When he awoke the next morning, he became increasingly aware of two things: a horrific stench of decay and death, and a strange, flickering light. That light turned out to be a wolf scab
, he woke up and started walking around. The stench came from an elderly soldier and a little girl, who were covered from head to toe in dead animal parts.
"A
d
okles! You woke up! The fairy patted his cheek and said.
He yawned, and then said, "Little one, that's Master Androcks."
"Um?"
"You can't just call me A
d
Okles. This is disrespectful from a child. "
"Oh. Okay. Master Androx and Master Gabby are also awake." Wolf Sca
explain.
A
d
Okles frowned. This would be fun later in the day, but it was too early and every part he tried to move was sore. "You can't call Ga
bi as 'master'; she is just a child. The owner is what you would call an adult who deserves respect. "
"But she is a princess."
"What princess?"
The fairy looked at him puzzled. He thought as he bit his fingertip again. "I don't know. That's just the way she is."
"Then call her 'Princess', or call her Gabby. Can you fly out and get some food or something?" Androx said, hoping to fall asleep again.
"Do you think she's hungry? "Oh! I didn't even eat anything yesterday!" He flew out of the hut as fast as he could, and Ankerex didn't know how long it would be before the fairy came back.
not even one. After a few seconds, the wolf sca
He came back and asked in a serious and concerned tone: "How long can a person survive without eating before dying? How many days?"
"It'll take at least a few weeks. She'll be fine, but I'm sure she's hungry." A
d
Okles could also eat something, but he doubted that even if the fairy found something, she wouldn't be able to take much with her. What were his chances of finding that bag of supplies, he wondered? His friend Euphemios was good at finding food in the wilderness, a
da
d
Okles found himself wishing he had paid attention and learned how to find food before this man was killed.
Shortly after the fairy flew away again, Gabby climbed up and walked out of the cabin. A
d
Okles crawled out after her, every joint stiff and aching. She just stood passively on the side of the road. He wondered if she knew where she was.
He thought she might need to take a dip. That's probably why she crawled out of the cabin. He frowned when he realized that unless he wanted her to get soaked, he needed to be a part of the process.
He tried to toughen himself up and not face this huge embarrassment, but failed, so he helped her arrange her clothes and pose, and then she peed expressionlessly like she did everything else. He tried telling himself that helping boys and helping girls were basically the same thing, but it didn't work and it took a long time for the awkwardness to go away.
He grabbed the spear and noticed that the dried blood had made it unpleasantly slimy. Then he picked up Gabby, slung her over his shoulders, and started walking north. The fairy should be smart enough to find them, after all, Androx doesn't want to wait.
What he really wanted to do was wash as much of the stink off himself and the girl as possible, as quickly as possible. Between the woodcutter's camp and the basket he had not seen any water, and he had many reasons not to return to the basket.
Maybe it was only half a day's journey to a big city and they would have a decent hotel with a washbasin in the back and scented oil with a spatula. Or, he could be eaten by a giant like Sewell, since a Cyclops can't do that.
By late morning, his back was sore from having the girl on his shoulders, so he put her down to rest for a while. She stood expressionless while he stretched out his waist and legs. Then he took her hand and pulled her forward. She showed no sign of resistance and walked with him, her hand almost limp in his. He kept walking in the middle of the road to make sure the wolf sc
Will not fly past them and hide under the trees.
Towards noon the fairy found them, holding an apple stem in her hand. He flew unevenly, gritting his teeth and humming. "Ga
bi! Here! Princess! Bring it! he shouted, holding it a foot in front of her. However, she didn't respond or take the apple. in wolf sca
Before dropping it, A
d
Okles reached out and took it. The fairy protested: "This is not for you! This is not for you! This is...oh." A
d
okles pull up Ga
Bi raised his hand and put the apple in.
"Gabby, girl, you have to eat this," he said softly. She didn't answer, but she did turn her blank gaze to Apple. "Eat it. Keep going."
When she doesn't take an immediate bite, A
d
Okles wonders if he has to find a way to cut it into pieces and feed it to her. Wolf Scar flew under the apple in her hand and pushed up, trying to move the apple to her mouth.
"Ga
bi, please! he cried pitifully, his insect wings buzzing vigorously.
To their relief, she picked up the apple and took a bite. The blank look in her eyes hadn't gone away, but at least she was eating. Wolf Scar looked at her for a moment, breathed a sigh of relief, then flew up and patted her cheek tenderly. He sighed with all his little body, then flew over to talk to Androx three feet away. The fairy frowned fiercely and shouted: "You shouldn't leave people like this!"
When A
d
When okles didn't react quickly enough, the fairy continued: "I found that apple with great difficulty, and when I brought it back, you were gone! You took the princess away, even though she was my friend!"
The fairy began to look like she was going to cry, and his voice trembled violently as he continued: "So I had to look around and take the apples, otherwise she would be hungry! It was really, really hard! I would have liked it Throw it away, but she'll be hungry! She'll still be my friend, even if she's broken."
