The night stretches like silk, and a dazzling river of stars is like a belt studded with gems. It is also like a bridge in the sky, spanning the tops of the mountains on both sides that pierce into the sky. The moonlight is sultry. But the cold wind in the gentle night was as sharp as a razor. They built a roaring campfire behind a boulder, and the mountain wind blew over their heads, blowing away flakes of snow. []
Leo sat in front of the bonfire, moving his body from side to side uncomfortably and watching the warrior constellation in the eastern sky being obscured by a towering mountain peak. We must all be crazy, he thought darkly, or maybe we're both having a nightmare at the same time. He didn't know whether to curse or laugh. But it was certain that his body was curled up in a ball and shaking. His teeth were chattering up and down.
He wrapped himself tightly in the blanket - it was one of the things found in the villagers' houses - and moved closer to the fire. He looked to both sides. The girls have fallen asleep, but their sleep is not stable, and they can often be heard screaming and crying in their sleep. Such a situation is particularly terrifying for the soldiers, let alone them. For these delicate girls, it was a nightmare that they would never forget. Now, he can only hope that the other party will not come again.
"Sir, are you still awake?" a knight asked.
He and his two other companions were keeping vigil with the arakkoa chief Fefeido. The two knights stood on the boulder facing the wind, and the arakkoa stood in the direction they came from. Leo should have stayed up half the night, but now he was as sleepless as he had been the previous nights. "I can't sleep," he replied.
They are now in the mountains, with the vast snow line above their heads.
The road to escape from hell is far more difficult than they imagined. They followed the main road, but snow and fallen trees obscured all previous tracks. They had to find a way out in the woods, and their planned trip was delayed again and again. "How far is it?" is the most common mantra on their lips. Butonly God knows.
The knight sat down next to him and took a swig of strong drink. "Sir," he spoke hesitantly, with an uneasy and frightened look on his face, "Will he come back again?"
His words were like chunks of ice and snow mixed in the cold wind, carrying some strange magic power. The bonfire dimmed a few points in an instant, as if frozen by the cold. Leo couldn't feel any warmth and shivered involuntarily.
Uncontrollably, the alchemist looked down the mountain.
Now I can see nothing but darkness. But on a clear day, looking down from the mountain you can see the plains below, and even the ruins of the village on the horizon. It is now a dead zone, but even scavengers and crows are unwilling to set foot there. It was more desolate than hell.
"Sir, sir?"
Leo turned his head and glanced at the knight. "Yes." He found white mist coming out of his mouth.
The knight's face was pale, and the hand holding the sword was shaking. "He let us go before." The knight swallowed hard. "Why is he still coming?"
Of course it is to satisfy his desire. "Because we are bait." Leo said.
When he thought of this, Leo felt like there were ghosts and shadows all around him, and the whistling wind seemed to be mixed with the shrill laughter of ghosts. At the bright edge of the flame, he suddenly had some conjecture, as if the mist from the sky and the ground came out and began to spread endlessly. He knew this must be his imagination. Because every night I am on tenterhooks and everything is in danger.
The alchemist really wished that each of them had a pair of eyes that could see through the darkness. This way they can walk on flat ground at night and sleep soundly during the day. But this will never happen.
"Who!" Fei Feiduo's loud shout woke them up from their sleep.
Leo grabbed the sword and jumped up from the ground. The soldiers woke up one after another and formed a solid line of defense.
"Who's there?" the Crow shouted again. "Come out! Don't hide like a mouse."
No one answered them. But the surrounding woods rustled, not like the sound of wind, but more like someone was lurking in it. I hope it's a bandit. Leo thought that he would rather face a fierce and heavily armed gangster than see a rickety skeleton that would fall apart at the slightest touch. He didn't want to see anything related to the undead.
"What on earth is it?" the girls said tremblingly.
"They won't be friends anyway."
Leo stared at the dark shadows in the mountains, listening carefully to the tiny sounds mixed with the howling mountain wind. However, their violent heartbeats, nervous breathing, and even uneasy prayers lingered in their ears. He could only concentrate and hold his breath, waiting for the other party to appear.
They didn¡¯t have to wait long.??, under the projection of a starlight, a figure emerged first, and then another figure appeared behind him. Three, four, five Leo found it difficult to count the number of people on the other side in the dark. There would be no fewer than twenty of them. Too much. Leo thought to himself, it must not be twenty black warriors.
The gods seemed to hear his prayers.
"Be honest," a human voice sounded particularly pleasant to them. "Put down your weapons," the other party said.
