"Oh!" Wade took a deep breath, the Kand people were drawn to the beautiful creatures flying around their heads.

They gradually lowered in height, their fur shining a blue-white sheen in the moonlight.

Wade clasped his hands tightly, he had never thought of the chance to fly in the air in his life! That alone was worth fighting every dragonman in all of Candela.

Pegasus touched the ground, the wind from their wings causing the grass to shake. A tall Pegasus, with its head bowed respectfully, saluted the King of the Forest with its wings almost touching the ground. It looks proud and noble, and all the pegasus salutes in turn.

"You called us?" asked the king of the forest.

"These dignitaries of mine have something to do to the East, and I want you to be able to fly them over the Eastwall Mountains as fast as the wind. ”

Pegasus looked at the group in shock, and it walked in front of everyone with dignity, looking at it. When Wade reached out to touch it, its ears fanned forward and its head retracted. But when it walked up to Hubble, it sneezed in disgust and turned to the King of the Forest. "Kander, humans, and dwarves!"

"Don't do me a favor! Hubble sneezed as well.

The King of the Forest just smiled and nodded. Pegasus bowed reluctantly. "Yes, my king. It replied. It walked in front of Scarlet Moon and began to bend its front legs, bowing its head in front of her to help her get on her horse.

"No, don't kneel, noble creature. She said. "I've been riding since I could walk, and I don't need that help. Handing the crystal staff to River Breeze, Crimson Moon wrapped her hands around its neck and neatly flipped onto her horse. Her blonde hair glistened feathered in the moonlight, and her face was as pure as white marble. Now she looks like a real barbarian princess.

She took the crystal staff from River Wind's hand, held it aloft, and began to sing a poetic song. There was a look of admiration in the eyes of the river breeze. He jumped on Pegasus' back and sat behind Scarlet Moon, his arms around her, and his deep voice joined the song.

Robert didn't know what they were singing, but it was clear that it was a ballad about victory and glory. The song went straight to the depths of his soul and made him feel the urge to speak. Another pegasus came up to him, and he rolled over and sat down on his horse's back and sat down in front of his powerful wings.

Now every partner is intoxicated by the song of the scarlet moon, and when the wings of Pegasus fly in the wind, everyone's hearts seem to follow the song to the sky. They flew higher and higher, circling in circles over the forest.

The silver and red moon casts a strange purple glow in the valleys and clouds below, bathing the entire night sky in a patch of purple. As the forest faded away, the group finally saw the king of the forest isolated in the dark forest like a fallen star.

One by one, everyone felt a thick sense of drowsiness hit them.

Wade struggled to resist the sleep caused by the magic, fascinated by the feeling of the wind caressing his face, amazed at how towering trees were now the size of toys, and still trying to stay awake after everyone else had fallen asleep.

Hubble's head rested on his back, and the snoring shook the sky. Scarlet Moon leaned into the crook of the river breeze's arms, his head resting on her shoulder.

Even in his deep sleep, he still had to hold her tightly in his arms. Calamon collapsed on the horse's neck, breathing distinctly audible. His younger brother leaned on his broad back. Stone slept peacefully, and the sad lines on his face faded with it. Even Robert's face no longer had an expression of annoyance because of responsibility and concern.

Wade yawned. "No," he said to himself. While blinking desperately, pinching himself.

"Little Khand, rest quickly!" said the Pegasus he was riding, laughing. "Ordinary people can't fly, this sleep is to protect you, we don't want you to fall in a panic. ”

"I won't!" Wade protested, yawning again. With its head upside down, Pegasus' neck is warm and comfortable, and its soft fur has a striking aroma. "I don't panic," Wade said groggily, "never panic...... he fell asleep.

The half-elf wakes up to the surprise of finding himself lying on a patch of grass. The leader of the Pegasus stood before them, his eyes looking to the east. Robert sat up.

"Where are we?" he asked. "This isn't a city!" he looked around puzzledly. "What the hell, we haven't even crossed the East Wall Mountain Range yet!"

"I'm sorry," Pegasus turned to him. "We can't take you across the Eastwall Mountains, something terrible is brewing in the East. There's a dark aura in the air, a feeling I haven't ......felt in a long, long time," he stopped, pacing back and forth on the grass. "I didn't dare go any closer there. ”

"Where are we now?" repeated the bewildered half-elf. "What about the other Pegasus?"

"I ordered them to go back. I'm here to watch over you, and now that you're awake, I should go back too. Pegasus looked at Robert solemnly, "I don't know what awakens the sleeping evil, I'm sure it wasn't you and your friends." ”

He spreads his huge wings.

"Wait!" Robert struggled to his feet. "What-"

Pegasus leapt into the air, circled twice, and flew back to the west at a rapid pace.

"What evil?" Robert asked, staring into the open meadow. He sighed and looked around, his companions sleeping peacefully in different positions. He looked at the horizon, trying to figure out where he was.

