Chapter 350: The Stubborn Dwarves
Gurgling bubbles.
Rising from the bottom of the Sulfur River.
Waves of hot air blew across the dry castle.
The gusts, mixed with sand and the smell of sulfur, left marks on the heavy rocks.
To the thick-skinned dwarves, it only made them feel a little itchy.
However, the dwarves, who usually drank and bragged, were now unhappily staring into the distant darkness.
One by one, the burly gnoll warriors suddenly rushed out from the darkness, howling as they launched an attack.
"Crossbows ready!"
"Rifle squad ready!"
The dwarf garrison officer gave the orders promptly, ignoring the hundreds of gnolls in front of him, and grumbled as he stared into the depths of the passage with displeasure:
"These damned black monkeys, why are they coming so frequently lately?"
Seeing the gnolls rushing into range, the dwarf garrison officer shouted loudly:
"Fire!!"
Scattered attacks, precise and deadly.
Over ten gnolls fell, but more surged forward.
They carried extremely rudimentary siege equipment, showing no regard for their lives.
It seemed that something even more terrifying was driving them from behind.
The remaining thirty-odd dwarf soldiers skillfully alternated their shots, displaying an extraordinary level of efficiency in killing.
However, there were too few of them.
After just three volleys, taking down over a hundred gnolls, the rest had already reached the base of the wall.
"Quick, throw the stones, crush them!"
"We're out of stones..."
"What? Damn it! Then throw the alchemical bombs!"
"We used the last round just now..."
"What do we have left, then?"
"Uh... empty wine bottles..."
"We can't throw those!"
The dwarf garrison officer shook his head, casually drawing his battle axe. The heavy, pale-silver axe flickered with surging lightning.
He hurled it directly at the densest group of gnolls below.
The surging lightning blossomed, its immense power instantly taking the lives of over twenty gnolls.
Advanced combat skill - Thunder Throw!
The spinning axe returned to the dwarf garrison officer's hand.
However, its once bright glow had dimmed slightly.
Just as the dwarf garrison officer was about to continue his attack, a faint blue glow flickered on his helmet, followed by a stuttering inquiry:
"Fortress 46... Fortress 46... do you need support?"
He instinctively raised an eyebrow, looking at yet another wave of gnolls rushing from the dark tunnel. He coughed lightly and replied:
"We... can still hold!"
A somewhat flustered dwarf soldier also chimed in:
"That's right, it's just over a thousand gnolls! We can cut them all down in half a day!"
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, another dwarf rifleman who had just reloaded shouted:
"Don't worry about us, these stinking gnolls are just enough to warm us up..."
Another dwarf soldier, who was about to reload but found his bolts all used up, drew his axe and chimed in:
"There aren't enough of them; it's not even enough for us to handle."
After fiercely pushing down the tattered long ladder and smashing a gnoll climbing the wall with a hammer, the dwarf garrison officer continued to reply:
"Huff... we can still manage!"
On the other end, seemingly convinced, came a quick reply:
"Alright... got it..."
Then there was silence.
The dwarf garrison officer chopped down a gnoll climbing the wall, watching as more gnolls continued to swarm up.
Although his men fought bravely, they were starting to get overwhelmed, and he couldn't help but feel a bit regretful:
"Ah, I should've softened my tone earlier..."
Though he thought that, the dwarf garrison officer quickly dismissed the thought.
He roared fiercely, lightning surging as he rushed to the front line.
His deadly axe cleaved through enemies, the flashing lightning leaping from gnoll to gnoll, sending them screaming off the wall.
The dwarf soldiers fought valiantly, and under the lead of the garrison officer, they held off the assault of over a thousand gnolls.
Firmness cannot endure forever, and gentleness cannot be defended.
Two fists can't fight four hands.
The dwarf soldiers began to tire.
More and more gnolls crowded onto the wall.
Their movements slowed, and the area they defended began to shrink.
Even the dwarf garrison officer's gleaming thunder axe had dimmed significantly.
They were on the brink of being surrounded by the gnolls!
"Shoot!!"
A command, like heavenly music, came from behind them.
Hundreds of spinning metal pellets whizzed through the air, striking the gnolls in their chests.
Dozens of gnolls that had climbed the wall were instantly shot down.
The other gnolls were immediately terrified and tried to retreat.
Before they could escape, dark crossbow bolts flew from behind, striking their backs.
The retreating gnolls were instantly taken down.
The remaining gnolls trembled at the sight and roared as they continued their assault.
Fortunately, the arrival of reinforcements allowed the dwarf soldiers to catch their breath.
The dwarf garrison officer's hand, holding his axe, trembled slightly. He turned to the rushing reinforcements and shouted proudly:
"I told you not to come; we were just about to finish them off..."
Other dwarven soldiers, slumped on the ground, let their comrades heal them while still boasting:
"Heh, with us here, this wall is solid as a rock!"
"Lucky you arrived early, you could still grab a few kills..."
"You should've seen it earlier, I shot a bolt that went through three gnolls at once..."
"That's nothing! Earlier, I fought from east to west, then back again, taking down eighteen in a row!"
"..."
The reinforcements rolled their eyes, knowing well their temperament.
Only the dwarf garrison officer curiously looked at the approaching spellcaster and asked his friend:
"How did you get here so quickly?"
The dwarf captain, grateful for the timely arrival, tossed the garrison officer a bottle of ale and praised intentionally:
"Archmage Chronorman intervened; he said there was danger here!"
Gulping down a large swig of ale, the dwarf garrison officer burped comfortably, lifted his chin, and said proudly:
"Ha, with us here, what danger could there be?"
Just as he finished speaking!
A deafening roar came from the distant dark cavern.
Every dwarf felt a sense of impending doom.
"Fortress 46... please report status..."
A massive and terrifying figure slowly spread its wings, as the dwarf garrison officer, his limbs growing weak, muttered impatiently as the alcohol hit him:
"It's just a dragon, nothing to worry about, let me go take care of it..."
Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back, and he fell "drunk" backward.