Real Mount and Blade Game

It seemed to be sending some kind of silent signal.

The monsters that were originally attacking the dwarf quickly changed their targets. Several of them that were blocking the dwarf suddenly smashed through the dwarf's shield and crowbar, creating an opening!
Just as Bestur thought the monsters were about to take advantage of the dwarves' weakness, the leader-like skinned boar-headed monster, with an agility disproportionate to its bulky body, burst out of the chaotic battlefield like a catapult.

But it did not charge at Shen Mu; instead, it suddenly stopped on the sand ten paces in front of Shen Mu's horse.

Instead of roaring and attacking like a normal monster, it made an extremely bizarre and unsettling move. With its arm bones covered in slime and black lumps, it clumsily and forcefully made a gesture similar to a human bowing with their hand on their chest!

The fleshy membrane encasing the bone writhed, emitting a slippery "gurgling" sound. A hoarse, intermittent sound, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing together, struggled to emerge from the deformed skull:

“Powerful human lords… allies…” it bowed again, seemingly in respect, “We, by the will of the 'Crimson Claws'… cleanse… this area… of the remnants that hinder our… hunt…”

It raised its repulsive face, its eerie green light staring at Shen Mu with a formulaic, cold, rigid, even "polite" emphasis, and made its demand:
"In accordance with the established 'contract'... we hope... our esteemed ally... will not interfere. Once the cleanup is complete... we... will take our leave."

"Alliance Pact," "Do Not Interfere"... These few words, like two cold iron chains, instantly tightened around Chen Ping's and all the survivors' hearts!

The newly ignited flame of hope was completely extinguished by a bucket of icy water from the abyss!

Chen Ping's mouth was agape, and his eyes instantly lost all light, leaving only a deathly despair.

The seven dwarves' faces were also filled with incredulous rage and a profound sense of powerlessness. Their newly appointed lord was actually an "ally" of these disgusting hunters from hell?
Their pride in brute force and conviction appears utterly ridiculous and worthless in the face of this naked exchange of interests.

Some of the remaining survivors even let out a whimper and collapsed to the ground.

Bestur frowned, gripping his sword hilt tightly. Though brave and fierce, he couldn't speak without consulting his lord regarding his decisions and the so-called "contract." His gaze was fixed on Shen Mu's face, awaiting the final command.

The desert wind blows, stirring up fine sand and dust.

Shen Mu's gaze never fell on the ugly monster that "saluted" him, as if it were merely a stone blocking his way. His gaze passed over the ugly "messenger," calmly sweeping over the desperate Chen Ping in the ruins, the angry dwarf, and the figures struggling under the monster's attack.

Then he turned to Bestur beside him.

His eyes showed no emotion, yet clearly conveyed the most direct and unquestionable command.

A simple nod.

Almost the instant Shen Mu nodded, a fierce glint flashed in Bestur's eyes. No words were needed; the tacit understanding of fighting side-by-side was already ingrained in their very bones!

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!!”

The sickeningly loud snapping of bowstrings abruptly shattered the silence of dusk! The grassland bandits and Kujit horse archers, already enraged by the sight before them, unleashed their full firepower like a sophisticated war machine!

The arrows, like a sudden burst of death storm, accurately and ruthlessly passed over the head of the "messenger" and poured into the horde of parasitic monsters that were suppressing Chen Ping and his group!

The Khergit arrows were fast, accurate, and deadly!
Their target was clear: those ugly outcasts who were attacking their own "compatriots".

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!"

The sound of arrows piercing flesh rang out rapidly! The Kujit's specially made armor-piercing arrowheads easily tore through the tough membranes of those dark, fleshy tumors, penetrating deep into them!

The powerful force sent those disgusting parasites flying backwards!

Dark green, highly corrosive "blood" and shattered black chunks of flesh exploded in mid-air!

One volley! Just one precise and efficient burst of fire!

The dozen or so parasitic monsters that had just been ferocious and driven Chen Ping and the others to the brink of despair instantly turned into a pile of rotten flesh, emitting foul stench and resembling giant slugs that had been trampled!

Their twisted skeletal supports were also shattered and collapsed by powerful arrows.

