Chapter 49: The Girl
The moment of star-gaze was fleeting, and as soon as Zar landed, he carried the girl's head on his back and ran away in the direction of the lower stream without looking back. Many of the choices flashed through his mind in this brief moment, and the reason for finally taking the lead down the river was that the downward terrain would give full play to the strength of his feet, and the undulating rocks on the bank would minimize the forward deceleration of the horses.
And Lopero, as the leader of the chasing army, immediately made the wisest choice. "Leave one man to gather the horses, and the others dismount and chase after me!" he shouted, jumping off his horse, galloping a few steps before jumping towards the stream, the mage flying above the water was suddenly enveloped in several twisted streamers, and looked as if he was attracted by space and fluctuated and stretched.
The swirling streamer suddenly shot out, and when the mage's figure reappeared from the void, it had fallen to the other side of the stream, and followed Zal's steps! The Brotherhood's men shouted loudly, wading across the river, far behind the mage.
Running at the front, Zal ran between the rocks on the shore, constantly changing direction with the direction of the stream, and the shouts from behind him stimulated his nerves, pushing all his senses and physical abilities to the limit.
This was already the worst outcome, and Zal thought that his plan was only half accomplished, and the other half had cornered himself. For a seasoned tracker, any unnatural movement will arouse suspicion from the other party, and the trap left for the other party will become a trap for the other party to defeat themselves in the blink of an eye...... Today, Zal was taught a good lesson.
The surrounding scenery sped backwards in sight, and Zal kept thinking of any way he could get rid of his pursuers. Such an escape is doomed to fail, and as his physical strength gradually declines, the pursuers behind him will catch up with him sooner or later. And then, give it a go, and confront yourself head-on with a battlemage and a couple of killers with ballistas. What are the odds of victory? No more than 30 percent, Zar quickly gave the answer, because this is not a place with a narrow environment, and in the end he can only be besieged to death.
The stream beside him gradually became turbulent at some point, and many rocks on the surface of the water blocked the castration of the river. Pale splashes hit the surface of the rushing water. The downhill riverbed pulls up steps between the undulating terrain, and a series of low waterfalls break up the stream and scatter it on the river.
Zal was still running wildly with the girl on his back, and the complicated terrain made his progress more and more difficult. With a sudden change of direction, Zar stepped on a boulder, spun over the corner of the woodland on the shore, and onwards, his vision suddenly cleared up in a majestic trill.
I saw that the original dense forest had retreated to both sides. All the rocks on the shore have been replaced by stones of various sizes. And the rushing river came together again, and became more and more imposing, like a herd of horses chasing the strong wind in the field, whistling and crashing, rolling and surging forward.
In the distance behind them, the pale blue sky before sunset and the waterfall playing a magnificent movement took over everything between heaven and earth. Roaring, it will be like a river of silver through the forest. Pushed to the end of the riverbed!
In an instant, Zhal's heart sank to the bottom, although his pace was still resolute and fast, but an unexpected word came to his mind - no end, forced to a dead end!
The mage, who was following closely behind, smiled. Laughing maniacally. "Run, damn the shrun, keep running! hahaha...... I'll watch you run!" His gaze was gilded with excitement, as if he had been unexpectedly favored by the Lord God. And the Brotherhood men who turned the corner smiled equally when they saw the change ahead. Laughing.
"Waterfall, there's a waterfall ahead!Let's see, what else can this guy do?!hahaha......"
"He's carrying a woman on his back? I'm afraid there's something wrong with this guy's brain!"
"Conscience, my man, that's conscience, but I doubt he'll hate his conscience now!"
"Hahaha......"
The mage chased after her, staring at the girl who was carrying Zhal's back. "Hurry up!" he shouted at his men who were left behind, a hint of cruelty on his face. "Pull it on, brothers! Whoever is the first to stop this kid will be the first to that girl! The Lord God is above, maybe she is still a virgin!" Lopero smiled fiercely, he knew Zal's strength, and he knew that the other party would definitely rebel in a desperate situation, he needed cannon fodder to fill his life, and he didn't mind using the girl as a fuse for ignition!
