Erik snapped his head upward, his blue eyes piercing through the snow-covered branches of the giant trees directly above the path.

For a second, he just saw dark green pine needles and white snow. But then, the shadows shifted.

There were people up there. About 5 men, wearing white wolf furs that made them blend into the snowy canopy.

They were standing on the highest, thickest branches, their hands tightly gripping a hemp rope.

"Look out! Above you!" Erik roared at the top of his lungs, raising his mace.

But his warning came just a second too late. The 5 men in the trees let go of the rope at the same time.

"Move!" Torstein screamed, diving backward into the deep snow.

The bundle of massive logs crashed down into the front line of the Iron Empire army.

Men screamed in sudden agony as the brutal weight of the falling trees smashed right through their leather armor.

The army line was stretched out long and narrow, with 1,500 men walking single file or in small groups between the trees.

The giant logs only hit the very front of the vanguard. Out of the 1,500 heavily armed musketeers, only about 40 men were completely crushed beneath the heavy timber.

Blood quickly stained the pristine white snow, turning it into a gruesome red slush. The 40 men under the logs were completely dead, their bodies flattened under the incredible weight.

Afterward, a moment of stunned shock washed over the surviving soldiers.

They were the elite vanguard of the Iron Kingdom... Seeing 40 of their brothers suddenly wiped out by a bunch of falling trees made their blood boil with intense rage.

"They are in the trees!" Halig yelled, scrambling to his feet and pointing his mace upward. "Shoot those bastards!"

Without waiting for an official command, the front line of the surviving musketeers reacted purely on angry instinct.

About 50 soldiers raised their polished iron muskets, aiming the metal barrels straight up into the snowy canopy.

Erik saw the men pulling the hammers back, and his eyes widened.

"Wait! Stop!" Erik screamed, waving his hands. "Don’t shoot the fucking guns! The sound will—"

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

The deafening thunder of 50 muskets firing at the exact same time ripped through the quiet forest. It was incredibly loud.

The explosion of black powder creates a massive shockwave. In an open field, the sound simply fades away. But in a dense forest surrounded by frozen mountains, the loud crack of the muskets echoes endlessly, bouncing off the trees and the rocks, multiplying the sound until it sounds like the sky itself is tearing apart.

The 5 exiled farmers didn’t stand a chance. The iron bullets tore through the thick pine branches and shredded their bodies.

The 5 men fell from the high canopy, crashing into the bloody snow next to the giant logs. They were dead before they even hit the ground.

A thick cloud of white, smelly sulfur smoke filled the narrow path, making Erik cough as he waved his hand to clear the air.

"Damnit!" Erik shouted, marching over to the soldier who had fired first. He grabbed the man by the collar of his uniform. "I told you to stop!"

Torstein quickly ran over, pulling Erik’s hand away from the soldier. "King Erik, please! The men just watched their brothers get crushed. They were angry. They just reacted to the enemy!"

Erik let go of the soldier and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He looked down at the dead farmers lying in the snow.

They were wearing ragged furs and carrying nothing but simple hunting knives.

"I am not angry that they killed them, Torstein." Erik said, "I am angry because of the noise! We are in enemy territory. These farmers know the land. We were supposed to march quietly and find their main camp. Now? Every single person on this fucking island knows exactly where we are!"

Halig walked over, kicking one of the dead farmers with his boot. "Well... they set a trap for us first. We couldn’t just let them swing back up into the trees like monkeys, right?"

Though Erik knew Halig was right, the strategic disadvantage was huge.

They had lost the element of surprise entirely. The loud gunshots were probably still echoing miles away across the frozen mountains.

Erik sighed. He looked at the remaining men. They were nervous, reloading their muskets with shaking hands.

"Whatever," Erik grumbled loudly so the men could hear him. "The thunder is already out of the bottle! We can’t put it back in. Since they already shot their guns, just continue! Finish reloading your weapons! Keep your maces ready!"

"Yes, King Erik!" the men shouted back, their confidence slowly returning as they poured fresh black powder into their iron barrels.

"Let’s move the logs and clear the path," Torstein ordered his battalion leaders. "We can’t leave our dead brothers under the wood like this."

"Leave them," Erik commanded, staring ahead into the path. "We don’t have time to dig graves in the ice. We will bury them properly when we secure the sulfur. Right now, we keep moving before the farmers set up another trap."

Torstein nodded grimly.

The army reformed its lines, stepping carefully around the massive logs and the bloody snow.

Erik took the lead again, holding his compass in one hand and his drawn mace in the other. Halig and Torstein walked right beside him, their eyes constantly scanning the branches above.

"Do you think there are more traps?" Halig asked, his voice low.

"Of course there are." Erik replied, his eyes darting from tree to tree. "They will fight to the bitter end using the dirt, the trees, and the snow to kill us. We just have to be smarter than a bunch of wood."

The forest seemed to grow even darker, the pine needles blocking out almost all of the pale sunlight.

