<h4>Chapter 223: A Failed Ambush</h4>


    "Everyone, focus!" Eleanor’s voice cut through the sh of water and snarls. "Points mean nothing if we don’t survive. Jaciara... move faster!"


    The urgency in her tone jolted Maíra, Joshua, and Kiara. Their scattered minds snapped back into sharp focus. Fists, ws, and bursts of water met the river beasts again and again, until they stopped counting distance altogether. The world had narrowed to the press of monsters, the small tform beneath their boots, and the need to endure.


    Atst, the attacks thinned. When the river finally spat them onto the far bank, they staggered forward, battered, bruised, and soaked in blood. Their stamina faltered; every breath ragged. Though the enchanted academy robes dried the river water within minutes, they could do little to mend the cuts and bruises, especially the raw scratches across their hands.


    The team dragged themselves to a safe distance from the shoreline and copsed in the grass. Silence reigned for several minutes as each caught what breath they could.


    Then Eleanor’s eyes snapped open. Her senses prickled. Someone was approaching... fast. "Everyone, alert!" she ordered, already on her feet. "Someone ising along the shoreline."


    Everyone took a battle stance, ws bared, breath held. Then a familiar ck wolf came into view.


    "Stand down," Eleanor said firmly, lowering her stance. "It’s Ophelia."


    Relief washed over the others. They eased back down, still weary but no longer tense. The wolf slowed, paws thudding against the earth, before shifting into her human form.


    "Ma’am, are you okay?" Ophelia asked at once, hurrying towards her.


    "I’m fine," Eleanor answered. "But why were you in your wolf form?"


    Ophelia inclined her head. "You’ve moved more than a kilometre from the main troops. I crossed the river early to gather intelligence, then returned to find you. When I couldn’t see you among the cadets, I asked around. Some mentioned a smaller team drifting downstream. Wolf form was faster, so I turned and ran this direction." She said it all in one breath, chest heaving slightly.


    Eleanor nodded. "Understood. Take a moment to rest... we move only at peak condition. Ah, this is Joshua Cordillera, the newest member of our team." She gestured towards Joshua before focusing her mission screen. "I’m sending you an invitation. ept it."


    Ophelia gave Joshua a polite nod, then epted Eleanor’s invitation.


    The system flickered into Eleanor’s sight:


    [Status]


    Primary Objective: Kill the Troll King and recapture the stronghold.


    Secondary Objective: Eliminate the monsters.


    Team members: 6


    Points: 338 (Rank-5)


    [Do you want to hide the status screen? Yes/No]


    With a thought, Eleanor dismissed the screen.


    "Nora. What is my current physical condition?" she asked in her mind.


    Nora’s voice chimed immediately. "Your health is fully restored. Stamina will require eight more minutes to recover fully. Bloodline ability will require thirty-two minutes untilplete reset. Activating again before cooldown will cause adverse effects."


    Eleanor blinked, momentarily surprised. "When did you gain the ability to calcte my bloodline’s condition?"


    "I didn’t," Nora replied matter-of-factly. "I merely track your bloodline’s use, recovery intervals, and the physical toll it takes. Calctions, nothing more."


    "I see..." Eleanor murmured. She inhaled deeply, then straightened her back. "Good. Then I’ll need your report on my teammates. Their fighting prowess matters as much as mine... I’ll need it to n ahead."


    "Jaciara didn’t join the fight," Nora reported, her tone crisp. "Her control over water is good, but I can onlyment on the others. Joshua formed water des and wielded them as swords. He’s highly proficient in closebat, and with a nearby water source he can project des at range. Maíra fights hand-to-hand, using short bursts of movement that look like instant teleportation, though they’re not. She used a water shield defensively, but made no offensive use of the element. Kiara is a shooter, as my previous data suggested. In closebat she performed adequately, nothing more."


    "Thanks," Eleanor murmured, weighing the assessment. After a moment’s thought, she addressed the group.


    "Joshua, you’re a swordsman. Craft something from the wood around us toplement your style."


    Before Joshua could respond, Ophelia interjected, "There’s an orc pack not far from here. They’re armed with swords, shields, and bows. Crude weapons, but in our state, it will be more than enough for us. I scouted them from a distance."


    Eleanor exhaled, relief softening her features. "Good. Then we’ll strike that pack first, take their weapons, and move on. If you think a makeshift de will help for now, create one... but we’ll aim for steel soon enough." She paused, then turned to Ophelia. "How far did you go?"


