Chapter 41, Alpine Fortress (Part 1)

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When they saw a trace of white belly in the sky, the extremely exhausted caravan finally arrived at the hillside of Scarville Mountain.

In the distance, on the mountainside full of shrubs and meadows, a small river flows down from the mountain. In the middle of winter, the river has been completely frozen. Looking at the snow on the mountain and the white sky, it is like a river from the sky to the ground. , an alpine fortress stands there. The fortress is divided into two layers, and it looks quite deterrent from a distance.

"I hope this fort welcomes our guests." Ryan rode on his horse, and he was also tired from the night's fighting and traveling all night.

"We don't care if there is a master or not, we just escort you here, we don't care about the rest!" Gray Blade Birger left the crowd with dark circles, and brought the remaining dozen people of the Gray Blade Mercenary Group left in the other direction.

The negotiation last night collapsed without any accident. The price offered by the Gray Blade Mercenary Group was too high for the merchants to accept. They demanded 30% of the profit from the sale of the Sea Heart Stone.

Similarly, several wandering knights also demanded 30% of the profits.

After private discussions between Oliver and Matz, they told them an answer that 30% of the profit from the sale of the Seaheart Stone would be shared equally between White Wolf Knight Ryan and Garland Councilor Teresa Trovik.

As for Gray Blade and these wandering knights, they have nothing.

Since the Bloodaxe Mercenary Group was hired by Teresa, they will not participate in the share.

Faced with the money delivered to his door, Ryan couldn't think of a reason to refuse. In fact, he could vaguely feel that this incident might have been caused by his own reasons. These beastmen came here completely prepared, and this is not like robbery at all. A passing caravan, this is more like a premeditated attack.

Out of the knight's sense of responsibility and mission, Ryan believes that he has enough reasons to help Oliver and Matz complete this business trip. Even if he does nothing, he will not be blamed, but there are some bottom lines that he needs to abide by spontaneously.

There is still a bottom line to be a human being.

"You guys wait outside first, Estelle and I will go in and have a look first." In broad daylight, the fortress on the high mountain was eerily quiet, and everyone in the caravan yelled inside many times, but got no response.

The fortress collapsed inward, and many parts of the stone fortress wall had collapsed due to lack of maintenance, so it did not look safe from the outside. From this, Ryan also concluded that there would be no bandits stationed here for a long time outside the fortress. In conclusion, the forest is not safe at all. If there are bandits stationed here for a long time, they will at least repair the outer wall a little bit.

As for whether this is a trap, Ryan feels that it is hard to say, and he will not know until he enters.

"Ester and I go in and have a look, Teresa, just wait outside." Ryan ordered the people outside, and walked towards the mountain fortress with Estelle, while the rest of the people were Camped and rested in place, waiting for news.

With Emilia's help, Teresa reluctantly dismounted and found a place to sit. The sorceress was not feeling well, leaning against a stone with a pale face, but she still retained a clear consciousness.

Today's weather is very cloudy, the air in the morning is slightly steamy, and it seems to seep into the bone marrow when it blows on her body. Emilia shrinks her neck subconsciously. The clothes of the female mercenary are not thick. She only wears a simple robe and Leather armor, as well as brown tight leather pants and boots, but her eyes are full of determination, and the cold can't make her flinch.

"Amy... Leah?" The sorceress leaned aside and spoke to the female mercenary without warning. The female mercenary's heart skipped a beat, and she shrank quietly: "Ms. Trovik, what's the matter?" Command? Please say?"

"I don't have any instructions, I just think your name is a bit... special, what did you do before?" The sorceress forced herself to divert her attention from her physical discomfort,

She thought to herself that for the rest of the journey, she would rather ask Ryan to hold her on her body than ride a horse or a carriage. She really had enough of the bumps along the way.

"Me? I used to be a merchant's daughter. Later, on a trade route, the damn Beastmen attacked our caravan. Both my father and uncle died in that battle, leaving me alone. I Knowing that even selling all the family property would not be worth the loss, she escaped overnight and became a mercenary." Emilia lowered her head and told a common story, the sorceress didn't think about it, and she immediately turned her gaze Put it on Emilia's sword.

