Night had fallen when they finally reached the valley surrounding Basket Village. In the light of the moon and the fire, they saw vines covered with thorns, thick and sharp, covering everything. Vines and branches tangled together to form a tangle several feet high that stretched to the treeline in every direction, covering every inch of the land. The thorns even grew up to the village wall, making it look like a giant moss-covered tree stump. The thorns are too thick, A
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okles can't even see the road or the door.
From the center of the town, thick gray smoke continued to rise, tumbling toward the stars in a huge column. Androcles thought that if it had been higher, the god would have choked on it in the morning.
Androcles drew his sword and approached the thorns, trying to cut his way through them. However, the thorns did not form a flat wall. While the thorns reached above his head in most places, there were a few places where the thorns were only a few inches tall enough for him to walk over. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it wouldn't be fatal either. possible.
"Wolfsca
, I need you to fly right in front of me, closer to the ground, so I can see where to go. Gabby, come here girl. You're riding on my shoulders. The girl looked downcast and exhausted, but he couldn't just wrap her in a blanket and throw her into the bushes for safekeeping. He put the backpack aside, tied up the horse with a long rope, and put the knife for the children fastened to his belt. Then he put Gabby on his shoulders, readied his vault and lance, and said: "Let us set off." "
WolfScar, who looked a little tired himself, dutifully flew a foot above the ground, lighting up the path. Bears wandered among the thorns and vines outside; Androx could hear them snorting and growling as they moved about. Although he tried to avoid stepping on thorns, it was impossible to escape unscathed. Soon he was bleeding from more than a dozen cuts and stab wounds to his feet and ankles. At one point, a particularly long thorn pierced his sandal and punctured the joint of his big toe. He cursed loudly and nearly dropped Gabby, but she grabbed him by the hair, keeping her on his shoulders. That's not pleasant either.
"That gorgon made me as tender as a piece of meat." The bear had no sandals, he realized. They will be very angry. If he's lucky, he'll still falter.
They walked on, Androx's feet growing rougher with every step. He wondered if the scavengers would hear his prayers so far from the sanctuary. Suddenly, the fairy stopped. "Look! There are no thorns!" he pointed.
A
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Okles looked and saw a bare patch of land ahead, only a few feet wide but free of thorns and vines. The trees spread out in his direction as the bare land moved toward him. As it came closer, he could literally see the vines twisting and sinking into the ground. He frowned, wondering if it really had something to do with the road clearing crew, until the bear charged at him.
Wolf Sca
Saw it first, he screamed and ran to A
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Behind okles, the light was blocked so that he could not see. Fortunately, he heard the thump of the beast's claws and secured the jumper in time. He knocked the bear's stomach out with a solid copper wall and then stabbed it twice, unsure whether he had done any harm. It stepped back and yelled at him.
"Wolfsca
, I can’t see it!”A
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shouted okles.
"Sorry!" replied the fairy, flying behind Gabby, probably peeking over her shoulder or something. That didn't help much. The bear swiped, which he blocked with his kick.
"Fly above the bear!"
"But it will bite me!"
"It can't fly! You can! Get up there! Or give up your eggs and sticks because you're not a man!"
"But...!" Okay! The fairy shouted firmly. He flew about 20 feet overhead, right over the bear, and made himself brighter. When he saw it was safe, he flew a little lower. Not much, but a little.
The bear roared, shouted, and circled. A
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Okles thrust the spear into the bear's head, but the tip bounced off the bear's hard skull, leaving only a shallow wound. It jumped at him and he hit it hard in the face with the marble, making a loud noise. Again and again it slid its claws, trying to jump on him and knock him to the ground. Androx saw his opportunity and slammed the edge of the jumper against its ear, seeming to knock it unconscious. However, the blow nearly knocked him off balance.
He realized that if he didn't get rid of Gabi, he would be taken down. He put the spear in the arm of the shield, stretched out his hand to seize Galbi, and shouted: "Let me go, girl! Put your feet on the ground and stand back!" Then he threw her as far as he could, aiming as far as possible. a land without thorns. She screamed, fell to the ground with a thud, and was silent. The fairy's light wavered, but he did not move.
The bear lunged, and he beat it back with his jumper, stabbing it in the neck and shoulders. Just as he wondered if he had broken her neck, Gabby howled in pain, a rapid-fire scream. From the sound of it, he knocked the wind out of her and she was probably breathless for a moment. Hope nothing is broken.
"Stand above the bear, fairy!" he shouted, as Wolfe sca
I was about to go over to check on her. The fairy nodded firmly and returned to his seat. Then he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and made himself brighter.
