"Look, that's right there~! We're going to the village soon~!" Freund said excitedly, pointing to the smoke rising from the kitchen not far away.
Compared to the townships in the Luvis Alliance, Enoch Village is obviously much smaller. The overall layout of the village is very simple. Three short and straight avenues are all the transportation facilities. They form a small square at the junction of the center of the village. Nearly three hundred people live in the houses attached to the roads. Villagers - this number is only one-seventh of Belial Village.
From here, five kilometers to the northwest is the famous Glendale River. According to Freund, the place where the suspension bridge is located is not only the narrowest part of the river, but also the most turbulent river section. And the faint but distinct roar that now mingled in the air proved it to all—the roar of indefatigable waves crashing against the rocks.
"We are only one step away from the dream land, and we can set off to find the star capital tomorrow~! I never thought that I would also have the chance to witness a miracle." Xiu Yin wished he could swim across the river and climb the mountain right now.
"However, if you are not fully prepared, this step is enough to ruin your life." The death knight poured cold water on the mage, but the next moment, the scene reflected in his eyes made him frown.
Compared with seventeen years ago, Fahdod's village would have declined to such an extent...
When Katoli and her party entered the village, most of the villagers just hid in their homes and watched through the open doors—after all, this small self-sufficient community has not been able to survive for nearly ten years since the nobles set up a heavy checkpoint tax. interacted with the outside world. The strangers in front of them, carrying sophisticated weapons, not only broke their peaceful life, but also brought in an atmosphere of uneasiness and restlessness.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really couldn't imagine such a scene of decay. What happened to those stupid nobles of Fahdod?" Looking around the simple houses, Ren couldn't help whispering to Katoli.
"It's not possible to shirk all the responsibility on those nobles." Katoli looked thoughtfully at the distant mountains.
"Why? What's the matter, Katoli?" The paladin looked at the other party with some puzzlement.
"Before the outbreak of the Undead War, the Alliance has been implementing the diplomatic strategy of partial war laws against this country. After that, let alone the trade volume, even the number of people who came to Fakhdod to travel or practice has decreased by more than 50%-this situation is I didn't feel much about what I read from the "General Outline of Combat against Fahdod", but now after seeing it with my own eyes, I realized what those data really mean." The girl's eyes dimmed, "The income of the country reduction, but had to bear a large amount of military expenditures, and in the end it was the people who suffered.”
"Is it... will it be like this? War is really an ironic thing." Ren was a little embarrassed, "However, you don't have to be so dejected, this situation is not something we can change."
"You're right, even Luvis can't kill two birds with one stone, let alone a tiny human being?" Roland, who had been silent since entering the village, suddenly intervened, "Just do what's in front of you well." That's it."
"Maybe." Katoli forced a smile.
The next moment, the boy's laughter interrupted the conversation of the three. The girl turned her eyes to the front - Freund's mother was slowly walking towards them, holding her son's hand.
This woman is only in her thirties, but the hard life after the widow has caused gray hair to climb to her forehead prematurely-the alliance is also a part of the reason. Katoli thought so. Maybe... I am not qualified to accept her thanks.
The dilapidated two-story hotel in front of them—one of the few multi-storey buildings in Enoch Village—is where Katoli and his party rested tonight. Maybe it used to have a magnificent appearance, but after more than ten years of wind and frost, the dilapidated big face facing the street is really unacceptable. On the other hand, although the innkeeper who changed his job as a farmer was lured by the common gold coins of the Lordantan continent, he immediately returned to his old business and promised to mobilize the whole family to provide the best service, but obviously no one would hold this promise any expectations.
"Are we going to stay here for a whole night?" Compared with the expectation of staying overnight indoors at the beginning, the mage who witnessed this scene finally couldn't help asking.
Ren shrugged aside, but once he remembered the lesson just now, he was in no mood to express his thoughts.
