abnabooks #345 - Wizards vs. Infantry
#345 - Wizards vs. Infantry
"Wake up, wake up!" The sleeping warehouse guard raised his head as a clear shout came from outside the wooden walls, "Fire! Quickly, put out the fire!"
The violent explosion and smell of smoke jolted the warehouse guard awake. He looked out the window.
From the narrow opening, the billowing smoke and the acrid smell in the air indicated a sudden fire.
The guard immediately jumped up from his chair. His comrades had all gone to the outdoor bathhouse to "wash up," and he didn't have enough manpower to fight the fire!
If the fire were to burn the military rations, it would be over! Even several heads wouldn't be enough!
"Coming, coming, quickly put out the fire!"
Anxiously grabbing a bucket, the guard, with his helmet askew, slammed out the door: "Get a few more people, call more people... Huh?"
"Huh?" He stared blankly at the dark barracks tents in front of him, with only a few piles of firewood burning on the ground. The fire hadn't spread to his location at all.
In his confusion, he caught a glint of cold light in the corner of his eye and saw Mormont rushing towards him with a狰狞look on his face.
"Hey—"
He immediately threw the bucket to block him, but Mormont punched the bucket away. As the guard turned to flee, Mormont threw his dagger.
The dagger swooshed into the guard's back, piercing more than an inch.
He felt a sharp pain that made him lurch forward, reaching back to touch the dagger, but Mormont had already pounced on him, grabbing the dagger and stabbing it in deeply.
"Ah—get away, you devil!" the guard cried out, struggling violently, blood splattering on Mormont's face.
But the more he struggled, the more blood he lost.
When blood stained his chest and the guard's back red, the warehouse guard stopped moving completely.
After confirming that the guards nearby were dead, several wizard partners quickly rushed into the warehouse.
Gasping for breath, Mormont stood by the door: "Search carefully, don't miss any corner."
A moment later, a Black Snake Bay wizard walked out carrying an open box.
Inside the box, wooden planks separated twenty-four vials of potion emitting a radiant green glow, cushioned with rice straw and wood chips.
"There really are mana awakening potions." Mormont muttered, touching his head as he looked at the potions.
The knight wouldn't prepare awakening potions when he gave them mana sleep potions.
Mormont thought of the man in black who had come to find him three days ago, and couldn't figure out how they had managed to put a box of potions in the warehouse.
But now was not the time to think about that.
"Those who know how to cast Shaping spells, quickly drink first. According to the plan, we should head to the front of the camp gate."
As he spoke, Mormont grabbed a bottle from the box, forcefully twisted off the cap, and tilted his head back to pour the green potion into his mouth.
The liquid was icy and stinging, flowing from his esophagus into his stomach. About a minute later, the muscles in his cheeks began to twitch, as if enduring some pain.
When Mormont opened his eyes again, he felt that the world was clearer.
It was very painful to drink, but after drinking it, he felt a sense of joy.
"How is it, has your mana recovered?" Mormont asked the wizards around him.
They looked at each other, seeing the joy in each other's eyes: "Recovered."
Mormont raised his head, looking into the distance. At the direction of the camp gate, deafening shouts of killing were coming.
"Let's go, we're going over there."
"What about this warehouse?"
Mormont thought of what the man in black had said. After hesitating for a moment, he followed the instructions and left two people behind: "Set it on fire, burn all the military rations. The rest of you, follow me to the camp gate."
With the continuous spread of the fire and the absence of the officer on duty, the entire camp was in chaos.
The first to be affected were the soldiers' tents. Tents collapsed, flames burned, and soldiers fled or put out the fire.
"What are you doing? Don't run around!" A guard noticed Mormont and pointed at him, shouting loudly, blocking his way.
Mormont didn't say a word, drew his long sword and chopped him down.
As they got closer to the camp gate, there were more and more soldiers. Everywhere, wizard slaves and prisoners of war were fighting with soldiers.
Unlike most people's impression of wizards, these Black Snake Bay wizards wielded long swords in both hands, the blades clashing against each other, making crisp metallic sounds.
