When Sulonna approached, the Defias Messenger nodded. Then, with a sudden flick of his hand, a dagger appeared in his grip and pressed against her throat!
Seeing this, Li Shaolin quickly curled his fingers, preparing to cast Lesser Blindness. At the same time, he mentally ordered the Black Skeleton to save her, telling it to wait for an opening and block the Messenger's dagger.
"Stop, Lin!" Knowing how formidable the skeletons were, Sulonna hurriedly waved her hand, signaling him to wait. Then she turned and asked, "Messenger, what is the meaning of this?"
"Sulonna, can I still trust you?" The Defias Messenger had no intention of attacking her, yet he did not release her either. He merely asked in return.
"Let her go!" Li Shaolin was anxious. After all, he had spent several days with Sulonna. He had to find a way to save her.
"What do you mean by that?" Sulonna asked calmly.
Seeing her bewildered expression and finding no sign of pretense, the Messenger sighed, sheathed his dagger, and released her.
Noticing that something was off, Li Shaolin naturally could not act rashly. He only kept signaling for Sulonna to come over.
"Honored Undead mage, I had no intention of offending you." The Messenger gave a slight bow to show that he meant no harm. Then he began telling Sulonna about the changes within the Defias: "What happened in Elwynn Forest reached the Deadmines two days ago. Seven captains have either died or disappeared. That place has lost all its leaders. And in Westfall, Benny Blanco, the leader of Fabron's Farm, has also disappeared. His treasure is gone as well. He has either left or met with misfortune."
After a pause, the Messenger looked at Sulonna. "Of the seven captains in Elwynn Forest, only you remain, yet you appeared alone here on Long Beach. So please tell me what happened in Elwynn."
"How does that relate to my loyalty to the Defias?" Sulonna did not answer his question.
"Fine, then let me tell you. Three days ago, Grian Stoutmantle of Sentinel Hill suddenly notified every Brotherhood member in Westfall and issued VanCleef a challenge. He was preparing to lead the People's Army and adventurers in an assault on the Deadmines. As soon as I received the news, I sent letters to all the major leaders, asking everyone to gather at Moonbrook Town. But do you know what happened?" The Messenger's face was grim. "First, Marisa Dupeig of Dagger Hills refused to fight and had already prepared her defenses. Then Johansen announced that Jamelord Mine belonged to him. Today, I came to deliver a message to Miser Capol, leader of Golden Coast Mine and Ariskton Farm. But I did not see him personally. Judging from his subordinates' reactions, though, he is likely planning to betray the Brotherhood as well."
Internal strife? This serious? According to Li Shaolin's map, if things truly fell apart like this, wouldn't the Defias Brotherhood's territory be reduced to only the Deadmines and Moonbrook Town?
"So, Sulonna, can I still trust you?" The Messenger shook his head.
Sulonna had already opened her mouth wide in shock, unable to say a word. Who would have thought that in just a few short days, the Brotherhood's strength would be cut by more than half? The Defias members who had occupied all of Westfall and Elwynn Forest had actually fallen into internal conflict just like that?
"Why has everything happened at once? Could there be a traitor among us?" Sulonna finally came to her senses after a long while and asked.
"A traitor? Heh heh. Johansen and Marisa—who among them isn't one?"
"No, I mean... could someone be colluding with the People's Army?"
The Defias Messenger nodded, seemingly in agreement. He had likely considered it as well. Sentinel Hill and the Deadmines had struggled against each other for so long, with neither side gaining much advantage. Why would a decisive battle suddenly be launched?
A sizzling sound, like air being scorched, suddenly rang out.
The three turned toward it and saw several Defias members in mage robes standing at the entrance to Golden Coast Mine. Flames burned between their hands, and they clearly intended to launch Fireballs. Among them, an old man dressed as a mage looked at them with a grin. "Lord Messenger? Heh heh, what brings you to Golden Coast Mine? Have you brought us any news?"
"This is bad!" Sulonna cried out, hurriedly drawing her staff as she retreated.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Three Fireballs shot toward them!
Sulonna raised her hand and sent out a burst of flame, colliding with a Fireball in midair. Both dissipated into flames. The Messenger twisted aside and retreated repeatedly, striking several times with his dagger to scatter another Fireball. Naturally, Li Shaolin was the most composed of them all. He made no move at all as the Bronze Skeleton beside him swung its great shield, forcibly receiving a Fireball amid a thunderous blast that scattered sparks everywhere.
"Oh? A mage from the Scourge Legion?" The old man was startled. Only then did he notice the three skeletons beside Li Shaolin.
"Miser Capol, you really have betrayed the Brotherhood!" The Defias Messenger gritted his teeth and cursed viciously.
