novelraw Chapter 174: Hidden Plot
Chapter 174: Hidden Plot
"George! Hand him over!"
A massive figure — no, a massive bald figure — came charging straight at him, voice booming with energy. It was Parya, the blacksmith on duty. She was clad in leather armor, a hammer slung over her shoulder, and somehow running even faster than Li Wei.
Li Wei didn't hesitate for a single moment. He simply tossed Joseph over to her — credit goes where credit is due, and there was no way around it.
Besides, without Hathaway's group there to receive him, he would have been dead for certain. The Blood Witch's ravens had already spotted him.
"Neigh!"
At that very moment, the Four-Star Hunter Little John suddenly summoned a snow-white warhorse, vaulted into the saddle in one fluid motion, and came thundering toward him — apparently to cover his retreat.
But in the very next second, the man produced a massive cavalry lance from seemingly nowhere, swept past Li Wei with barely an inch to spare, and skewered a pursuing Fallen Garrison Knight clean through — horse and rider moving as one, like a single unstoppable weapon.
Damn.
What kind of skill was that?
It looked just like Soul-Piercing Strike!'What a guy,' Li Wei thought, genuinely stunned. 'Is he a Three-Star Knight or a Two-Star Knight?'
But awe aside, he didn't dare let up for even a heartbeat. His legs were spinning like a fan.
"George! My George!"
"George!"
A voice called out again and again from the direction of the western city gate.
Li Wei clapped his hands over his ears and kept sprinting like a madman. Even so, he barely managed to catch up with Parya, who was carrying Joseph on her back. That bald blacksmith was seriously fast — she had to have at least 30 points in Agility.
Behind them, Little John had transformed into a one-man army, holding off four Fallen Knights and over a hundred wild dogs all by himself — and looking absolutely magnificent doing it.
One moment he was thrusting with his lance like a dragon diving into the sea; the next, arrows were flying from his bow like shooting stars.
In just two minutes, he'd halted the pursuit entirely — and then calmly withdrew.
And that pet warhorse of his was genuinely extraordinary.
In speed, explosive power, and agility alike, it far surpassed every Fallen Garrison Knight's mount on the field.
"Move, head for the highlands!"
It was Creed's voice. He was firing a crossbow in rapid succession, a two-handed greatsword planted in the ground beside him. Hathaway stood nearby, pale-faced and visibly drained — but the look she turned on Li Wei was bright and fierce.
There was no time for words. Li Wei didn't even have a chance to retrieve his bow from his back. One word: run.
Even Hathaway outpaced him.
These Four-Star players were something else entirely.
In the end, it was Little John who came galloping up from behind and hauled Li Wei onto the saddle with one hand.
No time for thanks. Li Wei immediately drew his short bow, nocked a hardwood arrow, and loosed it into the sky.
He missed.
Didn't matter — because in that same instant, a Blood Raven had been diving straight at him, and the arrow sent it veering away in a panic.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but in that split second, the Two-Star Blood Raven he'd bound to a Pet Card had fluttered and strained as if trying to break free.
The tremor had been faint — barely perceptible — yet Li Wei had caught it. And yet earlier, when he'd been near the Mare Inn, practically standing next to the Black-Robed Witch Mixi, there had been no reaction at all. Was there some kind of special mechanic at work here?
"Little John, get George out of here!"
Hathaway called out steadily — in that moment, Li Wei's life seemed to matter more to her than even Joseph's.
Little John spurred his horse into a full gallop. But moments later he shouted, "Dismount!"
"Neigh!"
The warhorse let out a sharp cry and vanished in a flash of white light. Little John executed a perfect forward somersault and landed without a sound. In the same instant, he drew his bow with lightning speed and loosed an arrow skyward, scattering a Two-Star Blood Raven that had been diving in pursuit.
The whole sequence was breathtaking.
Li Wei's landing was somewhat less elegant.
He went for a back flip, but fumbled the landing — his body lurched sideways and he nearly went face-first into the dirt. He managed to steady himself at the last moment, which, given that they'd been riding at nearly sixty kilometers per hour, was honestly no small feat.
Even Little John gave him a brief, surprised look.
Just a brief one. Then the man casually grabbed a quiver, kicked it into the air, and twelve arrows arced up and planted themselves neatly in the soil.
As if performing a magic trick, he swiftly stowed his short bow and produced a full-sized infantry war bow from seemingly nowhere — unmistakably Three-Star quality.
He exhaled sharply, drew the great bow to a full moon, and in the blink of an eye fired three arrows in rapid succession — dropping the mounts of two charging Fallen Knights in a single fluid sequence.
By the time Li Wei had pulled out his own Three-Star War Bow, that effortlessly smooth covering fire had already done its work, and Hathaway, Creed, and Parya came sprinting through.
"Don't get bogged down — up the mountain!"
Right. There's always a taller mountain, and always a sharper blade.
This time Li Wei was certain: Little John operated on the same wavelength as him — a gifted scout and a devastating lance cavalry all in one, equally lethal at close range and from a distance. He was clearly the backbone of Hathaway's team.
Without another thought, Li Wei slung his Three-Star War Bow back over his shoulder, drew his short bow, and followed the group into the mountain forest. Behind them, chaos erupted — screaming horses and crashing bodies filled the air. Five or six Two-Star Blood Ravens took turns diving and harassing them from above, while the Black-Robed Witch Mixi rode hard behind them, her pack of a dozen Two-Star Blood Wolves in close pursuit.
