Chapter 264 Old Friends
Thousands of years ago, when a falling meteor plowed a burn mark one hundred and fifty kilometers long and fifty kilometers wide along the entire Elf Forest, this catastrophic event The accident ensured the future prosperity of Misty Valley.
No more trees grew in the cracks left by the meteor crash, but when the residents of Misty Valley opened up wasteland and farmed here, they found that the land in the cracks was amazingly fertile.
The Misty Valley is such a lucky valley.
Enemies such as Zhentil Keep and Sembia are blocked from other valleys or Elven Courts, and also occupy larger areas, as well as the most important positions between Cormyr and the Moon Sea. Excellent trade channel.
It is precisely for this reason that the territories around Misty Valley are all occupied by the dark elves, Zhentarim and Shade City. However, it is able to stand alone due to its geographical advantages and has become the last place of resistance in the valley.
On the second day after leaving Mokou Town, Brian stayed in Tifantun for a day. After learning the specific details of how the city's governor eliminated the power of the Temple of Shar hidden in the city, he felt relieved. Depart and head towards the Misty Valley in the Vale.
However, after arriving in the town of Misty Valley, he did not see the person he wanted to find immediately. After being reminded by the guard, he learned that the leader of the Harper Alliance, Storm Silverhand, was in the mist. At a refugee camp in the valley, he took the initiative to ask a Knight of the Misty Valley to guide him towards the refugee camp.
There is no doubt that the refugees here are almost all civilians who fled here from other places.
The camp stinks so bad that Brian almost vomits.
"Sir Brian, it's so smoky here that you shouldn't come."
A Knight of the Misty Valley who was standing next to him and leading the way wrinkled his nose and said respectfully: "I think it's better to go back to the city and wait. "It's okay."
"It doesn't matter." Brian shook his head slightly and declined his kindness.
He naturally understood what the other party wanted to express.
Because this is not an ordinary refugee camp. The civilians who fled here from Sambia are more or less infected with the death plague that transforms undead creatures. Their final fate, besides being burned, is transformation. Become a mindless undead creature.
Of course, Brian, who has a "natural barrier", doesn't care at all.
After all, these abilities make him immune to poisoning and disease caused by any man-made or non-man-made means such as magic and magic.
"What is Lady Storm doing in the camp?" Brian asked curiously.
“Since the floating city of the Shadowmen destroyed the capital of Sembia, the death plague cast by the Shar priests destroyed most of the kingdom’s army.” The Knight of the Misty Valley said with deep understanding, “ Even the civilians have not been spared, and Ms. Storm is distributing food to the refugees who have fled here."
Hearing this, Brian nodded thoughtfully and continued walking deeper into the camp.
Soon, he saw a figure in front of him who looked like the leader of the Harpers, Storm Silverhand.
The lady rides on a silver horse, and the rangers of the valley surround her tightly to prevent the sick and dying from getting too close.
Fifty heavily armed valley knights followed closely behind, responsible for escorting the grain carts. What these knights had in common was their dislike of this task.
In Brian's opinion, this is completely understandable, because most of the refugees here fled from the commercial kingdom Sambia.
The grievances between the people of the valley and the Kingdom of Sambia, which was established by pirates, can even be traced back hundreds of years. Naturally, they will not look kindly on these people.
You know, before Sambia was conquered, their merchants' favorite thing to do was to unite with the Zhentarim to squeeze and plunder the wealth of the valley.
This is like if the people of Xiaoli who had subjugated their country appeared on the land of the Celestial Dynasty and received relief.
Their fate can be imagined, and they may even be like rats crossing the street, suffering countless scorn and disgust.
The valley people here not only want to build refugee camps for them, but also provide them with food. Anyone would instinctively resist doing such a thing.
Looking from a distance, Brian saw the sick Sambians staggering behind the grain escort truck. Every few meters they advanced, the 'tail' behind the team swelled.
Many reached out to the Harper leader or knelt in front of the motorcade as she passed.
"Mercy lady." These refugees kept calling in common language, "Madam, please... Merciful lady, help my child, she is very sick... give the child something Let’s eat... Please, help her... help me..."
The Sambia people have nowhere to go, thousands of them are stranded outside the thick walls of the Misty Valley - Man , women, the elderly, children, little girls and newborn babies.
Many people are infected with the death plague, starving and dying.
The defenders in Misty Valley did not dare to let them into the city, so they could only do their best.
They sent doctors, priests, druids, and priests, but these clergy tried their best, but they could not slow down the pace of death, and some people even became infected.
Moreover, the idea of isolating sick people from healthy people ultimately proved impractical.
A week ago, the guards in the Misty Valley had separated a couple, mother and child, despite the Sambians crying, kicking, and throwing stones. However, a few days later, the patients died one after another, and the healthy people were still alive. You will catch the disease, and isolation will have no effect.
