Faerûn: Lord of the Eternal Sun

Chapter 18 Intelligence Decision-Making and Failed Raid

"Liam, it's your turn. If you're exposed, blow the whistle and we'll come to your aid."

Anton Tans patted the wanderer on the shoulder; the man was the scout he had specifically recruited in the city.

In terms of direct combat ability, Liam is undoubtedly the weakest member of the adventure team; even fighting two small goblins would be a life-or-death situation for him.

The abilities of the Wanderer are more inclined towards reconnaissance, lock picking, and trap detection.

"Don't worry, those gnolls can't find me yet. I won't let you down with your high commission."

Liam spoke with great confidence, but it was unclear how much of the high commission he was referring to was.

After speaking, the wanderer tiptoed toward the dilapidated temple in the distance. It was clear that he was quite skilled, having mastered unique stealth techniques, and walked through the desert without leaving any traces.

Isaac and the others waited in place, awaiting intelligence from the enemy, and were prepared to provide support at any time.

Anton Tans pulled out his old pocket watch, checked the time, and found it was 6:20 a.m. If the reconnaissance went smoothly, he would be back before 7 a.m.

……

Time ticked by, and Isaac stuffed a piece of dried mutton into his mouth. This dried mutton was dry and hard, with a strong gamey smell, and it took a long time to chew before he could swallow it.

Around the same time as everyone else had estimated, when the pocket watch showed 7:09, the young wanderer successfully returned from his reconnaissance mission.

Liam, who had just returned, was covered in sweat, gulping down water, his limbs trembling slightly, whether from the side effects of his stealth ability or from being frightened.

"How is it?"

Everyone was watching him, including the desert monitor lizard.

"Captain, let's retreat! There are about 12 gnolls, probably no more than 15. They're all sleeping. I almost got discovered."

Liam gasped for breath as he drew part of the temple's interior on the sand.

The young wanderer was terrified when he came into contact with the gnolls at mid-range. Those brutal creatures might not even be a match for them in a one-on-one fight, let alone in such large numbers, twice the size of the adventure group.

This number also made the others frown. The fighting power of the gnolls was not comparable to that of the goblins. These creatures were over two meters tall and their physiques were even stronger than those of the Yellow Sand Guards.

Moreover, they are inherently ruthless, and even with extremely high casualty rates, they can maintain a strong fighting spirit.

Compared to human soldiers, gnolls are superior in every way except for their poor organization.

"Isaac, what do you think?"

Antontans asked the experienced Son of the Sun, who, based on the previous battle with the goblin bandits, was recognized by everyone as the strongest member of the team.

"Even if there are a maximum of 15 gnolls, I can take on 5. Can you handle the remaining 10?"

Isaac countered that the estimate was a bit conservative, and the number of kills would depend on the actual situation, but based on past experience, the minimum would not be less than 5.

"I have animal companions, I can handle two of them."

"I can handle two of them; they can't get close to me."

"I think I should be fine too!"

Everyone expressed their opinions, except for the Wanderer, who hesitated and thought to himself that he was no match for the jackal in a one-on-one fight.

"Alright, it's decided then! We'll launch a surprise attack and try to reduce their numbers as quickly as possible."

Antontans, as the captain, made the decision. The Sandwalkers were never lacking in adventurous spirit. After working so hard for so long, they couldn't be scared off by a dozen gnolls.

"what?"

The wanderer hadn't expected this group to be so brave. He wanted to try to dissuade them, but since the captain had already made his decision, any further words would only disrupt morale, unless he chose to withdraw.

The adventurers mounted their camels and set off for the temple, ready to fight the ferocious alien race.

After a brief internal struggle, Liam gritted his teeth and rode his camel to catch up.

Thinking to himself, "If I'm afraid of death, why should I be a Sandwalker? I might as well go to the fields and become a farmer who grows sand wheat."

-----

The dilapidated temple of Merika was once a sheltered oasis hundreds of years ago, until a massive sandstorm that lasted for nearly half a month struck, burying the oasis and the temple.

The priests and monks of that time fled in haste, leaving behind a considerable amount of valuable treasure. However, after being buried by the yellow sand for hundreds of years, most of it was destroyed by the relentless passage of time.

The temple reappeared several years ago, but it had become dilapidated. A group of gnoll bandits discovered the temple and occupied it as their tribal camp.

……

In the front hall, yellow sand poured in from the broken dome and cracked windows, piling up on the ground to form a gentle slope.

The sandstone reliefs that were originally carved with branches, running deer, and flying birds have been mostly worn away by wind and sand, leaving only blurry outlines.

Directly in front is a statue of the goddess half-buried in the sand. Melika holds a horn and a bow, and is draped in a crown of leaves. Her face and right arm are weathered and damaged. The base is inscribed with the ancient Elvish word "Wilderness Sanctuary".

A dozen or so jackals were sleeping sprawled out against the wall. The tribe had held a bonfire prayer until midnight the night before, so they were still fast asleep.

Only one old gnoll sat up. His sense of smell was keen. He seemed to have caught a faint, strange scent, but upon closer inspection, it seemed not to be there. He simply dismissed it as an illusion.

The old jackal lay down again, intending to take a good nap.

At that moment, the adventure team had already crossed the steps and entered the main gate of the temple.

The slight noise startled the old jackal who was pretending to sleep. He sat up abruptly and saw six or seven humanoid figures that had suddenly appeared, as well as a desert giant lizard.

"Enemy attack!!"

The old gnoll had barely uttered his cry when the Desert Ranger's arrow shot out, the sharp arrowhead piercing his vital chest and silencing his shout.

But the scream was enough to wake the sleeping gnolls. Startled, they hurriedly got up, grabbed their weapons, and faced the sandwalkers.

These gnolls are over two meters tall and weigh over 300 pounds. They look about the same size as Isaac, with broad shoulders and backs.

It has a hyena-like head, fur that is mainly brown and dirty yellow, thick limbs with sharp claws, and weapons that are mainly axes and scimitars. It has a very fierce aura.

"Damn scum!"

The Sandwalkers all cursed, their raid plan ruined by the old gnoll.

"kill!"

Before the gnolls could fully react and form an encirclement, Isaac, wielding his round shield and heavy scimitar, charged ahead and slashed at the nearest enemy.

The gnoll had just picked up his battle axe and stood up when Isaac's attack came. Caught off guard, he managed to parry twice, but the third attack tore open most of his neck, and he collapsed helplessly, clutching his wound.

Faced with the ferocious gnolls, Isaac immediately opened the vertical line between his eyebrows, which transformed into a golden eye shaped like the sun, in an effort to quickly eliminate as many enemies as possible.

The other teammates also launched an attack immediately, and even the wanderers were just as resolute.

The battle raged in the spacious hall, with spells and arrows slicing through the air, immediately overwhelming the more numerous gnolls.

Several gnoll corpses lay on the ground, three of which were killed by Isaac alone.

Once the gnolls realized what was happening, the situation began to reverse, and the pressure of the battle suddenly increased.

A low growl came from afar. Isaac had just killed his opponent when he saw a tall figure rushing towards him from a distance.

It was a much larger gnoll, estimated to be 2.5 meters tall, carrying a large flail; it was probably the leader of this tribe.

"Liam!!!"

Antontans roared, for the Wanderers' intelligence contained no mention of this giant gnoll.

The young loafer turned pale: "Impossible! I walked around twice, and it definitely wasn't there just now!"

There is only one explanation: the gnoll chieftain did not live with his people.

"I'll hold him off!"

Isaac charged toward the gnoll leader, intending to kill him alone.