Chapter 97: Bloody Knight
Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
The intersection ahead had been blocked. Several soldiers stood guard there, strictly checking each of the pedestrians. The shops by the roadside had seen very few customers these past few days, which made sense. It would be a wonder if the shops still had good business with all these checkpoints.
In an inconspicuous place at a corner of the street, Han Jin and the others were waiting and staring at the intersection. Several meters ahead of the outpost was the north gate of the city, the most loosely guarded one among the four gates of West City. The other three were all arranged with many high grade warriors, knights, and magicians. If Han Jin and the others tried to pass through one of them, they would be courting death.
“Should we rush through it?” Moxinke asked tentatively. If there were really only the several soldiers, he could kill them all even without using his sword.
“Wait.” Han Jin shook his head, whispering, “Don’t you find this strange? Why is it that the other outposts are all heavily guarded, while this one scarcely has any guards? I think… it is a trap!”
“It may be. But do we have any other choice?” Sunier smiled bitterly. “We may have a chance to get out of the city from here, but definitely not from other city gates.”
“How about we go back and wait some more?” Cessacioun interrupted.
“No!” Han Jin replied categorically. “I have a bad feeling. West City… We can’t stay here any longer. We must leave as soon as possible!”
“Bad feeling?” Reg was speechless. The reason Han Jin gave was somewhat absurd, but he didn’t say anything against him. He had always considered Han Jin as his life-saver, and would not object to him unless he was leading them to a certain death.
“Raphael is a prophet; we’d better listen to him,” Sunier said.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Moxinke said. “We can’t go back, and we need to get out of the city. The only option for us is to break through the guards!”
“No. We should wait.” Han Jin shook his head. “There must be someone more eager to leave than us.”
“The dark elves?” Sunier suddenly realized this.
“Michelle received the news that those dark elves tried to break out of the city by force the night before last. They must have some reason to act so urgently.”
While they were talking, the door of a bar nearby was opened. After a short discussion, they all agreed to have a sit in the bar, despite it not being the right time to drink. Standing still in the street like this was too eye-catching.
The barmaids were surprised to have guests at noon and immediately tidied up some tables for them. Despite their surprise, no one would push guests out.
They ordered some cups of ale and started absent-mindedly drinking while patiently watching the commotions outside. Time went by until it was already afternoon. After ordering ale several more times, some familiar figures finally appeared at the other side of the street.
What Han Jin had said had came true, which surprised them all.
Han Jin shrugged. “Don’t look at me like this. It was just a guess.”
The dark elves also saw the figures inside the bar. But none of them took action. They just looked into each other’s eyes from across the street.
Such stare lasted for a long time until one walked out from the group of the dark elves. She was still in black with a pale face, but looked much more exhausted compared to the last time they met.
She was none other than the Dark Elf Hazel.
Hazel smiled. She walked across the street and went into the bar. She went directly to Han Jin’s table and sat down, completely ignoring the barmaid coming to greet her. “Why are you here?” she stared at Sunier and asked.
A trace of hatred flashed in Sunier’s eyes. She turned her head around to avoid looking at Hazel.
“We’re not friends anymore, are we?” Hazel still stared at Sunier.
“Have we ever been friends?” Sunier sneered.
Seeing Sunier’s reaction, Hazel sighed. She was about to say something more, but Han Jin’s voice interrupted her.
“At least, we are not enemies,” Han Jin raised his cup and said with a smile. The fact was, Han Jin neither liked the dark elves, nor hated them. At least those dark elves had not attacked them together with the vampires last time.
Hazel looked at Han Jin and nodded with a smile. “You are right. At least we are not enemies here. We should not be enemies. I have seen the arrest warrant for you. Ha ha…”
Reg flicked a cup filled with ale toward Hazel. The ale shook violently inside the cup, but not a single drop spilled out.
“Thank you.” Hazel grabbed the cup. “Have you been waiting here for long?” she asked in a low voice.
“Yes.” Han Jin nodded.
Hazel stared at him. After a while, she suddenly laughed. “You are waiting for us to test the water, aren’t you?”
“You misunderstand.” Han Jin showed a warm smile. “You know we have several members not fit for fighting. We have to be wary.”
“Is that true?” Hazel showed a bigger smile. “How long do you plan to wait?”