"Yes, there is only one night, so we must hurry up," Katoli deliberately ignored Xiu Yin's frustration, "It is still a while before dark, and I will go to the blacksmith shop with Kaos... the former blacksmith shop There, buy all the things you can use, and if you have nothing to do, check the surrounding situation, and be vigilant, accidents are absolutely not allowed at this time."
"It doesn't need to be so troublesome, I can buy it alone." Roland was a little surprised that the captain was unnecessary.
"I want to learn more knowledge, such as dealing with foreigners and purchasing mountaineering equipment, isn't that good?" Katoli pretended to be innocent, "But if that will hinder you, I still It’s better not to go…”
The girl's charming eyes made it hard to refuse, so the demon hunter had no choice but to nod: "This...of course not, this is my honor, if the captain wants to know anything, just ask directly at that time."
"Then, let's go now~!" A sly smile appeared on the girl's face.
Watching the figures of the two disappear to the other side of the square, the paladin and the high-ranking mage also started their work at the same time. But this village is really too small—there are only a few roads, and there are no defensive buildings, no matter which direction you go, you can easily escape, and you can use the roof to escape when necessary—only half an hour later, for all the details The all-round inspection has come to an end.
In Xiu Yin's words, "Even if you close your eyes, you can walk out of this village without hitting a wall."
"So, what should we do next?" After inspecting the last street, the mage looked at him boredly.
"Go back to the hotel, and wait there for Katori and Kaos to finish their mission."
"Going back so early? If you stay in that dark and damp house for too long, you will definitely get sick." Xiu Yin was a little terrified, "Why don't we go directly to the blacksmith shop to find them two?"
"I think it's better to forget it, it's meaningless to go." Ren waved his hand and sighed softly.
"You guys, aren't you usually very active? Why did you become like this now? Could it be because of the incident just now?" However, according to common sense and experience, if you don’t take the initiative to attack when encountering setbacks, you will never be able to win the heart of the girl you like.”
"You don't understand anything at all." The paladin paused, then shook his head, "It's not a matter of frustration or not at all."
"Of course I know, what you care about is not whether you have read the "General Outline of Combat against Fahdod", but Kaos. That demon hunter... how should I put it, it gives the impression that he is probably a so-called genius ?His experience has probably surpassed that of Josephine... not to mention swordsmanship. Personally, I think that meeting such a genius can be regarded as Lu Weisi's blessing."
Then, Xiu Yin began to analyze slowly: "This task has been extremely difficult from the very beginning: Lu Weisi's prophecy was too eager, as if she was afraid of something; before we left the alliance, we encountered the death of our old opponent The knight was also put together by that guy; the news of the Fahdods was extremely well-informed, and the team encountered stalking and interception as soon as they entered the country... To be honest, without his help, we probably wouldn't be able to get to this point."
"Thank you for your wonderful discussion, Xiuyin. But I really don't have time to listen to this." Ren said angrily, and then quickened his pace to get rid of the opponent, but before that, the mage pulled him hard.
"Quick guy, listen to me~! I mean no matter what, we should focus on Kaos in missions and battles. I don't mean anything else~!"
"Oh, yes~! Of course I know this very well~! Don't you think I don't distinguish between public and private~!?" The paladin replied sullenly.
"But there is another point that you don't know~! I think you should understand it." Xiu Yin tried his best to make his eyes look sincere, and his tone gradually changed to that of a love consultant, "Listen to me, Ren, I think you and Katoli still have hope~!"
"Hopeful? Ha~!" The other party's emotions eased down, but his tone was still very excited, "This kind of comfort is too boring~! You know, before the mission started, Katoli and I have known each other almost Six years~! When she was 12 years old, I was exactly 15 years old. At that time, we were preparing for the chorus of Luvis Temple together in the choir. In the fourth year of our acquaintance, we passed Knights of Draenor together In the fifth year, I passed the high-level knight assessment, and this year I passed the paladin assessment... It's incredible to think that I can complete so much training in such a short period of time, and even become a paladin. However, she still only regards me as a friend who needs to be taken care of~! Do you think this kind of appearance is called 'hopeful'?"
