Chapter 24: Kuo-toa
“Which way?” Brat casually tossed the key onto the counter.
“Don’t rush.” Anse turned to look at Finn, “What’s the situation?”
“The fortress has fallen, the flood is massive, the city is in chaos, monsters everywhere, many people dead…” Finn was observing the city district’s movements in real time, his voice hoarse; such a disaster would move anyone.
Listening to Finn’s intermittent report, Anse slowly pieced together a picture in his mind.
The southern section of Dragon Bridge and the river embankment collapsed, blocking half the river, but due to the city district’s higher elevation, the flood broke through the river embankment at the northeast corner dock area, flowing south along the eastern edge of the city district, with little impact on the main city district.
But the commoners were unaware, and with a large number of underground creatures appearing at the bridgehead, people panicked and fled south madly, causing massive stampedes, many crashing into the floodwaters, resulting in heavy casualties.
Based on the terrain, these floodwaters would likely flow out from the southeast of the city, bypass Rivertown District to the southwest into Sword Sea, forming a tributary, trapping the entire city district in a huge triangular area formed by Chongsa River and the tributary.
“Too late!” Finn tugged at the corner of his mouth, his expression stiff.
The flood’s speed was too fast, the guild was near the city center, and even if they ran east desperately now, they couldn’t leave before the flood arrived.
“Sigh——” Anse sighed toward the sky.
The disaster was always one step ahead, but only one step!
“Flame Fist Fortress… packed with underground creatures.” Finn’s face was tense as he roughly stroked his beard a few times.
“Lucky we didn’t stay at the fortress.” Brat suddenly felt a trace of fear.
“The Flame Fist commander must have planned ahead, so he drove everyone away.” Anse sighed, realizing he had underestimated him.
Relying on information from his previous life, he thought he was smarter than the real commander; he was still too young!
The explosives must have been planted after the Flame Fist main force’s defeat, with enough quantity to ensure destruction, but the sudden heavy rain caused the south side river embankment to collapse too, otherwise the plan would have been perfect.
This was clearly to stop the underground creatures from heading south, protecting the tens of thousands of commoners and farms withdrawn to Rivertown District; these were Baldur’s Gate’s foundation—without people, even reclaiming the city would leave the trade capital ruined, reconstruction far off.
Why slave trade thrived on Faerun continent, repeatedly banned but persistent: population was too important.
The plan was good, but the executor was indecisive, reluctant to blow up Dragon Bridge. If the northern bridge section had been detonated early, it wouldn’t have led to the current situation.
The group reached the entrance of the hall, screams and shouts faintly carried on the wind, the air carrying a faint bloody scent.
“Prepare for combat, have Greyhawk pay more attention to the city situation.” Staying holed up here, who knew what might happen; Anse hated being passive.
They had full supplies; going to the western farms or wilderness was a good choice, with many fishing villages on the west coast—there would be a way out.
Brat pulled up his robe hood, left hand holding shield, right hand gripping sword, expression stern.
Finn drew his longbow and nocked an arrow, adjusted his quiver, then nodded slightly to Anse.
“Let’s go——”
Anse stepped out of the guild door, plunging headfirst into the wind and rain.
Brat and the other quickly caught up, protecting him front and back.
Delayed a moment at the guild, Middle Street’s crowds had thinned a lot, but waves of people were still fleeing south madly.
The entire city district was in chaos, wreckage everywhere; many didn’t even know what happened, instinctively following the crowd blindly.
The group splashed through puddles, heading north along Middle Street for a hundred meters, then turning left into an alley.
After a few steps, chaotic footsteps and shouts rapidly approached.
“Run, there are monsters…”
“Help——”
“…”
Anse and Brat exchanged a glance, secretly alarmed: how many underground creatures had come, even reaching the city center.
A group of commoners suddenly burst from an alley ahead, spotting Anse’s group with the illuminating staff, overjoyed and rushing toward them.
“Back up, back up, pull distance.” Anse waved his hand, retreating quickly with the crowd, tossing his backpack into a corner.
Situation unclear, he had no desire for street melee with monsters.
After retreating just over ten meters, six or seven short black shadows charged from the dim alley, about four to five feet tall（1.2-1.5 meters）, hunched and stooped, with massive heads.
Anse focused and looked, heart jolting.
‘Kuo-Toa! How did they team up with Duergar?!’
Kuo-Toa once covered the Outer World’s coasts and islands, long ago driven underground by humans and other surface races.
Like Duergar, they had been enslaved by Mind Flayers for a time, but unlike Duergar, they were abandoned—probably… useless.
“Hah!” Brat didn’t recognize the fishfolk, roared, sidestepped with shield forward, right hand longsword poised.
“Whoosh——”
An arrow sliced through the night, tip piercing the drizzle, trailing a tiny conical mist of wind, precisely hitting a fishfolk’s head.
Thud, the fishfolk fell backward, blood staining the puddles.
“
Prismatic Spray-Lightning!
Anse swung his staff, a blue energy orb trailing light slammed into the fishfolk group.
The lead fishfolk raised his iron fork across his chest; next instant, the energy orb erupted, lightning piercing his body, skin charred, muscles rigid, collapsing stiffly.
In the explosion, the energy orb leaped again, hitting another fishfolk’s waist, detonating.
Lightning conducted from the fishfolk’s body to the sewage underfoot, arcing spreading; all fishfolk stiffened, tumbling every which way.
‘Idiots, don’t you know metal conducts electricity.’ Anse’s mouth curved slightly.
【You cast Prismatic Spray on Kuo-Toa… Kuo-Toa hit, takes 18 lightning damage, critical hit, target death, gain 50 combat experience】
【You cast Prismatic Spray on Kuo-Toa… Kuo-Toa hit, takes 12 lightning damage, current life 5/17】
Splash splash splash, boots stomping water, Brat charged in.
“Whoosh whoosh——”
Two arrows flew past him one after another, into the downed fishfolk, pained shrieks rising.
The two surviving fishfolk just stood, Brat arrived, shield-bashing one flying, longsword slashing into the other’s dead-fish eye, piercing out the back of its skull.
【Target death, gain 21 combat experience】
Anse stopped spellcasting; before he could finish off, the fight ended.
Seven fishfolk: he killed one, heavily injured one; Finn killed three; Brat cleaned up—clean and efficient.
Brat checked, confirmed no monsters alive, turned and gave Anse a thumbs up.
He first realized why spellcasters were so revered: a first ring spell leveraging weather and terrain controlled the field, turning a tough fight simple.
“Haha, just a bunch of small fry, pack up, we…”
Mid-sentence, Anse felt a chill behind, peripheral vision catching a ghostly blue flash arcing toward his neck from the side.
He tensed, soul fleeing, instinctively triggering Shield.
Chill closing in; at the critical moment, an invisible force shield appeared before the blade.
“Clang——”
Shield flickered, then shattered with a bang.
Anse lunged forward, rolling awkwardly in the mud to open two meters distance, heart pounding; he had even felt the dagger graze his cloak’s cold touch.
No time for relief, he turned: where empty before, now a short cloaked figure, gripping a ghostly blue exotic dagger.
Thanks to all reader lords for your support and suggestions!
