Chapter 213 - Escaped
The first thought that appeared when Tristan heard the elf's words was to reject it. However, he quickly stopped himself. In the precarious situation and the countless dangers that were about to jump onto them, Tristan certainly would need all the help he could get to escape from Forlorn City. After all, there were hundreds of elven warriors, not counting the thousands of elves, waiting for them outside.
Therefore, Tristan looked intently at the blind elf as if he wanted to see through what the latter hid. "What can a blind and disable man help me with?"
From the look of it, the elf in front of him didn't appear too old. However, his enhanced senses could perceive a certain glow within him, and therefore, Tristan kind of knew that the elf shouldn't be underestimated. Otherwise, he would get the short end of the stick.
"I might be blind. But I can certainly tell your group would not be able to escape from here, especially if Janus is included in the factor."
"Why would you say that?" asked Tristan calmly, and a bit curious. Even though he knew that Forlorn Prince was strong, why was this elf so sure they would not be able to escape? After all, escaping and fighting head-on were two entirely different matters. It might be true that they wouldn't be able to win against him, but it shouldn't be impossible to escape.
As if he had expected Tristan's question, the blind elf let out a faint smile and slowly said, "Janus is at the peak of stage 4 Katra, a stage that countless couldn't even reach in their lifetime. There are not many people in this world who can defeat him."
"And, you mean to tell me that you can?" Tristan asked in an interesting and somewhat provocative tone.
"I might not look much, but I am a peak stage 4 Katra practitioner myself. Therefore, I can definitely help you." replied the blind elf in a calm voice.
The blind elf immediately hit right into the most worrisome matter they currently had. Tristan had a few plans thought of and prepared for the hundreds of elven warriors, but he, unfortunately, didn't have any to deal with Janus who had undefined stats in his panel.
During the conversation, Tristan realized that Serene was staring at the other party, and her expression showed that she was thinking about something.
"What is it, wifey? Something's wrong?"
Serene ignored Tristan's inquiry, instead she got closer to the blind elf and asked, "Who actually are you? Your voice sounds familiar to me."
A bitter smile appeared on the elf's face, confusing both Serene Tristan.
"Princess Serene, it is really sad for me that you no longer recognize me."
While Tristan was wondering what was going on, Serene seemed to know who the elf was as she approached him and opened the cloth that covered his eyes. The moment the blindfold was taken off, everyone could now clearly see his face.
The elf had masculine and handsome features, but it was ruined by several scars that were prominent on his face. However, the worst didn't stop there. The most disturbing sight that everyone saw from the elf's face was his empty eyes, void of anything. The things that were supposed to be there weren't there, and what welcomed them was an eerie gaze from hollow eyes.
Before the others could wonder what happened to this elf, Serene had put the blindfold back.
"My apology.. Prince Elroth. What exactly happened to you?! I mean, why?!"
The man showed a smile, one that contained anguish. "It's my insane brother. Anyway, Like I said earlier, get me out of here and I will help you!"
Even though the blind elf, who apparently was a prince, didn't say much, Tristan could somehow get the gist of it. Then, he contemplated the proposal that the other party proposed for a while, and eventually decided to take him with them.
Now they were about to enter the next phase of this operation.
"So, what's the plan? How do we get out?" asked one of the golden adventurers.
The two adventurers who were saved by Tristan along the way were still around. It seemed they were smart enough not to rush out by themself.
Acknowledging their inquiry, Tristan took out weapons from his interspatial ring and handed them to the two. "It should be a little chaotic outside. But in order to be safe, we will separate and go in two groups. That way, we have a better chance of surviving."
Before the two adventurers could open their mouths, Tristan added, "I have these women and a blind guy, so the troll will come with me."
The two adventurers quickly disagreed with Tristan's plan and were about to make a ruckus as they could tell that both Astrid and Serene were strong in their own way.
"Alright, I don't want to argue with you two because we don't have much time. Let's do it this way. The troll can come with you two, but you will open up the way for us."
The two adventurers smiled when they heard that. For them personally, the Forlorn Kingdom's elven warriors were not too hard to handle. And what Tristan said was true, that time was at the essence for them. In addition, being in the front did have its own advantages.
"Alright! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
A minute later, the dozens of elven warriors who stood guard outside the entrance of the dungeon were startled by the sight of two humans coming out and attacking them. The two golden adventurers dashed to the closest elven warrior and swung the weapons in their hand.
Due to the surprise, two elven warriors were immediately killed by the two adventurers as they made their way through the stairs, heading outside the dungeon.
Right behind them was a figure of massive monstrosity, a troll. And though its figure was huge, the troll was able to catch up to the two adventurers' speed and even slightly surpass them.
The elven warriors who were caught off guard by the sudden attack quickly collected themselves and began launching a counterattack on their enemy.
The spear and the arrows that the elven warriors launched weren't able to penetrate the troll's thick skin and only managed to leave a small nick on its surface. They could only watch helplessly as the troll wreaked havoc amidst their ranks, harvesting lives with each passing moment.
The two adventurers hid behind the troll when a volley of arrows was sent in their direction. Then, when the time was right, they would attack and continue to reap the lives of the elven warriors.
While they were mowing down the elven warriors, the two adventurers couldn't help but exclaim at the sheer ridiculousness that the troll had shown.
"This troll is freaking awesome! Ahahaha!"
Thanks to the troll who acted as the finest distraction, diversion, and tank, the two adventurers had an easy time overpowering a dozen elven warriors and cleared up the dungeon entrance in a matter of minutes.
When they reached the above-ground and peek outside, the two realized Forlorn City was strangely enveloped by thick blankets of smoke, and elves were seen running toward the north where the smoke seemed to be coming from.
Hence, they quickly shouted to the dungeon entrance. "The path is clear! Quickly now! We should go now!!"
A moment later, Tristan's voice was heard from the entrance.
"We still need a few more minutes!!"
The adventurers could see that not only the blind elf needed to be carried, there was also a human who was too weak to climb the stairs, effectively slowing the group's advance.
While they were considering leaving these people behind, they caught wind of Tristan's shout that resolved their dilemma. "You two should go ahead! We are right behind you!"
The two adventurers certainly would not let an opportunity for freedom pass them by. They didn't take another look behind and immediately ran as their figures disappeared behind the cover of the smoke. The troll who Tristan ordered to follow them naturally did so as it caught up to the two.
"Haha those stupid people, with those speeds they will be caught up!"
"This is better, they will be the one the chase and we will be long gone by then!"
"That is fucking true! haha"
When they were halfway into the city, the two adventurers were surprised when the troll suddenly went berserk. The commotion that it caused instantly alarmed the elves in the surrounding area.
"What the fuck?!!"
"We're being tricked!!"
The realization of the two adventurers came too late, as they were instantly bombarded by attacks from all directions. The two deeply cursed Tristan who actually set them up as another bait for their escape.
Then, right at this moment, Tristan and the others slowly walked out of the dungeon. They accidentally encountered a group of elven warriors who proceeded to stop them.
Facing this group of enemies, Tristan calmly said, "We are the arcadian envoy! Help! The troll managed to escape from its prison, and we were attacked by it."
The elven warriors scrutinized Tristan's group. They saw a group consisting of the Arcadian envoy, Agoon, three figures with the Arcadian Kingdom's knight uniform, and a wounded elf wearing the silver noble tunic.
That's right. Tristan had taken out another set of Arcadian Kingdom's knight armor and gave it to Serene. Her eye-catching golden hair was successfully hidden beneath the steel helmet, while the blind elf's attire was taken from the noble elf who he just killed before.
"Let us pass quickly. This man is dying!"