My Players Are So Fierce

After resting for two days in the Crimson Citadel, the players set out again towards the Baron of Leim’s territory, eagerly beginning to hunt the gnoll clans there. However, this campaign saw a decrease in both combat intensity and frequency.

It wasn’t that the little players, stimulated by the point pool, had started slacking off. They were still as full of energy and courage as before. It was purely because many of the local gnoll clans had already moved towards the Anderma Hills. Additionally, the student party and Meow King’s team, summoned by Miriam as negotiation consultants, had been hunting around Bataxin, along with some new Witch Hunter recruits who had wandered here to hunt.

They hadn’t been idle these past few days. The combined effects of multiple parties directly resulted in a sharp decrease in the number of gnolls in the area.

This led many solo players to give up on continuing to hunt gnolls in the wild for points, especially those who had entered the game recently and were urgently trying to level up to prepare for the Black Iron Trial. They had shifted back to the sewers beneath the Crimson Citadel.

The “reserve” of ghouls here was still quite abundant, allowing them to engage in combat to quickly raise their character levels. Meanwhile, they could also grind for a set of “ghoul series” equipment from the Blood Rat Gang. This set of armor, which had been used by Tris’s alchemist apprentices for practice with basic enchantments, adding weak effects of endurance and agility enhancement, was now of quality comparable to the veteran set.

At this point, there seemed to be a subtle imbalance again between the players’ enthusiasm and the monster supply.

The return of some players made the previously empty sewers lively again, which made “Frostfang Claw”, who had been wandering in the sewers doing quests recently, feel very uncomfortable.

He was a lone wolf.

Seemingly a bit socially anxious, he didn’t like to move with many people, which was the main reason he chose to become a thief under the Blood Rat Gang.

Thinking thus, Frostfang brought back a few boxes he found from the edge of the sewers, and with the posture befitting a qualified thief, he slunk along the walls back to the Blood Rat Gang’s base.

It had already been transformed into a small underground tavern. Gas lamps hung in the partitioned rooms, an elder of the Blood Rat Gang was playing bartender here, some tables and chairs bearing the marks of time were arranged, and a few guard-like fellows were sitting together enjoying their slacking off time.

You have to admit, it looked quite atmospheric after being tidied up like this.

However, Frostfang looked left and right but couldn’t find his professional trainer and Rat Gang boss, Lady Dorothy. He was hesitating whether to go ask the bartender Freeman when he saw the Rat Gang’s number two man make a subtle gesture to him.

This was a gesture only people living in the black areas would understand, meaning “The boss isn’t here, she went to hideout number two.”

Frostfang nodded.

He had been grinding reputation with the Blood Rat Gang since he entered the game, and after bringing back “treasures” from the dangerous areas of the sewers several times, he was now truly regarded as a member of this underground team. So he didn’t waste time, gave the few boxes he found to old Freeman to complete today’s task, then turned and headed towards the more hidden hideout number two.

But before he got close, he heard whimpering cries coming from ahead, which startled Frostfang.

Is there a vengeful spirit here?

No way!

This should be a safe zone.

He crept forward stealthily, but before he had taken a few steps, he heard a reprimand from ahead:

“Who’s there! Get out here!”

It was Lady Dorothy’s voice, but unlike usual, it lacked that familiar bluntness and had a touch of cold killing intent.

Frostfang immediately jumped out from the shadows, and then saw that his mentor had completely changed.

Not only had she changed into the Blood Vulture Clan nightwalker’s combat suit and cloak, but her appearance had also changed from human to vampire, as if she had purchased a “race change” service.

“What’s going on with you?”

The little player was startled and asked nervously.

Dorothy, with puffy eyes, had already grabbed her claw dagger, but after seeing it was her disciple, she sighed and said with a worried frown:

“What else could it be? I was bitten by a vampire! Those damn creatures forcibly turned me into one of them, but this wasn’t in my plans. Becoming a vampire was never my life goal.

Ah, I hate Transia!”

“But, but I saw on the forum that the Embrace must be agreed upon by both parties, otherwise it can’t be done.”

Frostfang said suspiciously in his characteristically reserved voice:

“So, you actually agreed?”

Lady Dorothy, who had been grieving over her lost human identity, suddenly stopped crying. She pouted, turned around with her hands on her hips, and scolded the apprentice who had seen through her feigned sorrow:

“You think you’re so clever! How could I refuse in that situation? And how dare I refuse?

