Dinin finally agreed to the mayor's request. Correspondingly, the number of people was also reduced to one. So Barbeck chose Andrew, the current vigilante captain of Tarummere? Franck. He's been in office for more than a decade, and he's not very savvy, but he's trusted by the townspeople. What's more, he knows the terrain around Talenmere so well that he won't let two outsiders get lost between the hills and woodlands.

After confirming the ownership of the command with the security captain who arrived later, Dineen ended the conversation. He turned to look in the direction of the Parkers, paused slightly, and walked over.

He didn't say anything to urge, but everyone knew what was going to happen. With the comfort and support of Burren and Lucina, the Parkers wiped away tears and said goodbye to their son and walked out of the church. The others followed Dineen's motion, and only Albert hesitated.

"Need me...... Help? He asked in a whisper.

Dineen refused. There was holy water in the church, and there was no need to torture his partner's fragile nerves.

Albert took one last look at Bane. The young man, who had been able to speak intermittently, had now turned red, his lips were blue, he was unconscious, and the black veins were menacing under his pale skin. If you don't look closely, you can barely see that his chest is still rising and falling slightly. Dinen stood straight beside him, his hand pressed to the hilt of his sword.

He sighed inwardly, then stepped back and closed the church door with his backhand.

Their wait didn't take long. About ten minutes later, Dineh came out. He handed a wooden box to Bruce? Parker, simply, said, "I think you'd want to do it yourself." ”

Mrs. Parker let out a suppressed sob, and Lucina quickly patted her on the back to soothe her. Dineen turned his gaze and looked at her for a moment.

"You have a good son, Madame, and he is very brave," he said quietly, "and you should be proud of him as you would a warrior." ”

"He's right, Mary." Bruce? Parker said to his wife, "Come on, come with me." ”

Albert gritted his teeth as he watched their backs leave arm-in-arm.

It's not like he hasn't seen death. But the first man he killed was an opponent in the gladiatorial arena, and the killing was so natural in the face of a vicious thug that the young paladin didn't even leave a shadow - even Dineen expressed surprise at that.

But now, Albert finally felt the weight of death clearly. An innocent person died in front of him, and there was nothing he could do about it, not because of a lack of experience or knowledge, or because he was beyond his power. Rather, they were not even given the opportunity to work hard, and were completely denied from the beginning.

- This feeling of powerlessness is really terrible.

I'm not going to let that happen again. He clenched his fists, and in the name of the Light, I-

"Don't swear." Dineh said coldly. The mind of a young man in this period is really easy to guess, and he knows what his partner is thinking at a glance, "You will regret it sooner or later." ”

Albert choked up, and his ambition dissipated. He looked at Dineen with a little annoyance, and the retort almost blurted out, but by this time the latter had already turned around and said without looking back, "It's time to go, don't forget that we still have to find the dagger." ”

Dagger = Sal. Albert instantly understood what his partner meant, and then was successfully diverted. Worried about Thrall's safety, he hurried to follow, praying in his heart for the Light's blessing.

- But the light doesn't seem to shelter the orcs.

When they arrived at yesterday's camp, they didn't see any reassuring signs. Dineen stood still, staring at the ground for a moment. Then he followed the marks he recognized to the side and picked up a dagger from the haystack.

Albert recognized it at a glance as the one they had left for Sal. So Sal met those people. He felt his internal organs clenched by a hand. What did they do to him? Take him? Kill him?

He didn't know if he had met that worst result again, but he prayed not. He and Sal had only known each other for three days, but they had already convinced him with a sincerity and integrity that surpassed his preconceived notions. Even though he was an orc, Albert would love to have such a friend. He never wanted to see the other party suffer misfortune.

"Dinein?" He asked in a whisper, trying to get some reassuring news from his partner.

But Dinen pondered for a moment and shook his head.

He wasn't sure. There were no traces of blood, plague, or spell corruption. But he found some painful scratching. At worst, it was probably a pre-NDE struggle. The good news was that he hadn't found a body, but how could the Cursed cultists who had come to hunt down Bane end their mission and instead focus on bringing back such a tall orc? They gave up their actions so casually, not at all worried about their existence being discovered? Or does it matter even if it is discovered?

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

A hoarse voice interrupted his thoughts, and the sheriff captain of Tarummere urged impatiently. For what Rausch's dagger they have to take a detour to find here, Andrew? Frank was dissatisfied.

"Found it."

Dineen shook the dagger in his hand perfunctorily, and then casually inserted it into his boot. Even if he senses the dissatisfaction of the other party, Dinning is not the kind of person who will come according to the wishes of others.

He completely ignored the other party's complaints. Find your way and signal them to come with you. There's nothing left to stay, and all doubts can be answered in the Cursed Lair—for better or for worse.

***

"It's right there."

As they climbed up an unknown number of hills, Andrew pointed ahead. The other two followed his lead.

Under the moonlight, the dilapidated buildings look eerie. It is surrounded by an overgrown wasteland, and there is not even a trace of the road. The gate of the watchtower was nowhere to be found, and the lower windows had been nailed with wooden bars, and even the edges were in tatters. There was not a single ray of light or sound in it. The silence in the area was terrible.

"Looks like they're not here?" Albert said confusedly.

"It's also possible that we're in ambush somewhere, waiting for us to rush into the trap ourselves." Andrew rubbed his arm, feeling creepy.

"Either way," said Dinein, who had been inspecting the watchtower, "we have no choice. ”

They will not allow themselves to return in vain.

