After their fill, the men's laughter soon turned into a game-like contest, and among the mercenaries were two thieves, brothers, one nicknamed "Spike" and the other nicknamed "Fat Hammer" - "Spike" was very much in line with the imagination of a thief, he was thin and tall, with fingers as long as spider's legs, his face was yellow, his rough leather armor was dirty and greasy, and some were cracked due to poor maintenance - and his brother "Fat Hammer" Not at all, he was as wide as three spikes and only half as tall as one of them, and if it weren't for his thick beard, some people might mistake him for a halfling, but some people did think he was a dwarf, and if he didn't speak, contrary to his appearance, "Fat Hammer" spoke sharply and thinly, like a woman.

"Fat Hammer's appearance doomed him to be a good thief, a true weakness when facing his employer, but it was a disguise that he never had before when facing enemies and targets—he would often disguise himself as a trader, pilgrim, or nobleman, and stab people when they were unsuspecting.

In the beginning, it was a fairly common show for mercenaries, and their only hobby besides prostitutes, was gambling - of course, these outlaws who walked on the tip of their knives all year round always liked to play something that could smell blood when they had a choice. Instead of dice, they gamble, but draw a man out with his palm open to a wooden pan or table, and he or someone else will use a dagger to pierce the gap in his palm without stopping, while others will sing to him to the accompaniment of rhythmic songs (sometimes someone will deliberately misplay the beat to disrupt his movements), betting on whether the person will be able to poke a song steadily, or worse by shoving a squirrel or ferret into the crotch of some hapless man's pants and tying the belt of his trousers tightly, betting on how long he can last before being bitten, or one of the members of the mercenary to show others his strength or skill as a deterrent, intimidate others, and ensure that your position on the team is not shaken.

"Coin tossing" is a common "skillful" trick among thieves - each person takes out a different number of copper or silver coins, closes them together, and then flicks them into the air with their fingertips one by one, and then catches them with the other hand, it doesn't matter how they throw or catch it, but if a gold coin falls on the ground, the others can divide the gold they take out equally - this trick is a good way to train the thieves' fingers and eyes. It's less boring, and there's a small extra income, and in the guilds where Gülen used to stay, it's not uncommon to see formal members forcing apprentices to compete with themselves- That is, blackmail in disguise, taking the money they have taken out of other people's skins into their own pockets, and if any unknown little guy is lucky enough to win such a game, he will be unknowingly cut off his fingers and gouge out his eyes in the middle of the night the next day, and some thieves who have become weak (very little) because of old age will also play this with ordinary people, and many people will think that they will win a lot of money when they see that the only one who wants to compete with them is an old man with cloudy eyes and trembling fingers. In fact, they were able to leave a pair of pants behind which the thieves showed mercy.

"Spike" is a good player, he can flick twelve silver coins in a row at most, but today he was stopped by their leader when he took out the silver coins, "This is too much of a snub for our guests." He grinned, then took out a bag of gold coins, counted twelve and handed them to the Spikes, who tossed them upside down, and the obverse of the coin was engraved with the profile portrait of the Norman King of the Highlands. On the back was a growling bear, which was familiar to Berdwin. The gold coins were struck by the king when he ascended the throne, and he was given a hundred as gifts and rewards, each weighing about one-fifth of an ounce, one weight as the silver coins struck at the same time, but ten times as valuable as the former—smaller than the latter (probably the size of the circle formed by the bent index finger and thumb of a woman), and more difficult to catch.

He looked at Gülen. Glenn had only drunk a small amount of wine, and his eyes were almost as bright as gold coins, so the former paladin threw out his small leather bag, and the heavy purse fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Gülen was a little surprised, he knew that Berdwin didn't like him. But Gülen was never a stupid person. It soon dawned on him that he was a companion to Berdwin anyway, and that the worst of his companions deserved respect for his best enemies.

"If you think there's anything wrong," Baldwin grabbed the hook and flicked the charcoals, "Then even if I lend it to you, you can give me interest according to the Eleventh Law." ”

"That's too high, too. The thief said.

"Then win. ”

The thief noticed that the muscles on the cheeks of the "Spike" twitched slightly, and he turned to the "Spike" and smiled slightly, "Who will go first?"

