Chapter 143: Skaven Raid

Sinuoli walked onto the roof of a building on the outskirts of the Helmgart settlement, surrounded by his guards. He dared not be arrogant when facing the mysterious Skaven; the ranged firepower of these rats was not something those green mushrooms could compare to.

Things like Poison Wind Globadiers, Warpfire Throwers, the Shutelinn and Warp-Grinder teams beloved by many hammer-fans, and powerful weapons driven by Warpstone like the Warp-lightning Cannon were enough to make the strongest Orc archer-boy feel ashamed enough to bury his own not-enough-waaagh shots somewhere.

Although Sinuoli was not sure to what extent the technology of the Skaven Empire had developed, with more than a hundred years still remaining until the End Times, he did not want to risk his life to test it.

Sinuoli looked up; the Evil Moon Moersilibu was blooming with its green radiance in the night sky. On the ground, many large rats were running rapidly through the streets, making squeaking noises.

"These guys should just be ordinary rats; they have undergone various strange mutations due to the influence of the magic stones carried by the Skaven!" The voice of Qiangsen-Jian Dun rang out. As a former Ironbreaker veteran, his experience fighting rat-men underground was nothing if not rich.

"There shouldn't just be these things, right?" Sinuoli said as he watched them. Before he could finish, a chorus of shouts and killing cries came from the end of the street.

"Some Humans, respected Chosen of the Goddess!" a sharp-eyed Ranger reported. As soon as he finished speaking, those Humans approached.

"Urgh, ah!"

"George! No! These rats!"

"Go! Hurry! Giddy-up!"

The shouts of the Humans reached Sinuoli's ears. He saw one Human seem to be hit by something in the back and fall off their horse, only to be dragged away by the rats on the ground to be feasted upon.

"Come, my kin, let us go and support our Human friends!" Snuori put on his helmet and walked down from the roof. Hearing his command, the guards at the entrance of the settlement half-opened the gate.

"Bang! Bang!"

Following a roar of Dwarf firearms, the group of rats in hot pursuit was shot down. Seizing this precious opportunity, the remaining two Human riders rushed into the gate of the settlement, and the guards quickly closed the gate again.

"Is Elder Mason here?" The two riders jumped off their horses. Sinuoli noticed that the backs of their Plate Armor and helmets were covered in various uneven dents. These were likely caused by slave Clanrats using their crude slings.

No, Sinuoli stroked his beard. Examining these two Humans at close range, he discovered that their Plate Armor had obvious traces of Dwarf craftsmanship. Although he was not a professional blacksmith, Sinuoli could still judge this from the details.

Besides indicating that the two riders were of extraordinary status, this also meant that the stones causing damage to the Plate Armor likely came from stronger members of the rat-kind. For example, Night Runners or even Gutter Runners.

Those Black Death Squads of Clan Eshin—Gutter Runners. It is rumored that they have received training in mysterious combat techniques originating from the Far East. These combat skills allow them to bend their flexible bodies with a speed and agility that ordinary people cannot reach.

This was not a good sign. Being able to hire Clan Eshin meant that the rat boss leading them had good financial resources. Combined with the previous explosion, Sinuoli began to suspect whether this was an Engineer-Sorcerer from Clan Skryre.

"Master Sinuoli is in charge here now! Human, what do you seek before the High Prince?" Before Sinuoli could speak, Captain Gelunsen, this conservative and stubborn Dwarf Warrior, spoke for him.

"Uh, er," finding that the face before them was not the familiar, smiling face of Elder Mason, and that this group of hostile, unfamiliar Dwarfs was also exceptionally well-equipped, the Human riders were stunned for a moment.

"Respected Longbeard, I am the Reik Knight Walter, here by the order of Viscount Thompson to seek help from you all!"

"What is the situation now?" Sinuoli asked straightforwardly. To be honest, he was a little worried. Could these two Humans be specifically sent out by the rats to seek help, in order to lure his team out of a favorable position?

One must be on guard against such tricks of besieging a point to strike reinforcements!

"Those large rats that stand upright are all over the city; they seem to have popped out of the sewers!" Walter said somewhat impatiently.

"Nonsense!" Sinuoli was getting a bit heated. To be honest, he now understood a little why the elders often lacked patience with Human friends.

Due to their short lifespans, they do not have much time to learn knowledge, so many things that are common sense to Dwarfs seem like Arabian Nights to young Humans.

It was clear that Viscount Thompson had not taken what he said at the city gate to heart, or at least had not shown enough importance. The messenger he sent out actually treated rats popping out from underground as news—could they have fallen from the sky?

"Er, er..." The young Human was frightened by Sinuoli's interruption. Although they were not yet the future Emperor's Junjun, the Reik Knights were already taking shape.

The young men who made up their ranks were all young scions of the Reikland nobility. They were eager to prove themselves, longing to become a member of this legendary unit to add a brilliant stroke to their youth.

Such an age composition meant they were young, strong, and full of hot blood, but it also led to their general lack of experience.

"Where is Viscount Thompson? How many Skaven are there? Which Clan do they belong to? Or do their troops have any distinctive features?" Sinuoli fired off several questions like a machine gun.

The two Reik Knights looked at each other, and it was Walter who spoke again. "The Viscount is protecting the civilians as they retreat toward the Sigmar Temple. Now that it is near the end of the year, there are not many foreign merchants in the city."

"The Viscount sent two teams, one to Altdorf to seek help, and the other, which is us, to seek help from you. As for the other questions, to be honest, this is our first time seeing these guys, and in the rush, we didn't pay attention."

"Tsk!" Sinuoli frowned. These words were basically equivalent to saying nothing; he was still completely in the dark about the enemy's situation.

"Before we broke through, the Viscount was locked in a tug-of-war with the rats around the defense of the temple. Please, provide support as soon as possible!" Seeing that Sinuoli was still pondering, the two Reik Knights became anxious.

"Alright, my kin, fall in!" Sinuoli picked up his hammer. He waved his hand to refuse the reins offered by the Anvil Guard; he did not want to be a living target riding a golden little sheep during this street fighting.

Hearing Sinuoli's command, the Dwarfs quickly formed a relatively dense formation. Considering that the Skaven might appear from any angle through the sewers, they surrounded the ranged units with melee troops.

Thanks to the book friends for the monthly ticket tips, ggboon, Salanruotu, and the book friend's monthly ticket. I can't finish it today, I will add more tomorrow.