Sure enough, as soon as his words fell, a roar of excitement erupted from behind, and all the Brotherhood's subordinates collectively accelerated, as if they had taken a puff of "sweet wax", and rushed forward frantically. With this momentum, they will soon be able to overtake the mage and chase after Zhar.
All the words poured into Zal's ears, but his mind did not fluctuate in the slightest, and even calmed down. The more desperate the situation, the more he can't panic, that will only give the enemy more chances, he always remembered what the half-elf said. Looking at the waterfall that was getting closer and closer in front of him, countless thoughts flashed through his brain.
Suddenly, Zal's brow furrowed, and his clenched teeth carved two sharp lines into his cheeks. He ran wildly, hugged the girl from behind to his chest, and with all his strength, rushed straight towards the waterfall in front of him!
"What is he going to do?!" the mage screamed from behind, immediately guessing Zal's intentions. "Shoot the arrows! Stop him! Stop him!!" He even roared, and the light blue ice mist condensed in his hand frantically flung out, accompanied by the shouts and curses of the men beside him, sharp ice picks and a tuft of arrows struck at Zal!
The wind was blowing backwards, and the long hazel hair fluttered in the wind, and Zal's figure fell to the ground like a leopard running through the woods, rushing to the edge of the waterfall. Behind him, countless crossbow bolts followed his footsteps, forward, and forward! All the scenery was instantly empty in sight, and in the deafening roar, in the water at the end of the river, in the smoke and mist that smashed into the sky, he saw a jungle canopy covering the distance!
Stepping on the last stone under his feet, under the incredulous gaze of the pursuers, Zal leaped forward, and the warm glow of the western sky plated a bright circle of light on him, and time seemed to stand still. Slowing down, flying bolts chased after him, crystalline ice picks slicing across his shoulders. Stunned, silent, shocked, frightened...... Faces with different expressions were painted on the faces of the pursuers behind them.
Time passed for a moment, and Zarding's figure in the air fell suddenly, and the arrow feathers swept over his head, together. disappeared from everyone's sight. The suspense of life and death can sometimes only be left to fate, and that's the only thing that comes to Zal's mind when he jumps out of the waterfall......
When the mage and his men chased them to the edge of the waterfall, they could only watch the column of water rushing down, and stood there stiffly. No one knows if Zar will survive or if Zar will fall to his death, everything can only be determined by going around to the bottom of the waterfall.
The problem is that it is basically impossible to go around this nearly 100-foot waterfall immediately. The terrain of the entire jungle is cut off here. If you want to get to the bottom of the waterfall, it will take at least a few hours. Moreover, it was about to get dark, but anyone with a little experience of survival in the wild knew that if you wanted to touch the cliffs on both sides at night, it was no different from suicide.
Everyone silently closed their mouths, not even daring to look at the trembling mage, and even Raniere, who was in charge of tracking, carefully retreated to the back. He didn't want to frown at this time. Live or die, the fact that once again let Zal run away stung Lopero deeply. His face was gloomy, and a pair of fire-breathing eyes stared at the waterfall that rushed out of the cliff, and after a long time, a fierce voice squeezed out from between his teeth. "Zar ......!!!"
At the same time, Zar could barely open his eyes as the waterfall fell rapidly, and the howling wind and the roar of the waterfall flattened everything in his mind. He could only try to maintain his position, holding the girl in his arms, for the possible impact of entering the water. If there was a deep pool below, they would be rescued, if it was a shallow beach full of strange rocks. Then there is no need to chase the soldiers, they will be thrown to death......
Apparently, the god of fate was on their side this time. After an extremely long and seemingly short feeling of weightlessness, the loud sound of slamming into the water and the cold chill instantly enveloped Zal's whole body. I struggled to open my eyes, and all I could see was a bright green patch, and bubbles that covered everything, countless bubbles.