Whether the great witch Luna was still out there was impossible to say — but it didn't matter. They had to fall back. The forest was vast, but it could no longer hide them.
At first, Li Wei noticed that Hathaway's group was heading due north and said nothing. But after running for a while — nearly five kilometers of mountain trail — they began veering east.
Did they have another plan?
"Hathaway," Li Wei said quickly, "I think we need to head straight back to camp."
"Obviously. That's exactly what we're doing. Little John knows the way — he'll get us back. Stay close and don't fall behind."
"But this route is wrong. No more than two and a half kilometers ahead there's a sheer cliff. We'll have no choice but to loop around it from the south, which adds at least ten kilometers to our path. And further south there's a valley with a side trail — if the Mad Baron's cavalry is strong enough, they can cut around and intercept us from there. About seven or eight kilometers past that, we'll be boxed in."
Li Wei rattled it off quickly. It seemed obvious to him. Hathaway shot him a startled glance, then said decisively, "You lead."
"Got it. Follow me. We're not going to shake those Blood Ravens overhead — and those Blood Wolves will almost certainly run us down eventually — but wolves aren't invincible. We need to find a good defensive position and take them head-on. As long as the great witch Luna hasn't—"
Li Wei stopped mid-sentence.
"What is it?"
Hathaway raised an eyebrow. Why are you going quiet on me now?
"The Black-Robed Witch Mixi has turned back with her wolf pack. There's only one Blood Raven left in the sky."
Li Wei looked up. He could feel it — because just moments ago, at the peak of the pressure, he'd nearly expected his bound Two-Star Blood Raven to shatter its card and bolt. But now, all at once, everything had gone quiet.
"It could be a trap. Ignore it — we need to get back to camp as fast as possible."
Hathaway snapped — but her words had barely left her lips when two lines of blood-red text swept across the vision of every person present.
[Family member Mike has been slain by Mad Baron Mark. Family member Ron fought desperately to recover his body, but was wounded in the process and barely escaped the battlefield. The Mad Baron and the Great Witch's combined forces did not pursue further — the battle is over. Head of Household Hathaway's strategic planning was overly rigid and ineffective. Though she does receive credit for coordinating the rescue of allied member George, she cannot escape responsibility for the outcome. She is penalized 500 Family Contribution points and will face impeachment at the end of the month.]
[Family member Ron was overconfident and failed to accurately read the enemy's tactical shifts, allowing himself to be caught off guard and his squad to be surrounded. Nevertheless, his ferocious tenacity saw him hold off the Mad Baron's assault and recover a fallen comrade's body. Merits and faults cancel out.]
—
Ron was that strong?
Li Wei was stunned — but he didn't dare slow down. Under the thick cover of night, with the group following close behind, he moved like a horse that knew its own way home, cutting an almost perfectly straight line through the wilderness. They ran for over a hundred kilometers, and by the time dawn broke, they had made it back to the family camp.
When the patrolling mercenaries spotted them and rang the warning bell, lines of violet-gold text appeared before the eyes of every family member and every mercenary present.
[Family member George has triggered an important hidden plot event. He has rescued the gravely wounded Level 2 Priest Joseph from the dragon's den that is Kakh City! He has significantly altered the course of the mission — and may have set in motion changes with even deeper consequences!]
[He has been awarded 3,000 Temple Reputation.]
[Head of Household Hathaway successfully led her squad to rendezvous with family member George and assisted in the rescue of Level 2 Priest Joseph. She has been awarded 300 Temple Reputation.]
[Family members Little John, Creed, and Parya have each been awarded 100 Temple Reputation.]
[Family members Ron, Roddy, Snape, and Carson provided passive suppression and cover in support of the rescue of Level 2 Priest Joseph. They have each been awarded 50 Temple Reputation.]
[Family member George has completed the Monthly Main Task. He has been awarded 80 Contribution points.]
—
Temple Reputation?
But why no Family Contribution? Oh — because this had nothing to do with the family itself.
Hathaway's expression shifted subtly. She'd half-expected it — rescuing a Level 2 Priest was never going to go unrewarded.
'Ugh. How does this kid have such ridiculous luck? How did he even slip past all those wild dogs and get into Kakh City?'
But there was no point dwelling on it now.
The group moved quickly back to the one-star fortress. Then came the treatment — medicine, wound cleaning, stitching, a flurry of urgent activity. As long as Level 2 Priest Joseph could be kept alive, it was an enormous victory.
Li Wei couldn't help with any of it, so he settled in nearby and grabbed what rest he could. The Mad Baron and the Great Witch's combined forces might come storming north in a rage at any moment.
Around midday, Ron, Roddy, Snape, and Carson returned with two mercenaries in tow. That told the whole story — the losses had been severe. Not only had they lost a Four-Star player in Mike, but three Three-Star mercenaries were gone as well.
Ron's expression was grim. He'd taken a hit himself — his breastplate had a massive dent hammered into it.
"Master, are you all right?" Li Wei and Hathaway both rushed to meet him, faces tight with worry.
"Nothing serious. This armor is finished, though. I need a better one." Ron's words carried a clear subtext — but neither Li Wei nor Hathaway had any objection this time. Against the terrifyingly powerful Mad Baron Mark, they genuinely needed an unbreakable frontline.