End of verse 44

Now, the two armies are facing each other in the small city of Karak-Grom. The dwarves gathered at the entrance to the underground passage, crowding their princes, while the rats faced the dwarves, their leader among them.

"Sure enough, there's a way out here. The dwarves distinctly heard the tall, red-furred leader speak in the dwarven language. It is not too difficult to find a dwarf who understands the language of the nezumi, because there is a tradition of "knowing one's enemy" among the dwarves, and it is relatively rare to find a nezumi who knows the language of the dwarves. The nezumi are not a diplomatic race, though they are skilled in trickery and trickery.

"No wonder there were no civilians in the city, far fewer soldiers than expected, and few wounded. The nezumi leader said. Prince Hoga suddenly recalled his previous report from the Ranger Captain, and he now knew who this opponent was.

"Abyss Lord Ashrufat?!!! "Prince Hoga gritted his teeth and said the other party's name. If Captain Torrison is right, then this nezumi boss is the source of the planning of this war, at least one of them.

One thing confuses the dwarves though, as a big boss is here, and no new nezumi troops continue to rush in. There are only so many soldiers on the other side, and there are no war beasts and those weird magic stone weapons.

"You're Prince Hoga?" the red-haired rat-man stared at the prince. In Prince Hoga's voice, the tone of the other party's speech was full of contempt and ridicule. "Don't worry, I don't have reinforcements here, at least not for the time being. The rest of the guys are busy grabbing turf or cleaning up the battlefield. The city is really nice. ”

Ashrufat is telling the truth. Seeing that the victory was indeed in hand, all the rats began to fight Xiao Jiujiu. A temple of the Rat God would be built underneath Karak-Grom - this had been established since the beginning of the preparations for the war. And every nezumi leader, especially several Abyss Lords, all have calculations and want a piece of the pie here. If you can occupy a part of the city and use it as your legitimate spoils, then you will have a head start in the future distribution of magic stones. Not to mention that you can use the advantage of being close to the water to get the first month, and try your best to increase your own allocation, at least you can ensure that others can't use any means to occupy the share that should belong to you.

Therefore, the war was certain to be won or lost, and the rats immediately lost interest in chasing the dwarves, and instead led their troops to occupy a part of Karak-Grom as quickly as possible. As for the leaders of the other small and medium-sized clans, seeing that the victory was decided, they could no longer bear the pain of black hunger at this time, and began to sweep the battlefield. According to Carrie, the nezumi are not afraid of death, and when the fighting subsides for a while, these adrenaline-exhausted nezumi must eat, or they will suffer from a sickly hunger pang known as "black hunger", which is an unbearable pain. Therefore, as soon as the battle has subsided, the rats will begin to sweep the battlefield, eating the dead and wounded in both friend and foe.

Perhaps it was Ashrufat's last words that struck the dwarves' pain. It turned out that the two armies had always been on guard against each other, but there was no war. But in the next moment, the sound of metal crashing and the screams of the wounded suddenly broke this tense calm. No one knew who had delivered the first blow in the battle of Ludao, but in the blink of an eye, the two armies had already fought together.

The fighting was bloody, violent, and brutal. When Prince Hoga split the head of the last enemy with his battle axe, he found himself alone. His Hammer Warrior Guards and Ashrufat's Guards were all killed. All around was silent, except for the choking of dying moments that broke the unusual silence.

No, it should be said that there are a few more. The leader of the nezumi, the Abyssal Lord, Ashrufat, stood far away, and he had not been involved in the battle from beginning to end. Behind Prince Hoga, a few figures slowly stood up, and they were a few lightly wounded.

"Get out of now!" said the red-furred nezumi. "There's no point in continuing to fight. You've lost, and the city is ours now. ”

But his calm tone not only did not convince the other party, but only made Prince Hoga even more angry.

"I haven't lost yet!" the dwarven prince wiped the blood from his helmet, it was not his blood, but the nezumi he had killed earlier sprayed on his head. He held his tomahawk in both hands. "This is my city, and I will never leave here and hand over my territory to you evil bastards!"

"War is a terrible thing, and there is no such thing as good or evil. If Prince Hoga's words angered the nezumi, at least not in his voice. "In other words, war does not show what is good and evil, it can only show who is stronger......"

"Wait, master, do you see what's under his feet?" Ashrufat tried to convince the other to give up. Maybe this was called hypocrisy by Carrie, but hypocrisy or not, he felt that he should do it. But that's when Carrie stepped in.

