Near 2 o'clock in the morning, it suddenly started to rain lightly.
It is thin and weak at first, and when it spreads on the skin, it only feels like a feather blowing. Although it is somewhat annoying to have the skin become slimy, it is not to the point of causing a problem.
But in less than 5 minutes, the feel of the raindrops gradually changed from feathers to gravel, and the sound became clearer and brighter.
The tall grass blades were bent and drooped by the rain. About 10 minutes later, distant dark clouds came with lightning and thunder. When lightning streaks across the sky, the surrounding grass looks like hunched-over people who are in a state of low spirits.
Gradually heavier rains were accompanied by irregular winds. Although a group of people had previously used a carriage to set up a canvas tent to make a shed, the bonfire was still unable to be effectively maintained due to random changes in wind direction and rainwater splashing everywhere.
They salvaged what they could of firewood and charcoal before they got wet, wrapped them up and stuffed them into the wagon. But the car was already packed with non-combatants. I didn't set up camp because the site was not big enough to block the view, but now I feel a little regretful. But it was already raining and it was too late to stop it. They could only use the rain gear on their bodies and some tarpaulins pulled up by the carriage to barely resist.
Although it is still hot during the day in autumn, it cools down a lot at night. At this moment, coupled with the heavy rain, it is no joke to accidentally get sick from the cold.
Although most of the combatants were physically strong, deliberately taking the risks that should be avoided in order to show off was obviously not something that experts would do.
"Rebirth of the Great Era of Fighting Waves"
Observations from the tops of carriages and rock tops were temporarily suspended, and they hunkered down wherever they could to provide shelter from the weather. The weather that turned into a heavy rain brought not only physical discomfort, but also the sound of rain and wind, as well as the impact of wind and rain on the fire, causing more serious obstacles to both hearing and vision.
Except for the lightning flashing through the sky, they could barely notice the surrounding scene.
The dense rain is like a curtain, and even our sages and ghost warriors with night vision will suffer from visual limitations.
This inability to control the situation brought uneasiness and over-sensitivity. The samurai began to appear a little nervous and held their weapons tightly. The ghost tribe was relatively better off, but it was obvious that they couldn't relax.
After all, human beings in civilized society have become somewhat out of touch with nature. Even though the journey from north to south has lasted for more than half a year, the habit of warriors trained to fight in built cities is still difficult to overcome.
But the heavy rain may not be just a hindrance to them.
After all, elf hounds are living creatures. They are not man-made monsters like ghouls. They are almost unaffected by the environment and can even survive without conventional means of eating. Therefore, changes in the environment will also hinder their senses to some extent.
The environment that became fierce and harsh due to the heavy rain was like a weak armistice signed between humans and hounds. Both sides were temporarily restrained because it was unprofitable to operate in this environment.
"Who is it? What's the sound?" Ayong, who was holding his weapon tightly, raised his head and looked outside for the fifth time because of the slightest noise, but as always, there was nothing around except the sound of rain and wind.
Another warrior stared blankly at the lantern candlelight hanging around the carriage body under the tarpaulin, although this caused his eyesight to be reduced when looking outside.
The young master who volunteered to participate in the vigil felt uncomfortable no matter how much he sat. He tried to move his body to get a better posture, but his hand accidentally pressed on the ground full of water.
The cold rainwater soaked in the juice of the tall grass. The diluted grass juice touched the skin and made the palms numb within a few minutes.
"It would be nice to have a chair." Yajiro muttered quietly. They could only manage to pile up a small area with debris and huddle up to avoid the rain. This was not rest at all. The sleepiness, the noisy environment, and the occasional thunder roared together to torture their nerves. The time before daylight arrived had never been so long, and they could only kill the time by staring at the water on the ground with the faint light of the fire.
According to Aya, the area where the group is now is geographically called hills. This kind of terrain is not uncommon in the Moon Kingdom. Soil with a high sand content is common in hilly areas and is ideal for growing vegetables such as daikon radish that are loved by people from all walks of life. The patch of tall grass where we were now was in a similar environment.
