A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

Chapter 20 Redemption

In the abandoned subway station, gunshots, roars of monsters, and roars of soldiers sounded one after another.

The main task of Xue Li and Max, who were leaning against the carriage, was to protect the photographer and his girlfriend. These two people cannot play a role in this level of battle; they held guns and just stared at the surrounding battlefield , the storm pulse rifle kept firing, preventing those monsters from getting close.

The Amazonian Cassia seemed to be hunting a leopard, moving around in this vast space, switching the various weapons in her hands without stagnation, sometimes hitting a Wendigo on the forehead with an arrow, sometimes throwing Take out the javelin and hit the monster behind who wants to sneak up with a heavy wind sound, and string it with another of its kind behind.

The barbarian Dosten became more and more violent, often jumping directly into the crowd of monsters with both legs, and then let out a high-pitched roar, shaking the monsters around him back a step, and then holding a big sword in each hand Immediately began to rotate the body, and the blades of the two swords rolled up a tornado-like blade storm, cutting everything in the way into minced meat.

However, no matter how powerful these two were, they couldn't achieve better results... It wasn't that they couldn't defeat the Wendigo. Although the strength and speed of that thing far surpassed ordinary people, it wasn't enough for the two of them.The really terrible thing is that no matter how injured these monsters are, whether they were cut in the chest by a sword, pierced through the heart by a javelin, or shot dead by random guns, they will always get up again.

"This thing can't die!" Dosten shouted during the battle. This thing is too annoying, even more annoying than the regenerated corpse. well restored.

Even if the limbs are broken, they only need to crawl to the pile of corpses behind and take a few bites, and then they will be resurrected in full state and continue to entangle a few people.

The conductor who collapsed in the carriage was not dead yet, he laughed and laughed at these humans: "Of course they will not die, they are the real masters of this land...how can you It's useless to resist, if you don't become a part of them, you are destined to be swallowed up..."

"Ah, okay, bull, you're right." Xue Li was still able to turn around and say something strange in his busy schedule. Isn't it just a few cannibals? They are really regarded as gods.

As an unserious tavern owner, the people he knew didn't scare the ignorant conductor to death.Vampire hunters who have lived for hundreds of years, Maoshan Taoist priests, bounty hunters and popular idols across the universe, this is just an appetizer.If you want the main Mayan god to come down in person, he can also try, maybe there is room for manipulation.

But the monster Wendigo in front of him probably doesn't need someone of that level to help.

Cassia was calling back to Dosten: "Only the power of magic can make these guys calm down, but we can't use magic in this world!"

Xue Li also heard it, and felt that the situation was a little familiar.

It seemed that another customer had encountered the same problem, and later solved it by himself... Yes, it must be Uncle Jiu.He never said how he did it, and Boss Xue certainly didn't ask much—he's a tavern owner, not a tabloid reporter.

Fortunately he has other solutions.

He stood in front of the photographer and his girlfriend, and said to Max: "Open the door and go back to the tavern, please come to Jess..."

That solution is Jess Adama.

It should be mentioned that although this guest came from the same world as Cassia and Dosten, he had been adventuring elsewhere until recently; Disclose Jace's information to other guests with their consent, even if they are from the same world.

Not long ago...to be exact, before the photographer Leon came to the tavern to ask him for help again, the guest finally returned safely.He probably told Boss Xue about his experience, thanked Xue Li for sending Amelia to help him, and also expressed interest after hearing that other people from his own world had come to this tavern.

At that time, Boss Xue also made an agreement with him that if the two soldiers or the tavern needed help, they could go to him directly, and he could start again at any time.

Now is the time for help.

Because Jess Adama also briefly lost his spellcasting ability when he first arrived in another world, but he quickly recovered it, and fought a group of "unkillable enemies", relying on his "special spells" "Removed the opponent's indestructible characteristic and won the victory.

He must have had such an experience, and it would be helpful to the current situation.

"...Who is Jess? Is he also an employee of the tavern?" Leon behind him asked puzzledly. Since Boss Xue was looking for someone specifically, he should be trustworthy in terms of combat effectiveness and standpoint, right?Is it an employee of a tavern I haven't seen yet?

"No, it's another guest." Xue Li smashed the head of a Wendigo who rushed over with a few shots, causing him to lie on the ground and recover slowly.If Jess can't solve it, the few people have no choice but to go back to the tavern to make a long-term plan. I don't know what these monsters who have lost their "breeders" will feel...

