Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 319 Flame Wisdom Stone

Sik Collins was a centaur archer who led the centaur legions and the great elves to explore the passages in the northwest region, seeking a reliable route for the main army's subsequent march.

The current situation is not optimistic. Over a thousand people have already been lost, most of whom disappeared at night, as if they were carried away by wild animals.

This is a joke! The vanguard legion of the mighty Isildur can be wiped out by ordinary magical beasts? They might as well just go back to the stables and eat grass.

They found some remaining traces at the scene that appeared to be related to vampire bats.

Considering the dangerous nature of the ancient ruins, Sik deduced that undead vampires had attacked their legion. This shortcut was not easy to take and would likely come at a great cost.

"Lord Sik, this mountainous area is full of graves and mud, and at night a large number of ghosts and will-o'-the-wisps appear. I'm afraid a large number of the dead have gathered here, making it impossible to pass through."

"Nonsense, doesn't Lord Lloyd know? He sent us here to investigate the recovery of the ancient ruins and see if we can cross this area with acceptable losses and advance into the plains from the northwest."

That place is quite far from Kuraki, so we can detour through White Stone City and cut through the cities on the plains. If Sumu is distracted by supporting them, we can also take Kuraki City directly.

The plan Sik mentioned is basically Lloyd's plan; it's an open scheme and there's no need to hide it.

Isidore's greatest advantage was its abundant military strength. Unable to break through directly, they needed to find a route to advance by splitting their forces. With several armies advancing simultaneously, even if Sumu had the strength, he couldn't hold the plains after splitting his forces.

"Why don't we continue using our flying magic? That way we can bypass their defenses and catch them off guard!"

"Do you think masters of air element are as easy as cabbages, to be used casually? Besides, with so many troops, if we move them in batches, they'll be picked off one by one by the enemy. We have to use them at the most dangerous moment to decide the outcome!"

Listening to Sik's eloquent speech, the lieutenant stroked his horse's tail, somewhat bewildered.

Actually, Sik himself was quite strange. Despite possessing the extraordinary ability to fly, he went to great lengths to explore the ancient ruins, only to lose soldiers in vain. It was truly puzzling.

However, as a general, he could not question the marshal's military strategy, and could only convey it to his subordinates in this way.

"Lord Sik, when shall we return?"

"Let's explore this area first. The Wisdom Stone is a rare treasure, and the Crimson Moon has also undergone a change. If we can report this to the Marshal, we will naturally be rewarded."

This trip to the Northwest has resulted in heavy losses. Although his purpose was to investigate the situation, nearly a thousand people died in just a few nights, and the specific cause has not yet been determined. The only explanation given is that the ancient ruins are too dangerous, which is probably difficult to explain.

We must have new findings before we can report to the Marshal.

"Alright, sir, I'll lead my brothers into the canyon right away!"

The lieutenant hurriedly went to issue the order, leading a large force and the great elves into the canyon.

Sik frowned slightly. The lieutenant seemed to have talked a lot today and acted too aggressively. But perhaps it was just due to poor reconnaissance, and he was trying to redeem himself.

So he gathered all the scouts in the surrounding area and they all entered the canyon together.

Despite the crimson moon, a chilling aura permeated the canyon, sending shivers down one's spine.

Sik had a vague sense of foreboding.

……

Liliana led all the vampire counts and princes to the outside of the canyon, only to find a small number of fortified troops on the cliff.

"Weren't you supposed to have several thousand men? How come there's only this small force?"

"The previous scouts consisted of several thousand people, mainly centaurs and archetypes, all of whom have headed to this canyon."

"Could it be that they are hiding in the shadows, preparing to ambush us, and this wisdom stone is just bait?"

Liliana looked up into the distance and saw that the canyon was filled with powerful magical energy and an aura of wisdom, somewhat similar to, yet different from, the wisdom magic of heroes. "There are indeed wisdom stones in the canyon."

[Wisdom Stone (Flame): Heroes can gain certain insights by touching the stone (all combat and production skills, each hero can only access it once).

Fire effect: Increases the chance to learn Fire Elemental Mastery skills or advance to the next level.

As a hero, one is unlikely to misjudge special buildings and treasure lands. There are indeed Wisdom Stones here, but where are the people of the Fortress?
She slowly closed her eyes, using her primordial blood to sense the movements of living beings.

The Barrier Clan reveres nature and possesses immense bloodline power. As the Vampire Queen, she can perceive information about others based on the flow of their blood.

This technique isn't usually used because at such close range, one can basically detect the enemy using magical power, making it completely unnecessary. It's only used when exploring secret realms or in illusionary labyrinths.

To Liliana's surprise, the creatures of the stronghold disappeared rapidly, and the troop strength surrounding the center of the canyon, the area of ​​the Wisdom Stone, was constantly decreasing.

"No, something's wrong. Isildur's vanguard seems to have been ambushed. It's a trap. We need to retreat!"

Having grown accustomed to a cautious lifestyle in ancient ruins, and to observing before each battle, she avoided being surrounded.

But just as the vampire army was about to retreat, a dark mist filled the entire canyon, and a thick aura of death wafted through the air. Large numbers of ghosts and liches appeared on the high cliffs, and countless skeletons crawled out from the ground, surrounding them.

"Night Fog Skull!"

No wonder there was no movement; it turned out to be a group of well-hidden earth elemental skeletons. At the same time, another group of Night Skeletons charged out from above the canyon. This is troublesome.

"I knew it was someone impersonating the undead of the ruins, swindling people out of their lives. Turns out it's Little Bat."

Why rush off when you see an old friend instead of catching up?

The newcomer was Katherine from the ancient ruins. With his skeleton unit's strengths and an ever-growing army of skeletons, he was indeed a formidable opponent. After all, vampires were at a disadvantage in civil wars, unable to regenerate health.

If that were all, Liliana wouldn't be so afraid of the other party.

But after glancing at the canyon, she immediately led her vampire army away without uttering a single harsh word.

Liliana possesses mastery of fire elementals, giving her a greater ability to detect the Fire Wisdom Stones within the canyon.

The vanguard commander of Isildur was not weak, but now he was suffering repeated defeats.

Firstly, they must have fallen for the undead's scheme. It's highly likely their subordinates have already turned into zombies, disguising themselves as ordinary people to lure the troops in. This isn't something she needs to worry about, though. Her subordinates are pure vampires, controlled by their source blood, making disguise impossible; in fact, they are far more reliable than living beings.

However, Sieg was unable to break through, most likely because he had forgotten a key skill, resulting in a significant reduction in his combat power.

She had spent a considerable amount of time in the ancient ruins and was well aware of the methods of the Undead Grand Duke.

If Katherine is held back and the heroes in the Rift come out and cast Forget on her, then there's really no chance of winning.

Take this opportunity to slip away and report to the lord that the ancient ruins are about to make a comeback; this is the key.

Since the vampire count and prince were both flying units, they withstood the encirclement of the surrounding undead and retreated at top speed. Catherine had no good way to stop them and could only watch helplessly as the bats flew out of the canyon.

"Hey, don't think you've escaped this time. There's someone waiting for you!"

Katherine grinned wickedly, waved his hand, and led his men into the canyon to begin their main course.

Whether it's fortifications or castles, they're all prey for the undead. This time, a true catastrophe is bound to erupt!

(End of this chapter)