Mormont didn't stop, he rushed into the battle, kicking a guard in the chest, sending the guard staggering back two steps. Before he could stand, a wizard stretched out his hands towards him.
The bodies of seven or eight guards blocking the way suddenly stiffened, and a layer of faint white frost rose on their bodies.
A burly wizard swept his long axe horizontally, and three heads flew up, but the blood was only bubbling because of the cold, not spurting out.
"I told you not to use Frost spells in the summer!" Mormont cursed at the person, "Save some mana, we still have to open the camp gate later."
Wielding the sword he had taken from the monks, Mormont and his group walked along, collecting lone wizards, and actually made it to the camp gate.
At this moment, there were hundreds of wizards fighting with the guards in front of the camp gate, and a steady stream of guards were coming to support them.
The ragged wizard swung his sword forcefully, splitting a soldier's shield, but before he could attack, another guard soldier, wielding a spear, instantly pierced the wizard's waist.
Blood and sweat appeared between the fire and the sword light, everywhere were wizard slaves and guards fighting in pairs or groups.
As the soldiers arrived to support, they gradually gained the upper hand over the wizards.
We must make a quick decision, Mormont frowned.
"Tarolin! Balimba! Kuru!" Mormont immediately ordered, "Fireball!"
The three wizards immediately dispersed, one standing beside Mormont, and the other two standing far apart to the left and right.
This was to prevent mutual interference during casting.
Their bodies trembled, their eyes rolled back, they chanted incomprehensible words, and their hands moved back and forth relative to each other.
As if they were lighting invisible matches in their palms, flames flickered between their fingers.
Strands of flames intertwined, like weaving. In three minutes, they transformed into three dazzling fireballs.
"Die, you b*tch knights!"
The three fireballs were thrown out instantly, drawing a fiery arc. Two hit the camp gate, and the exploding flames immediately engulfed the camp gate, the raging heat causing the surrounding guards to change their expressions.
The other one just landed on a tent to the side. The flames exploded, and in the crackling sound, all three tents around it were ignited.
"You three gutter rats threw it off!" The wizard in the front line was so angry that his nose was crooked, shouting as he smeared a mouthful of thick phlegm on the eyes of the guard in front of him.
White smoke came out of his eyes, and the guard covered his face, howling in pain.
"Don't bark, dog, I'll rest for a while and continue." Although it was just one fireball, the three wizards seemed to have been drained of all their strength and couldn't even stand.
It wasn't just the wizards who couldn't stand, but also the guards.
They stared blankly at the raging flames, looked again at the ragged wizards, and remembered the fear of being manipulated by magic on the battlefield.
"Witchcraft! Magic!"
"Devils, it's the devils showing their power."
Seeing the confusion in the enemy's ranks, Mormont, who had been preparing for a long time, made his move: "Scatter!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the wizards in the front row immediately scattered to the back and left and right.
He raised his hands high, the fireball between his hands was even bigger and the flame was even more intense than the previous three.
He pushed his hands out suddenly, the fireball flew towards the soldiers guarding the camp gate with a hot flame.
After drawing a brilliant arc in the air, the fireball accurately hit its target.
The exploding flames instantly ignited a dozen people nearby.
Clothes were swallowed by the flames, and the guards screamed and ran away, rolling on the ground in pain, patting the flames on their bodies.
"Save me, save me!"
"It's the power of the devil, it's the devil's steps!"
"The camp gate has collapsed, look over there!"
To make matters worse, the camp gate made a creaking sound in the flames, turning into blackened wood and falling to the ground.
Seeing the camp gate collapse, the wizards cheered, while the guards lost all their fighting spirit and fled in all directions.
The wizards in the front row immediately ran forward, freedom was close at hand!
The wizards strode forward, running towards their long-awaited freedom, but soon, they ran slower and slower, and even stopped altogether.
The wizards stood in place, looking forward in surprise and uncertainty.
Mormont's breathing became rapid, and the sword in his hand trembled slightly.
In the dust stirred up by the collapse of the camp gate, he saw a familiar shadow.
"What's wrong?"
Mormont ignored him, just looked straight ahead: "Nidrasar? When did he come back?"