Chapter 844: A strange recruitment
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
All the caravan members obtained buffs that they never had in previous fights. However, they still reacted the same way all human warriors would when they saw the old-style weapons and broken armours of the skeletons - their morale hit rock bottom. Unless, of course, the undead army was there to aid them.
Fortunately for them, ignorance is bliss. They didn't recognise the real terror - the Nazgûl hidden at the back. Even those who saw the Nazgûl thought of him as merely a common undead knight.
After Melody once again waved her staff to cast 'Fear Ward' on everyone on their side, her MP was completely spent. However, Melody did not sit down to meditate like most mages would, but did something that surprised everyone; she kept the magic staff, and took out an ordinary looking longbow! She then pulled the longbow tight.
This was the core reason for her slow progress with Vilya.
Even though she was also a Twilight Elf in her past life, she was a strong Twilight Elf archer.... while Vilya was a ring made for mages through and through. Therefore, after wearing the Ring of Air, Melody's progress in magic started from scratch and was pretty slow.
Sheyan and Reef stepped out to the front to stand alongside the summoned Ents. Sheyan shouted at the caravan members behind him.
"You cowards! Raise your axes! Your hammers! Your sticks! Raise anything that you can use as a weapon. If you wish to race against the skeletons in the dark, then feel free!"
The caravan owner, Goots, displayed tremendous courage. He was the first to step up with his two-handed hammer. Following that, there were some who ran away, but they were few in numbers. Most people stayed because they had witnessed Melody's power, and because of the security provided by the two Ents.
The skeleton army charged over like a raging tide. When they clashed against the defensive line on Sheyan's side, it felt like a tidal wave splashing against the walls of a dam. Sheyan's defensive line was forced back by a few metres.
The fragile looking skeleton warriors proved to be unexpectedly troublesome for Sheyan to deal with. A hack of his '+7 West' could only break a few bones off a skeleton soldier. If the strike landed on the backbone, it might not even break.
After a while, Sheyan found that the blunt back of his sabre was more useful than its sharp edge....
Meanwhile, Reef was faring much better. His 'Cardiac Shattering Roar' could inflict full AOE damage on the undead creatures. A few skeletons in his vicinity had already sustained heavy damage beforehand. Their soul energy was depleted and the hellfire in their eyes dimmed. Reef's 'Cardiac Shattering Roar' was like a roaring wind that reduced them into piles of bones.
The 2 summoned Ents also went on a rampage inside the crowd of skeletons. The damage they sustained from the blades of the skeletons were simply negligible, while their huge bodies went could charge around violently like tanks within the skeleton sea. They don't even need to use their long hanging tendrils to attack; they simply needed to move around to tank the attacks from the skeletons. There was no shortage of skeletons that died from their stomping.
However, the one who killed the most was someone none of them expected - Melody!
Logically speaking, the hard bones and empty frame of the skeletons should prove to be a nightmare for archers. The power of arrows would dip by at least 90%. But with the ordinary-looking bow in her hands, Melody displayed a shocking might.
As she pulled on the bowstring, an incomprehensible charm would mature in the darkness. When the bowstring was drawn taut like the beautiful curves of a woman, the dark-looking bow showed an unexplainable elegance.
Her arrows naturally had perfect accuracy. Also, when the sharp arrowhead was about to come into contact with the skull of the skeleton, it would radiate with a bright, mesmerizing glow as if it was dipped in the red radiance of sunset, looking like a cigarette tip within the dark. The skeletons that were hit by her arrows would emit smoke and struggle on the ground with their limbs flailing wildly, before breaking down into piles of bones.
What perplexed Sheyan was, that each skeleton warrior eliminated by their side would provide 1-3 Fate points of the Dark Lord faction! Even though this battle started in confusion, they managed to obtain a pretty good haul. For example, a +4 Intelligence bone bracelet that dropped just now. He directly gave it to Franklin.