Bears proved to be a formidable foe. A
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The okles cannot pierce its skull with a spear, and its neck is a tough target. He couldn't get around it and stabbed its belly, trying to find its heart. He wanted to strangle it, but it had claws. He needed to keep his distance - the beast was heavier than he was. If it flipped him over, he would be trapped under the jumper and lose the game. Will he risk killing someone? It could further hurt Ga
bi.
He waited for another opportunity to attack the bear with the edge of his shield—a risk, since he would be exposed every time he turned the shield to prepare for an attack. As the bear circled around him, growling, lunging at him, trying to charge at him, he finally saw his chance. Again he swung the edge of the jumper towards the bear's ear, but missed and caught it by the neck. The bear didn't slow down at all, sinking its teeth into Androx's neck. He stepped back, trying to avoid it, but tripped and fell onto an uneven patch of ground.
The bear stepped on the shield, held it down, and lunged at him with its claws. He quickly lowered his spear, released the latch on his shield, pulled his arm from its belt, and rolled out, barely escaping the bite. Androcles stood up and drew his sword—it was too long; if he stabbed the bear, the bear would roll and he might lose the handle.
Then he walked in and punched the bear in the face with all his strength. Although the bear's head turned back, it seemed uninjured and lunged at him again, its teeth clenched tightly. A
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Okles jumped back, just far enough to avoid being bitten, and stabbed him in the neck behind the ear. He pricked the fur, but not deep enough.
It lunged at him again with two paws, and he stepped forward to catch it like a wrestler. It couldn't bite him because his head was too close, and it couldn't find an angle to pry him away with its claws. A
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Okles stabbed him several times in the ribs on the back of his arm. The knife was slippery with blood, but the bear didn't slow down at all. It rolled onto him, biting his face. He pushed the mouth away with his elbow, then jerked his legs to his chest. He kicked up with all his strength and pushed the bear away.
He stood up, lunged at it, and thrust two knives into its neck. This time, blood spurted out as he pulled them apart, knife after knife. The bear lost its balance and soon fell down. He kicked it hard in the chin again and it growled weakly. He could see its heartbeat in the blood spurting from its neck. Soon, it fell.
He wiped the blood on the dirt with his hands and went to check on Gabby. She sat up, folded her arms, and grimaced in pain. He asked breathlessly: "Are you okay, girl? What's wrong with your arm?"
"I think it's broken," she said through gritted teeth. "I definitely am."
"Wolfsca
, come closer, let me see clearly. What are you doing there?"
"I was checking to see if there was another bear, but there wasn't one. Princess, are you okay?" the fairy said, sounding worried when he saw her holding her arm.
Her arm wasn't visibly broken, but it was badly bruised. She fell on a stone. After checking her to make sure she wasn't hiding any other injuries, he picked up the offending stone. "This stone," he said, throwing it into the darkness, "will be carried away by the crows! Come on, let's go."
Gabby didn't need much encouragement; as soon as the bear stopped breathing, the spines began to grow back into place. Androx frowned, slinging her onto his shoulder before quickly picking up his shield and packing it up before they could grow up.
"I did what you asked!" So I can keep these! Wolfsca
As he spoke, he lifted up his robe and pointed at his childhood.
"It's too early to tell, fairy. "The night isn't over yet. Androx said with a half-grin. "Come on, lead the way." "
The fairy continued to lead the way, and Androx followed. "I won't let you cut it off anyway!" Then it will hurt!"
"Yeah, you can't do that to him!" That's mean! Gabby agreed, sounding worried.
"No, it's not that. If you show cowardice, they'll shrink and fall off on their own," Androx said quipped. If Nikon were here, he would be laughing his head off. It's a pity that he died. Thinking about it carefully, he once heard Diokles say something similar. Unfortunately he died too.
His smile quickly faded as the spines began to bite his ankle again. It might be worth fighting another bear to get away from them for a while. Well, maybe not.
Gabby and the wolf sca
Silent, either because of tiredness or because of deep thought. Frankly, it would have been either, because he wanted to hear the sound of a bear.
Although it should only be half a mile from the edge of the woods to the gate, it seemed to take forever. Part of it was the winding road they had to walk; part of it was the vines that made him cautious every step he took; part of it was the cold autumn night; part of it was the exhaustion after a hard day's travel, and they both wanted a soft and warm bed. bed.
However, an ominous premonition unsettled him and kept him moving. When he heard the sound of dozens of bears moving toward the gate, 20 paces on either side of him, a shot of adrenaline helped him move faster. As he approached the gate, he could hear them, many grunting and growling, moving around, waiting for him.