“This is the conspiracy of the City of Shadows.” The Knight of Misty Valley who followed Brian said bitterly, “They deliberately infected these civilians with the death plague, then opened a gap and drove them here. The purpose is to consume our vitality."
Brian nodded slightly and did not refute his words.
Along the way, he had already learned the specific situation of Misty Valley Town from this middle-aged knight with a beard.
What surprised him was that the necromancers in the City of Shadows were actually able to develop a death plague with such remarkable effects. Even the priest's divine spells had little effect.
If this disaster befell the Kingdom of Cormyr, Brian simply could not imagine it.
And this disaster has lasted for two weeks, and the priests of Misty Valley have not yet developed a potion to relieve the death plague.
Brian had a vague feeling that there must be other evil forces involved here.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult to feed these damn refugees." The Knight of Misty Valley complained again.
“Lady Storm is trying her best to raise food every day, but the number of refugees is increasing day by day. The food reserves of Golden Sheaf Monastery are shrinking day by day, and it is getting harder and harder to find people willing to distribute food. Many people who went to the camp have returned He fell ill, and some people were attacked on their way back to the city. Yesterday, a truck was overturned, and two escorting knights were killed."
In the complaints of the Misty Valley knights, Brian saw. Children with bloated bellies followed the procession, too weak or too frightened to even open their mouths to beg.
Two women were fighting over a roasted bone. Next to them, a ten-year-old boy stood eating a mouse. He grabbed the mouse with one hand and ate it while holding a sharpened stick in his other hand. To prevent others from coveting his loot.
Corpse lay everywhere, Brian thought to himself, the tragic scene in front of him was even worse than the Kingdom of Cormyr that was invaded by the orcs two months ago.
He saw a man covered with a black cloak and lying on the ground. When he rode by, the cloak instantly turned into countless flies. A skinny woman sat on the ground, hugging the dead baby tightly.
Everyone looked at the leader of the Harpers, and still had the strength to shout: "Madam... please, madam... bless you... save us..."
The Storm Lady raised a hand, and the carts behind her stopped one after another. The knights spread out to prevent the Sembians from grabbing the food.
As soon as the team stopped, the crowd swarmed in, and more and more patients limped around. The knights intercepted them and shouted: "Stand in line! Don't crowd. ! Back off! Everyone has bread! Stand in line!”
“These supplies are reserved for the Misty Valley defenders.
"We are likely to face a long-term siege. The knights from Myth Drannor may be able to give the Shadowmen some pain, but they will never be able to retreat. If we wait for the Shadowmen's floating city to be repaired, it will be a disaster for the entire valley. "It's a disaster."
"If we must fight, I would rather stay in the city and let the undead ghosts try the city wall first, but Sambian refugees carrying the death plague are coming here in a steady stream. Eating the food we have stored to withstand the siege..."
Hearing the knight's complaints, Brian ignored them. He saw an old man lying on the ground groaning, his eyes staring at the gray clouds, harp Lady Storm, the leader of the Hand, knelt beside him, and the sour smell made her frown. But she pushed aside his dirty gray hair with her hands, sprinkled holy water on his body, and asked the priest next to her to perform purification magic.
The priests also joined in, separated the living and the dead, and then piled the corpses.
In just a moment, under the influence of the purification magic, more than a dozen fires were ignited, and the black and greasy smoke pillars rose straight into the ruthless blue sky.
“Before the antidote was developed, the death plague was everywhere.” The Knight of Misty Valley looked at the smoke column and said to Brian, “Here, hundreds of people die every day and are then burned. "
Brian glanced at the leader of the Harpers, whose riding clothes were stained with soot and stains. He was leading the priests to shuttle between the corpses and the living people, constantly busy.
He knew that it was not appropriate to meet them at this time, so he said to the knight beside him, "Let's go back to Misty Town."
He turned around with the Misty Valley Knight. , while walking, recalling the information about Ms. Storm.
Storm Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters of the North, leader of the Harpers, bard, and chosen one of Mystra.
She is the most famous of the seven sisters and an adventurer who pursues freedom. She is the person that all adventurous girls dream of becoming and the person that all single men long to meet.
When many people saw Storm for the first time, they were shocked by her appearance and personality.
The current Storm is no longer adventuring like she did when she was young, and her Harper Alliance stationed in the valley has no time to venture out because they are busy with the daily affairs of the Harpers.
Like her sister Alustriel, Storm is loved by the local people, and because she is not a ruler, people are more willing to be close to her.
The people in the valley will be healed by the storm when they are sick, and will be helped by the storm during the busy farming season.
Storm always smiles at everyone, and even the children in the valley regard her as their best friend, playing games with her and listening to her stories.
