After saying this threat, the words were finished. Androx yelled, turning quickly to attack the first guard behind him. Androx's instinct was right; the man behind him wasn't ready to charge. The man was still groping to put his shield in place when Andrels slit his throat deeply. The man staggered down, a look of fear on his face, blood spurting from his neck.
Androcles threw himself at the second man, aiming higher, but the man readied his wolf-lance, deflected his blow, and then tried to attack Androcles with his shield. Androx grabbed the shield, stepped back, and jerked him off balance. The trick worked and the man stumbled. A
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The okles came around him and stabbed deep, just below his shoulder blades. The man took two steps and fell down.
"I can and will kill you all," he said, glaring balefully at the others. "I've spent 25 years in the best military in the world. There's no way I could be defeated by a furry little mouse like you." He tried to evoke good intentions to kill, to intimidate them with the power of his rage, but there Nothing; a long night and little sleep had left him almost completely drained of energy. Maybe he could convince them to wait a moment and let him put on his shield, he thought with a vague smirk.
Turga said with contempt: "I want to feed you to your little animals. Because they are starving to death."
The four remaining men surrounded him, hoping to corral him. The one with the tattoo on his neck put down his trump card, held up the shield with both arms, crouched behind the shield and walked forward. A
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Okles frowned; it was the move of a skilled man, and of a man who trusted his companions.
He turned his head and saw Pansy standing behind him out of the corner of his eye. She swooped in with her mace, which had a point on top that could be used to stab people. Androcles rushed straight out, rushing with all his strength towards the protected man, trying to knock him down and escape from the circle.
The man braced himself properly for the impact and pushed Androll against a rock. Androx stumbled and fell, but used his momentum to roll back up. Escaping the circle, he smiled darkly. Now, which one to attack first? He could never get around that shield, with three others harassing him.
Theodoric looked the least prepared, so just as he braced himself for impact, Anchorex rushed at him. Androcles crouched down and swung his sword at Theodoric's ankle, but Theodoric lowered his shield in time. Androcles stuck the sword loosely in his wrist, looped it around his head, and swung it viciously at Theodoric's left temple. Theodoric raised his shield to block, then struck forward with his scepter.
Androx ducked out of the way, then instinctively jumped to the left. He walked too slowly, and Turga's mace penetrated the flesh below his ribs. Although the blow only glanced at him, Androx could feel the fire tearing at flesh. If that blow had hit him directly, it would have torn out his internal organs and killed him. This guy really has an arm.
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Okles knelt on one knee, cowered, and secretly grabbed a handful of dirt. As Turga came in to deliver the killing blow, Androcles staggered out and threw dirt into Turga's eyes. It was an old and foolish trick, and a soldier would never fall for it. After all, shields are meant to block, but Turga has let his guard down and plans to use all his strength.
Turga tried to blink the dirt away with his eyes, unconsciously lowering his shield lower to see better, which was exactly what Ankerex needed. He jumped again, pierced the tip of the sword deeply into the fat man's neck, and stretched it out from the other side. Turga had a look of surprise on his face, and after a few heartbeats, he fell to the ground, blood gushing from the wound.
It used to be six, now it's three. In the heat of battle, Androx could ignore the pain in his side. He could tell it was bad, though; he could feel blood dripping into his dress. He had to end this as soon as possible, before his power ran out. He could only hold on until he was exhausted, and then there was nothing left.
"The new proposal," Androx said, "is to put down your weapons and run away, and I won't chase you. I'll go push the cart." The shield man staggered and used his weapon before Androx could turn around and leave. Go all out. He was knocked completely unable to stand up, but he rolled up with the momentum and stood up.
Pansy dropped her shield, picked up her knife, and screamed at him. She knocked Androchus' sword aside with her mace, then rushed in and struck. To avoid her thrust, Ankerex turned around slightly and grabbed her wrist with his free hand, a move he had practiced countless times. He raised his sword to cut her arm off, but she struck him in the ribs with her mace, and he let her go and danced away.
She threw a knife from her belt, but he knocked it away with his forearm, leaving only a shallow gash. She threw it at his leg again and he twisted it away. She tried to stab him again with the mace, but pretended to stab him in the ribs. The attack broke through his guard, but at the wrong angle. She made a long incision on him instead of opening a lung.
She swung the mace again, but this time he was ready to deal with her. He blocked her mace with his forearm, then kicked her hard in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. He kicked her in the face, knocked her to the ground and stabbed her twice, ending her life. Too bad they didn't meet over a beer. She looks interesting.
The remaining two people circled him cautiously, looking very nervous. Andrew stepped back, put his hands on his knees, and gasped. He looked up at them and said, "Do you want to keep doing this? Because I'm exhausted from running half the night and I'd rather take a nap."
They looked at each other and rushed towards him again, the man with the shield standing slightly in front, Theodoric holding the mace high. Androchus jumped back and circled behind a tree, trying in vain to separate them. Despite his best efforts, he could not find an opening, and the further Androk retreated into the woods, the worse it became for him. The terrain limited Androx's mobility.