Finally, he reached the gate. The thorns had receded, leaving a small clearing in front of it. There were literally dozens of bears waiting for him, all standing in a row, unnaturally still and attentive. Wolf Sca
After seeing it, he whimpered and immediately retreated to A
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behind okles. As his light faded, all Anchorex could see was the faint red light in their eyes, floating in the darkness like a child's nightmare. Gabby gasped and whimpered, and suddenly he felt something wet on his back, as if she had lost water. cute.
"Wolfsca
, I need light. "A
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Okles said.
"I forgot, because there was a bear," said the fairy nervously, and flew a few feet in front of Androx, and then flew a few yards higher, out of his reach. "It's so scary!" he complained.
"Be brave, little one!" Don't let anything important fall down. "Under the moonlight, how could he escape this disaster?
When they started moving toward him, he knew he had no choice. He grabbed Gabi's legs to keep her from falling, then unleashed his murderous intent. Despite his exhaustion, a strong, hot wind blew up and drenched the bears. He could see them swarm away as it hit them.
Wolf Sca
Falling from the sky, suddenly than A
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What okles saw was even darker. He rushed out and caught the fairy before she hit the ground. He was completely limp and his eyes were closed. Gabby fell backwards, leaving Androx trying to grab one of her ankles. He realized the bear wasn't running away, and while he was distracted, his murderous intent was gone.
"You kill her before I do, little one," said Mary, coming out of the shadows and standing near the gate. Without the light of the wolf's scar, he could see nothing but her general shape and her eyes glowing like burning blood. "You think you're strong, but that hurts. You bleed on us," she said with a laugh. Her voice sounded like many bears roaring at once, and he wondered if the bears were really talking.
What exactly does she mean? Strength is strength and a wound is a wound. Something cannot be both.
"Come on. Look what I've done. You'll know I'm Mary." The gate opened of its own accord and the bears backed away to make way for them. The goddess disappeared.
Through the gate he could see the long path leading to the center of the village, where a fire was burning. He carefully caught Galbi, tucked the fairy into his belt, and ran out of the gate, not wanting to test the bear's obedience to its master. They followed him in, only a few feet away, biting and growling at him.
He ran to the center of the village and stopped suddenly when he realized what he was seeing. The fire destroyed what looked like the skeletons of hundreds of people on a huge coal pile. The flames shot straight into the sky, hot and violent. New vines grow into the fire over and over again, keeping the fire burning.
Mari stepped out of the fire, this time filled with empty bones. Then her flesh appeared, wrapping itself around like cloth. A dress made of patches of skin appeared, covering her body.
"I ate all I could catch. There were a lot of them. One by one I licked the flesh off their bones. It made me strong. Their souls twisted and rolled in my stomach. Soon it would be mine a part of."
Androx tried to keep one eye on her and the other on Gabi, who was breathing heavily and going limp. Wolf Scar twitched and seemed to come to his senses.
Mari spotted the fairy on his belt and laughed happily: "Old fairy! They are hard to catch. They are also delicious. I know this. These make me very strong."
Although his mouth was dry, he had to force himself, and he asked: "Where are my children? You said you would eat in front of me. Where are they?"
"I ate it first. The woman gave it to me. She smiled when I ate it, she screamed when I ate it. Does it pain you?"
His strength began to waver, and his knees grew clammy and flabby. Only one day could he dare to imagine that he was strong enough to keep them. Only one day. Gotzo
e is a fool; there is no happiness for those cursed by the gods. He tried to strengthen his resolve, but instead of anger, there was only despair. despair.
He tried to summon his murderous intent, but it didn't work. He felt almost exhausted. He looked at the goddess, who must have seen it on his face, because she pointed at him and laughed mockingly. Then she lunged at him and slapped him on the chin; he didn't even see her approach. She punched him to the ground, her face burning and her ears ringing. He could taste blood and his vision was blurry.
"Where is the man who challenged me? Is it him lying in the dust?" she said, her voice thick with venom. "Lift him up," she ordered. Without warning, the two bears bit deeply into his arms, then stood up and helped him up. He kicked his legs, trying to free himself, until the two wolves each grabbed his ankles and pinned him down. He gasped in pain, and he could feel their saliva mixing with his blood and soaking his robes.
Mary's leather coat became a swirl of pink petals, swirling wildly around her as if blown by a storm. Her hair became as black and shiny as obsidian, and her face wore an expression of victory and contentment. He could feel Wolf Scar struggling against his belt, and soon the fairy was free, staggering into the air. Mary frowned, and the thin vines chased up, trying to catch him, but the fairy discovered them in time, flew high into the sky, and disappeared among the stars.