The pressure on the dwarf suddenly decreased!
Dead silence.

All that remained on the battlefield were the gurgling sounds of the parasitic monsters twitching, the hissing sounds of liquid corroding the sand, and the survivors' desperate, rapid breathing after surviving the ordeal.

The skinned pig-headed monster that had been "paying homage" with its hand on its chest stood there stiffly. Its eerie green eyes were fixed on Shen Mu, and its clumsy "courtesy" seemed to have frozen into an ugly sculpture.

Its body trembled slightly with confusion and rage, and the fleshy membrane covering its bones undulated and writhed violently.

For the first time, Shen Mu's gaze truly fell upon this ugly monster "messenger".

His gaze was like ice that had stood for millennia, carrying an indifference as if looking down upon ants.

He spoke clearly in a calm, even tone, each word like a cold iron nail hammering into the deathly silence of the twilight:

"This is the territory of New Zivadin."

"Here, I'm in charge."

“Insects from hell—” His voice deepened slightly, containing an undisguised chill and majesty: “You cannot command me.”

Having finished speaking, he didn't look at the monster again and ordered Bestur, "Just leave a messenger." Then he pulled on the reins, and his warhorse turned gracefully. "Ha!" Bestur grinned maliciously, drew his scimitar, and spurred his horse forward.

The sword flashed past.

"Awooo—!!!" The monster let out a strange scream that was half roar and half shriek, and an ear-like thing covered with black fleshy growths and sparse black hair flew high into the air.

Bestur pinned the hideous "ear" precisely to the broken wall beside him, and shouted at the monster that was clutching its "wound," from which dark green fluid gushed out, and whimpering: "Get out! Take this piece of junk and go back to your master! If it dares to step into our territory again and sniff around, the next thing we'll shoot through is its dog eyes!"

Amidst extreme chaos, fear, and excruciating pain, the surviving monster emitted a series of sharp, unintelligible hisses.

It even abandoned its somewhat "elegant" movements, crawling on all fours like a stray dog ​​whose tail had been stepped on, tumbling and staggering into the shadows of the ruins, whimpering pitifully, and quickly disappearing into the vast desert.

Shen Mu's cavalry did not linger; their hooves began to pound again, and they embarked on their return journey once more. The golden afterglow of the setting sun shone on their gleaming armor and fluttering banners, like the cloaks of a triumphant return.

Amidst the ruins, Chen Ping, covered in blood and riddled with wounds, and seven dwarves stared blankly at Shen Mu's indifferent yet life-giving back, at the imposing figures of Bestur and the others, and then at the piles of dark green, rotting flesh around them, emitting wisps of smoke...

Their eyes went from deathly pale to shocked, from shocked to ecstatic, and finally transformed into an almost suffocating excitement and an indescribable fanatical fervor!
Chen Ping suddenly raised the crowbar in his hand, and roared with all his might, his voice trembling but carrying unprecedented power: "Dherrim! Long live the Lord!"

"Long live the king!" The seven dwarves roared to the sky in unison, their warhammers slamming into the sand like muffled thunder!
The survivors also cheered and cried out in relief.

He looked at Shen Mu.

Extremely eager!

……

The towering gates of New Rivadin slammed shut in the twilight, isolating the desert outside from the corrupting influence of the spirit realm's rules.

Shen Mu did not linger at all and rode straight to the lord's hall.

He still carried the scent of dust and gunpowder from the battlefield, and his face was as solemn and hard as the bluestone floor of the hall.

The lord's hall was already brightly lit.

Bestur, Ellen, and Rezarit had all arrived early and stood solemnly on either side of the sand table.

Shen Mu strode to the main seat of the sand table, and without any formalities, went straight to the point. His deep voice echoed in the empty hall: "Gentlemen, our reconnaissance of the eastern suburbs shows that the situation is worse than expected."

He pointed heavily on the sand table, marking the location of that desolate area: "Target, the skeletal fortress shrouded in black mist, confirmed to belong to the 'Second Dynasty of the Dark Light.' They not only possess an exceptionally powerful legion of black mist skeleton cavalry, but the source of their power—that enormous black cloud—has substantially polluted a large area. Any living thing that enters its core area will be subjected to the most ferocious attacks."

