"I never knew you could troll you."

"When we get this done, I can teach you."

"Actually, I don't... Anyway, tell me what you talked about. ”

Albert said, glancing behind him stealthily. The troll was crouching beside the cage, using Dinein's dagger to cut the carrion off his body, while the pieces of flesh lay on the back of his neck, sucking blood. Seeing this scene, the paladin turned his head with a slight toothache.

At least it's more normal here.

Dinen lifted the flasks one by one and shook them to make sure they didn't contain anything like a slime monster that could eat and grow: "He wants revenge, I want the person in charge of this place to die, we have a common goal and our own advantages, so we work together." Any questions? ”

"The problem is that he looks fast...... Well, not very healthy. ”

"That's why we didn't go straight to the leader's room and beat him up now." Dineen picked a clean crystal bottle and began to pour a brown powder into it, "Thirty grams of root grass powder...... Don't worry, the troll's resilience is excellent, and we don't need his combat power - huh, aren't these Cursed Cultists ready to calm the gods? ”

"And what is he responsible for providing, blood?" Albert said skeptically.

Dinen knew his point very well: "Why should I take a Shadowhunter to make fodder for that thing?" No, that's used to filter toxins from the blood. Then he was able to jump around. ”

"Shadowhunter?"

"Just as humans believe in the Light and orcs revere the elements, trolls have their own beliefs." Dinen put down the crystal bottle and frowned and rummaged through the materials, "Those bloodthirsty and savage dark gods give them the power of shadows, and the Shadow Hunters are well-versed in souls, curses, and sorcery, and the power attributes of the Cursed Cultists are very similar. ”

"Similar to a witch doctor?"

"No, the difference between a witch doctor and a Shadowhunter is like that between a priest and a paladin...... It's not quite apt, but that's how you understand it. Di Ning, who really couldn't find the Tranquility Flower, gave up and sighed, threw the bottle aside, and picked a new one, "Heather, bone...... What should I put in the solvent? ”

Albert remained silent, given that he had no study of alchemy. It wasn't until Dineen began to pour the slightly viscous oily liquid into the crystal bottles to cause them to react that he continued to ask, "Can we trust him?" ”

With Thrall as a precedent, paladins are much more tolerant of aliens than their peers. But even then, he had doubts about trolls.

It's not just because the attributes of the two are conflicting. The feud between trolls and humans is much deeper than that of orcs, dating back to 3,000 years ago, when humans were still in the nomadic era. It wasn't until Emperor Soladin unified the human tribes and joined forces with the High Elves of the north to defeat the troll Amani Empire and seize control of the continent that the trolls as natives gradually declined. But the cunning, viciousness and capriciousness of this race are still remembered by the descendants of the victors. When the Horde invaded many years ago, trolls also attacked the territory of the High Elves as accomplices. Therefore, even if the troll they encountered was not aggressive, Albert could not trust the other party immediately.

"We can do it until we reach our goal." Dinen shook the bottle, wondering if he should add some catalysts, but he was frustrated that he couldn't think of the recipe, so he gave up, "Killing powerful enemies is the best way for trolls to sacrifice to their gods, and he must prove that he is capable of fighting in order to regain the favor of the gods." ”

"Wait, you're saying their gods have abandoned him? Or when he needed help the most? Albert said incredulously.

"As I said, the gods of trolls are bloodthirsty and savage. They give strength to their followers in order to get pleasure from their killing. If a troll can't do that, then he's worthless. So trolls are usually fierce and bloodthirsty because they have to please their gods. ”

He heard undisguised but still slight footsteps behind him, and stopped talking.

"The god Loa is never satisfied," but the other man apparently heard and understood his lingua franca, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "so we must carefully control ourselves and strike a balance between sacrificing to the gods and our own needs." ”

Dinin turned around in surprise and looked at the fiery red-haired troll.

"It's rare to hear that—what tribe are you, troll?"

"I, Ngash, am from the Badtooth Clan." The troll said slowly, "Do you know our race well, human? ”

Dineen recalled the name for a moment before remembering a piece of information: "Is that the tribe that lives on the shores of the Hinterland Sea?" I've heard you can speak well. ”

"Partial." N'Gash replied, "Just as you are very different from your people, so I have different responsibilities from my people. ”

Dinen shrugged his shoulders and didn't continue the conversation, but relayed the conversation to Albert.

"Sounds a lot like frostwolves?" The paladin commented. He had shortened the words, but they all knew he was referring to the Frostwolf Clan.

"No, no, the Dark Spears are like frost wolves, they are gentler and respectful of outsiders. But the worst teeth are the most ...... Principled? "Dineen is a little unsure. He had always known his enemies, but this tribe could not be considered part of the tribe, but only allies. They were stationed in Hinterland, confronting other forest trolls, and battling the Hammer Dwarves, and Dinen had only heard of it - the liquor and the dwarven voices were a blast to hear.

