Based on the memories Ted had forcefully extracted from the sentries, these Gnolls had only been in this "strange place" for less than ten days.
'It's astonishing enough that they managed to construct a highly fortified, wooden stockade on prime tactical real estate in less than a week and a half,' Ted thought, his expression grim. 'But to discover they've already set up an active altar to an evil deity? That is entirely unprecedented.'
The reason Ted was so certain this was an "evil deity" was simple: no benevolent, or even neutral, god would demand blood sacrifices on an altar of cracked skulls, nor would they take the form of a four-armed, heavily mutated abomination.
Furthermore, this entity absolutely did not belong to the natural order of this world.
'This has to be dealt with immediately,' Ted realized with a cold sense of urgency. 'If we leave this camp undiscovered, and they have a few more months to establish a foothold and expand their influence... it's impossible to predict the scale of the disaster they would cause.'
When Ted had first learned about the phenomenon of the Conjunction of the Spheres, his greatest, unspoken fear was that the dimensional rifts would eventually drag in apocalyptic threats—entities on the level of the Burning Legion from World of Warcraft or Warp Daemons from Warhammer 40k.
Looking at the eldritch idol in the cavern, that terrifying possibility had just exponentially increased.
Suddenly, a system notification flared in his vision in a rare, alarming shade of crimson.
————
[System Quest Triggered]
[Eradicate the Threat (Red)]
A highly dangerous entity from another world cannot be allowed to take root in this reality. You must intervene.
Objective: Assassinate Alken, the Gnoll Priest.
Reward: 1,800 experience points, Material Card: [Mist of Destiny (Red)].
System Note: He may be the first, but he will absolutely not be the last.
————
"We need to mentally prepare ourselves," Ted said quietly, cutting the psychic connection and turning to Jerry and Sherry. "There is an active spellcaster among these Gnolls."
"A spellcaster?!" Jerry's eyes widened in alarm.
Ted quickly briefed them on the situation. They were dealing with a heavily armed warband of at least seventy or eighty Gnolls, commanded by a magic user of unknown power who was actively worshiping an otherworldly, evil deity.
They had to be completely eradicated, as soon as possible. Not a single beast could be left alive.
Ted immediately formulated a tactical plan. Finding a concealed spot significantly downwind from the camp, he unpacked his portable cauldron and began sorting through the various toxic alchemical ingredients he kept stocked in his expanded bag.
Then, they waited.
High above, Anzu slipped into the Gnoll camp as silently as a shadow. He glided down toward the edge of a small, stagnant pool of water.
While an ordinary human would instantly contract dysentery just looking at the murky water, it was perfectly suitable for the iron-clad stomachs of the Gnolls.
This was the encampment's sole water source.
If this had been an ordinary pack of wild Gnolls, they would have likely set up camp right on the riverbank, sleeping on the damp earth with perhaps a single, flimsy tent to share.
However, the Gnolls in this camp were under the strict command of an experienced Priest with genuine military literacy.
Not only had he ordered the construction of a defensible perimeter, but he had also specifically secured and enclosed a localized water supply to survive a siege.
While this displayed dangerous tactical intelligence, it also played perfectly into Ted's hands.
Gripping a small, enchanted vial of pale-green liquid in his talons, Anzu tipped the contents directly into the three-metre-wide pool. The alchemical poison dissolved instantly into the murky water, completely odourless and undetectable.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the onset time.
Professor Snape had spent years casually threatening to poison his students during Potions class, and Ted had taken those threats to heart, thoroughly mastering the essence of toxic brewing.
This specific concoction was a highly specialized, delayed-onset formula.
While it wasn't lethal, its supreme advantage was that it wouldn't lose its potency even when heavily diluted in a large body of water.
Ted had privately named it the "Ten-Scent Limp-Muscle Powder." After ingestion, it acted like a severely delayed, internalised version of the Jelly-Legs Jinx.
Systematically, it inflicted a permanent -2 penalty to the target's Strength stat and drained 25% of their total stamina pool.
That single, concentrated vial was more than enough to debilitate the entire warband.
The only variable was the Gnoll Priest.
Deep in his dark trance, communicating with his otherworldly deity, he hadn't moved a muscle in over an hour. It was highly unlikely he would emerge to drink from the communal pool anytime soon.
'Fortunately,' Ted mused, 'when the Conjunction of the Spheres dropped them into this world, the dimensional transit must have killed all their domesticated war-hyenas. If they had a pack of hunting beasts to back them up, this would be significantly harder.'
While waiting for the poison to take root, Ted laid out the assault plan for Jerry and Sherry.
Ted would act as the primary vanguard, while Jerry and Sherry were tasked with one simple, crucial objective: start fires.
Murder and arson.
If the entire camp was engulfed in flames, the ensuing chaos would make the systematic slaughter much easier.
About twenty minutes later, a large group of Gnolls finally staggered over to the pool to drink. The social hierarchy of the pack was immediately apparent.
The largest, most muscular, and most heavily scarred Gnolls drank first.
They shoved their snouts directly into the murky water, gulping greedily and splashing it over their matted fur.
As the lesser Gnolls lined up to take their turns, Ted watched with slight apprehension.
Given the sheer volume of tainted water they were consuming, their innate poison resistance was definitely going to be put to the test.
Ten minutes after the poison had been fully ingested, the mid-afternoon sun reached its zenith, beating down with blistering heat.
Sluggish and drained by the alchemical debilitating effects, the majority of the Gnolls retreated into the shade of the wooden palisades, falling into heavy, lethargic slumbers.
