Chapter 278 The Drow Tribe (Part 2)
Wooden houses that appeared to be the Drows’ dwelling stood within the village. A significant number of sentries were posted at the entrance. The duo would be able to gain entrance to the village after defeating the Drows.
Ye Ci fired off a Flare into the night sky. Once it was certain that there were no hidden enemies in their vicinity, the duo began engaging the Drow sentries.
As the duo assaulted the Drow village, the three major guilds were ready for action in the Mor Jiami Plains.
Sangharama Shrine.
“Leader, the men we sent out to watch Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn are back.” Thousand Mile Dream whispered the details to Sangharama’s Grace.
Sangharama Grace was handing out tasks for the leaders of his guild’s squadron as the news arrived. A slight hint of fatigue could be seen at the corner of his eyes due to the lack of rest from the days he spent to prepare for the battle, but his vigor was still not lost. The lack of rest had not affected him in the slightest.
“What?” Sangharama Grace stared at Thousand Mile Dream. The player was an expert scout of the guild, and the intelligence he provided aided greatly in Sangharama Grace’s battle plan.
The siege of the fortress would not be an easy one. Sangharama Shrine would have to minimize their casualties while remaining vigilant against the two other guilds. They were welcome to have a try at the fort as well, but if their attempts would jeopardize the benefits of Sangharama Shrine, things would not go well.
But...
It was virtually impossible to attack the fortress unimpeded by the two other guilds when they had already established a significant presence in the plains. Sangharama Shrine had laid out their plans as well as possible, and Sangharama Grace was confident that his guild would succeed as long as no special events occurred.
Of course, it was not assurance enough.
Sangharama Grace was always one to pay attention to even the smallest of detail. He would always kill a problem before it can grow out of its cradle.
The largest hidden threat that his guild faced were the two uninvited guests, “What’s going on over there?” Even at the eve of battle, Sangharama Grace knew that any intelligence about Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn could not be ignored. He motioned for his subordinates to remain silent so that he could receive the report from Thousand Mile Dream without interruption.
“We sent out three teams of 20 Rogues each to look for them. According to our scouts, Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn have ascended the Sacred Snowy Mountain three days ago, and have not returned. Our men who were guarding the entrance had just informed me that there were no signs of them yet. They have not left the mountain to replenish their supplies. We’re certain that they’re still on the mountain.” Thousand Mile Dream delivered a detailed report.
“Do you know where in the Sacred Snowy Mountain they are?” Sangharama Grace’s eyebrows creased when he received the report, but he was then struck by a sudden realisation, “Or rather, which zone are they in?”
“Our best Rogue did not find any traces of them in the zones lvl80 and below. They must be in the lvl90-lvl120 zone. The area is too dangerous for our men, so I did not send anyone to scout it out.” came the reply. He did not have the exact location of Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn, but he knew that it was not as important as the battle that would soon begin.
Sangharama Grace was satisfied with the response, “It seems that they’re really here for a quest. But to think that they would be doing it in the lvl90-lvl120 zone. Impressive.”
“Will their presence affect our battle plan?” asked one of the squad leaders.
It took a few moments for Sangharama Grace to respond to the question. It was indeed one of his worries, but there was no direct route from the Sacred Snowy Mountain to the Mor Jiami Plains. And after taking such a fact into consideration, his worries were immediately squashed. He shook his head and spoke to his subordinates, “Let us continue with the meeting.”
Heavenly Body guild.
As Nangong Yunfei was ready to deliver the intelligence he had on Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn to Lethal Poison, his leader was sleeping on a chair.
Unlike Sangharama Grace who would be worried as an important event drew near, Lethal Poison tends to be relaxed. Whenever there was a battle, Lethal Poison would definitely grab a good nap before the action.
Nangong Yunfei rapped his fingers against Lethal Poison’s chair. The sound was not loud, but it was enough to rouse him from his sleep. He stared groggily at Nangong Yunfei, as if to identify the person who dared disturb his sleep. He sat up straight dejectedly and yawned when he noticed that the person was Nangong Yunfei, “It better be important or I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
Nangong Yunfei shrugged and relayed the news. Lethal Poison’s reaction was the exact opposite of Sangharama Grace’s, “Say… If those two ended up fighting… Will someone record it?”
Nangong Yunfei was used to the absurdity of his guild leader’s train of thoughts, “Nope.”
“What a shame,” Lethal Poison spread his hands, “It would’ve been nice if those two fought. A fight between Huntress against a three-branch mage would be interesting to watch.”
“I don’t think they’ll end up fighting each other.” Lethal Poison’s fantasy was destroyed by Nangong Yunfei’s words.
“Why is that?”
“They’re allies in our continent. They might be completing a quest together.”
Nangong Yunfei’s analysis of the situation was more realistic than that of Lethal Poison’s.
But Lethal Poison looked at him with disdain, “You must be fun at parties!”
