strictlysupreme Chapter 281 Map Marking
Chapter 281 Map Marking
As Lorraine approached the Syndicate's camp, he discovered that there weren't many bandits there.
According to the shadowy intelligence, the bandits only had three sentries... each patrolling casually in different directions. The sentry closest to him happened to walk by and was transformed into a sheep by a shapeshifting spell, wandering around in place.
Taking advantage of the sixty seconds that the Transfiguration spell lasted, Lorraine prepared to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Taking down a dozen or so Syndicate bandits...you might even make a small fortune...the teacher always said bandits always have unexpected treasures hidden on them.
There might also be a treasure map...
Just as Lorraine was about to make his move, he overheard two bandits whispering to each other.
"Oh, have you heard? Something happened at home..."
"What a joke, we still have a home?"
......
"I'm talking about my old lair by the lake, Dren Manor!"
"I know, Warrick said it last night. The hideout was attacked. Everyone who stayed behind died and turned into zombies. Luckily, we got out..."
......
"I bet Dalaran drove the undead into the lake, which is why they ended up in our house. Sigh, I had a ton of wine hidden in the cellar, planning to enjoy it properly after I retired. Now it's all gone..."
"Retirement? We'll be lucky to even have a proper corpse in this lifetime. May the Goddess of the Snow Mountains protect us, and may all the monsters in Alterac Valley die out. Dwarves know how to forge iron, we only know how to rob. If the undead take over Hillsbrad Foothills, we won't even have anywhere to plunder for food! Damn it!"
......
"Don't think too much, come and drink, it's hot... Who knows where the Baron went... Just live one day at a time... I heard that a lot of girls have come to Southshore, I'm thinking of switching shifts with the brothers from Garin Highlands."
"Change my ass! The boss said we're preparing to move to the Arathi Highlands. We need to leave this dangerous place... He went to Durnholde to see the Earl. We're leaving in three days!"
Two bandits lay sprawled on sleeping bags made of soft fur, around a still-warm charcoal fire, facing the rising sun, drinking hot Nanhai Town liquor and chatting intermittently.
If it weren't for the standard syndicate bandit uniforms, the familiar red headscarves and trench coats, Lorraine would have really thought they were a group of camping travelers.
Unfortunately, a faint smell of blood, a foul stench of alcohol, and the grime of someone who hadn't bathed in a long time wafted over...
The two bandits revealed a little information.
Lorraine had almost gotten what she wanted when the sentry behind her, who had been polymorphed, was dispelled from the spell. She snapped out of her daze and yelled, "Enemy attack! Grab your weapons!"
Once he was sure there weren't any powerful guys around, Lorraine decided to stop hiding.
With a single icy strike, the sentinel was sent to his death. In an instant, he summoned an undead minion. As the two bandits peered out in confusion, the newly minted Syndicate sentinel zombie pounced, pinning down the old bandit who was trying to retire, and biting down on his neck.
The sleeping bag was instantly stained with blood from the neck, and the pain made the old bandit scream in agony. He tried to push the zombie away, but it was in vain.
His companion, who had just been enjoying a drink, was stunned. In his daze, his eyes widened, and he cried out in a trembling voice, "The...the undead!"
He hurriedly stood up and tried to run away, but his feet slipped and he had to brace himself on all fours.
He had barely stood up when he was stabbed in the back. Turning around in pain, he saw a Syndicate member dressed similarly to him. Judging from the number of red bandanas on his armband, he seemed to be a squad leader.
He stared in disbelief at the Syndicate's knife-wielding squad leader... only to have his throat slit in response. Why were his own men and the undead attacking together? He died without understanding...
The undead tore at each other, and comrades killed one another. In just three minutes, the entire bandit squad on the Sofia Heights was wiped out.
The remaining figures standing were Lorraine's three newly acquired puppets.
And a dozen or so controlled bandit zombies, swaying and obediently following their master's commands.
The three puppets are not transformed from soulless puppets.
After several battles, especially after successfully transforming the banshee, Lorraine discovered that the skill [Wraith Possession] still had room for improvement. He had originally thought that it could only possess soulless puppets whose souls had been extracted by the Shadow Mage.
In fact, after he released the ghosts as scouts this time, he ordered them to attack after the battle began.
