plumnovel #187 - The latter is more terrible
#187 - The latter is more terrible
On the long trestle extending from the shore into the water, a large number of oak planks were decaying and weathering. The straw sandals of the black-clothed soldiers made clear creaking sounds as they stepped on them.
Canoes swayed in the water, creating ripples. The black-clothed soldiers jumped onto the trestle one after another, running towards the streets of the dock.
Several short child soldier scouts lowered their bodies and ran towards the three directions outside the dock.
After confirming that there was no danger, Horne supported himself on the planks and climbed onto this trestle full of holes.
Walking to the end of the trestle, the entire dock was displayed in front of Horne.
This Autumn Dusk Island dock was larger than Horne had imagined. Although it had been abandoned for hundreds of years, one could still see its former glory.
On the shore of the dock, one could see rows of brick and stone warehouses. The shops on both sides of the street were densely packed, but most of them were only ruins.
In the corners of these houses, there were faded Abbasid mosaic tiles, and next to the columns were bird-beak-shaped positive and negative wave moldings.
In the ruins, many small wooden houses or thatched roofs were placed on brick and stone houses.
The appearance of this mixed style, combined with the previous long bridge, suggests that there was probably a small Elven town or legion garrison here.
After the fall of the Elven Empire, it is unknown whether the Elves moved away, or the beastmen servant soldiers rebelled and occupied the island.
Due to the lack of Elven technology, the beastmen could only borrow the local infrastructure and make simple modifications.
The current group of beastmen are likely to be so self-confident because they have been unconsciously assimilated by Elven culture in order to adapt to these tall and high-end infrastructures.
The paddle moved, and the boat broke through the fog and lake water, heading towards the broken bridge.
Viktor directed the crowd, dragging wood, bricks, and fences from the ruins, piling mud on them, and building rows of small barricades between the street and the lake.
This was a technique they had learned in the bloody battle of Jeanne Fort.
Horne stood in the center of the barricade, looking towards the center of the island. In the faint mist, he seemed to see clusters of houses and an abrupt tower.
According to the beastmen, that tower is the altar of the blood god.
The boat had just left, and the barricade was not even completely built, when a burst of urgent whistle spread.
"Doo doo doo——"
In the fog, the figure of the child soldier gradually became clear. He staggered as he ran, covering his right arm, which was covered in blood, and constantly blowing the whistle.
The ground vibrated, and the fog passed through their fur, stirring up whirlpools in the water mist.
A dozen creatures about the same height as humans, but covered with foot-long brown-red hair, jumped out of the fog, lying on the ground, clumsily running.
"Roar——" A hoarse roar attracted everyone's attention.
"First row, turn to the right!" Viktor shouted loudly, "Clockwork guns, ready!"
Ten clockwork guns stretched out from the unfinished barricade, aiming at the running hairy monsters.
It must be said that the Holy Gunners actually have to twist the clockwork key first when dealing with sudden attacks.
Hearing the "creak creak" sound of winding the clockwork beside his ear, Horne really couldn't hold back. It seems that the improvement of the clockwork gun must also be put on the agenda.
Fortunately, the hairy monsters were quite far away and running slowly, and the child soldier scout's whistle was quite timely.
"Aim!" Viktor shouted loudly.
As soon as Viktor finished speaking, the child soldier scout scurried over the barricade and rolled to Viktor's feet, shouting with borrowed power: "Kill it!"
"Praise the Holy Wind!" When he could finally see the shape of the hairy monster, Viktor finally gave the order to fire.
In an instant, the bodies of ten Holy Gunners shook simultaneously, and hundreds of iron sands burst out in an instant. Almost at the same time, the leading seven or eight hairy monsters trembled.
But strangely, they neither screamed nor struggled, nor even bled, but suddenly fell straight down.
The other hairy monsters behind them did not show any signs of being frightened, and still ran straight towards them, without even changing their speed.
Horne frowned: "Jeanne!"
