Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 564 One after another
Everything has a cause and a solution.

While not every arcane spellcaster is an extremely rational and calm freak like Colonel Chu, anyone who can get by in society at least has enough intelligence and brains.

If a head-on confrontation doesn't yield any advantage, then a roundabout approach is better than letting a living person die from holding their pee.

Fortunately, it was inside the ship's cabin; on land, it wouldn't be so easy to deal with these stubborn iron turtles using such tricks.

"Go and check on the condition of these invaders."

Omar casually pointed, and coincidentally, he pointed directly to Kelham, who was huddled to the side, praising the most enthusiastically.

"I'm calling you. Hurry up and go take a look. If it weren't for Lord Omar's intervention, such a scene of an iron tortoise turning over would be a rare sight."

The seasoned veteran instinctively stepped aside, ignoring the monk's "kindness," and then, half-coaxing and half-scolding, passed it on to a young boy behind him.

"Ah, oh."

The young sailor, whose experience was clearly inferior to that of the one with the thick hair on top, was easily fooled and ran to the edge of the pit, peering down into the hole.

The four steel beasts that came into view had already stood up, and their crimson gazes as they looked back made him gasp for breath.

dong dong!

The shadow of the beast disappeared from the sailors' sight, and the departing footsteps shook the deck like a dense, rhythmic drumbeat, striking the sailors' hearts as well.

"Master, it seems they've left."

The young sailor, snapping out of his daze, quickly turned around to report, only to fall into a daze again in an instant.

Where was the so-called "Lord Mage"? The figures of the crew surrounding Omar had almost disappeared into the passageway leading to the upper deck.

"Wait, wait for me!"

He panicked when he heard the increasingly clear and urgent footsteps approaching.

"Damn it, I finally got a chance to practice, and it turned out like this."

The dwarf Kegan grumbled as he climbed the wooden steps. Having learned from their previous experience, the group proceeded in an orderly fashion, not daring to rush up at once, for fear of crushing the stairs into wood chips.

"I underestimated them. I didn't expect their wizard to have such a trick up their sleeve."

Bard, who was a few steps behind, silently reflected on his actions, which made Kagan feel somewhat guilty.

“I’m not blaming you, I’m just saying that these people who play with witchcraft have too many ulterior motives.”

"Just like our boss."

Morty, that simpleton, chimed in.

"Oh yeah, just like our boss."

"Stop talking nonsense and use your brains! Where are your explosive guns?! Why aren't you using them? They're not firewood!"

Zhang Yuan, who had been observing the underwater activity from the communication channel, finally couldn't resist making a remote micro-operation.

Even with the equipment in place, changing combat concepts isn't so easy. The melee-focused squad, used to close-quarters combat, might not immediately remember that they're equipped with ranged weapons.

You can't really blame them. It's not easy to change their combat style after so many years. It's already very stressful for them to adapt to the new armor and kinetic weapons in such a short time. It would be difficult to force them to develop shooting awareness as well.

However, given the current situation, their initial charge failed to achieve complete success, and with the enemy mage now aware of their trump cards, they might not be able to gain much advantage against a prepared opponent. The hope for a decisive victory rests on the bomb gun.

Zhang Yuan only gave a brief instruction and then said no more. The four-man group continued forward, with the leader still gripping his weapon tightly and the deputy unconsciously rubbing the gun at his waist.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Those who are quick and nimble, get the crossbows set up. Those who are strong, go and move the arrows over."

"As for you clumsy slugs, go and coat the deck near the top of the stairs with oil."

Omar was no longer aloof as before; his scolding and cursing came out like a machine gun, his speaking speed matching his usual chanting practice.

Sensing the approaching footsteps of his opponent, Omar calmed down and quickly devised a series of countermeasures, ready to surprise his opponent.

It must be admitted that while such petty tricks as "sprinkling lime in the eyes" and "pouring beans on the ground" are low-class, they have their own reasons for existing. Not to mention becoming a martial saint or a war god in Siping by relying on them, they can be troublesome enough in certain situations.

"Holy shit!"

Kegan, who was leading the charge, suffered a real setback. Just as he was about to climb onto the deck, he stumbled and almost fell.

Slippery grease spread across the stairwell, even extending into the ground.
Flowing down the stairs, is this the same old routine again?

"Don't create a barrier, this isn't a spell effect!"

The dwarf, who had been dazed and confused by the greasy spell, instinctively activated his anti-magic barrier upon seeing this, even though Zhang Yuan's reminder came too late.

The essence of the grease spell is to use magic to summon grease to cover the ground to achieve the effect. The source of the grease is naturally an otherworldly product. It is usually not something like kerosene or petroleum, but rather the oily secretions or corpses of some kind of astral insect.

How could Zhang Yuan not recognize its silvery-gray color and the luster of its astral origins?

Zhang Yuan, who was constantly monitoring through the secret eye attached to the armor, was about to remind Kaigen not to waste his trump card when the short guy hurriedly activated the barrier.

The seasoned veteran Kegan was no stranger to these tricks; in the past, he would simply wrap his boots in strips of clothing and wade through them. The new armor also had special studs, but the barrier was simply more convenient.

Qiang~
Several steel nails protruded from the bottom plate of the combat boots, and a heavy stomp firmly drove them into the deck.

However, the enemy would not wait for the dwarves to gain a foothold. Kegan, the first to show himself, was met with a concentrated barrage of fire.

The rain of flying stones and arrows did not deter him. The dwarf quickly crouched down to steady himself, facing the enemy from the side and concealing his head as much as possible under his thick shoulder armor.

Regardless, the priority is to hold off the first wave of attacks, create an opening for the next wave of troops, and secure a foothold.

As for long-range decapitation shots, let alone accuracy, how could one possibly spot the caster through layers of people in a short time?

Whoosh! Bang!
What seemed like an ordinary barrage of projectiles suddenly changed as it approached the dwarf, or more precisely, once it entered within ten feet of him.

Passing through the eerie curtain of light, the good things mixed in with the many projectiles instantly tore off their disguises and revealed their hideous forms.

What the hell? !
The thought had barely crossed Kegan's mind when he was hit by three basketball-sized rolling stones and two ballistae before he could even utter a curse.

Even the shoe spikes were useless now. The short man only had time to shrink himself before he tumbled down the steps like a billiard ball that had been hit.

Hole in one!
Even Master Zhang was caught off guard, and it took him a moment to realize what was going on.

The trick is nothing to brag about. The spellcaster on the other side probably shrunk the ammunition of the catapult and crossbow into the size of ordinary bullets and then mixed them with ordinary ammunition before launching them.

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(End of this chapter)