Pangolin is an animal widely distributed across the continent.
There are also more than one kind in Transia. Some parts of their bodies are used by alchemists as basic materials. However, due to the Ten Years' War, there are not many local hunters to hunt them, so this kind of animal that is good at hiding is left.
It is almost overflowing in the mountains and forests.
The favorite foods of jackals in the past were rabbits, wild boars and deer, but when they were extremely hungry, if they could not catch humans, they would also catch things like pangolins to satisfy their hunger.
The problem is that pangolins have many scales that are difficult to handle, and are quite unfriendly even to the sharp teeth of jackals.
Hogg doesn't like the smell of pangolins, just like he can't understand why his code name is called that.
In fact, it wasn't just Hogg who couldn't understand.
Mrs. Adele, who came to convey the order, also couldn't understand why Master Murphy had to give Hogg such a strange code name.
If it were taken from the characteristics of the Hidden One, wouldn't it be more vivid to call it "Night Bat" or "Snake"? It would also be more in line with the vampires' aesthetic view of animals.
Although Mr. Murphy explained that it was the association he had after seeing a nest of pangolins when he went out yesterday, Adele guessed that the truth was not that simple. As a descendant connected by blood, she could sense Mr. Murphy more clearly.
Emotions.
When the owner said the name "Pangolin", he obviously felt an inexplicable sense of joy in his heart, and he didn't know what he was enjoying.
But what is certain is that this code name was by no means chosen randomly.
Now, Comrade Hogg, the newly released blood vulture "Senior Agent Pangolin", is waiting in the cave on the third floor of the sewer. It has been replaced with a set of old leather armor that has been cut, and has two wave-blade assassins inserted into its waist.
knife and two talon knives for cutting throats.
This outfit is slightly different from ordinary jackals.
Generally speaking, gnolls' armor is made by themselves, so it is full of a rough "clan style".
However, although they are savage, they can also learn.
Especially after the Fourth Black Disaster swept across the continent, the Jackals learned a lot from all over the continent that they overturned half of, which resulted in the leather armor made by some skillful old Jackals not even worse than those made by human craftsmen.
But overall, the gnolls of Transia have not developed their own survival system, which results in very few of them owning armor.
Armor is also a symbol of status among the Gnoll tribe.
But now, the fifteen "tribesmen" behind Hogg, all of different heights, fatness and thickness, are all wearing armor. Although they are just second-hand goods bought from the Blood Rat Gang, they are already well-equipped.
In addition to the gnolls, the tribesmen Hogg chose for himself also included kobolds.
Seven kobold elites will now be mixed among them. These cowardly but widely distributed alien races are not as fierce and powerful as the gnolls based on their appearance.
They always have a hunched body, a long bare tail, a head very similar to a wild dog, and a pair of "big eyes" that shine in the dark.
Kobolds are also a pretty magical race.
They are more fertile than gnolls, with a litter of more than a dozen giving birth to three or four litters per year. This means that even the most knowledgeable psionic masters on the continent cannot tell how many kobolds there are.
But the reason why kobolds can live well under the eyes of other races is that they are not aggressive, are good at digging holes, and are content to live in dark caves.
Their food is also easy to obtain, and omnivorous kobolds can even survive by eating grass if they are very hungry.
This characteristic of being quite easy to feed makes kobolds the favorite vassal race of aliens. However, the civilization system of kobolds is even more backward than that of clan-based jackals. They don’t even have their own language and writing, so they can’t talk about it.
The concept of honor and disgrace and loyalty, even in the dwarf mines there are a large number of kobold laborers to help them mine.
But kobolds have a very unsettling characteristic.
Part of their cowardly habits is very similar to that of "domestic dogs", that is, there is no threat when there is no owner. However, once under the command of the owner, the kobolds will quickly become aggressive and cruel.
They are loyal and obedient until their master dies.
But as soon as their master dies, these ferocious guys will disperse and become harmless again until the next master who conquers them appears.
Jackal clans often tame a large number of kobolds as slaves, help them dig caves to hide in, help them smelt crude weapons, and help them serve as cannon fodder in battles. Even in the year of great disaster, kobolds are very good."
Food to satisfy hunger”.
Anyway, the cost of feeding them is basically negligible.
In addition, some of the bizarre legends about kobolds have a saying that will offend the dwarves. It is said that because kobolds have lived under the earth for a long time, they have also been noticed by Gaia, the mother of the earth. Therefore, among the large number of kobolds,
Individuals who can use rough earth spiritual energy are often born.
Such individuals are respectfully called Geomancers and often serve as leaders of kobold tribes.
