Chapter 2: Escape
"The dragon's rule is chaotic and disorderly, and the dragons never care about the well-being of their people, nor do they care about the economy and production in their realms, but if their territories stop or reduce their provisions, the dragons will destroy them completely...... The only thing the dragons care about is the tributary every ten years and their personal "little hobbies", so the dragons are more vicious roadrage than evil kings. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 info”
- From "The Age of the Dragons" by Sharti Israg
Haredith put his felt hat back on, fastened his wide cloak, and completely concealed himself under his clothing, which didn't scorch his skin like the other drows, but the feeling of being burned by the sun wasn't a pleasant thing.
Drow walked out of the tavern and quickly left the avenue and hid in the alleys crisscrossed Manuka, knowing full well what his head could be sold for from the Archon, and he wouldn't venture into the bounty union full of hungry wolves if it weren't for the information.
Drow dexterously and skillfully uses the shadows cast by the house to roam the meager darkness to conceal his dangerous identity. It's not so much a skill as an instinct honed over more than 130 years of constant fugitive. If the dragon slayer dares to raise his weapon against the dragon, it is for the huge treasure behind the dragon and to win the reputation of the dragon slayer, but for the drow, the reason for killing a drow is only because he is a drow, and the reason for killing a cockroach or a mouse is no different, not to mention that someone pays a handsome reward to make up for it afterwards, why not?
Hareddick quickly shuttled through the dark alleys, because his whole body was covered by sun-shading clothes, so that Haredith could not feel the flow of air with his skin, and could only listen to the nearby sounds as much as possible, but at the same time, Haredith was very grateful to this city built in the desert, due to the heat and burning of the day, whether it was on the street or in this kind of dark alley, there were few people. It is only in the cold night that Manuka, which is like a dead city during the day, comes alive.
Suddenly, the lines of the air began to distort slightly, and an icy sensation from the blade crept down on Haredik's throat. Haredidic, who had been on the alert, noticed this immediately, and he slammed the brakes and flicked his right elbow backwards vigorously, but unexpectedly swung it into the air. Haredith, who had misjudged it, didn't pause, but with a swing of his elbow, he dodged the invisible blade with a roll. But before Haredith could recover his senses, a strong wind mixed with the sound of noisy footsteps unabashedly attacked him from his left. In a hurry, Haredik's body did not regain its balance, and he could not rely on his dexterity to dodge this attack, so he could only pull out the double knives at his waist and cross them in front of his chest, and block the blow forcefully. Drow's thin body was knocked out with no force, and Haredik's chest churned, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Despite the sneak attack, Haredik's mind did not panic because of this, but quickly calculated everything.
Judging from the two attacks just now, the other party was two people, one was an assassin with dexterous and silent steps, and the other was a warrior with a large weapon, and from the strength of the second attack, it could be seen that this kind of strange power could not be possessed by ordinary people, only those barbarians who lived in the north had this strange power. I didn't see anyone in the two attacks just now, so they were possessed with invisibility and other magic, so there should be a wizard nearby. ...,
"Fireball Technique!" Before Hareddyk could hit the ground, a huge fireball suddenly appeared from the air and flew towards him.
"Sure enough!" Hareddick, confirming his thoughts, tore his cloak in the air, blocking himself from the huge fireball that was flying towards him. The cloak was solidly concentrated by the large fireball, and strangely enough, the flames generated by the large fireball quickly burned the entire cloak, and Haredik, who was protected by the cloak, was not harmed in the slightest. Hareddick quickly took off the flaming cloak and tossed it aside, and after landing on the ground, he looked in the direction where the fireball was fired, and a middle-aged wizard in gray robes was looking at the unscathed Drow with a somewhat surprised expression.
Haredith didn't give him time to grow his mouth, ignoring the two invisible killers near him, and swung his twin knives at the wizard as fast as he could. The wizard only smiled slightly when he saw Drow coming towards him, and quickly chanted a spell in his mouth, stretched out his hands and shouted, "Dragon Scales!"