The ghost, which was originally invisible to the living, viciously burrowed into the bodies of several other sentries, tearing at their fragile souls, and finally took over their bodies.
He drew his knife and charged at the others...
This led to the unbelievable scene of being killed by their own men. The bandits who were killed thought their comrades had betrayed them, and they followed suit, only to be slaughtered in return...
Lorraine then realized that the vengeful spirits extracted by necromancers seemed to have extremely strong growth potential, danger, and autonomous intelligence.
It resembles a terrifying, ghostly creature with only a head that the teacher mentioned. According to the classification of the dead, it is the materialized form of a fierce ghost or vengeful spirit, a kind of banshee, or an evil spirit.
The necromancer's summoning and resurrection spell is a fundamental skill.
Soul manipulation is another major school of thought, and Lorraine has discovered a new continent.
The Necromantic runes are indeed a treasure trove of surprises and a gift from my adoptive father. When I have time, Lorraine really wants to systematically study the true potential of these runes in my right eye... It seems that the so-called Grim Reaper is nothing special after all.
......
The soulless puppets controlled by the devouring of living souls seemed more like living people; they could actively receive Lorraine's commands and even give simple answers...
This startled Lorraine.
However, he didn't take it too seriously. He had only awakened the transformation of the banshee yesterday, and today there was a scene of vengeful spirits devouring his soul. Lorraine felt a little uncomfortable. Would he become a lich in the future?
He shook his head vigorously.
He's here to conduct reconnaissance!
Business is more important...
After searching around to see if any had slipped through the net, Lorraine found three simple maps on a wooden crate piled with miscellaneous items in the center of the camp. The maps clearly marked the terrain around Tarren Mill, Southshore, and Hillsbrad Foothills, and even the locations of the watchtowers were clearly marked.
Lorraine carefully put the map away and placed it in her pocket.
Then at the very bottom, I saw another map without any clear markings, covered with question marks... This map seemed to show the locations I needed to scout, with Dunholde Castle at the center. The surrounding hills were marked with question marks, and there was an arrow pointing north, where it seemed to fork. One fork was marked with a skull, and the other with a four-legged bird.
The skull seems to refer to Icewind Pass, which is inhabited by undead.
What is a four-legged bird?
Confused, the teacher explained, "That's a griffin! You idiot. It's the Alliance's exclusive mount, a specialty of Eagle's Nest in Hinterlands! The Wildhammer dwarves' trump card, and also one of the mainstays of the Alliance's air force."
Those dwarven gryphon riders wielding storm hammers helped humans defeat orcs on several occasions, as the orcs lacked the means to fight back.
The primitive orcs suffered losses in the war, and this was one of the reasons for their defeat.
Later, Thrall recruited a large number of wyverns from Outland to support the current flight routes. Wyvern riders can barely compete with gryphon riders, but are actually still at a disadvantage.
It is said that the wyvern is a combination of a griffin and a dragon. The Dragonmaw Clan captured the Red Dragon Queen and used her offspring for experiments, training them to become mounts and allies of the orcs.
This new species has thrived in the Stone Talon Mountains.
Some say it is actually the bloodline of another legendary monster, the Chimera. Anyway, there is an organization that loves to capture all kinds of powerful creatures for experiments, and they have created many powerful or deformed individuals.
To make Lorraine understand, the teacher deliberately kept her in suspense.
Just tell Lorraine that as long as you keep going, or until you reach Kalimdor, you will find out who is behind this and has been meddling in the Creator's domain.
In short, that four-legged bird should be the symbol of the Hinterlands. I recall there being considerable conflict between trolls and dwarves in the Hinterlands ruins on the northern coast. If you have the chance, you could visit; there are many ancient ruins there, seemingly dedicated to the wilderness demigods worshipped by the trolls.
The skull refers to the northern plaguelands, and the four-legged bird refers to the Hinterlands...
Those question marks probably indicate what these bandits were searching for—treasure? Or enemies? It's impossible to know, because the ground was littered with corpses; there wasn't a single living soul left...
Lorraine abandoned his research, observed his surroundings, and gathered intelligence. Just as he reached the edge of the highest point of the hill and began to gaze into the distance, he suddenly heard a groan coming from beneath a tree behind him...
There seemed to be something alive in the weeds that were more than half a person tall.
He instinctively moved closer, wanting to see what it was.
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