He realized he had reached his limit and started walking peacefully towards the campfire. Theodoric and the shield bearer followed, but they walked between him and the fire so that he could not kick the coals onto them. oh. It's worth a try.
Androchus looked past Theodoric and saw two terriers sitting, hugging each other, watching the game. He frowned. That's too much blood for a child. They really should lie down.
For a moment, Ankerix, Theodoric, and the man with the shield just looked at each other, trying to find a way through. Then they started walking toward him again, slowly and deliberately. Theodoric threw his shield into the dirt and stretched out his hand, ready to catch him.
Then, to Androx's dismay, the white wolf jumped out from under the blanket, grabbed the ax by the firewood, and ran toward them. Androx shouted: "No! Back off!"
Theodoric and the man with the shield did not look back, thinking it was a hoax. They're so smart, he thought with a smirk. But he had to protect the toolbox, so he moved in.
Toolkit swung the ax with all his strength into Theodoric's leg. It didn't even make it through the leather, but Theodoric's surprise was just what Androx needed. Theodoric jumped with fright and turned to see what had hit him. The shield bearer looked away from Androx and looked too. At that moment, Androx pounced with all his speed. He pretended to chop him in the neck, and the shield-man blocked it high. But Androcles's real blow was low, severing only his left leg below the knee.
Theodoric raised his mace to kill the toolbox, but the toolbox had receded out of reach. He backed away, hiding behind the axe, holding it out in front of him like a sacred symbol. The man turned his attention back to Androcles, narrowly missing a powerful blow to the neck. Theodoric's head hit the ground before the rest of his body.
Androcles stabbed the struggling shield-bearer, who lay clutching his bloody stump, and then it was over.
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Okles put his hands on his knees and tried to hold his breath so as not to fall over and pass out. After a while, he regained consciousness and stood up again, silently facing the pain in his back. He wiped the blood from the sword with Theodoric's tunic and slipped the sword back into its leather sheath. After a while he would have to check the blades and sharpen them again. He certainly didn't want to be caught with a blunt sword one of these days.
Now, put the gear back under the blanket and think about what to do with the body. Then, curse God, take a nap. A series of naps.
He walked over and took the ax from the tool bag, which made no resistance, then put his hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him back to the fire. Toolbox said in a humble voice, "Thank you for saving us again." He was unsteadily standing, so Andras took his hand and helped him stand up straight. He wanted to hold the boy, but he was a little covered in blood and that wasn't going to work.
"I'm still trying to save you the first time."
The black one propped himself up on his elbows so he could see what was going on, but he could barely do that. The white one didn't quite fall into the blanket, but it was pretty close. The black one also lay down, and Andrews told them to close their eyes and rest for a while. The white one lay there stiffly, teeth clenched, radiating pressure, so the black one reached out and took his hand. This seems to help.
It might not be healthy to give them more wine too soon, but Androchus thought a little might put them at ease, so he gave them each half a glass. They drank eagerly.
"You rest for a while. I'll take care of the body," Androx said. They all gave him a look of horror in unison. He didn't know why, so he asked, "What's that expression?"
Neither of them said anything, so he just looked at them, confused. "Don't you want me to bury them?" he asked.
"I just don't..." the black man began, too embarrassed to finish the sentence. His eyes shone with a look of serious concern, as did the white eye, which Androx could not understand.
"You don't want to eat them, do you?" A
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okles asked. They all shook their heads.
"Are you afraid I will leave you?" he asked. They nodded and gave him a shy sideways glance.
"Ah. I won't. Got it? I'm not going anywhere." Then he added: "I'll even stay where you can see me, but you shouldn't look. Just rest and wait for me I’ll feed you when I’m full.”
The little penguins seemed satisfied with this, and the white one relaxed a little. A
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Okles stood up and stretched again. That didn't ease the pain from his muscle fatigue. He took another deep breath and sighed loudly. Even though he was so tired that he almost fell over, he still had to bury the body; he didn't want those wolves he heard last night to come to him for food. He walked to the car to find a shovel. He only found a small ax for digging fire pits and toilets, but he made do with it.
After some exploration he was pleased to find a spot to the north where a broad pine tree had fallen, leaving a large hole where its roots had been. Every muscle complained and it felt like it was taking forever to dig a grave in the soft, dark soil. When he had finished, he took off the clothes of the corpse and threw it in, except Turga, who was too tired to pick it up and rolled it instead. After filling up the makeshift grave, he filled the road with fresh dirt to cover up the bloodstains of battles that had taken place, making it look less like a battlefield and suppressing the smell of the bloodstains.
With a dangerous hand he picked up all the robbers' clothes and threw them into the half-bucket, where the cold water sucked out the blood. Most of them are fine leather and can be used again after being washed. Then he took off his clothes too, writhing in his skirt, which was almost completely stiff with dried blood. Most of it is his. He piled maces, shields, and assorted daggers in the back of the cart, and kept Pansy's fine knife by the fire for himself.