    "Not far," Ophelia admitted. "The riverside is forested, and beyond that rises a mountain. I didn’t climb, but there’s a castle at its summit. That should be our destination. The dragons and fairies I saw earlier flew that way. This forest, however, is thick with orcs. They haven’t been thinned out... yet."


    "Any trolls?" Eleanor pressed.


    Ophelia shook her head. "None. Likely inside the castle."


    Eleanor gave a slow nod. "Right. Team, listen. We have two objectives... kill the Troll King and reim the stronghold, and eliminate the monsters. The primary objective will hold the greater reward, but I believe each of us has a fair chance at it. Think carefully... cadets were allowed to go solo or form teams, with no cap on numbers. That means, theoretically, a single powerful fighter could clear the trial alone. If the Troll King were a one-off target, it would already have been in by those dragons... but we’ve had no such notification. Which means the challenge is instance-based... everyone will have their own chance. If so, the key will be points. We’ll need to amass enough through these orcs before reaching the summit.


    "Remember... points are divided among us. That includes the primary objective. So, we keep fighting, and we keep moving." She added.


    "Yey! Let’s kick some orc ass!" Maíra cheered, pumping her fist.


    Eleanor gave her a patient look. "I like your enthusiasm. But don’t let points distract you mid-battle."


    "That was one time," Maíra said with an awkward grin. "It won’t happen again. By the way... I just received another hundred and sixty-eight points. Did everyone else?"


    "Yes," Jaciara confirmed. "The same here."


    Eleanor nodded. "Good. Then let’s prepare. If we linger, others may clear the field before us."


    The group rose, following Ophelia as she guided them towards the orc encampment. With her shadow affinity, she was the perfect scout... silent, swift, and unseen.


    The pack had not moved from where she hadst seen them. The team took cover behind a boulder, a hundred metres out, while Ophelia slipped closer to observe.


    The sky above was still a dreadful red. Neither sun nor moon hung there, only a constant blood-hued glow. It was not night, nor day, but something in between. The light distorted everything, yet the orcs paid it no mind. They had lit a fire and sat gathered around it, their armour glinting in the crimson haze.


    Ophelia returned swiftly, crouching low. "Seven orcs. All warriors. Two are archers... thin, but seem agile. The rest carry swords or axes, some with shields. Their weapons are crude, but their size and strength make them formidable. One stood out... at it clothed differently, watching the others. He seemed smarter than the rest. Likely the leader."


    After gaining a clear picture of the pack, they resolved to encircle and strike simultaneously. Though outnumbered, the element of surprise was firmly in their favour.


    The team spread out, each with a target assigned. Ophelia’s task was the most dangerous... eliminate the leader once the others engaged.


    Eleanor advanced with silent precision, keeping her body hidden behind tree trunks and thick bushes. A scattering of boulders dotted the clearing, but nonerge enough to conceal her. Ophelia remained in her shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a killing blow.


    She had almost closed the distance... barely ten metres from the nearest orc, when a thunderous battle cry shattered the stillness. From somewhere behind her, a cadet roared and charged with reckless abandon.


    Every orc’s head snapped in Eleanor’s direction. Their guttural cries shook the air as they scrambled to their feet, weapons shing in the red glow.


    "Fuck! So much for the element of surprise. Curse my bloody luck," Eleanor hissed under her breath.


    There was no time to form a new n. The entire pack locked onto her as prey.


    A massive orc surged forward, axe raised high. Its footsteps made the earth tremble.


    With no choice, Eleanor triggered Overdrive. Her body blurred, narrowly avoiding the downward cleave. In the same motion, she rammed a sharpened branch she had carried into the creature’s eye.


    The strikended, but imperfectly. The branch lodged deep in the socket, yet failed to reach the brain. Instead of copsing, the orc howled in unbridled fury, blood spraying as it staggered past her before wheeling back with murderous rage.


    Eleanor did not pause. Her bloodline was already active... hesitation would be fatal. She pivoted and drove her partially transformed fist into the throat of the pack leader.


    But the leader was quicker than expected. Anticipating the strike, it twisted aside, her blow ncing across its shoulder instead. The impact was like striking stone... her knuckles throbbed from the force.


    A hiss of air warned her. From behind the leader, two arrows whistled through the crimson haze. She dropped, rolling across the dirt, feeling the arrows slice past where her chest had been a heartbeat before.


    She came up crouched, breath sharp, eyes locked on the encroaching pack.


    The ambush was broken. Now it was a battle for survival.