If the Gnoll Priest had been actively managing the camp, his tactical mind would have already noticed that the hunting party they had dispatched to the valley had failed to return on schedule, instantly putting the camp on high alert.
But since he was entirely isolated in his cave, lost in dark communion, the camp remained blissfully unaware.
"It's time," Ted whispered, drawing his wand. "Let's stick to the plan."
Jerry and Sherry nodded grimly.
Ted cast a highly concentrated Disillusionment Charm over each of them, rendering them nearly invisible to the naked eye. Moving in complete silence, the trio ascended the steep mountain path.
They stopped roughly ten metres away from the main gate, not daring to advance any further. The Disillusionment Charm masked their visual presence, but it did nothing to hide their scent from the canine noses of the sentries.
Fortunately, the two guards were currently suffering the full effects of the poison. They were slumped against the wooden wall in the shadows, their eyes drooping heavily in profound lethargy. Ted had made a point to ensure both of them had visited the watering hole.
Now, it was time for the vanguard.
Ted swiped his hand through the air, activating a card from his inventory.
In a flash of light, a massive, towering Gnoll materialized on the mountain path!
————
[Hogg the Gnoll (Green)]
Summoning Card.
Summon Hogg the Gnoll to fight by your side.
Duration: 15 minutes. Cooldown: 12 hours.
Note: "Hogg" has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of low-level adventurers. He is exceptionally brutal!
————
This summoning card was unique because the entity possessed a distinct name. Unlike his standard Mountain Troll or Clay Golem summons, which were generic constructs, "Hogg the Gnoll" was distinctly classified as a named elite.
————
[Hogg the Gnoll]
Level: 7 Gnoll Elite.
Attributes: Strength 7, Constitution 8, Agility 6, Intelligence 5, Perception 6, Spirit 4, Charisma 4, Luck ???
Talents:
[Cunning (Green)]: Possesses significantly higher intelligence than a standard Gnoll, manifesting primarily in vicious tactical cunning.
[Cruelty (Green)]: Driven by a ferocious nature, he excels in slaughter and combat efficiency, boasting immense combat experience.
Equipment: Light Leather Armour, Heavy One-Handed Flail.
Skills: Terrifying Howl (Lv. 2), Vicious Bite (Lv. 1), Claw Strike (Lv. 1), Flail Mastery (Lv. 1), Brutal Charge (Lv. 1), Headbutt (Lv. 1).
System Note: An infamous terror from a high-magic world, far exceeding an ordinary beast.
————
While Ted's Troll was Level 10 and his Golem was Level 9, Hogg's raw attributes were barely a step behind. Furthermore, his two innate Talents were incredibly potent.
The advantage of heightened intelligence was obvious, but [Cruelty (Green)] was the real game-changer.
It ensured that, in a fight of equal strength, Hogg would always be vastly more lethal.
It was the difference between a mediocre brawler and a bloodthirsty veteran who grew more aggressive and unyielding with every strike.
'Just like they say, in some battles, you must fight fire with fire,' Ted thought with a smirk. 'Just crank up the battle music and let hound dog loose. This card is perfect for my current quest.'
Hogg stood a towering 1.8 metres tall. Although he possessed the same hunched, high-backed posture as the other Gnolls, his sheer mass was staggering.
His arms and thighs were corded with explosive muscle.
A thick, bristling mane of coarse black hair ran down his spine like steel wire, contrasting sharply with the intimidating brown-and-black tiger stripes across his torso. His jaws were massive, lined with thick, oversized fangs dripping with saliva.
Gripping a heavy, iron-spiked flail in one massive hand, Hogg locked his terrifying gaze onto the two sentries.
The guards instantly felt a paralyzing chill run down their spines, as if they had been targeted by an apex predator. They scented the air, their noses twitching as they registered a strange, unfamiliar musk. Looking up, they found themselves staring into the bloodshot eyes of the most terrifying member of their own species they had ever seen.
They instantly shrank back in terror.
Sentry A: 'Who is this?! I've never seen him before! Why does his scent feel so wrong?!'
Sentry B: 'He's huge! And so aggressive! Don't make eye contact!'
"ARRR-WOOOOOOO-YAP-YAP-YAP!" Hogg barked aggressively, stepping forward and brandishing his flail. 'How dare you two slack off on duty?! On your feet!'
The two sentries immediately cowered, whining submissively and tucking their tails between their legs. 'Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!'
Without another glance, Hogg swaggered straight through the front gates.
He highlighted an absolute sense of belonging. The two sentries didn't dare question him, overwhelmingly relieved that the hulking brute hadn't simply crushed their skulls for slacking off.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ted, Jerry, and Sherry slipped through the gates under the cover of their Disillusionment Charms, immediately pressing their backs against the wooden palisade in a remote corner.
The stench inside the camp was nauseating. Sherry desperately covered her nose, genuinely baffled as to how the Gnolls could endure living in such filth when they possessed such a keen sense of smell.
Noticing her distress, Ted subtly modified the Disillusionment Charm, weaving in a localized Bubble-Head Charm to filter the air around them.
Sherry blinked in relief. 'Okay,' she admitted grudgingly. 'Wizards are actually incredibly useful.'
Meanwhile, Hogg had marched straight into the centre of the camp. Ignoring the lethargic grunts, he walked directly up to the hulking Level 9 Gnoll Leader resting in the shade.
Hogg raised his heavy flail and let out a deafening, blood-curdling roar.
"YAP-YAP-GRRR-BARK!"
'I challenge you for dominance!'
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Word count: 1952
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