Chapter 120: Skarsnik's Countermeasure

"What to do? What should I do?" Snorri Thorsson began to think rapidly; he realized that in the end, he had still underestimated the wisdom of Skarsnik, that legendary Night Goblin Warlord.

Before him lay two choices: one was to signal the southern force to retreat, yielding a path to the Greenskin troops. The benefit of this was to minimize losses while still fulfilling the mission of relieving Karak-Azgalaz.

The other choice was to demand that the Humans of Bretonnia and the Ogre Mercenaries hold firm against the Night Goblins, who were desperate to break out, and wait for the troops on the other three flanks to complete the encirclement and annihilate the enemy.

Yes, this would give Snorri the chance to kill Skarsnik, a future great enemy; of course, the negative consequences were also obvious.

Snorri clenched his fists and looked around at his clansmen; how he wished someone would step forward to make the decision for him! Even giving a little advice would do!

But unfortunately, in this suffocating atmosphere, no one spoke. Every loyal Dwarf handed the right of decision to the one they served—Snorri Thorsson.

"What did I come here for?" Snorri's initial oath suddenly surfaced in his mind: "Reclaim the lost Shanbao, recover the missing Artifacts, and restore the glory of the Mountain Kingdom!"

Yes, his goal was so grand, and along this path, Skarsnik was undoubtedly a huge obstacle! Perhaps to this world he was not yet a true ulcer, but to the Sons of the Mountains, he was enough to occupy a separate page in the Book of Grudges!

Karak Eight Peaks, the eternal pain in every Dwarf's heart; Snorri knew that the Angrund Clan, descended from the era of the Ancestor Gods, would bleed their last drop for her, even if Thorgrim Grudgebearer himself had led an army of ten thousand Dwarfs, he had not been able to successfully reclaim her!

If she, Vala-Azril-Ungor, remained controlled by this Goblin of extraordinary wisdom as she originally was, how many clansmen's lives would it take to reclaim her?

Snorri was currently experiencing Skarsnik's military wisdom; could he really defeat this Goblin in the future with his amateur-level military ability? His heart could hardly find an answer.

But he knew that changing the original fate of this world was not about hosting a dinner party, nor writing an essay! One could not harbor the fantasy that by sitting with legs crossed, thinking of a few ideas, and shouting a few slogans, one could succeed!

Such elegance, such composure, such gentleness and courtesy might bring about some minor changes, but it was far from enough to pull a carriage that was gradually sliding into the abyss back up!

Wanting to change the predetermined fate of the world's destruction was bound to be an uprising, an uprising of the forces of order to overthrow the forces of Chaos; besides relying on iron and blood, what else could one rely on?

"Must seize this precious opportunity!" Snorri made up his mind! "You, go notify Qiangsen-Jian Dun; our plan has fallen through. Tell him to abandon the ambush and command the troops to move south at full speed!" Snorri pointed at the Ranger closest to the steps.

"The rest of you, there is no time to go back the way we came! Prepare the ropes and rappel down from here! Our Human friends need support!"

Snorri took a look; below the platform where he stood was a slope. As long as they rappelled down less than fifty meters, they could charge directly from the slope to the front of the Night Goblins' and Ogres' lines.

"I'll take the lead!" Snorri said. He knew that with his Rune Magic and skills, he could instantly clear a patch of Goblins to ensure the arrangement of the troops following behind.

"The Ancestor Goddess bless you!" Captain Gelunsen did not say much; he calmly used the warhammer in his palm to drive an iron spike into the rock for Snorri and tied the long rope firmly to it.

"Please!" He tugged on the rope, confirmed its sturdiness, and said to Snorri.

Time was tight, and Snorri did not waste words. He straightened his gloves, gripped the rope with his left hand, and placed it behind his body near his hip to serve as a "brake" for the descent.

As Snorri bent his knees and pushed off, he descended rapidly along the rope.

After landing, Snorri performed a roll on the spot to dissipate the impact, then crawled down to one side.

Soon, one Eternal Hammer Guard after another descended; by the seventh person, the Night Goblins finally noticed.

"Lads, shoot those floating stunties hard!" Snorri saw a fellow who looked like a leader jumping up and down, commanding the archer lads to prepare to attack the Dwarfs who were rappelling.

"Earth, release your fury!" Snorri pointed his warhammer at the sky, triggering the Rune of Wrath and Ruin he had previously inscribed.

As the rune flashed, the earth beneath the Goblin archers cracked, spewing sulfur and fire. These stunties, lacking armor protection, were immediately blown into the sky by the impact of the explosion.

Those who took the attack directly perished on the spot, while those hit by the splash damage wailed and fled in disarray.

"Speed it up!" Snorri shouted to his subordinates above. Although this sudden Rune Magic had solved the urgent crisis, it had also attracted the attention of both sides on the southern battlefield.

"Brothers! Hold on, Prince Snorri and our Dwarf friends are here!" Fatisi Qishi shouted. Snorri met his gaze, and both saw a hint of tension in the other's eyes.

"Iron-Head Ahetanmu was just taking a nap! He didn't hear the cannon fire! Boss, your cannons are far worse than our iron-spitters! That thing can't be pulled by a pony; it needs the strongest Woolly Rhinoceros on the ice plains!"

Ahetanmu quickened his movements, swept aside a few groups of Goblins, and approached Snorri, offering a somewhat far-fetched explanation.

Snorri had no time to blame the wavering Ogre Mercenaries at this moment; to hold off the Night Goblins' breakout, he could not rely on the old peasants and adventurers of Bretonnia—these big guys would be the main fighting force.

"I understand, mate! Soon, a huge wave of Goblins will come rushing over. I need you and your men to hold them off! I'll pay more!" Snorri said quickly.

"Pay more?" Ahetanmu perked up upon hearing this. "Lads! New mushrooms are on the shelf; smash them hard for me, the boss says he's paying more!"

Snorri, with the ten Eternal Hammer Guards and four Rangers who had rappelled down, quickly dealt with the few Goblins along the way who had lost their will to fight and reached Fatisi Qishi and Maldini.

He believed that both leading knights had sufficient fighting spirit; Fatisi was intent on seeking the Grail, and Maldini was in the midst of a chivalrous fervor. Moreover, he had a Pegasus under him; if the battle turned unfavorable, the Goblins' weak ranged firepower would not be able to keep him there.

The truly critical factor was the morale of the Human adventurers, the Infantry Regiment, and the Peasant Archers.

Thanks to Kedanluo and Captain Wawa for the monthly tickets.