As he approached, the children greeted him with expectant looks, ready to eat again. He was naked except for a pair of sandals and covered in blood and dirt, but they needed to eat so he just tried to stay at arm's length from them and not get anything dirty while feeding them. He managed, and they lay on their sides with a look of satisfaction on their faces.
He almost lay down and fell asleep on the spot, but he remembered the time when a Thai man got angry at him because he didn't wash his wound in time. He is right. The wound needs to be cleaned or it will fester.
"I should wash up. Go to bed, I'll be right back. The creek is over there. You can hear it."
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere became tense, and he knew that the children must still be afraid. He looked around and spotted the metal ladle he had been using to stir the wine. He shook it clean and placed it next to the white one. "If you need me before I get back, bang the pot with this and I'll hear it." I'm nearby. do you understand?"
They all nodded. "Good. You can go to sleep if you want, or stay awake. Either. I'll be right back."
He pulled his skirt out of the half-bucket and walked into the shallow grass, looking for the creek. He thought it would be a good day if he wasn't so tired. Well, fatigue and killing.
"Well, just the other day, I killed six people before breakfast," he said, not loudly, but close to a laugh. That's a lot of rhetoric in the public square. No one will believe it. "That was after I rescued two little goats from starvation and found this 100-silver coin." It was so hilarious. If he were still alive, his friend Euphemius, the greatest braggart, would be spitting with jealousy.
The shallow creek was only as deep as his knees, and although it was wide enough to flow slowly, it was calm most of the time. However, it looks cold. The clear water makes the rocks at the bottom appear larger than they originally were. It looked like there should be ice in it, like something he'd heard about before. He sat by the stream; somehow his body hurt more than when he had woken up. His fingers also felt stiff and it was difficult to untie his sandals.
As soon as he stepped into the water, he immediately regretted it. The water was colder than it looked, but the icy water soon seeped into his leg bones, causing them to ache violently. He wanted to howl, but he was afraid it would scare the eaglets. oh. He found a deep spot, fell backwards, and the worst was over. For a moment, he gasped and splashed involuntarily, but eventually calmed down and surrendered to the icy water. After a while, this became bearable.
In the cold, he was acutely aware of his injuries. The bites on his legs and wounds on his sides were the worst, stinging like rot before the cold numbed them. The long gash on his ribs turned out to be shallow, but still painful.
He wiped and wiped his body clean, letting all the blood and dirt flow down. After he had washed the dress as well as he could, he decided to untie and wash the hair as well, for there must be blood on it, and it would stink and rot if left alone. Then he lay down and took a soak and relaxed for a while.
He found it pleasant to lie there, staring up at the sunlight scattered on the branches, even though the day seemed a little bleaker than it had been in glory. Now, the sky was covered with a thin layer of mist, just enough to make the color of the sky appear...dark. But that’s nothing to worry about—who knows how clouds behave in barbarian lands?
A loud bang shattered his reverie. The toolbox banged against the pot.
"Curse the liar!" he cursed. He is too tired. He splashed angrily, came out of the creek, packed up his things as fast as he could, and ran as hard as he could toward the campfire. Upon arriving at the camp, he saw no immediate threat. The white one sat by the fire, waiting for him with wide eyes, and the black one lay down. There was no one else around.
"What's the problem?" Androx asked a little gruffly.
"I..." the boy started, but he looked at the ground sheepishly.
"No problem?" You knocked on the door just to see if I was coming, didn't you? Androcks said. He tried not to stare, but it was difficult because the situation was annoying.
"We were just scared because it took so long. I'm sorry. We won't do it again," the boy finally replied. "Please, don't..."
"What don't you want?" A
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okles asked, but Kit didn't answer. He sighed and said, "Go back to bed. Don't do it again unless it's dangerous."
The kit quickly complied. A
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Okles hung the skirt on a nearby branch to dry, then grabbed the cup and fed it again. The white one still seemed scared, and the black one noticed, holding his hand tightly. Anklex wondered if he should hug the little boy or something. He didn't.
When they were full, he noticed that the sun was finally doing its thing and the weather was warm and nice. The man in black asked: "Will there be stone men coming again?"
Androcks gave him a puzzled look and said, "Stone man?"
"like you."
"Ah. Probably. But you don't have to worry about that. If they do, I'll take care of everything, so just get some rest now and get better." He considered asking their families to see if they had been businessmen , probably knew where to find them, but looking at them, he decided not to. He wanted them to calm down, relax, and recover, and the answer wouldn't make any difference now anyway. The two eaglets seemed anxious; they kept looking up and down the road with frowns on their faces. He found himself reaching out and stroking their soft fur like a cat, which they seemed to enjoy. The white one even started to relax. They quickly closed their eyes and after a while, they fell asleep again.
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Okles didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he lay quietly next to them. In the silence, he felt that despite the daylight, he could still hear the howling of wolves somewhere in the distance, but he was too tired to care and fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
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