"Draw long and short. The leader said, he put a hand clenched into a fist in front of Gülen's eyes, and two fresh grass stalks emerged from the heart of his fist, which looked the same length from the outside, Gülen pulled out one, and the leader opened his palm, and the remaining grass stalk was longer than Gülen's hand.

"It seems that you came first. The leader said to the Spike, who nodded, and stood in the clearing that the mercenaries had given him, facing the dense reeds and the bright crescent moon, so as not to be disturbed by the misty shadows, and the first gold coin was bounced high, and it flipped in the air, refracting a light more dazzling than the stars.

&&&

Leona sat beside Kerribben, holding a copper cup full of water boiled from reed roots. The Norman princess of the Highlands had never drunk it before, and she took a careful sip, the taste was completely unfamiliar, but not inferior to honey water or rose tea, and although it inevitably had a slight astringency peculiar to the plant itself, it accentuated the pure sweetness.

"Drink," said Kerryben, "it is good for mankind." ”

"Is it a medicinal herb?"

"Yes," said the elf, "but I only know that the Black-footed Halfling chews it when it is hot, or as a food if you wish, but Kremar tells me that it also relieves the symptoms of body heat and vomiting caused by eating too much meat." He looked at Leona, who had plenty of food when they were in Dorin, but there were very few fresh fruits and vegetables in it, since the plague had sealed down the city. No one dared to approach it, and all they could eat was meat, cheese, and wine, and the village ruled by the Transfigurs, though there were people growing turnips and cabbage, but for some reason they were strangely half-rotten, and the villagers could eat them without care. But for the adventurers, even Berdwin and Glenn didn't have the courage to put that stinking mess in their mouths.

Kerry could have asked the plants to help produce a little fruit in advance, but there were six of them, and those small fruits could only be said to be some interspersed embellishments between hard bread and jerky, which was a drop in the bucket when it came to vitamin supplementation - before encountering the caravan, everyone except Kerry Ben and Cremar began to have dry eyes, bleeding gums, chapped lips, restlessness, and other symptoms in unison.

"That's right. Leona said, "He was a spell caster, and the spell caster was always very knowledgeable. ”

"He has a good mentor. Kerry Ben said, the shadow cast on his side suddenly flickered, he looked away slightly, and noticed that Memmy was walking away, and at first the elf thought that she was just not wanting to stay with Leona too much, but then he saw the young mage, who had made a lot of mistakes in the previous battle, and he showed the priest of Frow a gold chain with three gold coins. And hung it around her neck as she walked over - the elf looked back with some embarrassment, there had never been a follower of Flo in his previous ranks. Meme's approach was in keeping with Flo's teachings, and he did not have the power to interfere with or stop their dealings.

The mage who came to look for Mei Mi was not handsome, but clean, and when he laughed with a very pleasing innocence to women, he was young, we said. Between teenager and youth, but he didn't seem to be as alien to women as he was to his spell book, he gently squeezed Memi, and Flo's priest pursed his lips, but did not refuse. The heavy weight on her neck seemed to be placed directly in her heart.

"Now?" asked Memy softly.

"No," said the young mage, "I will come to you when my mentor is asleep." ”

"This is not going to work," said Meemy, "I sleep in a tent with Leona, she is an alert warrior, and she may jump up and cut your little neck with her flaming sword as soon as you enter the tent." She said, caressing the caster's neck lightly.

"It's too wet outside," the young mage frowned, "I'll cast a spell to put her to sleep first, and she won't wake up even if the bipedal dwarf dragon bites her chest," he smiled lewdly, "And, don't you think that would be more fun?"

"It seems to be. ”

"Then it is decided," said the young mage, "I also have a jeweled ring, with a ruby the size of a quail's egg, and it will be a small gift—if you can really do better than your sisters." ”

Mei Mi raised a slender eyebrow, "Needless to say, my little bread," she said sweetly, "I will let you climb to the peak of bliss." ”

"I'm looking forward to it," said the young mage, and then he paused, "yes," he said, "haven't your ships and tents been cast any protective spells, have they, or scrolls and rune disks?" ”

Especially your mentor, Mei Mi said in her heart, "No," and she said, "Nothing." ”

At this time, there was a sudden suppressed cry from the mercenaries, and the young mage and Mei Mi turned their heads at the same time, and they saw the thief Glenn standing in the moonlight and starlight, his hands flipping and bouncing in the air like dexterous birds, so fast that people could not see their movements, and the gold coins he threw into the air were almost connected, "Dozen, dozen!" The mercenaries clamored, before the "spikes" The score was ten coins more than usual, but now that Gülen had surpassed him by one, he could stop, but more mercenaries bet that he would be able to toss twelve gold coins in a row.