After casting the magic, the wizard used his slender and pale hands to grasp two scimitars that were coming at him, and the scimitars struck the wizard's palms and not only cut them off, but made a "clang" sound, like on the steel plate of a machete.
Haredik took a few steps back, and couldn't help but let go of the twin knives and shook his wrists in pain, and the middle-aged wizard's hands holding the scimitars were slightly hard to shatter the two scimitars made of stainless steel. Haredith secretly complained in his heart, although he had expected the risk before deciding to go to the Bounty Guild Tavern, he never expected to meet a high-level wizard who could perform invisibility for others, and even use dragon scales.
But he couldn't help but think about the situation now, the two stealthy warriors behind him had already caught up, and Haredith could clearly feel the wind pressure from the swing of a heavy weapon coming towards the back of his head. He quickly staggered his steps to avoid the attack, and the ground where Haredith had been standing had been smashed by the bounty man with his weapon, a mark that resembled a tomahawk slash.
Before Haredit could think more, another shock came from his abdomen, as if he had been stabbed hard by a wooden stick, and the pain was intense. The attack apparently came from another silent assassin who tried to sneak up on the damned drow with his blade while Hareddick dodged his companion's attack, but Hareddick was shielded from the blade by a pair of armor on his abdomen.
Haredith held back the pain in his abdominal muscles and kicked in front of him, this time Hareddick didn't kick into the air, but instead kicked the invisible bounty man solidly. The bounty man let out a "uh-huh" moan, but there was no sound of him falling to the ground, and it seemed that the force of Hareddick's kick did not knock him out.
"Rope trick!" a thick rope that appeared at Hareddick's feet at an unknown moment wrapped around his right ankle like a snake, and pulled it violently backwards towards the sky. Haredith was knocked to the ground by the rope on his ankle, and was suspended in the air about two stories in the air.
"It's worthy of a high-level wizard, this kind of spell like a wizard's apprentice game is so sharp to use. Hareddick's mind turned, but now was not the time to admire the enemy, the other end of the rope that hung Haredith suddenly attacked him with a strange twist in mid-air, Hareddic knew that this wizard wanted to tie himself up with a rope to capture him alive, after all, a living drow elf is worth a lot more than a dead one.
Hareddick pulled out the dagger he had at his waist, then lifted half of his body with a leg of his belly, and with the dagger, he cut the thick rope that hung him, and fell vertically from two stories in the air. Hareddik tried to maintain a good landing position in the air, but the space was too small, and he was already in front of him halfway through the ground. ...,
With a "poof", Haredik fell to the ground, although Haredik's bones were a little painful, and his internal organs were constantly churning due to the impact, but overall the injury was not as serious as expected. Haredith looked down to see that he was levitating about a cubit in the air, and to the touch of his body he seemed to be sitting on someone's body. It turned out that Hareddick was trapped by the wizard's magic just now, and the other two invisible bounty buyers relaxed when they thought the big fish had been caught, and gathered under Hareddick to see what was going on, but Hareddick actually cut the rope and got out and fell, just hitting a bounty player below him.
The middle-aged wizard obviously didn't expect Hareddick to be able to get out of his spell, and looked a little stunned, but Hareddick didn't give him time to be stunned, and he threw the dagger in his hand towards the wizard's eyes. It can be seen from the looming scale armor on the wizard's skin that the effect of the dragon scale spell just cast has not yet expired, but this spell that makes the wizard invulnerable also has a blind spot, that is, the eyes that are not covered by skin.
Seeing the dagger flying towards his eyes, the wizard instinctively dodged to the right, and the dagger grazed the corner of his eye and made a metallic "clang" sound, passing through the corner of the wizard's eye. The middle-aged wizard was frightened into a cold sweat by the dagger thrown by Haredith, and he was just a little bit away from his own eyes. And it was this frightening moment that the concentration field that the wizard had maintained since the start of the war collapsed instantly, and the magic he had cast was naturally all invalid, and the other two bounties that had been hiding in the air finally emerged.
