Chapter 143 The war begins
Arabei City, Mage Tower.
Duchess Myrcella Raul walked to the desk in the room and ran her delicate white palms over a mirror. The mirror was like the surface of a lake. Behind the ripples, a scene of a rocky wasteland suddenly emerged. .
The mirror seems to be connected to a mysterious magic eye, and the scene in the wild is blurring and receding rapidly.
In an instant, we crossed the Enook Desert, and an army of tiny ants emerged on the horizon, swarming over the steepest mountain wall on the west side of the mountain, filling every valley, and climbing over every A rock.
What followed behind this tight array was an even more dense army. She even saw the suffocating body of the Shadow Dragon hovering in the sky. It was a dense formation coming from the City of Shadows.
Looking at the oppressive scene in the mirror, as always, the delicate face of the female lord has never shown panic.
When the shield becomes a prosthetic leg and the sword becomes a crutch, people's hearts will collapse. When family members become prizes and enemies gain promotion, hope will disappear.
She couldn't help but recall these desperate words.
She has experienced many wars and countless adventures, and even witnessed the incarnation of Bane, the god of tyranny, descending on Arabbey City.
This seemed to her like she had long been accustomed to it.
She is as beautiful as all young women. She is wearing a white silk robe, her skin is smooth and fair, her long brown hair is spread over her shoulders, and her face is serious and quiet.
Although the sadness caused by those conflicts is still occasionally revealed in her silver-grey eyes, it also reveals wisdom enough to despise war.
On the other side of the road passing through the north, there is a rocky wasteland covered with gravel.
Myrcella could see the banners of the gathered troops, the most prominent of which was the purple banner of the Purple Dragon Knight of the Kingdom of Cormyr.
The young knights are extremely proud and full of desire for battle, because most of them are still young and do not yet know what sorrow is.
She dismissed these disturbing thoughts, stared at the magic mirror with concentration, and began to think about what role she would play in the upcoming war.
Most of the army in Shadow City were tamed humanoid creatures in the desert. She considered that the heavily armed purple dragon knights and war mages could easily drive them away.
But when they face the black knights and shadow mages, or even a large number of undead creatures from the shadow realm, how should they deal with them?
She stared into the magic mirror, thinking, watching, and waiting patiently
"Huhuhu!."
A gust of wind carrying yellow sand blew past us, and the conflict broke out in an instant. The scout team of the Mokou Town garrison encountered the scout cavalry of the Bedai barbarians who rushed at the front. .
The Bedai of the Enook Desert are a nomadic force of humans who make a living by raiding and leading caravans through hidden passages, and make the surface of the wasteland their home.
These Bedai barbarians are subdivided into nearly a hundred smaller tribes, all led by their respective chiefs.
The wealth of a chief is measured by the size of the herd of livestock they own and how well they are kept.
They are constantly migrating from one oasis to another, rarely staying in the same area for a long time.
Since the Supreme Glacier melted and countless oases emerged in the desert, the number of these nomadic barbarians has also expanded at an alarming rate.
Hearing the fierce sounds of the battle and receiving constant reports, the Bedai Barbarian chief from the Moose tribe could not wait to send out his troops.
“The bastards of the Black Lion Tribe and the Gray Wolf Tribe are finally here! My ax has long been thirsty and thirsty. For the glory of Tempus! Get ready to fight!”
This tough guy The tribal chief sang an ode to Tempus, the god of war, and led his men towards battle and death.
Salo, the dragon warlock who leads the Mokou Town garrison, is very patient. As a former mercenary captain, he is an excellent strategist.
"Tex! Don't be impulsive, withdraw all your people."
His powerful palms, like dragon claws, forcibly smashed the burly and majestic body of this barbarian chief who was eager to fight. Shengdi pressed it down and gave the order in a cold tone:
“Today we will see a battle scene that is grander than any of us have ever seen, even Tempus, your God of War, will like it. But before that, I hope you'd better fight on your own battlefield."
The Moose tribe is one of the nearly 100 tribes of Bedai barbarians in the desert.
When he learned that the Bedai barbarians who had taken refuge in Shadow City were the Black Lion Tribe and the Gray Wolf Tribe, he immediately sent his men to convince the old enemies of these two tribes to assist him in completing this defensive battle.
In fact, before the battle started, he had asked his deputy Ranger Puranda to carefully choose this place, and the Lord also supported his plan very much.
His thousand-man team, composed of a garrison, recruited adventurers and barbarian warriors from the moose tribe, was divided into four parts and distributed among the foothills of the desert and rocky wasteland. Its purpose was to block Barbarians from the Black Lion tribe and warg cavalry from the Gray Wolf tribe.
Once this place is lost, this group of barbarian cavalry will rush into the territory of Mokou Town in one go.
