When they finally reached the valley that surrounded the basket village, night fell. In the light of the moon and the light of the fire, they saw thorny vines, thick and pointed, overgrown with everything. Vines and branches intertwined together to form a tangle several feet high, stretching in all directions to the tree line, covering every inch of land. The thorns even grew up to the walls of the village, making it look like a huge tree stump covered in moss. The thorns are too thick, A

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Okles can't even see the road and the door.

From the center of town, thick gray smoke continued to rise, tumbling toward the stars in a huge column. Androclus thought that if it had been any higher, the gods would have choked on it tomorrow morning.

Androcles drew his sword and approached the brambles, trying to cut a path. However, the thorns do not form a flat wall. While the spines grew above his head in most places, there were some places where the spines were only a few inches tall and he could walk through. It won't be pleasant, but it's also not fatal. Possible.

"Wolf sca

I need you to fly directly in front of me, closer to the ground so I can see where to go. Gabby, come here, girl. You're on my shoulder. The girl looked dejected and exhausted, but he couldn't just wrap her in a blanket and throw her into the bushes for safekeeping. He put his backpack aside, tied the horse with a long rope, and tied the knife for the children to his belt. Then he put Gabi on his shoulder, prepared his vaulting horse and spear, and said, "Let's go."

Wolf Scar himself looked a little tired, and he dutifully flew a foot above the ground, lighting the path. Bears roam among the brambles and vines outside; Androx could hear their snorts and growls as they walked around. Although he tried to avoid stepping on thorns, it was impossible to come out unscathed. Soon, he had more than a dozen cuts and puncture wounds on his feet and ankles, and he was bleeding profusely. At one point, a particularly long puncture pierced his sandals and pierced his big toe joint. He cursed so loudly that he almost threw Gabi off, but she grabbed him by the hair and kept her on his shoulder. That's not pleasant either.

"That gorgons made me as tender as a piece of meat." The bear didn't have sandals, he realized. They will be very angry. If he's lucky, he'll falter.

They continued to walk, and with each step, Androx's feet became rougher and rougher. He wondered if the scavengers would hear his prayers at such a distance from the church. Suddenly, the fairy stopped. "Look! There are no thorns! He pointed.

A

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Okles looked and saw that ahead was a bare piece of land, only a few feet wide, but devoid of brambles and vines. The tree spread out in his direction as the bare earth moved towards him. As it got closer, he could really see the vines twist and sink into the ground. He frowned, wondering if it really had anything to do with the road cleaner, until the bear rushed towards him.

Wolf sca

Seeing it first, he screamed and ran to A

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Behind Okles, the light was obscured so he couldn't see. Luckily, he heard the thump of the beast's claws and secured the jump in time. He knocked the bear out of the stomach with a solid copper wall and stabbed it twice, unsure if he had caused damage. It stepped back and yelled at him.

"Wolf sca

I can't see it!" A

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Okles shouted.

"I'm sorry! The fairy replied, she flew behind Gabi, probably peeking over her shoulder or something. That didn't help much. The bear slammed it, and he blocked it with his foot.

"Fly above the bear!"

"But it's going to bite me!"

"It can't fly!" You can! Get up there! Or give up your balls and sticks because you're not a man!"

"But ......!" All right! The fairy shouted resolutely. He flew about 20 feet overhead, just above the bear, and made himself brighter. When he saw that it was safe, he flew a little lower. Not much, but a little.

The bear roared, shouted, circled. A

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Okles plunged the spear into the bear's head, but the tip of the spear was bounced open by the bear's hard skull, leaving only a shallow wound. It pounced on him, and he hit it in the face with a bullet, hitting it very loudly. It slid its claws over and over again, trying to jump on top of him and knock him to the ground. Andex spotted the opportunity and slammed the edge of the jumper into its ear, seemingly knocking it unconscious. However, the blow almost knocked him off balance.

He realizes that if he doesn't get rid of Gabi, he'll be taken down. He tucked his spear in the crook of his shield's arm, reached out and grabbed Galby, and cried out, "Let go of me, girl! Feet on the ground, stand back!" Then he threw her as far as he could, aiming for the farthest piece of thornless land. She screamed, slammed to the ground, and fell silent. The fairy's light faltered, but he didn't move.

The bear pounced, and he repelled it with his jumper, stabbing it in the neck and shoulder. Just as he wondered if he had broken her neck, Gabi howled in pain, screaming in quick bursts. Judging by the sound, he beat her breath to the ground, and she may be out of breath for a moment. Hopefully nothing breaks.

"Stand above the bear, fairy!" He shouted, at this time Wolf sca

I was about to go over to check on her. The fairy nodded firmly and returned to his place. Then he closed his eyes and clenched his fists to make himself brighter.