Zar resisted the undercurrent in the water, grabbed the girl's wrist, and struggled to dive towards the perimeter of the waterfall into the deep pool. When the pressure on her head dropped sharply, Zar held the girl's head and lifted it desperately to the surface. A moment later, with the bubbles of the big canopy, the girl's cheeks first burst out of the water, and then the sound of Zal's rapid inhalation rang out as it arched out of the water.
Coughing violently, the roar from his head and the mist that smashed all around him almost made Zal faint, one arm around the girl, and the other arm kept drenching the water, and Zal dragged the girl and swam towards the shore.
By the time Zal dragged the girl out of the pool, he was exhausted. Wheezing violently, lying flat on the shallows, Zal looked at the waterfall and laughed as if he had gone mad. To be honest, he didn't know what the mage's expression was like now, but he knew that from this moment on, their tracking was a temporary failure, and after today's night, it would not be so simple to find himself.
Struggling to get up, Zar took one last look at the waterfall overhead, picked up the girl, and turned and ran into the dense forest next to her. In fact, he still has a lot to do, and escaping from the pursuers behind him is only the first step.
After walking through the forest for a long time, Zal found a dry and flat place and leaned the girl against a large tree. He needed to quickly light a fire before the girl's body dewarmed, and then treat the wound. Otherwise, she wouldn't have survived tonight.
Thinking of this, Zar unwrapped the package around his waist and took out the hooded cloak from it. As expected, the leather on the carriage seats was waterproof, and the contents were not soaked at all. A small bundle of wire, bridle parts, solid lamp oil, and flint and steel were pulled out of the inner pocket of the cloak, and the cloak was placed over the girl, and she turned around and dived into the jungle.
He needed to find dry leaves to make a fire, preferably the one with a lot of fiber, and the Renon tree, which was more common on the continent of Eloline, which was the best material for starting a fire, very clean and easy to burn, and more importantly, it burned without smoke and the smell of smoke was extremely light, and if possible, he also needed to lay a simple trap on the way to find the materials, and if he could catch some small animals such as hares or pheasants, then today's dinner would be solved.
He remembered the half-elves' rule of survival in the jungle - clean water, plenty of food, and a good night's sleep, three things that would make you live longer.
After a few moments in the forest, when Zar returned to their makeshift camp, he had in his hand a large bundle of branches and leaves of the Renon tree tied with reins, and a few of the most harmless and very fresh Goro fruits, a round lilac fruit, about the size of a baby's fist, tender and juicy, which the half-elves had listed as one of the most desirable foods in the survival lessons they had taught Zal.
The fire pit was quickly dug up, and Zal spread a large amount of crumpled dead leaves and a small piece of solid lamp oil in it, and then quickly "extinguished" a series of flying sparks on the flint. Soon, with a soft whirl, the dead leaves in the fire pit ignited a small cheerful flame.
The branches and leaves of the Renon tree were carefully intertwined, and the orange flames, which symbolized the warmth, slowly burned in the fire, and finally became more and more vigorous, and in the crisp crackling sound, the tumbling heat wave quickly surged around. And Zal's face finally showed a smile that he hadn't seen for a long time after a long time.
At this moment, one or two faint coughs came from the direction of the big tree behind them. Zal was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly looked back, only to see the girl's body wrapped in the cloak shaking, as if there were some signs of waking up. Soon, her eyelashes trembled, and she finally opened her eyes with difficulty—blank, weak, but somewhat sharp black eyes.
Her gaze wandered for only a moment, and then fell on Zhal's body, and for some reason, Zal felt as if the girl knew herself, and then, the first words of the escape, floated out from under the girl's veil. "I kind of regret it...... I'm coming to you for myself...... Zar ......, "Well, it sounds a bit of a joke. (To be continued......)
PS: Thank you for the monthly pass on the river! Thank you, compass thank you! In addition, the "feet" in this book are feet in Chinese, and I will not explain more in the future.