Amber Sword
Chapter 144: Act 7 Leader

Chapter 144: Act 7 Leader

The massive group of refugees, dragging their families along, finally escaped through Ridenburg’s North Gate. The congested crowd spread out and proceeded along the plains north of the Yu Song River. Under the moonlight, they resembled a dense swarm of ants.

In the distance, the faintly undulating terrain marked the southernmost end of the Deer Hunting Hills, known as a small hill called Silver Sparrow. This hill was densely populated with the beautiful Golan-Elsen silver fir trees. These towering trees had a spire-like shape, their tips piercing the sky. The forest was a habitat for bears and mane wolves, where players in the game often had to travel in groups to handle the sudden dangers of the mountains.

Brand was certain that their first step was to enter Silver Sparrow Mountain to alleviate the threats from the plains on one side. The Madara army had fully deployed, absorbing nutrients from the earth for days, expanding like a sponge. Brand feared seeing an endless Sea of Skulls on the plains.

Thankfully, fantasy didn’t become reality.

However, the silhouette of a skeleton cavalry appearing faintly in the fog under the night sky was not a good omen either. Those bone skeletons riding skeleton horses likely came from the core territory of Madara. In this era, the creation of these skeleton riders was still a profound magic art.

Unlike in later periods where it became widespread, history moved forward tinged with blood, and war quickly matured both sides’ killing arts.

Brand stared at the agile shadows appearing in the fog for a moment, catching distant glimpses of them. Then they disappeared, only to reappear closer after a while. He was worried that the refugees following them might get dispersed, so he instructed Frey to take the mercenaries to protect the civilians on the flanks. Soon, he joined them too.

Frey won the people’s hearts with the proposal to snatch horses from the nobles. At least she proved willing to fight alongside the mercenaries—a life-threatening endeavor that she wouldn’t have undertaken before Brand taught her those tactics. Moreover, the long-ponytailed girl performed exceptionally well afterwards, charging into the market under a barrage of arrows and swiftly cutting the drawbridge’s cables with one stroke of her sword, allowing others to cross.

From that moment, she established her identity among the mercenaries, giving Reto and Mano the determination to place their bets.

In contrast, the young man the girl always championed seemed rather inconspicuous to the others. His carriage moved alongside Frey’s horse; he sat beside the driver, one hand on his sword, looking pensive—on the other side, Char, cloaked and leaning on his hand, was pretending to nap.

The carriage was missing a door, and from time to time, a head popped out, curiously looking outside. Within the carriage, Romantic was taking care of several children. Despite the circumstances, she didn’t find it exhausting. Her heart pounded with excitement; fleeing under such a mysterious night with the undead on their trail was thrilling and stimulating, precisely the adventure she longed for.

Mercenary Mano couldn’t help but curl his lips at the rear. To him, Brand, who couldn’t ride a horse, appeared as little more than a woman or child. He nudged his companion with his elbow, thinking that such a young noble was likely someone who only talked strategy on paper and warned Frey not to be fooled by his sweet words.

He signaled his companion to take two horses and test the guy. They had seized more than fifty horses, half of which were heavy-laden workhorses, and the other half were the best Anlek warhorses. Setting aside those carrying provisions, the wounded, and their own use, there were still quite a few left.

His companion glanced at him and immediately understood. Honestly, they all felt this way; moreover, they were upset that Brand had Frey order them to protect the refugees. They didn’t speak up, but in their hearts, they were dissatisfied. What was the point of carrying this burden? Now that each had a horse, they could just gallop away and leave the danger behind.

In fact, someone had already suggested this to Reto, but the bar owner had sent them to see Frey. Mercenaries valued their honor, and ruining their reputation would end their careers. The idea to snatch horses was Frey’s, and she led the effort, forming an agreement among them, so they couldn’t just walk away.

However, there was still one precondition to that agreement.

The skeleton cavalry appeared for about thirty seconds this time, shorter than the last, before quietly vanishing into the fog. The massive second moon lay in the eastern mountains, its white disc outlining the jagged peaks—the Moonlight Peaks, with the mist on the highlands of the east and the sprawling dark walls of Ridenburg forming a mysterious tableau on different levels.