Chapter 442 - prelude to war
at dusk.
In this fading light, Thorne came alone to the tower of the Falls.
The two guards were sneaking around, leaning in the corner and whispering something.
They didn’t notice the uninvited guest, but Thorne heard their conversation well.
A guard with a scar on his face was talking about his future thoughts to another guard without a helmet. He glanced at the lower city subconsciously, with infinite longing in his bright eyes:
“I plan to wait for the end of this war to get married and have children in Waterfall Town, and build a family of my own. Lord Carlos said that as long as the hobgoblins are expelled, if someone is willing to live a normal life, they can Choose to take a back seat.”
The other guard shook his head. He first glanced at the endless emerald field, and then turned to look at the dimly-colored Mount Huaernas before he sighed slightly and said:
“Comparatively speaking, I still prefer this kind of exciting adventure life, so I think it’s good to be alone, so I don’t plan to start any family here. If possible, I would like to travel around the world. .”
“Then what should you do when your old man can’t even pick up the dishes? When you are alone in a small courtyard surrounded by the sunset, I think you will regret saying it at this time. words.”
“The future? In the future? Who can tell clearly, in case tomorrow… ahhh!”
Thorne’s footsteps were very light, he did not disturb the two guards, but walked towards the other side of the tower against the dusky afterglow.
As far as the eye can see, the emerald field shrouded in darkness stretches westward until it is connected to the Great Sword Mark Mountains. The only shining gem on the horizon is the Wizard Tower of Winter City.
He looked at the city a little dazed, the light of the wizard tower flickered, as if a dim star was about to fall on the vast land.
Seeing the light that gradually became unfamiliar, he recalled the past that changed the trajectory of his destiny, recalled the half-year time he lived in the lower city of Winter City, the days when he was on the edge of the knife, in order to complete the old man’s test, he The scene of wandering in the sewers…
Thinking about it, his mind was focused on other aspects. Unlike Winter City, he remembered a more comfortable past.
because……
There will always be unexpected warmth and endless hope in life.
Don’t say that the time is cold just because the time is warm.
Thorne withdrew his gaze in the direction of Winter City, rested his hands on the battlements, and felt the scratches on the surface of the stone wall by the sharp blades in his palms. Look elsewhere.
There are many people on the road leading to the town of waterfalls. The heavy weapons and armor set off a heavy cloud of dust. Almost a stone can hit a person’s head at random, and the stone will play naughty to another. on one’s head.
Most of these professionals from the other four small towns had irritable, rude and arrogant expressions on their faces, as if the fate of the whole world was tied to him alone.
The only good thing is that they all kept this degree within a certain limit and did not cause any big trouble.
Perhaps, this is also a way for them to relieve inner tension and anxiety.
After all, this is a war that decides the fate of all territories, and if they fail, they will once again become a pack of bereaved dogs.
In the same way, no one wants to let their dead bones and rocks gradually intermingle, let the wind and rain dismantle the skeleton, and let time completely bury and forget it.
As it turns out, when a warrior faces a noble battle to defend their homeland, the look on their faces deserves recognition, because there is nothing more worthy of respect than a battle like defending one’s homeland.
It can be seen from this that most of the compatriots living in the Emerald Wilderness have gradually been closely linked by loyalty and **** fighting in their society.
In this case, even if you die in battle, it is a good way to die for the individual.
An honorable end to a decent life, or a perfect end to a honorable life with a victory at the ultimate sacrifice.
Thinking of Thorne here, I can’t help but think of the scene he encountered in the underground space of Twin Towers Town.
The former Twin Towers Town was also called “Dawn Town”, and he recalled a sentence left by the astral insight Winster in the ruined tower of the dead:
Once, we lived in harmony and beauty, and even if we come here, we can still tenaciously get along with this land. But such an ideal life is shattered and reduced to ashes by the horrific existence that invades us.
Many noble and proud friends died in this war, and with them everything they had fought for so long.
Survivors called this war: The Battle of Despair!
In this desperate war, Thorne thought of the paladin who threw himself into the darkness to become a death knight, and also thought of the poignant love story Andrina told him about elves.
