The Paladin in the Abyss

Compared to the last time I was here, the Temple had clearly expanded. The main hall was at least three times wider, and many more rooms were added on the walls. Despite this, it still felt very crowded—at the moment, almost a thousand Dwarves were crammed inside, gathered around rough stone long tables, gloomily gnawing on the food in their hands, which included dark bread and hard-baked pancakes. These were typical marching rations, easy to store and designed to avoid stoking any unnecessary appetite in the carriers.

On the altar of the Temple, a Dwarf Priest was giving a speech to the crowd in the hall, talking about the indomitable and fearless racial traditions of the Dwarves. However, as soon as he saw Lancelot and his companions walk in, the Priest immediately jumped off the altar and walked towards them.

"Oh, heavens, Barrend! Is that you?" Lancelot recognized that it was Vito, one of the group of Dwarves he met when he first arrived in the Abyss, "It must be the great Father God manifesting, bringing you to our side..."

"It was Sir Lancelot who found me from the Land of Death..." Barrend said with a sigh, shaking his head, "Though whether the Father God gave me a push from behind is hard to say..."

"What is the situation here?" Lancelot was still in shock, "I thought all of you..."

"Died in Twin Bridges Town, right?"

Another group of Dwarves came over, and Lancelot recognized that the speaker was Todak Stoneshield, a balding Gray Dwarf who was also the Commander of the Dwarven Legion. Accompanying him were the Chief Commissioner of the Craftsmen Committee, Braunville, several committee members whose names Lancelot couldn't recall, and all members of the Frostforge Clan from Twin Bridges Town.

"I indeed have many questions." Lancelot and everyone else sat down beside an empty long table, "About what actually happened that day..."

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"There was almost no warning of the attack, except for one thing—the day before, Prince Kailon from the Volcano Fortress sent an envoy asking if Tijana would be willing to become one of Lord Wu'an's concubines."

A sudden surge of anger rose from the bottom of Lancelot's heart, but he forced himself to remain seated and continue listening.

"Of course, our Lord refused without hesitation..." Todak Stoneshield glanced uneasily at Lancelot, this man had just released a terrifying pressure, "Lady Tijana merely took it as a joke, and the others didn't pay much attention either. After all, Grazzt's lechery was well known, but in hindsight, it might have been a very subtle warning from a long-time ally."

"Our focus on defense was always towards the direction of the Volcano Fortress, guarding against the Demons and those unreliable allies. If Grazzt's army arrived through the permanent portal of the Volcano Fortress, we would know immediately. But the Abyssal Lord launched an attack from an unexpected direction—Oasis Fort, for which we were utterly unprepared..."

"Um, is it alright to call Lord Wu'an by name like this?" Kalalin was a little nervous as she looked around, "He might be able to hear..."

"Don't be nervous, my Scholar friend." Alamir patted Kalalin on the back, "This is an unused Temple, and it's under the effect of Sacred Abode inside. No supernatural means can discern what happens inside, except for the owner of the Temple."

"You mentioned Oasis Fort earlier; I've been there before and brought back the legendary Cross Pickaxe of Dain Frostbeard." Lancelot recalled that annoying male Succubus, his mind filled more with confusion than anger, "But the Lord of Oasis Fort, 'Necrophile' Molo, is loyal to Mekanshut, so why assist Grazzt, the dead enemy of the Queen of the Succubus?"

"Don't know." The Gray Dwarf shrugged, "Betrayal, I guess?"

Lancelot nodded grimly, signaling the other to continue.

"The attack came too suddenly, the garrison had no time to make a proper response, and facing an army led by an Abyssal Lord, there's really no correct response to begin with, not that we knew that at the start." The Gray Dwarf sighed, "Even though the garrison of Twin Bridges Town was well-equipped and well-trained, the enemy had an overwhelming numerical advantage. Absolute advantage, do you understand what I mean, Sir? Every inch of land in your sight was occupied by Demons, and if someone told me that all the Tanari in the Abyss had come, I would believe it..."

"You know, the direction of Oasis Fort is the market district, while the Blacksmith District is at the other end of the city. When the alarm went off, everyone was at work. We armed and gathered as fast as possible, then rushed to the battlefield, but by the time we got halfway there, several sections of the city walls had already fallen, the enemy had poured into the city, and started hacking their way through the streets..."

"And Tijana?" Lancelot asked the question that concerned him the most, "Where was she at that time?"

"In the sky." Braunville, the Chief Commissioner, interjected, "Along with the Three-Headed Dragon."

"Yes, a green one, a blue one, and a black one - they should be the same ones that came back with you last time, Sir." Todak Stoneshield nodded, "The garrison fought very bravely, but there were too many enemies, the scene was like being buried alive. Our Lord immediately used all her most secretive methods, such as the gigantic saw blades flying out from the gaps in the city walls, the metallic trapdoors buried under the Stygian River capable of raising massive waves, and of course, her earth-shattering spells. These brought on a terrifying massacre, and seemed to turn the tide, but..."

"That actually only wiped out the cannon fodder sent by Grazzt, didn't it?" Lancelot sighed, "The Demons' tactics are always so straightforward..."

"Yes, although for a moment we saw hope, Grazzt immediately snuffed out that hope." The former Commander of the Dwarven Legion lowered his head, "When those mechanisms exhausted their stored energy, when the Dragons could no longer breathe fire, when our Lord had no strength to keep flying and the cannon fodder's bodies nearly filled the Stygian River, Lord Wu'an leisurely committed his main force—the Iron Knight Demons climbed the walls on the corpses of the cannon fodder, followed by a large troop composed of Berserk Demons, along with a full six terrifying Barlow Flame Demons..."

"Six Barlows?" Lancelot nodded bitterly, "So, they are the ones who killed Tijana..."

"No, those Flame Demons were targeting the still-resisting garrison on the walls, leaving the honor of defeating the Lord of Twin Bridges Town to their master." The Gray Dwarf lifted his head, meeting the gaze of the Human Knight, "Are you curious about how we survived such a siege?"