PS: This book group is 725051233. Everyone is welcome to chat with me.
The weary caravan finally arrived at the mountainside of Skarville Mountain when the first glimmer of dawn appeared.
In the distance, there was a small river flowing down from the mountainside that was full of shrubs and meadows. It was winter, so the river was completely frozen. Looking at the snow on the mountain and the white sky, it looked like the river was flowing down to the ground. A tall fortress stood there. The fortress was divided into two levels, and it looked quite intimidating from afar.
"I hope this fortress will welcome our guests," Laing said as he rode on his horse. He was tired from the night's battle and the long journey.
"We don't care if there's a master inside. We'll only escort you here. We don't care about the rest!" With dark circles under his eyes, Bill left the rest of the Grey Blade Mercenary Group and left in another direction with the rest of the mercenaries.
The previous night's negotiation had failed. The Grey Blade Mercenary Band's price was too high, and the merchants couldn't accept it. They wanted 30% of the profits from the sale of the Sea Heart Stones.
Similarly, a few wandering knights wanted 30% of the profits.
After a private discussion, Olivier and Martz gave them an answer. 30% of the profits would be split equally between White Wolf Knight Laing and Councilor Garland, Teresa Trovic.
As for Grey Blade and the wandering knights, they wouldn't get a single cent.
The Bloody Axe Mercenary Band was hired by Teresa, so they wouldn't get a share of the profits.
Laing couldn't think of a reason to reject the money. He could vaguely feel that this incident was caused by him. The Orcs came prepared. It didn't seem like they were robbing the Merchant Band. It was more like a premeditated attack.
Out of the sense of responsibility and mission of a knight, Ryan believed that he had enough reasons to help Oliver and Martz complete this business trip. Even if he didn't do anything, he wouldn't be blamed. However, there were some bottom lines that he had to follow.
A person had to have a bottom line.
"You guys wait outside. Astaire and I will go in and take a look." In the middle of the day, the fortress at the top of the mountain was strangely quiet. The caravan shouted many times inside, but there was no response.
The fortress had collapsed inwards, and many parts of the stone fortress walls had collapsed due to lack of maintenance. Therefore, it did not seem safe from the outside. Laing concluded that there would not be bandits stationed outside the fortress for a long time. It was not safe inside the forest. If there were bandits stationed here for a long time, they would at least slightly repair the outer walls.
As for whether or not this was a trap, Laing felt that it was hard to say. Everything would only be known after entering.
"Astaire and I will go in and take a look. Teresa, you wait outside." Laing instructed the people outside and walked towards the fortress with Astaire. The rest of the people set up camp and rested, waiting for news.
With Emilia's help, Teresa reluctantly got off her horse and found a place to sit. The sorceress wasn't feeling well and leaned against a rock with a pale face. However, she was still conscious.
Today's weather was very gloomy, and the morning air was slightly humid. Amelia subconsciously shrank her neck. The female mercenary's clothes weren't thick. She was only wearing a simple long robe and leather armor, as well as brown skintight leather pants and boots. But her eyes were filled with determination. The cold couldn't make her cower.
"Emi … Lia?" The sorceress leaned to the side and spoke without warning. The sorceress' heart skipped a beat. "Madam Trovic, is there anything I can help you with? Please speak. "
"Nothing much. I just feel that your name is a little … special. What did you do before?" The sorceress forced herself to divert her attention from the discomfort in her body. She would rather have Ryan carry her than ride a horse or take a carriage. She had had enough of the bumpy journey.
"Me? I used to be a merchant's daughter. Then, during one of our journeys, the damned Orcs attacked our caravan. My father and uncle died in the battle, leaving me alone. I knew that even if I sold off my family's assets, it wouldn't make up for the loss. So, I escaped that night and became a mercenary. " Emilia lowered her head and told a common story. The sorceress didn't think much of it. She then turned her gaze to Emilia's sword.
The sorceress carried two swords. One was a thin sword with a width of 2.5 to 3 centimeters. It was very long. She had been using this thin sword before. The other sword's hilt and scabbard were wrapped in a thick linen cloth. This sword was larger and looked like a one-handed longsword. The only thing that could be seen was a silver skull, similar to Laing's sword.
