The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 583 - 607 Ringtone
Chapter 583: Chapter 607: Ringtone Chapter 583: Chapter 607: Ringtone Twin Bridges Town.
The abrupt ring of the bell suddenly echoed. The dwarves at work were initially stunned, then they sprung into action as if their backsides were on fire. They threw aside their tools, grabbed armor and weapons placed nearby, and swarmed to the nearest assembly point.
“Damn it!”
For Craftsman Master Barrend, that bell was equally effective. The old dwarf was in the middle of processing a batch of ore, and leaving now would waste all his prior work; however, defying that bell would have even more dreadful consequences. Thus, he could only spit vehemently and kick the air intake of the furnace, before grabbing his gear and running out with the others.
Unlike the Demon Race of Tanari, the majority of dwarves, whether they were mountain dwarves, hill dwarves, or gray dwarves, held discipline in high regard, which made them naturally excellent soldiers (the only exception was the mentally unstable Delo dwarves, but they were not numerous in Twin Bridges Town, with most stationed in the mines). In less than five minutes, over a thousand on-duty dwarves, along with a handful of workers from other races, had already assembled and were lined up in the central square of the Craftsmen’s District.
Barrend and several dozens of his kin from the Frostforge Clan stood shoulder to shoulder. In front of them, a dwarf captain was frantically running back and forth, shouting orders. The old dwarf, detecting the near-neurotic tension, surmised this was no drill. Therefore, he struggled to steady his trembling hands, helping each other with his comrades to suit up in armor properly.
A month earlier, the Succubus Lord had suddenly ordered the formation of a dwarf legion, with the Craftsmen Committee in charge of the specifics. Since then, the dwarfs were forced to leave their forges and tunnels every three days to pick up wooden warhammers, blunt swords, and axes in the military camp for a half-day’s so-called military training—which merely involved randomly grouped dwarves bashing each other until a victor emerged, at which point they would swap out and continue.
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Needless to say, this left the already rest-deprived craftsmen exceedingly disgruntled. They cursed the Craftsmen Committee, the demon officers, and even the Succubus Lord in coarse and malevolent language, but each time they obediently headed to the training ground. Though no one wanted to admit it, these military drills did provide them with a sense of security and a measure of self-esteem—two very rare feelings in the Abyssal Plane.
Three minutes later, this group of craftsmen had transformed into a troop armed to the teeth and very well-equipped, since they were blacksmiths themselves and all their equipment materials were paid for by Tijana—excluding, of course, decorative jewels. As per the predetermined plan, they ascended the section of the wall where the Craftsmen’s District was located, stuffing all the gaps in the wall until none were left.
The dwarves quickly discovered the reason behind the ringing of the assembly bell: a vast cloud of dust appeared on the western horizon, and those with good eyesight could already discern the creatures within it. Demons, a horde of demons, with Coward Devils making up the majority as cannon fodder, but there were also Middle Rank Demons like Berserk Demons and Brezu Demons, even a few much larger shapes flickering in and out of sight.
Barrend thought morbidly that had this scene occurred on the Prime Material Plane, the ruler of this city might have already fainted from shock. That scenario was naturally not applicable here, as the lord of Twin Bridges Town was a battle-hardened, resolute Tanari Demon, and they themselves, a militia now familiar with demons, no longer needed to change trousers at the sight of each demon.
However, Barrend was still perplexed. According to what he knew, there were no threatening Demon Lords nearby, and the recent talk in the taverns all focused on the possibility of the Demon Legion’s imminent assault. What was with this tide-like surge of demons?
Many dwarves around him shared the same question, while some who had dwelled long enough in the Abyss quickly realized the issue: even for demons, there was no need to start sprinting when they were still several miles away from the walls… unless they were actually running for their lives.
Tijana had also arrived at the city walls. Two days ago, she had received intelligence that Archduke Aphnas and Zariel had recently assembled two more Demon Legions to intensify the onslaught on Volcano Fortress. Before obtaining the latest frontline war reports, the scene unfolding before her made her wonder if the “Destruction Flame” Visuvius’s legion had already been captured by the Goddess of Doom.
“I need to figure out what exactly happened at Volcano Fortress,” the Succubus Lord said as she turned to the two Serpent Demon Generals following her, “Bring me back some prisoners… not Berserk Demons, they can’t even count to six!”
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Lancelot and Pakos had very effective communication. In less than fifteen minutes, the ancient Red Dragon disguised as a Halfling agreed to lend a hand. Officially, the treasure within Svafnir’s Lair was the condition, but everyone knew what had genuinely prompted the noble Red Dragon to leave this safe corner.
The female Red Dragon that was imprisoned.
During their second visit to the White Dragon’s Lair, Kalalin used a spell to create an illusion of a Red Dragon, meant to intimidate Svafnir’s son and to test how long it would take for the Prince of Wrath’s mount to return from Glacial Fortress. The Scholar had cast the Illusion Technique based on the only ancient Red Dragon he had seen up close, and when Svafnir appeared in a flurry, he was mercilessly mocked by the Red Dragon prisoner.
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‘That’s not my father; otherwise, your son would have been roasted already!’
‘He has been in the Abyss for a long time and will find this place sooner or later. Then, it will be your son’s and your turn to die!’
Clearly, the Red Dragon prisoner had instantly recognized the illusion and knew that the spellcaster who created the illusion was nearby, that’s why she chose to taunt the panic-stricken ancient White Dragon using a wide range of telepathy. Lancelot immediately guessed that there might be some connection between the prisoner and the illusion’s original, Pakos, but at that time, he opted to release Gorgiad to deal with the ancient White Dragon, as there were also Frost Giants nearby to contend with.
Now that Gorgiad had been torn to shreds at Glacial Fortress, it was time to activate the backup plan.
Once they had reached an agreement, Pakos could hardly hide his impatience. After briefly informing Redralgon—the Halfling temporarily taking his place—of his plans during his absence, Pakos urged Lancelot and his party to set off immediately. They used the Skeleton Tower’s Portal, a privilege Pakos enjoyed in Mogrondale.
That very night, the group arrived at the Iron Ice Plains and camped in a spacious cave, which was not particularly hidden (since there was no need). Unlike humans, Dragons (especially White Dragons) preferred to hunt at night and rest during the day. Thus, nighttime was not a good time to ‘visit’ them, and everyone needed a proper rest to be in optimal condition.
