A cavalry team gathered at the city gate. There were no flags, no badges, and no arrogant commander on horseback. It was difficult to tell that they belonged to a certain party. At a glance, these people are even better than the mercenaries, and some are even missing arms and legs. For a moment, Uriel couldn't tell whether they were invaders or prisoners of war.
"Where did those cavalry come from?" asked the apprentice.
Hitarian shook his head. "I have not seen."
"Okay, so where are we? I mean, where in the dream, you know?"
"This is Mortus. I don't know much more. We've never been outside the city."
Uriel has never heard of it, which is not surprising. He can guarantee that he doesn't know 99% of the place names on Binya Io. Before looking for Hitarian and Ruth, Uriel tried to determine his location, but found that not to mention newspapers and periodicals, there was not even a decent piece of paper.
This is a kind of gain after all. He thought to himself that a place even more backward than Eastman Four Leaf City, even if it had the size of a town, would look similar to Silverdome City on the inside. The only thing that made him suspicious was that the common language used by the locals to communicate was much more standard than the Eastman people. Mortus sounds very close to the style of the southern part of the continent. Could this be Brestatik?
Forget it, it doesn't matter. The cavalry and the town were no longer his business, so he'd better find an ash tree to get out of here.
The city gate was already wide open and was blocked by two broken ladder siege engines. People can only leave through a narrow gap, only wide enough for two horses to walk parallel. The invaders quickly suppressed the entire city, but they did not intend to capture it. Uriel saw the soldiers holding the rope, and a group of Mortus people who were crying and fighting were tied together and slowly squeezed out of the city gate.
Ruth almost rushed over to pull the rope, but Hitarian caught her in time. It was inappropriate to leave them here, but Uriel couldn't imagine how he could climb over the city wall with two eleven or twelve-year-old girls on his back, so he had to wait behind him. "Don't look at them," he warned.
"It's okay, Uriel, I know they became slaves." Hitarian replied in a low voice. Maybe she's not as immature as she looks. Knox is a mysterious world, but Uriel always judges people by their appearance. "We won't be treated like that."
"Yes, there is no need to worry. You live in Four Leaf City, and Duke Tracy will indeed not let the enemy break through her walls. It is said that she is one of the greatest military strategists in Eastman, second only to Crocane I. .”
"We don't live there anymore," Hitarian said hesitantly.
"Really?" What should I say? "During the Flame Moon, terrible things happened in the city, so moving is normal." Isn't it the same for me? After coming to Knox, Blumnot became more like Uriel's home than Clover City. "Are you affected by the undead?"
"No, it's not. We can't stay any longer."
As the main city of the dukedom, Siye City has the highest cost of living in the South. Uriel was not as lucky in the outside world as he was in Knox. He was exhausted every day and could barely avoid starving to death. There is no difference between Knox's mortal world and the surface world, and Uriel can completely imagine how the Ringott sisters could not stay. To be honest, it was not easy for their parents to raise their sister Ruth. Even nobles often abandoned children with defects in monasteries. "What happens to Ruth if you wake up?"
"Ruth?"
"Your sister. With all due respect, Hitarian, I don't think she can live on her own. Who will take care of Ruth after you leave? No one can see her, and no one will help her." There will be more. Are people like me coming here? Uriel felt that the answer did not require guessing.
Unexpectedly, Hitarian shook his head. "She's safe... I mean, sister, she's never been in danger in the city."
Except for being hit by a carriage. Uriel thought for a moment. "Mysterious ability?"
"That's it." Hitarian suddenly looked up at him, then quickly looked away, as if his head was glowing. Isn't this the kind of treatment only the Lion and Roma can get? I really don't like children.
He wisely dropped the subject. Mysterious power. A young and flawed girl possesses a mystery that is unlikely even on a mystical fulcrum. Uriel had never seen lighting a fire, but he also knew that it was a dangerous ritual that required a lot of preparation and complicated steps. Sauron had threatened him with the consequences of failing to light the fire, and that was not a lie.
Fortunately, Uriel's fire didn't give him any abnormal feedback. Guesses are just guesses after all. In any case, the Ringot sisters would not be guys like Lord Quicksilver, Ruth needless to mention, and Hitarian might not even be... She has always taken care of her sister, which is not common in Knox. Uriel was deeply gratified by this. No wonder she is afraid of the Cross Knights. I shouldn't mention them again. If the process goes smoothly, it's best not to use divine magic.
