This is the fourth fork in the road... Or is it the fifth?

The guards weren't fast, and Thrall easily threw them away. But the consequences of a wild run were immediate, and he now had no idea where he was, let alone the area where the suspected exit was.

Thankfully, he didn't encounter any enemies along the way. Presumably, they had concentrated all their forces in response to that invasion. The only time Thrall was stopped was by two rickety skeletons of bones, fragile enough to shatter with a punch from him. Although it didn't seem appropriate, the orc picked up a full thigh bone to use as a weapon, and ran away in a puff of smoke, leaving behind the skeletons who were trying to put themselves together.

But to be honest, human bones are light and brittle, not to mention this kind of burial in the soil for a long time. If he really encounters the enemy, Thrall's confidence in using this leg bone to face the enemy is not very good.

Maybe be able to lure the hounds away or something? Sal thought as optimistically as he could. There are a small number of claw prints on the ground, and the size must be very large judging by the proportions. The beast was usually more agile than a humanoid, and he had to be prepared.

Even though he knew it was dangerous to trespass like this, Thrall couldn't stop. Despite the difference in speed, the guards followed the trail he left behind firmly and accurately. The first few times he was slack, he was almost caught by them, not to mention that there was a mage following closely behind, and if he caught up, he would die.

It's not going to go on like this. It had been Sal's luck that the camp was large and complex, so he didn't end up in a cul-de-sac and get blocked. But if he makes a mistake, I'm afraid there will be little time to make amends.

Thrall tentatively tugged at the stands along the way. The heavy timbers that held up the underground tunnels seemed to be able to support his weight. He did a quick study, then carefully selected an area with a triangular structure and climbed up, tucking himself into it solidly.

The space was so small that the orcs had to curl up on their shoulders and knees. He genuinely doubted that he would be able to launch a surprise attack later, rather than get stuck here. But it was better than hanging from the beam with just his hands, at least he was able to hold the weapon in his hands for now, rather than crushing the enemy with his weight.

Thinking of the hapless mage he had used as a cushion, Thrall couldn't help but shake his head. Although it is very effective, the touch is just too creepy. He still felt hairs down his spine when he thought about it now.

Quickly discarding the memory from his mind, Thrall focused on learning the way the hunters hunted in the story, breathing very lightly and slowly, and his body and mind relaxed as much as possible, gathering his breath and listening intently for any possible movement.

He didn't have to wait long.

The deliberate silence was broken by the sound of footsteps from far and near, but to Thrall's surprise, the sound came from the opposite direction. He opened his eyes wide and tried to see something, but the thick darkness not only hid his figure, but also had the same effect on the other person.

Sal, who felt that he was surrounded, raised his hair slightly. All he heard was footsteps, but the voice was steady, powerful, unhurried, like a warrior rather than a mage erratic under his feet.

This is undoubtedly a formidable enemy. He must grasp the lurking favorable conditions in order to win quickly, and must not delay for too long. Thrall is now incredibly grateful for the challenge he took on at Dunhold, and it wasn't the first time he had faced an enemy with his bare hands.

- So, where are you?

He judged the location of the visitor in the dark. If the first raid can capture the weapon, then he is quite sure.

It's closer. Thrall could even hear the other man's breathing as steady as ever, as if he was approaching unsuspectingly. The orc clenched the leg bone in his hand and pounced silently!

The footsteps stopped abruptly, and the boots rubbed against the sand and gravel on the ground. The man came with a sudden brake and avoided Thrall's surprise attack. The next moment, a dazzling light suddenly erupted in the darkness, and Sal reacted quickly and immediately closed his eyes, but did not stop, but with a brief glance just now, he waved his leg bone, and smashed straight in that direction with a swift blow!

With a click, the fragile bones broke under the tremendous force of the orc's explosion, and he felt that there was only a short section of the stick left in his hand, and Thrall didn't pause at all, took a step forward and stabbed straight forward, raised his foot and kicked over!

Then the other party successfully stopped him with a brief exclamation.

"-Sal?!"

The orc replied with a muffled thud - the consequence of the forced change of direction was that he fell to the ground in resignation after baring his teeth and claws.

***

"I should have thought it was yours." After getting up from the ground, Sal said with remorse.

The young paladin waved his hand to show that he didn't care. It was quite a surprise to him to see that the other party was safe and sound, and as for the blue forehead, a healing technique could completely do it.

In addition to this awkward little accident, Sal was also happy to meet his companion. Albert brought him not only intelligence and strong support, but also a very handy weapon.

This new bronze battle axe was a bit heavier than the one used by Thrall, and had a longer handle. If it is changed to a human, it can be used as a two-handed axe, but for the orc, this weight makes him feel a little steady. Now even in front of the guards, he can be fearless.

"Is this the weapon you bought?"

"No," Albert began, "it was Dineen himself." ”

Thrall was briefly taken aback, and then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, where is Dining?" ”

Albert's face became even more gloomy. Seeing this, Sal suddenly had a bad guess in his heart. Although it was unimaginable, he tentatively asked, "Is it him...... Did something happen? ”

"No, he's fine." The paladin said sullenly, he stopped talking for a while, and finally skipped all the steps and went straight to the result, "He's now... I guess it's still in Talenmere. ”

Although Sal could not understand Albert's mixed feelings of anger and sadness at this time, he could also detect his depression. He didn't know how to comfort the other party, but he also knew that this was not the right time to talk deeply, so he had to change the topic and talk about his own experience.