At this, tears began to well up in his eyes, and he glared defiantly at Angeloc, his arms stiffly held at his sides, fists clenched.
Androx grinned and said to the little boy, "You know what? I just think I like you."
The fairy's cry soon died away and he looked confused. "Um?"
"Do you know why?"
"……No."
For he who endures hardship for his friends has glory. that's why. You are a respectable little thing, even though you are silly. "
Wolf Sca
Fly away from A
d
Okles was closer, about a foot away from his face. The fairy wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks and said, "Really? Do you think I am upright? Like a hero?"
A
d
Okles smiled and replied: "Like a hero. I underestimated you. You found the apple despite the flying owls. Now, come sit on my shoulders and rest. We need to move on." Fairy He nodded and smiled coyly, boyish pride replacing his anger. He found a seat and sat down, grabbing a lock of Ankerex's hair to keep his balance.
When the little girl eats an apple, A
d
Okles grabbed her free hand and they continued walking north. He tried to ignore the pain all over his body, which never seemed to really subside. He carried her several times during the rest of the day, until his back hurt and he let her walk for a while. This prevents them from occupying their time, but it's the best they can do.
Androcles had been hoping that, in their escape from the Cyclops, they had gone some way back and that the camp with his supplies was somewhere ahead. By noon he had to accept the fact that he would have to walk all day on an empty stomach, which was always unpleasant. Wolf Sca
Managed to find some berries, nuts and another apple for Ga
bi, there is no A in any of these
d
okles asked to share. When A
d
When Okles asked what the fairies ate, Scar the Wolf explained that he mostly ate bugs, "but not the gross ones." He offered to find Androx a better one to try, but he refused. "Euphemios probably ate it, though," A
d
okles thought with a silly smile.
As time passed, Androx found himself wishing for the company of adults. How long has it been since he's had a drink with an equal? A month? It turns out that caring for a variety of little boys and girls does have its appeal, but a man needs a spiritual equal, if Not the words of an equal in society. If Aguna were here, she would do it. He was sure that if he got her some wine she could tell a good story and a long list of crude jokes.
Gods, even Komen would do that, or anyone. The little girl said nothing, and the fairy was absent half the time. When he's around, he alternates between poking Gabby to see if she'll respond and asking Androx weird questions like, "Do humans all go to the same place when they sleep?" and "What do you think bread is like?" Are beetles tasty or worse?"
Rather, he didn't mind the little creature's company; wolf scars were funny, usually unintentionally. That's because Androx wanted to share his adventures with a peer, someone who could understand what he had accomplished and how incredible it was. He wanted to be with a group of good friends, drinking and bragging, complaining about women, discussing military strategy and religion, and gambling. None of this is possible with fairies, it's really impossible. Or with the kids, before he gave up on them. Maybe complaining about women, but nothing more.
Once, just before an operation to remove a splinter of sawdust from deep in Androcles' thigh, his friend Acollios told him that philosophers called humans "urban animals," meaning that no one can be happy alone live. Anyone who can do this is either an animal or a god, and A
d
okles is neither. At that time, A
d
okles keeps protesting and he doesn't need anyone to suppress him because he is a man and can take the pain. Acolius proved to be very clever, for the surgeon's knife cut so deeply that Androcles lost his nerve.
Later that afternoon, Androchus arrived at another town, much larger than the first. The forest had been cut open for about a mile in each direction, and after a short climb up the road an open area seemed to suddenly appear. The fields were deserted, although he could see good crops waiting to be harvested. The town also had a defensive wall, although it was built in two layers. The first wall was a chest-high wall of rough rock, held in place with mortar; the second wall was a stately, solid wall of wood, built over the first wall, several arms higher than the basket. The population had outgrown the walled area, which Androx thought suggested poor planning, and the clusters of rounded stone and wooden huts he saw in the basket were scattered around.
As he approached the town, the sparseness of the people became more and more obvious. If Androcles wanted to, he could take any cart on the roadside, load it with crops, and depart without a trace. Is everyone dead?
He decided to approach the closed door to see if anyone responded, and if not, he did just that: find a cart, fill it with supplies, put the girl on it, and head north. That was after he found a well and cleaned it. Hopefully there's a good metal basin nearby, big enough to soak it in for a while.
However, as he approached the city gate, he saw that there were indeed people living in the city. The archers on both sides stood hunched on the parapet, watching him approach. There were no guards outside the gate, but he could tell there was a group of people hiding inside; as he approached, he could hear their conversations. Strangely, as he approached, the archers jumped from the parapet and disappeared behind it.
"Who are they?" Wolf scca
asked, pointing a small light blue finger at the closed door.
"Obviously, they're the ones who live here. Haven't you been here before with Gabby?"
"No, I met the princess in a cave. It was because I slept in a plant and it got stuck in her
talo's toes, and then when he pulled the plant out, it was already in the hole. "
Androchus wondered how fairies sometimes made things up just to confuse people. "Fly in and tell me what they are doing," he said, pointing his spear at the gate.
