Chapter 79 5. Blood and Fire
Daxus asked Chupakoko, who had recovered, about the location of the stone slab. Chupakoko said that he also didn't understand it, and he always went to look for it on orders.
Dakwus went back to the warehouse to inspect the slabs again, confirming they didn't have any GPS devices or anything like that. After a moment's reflection, he understood. First, the Slann needed to know the slabs existed in order to locate them. Without knowing, there was no way to locate them. Otherwise, what were Tikit-Huichi and his horned cold lizards looking for as warhound mercenaries in the Old World? And why were there so many slabs scattered throughout the abandoned temple-cities of Lustria, yet they hadn't been found? Wouldn't the entire map be fully illuminated if they had been located?
After a long voyage through the underground sea, the Black Ark Pioneer of Despair finally emerged from the junction of the Isthmus of Lustria and the Pahuacs Rainforest, and then began to turn around and head north.
After sailing for a few days, the trainers riding on dark Pegasus began to scout northward. Soon after, the returning trainers reported that they had found a human galleon sailing westward in the north.
The Herald of Despair led the plundering fleet to turn and hung far behind the ship. The sorceresses on the ship began to use magic to make the magic device in the spire emit thick fog.
They sailed like this for five days, with only this one ship, and no other ship leaving the port of Skogey. Perhaps they hadn't found any fortune? Who knows.
In the first half of the night, the Herald of Despair began to prepare for battle. Daquus was not ready to attack. He wanted to stand next to Dastan Cold Eyes and learn from him. This was a rare opportunity to command in actual combat.
The slaves have been sacrificed to Kane, and the two war hydras are feasting on them, enjoying a carnival feast.
In the second half of the night, the sea tide began to rise, and the raid began without warning!
The only available route in and out of Skogei is the port, which is directly blocked by the fleet led by the Herald of Despair.
The sleeping black dragon woke up. It flew towards the fortifications outside the port, spewing poisonous breath. The corrosive breath instantly melted the defensive towers. The black dragon began to roar, venting its crazy power to everything it could reach. The Norsemen in the fortifications woke up from their sleep and tried to fight back desperately by throwing axes and javelins.
As the tide rose at night, the Herald of Despair entered the outskirts of the harbor. The Reaper crossbows on the deck were moved to the side facing the harbor, and with the help of the sorceress's magic, they began to shoot at the ships anchored in the harbor.
The black dragon circled in the air and returned to the fortifications outside the harbor. Throwing axes and javelins had no effect on its hardened hide, only enraging it. It breathed poisonous breath again, its corrosive breath melting the reptiles that dared to challenge it. The Norsemen could no longer bear the visceral feeling of powerlessness and began to flee.
The soldiers from the Desperate Herald and the Plunderer, as well as the Black Ark pirates, began to climb up the rope ladder onto the landing boat.
The harbor was moored with a variety of ships, flying various flags. Dacius observed that most of them were from the Empire, the Southern City-States, Araby, and Bretonnia, with a few small Norse dragonships thrown in. Only those seeking wealth could coexist peacefully; it was truly a shame they hadn't come to blows. The ships were blasted to smithereens by the Harvester ballistas' magical bolts. The fangs and claws of the Infernal Dragons also attacked the fragile wooden vessels. A single swipe of its tail shattered the small vessel in half, right down the deck.
Dastan Coldeye stood on the deck fully armed and watched the battle. He was originally planning to sacrifice another batch of slaves to obtain Hecate's blessing, but he did not expect the battle to go so smoothly. He hurriedly ordered his first mate to stop this wave of sacrifices.
Darkus was speechless, looking at Dastan Lengyan with disdain. However, he could understand the saying, "When a poor man suddenly becomes rich, his chest and belly bulge out." That's not right!
The Lengyan family is saddled with debt and interest. Should they be trying to save as much as possible? Is their cleverness backfiring? Or is it a testament to the utilitarian nature of Drucci's beliefs?
Daxus coughed quickly, and Dastan Lengyan turned to look at him in confusion. He shook his head back, and the meaning was very clear. Alyssa, the Hecate Blesser, was still here, but Dastan Lengyan seemed unaware of this.
"Don't worry, there are plenty of slaves and wealth!" After saying that, Daquus nodded towards the town. He would never say that he was curious about the power and effects displayed by large-scale magic.
With this wave of slave sacrifices, the Cold Eyes family's high-ranking shadow sorceress began to manipulate the turbulent Urku winds. The accompanying sorceress also began to act as a power bank, pouring out magic, unleashing a dark vortex of condensed shadows upon the town of Skogi. A vortex leading to the abyss of hell slowly opened within the town. Once formed, the vortex began to shift and rage, forever devouring all caught within it.
Mazdamundi didn't meditate again. He had a vague feeling that if he did, he would wake up again. He wanted to understand what the omen was. He suddenly sensed a fierce battle erupting in the area where the hot-bloods lived. A terrifying wind of magic was gathering there, and Pachukoko was there too.
Pichipochi was still serving beside Lord Mazdamundi respectfully. Mazdamundi slowly lowered his head to look at him and sent a magic message to him to go and see what was going on.
Skogey is one of the wettest spots on the entire Isthmus of Lustria, experiencing a yearly high tide. Norse tradition dictates that the town's buildings are mostly wooden, requiring many to be raised on stilts to maintain a degree of dryness. Unfortunately, this tradition proves less effective in the sinking mire, with many of the pillars rotten to the core. Consequently, the houses in this desolate area are constantly crumbling, even swaying from side to side with the slightest movement.
However, after tonight, the people living here don't have to worry about these bad things. They don't have to shake the brothel hard in the hope of shaking it down and running away with the money.
"What's going on? Is there a typhoon?"
A terrifying dark vortex swept in, sucking away the exhausted guests who collapsed onto their beds after their hard work, sucking them away along with the room. Some simply vanished without a trace in their sleep, as if they had never been to this world.
Countless mercenaries, explorers, adventurers, crew members and guards rushed out of various houses with terrified faces and disheveled clothes.
There was a traffic jam in a tavern. Drunk people crowded around the double doors at the entrance, trying to escape. Some had already escaped, but fell into the mud at the bottom of the stairs. Before they could get up, they watched with wide eyes as the dark vortex emitting the terrifying sound approached. The adventurers, who had instantly sobered up from their drunkenness, let out a hysterical and desperate cry, and then disappeared.
Those drunkards who were still sleeping on the bar were lucky because they didn't have to experience fear and died in a daze.
Dacus looked at the horrific scene through a monocular, wondering what it would be like if he and his army were in there.