Obviously, they all stem from this desperate war.
And, like him, from the same world.
At this time, in the town of waterfalls, no matter it is day or night, there are always carriages loaded with supplies and weapons and clunky to the town.
A steady stream of players gathered to live in makeshift tents outside the town. They were like wasps before the storm.
Groups of bright campfires were lit in advance, representing the rise of the smoke and owls whose lives gathered here.
The infantry regiment, mainly in Twilight Town, is using precious time to train and cooperate with soldiers from other towns. Various commanders are giving orders, yelling, and even punching and kicking.
Groups of spellcasters gathered together spontaneously, and they were practicing spells that could be matched with each other. The splendid spells illuminated the dimming dusk from time to time, and the hot fire started screaming again and again.
The cavalry regiment from Iron Horse Town raised a burst of dust on the avenue. In addition to many jerky riders, there were also groups of lively foals. They looked like they were driven out of the stables in Iron Horse Town when they were still young. Even before he was used to the horse bit and the armed rider, he was forced to start training and bid farewell to the last free time.
In a grove surrounded by fir trees, the tieflings of Stallman gathered there. Since the lord they left was a quasi-legendary sorcerer, the occupations of the players and the natives were large. Most are based on sorcerers.
Because in Stallman Town, there is the most complete occupation system for the inauguration method of the Warlock.
Although the level of warlocks gathered here is rarely above 10, these more than 300 spellcasters are definitely the most important force in the entire alliance.
In the entire continent, no ruler will ignore the shadow of spellcasters on the direction of war, so most powerful armies will actively recruit corresponding spellcaster organizations.
Especially spellcasters who are proficient in evocation, they can always clear large areas of enemies directly with powerful large-scale spells.
A loud wolf howl sounded, the voice seemed to be an order, and the howlings undulating one after another.
The howl of the beast immediately alerted the mounts in the direction of Iron Horse Town, so that many lively foals were like frightened children, neighing and scurrying in the camp uncontrollably.
Finally, with the assistance of several druids, he was appeased by experienced riders.
At the same time, the lord of Iron Horse Town drove his horse in the direction of the wolves, apparently intending to negotiate with the people of Horn Town, so that their orc wolf cavalry should stay as far away from their camp as possible.
Thorne was attracted by the howls of the wolf, and he saw more than 300 well-equipped orcs driving the calf-sized warg towards the opposite direction of the iron horse town gathering place.
Among the more than 300 orcs, there are also many orc slaves from the Underdark.
In the Underdark, as long as there is money and trade channels, buying a group of orc slaves is still very simple.
These simple-minded and well-developed orc slaves are also a good combat force and labor under the training of the orc chief Sann.
After experiencing the inhuman slave life in the Underdark, these orcs are the greatest gift to them as long as they can fill their stomachs in the surface world.
Because those thorns who were unwilling to give in and liked to shout out the orc master **** Gruush were all eliminated.
Of course, there is also the player Alistar who is trying to establish a tauren tribe that survives on the surface. With his unremitting efforts, the number of his tauren clan has grown to nearly a hundred.
If a group of tauren lowered their heads and launched a charge together during the war, this would definitely be an extremely spectacular scene.
Among the five towns, Horn Town has the largest number. In addition to orcs and wolf cavalry, there are countless kobolds and goblins all over the mountains and plains, as well as a large number of ogres and trolls.
However, this vast number of goblin kobolds, except for a few spellcasters, their role is more to act as cannon fodder.
Among the goblins, Thorne also found many spiritual goblins. These goblins were dressed in neat gray robes and pointed hats, and they were almost different from the wild goblins.
If these goblins are likened to real-world humans, then the goblins of the wilderness are the indigenous people of African cannibal tribes.
As for the people in the town of waterfalls, they did not live outside the town.
Compared with other towns, Waterfall Town does not have any outstanding professional groups.
Except for the half-elf longbowmen in the upper city, the number of professional players in the lower city is not much different from other towns.
Thankfully, the rangers, druids, and priests of the Temple of Merika, with the exception of Archbishop Lausien, were all dispatched to assist in the war.