I could tell that it was almost dawn, and the sun was beginning to shine in the east. He stood on a prairie, with no trees as far as the eye could see, only waist-high grass.

Thinking about Pegasus's so-called troubles in the East, Robert sat down and watched the sun rise, waiting for his companions to wake up, not so worried about where he was, for the river breeze should be easy to tell. So he faced east, enjoying the serenity that had been rare for several days.

Suddenly he sat up, and the feeling of serenity vanished, and his chest seemed to be grasped tightly by one hand. Because, just on the other side of the horizon, three twisted, dense columns of smoke greeted the rise from the east. Robert staggered to his feet, trying to shake the river wind instead of waking Scarlet Moon.

"Shhhhhhh Standing up quietly, he followed Robert away from his partner, his eyes fixed on him.

"How is this going?" he asked in a low voice, "we are on the plains of Abanya, half a day away from the Eastern Wall Mountains. My village is just to the east—"

Robert pointed to the east in silence, and he closed his mouth. After seeing the smoke that went straight into the sky, he couldn't help but scream. Scarlet Moon woke up, she sat up, still sleepy looking at the river breeze, the alertness in her eyes became stronger and stronger, she turned her head to follow the river breeze's frightened gaze.

"No!" she howled. "No!!!" she cried out again. Standing up quickly, she quickly packed her bags. Others were woken up by her shouting.

"What's wrong?" Calamon jumped.

"Their village," Robert gestured softly. "It's on fire. It is clear that these armies are moving faster than we think. ”

"My people," Crimson Moon murmured, as if her energy had been drained. She slumped into the arms of the river breeze, looking at the rising smoke, "My father ......"

"We'd better get out of here. Calamon looked around uneasily, "Now we are as obvious as jewels on a gypsy's clothes. ”

"Yes," Robert said. "We have to get out of here, but where do we have to go?" he asked River Breeze.

"Quisu," Crimson Moon's voice brooks no resistance, "we'll pass by." Behind my village is the East Wall Mountains. She began to step across the grass.

Robert looked at the river breeze.

"Scarlet Moon!" the plainman called to her, and grabbed Crimson Moon's arm as he ran. "Don't go to death!" he said solemnly.

She looked up at him, her eyes as cold as the morning sky. "No!" she said firmly, "I will go back to our village, and if any misfortune happens, we will all be responsible."

I don't care if there are thousands of dragonmen waiting for us there, it's my duty and obligation to live and die with my people. Her voice was hoarse, and Robert looked at it, and felt his heart ache too.

The river breeze wrapped one hand around her, and the two of them leaned on each other towards the rising sun.

Calamon cleared his throat, "I hope I can actually meet a thousand of those monsters." He muttered as he picked up his and his brother's backpacks. "Huh?" he said in surprise, "they're all full." He opened his backpack and looked at it. "Dry food, enough for us to eat for a few days. And my sword is back in its scabbard!"

"At least we don't have to worry about it. Robert said worriedly. "Stone, are you alright?"

"Yes. The knight replied. "After a night's sleep last night, I feel much better. ”

"Okay, then let's go. Hubble, what about Wade?" Robert turned and almost bumped into the Kander who was standing behind him.

"Poor Scarlet Moon," Wade said softly. Robert patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe it's not going to be as bad as we thought," the half-elf said as he looked at the plainman's distant back. "Maybe those fighters repelled them, and it was the smoke of celebration. ”

Wade sighed and looked up at Robert, his eyes wide open. "Your knack for lying, Robert. The Kander said, and he had a hunch that it was going to be a very long day.

At dusk, the pale sun finally set. The western sky was covered with yellow clouds, and then plunged into complete darkness. The companions shuddered around a fire that could not bring them the slightest warmth, for there was no more fire on the Candela that could melt the frost in their hearts. They were silent with each other, just looking at the fire, trying to make sense of what they were seeing, trying to find any justification in their irrational behavior.

Robert had experienced many tragic situations in his life, but the destruction of the Quisu tribe would forever be a symbol of the horrors of war in his mind.

Still, when recalling the Quissu, his mind was unwilling to accept the whole truth, and he could only recall fragmentary scenes. Strangely, he remembered the melted stones in the village vividly.

It was only in his dreams that he remembered the charred, twisted corpses lying among the charred stones.

Magnificent stone walls, tall temples and buildings. The majestic buildings with their imposing statues and courtyards made of huge stones, the vast stone arena – all melted like cream on a hot pan.

Although it was clear that the village must have been attacked a few days ago, the stones were still smoking. It looked as if there was a white-hot, indestructible flame engulfing the entire village. But where is there such a flame on Candela that melts rock?

He couldn't forget a strange voice, he couldn't forget it, because of it, and everyone wondered until they found the source. In this dead village, it is the only enchanting sound. He couldn't forget that he searched the entire village until he found the source of the sound. He remembered shouting incessantly until the others arrived, and they watched the melted arena together.