A halfling in brown light leather armor and armed with a bayonet sword stood about two paces away from Haredik, and beneath Haredik sat a dwarf who was apparently unconscious, with a cyan beard and heavy armor.
"Human, halfling, dwarf?? Thinking of this, Harleydick couldn't help but glance at the halfling with hairy feet, "No wonder I didn't hear any footsteps in the two sneak attacks, damn the halfling." ”
The halfling realized that the invisibility spell he had cast on him had lost its effect, and instead of panicking, he slashed at Hareddick with his sword, and the middle-aged wizard was obviously a seasoned veteran, and his hands began to wave to cast a spell.
"Don't move, or the life of this keg will be over!" Hareddick threatened, pulling out another dagger from his waist and pressing it against the unconscious dwarf neck.
The middle-aged wizard and the halfling man immediately froze when they heard this, and stood there looking at Hareddick viciously, "Despicable Drow!" the middle-aged wizard roared.
Haredik smiled coldly and didn't answer, but he was also greatly relieved in his heart, it seems that these three people are not temporary partners, but companions who cherish each other's lives.
"Halfling, throw away your weapon, and this archmage please raise your hands high, I'm really scared of you. Haredith commanded the two of them, gesturing his dagger at the dwarf's neck.
The two bounties looked at each other, then at the dwarf lying on the ground, and could only obediently do as Hareddick said. Hareddick didn't dare to delay either, although there was no one on this street, there were definitely not only a few of the wolves who came out from the union tavern to catch him for a bounty, and if there was another group of people, they would not care about the safety of this dwarf.
"Turn around, quick!" Harradik ordered again.
"Drow, give up, you can't do without Manuka!" the middle-aged wizard turned as Haredith commanded, but said loudly.
But the drow elves behind them did not answer, and the wizard shouted a few more words, and immediately turned his head when he realized that something was wrong, and the whole street was empty, and the dwarf still had Hareddic on it. ...,
The middle-aged wizard and the halfling hurriedly ran to the dwarf's side to check on the dwarf's injuries.
"Mr. Lennahim! "Mr. Naheim!" The middle-aged wizard was anxious to wake up the dwarf, and the halfling on the other side checked the dwarf's injuries and said to the wizard, "Hey, Ed, don't worry, old Abbeck was just knocked unconscious by that drow." ”
The middle-aged wizard breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and with a little effort, they finally woke up the unconscious old dwarf. When the dwarf knew that he hadn't caught the drow, and that the drow was able to escape because of his own reasons, he couldn't help but curse.
The middle-aged wizard named Ed watched the old dwarf sit on the ground like a child and lose his temper, and shrugged helplessly as he looked at the halfling.
"Mr. Lennerheim, can you lend me your axe? After the dwarf was a little discouraged, the wizard Ed said.
The dwarf angrily handed his tomahawk to the wizard, while the halfling gathered around and asked curiously, "Ed, what do you want old Abbeck's axe for?" He winked at the dwarf.
The little taunt immediately jumped to his feet, pounced on the halfling, rolled on the ground and scuffled. Ed took the dwarven tomahawk, then took out an orange piece of cloth, wiped the blood stains that Hareddick had just spurted on the tomahawk, and said, "Gustavo, Mr. Lennahim, don't fight, this axe can allow us to find that drow and spare some strength to deal with him." ”
Hearing this, the halflings and dwarves immediately stopped fighting, and gathered around the wizard in sand to see what the wizard was going to do next.
Ed wiped the blood from the tomahawk and pulled out a scroll full of runes. Ed tore the scroll open and laid it flat on the ground, then twisted the drow bloodstained piece of cloth against the scroll and said, "Find a target!"
Eddard's blood dripped on the scroll, and the scroll rippled like water, and when the ripples dissipated, straight lines emerged from the edge of the scroll, and then quickly began to swim on the scroll to outline a map of Manuka.