The army of about 50 skeleton warriors were quickly eliminated. Broken bones and broken armour scattered across the ground. The caravan team had also sustained 4 casualties. All of them died because they fought with their usual fighting habit; they treated the skeletons the same as other living creatures with flesh and blood, and moved on to another target after they stabbed a skeleton in the chest. Naturally, they were stabbed in the back in turn.
The defeat of his vanguard team did not bring forth any special reactions from the Nazgûl at the back. He still sat imposingly on his Nightmare and simply gestured with his hand. Some whimpering noises could suddenly be heard from the ground. A large, pale, rotting hand abruptly broke through the surface of the ground, then supported its body to crawl out of the kingdom of the dead. It stepped into this world, bringing with it fear and a terrible stench.
"So the 2nd wave will consist of zombies?" thought Sheyan as he exchanged a look with Reef. He then asked Franklin to produce a doppelganger of Reef and placed it right at the very front. The move proved to be a wise one. There were less than 20 zombies summoned, but their formidability shocked both Sheyan and Reef. Besides being a bit slow, the other stats of the zombies were almost comparable to the Uruk-hai.
They managed to endure the 2nd wave with extreme difficulty. The loss on their side was huge. Both Ents were torn to shreds by the bites and claws of the zombies, while the caravan team lost more than half of their members. Even the old guide perished in this wave of attack. Franklin had spent all his spiritual power. Only Melody had the strength to carry on.
After Sheyan chopped the head off the last zombie standing, the Nazgûl finally moved his Nightmare mount and sauntered over slowly. Under the dim moonlight, an emotionless voice drifted over from behind his rusty faceguard.
"You have gained the honour to die by my hands, humans."
His voice sounded like the friction between rusty chains, sending chills into their bodies.
"You have displayed respectable might and have gained the right to make a choice. Now, tell me. Will you become a loyal servant of Dwar, Lord of Shantell Castle, the 3rd Earl of Waw, believer of the Shadow God, and loyal servant to Lord Sauron; or suffer eternal torture from a cruel death?"
Sheyan eyes suddenly turned bright as he spoke into the party channel.
"Is he trying to recruit us? From what I know, Nazgûls aren't this friendly."
Franklin asked.
"Why can I sense the aura of natural power behind the Nazgûl?"
Melody pointed her finger at the Nazgûl called Dwar. The Nazgûl immediately released a groan in pain and his body visibly turned ghostly for a split second. Lumps of green light could be seen from within his abdomen, right leg and chest. His nightmare mount looked to be in an even worse condition. The lump of green light in its organ was as big as a soccer ball! A large amount of black miasma obstinately surrounded the green glows.
Sheyan eyes displayed a glint when he saw this scene. He said.
"Aha! This Nazgûl was hurt by either Galadriel or Legolas! Maybe his underlings were all killed too. He definitely hasn't recovered from his heavy injury, that's why he wishes to recruit us. What are we waiting for then?"
Sheyan inhaled deeply. The nightmare imprint on his chest radiated to signal his awakened state. He activated 'Hornrage' and charged over! Sheyan currently had a staggering amount of 3000 HP. Coupled with his 'Endurance' ability, he could take more daring measures compared to before!
He crashed into the Nightmare mount of the Nazgûl, prompting the mount to release a miserable neigh! The natural power within the injury on its body was inflicted by the formidable Galadriel with the power of Nenya, the Ring of Water. The Nazgûl, Dwar, was unwilling to receive the attack so he used the mount to shield himself. The Nightmare only appeared impressive, but was actually greatly weakened!
Before Reef could rush over to help, Melody had already provided support. She shot 3 arrows simultaneously with her bow; the red glimmer on the arrowheads truly blinding. More importantly, with the help of the memory from her past life, the 3 arrows flew at a frightening speed! They released sharp howls as they tore through the air.
High speed naturally meant high damage.
If a 3 year-old held a bullet and knocked it on the head of a man, the man would at most feel a bit of pain. It would be a miracle if he sustained a concussion from that hit. But if the bullet had the same velocity as a bullet fired from a gun, forget surviving, he would be fortunate to die with his brain intact!