Bears have proven to be a formidable enemy. A

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Okles can't pierce its skull with a spear, and its neck is a hard target. He couldn't get around it to prick it in the stomach and try to find its heart. He wanted to strangle it, but it had claws. He needed to keep some distance from it—the beast was heavier than he was. If it knocks him over, he'll get trapped under the jump and lose the game. Will he risk murder? This could further harm Ga

bi。

He waits for another opportunity to attack the bear with the edge of his shield - which is risky because every time he turns his shield to attack, he is exposed. The bear circled around him, roaring, pounced on him, trying to rush at him, and he finally saw his chance. He threw the edge of the jumper again at the bear's ear, but instead of hitting, he grabbed it by the neck. The bear didn't slow down in the slightest and bit Androx's neck with his teeth. He took a few steps back, trying to dodge it, but tripped and fell on a bumpy patch of ground.

The bear stepped on the shield, held it down, and pounced on him with its paws. He quickly lowered his spear, loosened the latch from his shield, pulled his arm from his belt, and rolled out, just in time not to be bitten. Androcles stood up and drew his sword—the sword was too long; If he stabs the bear, the bear rolls and he may lose the handle.

Then he walked in and slammed the bear in the face with all his strength. Although the bear's head flicked back, it didn't seem to be hurt and pounced on him again, its teeth clenched. A

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Okles jumped back again, just enough far enough not to be bitten, and then stabbed it in the neck behind its ear. He punctured the fur, but not deep enough.

It pounced on him with two more claws, and he stepped forward to grab 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 the ribs in the back of its arm several times. The knife was slippery with blood, but the bear didn't slow down in the slightest. It rolled onto him, biting his face. He pushed his mouth away with his elbows, then twitched hard and stretched his legs to his chest. He kicked up with all his strength and pushed the bear away.

He stood up, pounced on it, and stabbed it in the neck with two knives. This time, blood gushed out as he pulled them apart with one knife after another. The bear was unsteady on his feet and soon collapsed. He kicked it in the jaw again, and it growled weakly. He could see its heartbeat gushing from the blood gushing from its neck. Soon, it fell.

He wiped the blood from the dirt with his hand and went to check on Gabi. She sat up, folded her arms, and grimaced in pain. Panting, he asked, "Are you alright, girl?" What's wrong with your arm?"

"I think it's broken," she said, gritting her teeth. "I sure am."

"Wolf sca

Come closer, let me see clearly. What are you doing there?"

"I'm checking to see if there's still a bear, but it's not. Princess, are you okay? The fairy said he sounded worried when he saw her holding her arm.

Her arm was not visibly broken, but it was very bruised. She landed on a stone. After examining her to make sure she wasn't hiding any other damage, he picked up the unpleasant stone. "This stone," he said, throwing it into the darkness, "will be taken by the crows!" Come on, let's go. ”

Gabi doesn't need much encouragement; As soon as the bear stopped breathing, the spines began to grow back to their original positions. Androx frowned, carried her to his shoulders, and quickly picked up his shield and packed before they were grown.

"I did as you say!" So I can keep these! Wolf sca

As he spoke, he lifted his robe and pointed to his childhood.

"It's too early to say, little fairy." It's not over tonight. Androx said with a half-grin. Let's go, lead the way. ”

The fairy continued to lead the way, with Androx following. "I won't let you cut it anyway!" Then it hurts!"

"yes, you can't do that to him!" That's despicable! Gabi agreed, sounding worried.

"No, it's not. If you show cowardice, they will shrink and fall on their own," Androx said wittily. If Nikon was there, he would have leaned back with a smile. It's a pity that he died. Come to think of it, he'd heard Diokles say something like that before. It's a pity that he also died.

His smile quickly faded as the thorn began to bite his ankle again. In order to be able to get rid of them temporarily, it may be worth wrestling with another bear. Well, maybe not.

Gabby and Wolf Sca

Silence, either from weariness or contemplation. Frankly, both were okay because he wanted to hear the bear's voice.

While it should be only half a mile from the edge of the woods to the gate, it seems to take a long time. Part of it was the winding road they had to take; Part of the reason was that the vines made him careful with every step; Some are cold autumn nights; Partly due to the exhaustion after a hard day of traveling, they all wanted a soft and warm bed.

However, an ominous premonition unswells him and keeps him moving. When he heard the sound of dozens of bears moving towards the gate, 20 paces on each side of him, a shot of adrenaline helped him move faster. As he approached the gate, he could hear them, many of them humming and roaring, walking around, waiting for him.