"He's here. Ed said, pointing to a red dot on the scroll.
Gustavo the halfling and Alberk the dwarf showed a look of surprise and admiration, and just wanted to say something to express their admiration, when they suddenly found that the red dots on the scroll began to increase rapidly along a straight line, and these suddenly increased red dots also began to move slowly, and in the end, it was impossible to tell which red dot was Harleydick.
Ed glanced at the two of them, spread his hands and said helplessly, "Despicable Drow." ”
Now that he already knew that there was a wizard on the other side, Hareddick naturally would not run for his life stupidly, and while fleeing for his life, he secretly wiped his blood stains on the bodies of people who passed by him, which had confused the search of wizards. By this time, the number of bounties had grown to search for Haredik, and when the sun set on Gronika and the moon rose on Moira, the guards of the Archon Manuica joined in the search for Drow.
Haredith quietly lifted the corner of the curtain and observed the movement outside the house, the room he was in had been carefully searched by the bounty and the guards, and just as the bounty guests and the guards had left the house, Hareddick quietly touched in and knocked the owner unconscious and tied him with a thick rope.
If you can't kill, don't kill, this is a lesson that Haredik has learned from years on the run. Just like the three bounties in the morning, they hunted them down for the bounty or their disgust with the Drow elves, and the most they could do when they ran away from them was to chase them again, look for them again, and give up if they couldn't find them. But if you kill that dwarf today, then you will have a deep grudge with these people that can only be washed away with blood, and the trouble will be even greater in the future. Wild dogs are annoying enough, and a bloodthirsty wild dog has no place for them. ...,
The people searching outside the window gradually dispersed, apparently preparing to start searching another neighborhood, leaving only a few people to patrol. Hareddick waited for about half an hour before sneaking out of the house. In the darkness of the night without the blessing of Herus, the Drow elves effortlessly evaded the patrols and quickly stok into a stable on the edge of the city.
Harradidick knocked the guard unconscious and walked softly into the stable, and the horses in the stable were obviously a little frightened when they saw the stranger enter, and they let out a low neigh, shaking their bodies uncomfortably.
Hareditik walked up to a chestnut-colored horse, took a breath and softened his tense face as much as possible, then raised his left hand to the horse and said in a earnest tone, "My name is Haredith Quinn." ”
The millet horse seemed to understand Hareddick's words, looked down at him, and snorted.
Haredith continued: "I am being hunted by humans and my life is threatened, can I get your help to take me out of this city with your horses' hooves that belong to the vast wilderness. ”
After listening to Haredith's request, the millet horse nodded, and then gestured with his horse's mouth to the horse street and the saddle hanging on the wall. "Thank you, Son of the Wild. Haredith bowed his head and thanked the horse, removed the harness from the wall, opened the fence, put the harness on the horse, and rode on.
When Haredik was seated, he didn't need to control it, and he walked out of the stable and ran out of the city. Manuka was not a large city and did not share a border with the human kingdom, so it was neither heavily fortified nor had high walls. The corn horse walked lightly through the dark alleys of Manuka, and in a short time ran out of the city.
Hareditik bent down to the horse's ear and said a place, and the horse shook his body and snorted to signal Hareditious to sit down, then turned his horse's head and galloped south.
Haredik, who was sitting on horseback, didn't turn his head to look at Manuka farther and farther away, but was thinking about how to find the Providential named El Lee. It would take more than a month to travel from Manuka, a desert town in the west, to Yaru, in the east, even if the road is clear, but this act of traveling alone on the mainland is undoubtedly suicide.
No one but the human hero Pretz the Great, who is recited in the minstrels' tales, has ever traversed the continent alone, and the best way to travel is to travel in a group on the treacherous continent of Morchren.
"I hope Azonica has a caravan that suits me by this time......" Hareddick sighed and disappeared into the wilderness with the Corn Horse.
.. Welcome to read the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all original!