This female mercenary carries two swords, a rapier, the width of the blade is about 2.5 to 3 centimeters, the blade is very long, she has been using this rapier before, and the hilt of a sword The sword and the scabbard were wrapped in thick linen by the female mercenary. This sword was bigger, like a one-handed long sword. The only load-bearing ball that could be seen was similar to Ryan's sword, a silver skull.

"Your swords look special?" The sorceress asked, "Why are you carrying two swords like those witchers?"

A witcher usually carries two swords, a silver sword for slaying creatures of chaos, and a steel sword for dealing with humanoids, beasts, or...humans.

"This sword? This rapier is a ceremonial sword, not for actual combat. I took it by hand when I was running away, but I am a woman without the wrist strength of a man, and I can't use those two-handed swords they use. So I just used this sword." Emilia said in a low voice: "As for this one-handed long sword, it is a family heirloom of my family. It is said that it was owned by a nobleman of the old empire. Later, Ludwig The fief and title were confiscated during His Majesty's liquidation, so the ancestors of the family took the opportunity to buy this sword at a high price, and I don't know much about the others, so I took it with me when I escaped."

"That's it." Teresa changed her sitting position to make herself more comfortable. She saw that Emilia didn't want to start the topic, so she stopped talking.

Interior of the Alpine Fortress.

This is a fortress built on the mountain with an area of ​​100 meters. It is specifically divided into an outer wall surrounded by high walls and an open space inside. There are also three or four-story towers. A river from the mountain passes through the middle of the fortress. However, the river is currently frozen.

Ryan held the hammer in both hands, and the golden griffin-headed warhammer emitted golden light under the dim light of the fortress. The half-elf followed closely behind him, with feathered arrows resting on the bowstring, carefully watching every move in the fortress .

Withered lichens and alpine moss grew on the ground of the fortress. Ryan stepped on his riding boots and made noises. White sunlight penetrated into the dark interior of the fortress from the cracks and gaps on the top of the fortress. The entrance was empty, with only stones and mud , and weeds everywhere.

"There are traces of battle, but it should have been many years ago." Ryan squatted on the ground, and he found traces of battle inside the fortress: "Ester, do you find anything?"

"...It seems that it doesn't feel like a battle where the fortress was breached. Look, Ryan, there are no traces of battle at the gate." The half-elf inspected the scratches on the wall and pillars, shaking his head: "Obviously, the enemy is not Attacked from the outside."

"Emmm, internal fighting? Are these people afraid of going to the court of the kingdom? Let's go to another place to see." Ryan also felt very strange, but there was nothing to gain in the hall, so Ryan decided to take a look at the situation inside the tower.

"The gate is sealed, we can't get in." The wooden door leading to the tower was sealed by something, and the half-elf couldn't open it with all his strength, so he could only retreat back and shook his head: " I can't push the door open, according to the feel, it should not be tied, but blocked by something."

"Stand back." Ryan raised his warhammer, and the half-elf immediately realized what he wanted to do. He instinctively wanted to say that if you were discovered by the Nord army, you would be convicted, but when the half-elf After his eyes glanced at the White Wolf Knight badge on Ryan's chest, he closed his mouth.

"Boom!" The sound of the hammer hitting a heavy object echoed in the hall.

At the same time, there seemed to be a commotion behind the gate. Ryan narrowed his eyes and gave Ike a look: ready to fight.

"Boom!" Another heavy blow, the door showed signs of cracking, Estelle curled his mouth and bowed his arrow: "What a savage, too violent."

"We don't have a locksmith. Birger is gone, dear Estelle." Ryan took a deep breath and raised the hammer again: "So, keep it simple, it's good for us."

"Boom!!!" With the third blow of the hammer, the gate of the tower was finally shattered by Ryan's attack, and a large number of green figures rushed out of it, waving their swords and rushing towards the door: "I think this ambush failed, So, waaaaaagh!!"

"Waaaaagh!"

A dozen goblins rushed out of the tower like a green tide, and there was even a burly Orc among them. This greenskin was wearing extremely tattered armor, held a machete, and exuded The smell was very bad, and it rushed towards Ryan with big strides: "I thought I would give you a good beating in this pile, damn human!"

It's Greenskin! The basic soldier in Orcs!

"Shit~" Ryan spat, and he used the warhammer to sweep the green boy before he got close. The three goblins that rushed out of the first wave were all sent flying, and some hit the wall directly, and then the white wolf The knight directly reached out and pinched a goblin's head, crushing the head and throwing it aside under the eyes of all the green skins.

