll have to make do with what I have for now. It will only be possible to train them the way I want once we finally get a permanent territory. Until then, all I can hope for is that Kavakan keeps them in line with his brand of savage discipline.’

Another thing Alex immediately noticed was just how right Raven Horn had been about the Rock Monkeys.

’Without them acting as a barrier, far more beasts would roam this side. Beast tides against Dragonstone would become far more frequent.’

’Taking them out is indeed counterproductive for the settlement.’

Alex continued to ponder these and other thoughts as he watched the Rock Monkeys clear the gorge of carcasses. They dragged the fallen beasts toward the centre of the pass.

Roar!

The largest of the gorillas—or rather, Rock Monkeys—let out a thunderous roar. In response, more of them emerged from their hiding places within the stone to join the feast.

Seeing the show seemingly over, the Fortuna party prepared to move on.

That was when—

"Wait, there’s more coming," another member of the party warned.

A group of short-limbed humanoid hyenas rushed into the gorge.

"Gnolls," Zora said softly at Alex’s side.

Alex’s expression hardened as he watched the cunning humanoid monsters charge toward the Rock Monkeys, who had lowered their guard to feed.

He recalled the beasts from earlier and immediately noticed something.

’The berserk beasts didn’t rush into the gorge willingly...’

’They were herded here.’

"There is a smart gnoll in the pack," Alex suddenly said. "Their leader must have figured out the Rock Monkeys’ pattern and used the monsters as bait to flush them out."

"Makes sense," Eleanore replied. "The biggest threat of the Rock Monkeys is their camouflage ability."

"What do you want to do, Boss?" Kavakan asked.

He had been present when Raven Horn explained the importance of the Rock Monkeys to Dragonstone Oasis. If they left the gnolls alone, things would only get worse for the settlement.

Alex’s eyes scanned the incoming horde.

He soon noticed a peculiar gnoll wearing a beast-skull helmet, with bone necklaces and bracelets hanging from its neck, wrists, and ankles. In its hand was a long, human-sized staff crowned with three gnoll skulls.

’Class 4 Gnoll Shaman!’ Alex exclaimed.

His decision solidified instantly.

"Mogal, Eleanore—buff the Rock Monkeys," he ordered the spellcasters closest to him. Then he turned toward the rear. "Archers, fire on the gnolls."

Finally, he looked at the woman at his side.

"Zora, you too."

[Ice Wall]!

Instead of launching an attack spell as Alex had asked, Zora erected a defensive barrier, cutting off the gnolls’ path to the Rock Monkeys and ruining their ambush.

It was only a stopgap measure. It stole the element of surprise, but it wouldn’t hold them for long.

The Gnoll Shaman raised its staff and hurled a twisted variant of [Fireball]. The spell struck the Ice Wall and clung to it, burning and melting through the frozen barricade.

The other gnolls joined in, hacking and smashing, chipping the wall down bit by bit.

Even though Zora poured more mana into it than usual, it was still only an ordinary ice spell.

"Why do you want to help the Rock Monkeys?" she asked. "I thought you hated playing the hero."

"This isn’t about Dragonstone," Alex admitted, pointing toward the Gnoll Shaman. "This is about him."

Zora raised an eyebrow, not immediately understanding.

But someone else did.

"You want the divinity of the gnolls’ ancestral spirit," Udara said.

"Yes." Alex’s gaze toward the shaman turned wolfish.

Shiver!

The Gnoll Shaman, having just destroyed the troublesome Ice Wall, suddenly felt a chill run down its spine.

It assumed the cold came from the melting ice and the lingering drop in temperature.

Unbeknownst to it, a human had already set his greedy eyes upon it... or rather, upon the ancestral spirit it communed with.

***