Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 41 Barbarians and Witches

The barbarians from the northern wastelands of Leatherman are as rugged as polar bears and as hard as steel. Their greatest passions are strong liquor and fighting. To outsiders, these muscle-bound guys seem incapable of understanding emotions.

But! Even tough guys have tender hearts. Beneath their rough exteriors, these rugged men possess delicate inner lives. The romance and beauty they yearn for, or rather, the thing that is like a white moonlight, is their witch.

Just like in chivalric romances, knights always find a beautiful princess to protect, and the barbarians of Leatherman are also dedicated to finding the witch they swore to protect.

The difference is that most knights are just seemingly well-mannered thieves, since those who are truly virtuous become paladins, while barbarians are often a bit dim-witted and only cause their witches a lot of headaches.

The witch standing before Münster almost perfectly fulfilled all his fantasies and aspirations about witches. Her beautiful, tall figure, her flowing golden hair, her blue robes, and the staff in her hand—she had arrived just like that, bringing with her the icy, magical energy of the North and crashing into his heart.

Looking at Münster's silly expression, Zhang Yuan was really at his wit's end. What was this, love at first sight? The problem was that this Ice Maiden was actually just a puppet pawn.

Before he could say anything more, Münster suddenly ran up to the Crystal Maiden and knelt on one knee: "Beautiful and noble witch, would you be willing to follow a Leatherman warrior? I swear, my sword will be yours, and no one will be able to harm you before I fall."

The onlookers were so amazed by this dramatic scene that their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Goodness, he usually looks like an honest guy, but he transforms the moment he meets a beautiful woman?

Left with no other option, Zhang Yuan went up to Münster and said, "Don't ask anymore, she can't be your guardian witch."

Münster, waiting anxiously for a response, turned to the mage and asked nervously, "Why? Does she refuse? Or does she already have a guardian?"

Zhang Yuan put his hand to his forehead and shook his head repeatedly: "Didn't you see that she's a summoned creature? Just like a stone elemental."

“But she’s not an elemental or a monster. She… she’s a living, breathing person, a witch.” Münster couldn’t accept it at all.

"She's actually a puppet that looks like a human, a product of alchemy. If you don't believe me, touch her hands; they have no body temperature." The person was truly speechless.

Who would have thought that the usually carefree and boisterous barbarian would be unusually shy at this moment, shaking his head repeatedly, refusing to touch the Crystal Maiden's soft hand, muttering something about disrespect, lack of consent, and that she would be angry.

Having truly run out of options, Zhang Yuan could only have the Ice Maiden perform a few actions like a robot, then pointed to her eyes and asked, "Look into her eyes. Do you really think she's a living person?"

A certain infatuated barbarian said, "I don't care, even if she's a summoned creature, I'll protect her. Please, please let her join our team."

"Give up on that idea. She's not a real woman and she can't marry you."

"I'm not going to marry her, I just want to stay by her side, I don't mind."

The atmosphere in the newly formed squad was extremely awkward. Kagan, curious, dodged small stones like a startled quail; the barbarian circled the Crystal Maiden while grinning foolishly; Bard was the most indifferent, just watching the show; and the remaining mage, head down, massaged his temples to prevent his blood vessels from bursting and killing him.

It's not that I'm reluctant to part with Crystal Maiden; with over 20 energy points in the card pool, I can recruit several more identical pieces. Moreover, Münster's feelings for Crystal Maiden aren't possessive; rather, they're purely admiration and a desire to protect her.

Honestly, Zhang Yuan couldn't believe that those northern barbarians could do such a thing. When did their level of understanding become so high? They even grasped Plato's ideas.

However, considering Minsk's feelings for Aery in the game, it's not hard to understand.

But to fall in love with a doll and even vow to protect it... wait, isn't this just like those anime otaku? Brilliant!

Thinking this way, the man instantly perked up again, and a feeling of smugness welled up inside him: "Your wife is in my hands."

The squad had traveled more than halfway through their journey and was already on their way to the towering top of Highhold, but then they encountered trouble again. This time, the obstacle came from a group of old friends who were no longer strangers. Unlike the scattered skeletons and gnolls they had encountered before, this time the enemy consisted of nearly thirty skeleton soldiers and seven or eight gnolls.

Even with the summoned stone, there's little chance of winning in a direct confrontation, and the only spell the person has left—sleep—is completely ineffective against the undead.

Do we have to take a detour?

As Zhang Yuan began to consider this reluctant choice, he looked around and noticed a small hill nearby.

The hill wasn't very high, but the slope was a bit steep. At the foot of the hill grew a sparse forest, and most of the path leading to the top of the hill was occupied by the trees.

Zhang Yuan, who seemed to be deep in thought, called everyone together to discuss the matter. Afterwards, everyone acted according to the plan, or more precisely, Münster acted according to the plan.

A mage, accompanied by his two dwarf bodyguards, climbed step by step to the top of the mountain, while Little Stone followed slowly behind, pushing a large round boulder that had appeared out of nowhere.

And what about our barbarian? He jogged towards the skeletons and gnolls, making an arc to get close to Münster and attract most of the monsters before running swiftly towards the hill.

Yes, our barbarian is responsible for this monster-killing task, since the others are all short-legged and mages.

As the skeleton soldiers and jackals gathered and pursued Münster, they were forced to climb the hillside from the shaded side due to the terrain and the limitations of the forest.

When Münster had already reached the top of the mountain, even the fastest gnolls had only reached the halfway point, while most of the monsters were still crowding at the foot of the mountain, climbing upwards.

After telling his teammates "Well done," it was time for the main character of the show—Little—to make his appearance.

With the Crystal Maiden's arcane aura, the small mana bar was fully replenished, and the Great Stone was raised to activate the skill: Throw.

Whoosh! A round stone the size of a millstone flew through the air in an arc and fell straight into the center of the gnoll squad. As it hit an unlucky guy, the shockwave knocked down all the monsters in the area.

After unleashing its skill, Xiao Xiao, under Zhang Yuan's command, curled into a ball like a turtle listening to thunder, and then the group pushed it from behind.

The jackals, who were still seeing stars as they struggled to their feet, heard strange noises.

With a thunderous roar, a rock sphere more than a meter in diameter swooped down like a chariot at full speed. Its unstoppable force gave the group of amateur gnoll mountaineers the illusion of facing a giant wielding a roaring warhammer.

How could they dare to linger? The members of the amateur mountaineering association no longer had the courage to bravely conquer the summit, and they wanted to retreat after making a 180-degree turn.

What made the jackals despair was that the skeleton soldiers, who were a step behind them, seemed not to see the rolling boulder and continued to advance steadily, step by step.

Surrounded and blocked by fearless skeleton soldiers, the jackals could only desperately squeeze down the mountain or push the skeletons aside to escape to the sides.

However, it was too late. Having recovered from their dizziness, they didn't have much time to react. With the skeleton delaying them, apart from a few lucky ones who reacted quickly and jumped down from the sides, breaking bones and tendons, the rest were crushed into a pot of meat sauce and pork rib soup by the rolling stones.

The skeleton soldiers at the foot of the mountain continued to advance towards the rolling stones without any awareness, and then scattered like bowling pins, as if a rain of bones had fallen.

(End of this chapter)