Alien Knights

The bright moon is in the sky, and the stars are like the sea.

Crouching in the bushes of the forest, Randall felt the pain caused by the nerve hook of the keel parasite on his back, and suddenly felt a subtle sense of existence.

Since the end of the Battle of Lone Rock City, he has spent most of his time in the relatively safe rear, enjoying the leisurely life all day long, and has long forgotten the tension that the battlefield brought to him.

But now, this feeling of being in danger, similar to the secretion of adrenaline in the body, has returned to his blood.

Standing on the treetop, Aldenan listened carefully for a while with his wolf ears raised, then jumped down from the tree and whispered to Randall and Kellogg: "It's almost time to set off."

Randall stood up, first moved his joints to relax his slightly stiff body, and then said to the other two: "Do you still remember the mission goal before departure?"

Aldenan nodded: "From the edge of the forest, advance eastward and scout for three kilometers."

While checking the dagger he carried, Kellogg said: "Hiss... find out all the enemy secret passages, sentries and camps along the way, and record this information and draw it into a map."

Randall added: "Aldenan, you have the ability of night vision and distant hearing, and your sense of smell is far better than ours; Kellogg, you have the ability of thermal imaging and mimicry, and you can walk on tree trunks without any obstacles." and walking on rock walls. However, even so, we still have to be careful. Because once the enemy is aware of it, they will modify and adjust the defense layout, which may greatly affect the intelligence we have worked so hard to detect. deviation."

Seeing the werewolf and lizard man nodding in confirmation, Randall waved his hand: "Since there is no problem, from now on, we will no longer use language to communicate, and instead use the hive communication module to communicate, let's go!"

The reconnaissance team moved forward for several hundred meters. Aldenan suddenly stopped, stood upright, and began to sniff around with his nose.

Randall: "What's going on? Did you find anything?" (Hive Communications)

Aldenan: "There is a very pungent smell..." (Hive Communications)

Kellogg: "Look at the bark over there, there are burnt marks on it." (Hive Communications)

Aldenan approached the tree trunk, grabbed some powder from it with his claws, and smelled it carefully.

Aldenan: "It's gunpowder... Moreover, this powder ratio is very similar to what I remember the Southern Empire Army used..." (Hive Communication)

Kellogg: "So, the gunpowder weapons of the Church of Heavenly Father come from the Southern Empire. Is this rumor true?" (Hive Communications)

Randall: "In order to deal with the threat of the Dragon Kingdom, the Church of Heavenly Father has completely abandoned the taboos of the doctrine... This is not surprising, but it is indeed an irony." (Hive Communications)

Aldenan: "Going in this direction, the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger and stronger, and there may be an enemy camp there." (Hive Communications)

Randall: "Everyone slow down and pay attention to your surroundings." (Hive Communications)

The three of them walked forward for about one kilometer in the direction pointed by the werewolf, and faint human voices could be heard in the air.

Kellogg stretched out his hand to stop the movements of the other two, and imitated the surrounding colors. Using his hands and feet, he climbed up a towering tree next to him, looking like a giant gecko.

A few minutes later, Kellogg's hive communication rang in the ears of Randall and Aldenan: "Eight hundred meters northeast, there is a camp of an enemy advance group. There are about 800 people. Most of them are Sleeping with only dozens of people patrolling.”

Randall: "Can you see the weaponry and fortifications?"

Kellogg: "Thermal imaging capabilities don't see those details."

Randall: "Okay, we need to get closer. From now on, everyone, slow down again and pay close attention to everything around you."

The three of them cautiously moved toward the northeast, moving slowly.

Gradually, the sounds in the air became louder and louder, including the sounds of human conversations, the low sounds of horses, and the sounds of bonfires burning.

Aldenan lay down and looked forward through the gap in the bushes: "I saw the enemy's flag and the enemy's armor. There is no mistake. These people are the army of the Church of Heavenly Father."

Randall: "Let's walk around the camp and see what we find."

The three of them had only taken a few steps when Randall suddenly reached out and grabbed Aldenan.

Just when the latter was confused, Randall was half-kneeling on the ground, pointing to a piece of twine no more than fifteen centimeters above the ground, and said via hive communication: "Alarm trap."

Aldenan knelt down, carefully pushed aside the bushes, and found that the twine was connected to an iron plate filled with stones. The alarm would be triggered if he was not careful.

Aldenan let out a long breath of fear: "Fortunately, you discovered it in time."

Randall: "Have you forgotten? I used to make a living by hunting. To me, this kind of trap is more like a childish prank."

The three of them avoided the trap on the ground and walked forward for more than ten meters. Kellogg stared at the ground, lay down and said via hive communication: "There is a tunnel below, and there are enemies under our feet."

Aldenan put his ear close to the ground and listened while reporting: "Yes, there are indeed people underground. And I heard the sound of rolling metal objects. It sounds heavy?"

Randall: "Metal object?"

Aldenan pointed with his finger: "The group of people in the tunnel walked forward with that thing."

Randall: "Let's go along the tunnel and take a look."

When the three of them followed the direction of the tunnel, bypassed the camp, and arrived at their destination, a low hill, they couldn't help but be startled by the scene in front of them.

Aldenan swallowed: "If I read it correctly, that one seems to be..."

Randall: "The bunker."

Kellogg: "What's a bunker?"

Randall: "In order to occupy favorable terrain, or to control traffic arteries, the Southern Empire often used tunnels or trenches to build a solid defense fortification with stones and soil. From the appearance, it looks a bit like a tower from the ground Low raised houses.”

Aldenan: "The size of this bunker looks almost like the longhouse where our Crusaders live. But what are those square holes drilled in the wall...?"

Randall: "It's a musket hole."

Aldenan: "Then what is the trapezoidal gap in the middle used for?"

Randall: "That is the cannon port, which is usually used to place Imperial shotguns to attack soldiers who are too close."

Kellogg: "So, it seems that the noise we just heard in the tunnel should be the sound of the enemy pushing the artillery."

Randall: "Yes, bunkers, shooting holes, and artillery blockades are all common tactics used by the empire. It seems that the church not only bought their weapons this time, but also learned their fighting methods."

Aldenan: "From your tone, this battle seems a bit difficult for us?"

Randall: "... I'm afraid it's not just difficult... this may be the most dangerous hard battle since the founding of the kingdom."