The 3 points of Strength gained from the upgrade finally allowed him to bear the weight of both the Greatshield and the Silver Hammer simultaneously; he had been just a little short of it before. Without hesitation, he used his skill points to unlock Lay on Hands (instantly heals the target, consuming at least 50% of his energy).
The Lay on Hands spell is very powerful, but it consumes too much energy. If the injury is too severe and the energy is insufficient, it may not be able to be used at all. That's why he hadn't learned it before. Now that he was in the perilous underground, having more ways to save his life was an extra layer of insurance.
Unas retreated to the cave entrance, steel shield in his left hand, Silver Hammer in his right, awaiting the Trolls ' next attack. Sounds echoed through the tunnel, but no Trolls attacked again. Had they lost their nerve?
Just then, a commotion arose behind them. Turning around, they saw that several leaders had also been alerted by the alarm and had rushed over with their men.
The crowd parted to make way for them, and Riedel approached Unas, looking at the weapons and armor in his hands with surprise. "What's going on? Brother Unas, where did you get these weapons?"
"I stole it from the Trolls," Unas blurted out. "I was bored and wanted to scout out the enemy territory, but I didn't expect their weapons to be so good, so I just grabbed them to play with!"
But the glowing holy runes on the Silver Hammer betrayed him. There were plenty of knowledgeable people here. Frank pointed at the Silver Hammer and said, "This looks a lot like the 'Verigan's Fist,' the standard weapon of the Paladins of Lordaeron. It can't be such a coincidence, can it? The Trolls just happen to have your weapon?"
Unable to keep up the lie any longer, Unas had no choice but to change the subject, "How would I know? Don't talk nonsense. My weapon is a dark red crystal sword, not this."
"Dark red crystal swords are rare; some famous ones include Redridge, Fierceclaw, or Firekiss..." Frank murmured.
Unas had only mentioned it casually, but the old man had actually guessed correctly. "It is indeed Firekiss. How do you know so much about all kinds of weapons? You're not a weapons dealer, are you?"
Frank was about to answer when Riedel, annoyed that the two had strayed so far from the topic, interrupted, "This isn't the time to talk about this, nor is it the time to clash with the Trolls. Let's think about how to end this!"
He bent down to examine the five corpses on the ground. The horrifying hammer marks were chilling, and he dared not underestimate the new Paladin even more. Two of the corpses had knife and stab wounds, wounds that Warhammer could not have caused. He was even less convinced of Unas's words, but he would not ask him directly.
After a brief stalemate, neither side could afford to stop mining. The conflict had already begun; it was a fight or a truce. Jiang's presence here was simply a waste of time. Riedel called into the cave, "Is Boss Jinsai there? It's me, Riedel. We can talk!"
"Come alone, don't bring any weapons," the Troll's reply came quickly.
Riedel, being the leader, had some guts. He handed his sword to his henchman and walked straight into the cave.
"Isn't he afraid the Trolls will eat him?" Unas asked.
"Don't worry about that, he seems to have some connection with that Jinsai," Frank replied, continuing the previous topic, "It's said that Firekiss is the weapon of the Flame Knight, could you be...?"
"That's right, I am the successor of the Flame Knights of this generation. It's laughable that I've fallen to this state, isn't it?"
"We're all in the same boat, so let's not talk about each other anymore, sigh..."
"Did you kill all these Trolls by yourself?" Luther asked as he stepped forward.
"Of course, there are still three corpses in the cave that I haven't dragged back." Unas was quite pleased with his achievements in such a short time.
Luther was even more astonished, "You killed eight Trolls? That's like cutting off a finger of the Burning Thorn Tribe! No wonder they didn't dare charge!"
"What are fingers?" Unas began to boast, "If you're willing to support me, I can behead them all right now."
Before Luther could answer, a young man among the surrounding slaves shouted, "Of course we support the Paladin! The Paladin will prevail! The Holy Light will prevail!"
By the end, he was shouting, urging those around him to shout "Victory is certain!" and finally, he led all the human slaves in the cave to raise their arms and shout "The Holy Light will prevail!"
The hatred that had been suppressed by fear in ordinary times was now ignited. Looking at the several corpses lying at Unas's feet, everyone believed that the Paladin before them could lead them to victory.
Unas believed that if he gave the order now, these people, ignited by hope, would follow him into the tunnel. As for Riedel, who cared if he died while he went to negotiate?
Just as they were about to make a move, the bald, burly man burst out of the cave, snatched his subordinate's weapon, swung it twice, and roared, "What's all that noise about?! Anyone who shouts again, I'll chop off their leg and send them to the Trolls for soup!"
Unas, still wielding his former authority, immediately silenced the slaves. Unas tightened his grip on his Silver Hammer and said with displeasure, "Riedel, what do you mean by this? Did the Trolls give you some benefit?"
Riedel was furious that someone could label him a "traitor" with just a few words, but he was still wary of Unas and dared not openly break ties. "I've already reached an agreement with Jinsai: return the five corpses, and they'll leave as if this never happened. Jinsai even challenged you to a duel, but I refused. I said it wasn't the right time yet! And you guys, shouting slogans from behind, almost ruined all the settlement terms I negotiated!"
"If everything goes according to your plan, won't I be the one who suffers in the end?" Unas thought to himself. "I'm going to disrupt your schedule."
"These corpses are my spoils of war, and I'm not going to give them away for nothing," Unas said firmly. "How about this, I agree to a duel. If he wins, he can return the corpses to them; if I win, they have to compensate me with a cartload of ore."
"Jinsai is not someone to be trifled with; you might not be his match."
"How will you know if you don't try? Go and renegotiate. Peace achieved through force is the only true peace."
Riedel pondered. If Jinsai could take this kid out, the problem would be solved once and for all. Even if the kid won, it wouldn't be a big deal. As long as the situation could be temporarily suppressed, his plan could continue.
"Alright, I believe you." Riedel said ambiguously before turning and walking into the passageway.
The negotiations ended quickly. The Troll could not refuse the duel, as it would disqualify him from being the leader of the Horde. However, a condition was added: if he won, the humans must compensate for the loss of the eight Trolls who died.
Unas agreed without hesitation. He never thought he would lose. Judging from the ordinary Trolls he killed, even if the Troll leader was two or three times stronger, he would still be far from being his match.