Finally, he reached the gate. The thorns had receded, leaving a small clearing in front of it. There were indeed dozens of bears waiting for him, all standing in a row, unnaturally motionless and engrossed. Wolf sca

When he saw it, he whimpered and immediately retreated to A

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Behind Okles. As his light faded, all Anchors could see was the faint red glow in their eyes, floating in the darkness like a child's nightmare. Gabby gasped and whimpered, and he suddenly felt something wet on his back, as if she had lost water. Lovely.

"Wolf sca

I need light. ”A

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Okles said.

The fairy nervously said, "I forgot, because there are bears." With that, he flew a few feet in front of Androx, and then a few yards higher so that he couldn't reach it. "It's scary!" He grumbled.

"Be brave, little one!" Don't let anything important fall off. "How could he have escaped this in the moonlight?

When they started moving towards him, he knew he had no choice. He clutches Gabi's leg tightly to keep her from falling, and then releases his murderous intent. Although he was exhausted, a hot and fierce wind blew and drenched the bears. He could see that when it hit them, they swarmed away.

Wolf sca

Falling from the sky, suddenly than A

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Okles saw even more gloom. He rushed out and grabbed the fairy before he hit the ground. He was completely paralyzed, his eyes closed. Gabby fell backwards, leaving Andrx trying to grab one of her ankles. He realizes that the bear is not running away, and when he is distracted, his killing intent is gone.

"You're going to kill her before I do, little one." Mary said she came out of the shadows and stood near the gate. Without the light of the wolf scar, he couldn't see anything clearly, only her general shape and her eyes glowing like burning blood. "You think you're strong, but that's a disservice. You're bleeding from us," she said with a laugh. Her voice was like many bears roaring at the same time, and he didn't know if the bears were really talking.

What exactly does she mean? Strength is strength, and wounds are wounds. It is impossible for one thing to do both.

"Come on. Look what I did. You'll know I'm Mary. The gate opened automatically, and the bears stepped back to make a way. The goddess is gone.

Passing through the gate, he could see the long path leading to the center of the village, where a raging fire was raging. He carefully grabbed Galby, tucked the fairy on his belt, and ran out of the gate, not wanting to test the bear's obedience to his master. They followed him in, only a few feet away, biting and yelling at him.

He ran to the center of the village and when he realized what he was seeing, he suddenly stopped. The fire burned a huge pile of coal on which the skeletons of what looked like hundreds of people were built. The flames soared into the sky, blazing hot and furious. New vines grow into the fire over and over again, allowing the fire to keep burning.

Mali walked out of the fire, this time with empty bones. Then her flesh appeared, wrapping itself like a cloth. A dress made of patches of skin appeared, obscuring her body.

"I ate everything I could catch. There are a lot of them. One by one, I licked the flesh off their bones. It makes me strong. Their souls writhing and tumbling in my stomach. It's going to be a part of me soon. ”

Andrx tried to stare at her with one eye and the other at Gabi, who gasped for breath and went limp. Wolf Scar twitched, as if trying to come to his senses.

Mari spotted the fairy on his belt and laughed happily: "Old fairy! They are very difficult to catch. They are also delicious. I know this. These make me very strong. ”

Although his mouth was dry, he had to force himself, he asked, "Where are my children?" You said you would eat it in front of me. Where are they?"

"I'll eat first. It was the woman who gave it to me. She smiles when I eat and screams when I eat her. Does this make you miserable?"

His strength began to waver, and his knees became wet and flabby. Only one day would he dare to imagine that he had enough strength to keep them. Only one day. Gotzo

e is a fool; There is no happiness for those who are cursed by the gods. He tried to strengthen his resolve, but instead of anger, only despair. Despair.

He tried to evoke his murderous intent, but he didn't. He was almost exhausted. He looked at the goddess, who must have seen it in his face, for she pointed at him and laughed mockingly. Then she pounced on him and slapped him in the chin; He didn't even see her approaching. She knocked him to the ground with a punch, her face burning and her ears ringing. He could taste the blood, and his vision blurred.

"Where are the people who challenged me?" Is he the one lying in the dust? She said, her voice full of viciousness. "Lift him up." She commanded. Without warning, the two bears bit him deeply on the arm, then stood up and helped him up. He kicked his legs, trying to break free, until the two wolves each grabbed him by the ankle and pinned him down. He gasped in pain, and he could feel their saliva mixing with his blood, soaking his robes.

Mary's leather coat turned into a swirl of pink petals, swirling wildly around her, as if blown by a storm. Her hair was jet black and shiny, like obsidian, and she had a look of triumph and contentment on her face. He could feel the wolf scar wrying on his belt, and soon the fairy was free, staggering into the air. Mary frowned, and the thin vines chased him up, trying to catch him, but the fairy spotted them just in time and flew high into the air, disappearing among the stars.