Before he finished speaking, Max had already opened the door in the carriage and brought a certain man back to this world.

Unlike Dosten and Cassia, Jess, who has just arrived in this world, is fully armed, wearing a full set of plate armor, covered with a layer of silver from head to toe, from fingers to back. steel.

At this time, he was lifting his visor, revealing a rather dark face.

He has a slightly square face, a straight nose, thick eyebrows, and pursed lips. He looks like a tough warrior; although he is not as tall and strong as the barbarian Dosten, he is already rare and powerful among ordinary people up.He holds a kite-shaped shield in one hand, and a metal chain hammer with several rows of spikes on the hammer head in the other. It can be seen that the fighting method will be quite violent.

Jess was about to say hello to Xue Li, when he saw Boss Xue holding a gun, facing the battlefield in front of him, two powerful fighters were being besieged by a group of monsters, and there were countless pairs of eyes that were moving in the darkness around them.

"Holy Light, evil is rampant!"

He let out an exclamation, ignoring the greetings with the people he knew, put down his mask, and strode into the battlefield.

Cassia was using the javelin as a short spear, instead of throwing it, she was holding it in her hand to stab the enemy, but suddenly she felt light all over, and a force began to surge in her body, causing everything around her to be in sight It became extremely clear; the anger and confusion that had already begun to affect her spirit all receded at this moment, and the clear and peaceful feeling made her concentrate more, and even her attacks became much more precise.

She immediately looked back, only to see an iron can head swinging a chain hammer and rushing in with a shining light all over his body. He lowered his shoulders and used the shield in his hand to push away a wendigo.

"Paladin!"

exclaimed the Amazon in surprise.

The most famous paladin organization in Sanctuary is undoubtedly the "Hand of Zakarum" of the Kingdom of Kurast.However, the paladin in front of him does not have the emblem of the organization, and it is likely not the paladin handed by Zakarum... Cassia doesn't know much about other knight organizations.

He must have practiced "Focus on Reiki" in depth, and he had never experienced this feeling of power even in the years when Cassia was a mercenary.

And it's not just that... The so-called "spiritual energy" is a spell that is exclusive to paladins and related to faith, so he still retains the ability to cast spells in this different world that rejects magic.

Before he could think about how he did it, the Amazon yelled at his new companions, "No need to focus! These guys can heal their wounds and come back from the dead!"

The paladin frowned immediately when he heard her shout.

When fighting side by side with others, paladins do tend to choose to recite prayers silently and let themselves radiate focused aura around them, which can make their teammates better in battle and more likely to suppress the enemy; but if these are all It is a bit wrong to use this aura for a monster that can be resurrected from the dead.

At this time, Jess also understood why Max said when he found himself: "Only you can solve this problem."

He picked up his shield and charged, knocking over the monster that was going towards Boss Xue, and at the same time began to meditate in his heart: "Holy, extremely pure! The power of the holy light of justice, grant me the equal redemption of this dirty world the power of!"

Another burst of intense light burst out from the paladin, and then strode forward, holding the opponent's attack with the shield with his left hand, swinging the chain hammer with his right hand, and smashing hard on the wendigo's head from above the shield.

The monster he hit on the head never got up again.

Its entire head was hammered into pieces, blood spurted several feet high from its neck, its body fell forward to the ground, it throbbed, but it didn't even move anymore.

The well-informed Amazon certainly knew what it was, and nodded at this moment, suddenly realizing...it was the redemption aura of the paladin.

When other people describe this aura, they usually say the last sentence: "Creatures killed by paladins will rest in peace."

It's called "salvation" because even enemies have an equal right to rest; no one, not even the devil himself, can revive a dead creature or use its corpse as a material for a spell. thing.

In a sense, this aura is the most suitable for the current situation.

The barbarian Dosten naturally noticed his arrival, and with all his strength, he let out another battle cry.

Without that terrifying recovery ability and invincible physique, the Wendigos were no match for the three fighters at all, and were quickly driven into the shadows around them, only throwing down a dozen undead under the lights. A corpse capable of "eternal existence".

The conductor who has survived to this day can only be dumbfounded, and it didn't take long for him to die in doubt.

How could the immortal "they" who were regarded as gods be so easily and completely eliminated by the chain hammer in the hand of that strange, heavily armed man?

Chapter 21 Original Sin

After solving the immediate crisis, several fighters from the same world had the opportunity to get to know each other.

The cheerful and generous Cassia first reached out to the paladin: "Casia, an Amazon, a mercenary. I entered the tavern in the archipelago."