"Your swords look special." The sorceress asked, "Why do you carry two swords like those demon hunters?"
Demon hunters usually carried two swords. One silver sword was used to slay Chaos creatures, and the other steel sword was used to deal with humanoid creatures, beasts, or … humans.
"This sword? This rapier is a ceremonial sword, not for actual combat. I took it when I was running away, but I'm a woman, and I don't have the wrist strength of a man. I can't use those two-handed swords they used, so I just used this one. " Emilia said in a low voice, "As for this one-handed longsword, it's a family heirloom. It was said that a noble from the old Empire owned it. Later, His Majesty Ludwig confiscated his land and title. My ancestors took the opportunity to buy this sword at a high price. I'm not sure about the rest. I brought it with me when I escaped."
"I see." Teresa changed her sitting position to make herself more comfortable. She saw that Emilia had no intention of starting a conversation, so she didn't say much.
Inside the mountain fortress.
This was a hundred-meter-long fortress built against the mountain. It was divided into an outer wall surrounded by high walls and an open space inside. There were also three or four storeys high towers. A river from the mountain passed through the middle of the fortress. The river was now frozen.
Laing held the golden griffin warhammer in both hands. The golden warhammer emitted a golden glow under the dim light of the fortress. The half-elf followed closely behind him, arrows nocked on the bowstring, carefully watching every movement in the fortress.
The ground of the fortress was covered with withered lichens and alpine moss. Laing's boots made a sound when he stepped on them. White sunlight shone through the gaps and gaps in the top of the fortress. The entrance was empty. There were only stones, mud, and weeds everywhere.
"There are traces of a battle, but it should have been many years ago." Laing squatted on the ground. He found traces of a battle inside the fortress. "Astaire, did you find anything?"
"… It doesn't feel like a battle where the fortress was breached. Look, Laing, there are no traces of a battle at the gate." The half-elf checked the scratches on the walls and pillars and shook his head. "Obviously, the enemy didn't attack from the outside."
"Emmm, an internal fight? These people aren't afraid of the kingdom's court? Let's go somewhere else. " Laing also found it strange, but there was nothing in the hall. Laing decided to take a look at the situation inside the tower.
"The gate is sealed. We can't go in." The wooden door leading to the tower was sealed by something. The gnome used all of his strength, but he couldn't open it, so he could only step back and shake his head, "I can't open this door. According to this feeling, it shouldn't be locked, but rather blocked by something."
"Back off." Laing raised his warhammer. The half-elf immediately realized what he wanted to do. He instinctively wanted to open his mouth and say that if the Nord army found out, he would be convicted. But when the half-elf's eyes swept over the white wolf knight badge on Laing's chest, he closed his mouth.
"Boom!" The sound of the warhammer hitting a heavy object echoed in the hall.
At the same time, there seemed to be a commotion behind the gate. Laing narrowed his eyes and gave Eike a look: Prepare for battle.
“boom！” Another heavy blow, and the gate showed signs of cracking. Astaire curled his lips and drew his bow. "What a barbarian. Too violent."
"We don't have a locksmith. Bilge is gone, dear Astaire." Ryan took a deep breath and raised his warhammer again. "So, let's keep it simple. It's better for us."
“boom！！！” After the third hammer strike, the door of the tower was finally shattered by Clayon's attack. A large number of green figures rushed out, waving their swords as they charged towards the door. "I think this ambush has failed, so, WAAAAAGH!!"
“waaaaagh！”
Dozens of goblins rushed out of the tower like a green tide. There was even a burly Oker Orc among them. This Oker Orc wore extremely tattered armor and held a large machete. Its body emitted a terrible stench. It strode towards Laing. "I think I'll give you a good beating in this corner, damn human!"
It's the green-skinned kid! The basic soldier of the Oker Orcs!
"Sh * t!" Laing spat. Before the Oker Orc got close, he swept his warhammer. The first three goblins that rushed out were sent flying. Some even hit the wall. Then, the White Wolf Knight reached out and grabbed the head of one of the goblins. Under the gazes of all the Oker Orcs, the White Wolf Knight crushed the head and threw it aside.