The only sound was the crunching of boots and the clinking of iron weapons.

Then, Erik heard it. It was a soft whistling sound slicing through the freezing air.

"Take cover!"

But the musketeers didn’t carry heavy wooden shields. They only carried guns and maces.

Suddenly, the soldier walking right behind Torstein let out a choking gasp.

Erik spun around. The young soldier dropped his musket, his hands flying up to his neck.

A long, black wooden arrow was sticking straight out of his throat, the sharp iron arrowhead completely piercing his windpipe. The man collapsed into the snow, bleeding heavily.

Three more arrows rained down from the dark trees ahead, burying themselves into the chests of the advancing musketeers.

"Ambush!" Torstein roared, raising his own gun. "They are shooting from the shadows!"

Erik raised his mace, his eyes searching the dark forest ahead, but he couldn’t see a single enemy. The arrows were just flying out of the dark mist.

"Where the hell are they shooting from?" Erik muttered.

More black arrows tore through the air, burying themselves into the gray wool coats of the Iron Kingdom soldiers.

Another musketeer screamed, dropping his musket into the snow as an arrow pierced his shoulder.

"Break the line!" Erik roared at the top of his lungs, "Do not stand together! Loosen the formation! Get between the pine trees and take cover behind the big stones!"

"Move! Move your frozen legs, damnit!" Halig shouted, waving his mace as he grabbed a soldier by the collar and shoved him behind a massive oak tree.

As such, the massive army instantly scattered.

The musketeers dove behind thick tree trunks, slid behind frosted boulders, and threw themselves flat into the deep snowbanks.

Of course, moving under enemy fire comes with a heavy price. While the soldiers ran for cover, the hidden archers continued to shoot.

Five more men gasped and collapsed into the bloody slush before they could reach safety.

Erik slid behind a massive rock. He was breathing heavily, his eyes darting left and right.

Torstein and Halig dove in right behind him.

"Fuck!" Halig cursed loudly, "Where are the arrows coming from?!"

"They are shooting from the deep shadows up ahead." Torstein said, "We are completely pinned down. Every time a man pokes his head out to aim, an arrow flies at his face."

The exiled farmers knew how to use the dark pine forest to their advantage. They were hiding behind thick bushes and elevated rocks, blending into the gray mist.

"Calm down..." Erik whispered, closing his eyes for a second to listen to the wind. "They are using traditional hunting bows. That means they have to stand up or lean out to draw the bowstring back. They are exposing themselves, but only for a single second."

"A second is not enough time to aim a heavy musket, my King." Torstein pointed out grimly.

"It is if we know exactly when they are going to shoot..." Erik grinned, a sharp look flashing across his face.

He peeked around the edge of the boulder, quickly scanning the positions of his men. They were all safely hidden behind trees and rocks, waiting for his command.

If an archer is waiting for a target to appear, he will instantly draw his bow and shoot the moment he sees movement. Erik realized he could use this pure instinct against them.

"Listen to me carefully." Erik said, pulling Torstein and Halig closer. "Torstein, signal the men hiding on the right side of the path. Tell them that when I raise my hand, they need to step out from cover."

After hearing such words, Torstein’s eyes widened. "Step out? My King..."

"Let me finish." Erik chuckled softly, "They will step out into the open, but they must not shoot. They will instantly step right back behind their trees. It needs to be a quick flash of gray uniform, nothing more."

"When the right side steps out, the hidden archers will instantly reveal themselves to shoot at the movement. At that exact same second... the men on the left side of the path will step out with their muskets fully aimed, and they will shoot the bastards who just gave away their positions!"

It was a brilliant, simple maneuver. By sacrificing zero men, they would trick the entire enemy line into standing up.

"Pass the orders down the line." Torstein commanded his lieutenants, using hand signals to spread the word quietly through the forest.

Erik waited two minutes, ensuring every single soldier understood the plan.

He looked to the right side of the path. The men gave him small nods. He looked to the left side. The men already had their muskets raised to their shoulders, their fingers resting lightly on the triggers.

"Get ready..." Erik whispered, slowly raising his hand into the air.

He held his breath. The forest was completely still.

"Now!" Erik yelled, dropping his hand violently.

Instantly, about 300 musketeers on the right side of the path stepped completely out from behind their trees and rocks. They stood in the open snow for exactly one heartbeat.

From the dark shadows ahead, the rustle of pine branches echoed loudly. The exiled farmers took the bait completely.

Desperate to kill the exposed soldiers, dozens of figures in white furs stood up from behind bushes and leaned out from behind distant trees, drawing their bows back with all their strength.

A massive volley of arrows sliced through the air. But the 300 Iron Kingdom soldiers on the right side had already stepped backward, diving safely behind the thick wood of the pine trees.

The arrows struck nothing but empty snow and hard bark, clattering to the ground.

"Left side! Fire!" Torstein roared.