Chapter 50: Pre-Battle Preparations
Chapter 50: Pre-Battle Preparations
Rain understood Valen's plan.
Fishmen were known to prey on the weak, avoiding confrontation with stronger humans. When faced with a formidable enemy or danger, they would immediately retreat into the water, either to gather more of their kind for a counterattack or to hide until the threat passed.
Valen intended to use the frail Mateo as bait to lure out the fishmen from their tribe and then surround and eliminate them.
Rain nodded in agreement, finding the plan sensible and secure, allowing for a quick retreat if anything unexpected happened.
"Why not just charge into the fishmen's tribe directly?" Rain asked.
"It's not that it's impossible, but it's pointless!" Valen explained.
The fishmen, when faced with an overwhelming enemy or danger, would immediately retreat into the water. They would either gather more of their kind for a counterattack or hide until the threat passed.
Therefore, if they couldn't eliminate a large number of fishmen at once, given their high reproductive capacity, the waters would soon be teeming with fishmen again.
"Let's go and take care of these fishmen first!" Valen, pleased with Rain's understanding, turned to the other Night Watch members and slowly approached the fishmen, creeping towards them.
After taking a few steps, Valen turned to Rain and said, "Rain, you can take a break. We can handle these fishmen with our bows and arrows."
Valen then removed his bow and arrows from his back, gesturing to Rain.
Rain was taken aback, glanced at the other Night Watch members, and instantly understood. He scratched his head and laughed, "Alright, Captain Valen, I'll stand guard for you."
He had only brought his sheepskin-wrapped two-handed greatsword and didn't have any bows or arrows.
It wasn't that Rain was being lazy; his Level 2 basic archery skills were simply not up to par.
Valen was aware of this, so he hadn't reminded Rain about it before they set out.
The main reason, however, was that Rain wouldn't consider spending his precious skill points on improving his basic archery skills in the short term.
So, Rain stayed behind as the ten Night Watch elites advanced in a semi-encirclement formation. Once they were within shooting range, they drew their bows and took aim.
"Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!"
A shower of arrows flew through the air, and the four fishmen fell to the ground.
Rain's eyes lit up as he finally understood why Hamilton had sent the Night Watch instead of the Shiny Gold Town's sheriff and guards.
It was because of their superior archery skills.
The Night Watch's archery skills were generally better than those of the sheriff and guards.
Rain approached the fishmen, examining these creatures that Valen considered not very intelligent.
The fishmen were about five feet long, covered in fine, slippery scales that seemed to provide decent defense.
Their fish heads had a pair of protruding bubble-like eyes and a large mouth filled with sharp teeth, emitting a pungent stench.
Their hands and feet had webbed digits, and they wielded a variety of crude weapons, mostly inferior fish spears, large swords, and short spears. Not a single one carried a short bow, and their equipment was rudimentary.
Rain prodded one of the fishmen with his sword, confirming that their scales provided protection similar to a single layer of leather armor.
However, if Rain were to swing his high-quality steel greatsword, those scales would offer no resistance at all.
"Rain, this is the mark of the Evil Fin Fishmen," Valen said, turning over one of the dead fishmen. A long dorsal fin ran down the center of its back, occasionally adorned with long spikes, and the entire fin was a dark gray color.
"The fishmen's features vary, representing different tribes, and their strengths can differ greatly."
"For example, on the coastline near Fishing Harbor Town, there are Black Gill Fiends, who are stronger than the Evil Fin Fishmen. Additionally, even within the same species, the strength of each tribe can vary significantly.
Rain listened attentively, nodding from time to time. He could tell that Captain Valen was sharing valuable experience.
"Let's follow the fishmen's tracks along the river. We should find their camp soon," Valen suggested.
The group followed the webbed footprints left by the fishmen along a small river upstream of Glimmer Lake. Before long, they noticed the tracks becoming denser.
Ahead, by the river, stood over a dozen newly constructed stilt houses made of branches and thatch. The camp was bustling with numerous small, shadowy figures, indicating that this was indeed the base of the small group of evil fin fishmen.
Valen frowned as he observed the tribe of at least a hundred small evil fin fishmen. "They've migrated their entire tribe! This is a much larger number than we anticipated."
"It seems we might struggle to deal with them. There's a significant discrepancy from the reconnaissance report," he added.
"Captain Valen, what did the report say about their numbers?" Rain asked curiously.
Valen shook his head. "The report mentioned a small group of evil fin fishmen upstream of Glimmer Lake, typically around thirty to fifty. But the number of fishmen here is far greater. I estimate there are at least a hundred of them."
After a moment's thought, Valen furrowed his brow and said, "Let's abandon this for now. It would be best to wait until Captain Hamilton's injuries heal, then he can take charge."
Rain glanced at the board, which displayed his Night Watchman Career Level lv1 (87/100) and Grizzly Sword Technique lv2 (269/300).
Both were on the verge of leveling up, and Rain felt reluctant to return without a fight.
"Captain Valen, although there are quite a few of them, the fishmen's individual strength isn't that formidable. Will there be any difficulty in defeating them?" Rain asked again.
"The goal isn't just to eliminate a portion of them; we aim for total annihilation. With so many, even if we take them down one by one with arrows, it will take a significant amount of time," Valen explained, his brow furrowed.
"According to the original plan, you'd need to cut off their retreat, and I'm concerned that the pressure on you, Rain, will be immense."
Rain realized that Valen was worried about his ability to withstand the pressure.
But upon hearing Valen's explanation, Rain's frown relaxed. He had a different perspective on the matter.
Firstly, this group of evil fin fishmen didn't possess ranged weapons like bows and arrows, and his own training in the Grizzly Sword Technique was particularly adept at handling such group combat situations.
Additionally, his strength had improved since the battle with the werewolves.
The two points of mental power allowed Rain to grasp more combat details, reducing the likelihood of injury.
"Captain Valen, I have confidence in myself. Let's give it a try; I don't think we'll have much trouble," Rain said with a smile.
Valen was taken aback by Rain's eagerness to volunteer. He studied Rain's expression and saw the seriousness in his eyes, not a hint of jest.
Moreover, as the one facing the most pressure in the upcoming battle, Rain's willingness to give it a try made Valen hesitant to suggest retreat, as it might dampen the team's morale.
After a moment's thought, Valen patted Rain's shoulder firmly and said in a low voice, "Alright, Rain. If you're confident, we'll give it our all. But remember, if things turn unfavorable, retreat immediately."
"Let's set up a trap line here. If things go south, we'll fall back," Valen instructed.
"Yes, sir!" the Night Watch elite responded.
At Valen's command, they sprang into action, quickly setting up spikes, obstacle ropes, and other traps, marking them to avoid accidental triggers.
(End of Chapter)
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