That was the place where the Yinhun City army and the main force of Mokou Town had a decisive battle. It was naturally impossible for him to let the barbarian chief disrupt his plan.
Therefore, this foothills, dominated by rocks and low hills, was chosen as the battlefield for the decisive battle with the Bedai barbarians.
Below the defenders' position, there are many paths through Mokou Town, but the cliffs above them are extremely steep, so there is no need to worry about attacks from above.
Salo mixed the defenders' ranks according to the terrain.
A section of the narrow and broken path is guarded by tough barbarian warriors, and the archer troops formed by ranger Puranda are ambushing at commanding heights throughout the foothills.
The two complex, rocky and rugged terrains are filled with all kinds of adventurers and garrison soldiers.
This complex terrain is the best fighting venue for these newly regular mercenaries and unorganized and undisciplined adventurers.
Saluo and the barbarian chiefs and Puranda beside him watched and waited from the second line of defense.
They know that the battle is imminent, and those around them can also feel the approaching enemy. The wargs they have tamed are howling loudly and uneasily.
At this moment, in a lower place on the east side of the foothills, a dazzling fire and explosion sound suddenly erupted. This was a gift from the fireball scroll to the enemy.
Before the troops set off, Graal, who was in charge of logistics, personally handed him twenty fireball scrolls just for this moment.
"Boom!"
Groups of scorching fire exploded, and rubble splashed out from the moose tribe's first line of defense like raindrops. The smoke mixed with wind and sand blocked the sight of the lookouts.
Among the troops of the Bedai barbarians, a large group of kobolds, jackals, goblins and other humanoid creatures were driven forward as the vanguard. They were frightened by magic and panicked. Those who were mixed among these evil creatures Some of the warg cavalry were equally frightened.
The enemy at the front approached the narrow intersection in a panic amid the explosions, and was immediately submerged in a large group of barbarian warriors from the moose tribe who rushed out.
Some gnolls were split in half by the barbarians' giant swords and battle axes, while some kobolds were lifted above their heads and smashed against the hard stone wall, turning into a puddle of flesh.
"We must rush out to meet the enemy!" the barbarian chief of the Moose Tribe roared. Seeing his tribesmen enjoying the fun of rushing and fighting, he could no longer hold back.
He raised his steel battle ax high in the air and shouted loudly, "Fight for the glory of Tempus, for revenge! Kill the bastards of the Black Lion Tribe and the Gray Wolf Tribe!"
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"
Suddenly, all the Bedai barbarians on the second line of defense followed him and shouted, their loud voices eager for battle echoed at the foot of the mountain. Passed the killing call in front.
“It’s not time yet.” Salo said calmly, his voice was very small, but he suppressed the roar of the barbarian chief.
He gazed condescendingly at the movement of enemy troops in the distance.
Although many humanoid creatures encountered the barbarian defenders and were baptized by the fireball technique, the barbarian warriors and cavalry of the Black Lion Tribe and Gray Wolf Tribe immediately bypassed this dead end after realizing the danger. , advancing along the lower path towards the second and third lines of defense.
“What are you waiting for?” asked the impatient chief. He was frightened by Salo’s cold golden pupils and his eyes shrank, and he became quiet again.
Ranger Puranda calmly raised a flag in the air and made a posture ready for battle.
When most of the warriors and cavalry of the Black Lion tribe stepped into the defense line with complex terrain, he suddenly lowered the flag.
Immediately afterwards, there was a sudden loud sound of crossbows from various commanding heights at the foot of the mountain.
The sharp arrows poured down like rain, and the screaming enemies and roaring wolves were silenced again and again.
Until the rain of arrows stopped, the chief of the Moose Tribe, who couldn't stand it anymore, immediately picked up his steel battle axe, led his barbarian warriors, shouted the name of Tempus, the god of war, and made a fuss. Rushed down.
Seeing this situation, Dragon Vein Warlock Salo smiled helplessly.
He originally planned to release fireballs at this group of enemies who were ambushing them, as well as throw the blazing glue and strong acid bottles prepared in advance.
Who would have thought that the plan would be disrupted by the other party.
Fortunately, this did not have a great impact on him.
“We must also fight.” Ranger Puranda put away her long bow and drew the two scimitars from her waist.
Saluo nodded quietly. He carefully observed the situation. The chief of the Moose Tribe had already joined hundreds of his warriors in a melee.
"I should have thought a long time ago that it is impossible for us to unite with these barbarian warriors who are blinded by hatred to defend the high ground honestly." Salo said to the ranger.
Although he was a little angry at the impulsive barbarian chief, he was still surprised by his bravery.
The barbarian chief swung his steel battle ax with a sweeping sweep, provoking three enemies and throwing them far away. The broken limbs and arms were high with the blood spurting out. Fly into the air.
“In fact, it’s understandable.”