The people who had just changed their identities were dragged out of the city, during which time soldiers executed dozens of those who tried to resist. Uriel felt Hitarian tighten his arm, refusing to look at the pile of corpses. There were many little girls like Ringot in the team, who were driven away with whips. Of course they cry and scream for help from everyone without even looking this way. If Hitarian could not bear the emotional torment in his heart and spoke, Uriel felt that he would step forward to stop him, but he waited for a long time, and Hitarian never said a word.
There was a strange look of pride in her eyes, more dazzling than sympathy for the slaves.
"Shall we go, Uriel?"
The apprentice has no reason to refuse. He took the girl's hand and followed her to the end of the team openly. There was still blood left by the dead on the dirt, and this dream was almost the same as reality. The messenger told him that reality is when you close your eyes in a dream. He is indeed a little confused now.
Outside the city is a deserted black dirt road, where most of the cavalry and prisoners are. There was a dozing soldier holding a flag on the saddle. It was a piece of rag with indistinguishable colors and no pattern at all. Uriel frowned and looked at it, suddenly feeling that someone was staring at him from behind.
"Ash tree!" Hitarian cheered, pointing to a tall tree with white flowers in full bloom. It had a low, thick branch, and its bark was scarred and scarred, as if someone had sharpened a knife on it. "At the bottom of the mountain! Uriel! I saw it." The location is not too far away. The terrain outside the city of Mortus is undulating, with wild grass covering the land low, and the nearest forest is in the lowlands six hundred yards away.
Of course they could just run over, but Uriel thought it would be faster to ride on horseback. The wails of the slaves and the whines of the wounded spread together. Is this really a dream? He secretly decided to check whether Mortus was a place in the territory of the Brestatik Empire after waking up. "Ride over there, will you?" As soon as the apprentice took hold of the horse's reins, the owner of the mount could no longer find it.
Hitarian's movements were cautious, her sister's more bold. Uriel had to ride with Ruth. The two horses galloped down the hill, but he became more and more anxious. If I can't leave through the ash tree, or wake up in the river of blood again... Worrying about these makes him feel more and more that the world he is in is reality.
Hitarian was two hundred yards ahead of them, and she landed carefully under a tree. No doubt the horse would have been unaware that he had a rider on his back had it not been for the whip. She stayed under the tree for a while, then suddenly jumped and screamed, waving to them.
The sound of arrows piercing the air approached quickly, and Uriel jumped out of the saddle with Ruth in his arms. The wooden arrow hit the grass, the magic power contracted, and exploded instantly. Sawdust mixed with the exploded soil hit the head and hit the magic barrier. Hitarian screamed and sat on the ground as an arrow struck the golden barrier in front of her. The shelter was deployed in two places at the same time, and now he can do this with ease. I'm afraid Hitarian will be frightened by the magic, but it's better than death.
The outbreak of the battle was unexpected by everyone.
The attacker was located on a hill, with too many obstacles around him to see clearly. As soon as he drew the next arrow on his mount, other soldiers had already fired hundreds of arrows. The flying arrow burned with flames, like a red rain sweeping over it. The mystery skyrocketed with the connection of magic power, and it soon caught up with Uriel. He finally knew how Mortus had fallen.
"Leave!" he yelled at Hitarian. The ash trees were behind her.
"But he saw us!" Hitarian screamed, "Ruth will die!" She could no longer trust her sister's magic.
The arrow rain passed the highest point and began to fall downwards. Uriel had already rushed under the tree with Ruth, and the flames on the arrows made him afraid to run deeper into the forest. On the hill, in front of the city wall of Mortus, the cavalry began to charge.
Don't let them get close. "…Keeping your distance will do you good," Uriel whispered, stretching an arm forward.
The dense cold air dispersed the flames, and the ice crystals condensed in mid-air, showing a symmetrical hexagonal shape. The snow-white ramparts rose from the ground like huge waves rolled up by a hurricane on the sea. The fire arrow rushed into the ripples of frost, quickly became sluggish and heavy, and finally fell to the ground with black smoke, becoming harmless debris.
"Leave quickly!" Uriel shouted without looking back, "Don't worry about Ruth." He also hoped that the Lingot sisters could leave here. The difficulty of protecting them in front of the enemy was now greatly increased. The cavalry were already approaching. After seeing the mysterious effect of "Lonely Praise", the attacker who was the first to notice them arrived first and was almost at the forefront. His figure behind the frost was like a twisted piece of smoke, still growing in size. "Come on, Hitarian, I will hide Ruth."
Hitarian had not yet reacted. "How could they see us?" she murmured to herself, "This is wrong... the confession should cover it up..."
Confessions? Uriel was about to urge, but suddenly the girl's voice disappeared. He turned his head and saw an arm covered in black steel dragging Hitarian into the trunk of the tree, leaving the girl with only one calf outside.