Although the sudden voice was full of rude commands, it was still much gentler than the sharp screams of ghosts or demons. Instead, they suddenly relaxed completely. Needless to say, even the most determined warrior lowered his sword.
"A group of smart people." the other party said.
¡°If he had encountered the same experience as them, Leo thought to himself, I¡¯m afraid it would be the same, or even worse. To them at this moment, living humans, even enemies, seemed so kind and lovely.
Those figures slowly approached and appeared on the edge of the bonfire. Only then did Leo see their costumes clearly. They wore thick, warm cotton clothes with long chain armor on them, with fur cloaks trailing behind them. They held long swords and pine shields in their hands. Several archers aimed their crossbows at them. The coat of arms on their burqas clearly shows that they are soldiers of the Kratim Kingdom.
"You" the leading captain looked at them, "you don't look like bandits."
"We never were." Rosie said grumpily, and simply sat down again.
Leo waved his hand to signal the soldiers to put down their weapons. There is no need to be wary or hostile towards these soldiers here. He said to the other party, "Let's come down from the mountain."
"Yamashita? You are not local villagers."
"We are a group of unlucky people and a group of lucky ones."
The other party waved his men to put away their weapons. "Do you mind if we spend the night with you?" Leo shook his head. "You are not locals, so who are you? Sorry, the investigation has been very strict recently, and the rumors have spread to Salasdu."
Leo is very happy to tell the other party, from beginning to end, making sure to be thorough. He breathed and smelled the stench of sweat that only existed on living people. Damn, this smell actually made him feel at ease. He sniffed, took a sip of wine, and began to narrate. He never knew he had a talent for storytelling. As he spoke, the surrounding area gradually became quiet. Apart from his voice, there was only the crackling sound of the firewood in the campfire. When he reached the most terrifying part, the soldiers gasped.
The captain's face suddenly turned pale, and he kept looking around like his men, as if the terrifying knight was hiding in the ink-like darkness around him. He whispered to himself shakily. "Those rumorsare all true?" He was horrified and unbelievable.
"It's true, we saw it with our own eyes." Leo said, "Heappeared without warning. The same thing happened when he left."
There was a cold breath in the air, and their hands and feet felt cold.
After a while, the soldier captain regained his composure. "Are there no more alive down there?"
"All the lucky ones are here. But I don't know if this is considered lucky."
¡°So many people are dead,¡± the other party suddenly asked sharply. "Why are you still alive?"
"I" Countless thoughts flashed through Leo's mind. "We don't know either." He lied. "Even the bravest warriors couldn't resist him. We were all stunnedand thenfor some reason, he leftit must be the Virgin who protects us."
"The Virgin must be protecting us." A soldier shouted. "Otherwise, how could we meet you. I don't want to go down to investigate anymore. Captain, we can go back. We can do business, right?"
"Are you here to explore this place?"
"Yes. It was just some rumors before"
"So you just let it go?" Iweila suddenly asked.
"Of course not, the heavy snow has blocked the mountain road. No one can come in."
"Where are the gryphon knights?" Ivira said reluctantly, "As far as I know, the gryphon knights are not afraid of snow. Even the mountains can't stop them."
The captain became more vigilant, "Who are you, miss?" he asked unfriendlyly. "Please pay attention to your identity. We don't need you to dictate our internal affairs or to question us righteously." However, the shiny silver badge that Iwela took out made the other party put down his arrogant tone. "Thisthis isbacheloryoung lady."
"Why did you come now?" Iweila asked again.
"That's because a solar eclipse a solar eclipse has appeared. The city is in panic. The court mage and the royal bachelor both said it was an ominous sign." The captain said, "So they sent us to find the source. "
"What about before? Why didn't the Griffin Knights come before the solar eclipse?" Iwela asked, "If you had come at that time, maybe hundreds of people here would not have died."
"Thisthis" The captain became hesitant.
"Say!" Iweila became impatient, "There are no tongue-tied women here. Each of them is my heartfelt trustworthy partner who will live and die together."
The captain looked a little embarrassed. But the Kingdom of Kradim was founded because of the Fortress of Despair. Bachelors here enjoy the same power as nobles. He couldn't refuse her order. "That's because, Miss Bachelor, the Griffin Knight has been sent to the southern front."
The front line? Leo's heart suddenly tightened.
They had only been away from this continent for a few months, so how could the war suddenly break out without warning?
"War?" Iweila couldn't hide her surprise, "Us, with whom?"