Chapter 177 - 150: Don’t Be Afraid
THWACK! An Arrow drove straight into the wooden target, piercing clean through it.
"Not bad penetration," Shire said, examining the target from all sides. Evita walked over, bow in hand, her hooves clopping on the ground.
"This bow is a bit heavy, and it takes a lot more strength to draw the string," Evita remarked as she came to a stop, looking at the Longbow in her hands.
Unlike the Horned Wood Composite Bows the Centaur Race made themselves, this Longbow was a Recurve Bow that Shire had purchased for a high price from the Blacksmith Shop. The Armor-Piercing Arrow had also come from there.
"Don’t worry. I have several more bows. You can all try them out later and find the weapon that suits you best," Shire said casually. He had specifically bought many Longbows so that these Centaurs could find their preferred weapons.
"This must have cost a fortune," Evita said after a few seconds of silence. "It was already expensive enough helping us build the paddocks, and you’re also going to help us build wooden houses. Now you’re giving us these Bows and Arrows."
"Think of it as a sound investment. After all, the stronger you become, the safer I am."
"Are you talking about the Evil Throat Army?" Evita frowned and tightened her grip on the bow. Although she hadn’t witnessed the brutal deaths of her kin firsthand, the scene was not hard to imagine.
"That’s only part of it," Shire said, turning to look at the surrounding woods. This patch of trees had already been cleared by the Centaurs and goblins, revealing a flat, open space. In the distance, the forest was still lush and dense. "This forest is huge. The Evil Throat Army is just one threat among many. I’m sure other dangers exist. You must have heard Shan Xi Ao talk about the Giant Spiders and Giant Bees, and that Druid who studies Mushrooms. It’s not easy for any species to live peacefully in this forest. We must constantly grow stronger. Only then will we have the confidence to fight back when danger arrives."
"Is that how you all made it this far?" Evita tried to look down at the goblin before her, still not quite used to the things she was wearing.
"Yes, one step at a time," Shire said with a smile and a nod.
"That’s amazing. Not only can you protect your own people, but you can also protect other Races." Evita’s mood turned somber. She knew that without Shire’s help, her people would have become Slave Soldiers for the Evil Throat Army sooner or later.
"How does that Armor feel?" Shire asked, noticing Evita was constantly making small adjustments to the Armor she wore.
"Uh, it’s a little big, but it’s okay. It’s just that some of the other parts are uncomfortable." Evita stomped her hooves a few times. The suit of Armor on her was clearly ill-fitting, and there was even a black lion’s head in the middle of the Chest Armor.
"There’s not much to be done about it. You’ll have to get used to it for now; it’s the smallest set I have." Shire shrugged. The suit Evita was wearing was the same silver lightweight Armor that had belonged to Philip. Shire had just dismantled it into several components and fitted Evita with the usable parts. "This Armor has one advantage: it’s effective against Magic Attacks. When I get a chance later, I’ll try to get it modified for you. Or, maybe I’ll just have a full set made for all of you."
Because Valentine was still investigating this batch of Armor in the territory, Shire had no choice but to store it all in the Fortress for the time being. This included some Armor from the Storm Brotherhood.
But now with the Centaurs joining him, he had found a temporary use for the Armor. He wasn’t aiming for a perfect fit; as long as it provided some protection, it was good enough. Besides, the Centaur Race had never had any effective means of defense.
"Now that you’re wearing this Armor, I think you can develop new combat methods," Shire said, pacing back and forth as he circled Evita, sizing her up.
"What kind of Combat Technique?"
"A Lance Charge." Shire picked up a long tree branch and demonstrated the specific movements for the centaur maiden. He had seen the Knights of the Knight Orders perform combat demonstrations for the public back in Plantagenet City. "Like this. You are all very strong. If you wear properly fitted Armor, you’ll no longer need to fear close-range attacks. You can directly leverage your powerful momentum."
"Of course, it depends on the situation. To be honest, I prefer your Archery."
"Mmm," Evita said, covering her mouth thoughtfully. "The Combat Technique you mentioned... we actually used to have something like that. But after fighting the Evil Throat Army, everyone gave up the Charge to save their own skins, turning more to the Bow and Arrow instead."
"Is that so?" Shire’s interest was piqued. "I’ll get you some Lances, then. They’ll be much better than your sharpened wooden spears."
"Okay." Evita nodded, but despite her agreement, her enthusiasm was clearly lacking.
"Still worried about the Evil Throat Army?" Shire sensed her mood.