"Six years is not a long time. If you give up now, it can only be said that your perseverance is not enough~! No one can easily capture the heart of 'Glory of Alazea'." Senior Mage He retorted that he had fully entered the role of a relationship counselor.
"Yes, maybe I should chase her for ten years and see how it turns out, but now there is that 'genius' you call~! What else do you think I can do? Learn 'Yunyao' in three days, and then Go and teach Katori hand in hand to save the disadvantage? Kaos didn’t teach her hand in hand, I’m already thankful~!”
"I can't find a breakthrough in the love offensive because the authorities are obsessed with it. You can calmly listen to my analysis." Xiu Yin stared at the other party's eyes and said word by word, "As long as you recall carefully, you can find out , In the past two months, Katoli and Kaos’ joint action, probably proposed by Katoli—of course, such an excellent, considerate and handsome man will definitely attract the attention of girls, even our captain No exception—however, it also shows another thing: Kaos is not proactive at all~! Do you know what that means?"
"Kaos is more introverted?"
"You idiot~! I don't think even Luvis can help you~!" The mage moaned exaggeratedly, "That means that the witcher deliberately kept a certain distance from her, and he set up a clear but There is no limit for the other party to notice. And until he lifts his defenses, you can go after Katoli with confidence~!"
"But... why? Why did he do that?" Ren was obviously attracted by Xiu Yin's words.
"You can deduce it yourself. How could a twenty-year-old young man have more experience than the famous 'Children of the Forest'? How could he possibly have the power to confront the abyss lord head-on? The word genius is obvious. There is no way to explain this." Xiu Yin showed a complacent smile, "Kaos is definitely not young, but he looks younger. He must have experienced things unimaginable by ordinary people, so he is so outstanding, but unfortunately Unfortunately, those experiences made him unable to accept Katoli~!"
Ren fell silent, lowered his head in thought, and after a long time, he raised his head.
"Thinking back now, it seems to be exactly what you said. And not only that, even his attitude towards us was always mixed with something strange." The tone of the paladin returned to his usual tone, " What kind of experience would that be?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's some kind of strong curse that froze the demon hunter's appearance at the age of twenty, but in fact his soul is about to be swallowed up... So Kaos decided to help his beloved in the last period of time." A young girl, but she has to keep her distance... This is really a cold inference~! It is also possible that the Juggernaut killed his lover, and the grieving demon hunter vowed to kill all the Juggernaut family, and find someone who can inherit People from 'Yunyao', finally Kaos found Katori... But he is still immersed in the love of his dead lover, so he can't accept the girl's heart... This is another cold inference~!"
"Enough, Xiu Yin, do you usually only watch love tragedies?" Ren couldn't help laughing, and the next moment, the scene in the eyes of the two interrupted their conversation.
"We've settled the matter, and let Kaos teach you the precautions for mountaineering tonight." From the other side of the street, the girl's crisp voice came from afar, clear and sweet.
Under the mischievous breeze, the girl's short black hair fluttered like soft feathers, and the soft light of the setting sun outlined her slim and delicate silhouette. She was like a beauty walking out of the painting, making the surrounding villagers involuntarily He stopped, held his breath and admired quietly.
Kaos walked beside Katori as always. Under the sunlight, his long hair was reflecting light golden brilliance, and set off the witcher's unusually delicate facial features and cold-lined face.
No matter how you look at it, they are a very suitable couple. If Xiu Yin's weird ideas are excluded, I probably don't even have a 1% chance of winning, right? Ren looked fascinatedly at the two people who were walking towards each other, and said to himself. But, Katoli... As long as there is still a glimmer of hope, I will definitely work hard, because I only have one wish, and that is to make you happy.