"What?" Ashrufat asked rhetorically in his mind. Prince Hoga was surrounded by fallen corpses and scattered weapons, and nothing else could be seen. However, under Carrie's guidance, he finally saw a stone at the prince's feet.

"That's the Oath Stone, Master. Carrie explained. "A finely carved stone with the runes of the dwarves carved into it......"

"What's the use of that?" Ashrufat asked. Although he said that he saw the stone, he couldn't feel any special force on the stone. Maybe there was a little bit of magic on it, but he was sure it wouldn't work. "What did you just say? runes?"

"Runes are a special kind of magic craft, a technique unique to the dwarves. Dwarves gather power from the winds of magic, but instead of weaving them into spells, they attach them to objects. We're lucky this time around, as they don't have many rune masters in their army, and they don't have doom anvils...... But that's not the point. Seeing that the stone did not have a master, it may not have any great power, but it had a very important meaning in the hearts of the dwarves. Dwarves take honor very seriously. When a dwarf sets out to go to war, he is often burdened with the honor of his family, his tribe, and his homeland. Plus his personal accolades. To show their determination, the dwarves will carry an oath stone with them when they set out. The stone was carefully carved by the owner and solemnly engraved with his and his family's name on the base to prove that it was his own. When they drop the Oath Stone at their feet, it means that they see this as the end of their oath. For he is the one who stands on the stone of the oath, and his glory makes him have no way back. ”

"......" Eshurufat was silent for a moment.

"Master, let's retreat and gather another group of subordinates. Carrie suggested. "Since this prince of Hoga wants to die, we will fulfill him. He doesn't have a few men, and you can have as many soldiers as you want. ”

Ashrufat looked at the other man, at the dwarf who was glaring at him. He knew that what Carrie said was right. Anyway, as long as he goes back, he can pull a force casually. No matter how powerful this Hoga prince is, he can still be killed by sea tactics. Then, like all other dwarves, the corpse was eaten by the nezumi who fell into black hunger.

"It's funny. Ashruphat chuckled, but did not look back.

"Master, you ......" Carrie made a sound of anger in her head

"Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn't been in a battle since I accepted the Rat God's promise. He never brandished his weapon to kill on the battlefield. Ashrufat replied in his mind. Then, he stepped forward, and the withered sword appeared in his hand.

In her mind, Carrie sighed clearly.

"Then let's put an end to this!" said Ashrufat, striding forward. Suddenly, he noticed that his body was changing. The bloody armor flowed like water, returning to its original form.

"Master, it's easier for you to fight this way. Carrie said in her head. Ashrufat didn't object to this, indeed, this time the armor was a little too bloated, making the body a little less flexible.

"You're not a nezumi?!!" Prince Hoga glared at the enemy in front of him. "Who are you?!"

"Ashrufat. Ashrufat replied. "Duke Scarlet. ”

"So you're a vampire!! well!

......

Many of the dwarve's memoirs talk about this battle at its latest.

Once again, the space that had just calmed down resounded with the clash of metal and cries of battle. As the last scene of the war, the commanders of the two armies engaged in a rare one-on-one duel. According to the dwarves who witnessed the duel (although the dwarves have a habit of exaggerating in general, this account should be credible), the two sides of the battle were inseparable, and the battle axes and swords clashed and rubbed against each other, almost like a whirlwind of metal.

The final result is regrettable. Although Prince Hoga is a well-known warrior among the dwarves, in the end, the Scarlet Duke proves himself to be stronger.

The remaining dwarves took the prince's body and left Karak-Grom, leaving the city to the invaders. They have done their best here, and all the Hammer Warriors have died here with their princes.

This history is recorded in the Book of Hate.

Prince Hoga is the son of the High King, and he has the oldest, noblest, and most glorious blood of the dwarves in his veins. The death of Prince Hoga and the fall of Karak-Grom were not only a severe blow to the dwarves, but also news that left the High King devastated.

Due to his crimes against the dwarves during the war that led to the fall of Karak-Grom, the Scarlet Duke Essrubat occupies an entire ten chapters of the Book of Great Hatred.

Every word of the Book of Great Hatred was written by the High King with his own blood, and every word contained hatred and curse for the High King against the vampires. As many people know, the dwarves are a race known for their stubbornness and vengeance, and they will always remember every account in the book of hatred and always wait for an opportunity for revenge. No one knows why Duke Scarlet suddenly allied himself with the nezumi - but many people don't really look into it. In their eyes, it is a matter of course that the forces of evil and the forces of evil collude with each other. But for scholars, the matter is debatable. Because this may mean that vampires are not as reclusive as people initially thought......

—Excerpt from "On Vampires"