"Hahahaha! What future is there in following VanCleef? That arrogant fool seized such a vast territory, yet instead of taking the chance to attack Stormwind City, he spends every day dreaming about building some garbage ships. What a wonderful dream—he actually thinks he can take down the Cathedral of Light with cannons! Hahahaha, how childish! I have no intention of going mad with him any longer. Heh heh, look at Johansen and Marisa. They're both smart people. Why not join us too?" Capol laughed wildly.
"Pah! I refuse to associate with the likes of you." The Defias Messenger spat.
"I forgot—you are VanCleef's diehard loyalist. Since that's the case, I'll send you on your way." Capol waved his hand, and several mages behind him closed in again. At the same time, Gnolls carrying miners' picks and Rogues holding small daggers began emerging from the mine.
Seeing more and more people gathering, the Defias Messenger flashed and vanished from sight. The man had actually turned invisible! At once, everyone's gaze shifted toward Li Shaolin and Sulonna!
Li Shaolin could not help but feel bitter. What the hell was this? He had somehow been dragged into it for no reason, and the other side was made up of spellcasters!
Sulonna moved closer, her eyes full of shame. This time, they had truly entered a dangerous situation. These mages were the infamous Plunderers within the Defias, all fire mages. Two of them alone could handle her, let alone with the other Plunderers appearing behind them. These people were nothing like those tiny Murlocs. The two of them were in for a hard fight.
"Wait!" Li Shaolin quickly raised his hand. "Mr. Capol, are you really going to make an enemy of the Scourge Legion?" The enemy outnumbered them, so a direct fight would not be wise. Better to frighten them first.
Capol hesitated slightly before bursting into laughter again. "So what if you're from the Scourge Legion? If I kill you here, who will know?" With a wave of his hand, he was about to order the mages to attack.
Seeing his reaction, Li Shaolin steeled himself and pulled out the Book of the Dead.
Remembering that he still had an unused skill point, he naturally wanted to summon as many as possible at a time like this. He quickly put it into Summon Skeleton Mage. Meanwhile, the mages by the mine had already begun chanting Fireball, and scorching waves of heat rose through the air.
"Attack!" At Li Shaolin's command, the vanished Black Skeleton suddenly reappeared. With a sweep of its curved blade, it killed a Defias Mage. Then it lunged forward again, and another mage, unable to finish chanting or evade in time, was cut down alive! At the same time, the Clay Golem, Bronze Skeleton, and Bone Skeleton rushed forward together, blocking Li Shaolin and Sulonna. The Lightning Skeleton Mage gathered crackling electricity between its hands and struck first!
For a moment, explosions rang out without end! The Defias Mages finally finished their chants and unleashed their magic!
There were nine mages in total. The Black Skeleton had killed two of them first, leaving seven Fireballs flying straight at them. At the same time, the other Defias Plunderers with daggers had already closed in.
Sulonna fired a Frostbolt first, knocking down one Fireball. The Bronze Skeleton swung its great shield and blocked two more. The Bone Skeleton blocked one, and the Clay Golem blocked another, but two still came flying toward them!
Li Shaolin yanked Sulonna aside and stepped forward. Two Bone Shields faintly appeared in the air, then shattered.
With a wave of his hand, amid a spray of flesh and blood, another Skeleton Mage rose from the body of the Defias Mage killed by the Black Skeleton. When it appeared, shredded flesh splattered everywhere, covering Capol beside it.
"Stop! Stop!" Capol hurriedly shouted.
Though they did not understand why he had called for a halt, his subordinates naturally obeyed and immediately stopped casting. Seeing that Capol had something to say, Li Shaolin considered it a good thing that they were not fighting and also stopped the skeletons advancing forward.
"Heh heh, Lord Scourge mage, you and I have no grievance between us. Why not stop here? What do you say?" Capol's previous savagery vanished as he spoke with a smile.
"Weren't you going to take my life?" Li Shaolin asked in return.
"Never, never. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I thought you were with the Messenger. You may leave as you please. I, Capol, will never stop you. Oh, and Golden Coast Mine and Ariskton Farm will always welcome your visit." Capol nodded and bowed, seeming eager for Li Shaolin to leave as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Sulonna quickly tugged Li Shaolin away. The two left in confusion, followed naturally by the group of summons.
"Leader, why?" a mage beside him asked.
"You think I wanted to let them go? That Scourge mage can raise the corpses of our dead companions and use them in battle. Didn't you see that? That black skeleton moves so swiftly, killing several of our people with ease. Then the mage just needs to summon from the rear, and won't their group keep growing stronger? Do we have any chance of winning if this continues?" Capol cursed. He had seen how powerful the skeletons were, and when Li Shaolin casually summoned that Defias Mage into a Fire Skeleton Mage, he feared that as long as there were enough corpses, they would certainly be impossible to defeat. He had not realized that Li Shaolin's summons, unlike those of the Scourge Legion, had a numerical limit. He had worried for nothing.
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