The paladin takes off his helmet and hangs it on the shield together with the chain hammer. The shield is inserted into the ground, so that he can take off the gauntlet and shake hands with her... This is the case with the full-cover plate armor, and some knights will be accompanied by a helper to put it on and take it off Of course, Jace didn't have the financial resources to hire someone.

"Jess, who used to work in the Knights of Westmarch, just left recently. Something happened, and I noticed that the world was undergoing unpredictable changes, so I planned to go to Tristram to investigate... ...I went to Boss Xue's tavern at a coach station near Westmarch Bay." He said.

The barbarian who cleaned the battlefield also came back with some things, and said simply: "Dorsten, Harrogath. I wanted to go south by boat, but I ran into Leon and Cassia in the tavern. "

As he spoke, he handed out the things in his hand for several people to see for themselves.

Boss Xue and Max also surrounded them with two "indigenous people" who were not of much combat effectiveness, and everyone checked the things Dosten found together.

But after watching for a while, Xue Li frowned slightly, and asked the barbarian, "Did you find these things from monsters?"

Dosten just nodded.

Before the prey were transported here, they had been pre-treated by Mahagni, and their clothes and belongings were naturally taken away and returned to the ground for disposal.

So... the thing in front of me was really found on the wendigos, and I don't know where there is room to put these things on the surface of their bodies covered with carrion and stench.

Dosten the Savage showed how he did it.He brought over the body of a Wendigo that had been disemboweled by him and failed to get up again under the "salvation" of the paladin, and opened the wound on the chest for several people to take a closer look.

Unable to bear it, Maya immediately buried her head in Leon's chest, hiding in her boyfriend's arms, not daring to look any further.

Xue Li, who was originally abnormal, squatted down with Max, casually picked up the broken human leg bone on the ground next to him, and picked up a white translucent film from the surface of Wendigo's wound.

Judging from the properties of this film when it is stressed, these may be thicker cuticles, similar to human cocoon tissue...

There was a not-so-big cavity between the cuticle and the putrid, slimy body, and it seemed to Dosten that he had dug out those things from this cavity.

Max picked up a piece of paper covered with mucus, turned on the flashlight and looked at it for a long time before making a judgment: "This is an American driver's license from the 20s, and there is a copy of the photo on it, but don't try to see it clearly."

Xue Li also shrugged: "I have a medal and a social security card here, two things that are decades apart."

Photographer Leon listened for a long time, and finally couldn't help asking curiously: "Is there any significance to these things?"

"At least two things have been proven... one is that it is true that many of these wendigos were transformed by people in this city; It still exists today." Xue Li pointed to the photographer's chest, "You may be the next target."

That's a reassuring inference, and something more terrifying is yet to come.

Paladin Jess frowned and said, "Although we repelled the enemy, I can feel that the evil that enveloped this place has not dissipated."

"How can human greed disappear?"

Boss Xue replied with a smile.

He is very optimistic, because at least the purpose of several people coming here has been achieved: Leon the photographer is not dead, nor is he turned into the next butcher; Butchers and accomplices are finished.

As for completely solving the problems of this world... As long as eating people here can still turn into a Wendigo, those greedy people will not stop.Judging from the fact that these guys still keep some personal items related to "identity" close to their bodies, they are still intelligent, even if they have become such an appearance that they cannot openly appear in human society.

Maybe at the beginning they just wanted to live for a few more years, thinking "Why should I die so early when I can earn [-] million a year", "I still have many places I haven't been to, and I have been too busy all my life to enjoy a few days ", "I should never die in pain on a hospital bed", but for decades or hundreds of years, the fact of "living" has blinded their eyes.

Even if they don't actually lose the ability to think.

Speaking of which, the book that introduced "Wendigo" also told another anecdote: the Algonquin Indians who created the legend of Wendigo actually did another thing that is enough to be recorded in the annals of colonists The thing... It is said that it was they who first arrived at this riverside land and named it "Manhattan".

If fate really has a designer, then the plot he designed is too coincidental, and it will make the audience shout that it is fake in the theater.

However, it would be much easier to accept if this coincidence was really interpreted as some kind of mysterious connection in the dark.

It is not a few specific people or a religious organization that feeds Wendigo and produces these monsters, but the city itself. From the very beginning, this city has been the embodiment of human greed.

However, it is clear that not everyone will indulge their desires without restraint.