Compared with other villages under Yahewei Mountain, Enoch Village is obviously different at night-the never-ending roar of the Glendale River always lingers in people's ears. Under the silent night sky with the cold moonlight, the ancient whispers seem more ethereal and awe-inspiring, but for the people who have lived here for generations, it can be called the most natural lullaby.
But travelers are not used to this kind of sound, right... Sister Katoli and her companions will lose sleep because of it? Freund couldn't help guessing. After a day's hard work, the little guy's mother had already entered Mengxiang, and the room next to her was silent. But Freund is still in a state of excitement—he has already agreed with Katoli that tomorrow he will be the guide, lead the team through the suspension bridge over the Glendale River, and send them to Yahewei Mountain First At the foot of the Road Divide. And the reward for this service will be a full three mainland gold coins~!
It was indeed a great incentive for Freund to be able to participate in such a big adventure-although it was only the beginning, and to get a good reward for it, so even though it was past midnight, the kid could only stay Tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep.
The next moment, the creak of the wooden door interrupted Freund's wild thoughts.
Did the wind blow the door open? But I remember that it was locked before the lights were turned off... The kid was a little strange, so he got out of bed in a daze and walked into the small and simple living room. There used to be only a table and a wooden cabinet, but now, the moonlight streaming in through the open door chipped a warrior's sullen cheek.
Before Freund could react, a sharp dagger was shot at him, piercing through the little guy's throat precisely and silently after cutting through the air. Freund wanted to scream, but his vocal cords were completely torn, and he couldn't even utter the last cry. A few seconds later, a stream of blood rushed out of his mouth, and Freund's convulsive body fell on top of those blinding reds before they seeped into the ground.
The brutal attacker walked over slowly, grabbed the handle of the dagger, and turned it vigorously without hesitation. The severe labor pain deformed the child's facial features and distorted his expression, but this scene made the other party quite enjoyable.
Soon, the tormented thin body completely stopped shaking, and Freund's dilated pupils were still staring at the ceiling, and his loose eyes seemed to express endless fear. Black Shadow sighed in satisfaction: "Death is truly an art with infinite charm, and one will never get tired of it."
While talking to himself, he pulled out the dagger. A line of cold blood then slid down the edge, crossed the gradually stiffening corpse, and eagerly snaked forward, looking for the next prey.
Emolo is standing firmly on the roof of a two-story building at the moment—he can overlook the entire Enoch Village, and the conditions of the small square and streets are all clear at a glance. He was wrapped in a pure black cloak, and the leather armor inside had the same surface. If it wasn't for the reflection of the moonlight, maybe that thin figure would just melt into the night.
The cautious assassin took out the crystal ball from his arms again, and the bright blue light spot was still stagnant in place - the marking point was 50 meters away from where Emoro was, on the second floor of a small hotel - that was Katoli A resting place for the party tonight.
It seems that they haven't noticed yet, which is a good sign. Emolo speculated, with calmness and patience in his eyes. He rarely showed such an expression. Compared with fighting, this cruel warrior is more fond of killing—no matter men, women, young or old, as long as the sharp blade is pierced into those weak flesh, the painful groans and distorted expressions caused by it will be enough. Emolo was extremely excited. But at the same time, the assassin who hides himself in the dark is also very clear that if he wants to continue to experience the fun of killing, he must first ensure that he will not be killed.
In order to ensure the success of the operation, Emolo specially recruited fifty elite killers from the Shadow Guild, all of whom were stronger than ordinary knights, plus various one-hit assassination techniques, to deal with the attacks of paladins and mages. Combination is no problem at all. However, the witcher with the big sword always made him feel troublesome. The opponent even possessed the power to destroy the fighting spirit of the sword. If he confronted him head-on, he would only be wiped out. According to the necromancer Thomas' description, his sensitivity was far higher than that of ordinary people-this would make most assassination techniques ineffective.
Only poison can be used to subdue that guy, and it must be combined with a blindfold that is enough to break down his psychological defenses... Emolo curled his lips, thinking with some reluctance that this meant that he might lose a lot of capable men. But in the end, the lure of bloodshed made him smile.