The outer boulders of the bowl-shaped field fell to the center and turned into a steaming liquid at the bottom of the bowl. In the center—on the scarred, devastated meadows—a rudimentary gallows was erected. The two massive stone pillars were plunged into the charred ground with unimaginable force, and their bases shattered as a result. Ten feet above the ground, a log lay horizontally on a stone pillar.

The wood was charred, and on it stood birds that ate scavengers. The three chains, which appeared to be made of iron before melting into a mass, kept shaking back and forth, which was where the strange sound came from. A corpse hangs upside down from each chain.

These are not human corpses, they appear to be goblins. On top of this rack was a charred shield with a broken sword. The shield is inscribed in a rough script in barely legible Mandarin.

"This is what happens to those who dare to disobey my orders to contain prisoners, and those who don't kill them all must die!"

The name was completely new to Robert.

There are other images as well. He remembered Scarlet Moon standing in his father's ruined house, trying to piece together a vase to its original shape. He couldn't forget a dog—the only living creature in the entire village—curled up next to the corpse of a dead child.

Calamon stopped and stroked it, and the puppy took a step back, then licked Calamon's hand affectionately, and then licked the child's cold face, and looked at Calamon hopefully, hoping that this human would be able to bring back the old days, so that his little playmate could laugh and dance with it again.

He remembered that Calamon's large hands used to caress the puppy's soft fur.

He couldn't forget that the river breeze aimlessly picked up a stone and looked blankly at his home, which had suffered a tragic fate.

He couldn't forget Stone standing in front of the scaffolding in a daze, looking at the shield. He remembered the knight's mouth quivering silently, as if he were cursing, or praying.

He couldn't forget the sad lines on the weather-beaten dwarves' faces, and the tragedies he had seen in his long life could not be compared to the scene in front of him. He patted Wade, who was squatting in the corner and crying silently, and comforted him helplessly.

He couldn't forget Crimson Moon's frantic search for survivors, rummaging through the ashes and rubble, calling the names of many people, keeping an eye out for any answers coming from her trance, until her voice was hoarse and River Wind finally convinced her that it was all in vain. Even if there were any survivors, they should have fled.

He couldn't forget a man standing in the middle of the village, looking at the pile of ashes with arrows in front of him, and finally recognized it as the corpse of a dragonman.

"Robert, we have to leave. There's nothing we can do to help, and we have to get to Shaq Sharos before we can avenge them. ”

So they left the Quisu tribe. Speeding through the middle of the night, no one wants to stop, everyone wants to exhaust themselves, so that when they are finally forced to fall asleep, the horrible scenes will not appear in their dreams.

But the nightmare finally came.

————

Robert felt his claws grasp his throat and he struggled incessantly, only to wake up to find the river wind shaking him vigorously in the darkness.

"What?" said Robert, sitting up.

"You were dreaming. The plainman said solemnly. "I have to wake you up. Your cry will attract enemies to attack us. ”

"Yes, thank you. Robert muttered, "I'm sorry. He sat up straight, trying to wake up from the nightmare. "What time is it?"

"It's still a few hours before dawn. River Breeze said worriedly. He returned to where he had been sitting. Leaning against a curved tree trunk. Scarlet Moon slept soundly in front of him. She began to shake her head and talk in her dreams, moaning like a wounded little animal. The river breeze stroked her hair, and she fell silent.

"You should have woken me up sooner," Robert said. He stood up and rubbed his shoulders and neck. "It's time for my vigil. ”

"Do you think I can sleep?" replied River Breeze sadly.

"You must sleep. Robert replied. "If you don't sleep, you're going to drag everyone down. ”

"Our people can travel for days without sleep. River Breeze replied. His eyes were glazed and bloodshot, as if he was staring at the air in a daze.

Robert was about to convince him, but sighed and shut his mouth. He knew that he would never be able to appreciate the suffering of the plains. The complete destruction of friends and family—past lives—must be devastating, and even the imagination is terrifying. Robert left silently and walked over to Hubble, who was carving a piece of wood.

"You should get some sleep too. Robert told the dwarves. "I'll keep a vigil. ”

Hubble nodded. "I hear you shouting," he said, putting away the dagger and putting the wood in the bag. "Are you defending Quesu in your dream?"

Robert couldn't help but frown as he thought about it. Trembling in the cold wind, he clutched his cloak and put on his hood. "Do you know where we are?" he asked Hubble.

"The plains say we're on the Dongxian Road," the dwarf replied. He stretched on the icy ground and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. "An old road. There was one before the cataclysm. ”

"I don't think we're lucky enough to make this path – just enough to get to the Dragon's Lair on the edge of the lonely land, do we?"

"River Breeze really doesn't think so. The dwarf replied half-consciously. "He said it had only been a stretch on it before, but at least it allowed us to cross the mountains. He stretched vigorously and flipped over the cloak that was resting on his pillow.