Chapter 696 The Blade of Judgment
It rained heavily.
Gray lurked in the bushes, carefully holding his breath. He held a longbow and used the cover of the forest to hide his traces.
However, a hand suddenly appeared from behind and pressed on his shoulder, almost making the ranger scream. He turned around and saw an old, unshaven face looking at him with a mean smile.
"Hey, Ben! Please stop freaking out all the time! I almost screamed!"
"That only means you haven't done enough yet, child."
Ben curled his lips and quietly walked up to Gray with the dexterity and agility unique to the rogue. The old man seemed to be showing off his abilities, but Gray was speechless. Both the ranger and the rogue used concealment. He is good at it, but in fact... his own kung fu is indeed not good enough.
"How's it going?"
"No one came out."
Gray lowered his voice and spoke.
"Where are the others?"
"Stand by in the back. I just checked around and no one found us. It seems that we can really catch a big fish this time."
Ben covered his mouth to prevent the white air from escaping, and answered almost in a mutter. His voice was mixed with the sound of the cold rain in early autumn, making it difficult to hear clearly.
This Judgment Blade team set out a week ago. The Judgment Blade team is similar to an adventure team. They are basically a team of five people. Their main task is to investigate the commissions and requests received by the Tribunal from various places. , and complete it.
For example, if a village suffers from goblins, or a hag in the swamp steals a child, similar situations are within the scope of the Inquisition's attention.
Although there is no problem within the territory of the Tribunal, it is another matter outside the territory. After all, most of the villages in this world are remote base areas. For example, some villages are simply built and are not within the scope of any territory, and because these places are generally located in remote locations, the lord's guards will not travel long distances to help. Therefore, once such a remote village encounters any problems, it can only rely on itself.
But now with the Inquisition, the situation is different.
The Tribunal is an organization that exists to protect mankind, so anything that threatens humanity falls under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal. This is how the Judgment Blade Team was born. They form and act flexibly like adventurers and are mainly responsible for investigation work. Just like this team, the Inquisition received a request for help from a village in the nearby Lost Mountains, saying that goblins had attacked the village recently and hoped that the Inquisition could send people to support it.
So the team set out from the city and headed to the village to investigate the situation.
Unfortunately, they were late. When they arrived, the village had been destroyed, some of the villagers were killed, and others were missing.
Fortunately, goblins are not a smart race that can erase their own footprints. As a ranger, Gray still captured their footprints, then found the goblin camp and launched a successful raid.
The goblin camp was defeated, but the battle did not end there. According to the goblins, the villagers had been sent as prisoners to a being called the "Supreme God", and their souls would be integrated with the Supreme God. , becoming a more powerful existence.
At the beginning, Gray didn't take this so-called supreme god very seriously. Goblins are a weak, evil, and very rogue race. As long as they see a powerful existence, they will think of the other person as a god. Maybe the god they call a god today is a giant dragon, and tomorrow it becomes a mage... But no matter what, they want to save those villagers, so they I just walked all the way and came here.
Although they were mentally prepared, the scene before them still shocked them.
I saw a dilapidated fortress standing in the mountain col. It looked like it should be a dwarf fortress, but it was abandoned at the moment. But even so, the fortress is generally well preserved. However, the problem is not here, the problem is the existence in this fortress - hundreds of goblins, mountain giants, and even orcs gathered here. They formed an army and it is not known who led these guys.
But it is certain that the existence that can bring these savage monsters together and make them obedient is definitely not a small role.
So this team encountered a problem. They began to think about what to do next. Should they sneak in, find out the opponent's situation and then report back, or should they report back immediately and wait for support from the rear?
"I have to apologize to you first."
Ben stopped smiling and stared at Gray.
"What's wrong?"
"I have sent a report to the Inquisition."
“䱱………………!”
Hearing Ben's answer, Gray was shocked. He subconsciously reached out his hand to grab the other person, but fortunately, the remaining reason allowed him to know the consequences of causing trouble here, but even so, the anger in his heart was still there. Burning.