It doesn't matter, there is still a lot of money to be made in this battle. The generous reward from the Knights is enough to recruit new subordinates, and I have enjoyed it just now. It would be too boring to leave like this.
"My lord." A deliberately suppressed voice interrupted his thoughts.
"How's the situation now?" In fact, Emolo had already noticed the opponent's actions.
"Except for the hotel, all the corners of the village have been cleaned. My lord, can we officially start?"
"Let's get started." The assassin nodded, just like when he came, his subordinates also dressed in black retreated from the roof with silent movements. A few minutes later, a burst of purple smoke rose in front of the hotel door.
"Click." The doors at both ends of the corridor on the second floor of the hotel were opened at the same time. Roland and Xiu Yin walked out quickly, and then nodded to each other in the darkness.
"The magic detection trap I set up has reflected that there are enemies planning to attack us. Maybe those villagers have seen the official arrest warrant of Fahdod. We are too careless~!" The mage's breathing was much faster than usual.
"Bad news, the situation is worse than what you said..." The demon hunter stared straight at the stairs opposite the door. After a few seconds, he did not reach for the sword, but lit the lamp, "It seems that the opponent Poison gas was used, it is purple, and it is now spreading from downstairs, and it is very fast... "
Xiu Yin strode to the side of the death knight, and the sight in his eyes made the mage's pupils shrink violently: "It's a gas called clover gas. If a human breathes it into the body, at least it will cause coma and even paralysis~! Damn it! Yes, no wonder I feel dizzy~!"
"There is a solution..." Roland just started to ask, but was interrupted by the other party's cadenced singing. Accompanied by the mage's subtle gestures, a near-transparent gray-white smoke enveloped his whole body.
"This spell can effectively prevent poisonous gas attacks. I will immediately make a protective barrier for the three of you. Hurry up and wake up Katoli and Ren." The next moment, there was a loud knock on the door on the second floor of the hotel. It rang.
Just as the assassin expected, those battle-hardened prey had no intention of being exposed to poisonous gas at all. Ten minutes after the clover gas was cast, the wooden wall on the second floor of the hotel suddenly bulged, and several extremely sharp ice blades pierced through it, and then spun to cut a huge hole. With the help of the feather fall technique, Katoli and her party jumped directly from the second floor to the street.
As soon as the four of them landed, the crossbowman who had ambushed in advance launched an attack. Several sharp arrows pierced the air and pointed directly at Roland's chest. The tips of these arrows are smeared with venom—perhaps, in theory, the poison can be neutralized by Holy Light—but the liquid's deadly poison in a few seconds makes any prayer. to no avail.
The death knight who was sniped didn't panic in the slightest. Before the bright line exuding the breath of death touched his body, it was suddenly cut off by an invisible barrier—the physical defensive barrier that Xiuyin had set up for everyone in advance had an effect— After a few crisp impacts, all the poisonous arrows fell to the ground.
"It's really good magic, but the wonderful things are yet to come." Emolo, who was watching everything, smiled.
Taking advantage of the gap between the killers before they could form an encirclement, the fighters who cooperated with each other quickly formed a formation: the high-ranking mage was in the center, his left rear and right rear were respectively in charge of Katoli and Ren, while the demon hunter was in charge. Standing in front of this small triangle with a little distance—Roland will give full play to the power of Frost Lament and open a way for the team to break through.
"As expected, these people are the killers of the Shadow Guild... It seems that the knights of Fahdoud have also fallen, and they will join hands with these low-spirited guys~!" Looking at the black clothes who gradually formed a circle around the periphery Assassins, Huin commented with a sneer.
"No matter what the truth is, don't hurt the villagers." Katoli whispered to her companions, "We just need to break out along the street to the west and forcefully cross the bridge."