The White Wolf Knight stepped back slightly, and met the Orc alone. The muscles on the green skin were very strong. The machete in its hand slashed down vertically, and Ryan raised the hammer to block. After the weapons clashed, Ryan followed up quickly, and he moved quickly. The hammer head of the warhammer overcame the reaction force with his strong arm strength, and hit the right shoulder of the green boy.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh'" The shoulder was injured, and the green-skinned boy was full of viciousness. Although its right arm was crippled, the machete in its left hand erupted with even stronger power. Ryan hesitated for a moment. Immediately after that, he retracted the hammer to resist, the hammer handle and the machete splashed a lot of sparks, Ryan directly returned his hand and grabbed the back, and he caught the head of a goblin who was about to stab back.

Ryan threw the goblin directly at the green boy. The goblin drew a wonderful arc in the air, and then its head collided with the green boy's head, and they both fell to the ground. The goblin Just like that, his head was stuffed directly into the green boy's mouth.

The white psychic blade pierced through the heads of Goblin and the Green Boy in a flickering flash. When Ryan twisted his right hand, the two heads were strung together and cut off together.

"Oh! Ryan! Come and help me!" On the other side, Estelle was already in a hard fight. Facing the close-range attack of the goblins, the half-elf reluctantly pulled out a pair of daggers from the quiver behind him, Struggling to resist the goblin's attack, he completely lost the agility and agility he had before, and even lost his usual elegance, clumsy left and right.

The challenge level of goblins ranges from ordinary middle-level to elite elementary-level. Estelle is an elite high-level half-elf ranger. Ryan feels secretly amused by how difficult it is to deal with a few goblins. This establishes a fact.

Half-elves are not good at melee combat at all. Although rangers are not as good at melee combat as melee professions, they are not as flustered and embarrassed as Estelle. His leather armor has already been scratched a few times.

A big green head was thrown over, and the goblin who was hit on the head was about to yell at who did it, stand up for me, but when he saw what it was, he immediately shouted: "The big guy is dead! ! The boys are trying to get their hands on the wind, so run away!"

"Run away!!!" The remaining goblins saw that the leader, the green boy, was dead, and immediately chose to run away. Many goblins fled towards the inside of the tower in turn, leaving behind corpses all over the place. On the corner of the first floor.

"Your advanced profession is jungle shooter, am I right?" Ryan stretched out his hand and pulled Estelle up, shrugging.

"It's... barbaric, rude, and low-spirited way of fighting. These green skins are always so annoying. Their way of fighting is as disgusting as their stench. The best way is to purify them with flames!" Half-elf There was a lot of dust on his body, and his face was ashamed: "It seems that there are indeed green skins in this fortress."

"So we have to move fast, if there is no accident." Ryan immediately walked towards the inside of the tower.

The half-elf felt a little embarrassed, so he hurried to follow.

Walking down the spiral staircase of the tower, the two of them saw a hell-like scene. Countless human bones and green-skinned bones filled the entire basement. On the wall of the basement, a huge hole seemed to tell the story of what happened. The reason for this battle is that the human soldiers resisted desperately. All the faces of these bones were facing this hollow, and no one turned their backs to it.

"It's the greenskins. They dug through the passage in the basement of this tower. The defenders resisted desperately, but they were still outnumbered. Maybe some of the defenders withdrew, or maybe they didn't. Send troops to recover here, because who knows how many greenskins will come in this place after the underground tunnel is opened? Today is a goblin, tomorrow is a greenskin boy, maybe the big greenskin will come later, Even the green-skinned army." Ryan checked the bottomless pit in the basement, and then pinched his chin to judge: "So the only option is to withdraw the troops and let these green-skinned and beastmen fight than consume precious military power Be nice."

The pitch-black tunnel is bottomless, and you can feel the deep coldness just by looking at the black road. Ryan tried to block it with some materials, but the White Wolf Knight knew in his heart that this could not stop the green-skinned .

"We definitely can't be stationed here at night! Let's take a rest outside and get on the road immediately!" Ryan immediately judged that this alpine fortress must not stay here anymore, because it has been forcibly linked to an underground tunnel!

"Go upstairs and have a look."