"Yes. I have a feeling those Earth Goblins won’t give up so easily. Even though we escaped through the Teleportation Gate, they might intensify their search."
"You have a point, which is exactly why we need to keep getting stronger," Shire said with a smiling nod.
"But you saw them—those strange Slave Soldiers. They’re like the Demons of legend, completely unafraid of death," Evita said grimly. "I’m afraid my people will draw the Evil Throat Army here, leading to an irreversible disaster."
"I know, but you don’t need to think that way," Shire said, holding up a hand to calm her. "Don’t be so tense. I saw those goblins. Their bodies were completely red, and they knew nothing but slaughter. That’s completely different from a normal goblin."
"Nobody knows goblins better than I do," he said with a small laugh. "I think they must have been hit by some kind of Magic that drove them into a frenzy, making them want to kill every enemy in sight."
"And we still have some Demon-Banning Barrier Scrolls. We’re running low, but we can find a way to get more. That way, when they charge us, their Magic will be nullified, and they won’t be such a big deal."
"Is that really true?" Evita looked down, pawing at the dirt with her front hooves. "Those Earth Goblins are vicious. The Evil Throat Army is very hard to deal with."
"Yes, they certainly seem powerful. But as long as we are strong enough and have confidence in ourselves, they are not invincible." Shire pointed to a wooden target nearby and handed a broadhead arrow to Evita. "Try shooting that target."
CRACK! With a sharp sound, Evita shot the wooden target at close range, blowing it to pieces.
"You see? That’s your strength once you’ve become powerful. Remember, they only have Earth Goblins and goblins, and maybe a few Ogres. In principle, they don’t have the power to contend with us. They’ve just acquired some strange power, and that power isn’t enough to close the gap between us."
Shire picked up another Arrow and handed it to Evita. "We need to find the source of their power and then figure out an effective countermeasure. Once we do that, they won’t be a threat to worry about."
"Is that so?" Evita still found it hard to believe what Shire was saying.
Shire looked at the centaur maiden and nodded emphatically. He really wanted to tell her what a great man once said: all reactionary forces are paper tigers.
"I’ve already left Broken Tooth at your village. If the enemy gives up their surveillance on the village, then we can make a tentative move to see if we can gather some intel." Shire grinned. "Then we can find out why those goblins turned completely red."
At the same time, Shire also needed to go back to the Centaur Village to retrieve the Pure White Stones. They had been in such a hurry before that they had left the stones behind, and he had no intention of giving up on those Rune Speech materials.
"You’re right. We do need to investigate this carefully." Evita gritted her teeth. If things were as Shire said, she would definitely lead her people to do whatever it took to kill those Earth Goblins.
"So, be patient, improve your strength, and live well." Shire handed the Arrow in his hand to Evita.
...
"You have disappointed me." Earth Goblin Evil Throat looked down at the goblin kneeling before him. "I’ve told you several times to watch for any unusual movements from the Centaurs, yet you still managed to let them get away."
"General, it wasn’t my fault!" Scarface trembled as he defended himself. "I don’t know how those Centaurs suddenly vanished, and besides..."
His eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with an idea. "Besides, those Ogres completely ignored my orders! I told them to go immediately, but they dragged their feet, and in the end, all the Centaurs escaped."
"Silence! Are you questioning my decision?" Evil Throat stared intently at the goblin before him, his Anger making his large nose turn an even deeper shade of red.
"Wrongdoing must be punished." He waved a hand. An Earth Goblin standing nearby strode over, grabbed one of Scarface’s ears, and, amidst the goblin’s wails, sliced it off with a single, swift motion.
SPLAT. Scarface’s ear was thrown down in front of him.
"I will give you one more chance. Take a few goblins and find me the Centaurs’ trail. They must have left traces." Evil Throat averted his gaze, no longer looking at the goblin on the ground who was trembling in pain, wanting to scream but not daring to. "If you can’t find them, your head will be chopped off and thrown to the Ogres."
"Yes, General!" Scarface kowtowed frantically. Then, amidst the rebukes of the Earth Goblin, he picked up his own ear and "scrambled" out of the tent.
"General, can these goblins really find the Centaurs’ trail?" an Earth Goblin stepped forward and asked.
"Maybe they will, maybe they won’t." Evil Throat walked over to a large wooden barrel tightly bound with ropes and gently tapped on its lid.
"Then why..."
"It’s just a way to placate the Ogres," Evil Throat said. He knew which was more useful: one goblin or several Ogres.
"But what if the goblins actually find them?"
"Then I will be sure to find the power hiding behind them and crush it completely." Evil Throat clenched his fist tightly.