Nangong Yunfei laughed at that remark, “The battle is about to start. Isn’t that when the fun begins?”
Lethal Poison chuckled before letting out another yawn. He stood up straight and took in a deep breath before walking out of his tent. “Form up, men!” he shouted at the members of his guild who had gathered in the Mor Jiami Plains.
Rain of Blood guild.
Dried Bones received the same news from Melodious Flute.
The man nodded and stared at the abandoned fort not far away, “Let’s get ready. Our aim is to minimize casualties, but it does not mean that we’re not looking tow in.”
Melodious Flute shifted his gaze towards the Sacred Snowy Mountain. The mountain was shrouded by the morning mist. Gongzi You and Spotless Autumn were on that mountain, and with luck they would stay there forever.
“Alright then. To victory it is.” Melodious Flute nodded, and raised his hand with a smile.
Dried Bones lifted his hand as well, and the duo gave each other a high five.
Sacred Snowy Mountain.
In the Drow village.
Ye Ci was grilling some meat in the middle of the Drow village that was strewn with corpses. Spotless Autumn clicked his tongue as he surveyed the carnage around him, “Say, Gongzi You, aren’t they your brethren? You did not even hold back. How cruel of you.”
Ye Ci glanced at Spotless Autumn, “The Slaver’s Ship dungeon is way bigger than this village and it was filled with Humans. They’re your brethren as well. I doubt that you’ve shown them any mercy. After all, most of your equipment seems to be from that dungeon.”
Spotless Autumn chuckled and was immediately silent. He pointed at an altar not far away and a pond filled with water that had a faint blue glow. It was a common sight for Ye Ci, for Elves believed that they were beings born out of nature, and water was an important part of nature. Such a pond could be found in any Elven village, and even in the villages of hostile NPCs as long as it was founded by Elves.
It was said that an Elf’s wounds, no matter how grievous they may be, could be healed by a dip in the pond. This made it the most important structure in an Elven village. A pond like this would usually be accompanied by an altar.
“Do you see the altar over there? What I want is on that altar.” said Spotless Autumn as he took a bite out of a piece of roasted meat, “But getting there is hard.”
It was indeed hard.
The Drows within the village were all dispatched by Ye Ci and Spotless Autumn, but there was still a large group remaining around the altar led by a Drow that appeared to be a High Priest. The aggro of these Drow were linked. If one of them was attacked, the rest would descend upon their assailant in the blink of an eye. They were normal NPCs, but their numbers and levels made them formidable opponents.
A large rumbling could be heard from the distance as the duo continued their discussion.
“What was that!” the duo shared a look and exclaimed in unison as the tremor shook them where they sat.
Before they could react, however, the Drows around the altar erupted into a panic chatter. Ye Ci immediately dismissed Ol’ Four and entered Stealth while Spotless Autumn chugged down a bottle of Medium Invisibility Potion to avoid detection.
Spotless Autumn was a Human, and he did not study Elvish, “What are they saying?”
Ye Ci, who initially was not paying attention to the Drows’ chattering immediately paid attention to them at Spotless Autumn’s question, “They’re saying that the Gods are angry.” Despite his panic, the Drow High Priest remained near the altar. It was apparent that whatever around the altar was very important to the Drows.
The High Priest was an Elite lvl120 NPC. A normal lvl120 would have no problem facing down the High Priest, but Ye Ci and Spotless Autumn were both lvl60. Taking on the High Priest would not be an easy task.
“That High Priest is spooked as well. Will we be discovered if we get to the altar now?”
Spotless Autumn had apparently noticed the same thing.
“I have no idea.” Ye Ci replied truthfully. Having a group of NPCs panicking due to an unknown factor was a rare occurrence.
“Whatever, this is our only chance!” a loud explosion rocked the entire village at the same time Spotless Autumn finished his sentence. At that point, even the High Priest began to flee. Spotless Autumn seized the opportunity to charge at the altar, “Cover me!”
“I got it. Hurry up!” came the response. Spotless Autumn gulped down a bottle of Haste Potion and made his way to the altar at full speed. He was spotted by some of the Drows, but was ignored in their panicked state.
This is a good chance! Thought Spotless Autumn. He climbed onto the altar and grabbed his quest item, shoving it into his backpack, and ran back to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief and slung her bow. Leaving the village with Stealth was her best option.
Just then, a system notification rang out in her ears, “Your party members have stolen the Artifact of the Sacred Snowy Mountain Drow Tribe. Due to his dispicable, your party has incurred the wrath of the Guardian. You will be tracked for 24 hours by the Guardian! Countdown begins now.”
RAAAWR!
An earthshaking roar shook the Drow Village. Ye Ci surveyed her surroundings, but was unable to spot the Guardian. “What have you done!” she asked through gritted teeth.
“I have no idea! Run for it!”