"Why don't you discuss it with me?"
Gray is the captain of this team, and Ben is the vice-captain. Although Ben is about ten years older than Gray in terms of age, Gray is young and strong, and has rich experience as a ranger. In addition---let the rogue Being the captain always felt a bit wrong, so in the end, Gray became the captain of the team, and Ben became the vice-captain.
"Don't be too quick to get angry, young man."
Ben seemed very calm, even if his clothes were grabbed. He stared at Gray and shook his head.
"You also know why I do this."
“……………………”
Gray let go of his hand, then turned his head angrily, looking at the fortress below, silent.
Ben, on the other hand, straightened his clothes.
"Believe me, boy, I have seen a lot of young people like you, heard a lot of heroic epics, and thought that I could single-handedly turn the tide and save the world like the Mithril Friends or the Heroes of Neverwinter. But understand, we don't have this We can't deal with so many goblins and mountain giants without this ability. I know you are eager to perform well, and it's a good thing to be motivated, but it's another thing not to live or die."
"………………"
"Are you married?"
Hearing this question, Gray nodded depressedly.
"My daughter is already one year old."
"Then you should also understand that you have to work hard to survive for the sake of your wife and children. The trial court has given you such good conditions, but it is not asking you to die."
Hearing Ben's words, Gray was speechless for a moment.
Gray is a ranger. He and his wife originally lived a peaceful life in a small village, but then the village was attacked by bandits. Although Gray protected his wife, the entire village was also destroyed. For Gray, those were the most painful days. They were homeless and had to sleep in the open, and his wife was even pregnant. In this case, Gray was even more helpless.
In the end, they chose to go to the Inquisition.
In Arkham City, Gray decided to give up his identity as a Free Ranger and join the Judgment Blade as a soldier.
The treatment from the Inquisition was beyond Gray's imagination. After becoming a Blade of Judgment, he was given his own housing, which was completely unimaginable to Gray. Generally speaking, soldiers will basically live in Datongpu, a large room, and then squeeze into a dozen bunk beds, and a group of sweaty men will rest in it. Only people with some spare money can rent a house, and it is even more difficult to buy a house.
In fact, when he first came to Arkham City, Gray wanted to use his savings to rent a house here and find a way to live. But to his surprise, after he completed the formalities, the clerk who handled the procedures gave him a brand new choice. "You can rent in an apartment building if you want."
According to this employee, the so-called apartment building is a high-rise building. As long as Gray is willing to sign an agreement, they can live in it. Of course, the monthly rent will be automatically deducted from the salary. But compared to the rent outside, it is already quite cheap.
Gray didn't have much choice but to nod in agreement.
I have to admit that at first, Gray was not used to this weird architectural style. In the world of Faerun, every household building a house basically encloses a piece of land for themselves and builds whatever they want. Especially in those remote villages, if you have the ability, you can circle the entire mountain and no one will care.
But it was different in Arkham City. Gray rented a standard room with two bedrooms and one living room. Although there was no furniture, the kitchen and bathroom were fully equipped. It is quite convenient. When you get up every day, you can even enjoy the scenery outside through the colorful floor-to-ceiling windows in front of you.
However, as a ranger, Gray still prefers a house with his own courtyard. Although the current apartment is well-equipped and comfortable to live in, it always feels like he is living in a luxurious bird cage. Uncomfortable.
Of course, Gray knew that he was too greedy. Being able to give such a good treatment to a newly joined soldier was enough to prove that the Tribunal treated them well, so he wanted to make contributions as soon as possible so that he could repay the Tribunal...< br>
"Don't think too much, kid."
Ben slapped Gray on the back of the head, interrupting his thoughts.
"Remember, we are soldiers now, we are soldiers. You are no longer the free ranger. Do you still remember the mission we received before we set off?"
"...Investigate the specific situation of the villages attacked by goblins, respond as appropriate, and report the situation."
"Yes, we have reached this point in the investigation and have done everything we need to do, so we have to report to the trial court and wait for the next step. This is the duty of soldiers."