At the same time, the Church of the Mother Earth Goddess, who built the temple here, also dispatched all the personnel who could fight in the temple.
Suddenly, an oval teleportation formation appeared at the gate of the city, and as the light of the teleportation formation dissipated, a group of warriors in heavy armor and shattered cloaks appeared in everyone’s sight.
The leader was the Archbishop of the Temple of War, Alenara, from the Silver Pine Plain, and behind her were the members of the Fangs and the remaining monk players of the White Rose Monastery.
Seeing that Salayan and Carlos brought a group of people out of town to greet them, Thorne, who was standing on the tower, raised his ears and heard the greetings and conversations among the people clearly.
The battle priests of the God of War are almost all natural commanders and commanders, so Archbishop Alenala specially brought several battle priests to boost the morale of the Alliance army in battle.
The players from the Silver Pine Plain all gathered near the town of Twin Towers. As long as the two sides fought, these people would launch a surprise attack from the rear, cutting off the retreat of the Hobgoblins entrenched in the Serene Forest.
Surprisingly, the archbishop also recruited several powerful indigenous mercenary groups to assist them in attacking together.
Then Thorne turned and set his sights on the bustling streets of the town.
In a wide square outside the Adventurer’s Hall, many adventurers from several other small towns gathered here, discussing the notices on the wall.
The content of this notice is very simple. The general meaning is that as long as there are adventurers who are willing to participate in the big battle tomorrow, they will not only get a remuneration, but also get the legal residency in the territory of the five towns.
For this announcement, some adventurers immediately signed up to participate, some stared at the announcement swaying, and some pouted in disdain and roared in the crowd.
Thorne remained silent.
Just when he was about to turn his attention to other places, a figure that surprised him floated in front of him from under the city wall.
The person who came was the long-disappeared goblin wizard Malvasia.
“Have you been to Winter City?” Malvasa asked Thorne with her reddish eyes hidden under her hat.
“That’s right.” Thorne was also looking at her carefully, he found that the other party was almost exactly the same as the statue in the Wizard Tower of Winter City, except for some characteristics that fit the goblin race, “I should call you Winter. Lord Martha, or goblin wizard Malvasia.”
“These are not important anymore.” The goblin wizard’s tone was very flat. After speaking, he turned to look in the direction of Winter City.
The distant sky was tinged with the last pale pink of the sunset, and flocks of crows and ravens flew past, croaking unpleasantly, heading east.
“I want to know what your real purpose for doing this is.” After a long silence, Thorne couldn’t help asking.
“Real purpose?” Malvasia said softly: “That is… everyone is for me… I am for everyone.”
After she finished speaking, she turned around slowly, the pale red eyes under the brim stared in the other direction, and an unknown bitterness flowed down Thorne’s eyes into his heart.
For some reason, he found that he really understood what her eyes meant to him.
The lonely figure of the goblin wizard floating in the air made him understand that her choice was not voluntary, but a forced and helpless choice.
…………
In the dark night, Thorne sat on a hillside outside the Serenity Forest facing the howling wind, listening to the harsh neighing of the horn not far away, and watching the strings of torches flickering on every road.
He understands that everything is but a prelude to the war.
Hobgoblins are surging in numbers, and they’re absorbing a fair number of lizardmen, bullywugs, and kuo-toas in the ranks.
To make matters worse, they also have quite a few demon warriors who have been transformed by devil spirits.
At this moment, he can even imagine what kind of enemy they will face tomorrow, and what a difficult battle they will face.
However, all the imagination did not leave him with enough to immerse his heart.
The night was cloudy and windy. The strong wind blew the reeds, causing the surrounding shrubs to rustle. A lonely moon emerged from the dark clouds, and the cold moonlight poured down, reflecting the boundless emerald field.
Thorne sat silently on the hillside, staring out at the campfire in the distance, his eyes fixed, not even blinking, his face cold and stiff.
A shooting star streaks across the night sky, bringing a moment of vitality to the pitch-dark sky full of still light spots, and the half-elves sitting still make no wish.
He only knew that when the first ray of dawn dawned, it was the moment of a decisive battle with the hobgoblins.
…………