Soil with a high sand content is much more capable of absorbing water than clay, so despite heavy rains, the accumulated water is only up to the height of the back of your hand.
Unless they are walking around on the ground or in direct contact, it will not reach a level that will cause trouble to them.
This is a great blessing among misfortunes.
In such a heavy rain, even the Rigal leather boots waterproofed with beeswax and oil would be soaked, not to mention Kazuto's favorite straw sandals. Soaking in the stagnant water diluted with grass juice made the soles of the night watchmen's feet numb, and there was no real feeling of stepping on the ground.
Although the effect of the poisonous juice of tall grass will gradually fade over time, the most annoying thing is that there is nothing you can do except wait.
The most boring thing is the waiting that tortures people's hearts.
There was nothing they could do. It was pouring with rain. Although the wind was gradually decreasing, they could not even boil some hot water for a cup of tea because of the accumulation of water on the ground. It's hard to tell which is worse, going out on patrol in the rain or being able to stay in one position and huddle up in a small area to rest. I can only hold on to the weapon and feel the irritability caused by swinging back and forth between sleepiness and nervousness. Hope time passes quickly.
The elf hounds would probably attack them. Knowing this fact, they could only wait passively, which made the warriors more and more irritable.
"I can't stand it anymore!" One of the few remaining warriors stood up and shouted: "Instead of waiting for an attack, it is better to take the initiative and fight openly!"
He is obviously a typical warrior who must deal with threats and deal with them immediately.
Although many of the skills of the Kazuto samurai class have been deformed due to the long period of peace, their martial spirit is indeed something to be proud of. The principle that the brave prevails when meeting on a narrow road can be applied to any country. Sometimes the reason why a well-trained swordsman loses to a gangster in a street fight is simply that the latter has the courage of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers and dares to kill with a sword. Stinging.
The psychological premise of using a practice sword to fight with a familiar disciple or master with a practice sword that you know will not hurt is completely different from using a real edged sword to cut down a stranger. The more familiar you are with sword skills and the destructive power of weapons, the more likely you will become psychologically constrained by these thoughts.
Yajiro once encountered this situation, but in general, samurai still advocated martial arts and believed in rapid progress.
– But there are good and bad aspects of this dogma.
The good thing is that their morale is not easy to collapse when facing a disadvantageous situation. This kind of belief and culture makes them more inclined to explode with combat power to win in danger.
The disadvantage is that warriors who grew up in this cultural background lack roundabout thinking and endurance. This is also where Henry, Mira and other Rigal mercenaries often feel helpless. Qualified commanders like Narumi among Kazuto samurai are actually extremely rare. Most people will be like this samurai, eager to fight; Anxious to prove one's own glory; eager to solve problems.
This kind of mentality has been developed through decades of training and cultural influence. Even if they do respect Henry very much now, it cannot be suppressed by a sage with a few words.
The irritability was brewing in the boring time. The rain seemed to be finally coming to an end and the wind stopped.
As if they had made an appointment, the rustling sound of something moving through the tall grass came from the lowered head.
"Come on! You hiding monster!" Ayong and another warrior who could no longer bear it shouted, leaving the formation and stepping forward. The night, which had turned to drizzle, was still dark. They didn't know where the target was, but they still drew their swords and stepped forward, shouting.
"Go up and investigate." Henry said to the Luoan girl who was also a little sleepy but preserved her energy better than the warriors. Mira and Lulu both turned over and climbed onto the top of the carriage again, but they were still not there because of the darkness of the night. Can't see clearly from too far away.
The rain was still falling, although it was much lighter. The lighting effect of rainproof lanterns is far less than that of torches. They can only rely on the ghost clan with night vision and our sage. But despite making many preparations, such as clearing the tall grass, etc., when the Elf Hound does appear At that time, they still missed it.
"So fast!"
"Get under the carriage!"
Small-sized creatures have unique threats to small-sized creatures. Taking advantage of the dim scene, two or three elf hounds jumped into the group of people from the blind spot between the carriage and the rock with a "shoo-" sound. If it weren't for the noise caused by the accumulation of water on the ground, they would not have noticed the arrival of these creatures, and the movements and sounds of dozens or twenty night watchmen hurriedly looking for the enemy's arrival further increased the chaos.