If he could, then the winner would take a third of his bet for him - the leader stepped forward and was stopped by Berdwin when he wanted to cast the last gold coin, and as a hunter, Baldwin certainly knew that the interval between the two gold coins might not even fit into a raised palm, and it was not so easy to find the slightest gap to put the gold coin into Gülen's palm.

The leader spread his hands and gave way, and the eyes of the former paladin and the thief briefly met for a moment, and the height of the gold coin suddenly increased by several inches, just as the last coin could leave Gülen's right hand. One of the gold coins thrown by Berdwin was already in Gülen's hand, and the thief did not hesitate to pop it, shouting loudly as soon as it joined the loop, "Dozen!"

"Dozen!" the mercenaries cried in agreement, and Gülen waved his hands, and with the crisp sound of Ding Lingdang, a dozen dozen gold coins were pulled into his palms without a lack of a lot.

"It's a pretty good trick. The young mage said contemptuously, and as he was about to leave, he noticed that Mei Mei was still standing still: "Aren't you going back to the ship?"

"I'll wait. Mei Mi stroked the gold chain: "Don't worry." I'll be back in the tent before the galaxy crosses the middle of the sky. ”

Glenn saw Memmy, she was standing in the shadow of the reed ship with an extra gold chain around her neck, and the thief looked back, his show was finished, and now it was the mercenary leader and Berdwin.

The warriors' previous fights weren't as fancy as the thieves' tricks, and they had only tried each other's strength—though Berdwin was missing a hand, he could still rival the leader's strength, but it didn't last long. After the leader had gained a narrow advantage, the leader let go of the former paladin's hand, and slapped him vigorously on the shoulder, praising him in the most rude way and in plain language that he was a brave and strong good man - only they knew that the advantage of the leader was not their own, but why should Baldwin go to compete with such a mercenary, he did not want to be the leader of the mercenaries.

"And you, hey, man. Let's come along. ”

Gülen looked up, he didn't feel like there was anything else he needed to do. Then he smelled a strong smell of wine, not the smell of blood-red wine with a fishy and metallic taste, but a more crisp and bright one.

"Winter wine?" he asked.

"Yes," said the chief, "it's my private collection, it's a good day, and I'm glad to share it with my friends." ”

"We can't drink any more. Berdwin said.

"How much winter wine do you think I'm going to carry? The chief said, "It's just a bottle! Come on, don't squirm like a woman, and we'll have a good night's sleep when we're done." ”

The thieves saw that the pyroxene powder, which had not yet evaporated the heat, was evenly spread by the mercenaries on the moss, and then they spread dried reeds on top of it, and set up cowhide tents on it.

"Aren't you going back to the ship?"

"We've had enough of being inside. A mercenary said. The bipedal dwarf dragon destroyed a boat, and the peace of the spellcasters could not be disturbed, Leona and Memmy were women, while Berdwin, Glenn, and Kerriben and the caravan master each shared a boat, and the rest of the mercenaries, merchants, and apprentices could only squeeze in again, and they were almost sleeping next to each other.

Glenn is let go after a drink, sharing a tent with Fat Hammer and two other mercenaries.

The last bit of heat from the pyroxene powder came up from below, and the tent was dark and warm, and the leader immediately let out a loud snort, and Baldwin closed his eyes.

&&&

The magical galaxy stretched across the sky, and the young mage landed gently on the reed boat that Meimi and Leona shared.

He looked at Cremar's ship again, it was dark, the tent was closed—he smiled vaguely, and Mamemi had lifted the corner of the cowhide tent and made a hurding gesture to him.