Considering the exaggerated total number of kobolds, even if this ratio is low, it is still enough for many geomancers to appear among the kobolds. There are also rumors that the gnoll mystics originally learned the method of manipulating psychic energy from the kobold slaves.
, but this rumor is baseless.
In short, when the history of the mainland advanced to 1111, gnolls and kobolds had become a symbiotic group.
Both sides get what they need.
Oh, by the way, all the legends about kobolds will not lack the story of kobolds and candles.
They need lighting to live underground, so the world's first candle that brought light was made by kobolds.
Regarding this, even the most self-respecting elf cannot deny it.
It can be said that it was the kobolds who brought the first ray of light into the unsettling darkness of this world. This is their greatest and possibly only contribution to the world.
Candles are a symbol of identity and status in kobold society. They will always hold their most beloved candle on their head and only light it when necessary.
For example, right now, the seven kobold elites in the Hogg clan are sorting out their precious candles and helping each other put the best candles in the strange hats on each other's heads.
There is a special base on the hat to hold candles.
It was like a strange ritual that made the kobolds who were about to embark on the road of escape feel satisfied and quickly calmed down the fear in their hearts.
These are the "supplies" that Hogg exchanged for them from the Blood Rat Gang. Just these candles, which are thick and big and can burn for a long time, are enough to make these elite kobolds who are not very smart in their minds loyal to Hogg.
After all, other gnoll masters would not take the trouble to proactively find candles for their kobold servants.
"Hogg, are they coming yet?"
Just as Hogg was preparing for his upcoming "escape", Nash, the toothless jackal next to him, approached anxiously and asked:
"It's been seven hourglasses of time, and they haven't moved yet. I suspect they are all dead. Why don't we leave first."
Nash's words immediately made several other jackals howl in agreement.
They are all tribesmen carefully selected by Hogg. They are stronger than ordinary gnolls but not to the level of elite leaders. Moreover, each of them has cunning traits and their brains are better than those of ordinary tribesmen.
Hogg likes Gnolls like this.
It doesn't like those idiots who act recklessly with their strength. Those guys can't be controlled at all, but these compatriots can.
They understand their plans and understand why they are doing what they do. When they realize that everyone's interests are aligned, they can get things done by themselves without even requiring Hogg's supervision.
Hogg obviously thinks this is what a qualified clan should look like.
"Be patient, Nash, my barbarian leader."
Hogg imitated Lord Murphy's tone of voice and said to his anxious compatriots calmly:
"Of course we can leave now, but even if we return to the Andeman Hills alive, we won't get the attention of King Kenbot. Are we going to go back and continue to be cannon fodder after paying so much?
No!
We poor people who lost our own clan have reorganized the Bloodclaw clan. We have agreed to survive and live better.
We need them!
More tribesmen who are better at hunting are like hunters who need ferocious hyenas."
It was still unskilled in drawing cakes for its people, and it said:
"If each of us has three barbarians under his command, then we can stick together and not be bullied by other tribesmen. If each of us has five barbarians under his command, then we can make King Kenbot look at us differently.
We are all strong fighters who have survived three games in the gladiatorial arena. This is our advantage, and we must strengthen this advantage if we want to be recognized."
Nash next to him immediately made a strange cry.
It thinks what Hogg said is fine.
But it really doesn’t want to stay here anymore. It has been killing ghouls here for the past seven days to replace its compatriots. The disgusting rotten meat has almost made it lose interest in eating meat. If it continues to stay here, it will probably really want to
crazy.
But seven days have already allowed Nash to see how special Hogg is.
This is not an ordinary gnoll, it is more intelligent than ordinary gnolls. Perhaps Hogg's boast that its bloodline comes from the Holy Land of Mossy Valley is not a joke.
It really comes from the Dark Mountains, from the place where the God-like and powerful Bone Grinding King was born.
This invisibly adds a bit of "mysterious legitimacy" to Hogg in the eyes of the Jackals. In their rough and wild world view, places like Transia are just the edges of the world, and only the Dark Mountains are the "world."
center"!
As for Mossy Valley, it must be the holy land at the center of the world.
"They're coming, I hear the noise."
The hunter "Old Blind" from the Bloodclaw clan howled. The gnoll hunter, who was blind in one eye, grabbed the vampire hunting crossbow in his hand and aimed forward. The other gnolls also grabbed their flail weapons.
Under their vigilant gaze, a dozen gnoll gladiators were jumping down from the fault on the second floor of the sewer to the third floor.
"Silly! Go and stop them! This noise will attract the ghouls!"
Nash shouted.
Immediately, two barbarians rushed over to rescue their poor compatriots. They had obviously suffered in the arena, and every one of them had the smell of blood.