I have a terrible dangerous past on my back, those ghost-like folks have been chasing me for many years, and now there happens to be a Blood Vulture Clan willing to protect me, I couldn’t be happier. But I also need to give an explanation to the gang members, so I had to put on a show with Lady Adele.

Let me tell you some good news, Fangy.

From now on, we master and apprentice will be eating from the ‘imperial granary’. Not only did I sort out my own identity issue, but I also begged a favor for you from Lady Adele.

After you complete the Black Iron Trial, you can directly join under Lady Adele as her ‘warrior’ without needing to go through further tests.”

“Don’t call me ‘Fangy’!”

Although socially anxious, Frostfang was still a grown man and had always been uncomfortable with such cute nicknames. He waved his hand and said:

“I haven’t made a decision yet, but vampires are too high-profile, doesn’t really suit me.”

“Oh, that won’t do!”

Dorothy laughed heartily as she strode forward and very boldly put her arm around her apprentice’s shoulder. She said:

“I just took a job from Lady Adele, and I still need your help. It’s perfect timing to help you complete your Black Iron Trial while we’re out. How’s your thievery and lock-picking practice going?”

Frostfang glanced at his character interface and replied:

“Thievery Master, lock-picking already at Grandmaster level.”

“Ha! I knew you had talent.”

Dorothy raised an eyebrow and said:

“The two of us are to follow Lady Adele’s other three descendants to Anderma Hills, make a round in the gnoll’s main camp for reconnaissance.

This job is quite dangerous.

We need to find a place for you to practice first. I heard there’s a secret treasury in the Blood Vulture Halls.

I wouldn’t have dared to think about this before, but now that I’m also a Blood Vulture member, it’s only natural to go pay respects to the family’s holy place.

Of course, I can strut right in, but you need to sneak in without being discovered.

If you can do that, I’ll teach you the ‘Shadow Step’!

This is a genuine secret technique that I learned from a halfling thief master back when I was in the Adventurer’s Association, took me a long time to learn!

How about it?

I told you I wouldn’t shortchange our own people.”

——

Thirty minutes later, Murphy, who was having his daily sword practice with Necessary Evil, suddenly heard a loud boom from the corridor, followed by a piercing spirit resonance from below.

That was the signal of the secret treasury being breached, the anti-theft spirit array Tris had set up there had been triggered.

Huh?

A thief in the headquarters?

Or did a Wolfsbane nightwalker sneak in?

Murphy raised an eyebrow, grabbed the suspended Necessary Evil, and dashed over.

When he arrived, he saw a little player wearing night clothes bound in a very awkward position by dense purple spirit chains like a spider’s web, unable to move.

He was still holding the thief’s tools for lock-picking.

Most exaggeratedly, the seven layers of spirit + mechanical cipher locks of the secret treasury in front of him had already been opened three layers.

Fortunately, Tris had been cautious and rearranged the spirit traps of the secret treasury after becoming the Grand Duchess, otherwise this “audacious” little thief might have broken through.

But what surprised Murphy was that this little player in front of him, although at level 10, hadn’t passed the Black Iron Trial. So, how did this guy manage to slip in under the layers of strict patrols of the corridor guards? And where did he get the courage to dare to infiltrate the Blood Vulture Halls alone?

Was it that the guards arranged by Tris were slacking off?

Or was this guy truly talented in sneaking and thieving?

With these doubts, Murphy stepped forward with his sword, reached out and pulled off the headscarf Frostfang was using as a mask, revealing a somewhat handsome face.

This guy’s features looked quite androgynous, though very young he had a strange sense of world-weariness. Upon touching his Computation Bead, Murphy also extracted this little fellow’s character information:

Test Personnel ID: Frostfang Claw

Rank: Level 10 – Professional

Profession: Level 10 Thief / Level 10 Wanderer / Master Appraiser – Archaeology Specialization

Character Traits: 【Ambidextrous】, 【Eagle Eye: Can quickly judge the value and authenticity of items due to long-term archaeological work】, 【Social Anxiety: Due to strong aversion to communicating with others, long-term efforts to lower presence have reduced the chance of being perceived by others.】

These three character traits made Murphy’s heart skip a beat.

Damn!

Could it be we’ve recruited a tomb raider?