“If the chance comes, we will have a try. If not, we will go back.” Han Jin slowly said, “We can’t be impatient for this.”
“I got it.” Hazel nodded. “What if… I can create an opportunity for you?”
“What do you mean?” Han Jin was surprised.
“It’s simple. We will fight in the front, and your team will protect our rear.”
Han Jin looked at Hazel in amazement, trying to figure out whether she was joking or not, but all he could see in her eyes was exhaustion.
“Rest assured. We will never attack you in this circumstance,” Sunier replied first. She was the only one here that knew Hazel a bit.
“Deal.” Hazel smiled and held out her hand.
But Sunier turned her head again, leaving Hazel in embarrassment. Intead, Han Jin had to reach out his hand to shake her hand.
Hazel didn’t say anything more. She strode out of the bar and walked directly toward the outpost. The other dark elves across the street followed her in a hurry.
“That elves… are very bold,” Reg whispered.
“Oh…” Sunier smiled coldly. “You will see her bold side soon enough.”
“Hasn’t she sensed anything strange?” Cessacioun asked in surprise.
“She knows. Reg is right… She is bold.” Han Jin threw two coins on the table and stepped toward the door.
The soldiers at the outpost had noticed Hazel. Their missions were to arrest the dark elves and the two wanted men. Hazel and her companions were too conspicuous due to their attire. The soldiers were alerted and immediately shouted, “Hey! Stop! Don’t move!”
Hazel kept walking. She raised her arm and shot an arrow at a fast speed. One of the soldiers was shot into the air and heavily thudded down after colliding with a wooden column.
The sound of bow strings came all of a sudden. The soldiers at the outpost fell down almost simultaneously, frightening the pedestrians into a mess.
Coincidentally, there were, all together, seven dark elves, while seven soldiers were also guarding the post, checking the pedestrians. After only a single round of volley, all of the seven soldiers had been shot dead, demonstrating how well the team of dark elves worker together. They all had their own targets, and would not repeatedly shoot the same one in any case.
The dark elves accelerated their speed and rushed through the outpost, directly running toward the city gate.
“Boom!” With a loud sound, two shop doors on their left went flying toward Hazel and the dark elves. Such an attack could not hurt the dark elves at all, as they dodged the projectile in a flash. Hazel immediately raised her arm and shot an arrow. A warrior in heavy armor thudded down the moment he jumped out from the door.
The next moment, one door after another was knocked open. Numerous warriors rushed out from inside, shouting and approaching Hazel. Among them some were even high grade swordsmen and knights.
The dark elves changed their movements all of a sudden, which looked lithe and graceful, as if they were not fighting but dancing. Though their postures seemed slacking, the arrows they shot were forceful. Each time they shot, several warriors in front of them would be struck in the back, destroying the formation from behind. No matter how hard the armor of those warriors were, the arrow still pierced through them like pieces of paper. Each arrow took away the life of one warrior. None missed their target.
Facing the large number of incoming warriors, the dark elves drew an intangible line between life and death with the longbows in their hands. Whoever crossed the line had only one end: death!
A magician popped his head from the roof. All of a sudden, the dark elves simultaneously turned around, as if they had been waiting for him for a long time. Seven arrows shot out at the same time. Before the magician had the time to release his magic power, his magic shield had been broken. He let out a heartrending cry and disappeared from the roof.
The dark elves kept moving forward with tacit cooperation, while the battlers were in chaos. They were either shot down by arrows, or knocked down by their own companions. Each time the dark elves shot, they would step forward two small steps, and seven battlers in front of them would fall down. There were less than one hundred warriors in total, but only a few were left after a short time.
At this time, a knight in dark black heavy armor appeared in the forefront. On his left arm was a dark blue knight’s shield, which was engraved with a male lion. The knight casually waved his shield and easily blocked away all the arrows headed toward him. The war pike in his right hand was a weird dark red. With the appearance of the knight, a thick smell of blood covered the air from all directions.
“Gerald!” Hazel was stunned. Her voice sounded extremely hoarse.
“Haha…” The face of the knight was covered by a mask. No one could see his expression. All that could be heard was his laugh, which sounded like metal scraping against each other. “Are you disappointed to see me again, Hazel?”