The young mage deftly and silently slipped into her tent, without the usual clumsiness and sluggishness, and swept the whole tent at a glance, one corner of the tent was placed neatly arranged wooden box, on which lay a brooch inlaid with fluorite for illumination, and in the other corner was a bag (probably the priest's, he thought), and in the middle of the tent was a fine roll of silk carpet, he could hear a slight breathing at the other end of the silk carpet, and Mei Mi put her finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet, and then crawled to the edge of the silk carpet, and slowly pulled a small corner, and the young mage saw a strand of red hair slipping out of the cocoon-like blanketKnowing at once, he raised his hands and whispered a incantation, and some rose petals fell from his hands—the cocoon seemed to move, but it was too late, the spell had its effect, and the young mage listened, and the breath became heavy and long, indicating that the caster had fallen into a deep sleep.

"How's that?" asked Memi.

"It's easier than you think. "Well," the young mage said lightly, "well......" and he turned back and said maliciously, "now you're the only one left." ”

"We. Mei Mi said. As if she didn't notice anything wrong, she stood up and unwrapped her cloak—the only one she wore was, her smooth skin glowing like the moon or pearls in the light of fluorite.

The young mage was indeed intrigued, but he still stood still, just staring uncertainly. It's like there's no way to make a decision right away.

"Good man," Mei Mi raised her arm and yawned gracefully, "What are you waiting for?"

The wonderful, quivering part made the caster abandon his plans, and it didn't take long, he thought, he hadn't had a good time with Flo's priest in a while, and even if she found something, everyone knew. Flo's priests are skilled in only the lowest level of healing, and many of them can't even emit a single smoke.

He walked over to Memi and grabbed her arms and neck roughly.

&&&

"Fat Hammer" suddenly woke up, and he grunted to his feet, unbuckling his belt as he walked out, as if to answer the call of nature, but because he slept on Glenn's side, his right foot seemed to kick the thief's abdomen inadvertently.

He waited silently for the strange and soothing sensation of the blade piercing the fabric, the skin, the muscles, and reaching his toes. But he had already felt an excruciating pain in his ankle before that, and he screamed. Fingers ran over his waist and he pulled out his dagger—he fell to the ground wondering how he would run away and plead if it didn't work as it should. Before he acted, he had already thought that he would pee on his body, tears streaming down his body, and trembling helplessly with a fat body. Sweat soaked his hair and clothes, and his hot body smacked with a stench that covered his nose - many people underestimated and despised him for his deliberate ugliness, and as a result, he either escaped or lost his life.

And—"I just want the money back!" he exclaimed, and that's what made him complacent, and most people hesitated about it. Gold and money are two completely different concepts, and a person will be merciless in the face of an Assassin who wants to take his life, but a different matter for a person who only wants gold - but what he didn't expect was that the strange thief who was traveling with the paladin was silent, and after breaking Fat Hammer's ankle, his adamantite dagger also stabbed into Fat Hammer's stomach and slid upward, slicing open the soft belly.

"Fat Hammer" His eyes widened, the light in the tent was dim, he saw Gülen pounce on a mercenary in the dark, and without waiting to ask, without answering, he pierced his chest directly, and the mercenary didn't even have time to pull out his knife, the second mercenary did swing his flail in time, but his night vision was much worse than that of the thief, the thief raised the mercenary who was twitching and dead to block his attack, and then let the corpse fall, and then when he wanted to check the results of the battle, the thief's adamantite dagger gently went around his neck。

It was just a matter of a few breaths, and Gülen was still alive when he lifted the tent and walked out, breathing hard to catch his wounds, but he was too fat to hold onto them......

&&&

"It's astonishing," said Kerry ben mildly, "I remember that Alva didn't mention that he had such a merchant and mage guest. ”

"I am surprised, too," replied the master of the caravan in the same calm tone, "it seems that you are not unguarded. He glanced at the rune mark on the elf's body, and then turned his gaze to the ranger's longbow, the arrow facing him was shining with magical light, and the body of the arrow was depicted with runes, he had not even noticed that the elf still had magic arrows in the quiver.

A similar conversation took place between Cremar and the older mage.

Cremar's reed ship burned at the feet of the two casters.

"There's nothing surprising," said the black-haired spellcaster, "and the new Norman of the Highlands and Princess Diane have both offered amazing bounties—even I think the journey has been too peaceful." ”

&&&

The author has something to say:

I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year. (To be continued.) )