"Anyway, we've met another anomaly." He concluded.

Albert didn't know why, but nodded. He was willing to trust Dineen's judgment against other races, and it was always a good thing to find an ally in the enemy's lair, even if he might not be so reliable.

"So, does anyone know anything about our goals?" He asked, not trying to avoid the trolls' gaze again this time.

"I've seen it once." The troll said, "Human, the one I want to kill, is afraid of him. He looked like ice, and the dark image followed him like a hound. But the Shadow is not a hound, but an immature wolf that will bite off the head of the person who raised it. ”

"He said the mage would be consumed by his own power." Dinen briefly translated, "It means that he can interfere with the opponent's spells...... Well, partially. ”

"Part of it?" Albert repeated, then noticed that N'Gash had also looked at Dineen. The latter, on the other hand, pulled out a tattered piece of paper from his pocket, which by the texture was not the one he had used to record information.

"Alain Wingert, first place in the illusion division of the seventy-third Dalaran Arcane Cup Theory Competition," he reads, "Kenrito praises you for your outstanding performance and looks forward to further theoretical refinement and practical development—the mage's life is really colorful, isn't it?" ”

"Illusion ......," Albert frowned, "Spells like stealth and illusion?" It's a bit tricky. ”

"If you rely on intuition, it's not that hard to tell. The really tricky spells are the ones that are capable of influencing emotions. Dinen said as he looked at the troll who was quietly listening, "If you can't help but stick a dagger in my back, then at least don't say anything sorry, okay?" ”

But even so, he untied the crossbow he had made from his waist and handed it over with all the arrows. The trolls took it as well. As experienced fighters, they know exactly when to trust each other to sustain their cooperation.

"The trick to dealing with the spell of psychic influence is to stay calm and determined, and don't let any one emotion get the upper hand. Otherwise, caution will turn to fear, eagerness will turn to rage, and you will lose your judgment completely, and you will be easily attacked by your enemies. ”

"The Light will keep me calm."

Dineen felt that he was worrying about it.

"Okay." He handed out the potion that had already been concocted, "Now we just have to wait. ”

***

They didn't wait long.

Despite being deep underground, a faint explosion and slight shaking were felt. When the shouting and footsteps in the hallway faded away, Dinen pushed the door open and made a "please" gesture to Ngash.

The troll's eyes burned. The shadow's trail was slight and complicated, but he could still find the trail that belonged to his prey.

- Catch it, kill it!

The hunt's enthusiasm propelled him to stride forward, followed by two humans. They silently and swiftly made their way through the hallway, unsurprisingly confronted by the enemy. N'Gash preemptively drove the arrow into the mage's head, and his weapon was suitable for this, not to slice the enemy to pieces. Those who were dead were taken over by two humans, who cut down the spirits as quickly as they did saplings.

And that's exactly what they need.

The explosion attracted the attention of most people, and most of the undead who were left behind were incapable of thinking, and there were few tactics to fight such an enemy. They swept the blockers in front of them, shook off the pursuers around a few turns, and then plunged headlong into a downward ramp.

This ramp is clearly not part of the castle and has been excavated separately. Despite their impressive width, the earthen walls are still polished to a very smooth surface. The stone slabs beneath his feet were slippery and steep, some crumbling, others leaving deep footprints that were clearly not human, and a thin layer of fishy liquid had accumulated inside. There was a noisy roar from the front of the road, some of them of men and some of beasts. But more of the sound was distorted and painful. Getting closer, the fishy smell grew stronger, enough for them to be sure there was something ahead.

"Sounds like this is where the Cultists of the Damned are holding those disgusting monsters."

"Quite a lot. But when those who left come back, there will be more. ”

"Since that's already the minimum, what are we waiting for?"

"Then let's get on!"

The raiders came to an agreement after a few brief discussions, and then sped up. In a short time, the road came to an end, and around the corner, the front suddenly opened up.

The area was as large as the castle's halls, illuminated by a cold blue flame, flanked by iron cages of various sizes that stretched to the end of the room. It was impossible to see the contents of each cage in the shadows, but as they broke in, nearly half of them were filled with something alarmed scratching at the railings. The only one standing outside the cage was obviously the mage they had come to seek. The thin and tall middle-aged man obviously didn't expect anyone to break in, and raised his head in surprise: "You-"

Ignoring what the other party said, Albert's gaze looked past him into the cage. The candle floating beside the mage provided enough light to give him a clear view of the inside of the cage.

It used to be a person, but now it's no longer human. The throat and chest were blurred with scratched flesh, and the blackened and festering internal organs slid down the torn ribs to the ground, half of which had melted into liquid. The corpse's hand was still clutching one of the ribs, not knowing whether to pull it away or to push it back into place.

Even after seeing the evil deeds of the Cursed Cultists, Albert felt a wave of nausea rush over him, but then it turned into a fierce rage. The paladin roared, raised his hammer and swooped down!