She really likes to help others. She really enjoys helping others.
It is said that the previous king of Cormyr, Azen V, once asked his advisers 'What does the storm want', and the answer he got was 'the love of everyone in the kingdom'. Perhaps this That's why Storm is so popular.
At dusk, Brian, who was waiting in the hall of Misty Town, finally waited for the Harper leader who had returned from the refugee camp.
This mature and beautiful woman had obviously been groomed and groomed before meeting him.
She looks young, but is mature and steady. Her white arms and smooth face are smooth and flawless. Her bright eyes are starry, and her eyes are as gray as a cloudless night. She reveals a wealth of knowledge and thoughts between her gaze. , representing the vicissitudes of time she has experienced.
She wears a silver hoop in her silver hair, but her soft gray robe is simple and plain, wearing only a belt made of silver leaves.
"Welcome to the valley as a guest, Lord Protector of Cormyr, Mr. Bryan." Storm walked up to him, stretched out his white right hand, and showed a soft smile.
Looking closely, Brian found that although the leader of the Harper Alliance was hundreds of years old, her appearance showed no signs of deterioration due to her status as a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic.
The subtle crow's feet at the corners of her eyes not only do not ruin her overall beauty, but instead bring out her stable and mature temperament.
In this regard, he had to lament that this most popular elector of the goddess of magic on the continent was indeed dubbed by their players as 'the most suitable to be a wife and mature woman' and 'the elector with the loosest belt' Role.
Brian only recently learned about some scandals about the Harper leader from Hesiah, which even their players have not uncovered.
Sandra Cote, the royal mage of Cormyr, was the lover of Storm when she was young. The two desperately wanted a child, but after they tried many times to no avail, they eventually broke up.
Even King Yazen V of Cormyr had an unclear relationship with her. Because of this, Hisaya's mother was even ridiculed to her face by some nobles in Susar. "Long night guarding the empty boudoir, green silk hair blowing in the palace" is used to describe the romantic style of the previous king.
It was precisely for this reason that Hesiah's mother ran away from home in anger and took her two children to live in Mokou Town.
As a result, the red dragon was raging, resulting in a disastrous scene.
At the same time, Brian also understood why the female lord of Arabe City claimed that she would never set foot in Susar City again.
It is said that when the king of Cormyr confided his relationship with Storm to the royal mage, the old mage did not pay too much attention and claimed that the two had already broken up peacefully.
Regarding this situation, Brian couldn't help but secretly lament that he was worthy of being the chosen one to inherit the fine tradition of the second-generation magic goddess.
In fact, if you imagine these voters as lecherous men who can't move when they see beautiful women, you can understand their behavior.
This is just like a strong man can have a harem with three wives and four concubines, why can’t women.
Alustriel and Storm among the Seven Sisters of the North are the elects who most vividly embody this tradition.
Unfortunately, due to identity, status, or strength, no player can win the hearts of these voters and let them crawl into their beds.
Even so, there are still players coming in and out of the valley area one after another, working tirelessly to increase their favorability.
"Hello, Lady Storm, I'm deeply sorry for what happened to you. The gods are really cruel." Brian held the hand of the leader of the Harpers. "May the blessings of the Mother of All Magic be with you and help you survive the current situation. Disaster."
"May the blessings of the goddess be with you, sir. I have learned your intention from the goddess's oracle." The storm smiled slightly, paused for a moment, and said, "However, here. Before that, you need to meet an old friend. She has been waiting in the Misty Valley for a long time. "
Old friend?
Brian let go of his hand and looked up at Storm. When he noticed her half-smiling eyes, he subconsciously looked towards the door of the hall.
In the dim light of dusk, he saw a drow girl appear in his sight.
The young drow is as slender as a human girl, looking delicate and fragile. Her dark skin makes her look like a living statue. She is wearing a soft black leather jacket and mail, which makes her look like a beautiful painting.
Even in the eyes of otherworldly elves, she is extremely beautiful, with delicate and distinct facial features, and long white hair as thick as clouds, like the fluorescence of new snow under the moonlight.
The changeable face is as naughty as a child at this moment, and becomes an iceberg beauty the next second. In a pair of big blue almond eyes, intelligence and mischief are exuding all the time.
“Brian!”
When the cheerful drow girl saw him, she showed a look of surprise, and the corners of her slightly raised mouth were filled with a smile that symbolized the brilliance of life.
In Brian's opinion, even if he lived in a depressing dark place for a long time, this smile could not be erased at all.
The smile was like a wave of carefully prepared warm wine, flowing through his body, making him irresistible.
"Do you remember me? Brian, I am Santila from the ancient city of Orens."
When he came back to his senses, the drow girl's body was slightly petite. , has happily thrown herself into his arms.
…………
(End of this chapter)