The White Wolf Knight retreated slightly and faced the Oker Orc alone. The Oker Orc's muscles were very strong. It swung its machete vertically, and Laing raised his warhammer to block. After the weapons clashed, Laing quickly followed up. His movements were very fast, and the head of his warhammer resisted the counterforce of his powerful arm. It hit the Oker Orc's right shoulder.
"Ah ah ah ah!" With its shoulder injured, the Oker Orc's ferocious nature was revealed. Although its right arm was crippled, the machete in its left hand exploded with even more power. Laing hesitated for a moment before immediately withdrawing his warhammer to block. Large amounts of sparks flew out from the hammer and machete. Laing grabbed the head of a Goblin that wanted to stab his back.
Laing threw the Goblin towards the Oker Orc. The Goblin drew a beautiful arc in the air, and its head collided with the Oker Orc's head. They fell to the ground together, and the Goblin's head was stuffed into the Oker Orc's mouth.
White psionic blades flashed and pierced through the Goblin and the Oker Orc's heads. Laing twisted his right hand, and the two heads were strung together and cut off.
"Oh! Laing! Quickly come and help me! " On the other side, Astaire had already fallen into a bitter battle. Facing the Goblins' close-range attacks, the Half-Elf reluctantly pulled out a pair of daggers from the quiver on his back and struggled to defend against the Goblins' attacks. He had completely lost his previous agility and speed, and even lost his usual elegance. He was clumsy left and right.
The Goblins' challenge rating ranged from Intermediate Normal to Beginner Elite. Astaire was a High Elite Ranger. Laing secretly found it funny that he was struggling to deal with a few Goblins, but he also confirmed a fact.
Half-elves were not good at close-range combat. Although Rangers were not as good at close-range combat, they would not be as flustered and battered as Astaire. His leather armor had already been slashed a few times.
A large green head was thrown over. The Goblin who was hit in the head was about to curse at the person who did it, but when he saw what it was, he immediately shouted, "The big guy is dead! Boys, you're in a tight spot, let's run! "
"Run!!!" The rest of the Goblins saw that their leader had died and immediately chose to run. Many of the Goblins turned around and fled into the tower, leaving behind a floor of corpses. They disappeared around the corner of the first floor.
"Your advanced profession is Forest Archer, am I right?" Laing reached out and pulled Astaire up, shrugging his shoulders.
"Really … Barbaric, crude, and despicable fighting style. These Green Dwarfs are always so annoying. Their fighting style is as annoying as the stench on their bodies. The best way is to use fire to purify them!" The Half-Elf's body was covered in dust, and his face was covered in dirt. "It seems that there are Green Dwarfs in this fortress."
"That's why we have to move quickly, if there are no accidents." Laing immediately walked into the tower.
The Half-Elf felt a little embarrassed, so he quickly followed.
They walked down the spiral staircase of the tower and saw a hellish scene. Countless Human and Green Dwarfs skeletons were piled up in the basement. On the wall of the basement, there was a large hole that seemed to be the reason for the battle. The Human soldiers resisted with all their might, and the skeletons were facing the hole. None of them had their backs to it.
"It's the Green Dwarfs. They dug a tunnel to the basement of the tower. The soldiers resisted with all their might, but they were outnumbered. Perhaps a portion of the soldiers retreated, or perhaps not. Anyway, Villard and the other Dungeon Lords didn't intend to send troops to reclaim this place. Who knows how many Green Dwarfs will come after the tunnel is dug? Today, it's the Goblins. Tomorrow, it's the Green Dwarfs. Perhaps in the future, it'll be the Green Dwarfs or even the Green Dwarfs army. " Laing examined the bottomless pit in the basement and stroked his chin as he said, "The only choice is to retreat. Let the Green Dwarfs and Orcs fight. It's better than wasting our precious military strength."
The pitch-black tunnel was bottomless. Looking at the black tunnel, one could feel the deep chill. Laing tried to use some materials to block the tunnel, but the White Wolf Knight knew that it couldn't stop the Green Dwarfs.
"We can't camp here at night! Let's rest outside for a while before continuing our journey! " Laing made a decision. They couldn't stay in the fortress because it was forcefully connected to the underground tunnel!
"Let's go upstairs and take a look."
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