But the good news is that when these guys escaped, they also "looted" the gladiators' weapons arsenal, so that they also had leather armor and weapons.
They even brought some dried meat to use as dry food on the road.
"very good!"
Hogg stood up and shook his short tail.
It stepped forward under the protection of a group of elite kobolds and looked at the miserable gnoll gladiators in front of it. Among them were a few aggrieved kobolds who had their candles snatched away by the little players.
The "wealthy" kobolds under Hogg immediately stepped forward and distributed the smallest and thinnest candles they owned to their compatriots. After all, a kobold without a candle of his own was really pitiful.
"The fact that you are here means that you are determined to escape from the vampire city. I will take you underground to escape, and we will return to the wilderness that belongs to us."
Hogg said loudly:
"But I will only take my people away! If you want to leave, you have to join us and join the Bloodclaw clan!"
"I don't like this name."
An elite barbarian soldier who shrugged his arms said dissatisfiedly:
"This seems like a name only a vampire would give! I hate vampires."
"This is about vampires, my people."
Hogg snorted, pointed to the top of his head and said:
"Don't forget where we escaped from. The vampires humiliated us and we must repay a hundredfold! Calling this name reminds us, don't forget the great shortcomings of vampires!"
"Okay, then I'll join. Anyway, my clan is gone."
The barbarian soldier sighed and said:
"I saw with my own eyes that my chief was decapitated by a vampire's thug. His head is now on display in the Blood Rat Gang's warehouse. It is said that they want to use the head to make some magic weapons."
"The same goes for us."
The other gladiators were frightened and wanted to run away quickly, but they did not object to Hogg asking them to join the clan.
Soon, Hogg's clan expanded to more than 30 people.
Apart from him, they are all the absolute elites who have won three victories in the gladiatorial arena, plus ten elite kobolds. Although the number is small, the quality is super strong.
"Go! Get out of here."
Hogg waved his hand and led his tribe to run quickly along the river channel of the three-layer underground cave to the deepest part. He took the lead and was the first to jump into the rapid water below and held his breath while searching for the river that was confirmed to exist.
of underground passages.
It found its way there quickly.
After all, it was Mrs. Adele who took the map and repeatedly described the location.
The vampires even "thoughtfully" locked up a skeleton and deliberately hung it in a strange way under the entrance of the passage as a mark.
Driven by the current, the embarrassed jackals kept pouring into it and moved forward along the dark, damp, moss-covered underground waterway.
They didn't dare to stop and could only speed up their pace.
After dozens of minutes of sprinting, I finally reached the final exit and climbed up the steep cave. What I saw was the quiet wilderness under the dark night and the quiet Cadman River flowing through the earth.
"Ha, we escaped!"
Nash shouted excitedly.
It waved its claws, revealing the brand on its shoulder that represented a gladiator slave. Other gnolls and kobolds had similar marks of shame.
Hogg has it too.
But that was branded on it by Lady Dorothy herself, and it must have this mark to lead these fierce gladiators.
"Good news, I've been here before."
Hogg pretended to climb up and look around, as if to distinguish the terrain, and then he said to his tribesmen:
"The Under Armor Hills are just across the way. You can find our tribe after crossing the river. Let's go! We have to get there before dawn."
"Hogg! There's someone in front!"
The old blind man soon discovered something moving in the abandoned village near the river bank. He grabbed the hunting crossbow and shouted:
"They seem to be our people, a migrating clan. Would you like to go over and have a look?"
"Of course I have to go."
Hogg rolled his eyes and ordered:
"Get ready for battle."
"Um?"
The other gnolls looked at their chief in surprise, and Hogg explained:
"Once the fact that we have been slaves is known, we will be regarded as a joke by the tribe. We have to hide this secret, and look at how embarrassed we are now! Do you think that if we go over, those tribesmen will let us beggars go?
Same guy?
The law of survival of the weak is the law of survival of the jackals!
Either we annex them and provide each of us with barbarians and slaves, or they annex us and turn us into their slaves.
You choose for yourself!"
"There must be females in that clan. A gnoll without a mate will be laughed at."
Nash bared his teeth in the darkness and whispered something, and the other jackals howled immediately, their eyes shining like a group of real wolf cubs.
"Hey, let's go, give each person two!"
Hogg waved his hand.
The gnoll gladiators immediately followed it forward.
"All the candles of the kobold slaves over there are yours!"
It shouted something to the kobold elites in its clan, and the kobolds also became restless.
Candle!
Ah, candles, beautiful candles
The light in the darkness is something that fascinates people. For it, the kobolds will sacrifice everything, just like the hungry and thirsty jackals now.