Jeanne immediately stepped over the crowd and stood behind the second row of pikemen. Since the effective kill range of the clockwork gun was only thirty yards, after the first row fired, it was the turn of the pikemen and Jeanne.
"Roar."
The hairy monsters who were originally running on the ground suddenly stood up when they came to the barricade, and twenty spears pierced out immediately, piercing their unblinking bodies.
A stench burst out immediately, and Horne, who was standing relatively far back, subconsciously covered his nose.
But the hairy monsters did not show any signs of injury. Even though there was a tight fleshy feeling after the spear pierced in, it still failed to kill them.
Some even had openings in their necks, but they could still move.
The body of the spear monster probed over the barricade, and the arm hidden in the long hair swept horizontally, bringing a gust of wind.
Even wearing breastplates and helmets, three soldiers were knocked to the ground, blood flowing from their sleeves, and they screamed in pain, clutching their arms and ribs.
Is it really natural power?
Horne's eyes widened. He thought it was just the beastmen barbarians talking nonsense. This strength is comparable to a bear.
Seeing the pikemen fall to the ground, the hairy monster lay on the barricade, wanting to turn over and pursue, but a dazzling white light mixed with angry shouts pierced its brain.
Trembling all over, in the heavy smell of burnt smell and rotten and fishy smell, the hairy monster fell to the ground.
Several medical orderlies behind Jeanne stepped forward, dragged the wounded out of the military formation, and immediately began to heal them.
As for their vacant positions, they were filled by the pikemen and sword and shield soldiers behind. Paslick took the opportunity to step to the front row.
He stood in the front line, his hands flashing light for a while, and blowing mist and flames for a while, but it could not affect the hairy monster at all.
It was not until the long sword in his hand constantly pierced the lower part of the hairy monster's neck that the monster fell heavily to the ground.
As if understanding something, Paslick shouted to the crowd: "Their weakness is the heart and the back of the neck! Stab there!"
Hearing Paslick's speech, they immediately thrust at the heart or tried to pierce the monster's neck.
A pikeman pierced the monster's heart, and the monster, which was originally alive and kicking, fell heavily to the ground.
It really has a miraculous effect.
The remaining pikemen immediately stabilized the line, and the two rows of spears shaking, constantly mechanically thrusting and withdrawing.
But those hairy monsters didn't seem to realize their weaknesses at all, and rushed towards them without blocking or avoiding.
Despite this, the pikemen retreated from the first barricade to the second. After all, they were thick-skinned and fleshy, and it was still difficult for them to accurately pierce their necks or hearts every time.
Fortunately, Jeanne was in charge. Every time the lightning flashed in her hand, three or five hairy monsters fell to the ground with black smoke.
With the joint efforts of the Holy Gunners, Jeanne, and the pikemen, these dozen hairy monsters, and later another dozen monsters that rushed from nowhere, nearly fifty hairy monsters fell between the barricades.
And more than a dozen soldiers on Horne's side also fell one after another, but fortunately, it was only a fracture at most, and there were no deaths.
After finishing off the hairy monsters one by one, Jeanne gave the remaining soldiers the order to "continue to be vigilant" and returned to Horne's side.
Horne was surrounded by four or five guards, and Paslick stepped on the hairy monster's chest, using a torch to burn the hair on the hairy monster's face, and then cut it off with a knife.
As strands of long hair fell off, as Horne expected, a beastman's face appeared in front of Horne.
Seeing those hairy monsters walking on all fours for a while and standing up to attack for a while, Horne had a faint guess in his heart.
"Magical beastmen?"
Standing beside Horne, Paslick's usual crazy expression was so serious: "No, they have been dead for a long time. These hairy monsters are zombies."
"Zombies, do you mean the zombies of vampires?"
Paslick looked at the tower in the distance that was looming in the fog: "Either, there is a vampire living there, or the Scale Hermit Society has mastered necromancy... But to be honest, I even think the latter is more terrible."