Ranger Puranda’s bright gray-blue eyes seemed to always have a smile, which was not diminished by the fierce battle.
“After all, the two barbarian tribes, Black Lion and Gray Wolf, with the support of Shadow City, not only conquered the Black Crow Tribe, but also slaughtered more than half of the Moose Tribe, forcing them to the point of annihilation. Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.”
Salo, the commander of the garrison, no longer hesitated and gave an order, and the horns sounded in unison.
All the adventurers and soldiers hidden in the foothills rushed out and rushed to the battlefield disrupted by the Bedai barbarians.
Weeping and shouting echoed in the air, and everyone was fighting and slashing with swords and axes.
The warriors and cavalry of the Black Lion Tribe and the Gray Wolf Tribe were attacked from the front and back, and people kept dying. The warrior's spear pierced the back, the adventurer's hook pulled them off the back of the mount, and the narrow ax penetrated Leather armor, sharp arrows hit their nimbly running and swooping wargs.
War is about bloodshed, heavily armed warriors hammering their enemies, cracking their heads and skulls, piercing wooden shields, and breaking the hands holding the shields. The half-dragon-turned-Saluo smashed the head of a warg with a hammer. The chief of the gray wolf tribe on the wolf's back was thrown to the ground like a weak baby, and was stabbed by the attacking ranger Puranda. Slit throat.
In just a moment, the enemy who had a numerical advantage was defeated by them and fell into a disadvantage.
The barbarian warriors of the Moose Tribe stood firmly at the intersection, forming a solid line of defense. Those who tried to escape could only escape through other narrow paths with complicated terrain in a panic.
At this moment, what Salo had been worried about happened.
He saw a sudden burst of magic power, a dense volley, bursting fireballs and lightning, many destructive magical energies, and swirling destructive lightning, attacking the moose tribe's defense line and tearing it apart. A huge crack.
In an instant, people were on their backs, and many humanoid creatures were knocked to the ground.
Obviously, they are just human shields, and the mages from Shadow City don't care about their life or death at all.
Witnessing this cruel disaster, Salo's expression became extremely ugly.
He heard the heart-rending screams of pain from many warriors being baptized by magic, and saw the scorch marks on the rugged ground after being baptized by powerful magic.
He couldn't help but secretly blame himself for ignoring the threat from magical attacks.
After all, he instinctively believed that it was almost impossible for spellcasters or shamans to appear among these nomadic barbarians in the desert. At the same time, he also scouted out the presence of spellcasters in their teams.
But they did not carefully consider how the Yinhun City, known as the most powerful spell caster group in the mainland, could not be good at teleportation spells with full strategic significance.
This magical massacre lasted for a few seconds, but to the horrified defenders, it seemed like a long few hours.
Saluo quickly concentrated on looking for the source of the magic.
When he discovered the traces of the ghost mages, he immediately realized that these mages who had lived in the shadow plane and the floating city for a long time had made a fatal mistake.
They gather ignorantly in a dense forest, hiding in the shadows and casting deadly magic.
Salo gave a vengeful sneer.
Then with a thought, a raging barrier of flames enveloped his body, bursts of scorching breath burst out, and he approached the two jackals and a goblin within the range of the flames, removing everything that could ignite him. Engulfed in flames.
This is the combat skill of the Desert Wind School taught to him by the lord.
The purpose is to allow him to suppress the violent true dragon bloodline and skillfully control the power of fire.
The Dragon Vein Warlock took a deep breath, suddenly spread out his broad blood-red dragon wings, holding the war hammer engulfed in flames, and rushed down from mid-air, like a sharp arrow piercing the enemy's heart.
He carried the blazing flames and flew down. A fireball the size of an ogre's head came out of his hand, opened the way for him, and exploded in the trees.
In the flames of the explosion, Salo flapped his blood-red dragon wings and flew nimbly to the right of the woods, then made another sharp turn and passed along the dense bushes.
The flames wrapped around his body ignited all the branches and leaves wherever he went.
The ghost mages made a fatal mistake!
He knew that these mages had probably set up magic barriers to resist counterattack magic and repel or disperse the flames.
But trees are flammable, and even if the flames fail to burn them, they will be temporarily blinded, effectively rendering them incompetent.
There is still smoke!
The dense woods became wet and muddy due to the previous heavy rain and dense fog, and the billowing smoke clouds made the air extremely heavy.
This was even worse for the mages, who countered the fire attacks as usual, using magic to summon floods.
Their reaction was so strong that the flames were about to be extinguished by them, but how could Salo have mercy on them.
Bringing his flaming hammer, he continued to fly around the trees.
Every time he emerges from the smoke, he can easily kill a panicked mage.
The strength of the dozen or so ghost mages is not that outstanding. His flaming adamantine war hammer can even easily smash their spell shields.