Although it is impossible to completely solve the problems of this city, or this world, it is clear that the work of several people has not been finished... Photographer Leon still has that mysterious symbol on his chest, and he does not know when it will be transformed into The bloodthirsty man-eating monster, whose girlfriend was caught here to be "disposed" in front of him, should also be related to this process, possibly part of some ritual.

Boss Xue made these inferences to several guests from other worlds, and then concluded: "Actually, we don't have other options. If Leon stays in the tavern, there should be no further changes... the tavern's There are also many guests who are good at solving this problem, so you don’t need to take the risk of staying here and trying to change something in vain.”

The power of a few people really can't change anything...

The decision is in the hands of Leon: the three fighters are going to return to their own world, and will not stay here for a long time; the girlfriend is not directly involved in the incident, and has no opinion on the incident itself.

The photographer thought for a while, then turned to his girlfriend, "Maya, how did you get here?"

It was only then that the girlfriend remembered that she hadn't told her boyfriend about this, so she quickly talked about the call she received and how she got to the subway station and boarded the train.

To her surprise, Leon didn't mean to feel frustrated when he heard that Susan directly rejected him. He just smiled and said in a low voice: "I shouldn't have gone to her from the beginning. I understand now Come here, the so-called "picture impact" and "emotional value" she wants mean that I should only pay attention to the composition and picture, not to express. She thinks that the work itself has no meaning, and the so-called meaning is the audience You can interpret freely... But I am different, I should not give up what I originally wanted to do, I picked up the camera not to take a beautiful photo, but to take a moment with expressive and perceptual value. "

After saying this, as if he had made up his mind, Leon raised his head and answered Xue Li again: "I am indeed fed up with this city, but I am also fascinated by this darkness... I will fight against it myself, and when I am really about to fail, It's not too late to escape to the tavern."

Xue Li nodded noncommittally. He had a feeling that even if that moment really came, the photographer would no longer avoid it... There was no basis for it, it was purely based on his intuition towards the guests.

"That's easy to handle. Would you like to stay and continue to help?"

he asks.

Dosten the Savage didn't speak, just nodded.Of course... If he wanted to go back, wouldn't he have already gone back when Boss Xue found him?

Cassia also shrugged and said, "I'll stay too. I really can't bear the feeling of doing half and leaving half, and there are still things that can't be resolved. If I really go back now, I won't be able to sleep well in the next few years. "

Paladin Jess nodded solemnly: "I will extend a helping hand to those who ask for help, and the Holy Light will crush all evil!"

"It's easy to say, no matter how many enemies we will encounter, there will definitely be no shortage of evil."

Xue Li replied, not talking nonsense, and continued: "Although we accidentally killed several insiders on the train, the art collector named 'Susan' must also know about this to some extent." The secret behind it, otherwise she would not choose to call Maya today. Either she is a member of this 'cannibal' organization, or she has some interest exchange with this 'organization'."

"Wait a minute." Max interrupted him. "You said 'organization'? How do you know it's an organization and there are other members?"

[120. No. 120]

"It's simple, didn't the female police detective lying there last time bring a tactical force to raid Leon and the others who were investigating the carriage? She certainly doesn't have this authority. Besides, this is the 'City Hall Station', even if it has been Abandoned, it should not be completely out of people's sight, at least the MTA should know about it? The monsters in it have eaten a sea of ​​corpses, and no one knows or cares about it? We have all experienced Gibb's world Knowing how difficult this level of information blackout is, it is simply impossible without the participation of some people with more power."

Xue Li replied, "So the next step...we're going to find that art connoisseur."

Chapter 22 Interrogation

It was raining in New York City on this day.

Susan Hough came home late and told the driver to pick her up early tomorrow before going upstairs.

She has an entire floor in this high-rise residence, decorated with all kinds of art she likes, paintings, sculptures, installation art and so on.

Of course, the houses here are not cheap. Fortunately, after years of hard work, she can afford them.

Many people may think that the rich must live in a single-family mansion like Beverly Hills, but in fact, this super-luxury apartment in the center of New York is not inferior at all.

This building is located in the south of Central Park, and the price of each luxury apartment is more than 1.5 million US dollars, with fine decoration.In the apartment with the best view, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Central Park, the Hudson River and even the coastline in the distance; in fact, the reverse is also the same, there is no place in Manhattan that cannot see these luxury high-rise apartments.

Although there are several properties in other places, because her art gallery is nearby, Susan usually lives here.

There won't be any visitors today, and the apartment looks deserted.