This caught Albert's attention. The paladin listened and explained to him, such as those guards should actually be called undead, and they must be careful of the plague they carry when fighting, etc., and by the way, he briefly told him what happened to him in Talenmere, which was considered to answer some of Thrall's previous doubts.

Thrall scratched his head, "You said that Bane was infected?" He roughly calculated the time, and suddenly said, "Then I must have met the people who were chasing him." ”

"—and then they brought you back." Albert smiled wryly, "I really don't know what these guys are thinking. Are they going to complete a mission or are they going out sightseeing? ”

"I think it's because they've already made arrangements on Talenmere's side." Sal recalled the conversations he had heard, and said thoughtfully, "It's just that your presence completely disrupted their plans, and it caught both sides off guard." ”

Albert was taken aback by this conclusion. He glared at Sal in disbelief, "You say they still have allies in Tarummere?" ”

Startled by the sudden rise in the voice, Sal quickly recalled it carefully before giving an affirmative answer. Then he was amazed to see his companion's face turn pale, as if he had encountered something more terrifying than entering the lair of the dead alone.

Albert frowned, muttered a few words, and suddenly said urgently, "We must get out of here as soon as possible." ”

"What's wrong?" Thrall asked. Albert hadn't talked to him about the second half yet.

"The inhabitants of Tarummere are suffering a curse." The paladin said as succinctly as he could, "I thought the source of the curse was here. ”

"And not really?" Sal tried to keep up with the train of thought, which was a bit of a jump for him.

"Maybe." Albert said irritably, hesitating, "... Maybe. ”

"We can't be sure now, can we?" Sal shrugged, "Then why not go ahead with the current option?" Leave it to Dinen on Talenmere's side, and if something happens, he won't sit idly by. ”

Albert didn't quite understand where Sal's determination of Dinen came from, and the quarrel that had only been a few words a few minutes ago still made his heart cold. But he sincerely hoped that the judgment was right, no matter for whom.

He was about to say yes, but Sal's face suddenly changed, and he stared at his back. His expression made Albert chuckle and slowly turn around.

Then he remembered what Dineen had said a few hours earlier.

- There is much more to the cemetery in the Hills Bled Hills than just Tarummere.

From the moment he decided to come, the young man knew that he would face countless enemies, and he was ready to fight them to the death.

But now it's much more than just the "many", okay!!

The not-so-wide passage was filled with strangely shaped undead, forming an impenetrable wall of people, slowly and firmly surging in this direction. Thrall tried to stand on tiptoe and look behind the undead, realizing that he couldn't even see the end of the crowded heads.

If there was a dead end in the back, or an innocent civilian, Thrall would never take a step back. But he remembered that Albert's goal was to find out who was behind the curse—the kind of people who weren't going to be waiting for them right in the middle of the wave of the undead, right?

"Maybe my proposal may involve your glory, man," he said cautiously, "but seriously, how about thinking about a strategic shift?" ”

***

Is this the fourth, or the fifth...... Wait, shouldn't that one be counted as well? Oh shit, if I didn't have some light, I'd never know what this thing was.

Thrall thought indignantly, slashing off the heads of the undead who stood in front of him with an axe, and leaped over the fallen corpse. The plague dog that followed him was met with a warhammer that shone with holy light, and was sent back by unconventional means with a disgusting smell of burnt.

"That's it! Left right? Albert shouted with his back to him.

Thrall's eyes widened for a moment as he looked at the two equally dark passages, and finally resigned himself to defeat, pointing indiscriminately like every previous time: "Left! ”

So the two of them plunged headlong into the passage on the left.

"How do I feel like we've been to this place?" Albert wondered as he ran.

"Are we or are you?"

"We!"

"That's terrible!" Sal said dejectedly, "Haven't you found those markings you made?" None of them? ”

"None except those that point to passages that have been blocked by the undead."

"Then I think it's pretty obvious - it's another trap, man."

"And I jumped in as if there was a pack of hounds chasing after me."

"I don't mean anything else, man, you know-"

"I know, Sal, I'm saying I'm stupid."

“……”

Albert did think so. Although they seized on his weakness and forced him to come with innocent residents, he still had his own freedom in the plan of action. But he gave up these advantages and rushed headlong into the enemy's base camp. If he hadn't happened to meet Thrall, he would have been haunted by these little undead who were dragging his time, and what would have happened after he was caught up was simply a matter of no suspense.

"Another fork in the road!" Thrall, who was running ahead, roared, "How big of a place did they dig?" In order to compete for the Digger of the Year award, the winner awards a nest of gophers? ”

Despite his exhaustion, Albert was amused by the complaint. He laughed as he ran over to Sal and patted him on the back, "At least it's better than a dead end." This time I'll pick the right side, let's run. ”

"I'd rather have a fight with them." The orc grunted and stepped along.

They ran for a short while, and then stopped in unison, staring at the wall a few meters away with mixed feelings.

- There is no road.

"Ahh ”

"I didn't even realize that I still had the heart to do it." Albert was annoyed and said, "I'm sorry, Sal. ”

"Don't say that." Sal sounded happy, "I've had enough. True warriors aren't rabbits running around, now show them our fangs! ”

He didn't move any closer to the wall, but turned on the spot, staring fiercely at the approaching tide of undead. Albert turned around with him, thinking of the people of Tarenmere who were dying under the curse, and Dinin.

Well, he's right again.

"I hope Dineh won't be startled by the two of us when he leads the security team tomorrow." Albert couldn't help but say, he was still a little aggrieved.

"—of course not." A voice sounded behind them without warning, "Because I'm here now." ”