Salo was suspended in the air like a predator, watching indifferently, because he knew that the enemy could not stay in the trees for long.
Just as he expected, a ghost mage floated up from between the trees and rose above the flames, trying to determine where the enemy was in the woods.
Salo's war hammer, which was ready to go, hit the back of his head like lightning.
With a crackling sound, the mage rolled in the air, and finally hung in place. It was not until his flying spell failed that he fell back into the woods.
When the last mage was eliminated by him, the Dragon Vein Warlock returned to the original battlefield again.
He saw a new group of enemies rushing down from the foothills.
This is a group of tall Cyclops.
Cyclops is not a big thinker or strategist.
They learn slowly, stick to the old ways and find it difficult to innovate.
Although their large size and strong body make them a formidable threat in battle, they are often deceived by the tricks of clever enemies.
Casting magic in front of a Cyclops can scare them. They have almost never seen magic, so they can easily mistake wizards, priests or other spellcasters for powerful divine saints.
Obviously, these are reinforcements from Haunted City.
The Cyclops waved huge wooden clubs and charged forward ferociously.
One adventurer was unable to dodge and was hit on the head on the spot, bursting like a broken watermelon. Another barbarian warrior was knocked backwards by the Cyclops and fell to the ground, twitching several times. Live interest.
Ranger Puranda found a bunker, held a longbow, and calmly faced the Cyclops.
A cold light flashed.
A giant whose eyes were penetrated cried out in pain and fell to the ground on his back.
The chief of the Moose Tribe rushed over quickly and chopped the other Cyclops to the ground.
Another cold light flashed, and the third Cyclops fell to the ground and died.
A group of Cyclops finally rushed forward. Puranda had no chance to shoot the third arrow. He drew his scimitar and rushed forward together with the barbarian chief.
The ranger quickly rushed into the crowd of Cyclops.
He struck the first Cyclops from the side, a scimitar cutting deeply into the back of the giant's thigh, halting its charge.
The ranger twisted his body again, knelt on one knee, and stabbed upward with the scimitar. The tip of the shining scimitar hit the next giant's knee.
The Cyclops howled and squatted down, leaning forward to attack Puranda, but the agile ranger had already stood up and disappeared.
The giant ran into the barbarian head-on and was disemboweled by a stainless steel battle axe.
Seeing a large number of cyclops rushing down from the foothills, Salo's expression suddenly changed. He quickly eliminated the opponents in front of him and attacked the group of cyclops that rushed towards the ranger.
A Cyclops spotted him, blocking his way with a hard wooden stick flying around in his hand.
Salo crouched down quickly and danced the flaming war hammer above his head.
The sound of the warhammer hitting the knee sounded like a huge tree trunk being violently broken, and the Cyclops fell to the ground wailing.
——"Fire Breath!"
At the same time, Salo flew into the air, took a deep breath, and hot flames spurted out from his mouth, sweeping across Five charging cyclops came in front of them and drowned them.
He quickly turned around and saw Puranda and the barbarian chiefs locked in a bitter fight under the siege of the Cyclops.
The Dragon Vein Warlock swooped down to them almost instantly at an incredible speed.
His flaming war hammer was like dense raindrops, mercilessly hitting the heads of each giant, causing them to fall to the ground one after another and die.
“If this continues, we will be defeated soon.” The escaped ranger took advantage of the short respite and said to Salo.
Saluo followed Puranda's gaze.
He found in disbelief that there were still nearly two hundred Cyclops at the foot of the mountain, holding various heavy weapons and launching ferocious charges.
"The Cyclops moves very slowly. In this situation, we can only take advantage of the terrain and fight while retreating." Salo frowned and expressed his thoughts.
Just when he was about to put it into action, rocky arms as thick as the Cyclops' thighs on the ground suddenly broke out of the ground, twisting like snakes and locking the charging ones. Cyclops body.
More than twenty Cyclops who were attacked screamed and struggled wildly, but were crushed to death by the shrinking arms.
A stream of blood flowed down the rough outline of the rock arm.
Along with the trembling sounds coming from the ground, tall gray-skinned giants appeared from the foothills on the other side.
This group of gray-skinned giants raised their feet and stamped hard, and invisible earth elemental energy surged past.
The hard surface rippled, and the splashing ripples were like raging winds, shaking more than two hundred Cyclops off their feet.
The Cyclops stood in front of the gray-skinned giant like a child. Under the suppression of the invisible blood, they began to flee in panic.
“We are a clan of stone giants from the Underdark.”
The leader, the stone giant Liwood, punched a jackal to death, then grabbed an ogre by the thigh and threw it high into the air. Then he rushed to Salo and said angrily, "By order of the lord of Mokou Town, Come to support you and end the battle here as quickly as possible."
(End of this chapter)