Chapter 43: Deception and a Broken Bridge
About three hours after Kreyn, Groza, and Daren entered the Crimson Crystal Cavern, three figures emerged from the darkness and flames into the light of the morning sun.
Despite the burns on his lips, Kreyn was in high spirits, not only because of the chain and red box hanging from his belt, but also because of the three large bags on their backs.
"Hey, what is this anyway?" Groza frowned, pointing to her bag. Each bag was full of red orbs covered with honeycomb-shaped black frames.
Kreyn picked one up as runes fluttered above the object.
[Crimson Grenade (Product)
Type: Weapon
A small orb born of the pressure of fire and metal. Inside is compressed energy that, when the outer shell is destroyed, will burst out in a devastating fiery explosion. These orbs are especially effective against objects that burn well.]
Daren looked puzzled, not because of the description, but because of something else.
"Product? What the hell is that?"
If Daren knew nothing about it, then Groza knew even less. Daren had been a resident of the Great Lands since birth, so he knew more than they did, at least for now.
"I had the same question." Kreyn tossed the Crimson Grenade like an apple. "She said that they are essentially the same as Artifacts, only they appear more often, are non-unique, meaning there could be hundreds of copies just like the ones we have in our bags, and almost all Products are disposable."
Groza blinked several times, she was impressed.
"Wait... That monster, Merissa, she doesn’t seem like the type to do anything for free. She gave us several hundred of these grenades, she must have asked for something in return, right?"
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
"Well, about that." Kreyn scratched the back of his head. "I had to promise that I would talk to Malin to arrange trade deliveries through her cave on my behalf. For these bombs, she wants several energy crystals equivalent to 5,000 gold coins."
"5,000 gold coins?" Daren’s eyes widened. "You know it’ll take us quite a while to get that much, right?"
Kreyn waved his hand.
"Don’t worry about it. I’m sure the Wurhen Family has what we need. Consider these bombs as her investment in the future. She has a whole room full of treasures, but it’s not enough for her. As Malin said, she’s actually a greedy monster."
Groza gave Kreyn a disapproving look.
"Huh? I know another greedy monster? I’d even say I’m looking at him right now."
"Shut up." Kreyn chuckled. "Or next time you’ll have to kiss a three-meter-tall demoness."
Daren shook his head.
"You know, the way you say that, it doesn’t sound like a bad thing at all."
"Tsk." He frowned. "My lips are still burning!"
...
On their way to the prison, Kreyn continued to complain and talk about his encounter with Merissa. Although Daren and Groza were convinced that Merissa and Kreyn were similar, he actively denied any similarities.
But, as they approached the prison, his expression changed.
The time for jokes was over as they approached the final line.
"Hey, you do realize that we’ll most likely be going to the Wurhen Family tonight, right?" Kreyn’s gaze darkened as he stopped in front of the gate.
Daren and Groza nodded deeply.
"Of course. They won’t wait any longer, and neither will we." Groza placed her hand on her heart like a knight. "No matter how many resources and influence they have, with our allies, it doesn’t matter. If Ardur falls, then the Wurhen Family won’t stand a chance."
Kreyn grinned, slowly opening the gate.
"Exactly, but any war needs armies. Ours is almost ready."
The gate opened, revealing the prison courtyard.
Unlike the last two times, where silence and destruction awaited them, now the picture was completely different.
A hundred prisoners with joyful faces were dining at large tables, next to the villagers who had come to the prison in the morning, led by Grender.
Grender stood aside as he opened his eye slightly, noticing Kreyn.
"Well, well, it seems everything went well, didn’t it?" Kreyn approached him.
Grender looked at the villagers and prisoners.
"Yeah, at first they were wary, expecting to meet cruel murderers, real beasts, but you did a great job with your people. If I didn’t know they were prisoners, I would never have thought so."
A couple of hours was enough for the villagers and prisoners to practically become friends. There were more than enough weapons in the prison, but now they had new, clean clothes, fresh home-cooked food, and lots of stories to share.
Kreyn crossed his arms over his chest with satisfaction.
"Great, what could be better than high morale before the start of a war?"
"Hmm?" Grender turned around. "Do you think it will happen tonight?"
In response, Kreyn waved his hand, gesturing for Grender to follow him.
Soon, they found themselves at the top of the prison as Kreyn pointed ahead, to the north, at the road in front of the Frost Ridge.
"Since we destroyed the bridge, they’ll have to come from this side. They simply have no other choice."
Grender rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Before him lay a wide open field, bordered on one side by the river and on the other by the Cinder Swamps. In fact, there was no road leading to this part of the prison, so the Wurhen Family convoy would have to turn off midway and run straight across the plain.
"What exactly are you going to do? Meet them here and set up an ambush? Considering the terrain and the height advantage... We can gain the upper hand at the beginning of the battle."
Strangely enough, Kreyn waved his hand and pointed west.
"Nah, as soon as we see them in the distance, we’ll leave the prison and head to Varthon."
"Agh...?" Grender was caught off guard. "You want to try to capture the town while they throw all their forces at the prison?"
Kreyn nodded.
"Yeah, they’ll definitely leave someone behind to watch the town. That will be our first step toward victory."
"But... How? You destroyed the bridge!"
In response, Kreyn smiled slyly as his eyes narrowed.
"Come on, Grender, aren’t you supposed to be wise and experienced?"
Kreyn folded his arms behind his back and took a deep breath.
"The bridge is destroyed, and there’s no way to cross the river, that’s true, but... although it may be a strange comparison, it seems to me that the giant worms are quite similar to a bridge."
He glared at Grender.
"What do you think?"