The trek through the shin weeds was a bit of a struggle, but they were not attacked until they reached the gate of the watchtower. But Dinein, who learns of the existence of the Plague Dogs from Bane, still warns his companions to be careful. For this operation, they have covered their whole bodies tightly with leather armor, but it can only be used for a temporary need.

The three of them watched outside the watchtower, and after making sure that there was still no sign of enemy activity, Dinen looked up. Just as a breeze was blowing, something swayed slightly above the watchtower.

"What did you find?" Albert saw Dineen frowning and staring in that direction, and couldn't help but follow suit. He thought he was going to see some bloody and horrific scenes—corpses hanging from high places. But no.

"That's ...... Banner? ”

Yes, indeed. The piece of fabric had worn out in the wind and rain, and it swayed weakly under the impetus of the breeze. But in the moonlight, the background color and logo can still be faintly seen.

"Lordaeron's Banner." Dinen nodded in approval, and turned to Andrew with a little imperceptible unpleasantness, "Didn't your army take the flag with you when they withdrew?" ”

Perhaps because of his military background, Dineen always paid special attention to flags and badges. In the military, this type of emblem is often associated with glory and sacrifice. He once plucked the lion's identification plate from the necks of his fallen men, and once relied on the badges left by his scouts to find his way out of the enemy's tracking. Even in the last battle he experienced, everyone, including Dinein, swore to defend the flag that had been planted before the battle.

- They died proudly for it, because it symbolized the glory of the Alliance.

So when he saw this tattered flag, Dineen couldn't help frowning, and couldn't figure out why an army would throw its glory here.

Andrew naturally couldn't understand his feelings. But the captain of the security still explained: "In the first place, the militia stationed here was always a temporary conscription, so they didn't pay much attention to this thing. ”

At this time, even Albert snorted dissatisfiedly.

Dinen didn't say anything more, but had already decided that he would take the flag off and take it with him after he had dealt with the enemy—it would be a sign of victory. Although it was not the flag of the Alliance, the Kingdom of Lordaeron meant a lot to him.

But now is not the time. He gestured to his companion's attention, and then stepped up the steps and into the pitch black room. The other two men followed him closely, keeping a high level of vigilance in every direction.

Dinen wasn't as nervous as they were. Compared with his companions, his eyes adapted to the darkness quickly, and he quickly glanced around the room and relaxed slightly.

The structure of the watchtower was slightly different from what he was used to. Because there is no need to withstand the harsh local climate, the wooden structure is generally used, and the internal supports are more complex and the space is larger. To the left of the entrance is a wooden spiral staircase leading to the observation deck at the top, and to the right is an empty room with a door directly in front of it. The ground floor of the watchtower was usually a place to store supplies and rest for soldiers, so Dineen guessed that they should be used for barracks and warehouses, respectively.

Then he knew their destination.

Dineen pushed the door slightly, but found it moving. So he took a step back, sank his shoulders, and slammed into it with a sudden force—and with a muffled thud, the heavy wooden door collapsed.

There was a dull ache in the bones that had not yet been fully restored, but Dinen didn't even move his eyebrows. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, he strode into the room.

The moonlight shone through the cracks in the wooden strips that sealed the window, and through this faint light, he saw a table full of flasks, test tubes, and other experimental instruments, and next to it was a bloodstained operating table. In another corner, a row of apparently crudely crudely built wooden fences, about two people tall, formed a cage along with the walls on either side. And behind the fence are several humans who have fallen to the ground, it is not known whether they are unconscious or already dead.

Looking at the rudimentary cage, Dineen's eyes narrowed slightly—it wasn't quite what he had thought.

But before he could dispute his companion, his ears picked up some slight sounds. The sound was all too familiar to him—the clatter of bones and the sound of stiff limbs dragging on the ground, coming from the corners on their side and outside the warehouse doors.

Sure enough, it's a trap.

Without saying a word, Dinin drew his sword out of the sheath and shouted: "Enemy attack, vigilance!" ”

At this time, Albert and the vigilante also saw the things that had risen from the darkness. They quickly leaned towards Dinen and followed him to the other end of the room.

The movements of these undead are slow and stiff, but their hideous appearance and the plague they carry are enough to send chills through the heart. Albert stared at a half-rotten face and eyeballs dangling out of his sockets, feeling his hairs stand on end. He heard the vigilante's teeth chatter.

"Holy Light, what the hell is this?" Andrew said tremblingly.

The only one of them who was calm was Dinein, who had turned a blind eye to such an enemy. He was even able to look away and look at his companions.

"Captain, you go check on those people and take the back window open. Albert, you stall with me - relax, please, the undead are not as terrible as you think. Seeing the tense and solemn faces of the two people, Dineh sighed, "Their bodies are more fragile, although they don't perceive pain, but smashing their heads and spine can also solve the problem." ”

"And you," he said, turning to Albert, "just attach the light to the weapon, and you don't have to think about where to hit. But I have to ask, do you like vegetables and fruits? ”

"Okay, what's wrong?"

Dineen looked at him for a moment with a look that bordered on pity but also gloating, and suggested, "Then let's not eat meat for dinner." ”

Albert was confused for a moment, until he remembered the afternoon's experience, and in an instant his face turned pale, and he looked like he was about to throw up. He couldn't help but glare at his foul-natured companion, and at the same time forgot his nervousness.

Dinein, who succeeded in his prank, laughed. He raised the long sword in his hand in a good mood and aimed it at the approaching undead, and according to his habit, a warlike roar erupted from his throat:

"For the Union ——!"