The trees continued to grow larger and larger, the further they went inside.
Jack remembered his way to the mountain where he had zigzagged between trees so large that it could easily require 30men with arms stretched to circle around them.
He remembered the forest was not wide at all, but stretched from one peninsula edge, to the other. He saw that when he had the birds eye view before he came here.
He figured it would take at least an hour to walk to the other side of the forest. But that was before when he had the 'Gods protection'.
His troops was spread out covering almost 100 meters, and it didn't take long before he encountered the first hostile inhabitant of the forest.
Having walked 100 meters inside the forest from his civilians and Harkens troops, he suddenly heard shouts ahead.
Rushing up with the main troops he could finally see the spectacle.
[Lord System: Crazed Ape. Uncommon Rank. Dangerous]
His system notified him as he saw a pack of about 10 apes. They looked like earths chimpanzes, but they where larger, 2 meters tall and very enraged with red stripes in their black fur.
'Uncommon rank, huh? My troops are trash rank. I still haven't understood the rankings just yet'
As Jack wondered about the rankings, he was suddenly out of time.
One of the crazed apes had noticed the reinforcements and charged directly at Jack and his troops.
They were strong. They could evade his troops when they attacked with their spears, and strong enough to pick them up at throw them around against trees.
Jack lost troops fast.
'But never underestimate a numbers game..'
Even ants can take on targets multiple times larger and stronger if swarmed by sheer numbers.
Jack ordered every single troop to push on and attack, and the crazed apes was soon faced with a wave of human heads with pointy sticks.
They trashed and went completely crazy, but the human wave was so dense their movements became limited, stopped by human bodies.
'Maybe i should try my new strenght?'
A few of the apes was still standing and Jack ordered the troops to disperse as only two wounded crazed apes was left.
"Come at me then, lets see how i measure up!" Jack taunted the apes.
They took the bait and charged at Jack.
But Jack could sense every movement they made, every whisp of wind through their hairs. The smell of old meat and rotten plants that hang around them.
They charged at full speed, but to Jack it seemed like children who just learned how to run.
He evaded the first ape, and in the shadow of its passing he thrust his trash spear forward and hit the second crazed ape in the open mouth as it was making its crazed cries.
Withdrawing his spear and turning about, the first ape had just regained its footing as it tripped when it had missed its charging point.
'Too easy.. that legendary essence core... that is truly that. Legendary...'
Jack measured the distance as the ape charged again. This time he planted his feet firmly in the ground and went for speedy stabs.
The last crazed ape was suddenly motionless a few steps away from Jack. He had trust his spear forward as many times and as fast as he could in a few seconds.
The result was a dead ape with multiple bleeding holes in its body.
"Our Lord is truly amazing!"
"So strong Lord Jack"
"We will clear this area in no time!"
His troops were honored and awestruck by their lords display, and their morale, despite having lost 40 comrades, was high.
But Jack was actually worried. Just 100 meters from the forest edge he had already engaged in a 200 vs 10 fight. And lost 40 troops.
'Better safe than sorry'
Pick up the carcasses and lets return home.
But as his troops had picked up the dead apes and they began to return, they were suddenly ambushed.
[Crazed Black Bear. Uncommon. Dangerous]
And there where 5 of them! And that was not all.
[Goblin spawn. Common. Medium threat]
A pack of 50 goblins suddenly charged from behind them. They were trapped between 5 uncommon crazed black bears ahead, and 50 and change, common goblins in the back.
"Split up in two groups and attack directly!" Jack yelled and felt a sudden rush of adrenaline.
"You three, run quickly to Harken for backup!" He yelled at the 3 troops furthest away in the rear.
Harken was just less than a hundred meters away. Backup would be here soon.
'I was right about retreating, we need a lot more troops before we can properly secure a path trough this forest'
About a hundred troops ganged up on the bears while Jack helped the remainder battle the goblins.
They where common rank, higher than the trash troops and about equal in number.
Many trash troops fell, but Jack had just battled the crazed apes at uncommon rank.
'Common rank seem much weaker than uncommon, they can't keep up with my speed here'
Jack thought as he, more relaxed, went to stab goblin after goblin with his spear, while his troops fell in equal numbers.
The five bears was crazy ferocious! Charging, swiping and biting they killed dozens of trash troop in no time.
"Attack and protect the lord!!" Harkens voice sounded behind Jack.
No more goblins was alive and Jack joined the charge at the bears from the opposite side, with his remaining 10 troops from the goblin fight.
The troops managed to kill three of the bears and heavily injure the two others, before the troops numbers had decreased to just about 30.
'Enough, I will kill them myself! These bears with their large paws and swipes are savage against trash troop numbers... Not everything is a numbers game.'
Jack quickly reached the two bears as they charged Harken and the remaining troops, who had taken defensive positions and looked scared to death.
A few quick stabs and one fell dead. On the last one his trash spear broke while the tip was stuck in the bears neck. Luckily the bear tumbled down just before the troops and they quickly went at stabbed it many times to make sure it was dead.
"Harken, we need to retreat quickly, but we need these beasts! Run fast and bring the civilians near the forest"
"Troops, gather the apes again and move back to the black mountain!"
"Yes lord!" They all shouted and hastily carried out the orders. They knew time was of the essence. They could be ambushed again at any time.
Luckily no more ambushes was made. In 10 minutes they had retreated, and carried 10 crazed apes and 5 crazed black bears up to the plateau.
Harken and the 30 troops left stayed at the 10 meter wide old road at the plateau, to guard it there.
"Gynda come here. Are these beasts edible?"
Gynda quickly inspected the apes and bears. And smiled.
"Yes Mylord! They are very much edible! Maybe they can even be called a delicatesse!" Gynda looked already forward to cook and taste such uncommon and healthy meat.
"And the bears?" Jack continued.
"Ahh yes lord. However I wont call these beasts for delicate food.. Yet they can certainly supply many days worth of meat!"
Gynda yet again smiled at Jack.
'He is certainly a strong, handsome and capable young lord, to provide such a feast in just a morning'.
Gynda secretly thought that if she was not already pregnant and due to give birth in a months time, she might try her luck with her lord.
Gynda chuckled and smiled strangely erotic at Jack, while she ordered the civilians with axes to dismember the beasts, so she and the rest could cut the meat with the stone knives Jack had provided. They were sharp as flint can be.