"There doesn't seem to be anyone from the Knights nearby. It seems that these killers were sent to hold us back." Roland analyzed in this way. Frost Lament, which has a huge blade, pushed the assassins away from the confrontation, but the death knight knew very well , Sooner or later, they will rush up desperately... and those cold arrows waiting for the right time.
"Does that mean... the sooner the battle ends, the better for us?" Ren focused his attention on the enemies approaching from behind.
"That's right, we must rush out before the Knights arrive, otherwise everything will be over."
"For a mage, dying like this at the gate of the star capital is the greatest shame. We must break out of the encirclement~!" Xiu Yin's tone revealed steel-like determination.
"In that case, follow me no matter what." The demon hunter assumed an attacking posture, and the flickering sword light immediately tensed up the muscles and nerves of the assassins, but the next moment, a sarcasm mixed in The sound made the tense atmosphere relax uncontrollably.
"As a noble paladin of the Alliance, this kind of unruffled style is really admirable." Emolo clapped and paced on the roof on the side of the street. The obvious height difference made him speak with great momentum. Zeng, "But you still look around, there are nearly a hundred assassins here, and they are all good players of the Shadow Guild~!"
"Twice as many can't stop us." Roland replied coldly.
"Perhaps, Mr. Kaos. I have heard about your glorious record from the Knights. My men may not be able to stop you, but... if used to kill the stupid villagers of Enoch Village, they The strength is more than enough."
"You bastard~!" Katoli couldn't help shouting.
"Isn't that right, Ms. Katoli, just think about it for a while and you can understand why the Fahdoud Knights asked us to intercept you." The assassin's face was particularly dark under the moonlight, "After all, They are really embarrassed to take people from their own country as hostages, right? But the Shadow Guild is completely different, and I don’t mind killing all the people here—they are too much of an eyesore for holy battles~! But if you If you are willing to surrender early, this is not a battlefield, and I have no reason to take action, what do you think of this proposal?"
Ask me to surrender in exchange for the lives of the villagers~! ? The girl clenched the dagger tightly without saying a word, and her tightly pursed lips lost all color. what do I do? It's because of me that they are in danger now... But, I can't give up the mission just to save them, this is the hope of the entire alliance~! Katoli subconsciously put her left hand on her chest, and the breath of Luvis' blood passed through the chain mail to the girl's palm.
I'm sorry, Freund... But thousands of miles away, there are still countless people waiting for me, I can't die here... I can't abandon the whole world for my own bias... I'm sorry~!
"Have you thought about it? You should know Austin's thoughts. I am actually hired by him. I don't intend to hurt you. It is best to resolve it peacefully." Emolo's persuasion was very pleasant.
"I... refuse..." The girl replied tremblingly, but her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being heard by the other party.
This is a correct and helpless choice. Listening to the words mixed with hesitation, compromise, pain and coldness, the soul hidden deep in the death knight's body couldn't help but have a familiar throbbing. Many times, people cannot choose their own destiny. Even a battle with faith as a sword will still be tainted with a strong bloody smell... Katoli, have you experienced that pain now
"We reject your so-called proposal~!" Xiu Yin's angry voice suddenly sounded, and ignited the stagnant air, "Catori, don't be confused by him~! Those villagers... they are all dead~!"
"What~!" The girl covered her mouth, and Ren and Roland also couldn't hide their blank expressions.
"I used the advanced detection technique twice, and the results were the same. In those houses... there is no one alive, they are all dead, they killed the entire village~!"
"Really, why do the mages of the alliance want to learn such boring spells?" Emolo sighed, showing a rather regretful expression, "You don't have to suffer so much."
"Shut up, you bloodthirsty devil~! A scum like you is not qualified to comment on the Luvis Alliance Magic Guild~! Use your blood to accept the punishment~!" The high-ranking mage clenched his teeth, his voice Before it fell, a dazzling cyan lightning shot out from his fingertips and rushed towards the assassin on the roof. At the same time, Frost Wrath cast a large dazzling sword shadow in front of many enemies.
The battle has already begun.