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Once the king had stepped fully out of the dark forest, his mana power began to fade steadily as the hours passed – dark elves draw most of their strength from their native lands, and fighting away from home takes its toll fast. Maximus noticed this change right away and started moving toward their leader, and the princess was quick to follow beside him.
"What's happening sir? You don't look quite right"
"What is it father? Are you feeling unwell?"
The king pushed himself upright without any help, his hand tightly clamped over his chest. His voice came strained, as if he was forcing it past the pressure building in his mana core.
"It's fine... just feeling a little weakened is all. Nothing to worry over"
After saying this, he reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a spare mana orb – inside, swirling clouds of purple and black light glowed bright against the growing dusk. He pressed it close to where his mana core lay beneath his skin, and little by little his strength came surging back. This was the dark orb, a strange artifact that held the power to either drain life away or grant immense power, depending on how it was wielded.
"Alright then... looks like I'll need to keep this orb pressed to my chest for a while yet. We should set up camp here for the night, give everyone time to rest"
The dark elves gave their nods of understanding and got to work at once. They moved with practiced speed, putting up tents and arranging supplies all around them. Before long – it took no more than thirty six minutes from start to finish – the camp was complete.
"It is done my lord. Everything is ready for the night"
"Wonderful job indeed. You all work quickly"
The king made his way into one of the larger tents he'd chosen for himself, and his personal bodyguards took up their positions at the entrance to stand watch. Soon after, the three companions followed him inside and settled down on the cushions laid out on the floor. Maximus was the first to speak up once they'd all found their places and sat properly.
"Alright now, I've been thinking up a plan that could help us stand against the fire elves. Though before I can lay it all out clearly, I need to know whatever we can about them first. So is there anything important any of you want to discuss before we get into this?"
Jyle was the one who raised his hand to speak.
"Yes my lord? I have something to share"
"According to what we've read in the ancient book of the elves, fire elves are capable of unleashing flames hot enough to melt even tough metals like tungsten and gold. And they aren't the only ones in this world who can wield such power either – plenty of other strong beings have mastered fire magic too. But what makes them dangerous is their nature in battle; they're known to be ruthless and cunning beyond measure. I've heard tales of how they kill their enemies in brutal ways, sometimes beating them down with their bare hands before mocking them with cruel words and insults"
Maximus sat quiet for a moment, turning the information over in his mind as he pieced together the details of his plan. After a short while he had worked out every part, and he was confident it could work if everyone did their part and stood together as one.
"Alright, I think I have a solid plan now for how we can fight the fire elves. The king will stay in the backline where he can be safe and use his power to the fullest – his air magic is strong enough to slice through hundreds of buildings if he needs to. Jyle, you'll be our frontline aggressor, leading the charge when we move in. But you have to know when to pull back too, don't push yourself too far. As for Ferha... well, I still don't know exactly what kind of power you hold. But if you can cast strong spells then you should stay in the backline with your father where you can support us safely"
Ferha nodded her head firmly, her eyes bright with determination as she took in every word of the plan.
"Alright! I can definitely do that for sure! My power lets me call up powerful streams of compressed air, and I can shape them into small spears as well. Since it's just air they're almost completely invisible to anyone who isn't looking closely!"
Maximus nodded back in approval as he made the final adjustments to how they'd move forward.
"Alright then. The dark elf soldiers will fight alongside Jyle, moving forward step by step as we advance. But everyone needs to keep their guard up at all times – like Jyle said, these fire elves are ruthless and cunning. And if there really is some kind of force controlling their minds and making them act this way, then I want to be the one to deal with that problem directly myself"
Every single one of them nodded in agreement with his words, their spirits lifting as they made their preparations for the next day. It was going to be the biggest battle any of them had ever faced in their lives.
"Alright Maximus. I hope we can succeed in this, and that we'll be able to work well with the forest elves too"
The king held out his hand for a handshake, and Maximus let out a short laugh as he reached forward to take it firmly.
"Don't just hope we win your majesty – put your faith in me and I'll make sure we do exactly that!"
As the sun sank fully below the horizon and darkness covered the land, the soldiers made their way to their own camps spread out across the area. They settled in for the night as they always did, and before long everyone had drifted off to sleep, saving their strength for what was to come.