Then he looked at this guy’s test application carefully with a strange expression on his face through his admin system, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The good news was that this brother in front of him had no record of illegal activities, so Murphy didn’t need to consider how to contact the local police uncles.

The bad news was that he was actually an “official” personnel, a business backbone of an archaeological team from a certain province in the Midwest, and had some reputation in the industry for participating in the excavation of several large tombs.

No wonder he was allowed into the game, this guy was indeed talented.

“Little one”

Murphy released the embarrassed Frostfang Claw from the spirit imprisonment with a cold face. He patted the little player’s shoulder and said:

“Do you know that your actions just now have triggered serious disciplinary measures of the Blood Vulture Clan? I might have to tie you to a cross for the Sunscorching Punishment.”

“Gulp”

Frostfang swallowed hard and stammered:

“This this was my profession quest! Lord Murphy, I didn’t want to, I was just set up by my mentor!”

“Hmm?”

Murphy narrowed his eyes.

He saw the claw dagger hanging at Frostfang’s waist, a weapon that only the Blood Rat Gang used in his territory.

He immediately understood that this must be “Razor” Dorothy’s small “protest” against Adele forcibly embracing her. That cunning female thief knew Murphy wouldn’t really punish his warrior.

This was clearly a prank.

The Frostfang in front of him was indeed set up by an NPC. It seems he really doesn’t have a concrete concept of the “dangers” in this game.

“Alright, you look foolish, no wonder you were taken advantage of.”

Murphy put away Necessary Evil and said to the anxious little player in front of him:

“I can refrain from punishing you, but you must atone for your crime for the Crimson Citadel. Go to Anderma Hills, make good use of your well-practiced stealth and infiltration skills, and collect evidence of their collusion with the Wolfsbane clan in the camp of the gnoll warlord Gnawbone.

As long as you bring back enough intelligence, your crime of trespassing into the treasury will be forgiven.”

“Ding!”

The sound of the Hidden Quest triggering made Frostfang sigh.

Getting a Hidden Quest should have been a happy thing, but he really couldn’t feel happy. Sigh, the NPCs in this game are too cunning, who could have thought that even his own mentor would set him up?

Indeed, his life motto for the past 20-plus years was correct, too much contact with others only brings misfortune!

——

“Your name is Hog? You’re the one who just reported to my guards that you have information about a passage that can smuggle into the interior of the Crimson Citadel?”

In the gnoll’s great tent in Anderma Hills, warlord Gnawbone looked suspiciously at the skinny little tribesman in front of him.

This guy was too weak.

He might be suffering from some disease. Such individuals in the gnoll clans of the Dark Mountain range would be considered an ill omen and would be strangled and discarded at birth. Only in a remote place like Transia would such an individual survive.

As a warlord, it originally didn’t want to receive such a fellow, but the mixed-blood fur from the Moss Valley on Hog’s body won him a sliver of opportunity for an “audience”.

Even in gnoll society, “regional discrimination” exists.

The big shots from the Dark Mountain range are the bosses, you Transian mongrels can keep your opinions to yourselves even if you have any!

“Yes, Great King!”

Hog lay prostrate under Gnawbone’s “throne” made of mountain tiger and bear bones, full of fear.

He didn’t conceal anything, telling the whole process of how he was sent out by Gnawbone to recruit southern gnolls some time ago, how he was captured, how he was thrown into the vampire’s arena, and finally how he plotted his escape.

He used some linguistic skills, speaking in a disorderly manner like a real gnoll.

But Gnawbone understood.

Especially after hearing that Hog escaped from a hidden waterway in the sewers of the Crimson Citadel, a cunning light immediately flashed in the warlord gnoll’s deep green, merciless eyes.

It realized that it now had intelligence that could satisfy the insatiable Korando, and incidentally shut that guy’s mouth.

Korando’s intention to use the gnolls to attack the Blood Vulture Clan was crystal clear, but Gnawbone wasn’t a fool either. It came to Transia with an “important mission” from the Gnawbone clan, and the army it had gathered wasn’t for realizing some damned vampire’s hellish ambitions.

What it should be considering is establishing a force in Transia and cooperating with its superiors to complete the important task assigned by the clan, then seizing the opportunity to destroy the defenses of Transia and the surrounding areas before the Black Disaster officially occurs.

Even gnolls would disdain to use their own cubs to pave the way for Wolfsbane vampires.

“Good! Very good! Excellent!”

Gnawbone stood up satisfied.

