The Moon Guard blockading Lath'elazar were concentrated on the city's outskirts. They controlled the portals leading to the ground, and no one was permitted to use the teleportation arrays to leave the city without authorization.
None of the members of the Sisterhood of Elune present, including Andreas, knew how to construct a portal.
Although the Balance specialization of Druidism contained a small number of Arcane spells, there was a vast difference in the application and philosophy of the Arcane between Druids and Mages.
At the very least, Andreas had never heard of a Druid capable of using teleportation spells... though, of course, opening a gate into the Emerald Dream was another matter entirely.
"Which means,"
Maiev, the leader of the Sisterhood's combat priestesses, leaned her hands on the temple's conference table, her eyes bright and her voice resolute. "If we want to leave this cage, a conflict with the Moon Guard is likely unavoidable."
The priestesses present all nodded in agreement, though High Priestess Dejahna appeared somewhat hesitant.
"Is this truly for the best? Although the Moon Guard are blockading us within the Seat of the Sky under the Queen's orders, they are still followers of the Goddess and have always treated the members of the Sisterhood with respect. Attacking them directly like this feels a bit..."
Maiev looked into Dejahna's eyes and advised her solemnly, "High Priestess, those are two separate matters."
"The Moon Guard do indeed maintain respect for us, but that does not erase the fact that they are restricting the Sisterhood's movements."
"Of course, I do not necessarily wish to take their lives, but no one knows what might happen in the heat of battle."
Maiev scanned the room; Dejahna was not the only one wearing a look of hesitation.
"Listen well, everyone. Hesitation in battle is a path to self-destruction. You might stay your hand, but the enemy might not."
"My squad of combat priestesses will lead the charge. The rest of the sisters will act according to the plan. No one must drag others down because of mercy toward the enemy."
"You wouldn't want to see your own sisters die at the hands of the enemy, would you?"
Seeing Maiev hold the floor with such ease, Andreas, who was listening near the conference room door, curled his lips into a slight smile.
Fortunately, she's here to help persuade them. Otherwise, who knows how long these mild-mannered priestesses would hesitate. Indecisiveness in battle is a major taboo.
...
On the day of the operation, the Temple of Shimmering Moonvessel appeared unchanged on the surface. The citizens trapped in the city still arrived at the temple as usual around 8:00 PM to complete their daily prayers under the guidance of several priestesses.
However, once the large crowd of Elune's faithful finished their prayers and departed, the operations of the temple were temporarily suspended.
Under Maiev's leadership, the combat priestesses—armed with moon-gladii, moon-glaives, and bows—donned their black battle robes and were the first to leave the temple, slipping into the city's shadows.
They moved skillfully through the shadows of the urban architecture, their target being the stables on the eastern border of the city, which were under strict guard by the Moon Guard.
A large number of hippogryphs were kept under watch in the stables. If they could reclaim these excellent flying mounts, the ordinary priestesses with weaker combat abilities could be evacuated from the air first.
The Moon Guard contingent guarding the stables consisted of about one company—roughly fifty soldiers. The defense was quite tight.
Especially at the main gate, a dozen or so Moon Guards in enchanted light metal armor were scanning the surroundings with sharp, vigilant eyes.
The strike team led by Maiev was roughly equal in number to the guards, while the other combat priestesses trailed slightly behind under the command of Maiev's lieutenant, Naisha, ensuring the safety of High Priestess Dejahna and the rest of the Sisterhood.
Maiev had always been an impatient person, and knowing her younger brother was commanding troops on the front lines made her even more anxious.
Gesturing for the hidden combat priestesses to fan out, Maiev was the first to use "Shadowstep" to vanish into the darkness. A second later, she appeared in the shadow behind one of the Moon Guards at the main gate.
"Fan of Knives!"
As Maiev swung her moon-gladius soundlessly, countless shadow daggers split and spiraled out from her weapon, enveloping all dozen guards at the scene.
Slap!
Standing beside High Priestess Dejahna to observe the fight, Andreas slapped his forehead and said with a mix of laughter and tears, "This counts as infiltration? How is this any different from a frontal assault?"
Dejahna shook her head with a wry smile. "Maiev has always believed in one principle: regardless of the process, as long as you neutralize everyone who sees you, it counts as a perfect infiltration."
Andreas rolled his eyes in Maiev's direction. I don't think you belong in the Sisterhood; you should have joined a Brotherhood instead... (Reference to Assassin's Creed/Dark Brotherhood)
"Ugh!" "Ah!"
The shadow-infused daggers pierced through the joints of the Moon Guards' armor. Six unlucky soldiers immediately fell to one knee, temporarily losing their combat effectiveness.
The dozen or so who managed to escape were also wounded. These elite soldiers gritted their teeth against the intense pain caused by the shadow energy's erosion and turned around, instinctively swinging their staves to release Arcane Explosions.
Clang!
Blue-violet arcane energy erupted on the spot, but by then Maiev had already back-flipped away, and the instinctive counterattacks of the Moon Guard hit nothing but empty air.
"Hah!"
While still in mid-air, Maiev hurled the moon-gladius from her hand. The weapon, treated with a matte dark finish, traced a bizarre and irregular arc through the air, cutting into the formation from behind the Moon Guards.
The razor-sharp blades on the edge of the circular weapon screeched as they spun against the enchanted light armor of the guards. Sparks flew and metal grated as the already disordered Moon Guards scrambled to avoid the rampaging blade.
"Strike now!"
At Maiev's command, the combat priestesses lying in ambush nearby launched their attack simultaneously.
The priestesses wielding moon-glaives and other melee weapons closed the distance with the Moon Guard at top speed, while the ranged support from the rear arrived just in time before they engaged in close quarters.
The sudden wave of attacks left the Moon Guard completely disoriented. Not just at the main gate, but soldiers all around the stables were ambushed nearly simultaneously.
Although caught off guard by the sneak attack, the Moon Guard were, after all, elites among the Highborne mage units. Once the initial chaos passed, they barely managed to stabilize their footing.
Whiz!
A blue-white arcane signal flare rose into the sky with a piercing shriek.
Naisha, positioned in the rear, frowned slightly. "As expected of the Moon Guard. Even in a dire disadvantage, they can respond calmly. It seems we'll have to fight our way through next."
Andreas let out a lazy yawn. "Expected. Fortunately, the number of Moon Guards stationed out here isn't high, and Azshara has kept the most elite forces on the main battlefield. Breaking out shouldn't be too difficult for us."
The Highborne who used the Arcane had to periodically absorb mana from the Well of Eternity to maintain their state; they could not leave Zin-Azshari for long.
While most Highborne did not yet understand the nature of the lethargy that gradually grew when they were far from the Well of Eternity, as a transmigrator, Andreas knew it perfectly well.
Mana addiction. Having been immersed in high concentrations of mana for so long, the Highborne's bodies had grown accustomed to this state.
Once they were removed from the mana nourishment of the Well of Eternity, they would gradually experience uncontrollable withdrawal symptoms. Not only would their combat effectiveness drop significantly, but even their physical and mental states would be severely affected.
Therefore, whether it's the Well of Eternity, the Sunwell, or the Nightwell—these powerful sources of mana are the true culprits behind the corruption of the Elves' will.