NABC Chapter 166 New Acquaintances and Old Friends
Chapter 166 New Acquaintances and Old Friends
Chapter 166 New Acquaintances and Old Friends
Metal pierced flesh, bodies slammed against solid walls, and swords and blood mingled in the narrow doorway, creating a dance of death.
The swordswoman used the blade of her sword to block the gnoll in front of her, and with her other hand holding the javelin, she repeatedly stabbed the gnoll's soft abdomen, tearing it to shreds.
"Awoo!"
The female knight blocked a doorway, so she only had to face one enemy at a time. The gnolls in front of her were pushed forward by the gnolls behind them, with nowhere to retreat, becoming meat targets for the female knight. These guys had no armor, were huddled together, lost their speed advantage, and had no way to dodge. One stab and they would be a bloody hole.
The jackals were locked in a stalemate at the entrance, filled with impotent rage. However, the swordswoman had no chance to break in, nor could she retreat—the enemy numbers were too great. She could still deal with them while they were stuck inside the door, but if she retreated and let them out to surround her, the battle would be over.
Seeing that the swordswoman had lured the gnolls together, Geb had an idea. He waved his hands and used magic to create a greasy patch under the gnolls' feet.
As the jackals were rushing to push their way out, they suddenly lost their footing and slipped one after another. The wolves behind them fell forward, pulling their companions down with them, creating a rather comical scene.
But the gnoll at the front of the line had no time to laugh. He was being pushed forward uncontrollably by the guys behind him. Seeing this, the swordswoman planted her javelin on the ground and took a step back.
"Aww—No!"
*Thud!* The jackal ran right into the spearhead, which pierced through its throat, trapping the spear between its body and body in a triangle, holding it firmly in place.
Its kin behind it were in no better shape. They were covered in grease, and as soon as they got up, they fell down again, clinging to the wall and the shoulders of their fellow kin. Everyone wanted to get up, but no one could.
"Gebu, have you had enough fun? It's time to wrap this up!"
The swordswoman shouted to the halfling behind her, and kicked the not-quite-dead jackal into the doorway. Another round of physical collisions ensued, accompanied by curses and grumbling.
Gob's main body remained safely at a distance, operating only through his shadow. It wasn't that he didn't want to clean up the mess—the Burning Hand was already in his grasp. The goblin wizard didn't want the two guys inside the church to see him casting a spell, so he had his shadow wait behind the swordswoman, then switched his vision to his summoned creature—which had already flown to the gap in the church ceiling and was waiting.
Inside the abandoned chapel:
The gnoll leader remains trapped in Geb's illusion. The scarred gnoll is under the spell of the Phantom. In his mind, he is no longer a burly gnoll, but a hungry cub, watching his flesh being snatched away by his stronger kin. The unquenchable hunger in his stomach completely takes over his reason.
I'm so hungry—my stomach feels so uncomfortable!
"Meat——meat!"
The jackal, clutching its own arm, greedily devoured the food, its face, body, and mouth splattered with blood. The more it gnawed, the hungrier it grew, its eyes bloodshot. Its sharp teeth crunched and crushed the bones, sucking out the marrow.
Just then, the illusion's time limit expired, and Scarface the gnoll was suddenly awakened by the excruciating pain from the severed wound on his elbow!
He stared in disbelief at his missing arm, his pain and frustration turning into rage. With a roar, the gnoll charged at the two nearest figures—the orc and the dark-skinned woman—driven by the intense pain.
The dark-skinned woman gasped!
"Hey! Big guy, give me a push!"
The dark-skinned half-elf shoved the big guy hard from behind, rolled over, and the banjo hit the floor with a piercing sound.
clang!
The half-elf disappeared beneath the church altar. Only the orc called "Big Guy" remained, pushed out by the woman.
He faced the blood-soaked gnoll without fear, raised the candlestick upside down, and used the forked metal base to strike the scarred man!
Scarface, his chest pressed against a candlestick taller than a man, swung his claws wildly at the orc. The orc was even taller than the gnoll, but his proportions were grotesque: his waist, hips, and torso were roughly the same thickness, his limbs short and muscular, making him wobble as he moved, like a bucket with four brooms stuck in it. The orc's face wore an expression of natural dullness; he spoke to the gnoll as if scolding a neighbor's pet, "Bad dog!"
The gnoll's eyes turned red. Seeing that a frontal attack would fail, it took a step back, crouched down to gather its strength, grabbed a handful of ground, and then pounced forward!
The big guy swung the cast-iron tall candlestick with a whooshing sound, and hurled it at the gnoll! Scarface, however, feinted, then raised his one arm, sending the pebbles and sand he had been holding flying in a cone shape, aimed straight at the orc's face!
"My eyes!"
The big man instinctively tried to block with his hand, but fine sand slipped through his thick fingers and smeared his face. The orc, momentarily blinded, frantically waved the candlestick. Taking advantage of this, a gnoll wall-jumped off the wall beside him, leaping towards the big man from the side!