The fairy nodded resolutely and went to keep an eye on him. When he came back, he said, "They were all standing like this," imitating a circle of people speaking, speaking one by one. "But I think someone saw me!"
"Don't worry. They already saw you when we got here. You're hard to ignore, and so am I," Androx said.
He approached the door and stood outside, wondering what was going on. He knocked on the thick wooden door with the hilt of his spear, then thrust the spear into the ground and shouted: "I am Androclus the Giant-Slayer, son of Palamonos of Decea. Let me in!"
There was no response, although he could hear the people over there talking softly. He couldn't see the gate, so they probably couldn't either. He decided to put his ear to it and see if he could hear their conversation. However, all he heard was: "Shh! His hearing!"
Androx frowned, stepped back, and waited. Wolf Sca
I flew up and down several times, looking out from the top of the gate. He pointed to the door and asked, "Is this to prevent things that can't fly from coming in?"
"That's exactly what it does," Androx said angrily.
"Why don't they let us in?"
"Ask them." He didn't mean that literally, but the fairy meant it in no subtle way.
Wolf Scar flew through the gate, probably right into the circle of people. An a
d
Okles heard him ask: "Why don't you want us in?"
After several people stammered a few words at the same time, someone shouted back: "Let me talk to him."
An archer climbed up the parapet and asked loudly: "Mighty One, what do you seek here?"
The Mighty One? At least he gets the respect he deserves.
"The first thing I want to find is a place to take a bath. Then I want to find a good hotel to rest and find a good family for my daughter. I also want to buy some supplies."
The archer looked at him in confusion for a moment. He asked, "What are you? God, or a child of God? Or a messenger?"
Androcles was annoyed by the stupidity of the barbarians and said: "Barbarians, is this what your gods look like? Ragged clothes, stained with putrid blood? If so, I don't want them to come in!"
"Did Ye Po send you here?"
"No. You're talking about The
atei
a Hu
t
Ess? Or the local barbarian goddess? No matter what, God didn’t send me here. I'm here for my own business. "
"How did you get past Tartalo?" asked the archer.
A
d
Okles smiled proudly, finally getting a chance to brag, which made him feel like a birthday kid. He slammed the hilt of his spear into the ground and straightened his shoulders, showing them the strength of his chest. "I, Androchus, slew it alone! I stand before you clothed in its blood! Remember my name forever!"
The man opened his mouth and said, "Gods, I almost believed you! So you are really a human? What about the fairy?"
"Fairies are obviously not human, fool," Androx said. He doubted he knew what the man meant, but he kept expecting a better reaction and grew increasingly annoyed. He didn't know whether he should pay a bribe.
"No, I mean, if you're just a regular guy, where did you get that?"
"Ha! I'm no ordinary human! I'm honored to be one of the most powerful in Glory. I'm a man of honor and fame, and my name makes my enemies run away! I'm the fastest and the most powerful The strongest, but also the cunningest! Killing the Cyclops is not the beginning of my deeds, nor will it be the end! I have brought honor to your city just by setting foot here! Open the door now before I kick it open!"
"Are you really here just for the inn and not, you know, to kill everyone?"
A
d
Okles smiled. "I'm not here to kill anyone. I'm really just passing through here on my way north." He had to admit, it had its shortcomings at times, but it was satisfying to be so intimidating.
"What should we do?" the archer asked the people inside. A brief conversation followed, too quiet to be heard. The archer said: "If you swear not to harm others, we will let you in."
"Then I swear that I will do no harm to those who live here except to protect myself, my property, and my honor."
The archer looked at him carefully and then said: "Master Andrels, there is a lot of violence in your oath."
Andrew frowned angrily. "This is getting ridiculous. How much will it cost me to get in? Two silver?"
The shooter thought for a while and then shouted: "Open the door! He is definitely just an ordinary person. He just wanted to bribe me. Gave me two silver coins to let him in."
Androx heard them move something, what sounded like several beams, and then the door opened outward. Inside, several swordsmen wearing leather armor greeted him with smiles. He nodded and fumbled inside his robes for his wallet. As he pulled out the silver, the archer who had spoken to him grinned and said from the parapet: "Keep your money, traveler. What is your name?"
Androchus the Giant-Slayer, son of Palamonos of Decea. Who are you?"
"I am Ekul, and these are Izar, Joseba, Oz, Peo and Zeru. Up there are Zuzen, Zorion and Bakar." He pointed to the people who were climbing up to continue to stand guard. said the archer. "You'll find a nice hotel down the road. It's much larger than the other buildings around it, so it's easy to find. If you're not sure, just look for the green door. Or, if you want to save your coins, and there is a very bad inn inside the east gate."
A few people laughed. A
d
It's impossible for okles to remember all their names. Maybe if they share a glass of wine with him in the future, he will care who they are.
"Thank you for the advice," he said. They were almost certainly guarding against the Cyclops, which Ankerix felt was a little inadequate; if it decided to come in, that door and all their arrows probably wouldn't slow it down.