Ben stretched out his hand and pointed to the ruins of the fortress below.
"Do you know? Gray, I have explored similar ruined fortresses several times. I often see some corpses inside, and then I wonder who they are, where they came from, and why they came here...but I can't find them. to the answer, because they are dead and there is no record of it.”
Ben spread his hands.
"Look, we don't want to end up with the same fate. When we go in, we may find something, maybe we won't. Maybe we will be killed and our bodies will be left behind, and then those who come after us will stand in front of our corpses and wonder about us. Why are we here, but we are dead, and dead people cannot speak.”
“……………………”
Gray said nothing.
"Remember, Gray, it is a good thing to make achievements, but first you must understand your responsibilities. We are the Blades of Judgment. We were told the day we joined that we are the mortal troops of the Tribunal. We fight for the Tribunal. Fight to protect mankind, or do you think your current body is not cool enough and you plan to become that kind of iron shell?”
Having said this, Ben patted Gray on the shoulder. Almost everyone in Arkham City knew about the Night Guard. They were the most loyal warriors of the Tribunal during their lifetime. After death, their souls possessed the steel armor and transformed into The immortal warriors continue to serve the Inquisition.
Of course, in other places, even saying this would not be recognized by most people, not to mention that the appearance of the Night Guard's armor looks evil. If it is said that this is a necromancer using magic to extract the souls of living people, It would be easier for people to accept it if they were sealed in steel armor and used as slaves.
The reason why everyone accepted the Night Guard was that even during the day, these steel guards would patrol the streets tirelessly, not caring about the sun at all. And they were often seen talking to church priests or paladins. Because of this, everyone accepted the Tribunal's statement.
After all, there are so many churches of gods here, including Lathander, Lord of the Dawn, who hates the undead the most. If it is just a certain church, it can be said that it may have been deceived or bribed by the Inquisition, but it is impossible for all of them The gods are all blind.
"That's good too."
Hearing Ben's joke, Gray reached out and touched the Inquisition logo on his collar.
"If I die, my soul can return to the Tribunal, and then come back to watch my daughter grow up, get married, and have children, I think it would be good."
"So you are unwilling to leave your daughter even after you die. Your daughter is so miserable..."
“————————!!!”
However, before Ben had finished speaking, suddenly, a black shadow suddenly passed by in the sky, and a howling wind blew. In just a moment, an unspeakable feeling of fear and trembling deep in the hearts of the two suddenly broke out, making them feel He seemed to have lost all his strength, and could only sit on the ground like a puddle of mud. His eyes widened in horror, looking at the shadow that flew across the sky and landed in the fortress.
It was a giant dragon.
"Oh my God, Gods above me, what did we see?"
Ben's eyes widened, he spoke tremblingly and almost shouted. Fortunately, the goblins and giants in the fortress were not much better at this moment. They trembled and knelt on the ground, completely unaware of the two men who were watching not far away. people.
"Quick, get out of here!"
Ben bit his tongue hard, and the severe pain came, diluting the fear. He grabbed Gray and wanted to take him away.
However, Gray shook his head.
"No, I can't leave."
"Are you crazy? That's a giant dragon!"
"I know it's a dragon."
Gray also turned around now and stared at Ben.
"But this is an opportunity. Where is this place and why does a giant dragon appear? What do they want to do? I don't believe that these people go to all the trouble to capture the villagers just to fill the dragon's belly."< br>
After saying this, Gray stood up again.
"I'm going to investigate the situation, maybe I can get some valuable information."
"You..."
Ben reached out and pointed at Gray.
"You don't want your life? That's a giant dragon!"
But Gray didn't speak anymore, just stared at Ben, who shook his head.
"I will not die, and there are others who want me to take care of you. If you want to die, go ahead... Anyway, the pension from the Tribunal is enough to support orphans and widows."
After saying this, Ben snorted, turned around and disappeared into the bushes. Gray retracted his gaze, looked at the fortress in front of him again, and then took a deep breath.
Then, he bent down and touched in the direction of the fortress.
(End of chapter)