Then, he moved his finger and pointed to the area on the opposite bank of the Xiaolong River that represented unknown danger: "But that's not all! On the way back, near the ruins of villages on the eastern outskirts, the minions of the 'Crimson Claw' hellish demon forces were conducting a so-called 'hunt and cleanup' on the edge of our territory."

Shen Mu's gaze swept over the generals, and he said, word by word, "What does this mean? It means that there are at least two powerful forces in the spirit world. One has established a fortress base in the eastern desert, and the other is trying to infiltrate our territory from the eastern outskirts and even across the Xiaolong River!"

Although they had already guessed it before.

just now.

This has been confirmed.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

Bestur's furrowed brow deepened, and the muscles in his face twitched slightly with anger: "Damn it! The bone fragments are still building their nest, and the devil's offspring are trying to stick their claws in too!"

Eleanor had been staring intently at the sand table. He looked up, his eyes flashing with a mixture of analysis and worry: “My lord, General Bestur, this is indeed unusual. According to our previous intelligence, this area has long been the territory of the ‘Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower.’ The skeleton cavalry of the Second Dynasty of the Dark Light previously only operated in deeper areas, and the Crimson Claws also moved stealthily. Now they can appear so openly, even daring to invade the core area of ​​Black Arrow Tower…”

He paused, then emphasized, "This only means one thing: the 'Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower,' which once occupied this place, is probably suffering an unprecedented defeat! Their defenses or core strength have been severely weakened or even destroyed. These two forces, which have been eyeing this area for a long time, are now vying to devour the 'vacuum' territory it left behind!"

Ellen's analysis was like a stone thrown into calm water. Rezarit suddenly looked up, a strange light flashing across his usually rigid and calm face.

He and Bestur beside him exchanged a quick glance, both seeing the same guess in each other's eyes.

A fierce battle that had taken place in Deherim instantly flashed into Rezarit's mind.

“My lord!” Rezarit stepped forward, pointing to the location of Deherim on the sand table: “This is not merely speculation! Please recall the defensive battle I commanded not long ago beneath the walls of our city of Deherim!”

His gaze was intense, and his words resonated with conviction: "Back then, the skeletal legions of the Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower attempted to besiege us, among them were individuals clearly possessing high-level intelligence and capable of commanding other undead! I vividly remember a skeleton wearing tattered robes whose spiritual power far surpassed that of an ordinary necromancer. It was only through the combined efforts of General Bestur's Khergit horse archers and our powerful crossbowmen on the city walls, at considerable cost, that we managed to snipe him in the chaos!"

Bestur nodded vigorously and immediately chimed in, his voice booming like thunder: "That's right! Rezarit is right! That battle was incredibly fierce, and the thing we killed was definitely no ordinary creature! Before it died, it unleashed an absurdly powerful mental shockwave that nearly knocked all our brothers on the front lines to the ground! Damn, that was definitely a big guy, probably a high-ranking leader of their dynasty!"

Rezarit continued, his sharp gaze meeting Shen Mu's, his tone certain: "Exactly, sir! Although we repelled the enemy at the time, we considered it merely a thwarted attack. Now, considering Eleanor's observations and the dramatic changes in the eastern suburbs..."

He took a deep breath and said decisively:

"We now strongly suspect that the person we killed by concentrated fire at the foot of Deherim was likely a key figure in the Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower! Perhaps even their supreme commander in this vast area! His death led to the collapse of the Seventh Dynasty's power and command structure in this region! This gave the Second Dynasty of Darklight and the so-called Crimson Claw an opportunity! They sensed the weakness of Black Arrow Tower, one busy building forward fortifications, while the other began clearing the perimeter and conducting probing expansion and encroachment!"

Eleanor's eyes lit up instantly, and he clapped his hands sharply: "So that's it! That completely explains it! The Black Arrow Tower dynasty was leaderless, falling into chaos and internal strife, giving powerful external enemies the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Our battle in Deherim inadvertently stirred up a hornet's nest, overturning the very foundation of the undead order in this region!" (End of Chapter)