A sharp, piercing note rang out in the air, and the gnoll flying in mid-air suddenly changed his expression. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he reflexively covered his ears—using only his remaining hand, meaning he didn't actually cover them at all. The music drifted in through his left ear, blocked his right palm, and lingered in his mind.
With this movement, Scarface lost his balance in mid-air and crashed into the big guy!
Bang—Pfft.
The gnoll was caught by a huge, fleshy object, like a giant swimming ring, as if it had bumped into a lump of rubber. The two collided and fell together. Half of the orcs, blinded by the sudden attack, stumbled and fell towards the platform, dragging the gnolls with him!
"Huh?! Huh!!" The dark-skinned half-elf hiding under the altar, clutching his banjo, was enveloped by a huge shadow, his eyes filled with terror.
A muffled thud.
Then the platform collapsed!
Seeing that the people inside the church were completely oblivious to what was happening outside, Gebu felt relieved and used a teleportation spell to tell the swordswoman to make way.
Dove understood immediately, picked up the javelin from the ground, and with a flourish, slashed it across the ground, leaving a straight line of blood!
A gnoll tumbled forward, but the woman calmly jabbed it back into the greasy mess with the base of her javelin. Then she turned and stepped back, making way for Geb's shadow.
The silhouette of a halfling stood in the center of the doorway, clutching his wrist as ether flowed from his forearm to his palm, chanting an incantation!
"Incaendium Manum!!!"
Upgrade ring, the second ring's burning hand!
The solidified flames exploded in the air, bursting into dazzling blue flames the moment they came into contact with the grease; the heat in the air almost melted the brick wall!
"Aww—"
—
call! ! !
The screams of the jackals were drowned out by the roar of the fire and the grease that clung tightly to their skin, impossible to extinguish or escape!
In less than ten seconds, the gnoll turned into a twisted, charred mess that couldn't be shoveled off, blending into the church floor and the brick walls of the doorway.
Gebu blew the lingering smoke from his palm, then gestured for the woman with a "please" sign. The woman frowned at the horrific scene at the doorway, pinched her nose, and walked into the chapel.
The Gebpai shadow followed him inside, while he himself took the opportunity to move to the church entrance to wait for his chance to strike.
The sound of meat being pounded could be heard coming from inside the chapel.
"Bad dog, dog!"
Hey, hey, hey.
The large orc was covered in scratches and bloodstains. He gripped the gnoll's leg bone with one hand and lifted the gnoll with Scarface, who was missing a leg and an arm, with the other. Like a washerwoman hammering clothes by the river, he repeatedly smashed the gnoll's already mangled head with his wolf leg. The gnoll was smashed into a bloody mess and was long dead, but the orc showed no sign of stopping.
Although Gebu had only sent in a phantom, upon seeing the horrifying scene before him, he subconsciously cast a shield spell in his hand.
"Ugh—Waaah—"
Beneath the giant's buttocks, amidst the ruins of the altar, a black hand emerged from the sand and grabbed the orc's trousers.
"Hmm?" The big guy turned his head, looked at the flailing black hand, and scratched his head.
"Ugh—" the hand cried out frantically for help.
After thinking for a long time, the big guy stretched out his hand and gave the black hand a high five.
"High Five!" the big guy shouted cheerfully.
The black hand was knocked away by the big guy's hand, circled back, angrily gave the big guy the middle finger, and then pointed under the sand and stones.
"Ugh—Oh! Sorry!" The big guy finally realized what was happening and quickly dug the dark-skinned half-elf out of the ruins.
"I'm so suffocating!"
The big guy scratched his head sheepishly, momentarily at a loss for what to do, and awkwardly continued hammering the gnoll's corpse.
"Good heavens, what a pair of clowns," Gebu remarked.
It seems these are the members of the Gray Raven Society who escorted the carriage.
His appearance is really not good—but that big guy is incredibly strong. That woman's harp is interesting; she seemed to have used the music to distract the jackal-man's mind.
Originally, Gebu's plan was that if the coachman had been killed, he would retrieve the information they carried and use it as a stepping stone to get in touch with the Gray Raven Society.
The fact that the drivers are still alive is perfect; having them act as intermediaries is more credible than going alone.
"Stop hammering, big guy—save your energy, they're all dead." The dark-skinned half-elf said breathlessly, turning to look at the human woman and halfling in front of her, a hint of wariness in her eyes. "Besides, we have guests."
Seeing that the woman had noticed him, Gebu manipulated his shadow to take a step forward. Just as he was about to introduce himself, the woman suddenly narrowed her eyes, looked at the blood-covered orc, and said in surprise, "Goliath? Is that you?"
"Young Miss?" the orc replied honestly, a hint of surprise in his eyes, before he grinned with a wide, earlobe-to-ear smile.
"What?!" the dark-skinned female elf exclaimed in surprise.
