Chapter 82 - Eagle Cliff Burrow

Eagle Cliff.It is one of the rare peaks in the Rocklands, standing solitary among a group of low, squat mountains.

From a distance, it looks just like an eagle’s head extending from the plain, a landmark terrain of the surrounding area.

What truly endows it with this name are the figures that often hover around it—the Harpies.

This is a familial Harpy cave with no fewer than a hundred residing within.

To all intelligent life around, especially males, they are a calamitous presence, the mention of Eagle Cliff strikes fear into their hearts.

Eagle Cliff is not far from the Blackwell Tribe in a straight line, only about twelve or thirteen kilometers away.

But in the complex terrain of the Rocklands, winding paths make the distance two or three times longer, especially since it lies across from the Blood Claw Tribe of Hobgoblins, which has a grudge with the Blackwell Tribe.

Speaking of Blood Claw, ever since Gaven had deceived and escaped the Pitfall Tribe, without any concerns of rear attacks, they’ve been causing a ruckus, raising troops and pillaging around, turning several nearby mountain tops into complete chaos. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

Gaven, in turn, made full use of Susie and the influence of the Pitfall Tribe in the vicinity, actively contacting the Gnoll Tribes whose situations were becoming increasingly difficult, with several tribes already considering moving to Blackwell Tribe.

This time, to bring them over, the old switcheroo wouldn’t work, it was time for real action.

Whether out of past grievances or to curb the growth of Blackwell Tribe, the Blood Claw Tribe would not easily permit these Gnoll Tribes to join Blackwell.

The two tribes were too close to each other, and conflict and war were bound to eventually erupt.

Gaven was clear on this point, and he believed that Blood Claw, the leader of the Blood Claw Tribe, was as well.

However, his reason for sneaking near Eagle Cliff this time was not to scout the situation of Blood Claw Tribe but for Gos’s mentioned Maternal Tribe—the Eagle Cliff Burrow.

This tribe was located in the burrows beneath Eagle Cliff.

With Blackwell Tribe now at its current size, it could no longer develop in isolation; it needed to establish extensive diplomatic relations—with the Gnolls.

The Eagle Cliff Burrow was the first of these.

When Gaven arrived at Eagle Cliff with Gos and the Goblin Sorcerer Vick, it was already evening, and a fierce battle had just ignited—an aerial struggle.

One side was the nest builders above Eagle Cliff, the Harpies, while the other side was the burrow diggers below, the Gnolls.

The Gnolls also had an air force.

A few of them naturally had leathery wings, possessing excellent flying capabilities.

These winged Gnolls were known as Erde.

Gaven had originally thought Erde Gnolls to be extremely rare since he hadn’t seen one in Blackwell Tribe’s development up to now, even rarer than Gnoll Sorcerers.

But the situation before him overturned his previous notion.

All around Eagle Cliff, circling and weaving through the air, were these winged Gnolls, no fewer than two or three hundred in number, encircling Eagle Cliff under the support of the ground troops and engaging in guerrilla warfare with dozens of Harpies.

In terms of aerial combat capabilities, Harpies were definitely superior, their body structures better suited for flight with faster speeds.

Their hands and feet had evolved into eagle talons, more convenient for tearing and grappling.

But the Gnolls had not only a numerical advantage but also the upper hand in terrain.

wasn’t named in vain; they were about to turn the cliff into a honeycomb, carving countless entrances on the irregular columnar cliff face.

Whenever those Erde Gnolls sensed something was amiss, they would immediately retract their wings and dive into a nearby hole, which the Harpies dared not pursue.

Once involved in close-quarters combat in such narrow spaces, they held no advantage.

In a few minutes, that very Erde Gnoll would emerge from another hole, throwing stones while fluttering its leathery wings, joining the battle once again.

It was clear that these caves were interconnected.

The harpies’ most lethal weapon, the Song of Seduction, evidently had no effect on the gnolls.

Without asking, it was certain that these gnolls had, just like Gaven and his group, filled their ears to guard against it; otherwise, the gnolls of Erde would have fallen to the ground like dumplings long ago.

The harpies found it hard to catch the slippery gnolls of Erde, reminiscent of loaches.

The Erde gnolls, armed only with daggers and thrown stones, also had trouble inflicting fatal injuries on the harpies.

Even after accumulating some damage, the harpies would simply turn around and fly back to the Eagle Nest, with the winged gnolls not daring to pursue.

No matter how you looked at it, this resembled a routine harassment campaign rather than an all-out battle to the death.

For the gnolls of Erde, the margin for error was clearly much lower.

A slight mistake meant certain death.

An Erde gnoll, after successfully ambushing a harpy, failed to evade in time and got caught by the claws on its wing, immediately affecting its flight.

The harpy, who had appeared indifferent, let out a screech and launched a sharp counterattack—not by swooping directly at the gnoll, but rather by flying to the nearest cave entrance, waiting for the gnoll to inadvertently approach.

With no other choice, the Erde gnoll had to flee in another direction.

The harpy repeated her tactics, determined not to let this little crawler return to its hole.

It wouldn’t be long before she could enjoy a savory dog meat feast.

The injured gnoll of Erde, wobbling, was forced to distance itself further from the Eagle Cliff Burrow.

Out of desperation, it could only fly downward, trying to return to the Eagle Cliff Burrow through a ground entrance.

The harpy followed closely with a cruel smile, her expression reminiscent of a cat playing with a mouse, occasionally swooping in for a claw strike.

The wounded gnoll, dodging in disarray while gritting its teeth, refused to emit any sounds of agony.

Having waged war against these cruel bird demons for many years, he knew all too well their sadistic nature.

Any cries of pain would only provoke more delight and brutality.

The desperate and wounded gnoll suddenly saw a flicker of light as a skinny half-body of a gnoll peeked from behind a boulder below, frantically gesturing for him.

Could there be tribesmen setting up an ambush below?

The wounded gnoll of Erde no longer cared; it clumsily flew towards that direction.

Just land, just land, and there was still hope for survival.

Harpies were weak in ground combat and would never venture too close to the ground, especially upon seeing other gnolls.

Not only the injured Erde gnoll saw that gnoll, but the harpy did too.

She stopped toying around, ready to carry out the final slaughter.

Her beautiful face bore a strange smile that mixed purity with cruelty, and an enchantingly beautiful piece of a magic melody emanated from her lips.

The Magic Network trembled, delivering the wonderful, seductive song to the ears of every creature within a hundred meters.

Many beings that had been hiding in the shadows stumbled out, lured by the sound.

“Wake up.” Gaven felt a sting on his cheek as if it had been punched by a tiny fist, snapping him out of his stupor.

The Song of Seduction truly lived up to its name; simply plugging the ears was not enough to block it completely.

Had it not been for the Spirit Crystal Servant Artolia punching Gaven just now, their carefully planned ambush would have failed, and he himself would have been exposed to the harpies’ talons.

He believed that his stature and face would have been far more tempting to the harpies than that of the injured gnoll.

Thinking of the erotic and tragic fate of males captured by harpies, Gaven shuddered—harpies had no males of their own, and they reproduced by abducting males from other humanoid races.