It circled around the trembling Hog a few times, seeing the undeniable humiliating slave mark on his back and various wounds on his fur.

These were clearly formed after fierce battles.

This skinny cripple wasn’t lying, and he wouldn’t have the guts to dare deceive himself.

“Do you still remember that route? Can you lead people to find it?”

Gnawbone asked in a low voice.

Hog hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

“Very good, wait here for a moment.”

The warlord called over its elite barbarian soldier and told him to fetch Korando, then it gave Hog personal instructions:

“You’ll lead those Wolfsbane vampires to retrace the path.”

“Great King! I’ll die! Great King.”

Hearing this, Hog hugged Gnawbone’s furry leg tightly in fear, crying weakly:

“I barely escaped, don’t send me back to my death, Great King, for the sake of my bloodline from the Moss Valley!

I’m loyal to you, Great King.”

“I’m not sending you to your death!”

Gnawbone was very contemptuous of this cowardly fellow, but since it needed him now, it “gently” comforted:

“You just need to lead them to the entrance, they’ll walk the rest of the way themselves. As long as you shut their mouths, you’ll be considered meritorious. Didn’t you say earlier that one of my subordinate leaders rudely took away your clan?

Then I’ll give your clansmen back to you, and appoint you as a centurion, granting you some females. Looking at you, although you’re cowardly, you’re still proud of your bloodline from the Moss Valley, right?

When the great Black Disaster comes, I can take you back to the holy land!

Don’t you want to go back?”

“I do! I dream of it, my father was still describing the grandeur of the holy land to me before he died”

Hog swallowed hard, seemingly moved by these words.

After repeated hesitation, he finally made up his mind and nodded vigorously.

“Very good, go make preparations, Hog.”

Gnawbone waved its paw, letting this mongrel cripple leave its tent, and a few minutes later, Korando appeared again in front of Gnawbone in the form of a shadow manifestation.

This time the gnoll warlord was full of confidence. It sat on its bone throne, smugly saying to its collaborator:

“I’ve paid with many elite casualties, and finally found a secret path that can lead directly into the interior of the Crimson Citadel for you, Korando. I’m not as shameless as you think, I also have the virtue of honoring contracts.

Of course I can inform you of this secret passage, and send people to help you overthrow the Blood Vulture Clan in one fell swoop.

But I want to make a deal with you.”

Seeing this gnoll so confident, Korando’s heart stirred.

Vampires excel at these decapitation operations. If there really was a path that could infiltrate the enemy’s headquarters, supplemented with enough cannon fodder, he could personally slay the enemy chief.

As far as he knew, Salrokdar, the patriarch of the Blood Vulture Clan, had been killed by Witch Hunters, and the current governor of the Transia region was just a Black Iron Rank vampire. The Thorn clan was also consuming the Blood Vulture traitors, indicating that the Blood Vulture Clan no longer had the strength to maintain its rule.

This is the weakest moment for this clan in Transia.

They’ve even deployed new recruits to the battlefield, they no longer have more military power to guard their own headquarters.

Most importantly, for this matter itself, although using gnolls is convenient, news of his collusion with gnolls would indeed be troublesome.

If he could personally eliminate the last stubborn bone of the Blood Vultures, he wouldn’t mind exercising a bit.

“Speak!”

Korando replied coldly. Gnawbone didn’t mind his rudeness, the warlord said:

“The Cato region! I know the Wolfsbane clan has chosen that place as your second headquarters. You help the Gnawbone clan open the path to the Cato region. After our army enters the continent, we can ignore the defense areas your faction is responsible for guarding there.

I just want to destroy that place, everything left in the ruins belongs to you.

Since you’ve already cooperated with us, why not go a step further?

Look, no matter how powerful the Black Disaster is, it will eventually recede. An ambitious wolf like you wouldn’t want to always be under your clan leader, right?

Don’t you want to establish your own family?

After we retreat, the lands of Transia and Cato will all be yours.”

“How do you know about the Wolfsbane clan’s defense plans in the Cato region?!”

“That’s none of your concern, we gnolls have our own friends and they are incredibly capable!

Give me your defense map of the Cato region! Not only can I help you destroy the Blood Vultures! I’ll also help you eliminate those competitors known as ‘brethren’! And all you have to pay is a defense map that you ‘accidentally’ lost.”

“Hmph, that sounds nice, let me consider it first.”