"What?!" Gebu exclaimed in surprise.
The swordswoman and the orc recognized each other, and the atmosphere in the room immediately eased considerably. The dark-skinned half-elf, quick-witted, introduced himself to the two.
"My name is Yvette, and this is Big Guy." She brushed the dust off her clothes, spun halfway around to greet him, and wore a cheerful expression, completely unlike someone who had just narrowly escaped being devoured by wolves. "Of course, you two seem to be old acquaintances. 'Young Miss'?"
The dark-skinned half-elf winked playfully at the swordswoman. The swordswoman coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.
"That's just a nickname—I haven't used it in a long time. I'm Dove, and this is—"
"It's Geb—the little gray crow."
"Long shadow!" Yvette replied quickly, a bright smile blooming on her midnight-black face, her short silver hair flying around her ears as she made her expressive face. "Hey, so you're a fellow enthusiast blessed by the Raven Queen. You should have said so earlier, I was on guard for a while."
"Thanks to your help, otherwise Big Guy and I would have really fallen to these jackalmen—who knew that subhumans would appear right here at the foot of the capital? The fighting is so fierce that every able-bodied soldier has been sent to Shanhaiguan to hold the line; we're short-handed, and the roads are unsafe. But we're happy with the peace and quiet; the guards can't manage it all, and we're too lazy to bother. Business is booming!"
The person was talking incessantly, which gave Gebu a headache. Afraid that Hei Pi would keep talking, he quickly interrupted her.
"—I saw a three-pronged mark on the carriage and came to help. Luckily we arrived in time. We are new to this land and hope to build a bridge for the swallows. When the wind blows from all sides, we can pick the fruit together and let it fall into the crows' bellies no matter which side of the fence it blows to."
This is a bunch of slang; it means something like "Let's make friends and get rich together."
Blackie and Gebu exchanged pleasantries, followed by a long string of slang. Blackie thanked Gebu for saving him and complained about the hardships of the journey. This guy was such a chatterbox. Gebu tried to get some information out of him about what goods they were carrying, but the half-elf kept changing the subject and rambled on without getting to the point. Gebu couldn't stand it anymore and had to change the subject.
"By the way, how did you, Swordswoman, meet that big guy?"
"When I first came from the north to make my way in the world, I was with the Silver Mercenary Group, and Goliath was one of my members." The woman spoke of the big guy with an unusually cheerful expression. "Goliath was the strongest guy in the group—hey, remember the time you wrestled with the rhinoceros?"
"Rhinoceros? Rhinoceros—Rhinoceros is a good dog, all soft and cuddly," the big man chuckled憨厚ly. "I can play with it as hard as I want and it won't break."
"Magnubier's ass, he'd be good at treating rhinos like toys," Geb quipped. "Judging by this big guy's talk, he probably has some kind of congenital brain problem—but you know what, for a mercenary, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
"Yeah, you used to work for the Silver Mercenary Group." Yvette patted the big guy on the shoulder. "Now I've got your back. Good job today, you'll get a treat tonight."
"Extra food!" The big guy patted his chest and laughed happily.
"We're also going to Martinaan, why don't we travel together? — To be honest, I came to Martinaan this time looking for a way to make quick money. If you have any good opportunities, like those protected by the Raven Queen, Yvette, we'd be happy to help." Geb, seeing the two in good spirits, tentatively approached the dark-skinned elf.
"Definitely, definitely." Dark-skinned man agreed seemingly perfunctorily, while glancing at Geb and the female swordsman's equipment. "I wonder what kind of work Brother Geb and Sister Doffin are good at?"
"We're mercenaries, you know. I've been a scout, and she's an infantryman. We're good at things like cooking and foot soldiers," Gebu said. "Of course, if the pay is good, we'll do things like ferrying and earthmoving."
"Firehead" and "Hardfoot" refer to guards, violent characters who fight and kill. "Ferryman" and "Earth-Covering" refer to assassins who are either thrown into the sea or buried in the ground.
"Let me see, let me see. Don't worry, business is booming in the city right now, there'll always be work for you—here's the Dandelion Dance troupe. They contacted me—we have a rehearsal this evening, come over and take a look, let's chat, I'll see if I can find any suitable work for you."
"That would be best, I definitely will." Geb nodded.
Judging from this, it seems like there's potential.
The half-elf and the big man packed their belongings. Yvette took out a parchment scroll from her bosom, carefully checked it, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it was undamaged before putting it back in her bosom.
Geb glanced at the stamp on the parchment; it was a rat's tail.
Hmm—interesting, not a peacock?
The illusion's duration was almost over, and Geb manipulated the shadow to walk out of the church. The moment he stepped out, he walked into the shadow and casually replaced his own illusion.
The group returned to the carriage, and with everyone's combined efforts (Gebu, being smaller, didn't help but only directed from the sidelines), they flipped the carriage over. The larger man pulled the carriage, and the group headed towards Matiana.