mtlumby2d Chapter 334 The First Glimmer of Twilight
Chapter 334 The First Glimmer of Twilight
With a tremendous roar, the dark clouds in the sky were shaken apart.
A blood moon hung high in the sky, and the people of Hillsbrad Village scattered and fled, unlike the orderly scene during the drills. This was because the real undead had no mind and would bite anyone they saw, so the terrified people could only scurry through any cracks like ants.
Fires soon broke out in the town...
Lorraine lifted his cloak and nervously looked toward the lakeside camp.
It was already midnight. Most of the soldiers in the lakeside camp were asleep, and some of the officers who had gone out to a banquet were completely drunk. A few vigilant ones noticed something was wrong, but they didn't have time to get the news.
Lorraine wasn't concerned about the military camp's reaction, but rather the activity at the refugee camp in the forbidden area between the lakeside military camp and the town.
The teacher said there was definitely something fishy going on at the shelter.
The town can't hide a traitor who escaped from Undercity; the undead who can't see the light of day must be hiding in the containment facility! The containment facility, heavily guarded by the Kirin Tor's mage guards, is the mission objective.
Charge in and take out the target?
It's feasible, but I'm not confident I can retrieve what the Queen wants.
The intelligence reports that the four researchers who escaped from Undercity were originally moderates within the Barren Council. However, when faced with Varimathras's purge, these individuals seemed convinced that the Queen would exterminate them all. Not only did they flee Undercity without hesitation, but they also specifically stole a mysterious gem from the Queen's treasury.
This doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Archmage Vodien & Woodgrayle of Tarren Mill instructed Lorraine to eliminate the traitors and reclaim the gems.
However, he did not reveal the names, abilities, or characteristics of the four spies.
It didn't specify what kind of gem they were trying to reclaim; it only stated that the gem was alive...
"The gemstone is alive..."
Lorraine and her apprentice were a little confused. What did they mean by a living stone? Did the gem grow arms and legs on its own? Was the gem an elemental being?
The answer lies in storming the internment camp and finding the so-called traitor.
After going through all this trouble, dragging things out for half a day, and putting on a facade, they were just waiting for this midnight moment.
The master and apprentice were not in a hurry and waited quietly for the opportunity.
His biggest concern, of course, was that everyone from the asylum could go to town to help. That way, he could proceed with his plan to eliminate the villains and seize the treasure... before the human camp by the lake could react, as time was limited.
Lorraine still has a lot to do.
I wonder if that dog infected with distemper will cause enough riots...
He underestimated the power of the Royal Alchemists' creations; a single plague dog had already killed dozens of militiamen and infected hundreds more, and the resulting undead plague was spreading rapidly.
While directing the townspeople who trusted him to evacuate quickly, the mayor of Bonn also hinted to the clerk and others to move the valuables as soon as possible, as they had their own secret passage. The deepest part of the jade mine had long been connected to the mayor's hall.
The mayor was not afraid at all; he could get away unscathed.
Their goal is to get all the townspeople to Atonement Island! The ceremony has long been prepared there; all they lack are living lives...
The mayor and others had been waiting for this day for some time, but the divine message indicated the time was not yet ripe. Only when the blood moon shone brightly and the hellhounds appeared would the Blood God rejoice. Twilight would then descend upon the mortal realm...
The mayor of Bonn, though panicked, seemed to be smiling.
Surrounded, Prince Garin almost thought he was hallucinating. He felt that the mayor and his entourage were surrounded by a black aura, as if they were smoking... He saw that the situation was getting more and more chaotic. Almost all the officers of the lakeside camp had come out to the banquet with him. Master Yuvel and the Countess had each taken away a group of elites, saying that they wanted to make more detailed plans for the attack in other directions.
The camp by the lake is now leaderless, and I must go back!
"Born, if you don't let us leave, you're committing treason!"
"Treason? Whose country? Marshal Garin, you seem to have forgotten that Lordaeron is already a fallen kingdom. As a former ally, Stromgarde is also nearing its end... Prince of a fallen kingdom, whose country are you truly loyal to?"
The town mayor completely turned hostile, showing a completely different face from the humble host at the banquet.
The mayor dropped his pretense, and their opportunity arrived.
This opportunity was supposed to come a few days later, but when the plague dogs appeared, the mayor and his brothers believed it was their master's prophecy coming true. They were going to take all the living people to the island in the sea.
That island of atonement, legend has it, offers a direct path to heaven...
Those who went there never returned, and now the people in the town have no other choice.
They had no choice but to follow the mayor's orders.
With a wave of his hand, the town mayor opened a gap in the encirclement, which led directly to the kitchen, the very place currently ravaged by the plague.
“Galin, if you’re still a man, take your dog and fight that monster, save the people here, and maybe I’ll think more highly of you. But if all you do in your life is rely on your ancestors’ glory to bully and oppress the people, then a prince like you is no different from a syndicate bandit. You have no right to be king!”
The mayor's words were like knives, and Prince Garin, who had just regained his senses after the cool breeze, was instantly enraged.
However, the mayor's guards were no pushovers either. These veterans of Lordaeron were equipped with weapons that were no less advanced than those of Prince Galin's guards, and even better. With long guns and short cannons pointed at the faces of the dozen or so guards, they dared not make a move.
In close combat, the fine armor produced by the Hillsbrad blacksmiths is mostly supplied to the mayor's personal guard. Both sides are battle-hardened veterans, and close combat wouldn't necessarily end well for them...
Seeing the situation was dire, the loyal knights of Stromgarde quickly dissuaded their prince. They suggested retreating towards the plague zone, which might allow them to return to camp in time. Once back at camp and with their forces mobilized, the ragtag bunch in Hillsbrad Foothills would be no match for the Stromgarde Red Knights.
The prince gritted his teeth and pointed a finger at Mayor Bourne, "Old man, you just wait... this isn't over! You'll pay a heavy price for your offense."
After saying that, he mounted his handsome horse outside the town hall courtyard, cracked the whip, and rode away.
His men quickly mounted their horses. These Stromgarde cavalry were indeed quite formidable; the town mayor had deliberately provided their horses...
"Mayor, you're just letting him go? He is..."
Some people worry that Prince Garin, being a young prince, is not very magnanimous, and if he is allowed to leave, how will their mayor fare?
“There are no buts. We must leave here tonight. The great battle begins tomorrow, and we won’t be able to escape from here anyway. This banquet may be our last. Let him go. I don’t believe he can live to see the day he takes his revenge on us. In the master’s prophecy, Garin will only suffer eternal torment in hell because he has committed an unforgivable sin.”
Hearing the master...
The mayor's brothers dared not say anything more...
The banquet was in full swing, but just after midnight, the end of the world had arrived.
Some people were still fast asleep when the fire and plague had already reached their feet...
The mayor couldn't bear to close his eyes; it seemed his earlier lingering attachment to the treasures was all a pretense. He simply couldn't bear to see humanity continue to suffer and sought a release... He gazed at the distant firelight and the islands faintly visible on the distant coast, muttering repeatedly, "Twilight is breaking... Praise be to the Ancient Gods!"