In a completely quiet environment, even the sound of the vibrating wings of mosquitoes can be distinguished, but it is even more difficult to detect where the elf hound that ran in has jumped amidst the noise of the warriors and the sound of a bunch of people running back and forth.
The invading creatures, which were smaller than humans and moved quickly, distracted people's attention with two or three heads as the vanguard. They hid under the carriage, and the huge ghosts could not detect it. Mira and Lulu poked out from the edge of the carriage. He held out the lantern but couldn't see anything.
The Kazuto warriors drew their swords and looked around. Without thinking, Ayong lay on the ground to see if he was under the car, but the paralyzing water on the ground made him quickly lose consciousness in both hands. And it was at this time when humans were in such chaos that the remaining elf hounds launched attacks from all directions.
Quiet and swift, the creature with a streamlined body like a wingless griffon launches attacks from all directions in a coordinated manner. Henry, who still maintained his composure, and top fighters such as Joshua and Teruzuki faced them immediately.
When the sage's sword was unsheathed, a cassock slashed an elf hound, but other than him, the attacks of the red-haired swordsman and the ghost warrior failed one by one.
The hounds bypassed them like water in a flood that separates from the sides of the stone and rushed directly towards the warrior.
"What's going on!" A Yong, whose hands were numb, turned around and slashed with a knife. He successfully hit the head of a hound, but because his palm was numb, the knife flew out with a "ding", and then the Elf Hound's advantageous attack The claws dug into his chest, the leather armor was torn and so were the cloth and skin underneath.
"Only staring at the samurai?!" The black shadows leaping through the darkness ignored Henry, Teruyuki and Joshua, who posed the most direct threat to the surroundings. Two of them even jumped up directly grabbing the big shield held by Galeva. . The hounds hiding under the carriage climbed along the outside of the carriage to the roof. Mira hurriedly stabbed out with her sword but missed. Lulu pulled out her sword, but they passed by the two girls and rushed towards them. The chaotic samurai below.
"Ahhh!" Ayong, whose hands were numb, used one hand to protect his face to avoid being scratched by the hound's claws. The other hand was randomly touching his waist and trying to pull out the short knife, but it was contaminated with water. The numb palm just pulled it out but couldn't hold it well and slipped and fell down.
On the other hand, the samurai was clawed and clawed by two hounds. By the time Teruzuki came over, grabbed one of the hounds, broke its neck and threw it away, his throat had been torn open. The samurai who was trying his best to cover his throat was filled with rainwater mixed with blood. Fingers leaked out crazily, and life passed quickly. At the same time, his legs became weak and he fell down with his back to the sky.
"Surround the warriors in the middle!" Henry accurately stabbed the back of the hound wrapped around Ayong with his sword, and then twisted it hard to cut off its spine and make it incapacitated.
The blood-stained and poisoned young samurai was panting and his face was getting worse and worse. Yajiro and Narumi supported him on the left and right, and the ghost warriors shrank their formation and used themselves as a wall. However, their huge bodies can't keep up with their reactions. Joshua, who accurately captured the movement of the hound among the noisy sounds, slashed another one open. Mira and Lulu ran down from the carriage and joined the rescue array. The overwhelmed Ashigaru They were clutching their short rifles, and the situation was beyond their level of combat capabilities so that they could not figure out what was going on.
"Ang——!!" A high-pitched scream sounded in the grass, and then the hounds left a few dead bodies and quickly used tarpaulins, carriages and rocks to hide from everyone's counterattack as they did when they came. Disappeared into the tall grass.
The rain finally stopped.
Several hours of vigil and a battle that lasted only 5 minutes.
One of the warriors died and the other was seriously injured, and A Yong fell into a coma. The other warriors also had some scars on their armor. But the nobles, Rigal and his party were completely ignored.
The moment the formation changed, the Elf Hounds evacuated.
"What on earth is this?" The panting Narumi looked at the mess and the hound that had disappeared again. He wanted to say something, but couldn't.
