Chapter 181 31. Snakes and Dragons
It is normal to have caves and other geographical environments in the dangerous peaks. These caves are usually places where giant beasts and beasts rest and hibernate.
Outside the cave, there is a vast expanse of white snow, which is continuously piled high and low on the ground, sometimes even reaching the waist. Without the cover of vegetation, the peaks and valleys look yellow and desolate, and look desolate. There are some icicles and icebergs around the cave. They are formed by the condensation of water droplets in the cave. They have exquisite structures and are crystal clear. Icicles and ice crystals have different shapes, some are like crystals, and some are like ice souls, which make people feel mysterious and beautiful. But these caves are usually extremely dangerous, usually owned, and are places where giant beasts and beasts rest and hibernate.
The Quicksilver Dragonfly is a small metal dragonfly made under the guidance of Taibok. It can fly over the battlefield and bring vital information to the holder, so to speak. But this small object excavated in Ashoto is far from being as useful as imagined, but it can still be used for exploring caves.
The Suyin Dragonfly quickly flew away. It seemed like a dragonfly, blown by the cold wind, stumbling and floating in the air, and quickly entered the cave.
The dignitaries started betting on what was in the cave, some were betting on everything, and some were betting on nothing in it.
Darkus didn't know what the specific environment in the cave was like. He could only wait quietly for Alyssa to explore. After a long time, the Quick Silver Dragonfly flew out of the cave.
"Sir, it's a hibernating cockatrice." Alyssa shook her head in disappointment.
Regardless of whether they won or lost the bet, the surrounding dignitaries all looked disappointed when they heard it was a cockatrice.
The cockatrice has a very strange shape, with a huge beak and wings, a pair of sharp claws, but the underside of its body looks like a snake, covered with poisonous stingers and red scales. This thing is very, very smart, but also a bit cowardly. It likes to lurk on the edge and has a strong tendency to protect itself. It is an extremely useless beast. Once this thing is cornered and cornered, it will become violent and attack anyone approaching with its claws crazily, as if this can make up for its inner cowardice.
To put it bluntly, it is of no use, and it has no ornamental value even if placed in the arena. The only role that cockatrices can play is to arrange tasks such as trials. It is said that cockatrices in the old world sometimes follow the beastmen to fight, and have evolved to be able to discern the intentions of the Bretonnian master, because The gentlemen of Bretonnia have an indescribable passion for hunting cockatrices. Just like the trend and the direction of the wind, a knighthood seems incomplete without killing a cockatrice, and they are too embarrassed to say hello to other gentlemen.
But this thing also has a unique skill. The piercing scream can echo in the minds of those who survive the fight with it. It can also petrify its enemies with its magical gaze. Unless you can avoid its magical gaze, it can be killed with just one glance. of enemies turned to stone, like Medusa. Those who don't look directly at it will be attacked by its sharp claws and venomous beak. These attacks are enough to pierce armor and break bones. In addition, some cockatrices spit acidic vomit.
"Do you need the eyes of this thing?" Darkus looked at the four sorceresses and asked. The most valuable thing about the Cockatrice is its eyes, a particularly sought-after alchemy material.
The four sorceresses looked at each other before saying anything. Darkus waved his hand directly, since he came anyway, just treat it as hunting.
Soon the animal trainers began to set up the Reaper Ballista and put a large pile of meat at the entrance of the cave. Drusala and Colonia used black magic to defrost it and amplify the smell of the meat and guide it. Float towards the cave.
After a long time, the cockatrice seemed to wake up from hibernation by smelling the scent of meat. After a long time, the cunning cockatrice hissed and slowly crawled out of the cave. Darkus smelled a suffocating stench downwind.
Then there was nothing more. The moment the cold lizards smelled the scent of cockatrices and screamed uncontrollably, reaper ballistae fired at close range, harpoon crossbows, barbed nets and hunting forks with strong iron chains all greeted them. , the cockatrice's first reaction was to run back into the cave, but it was still a step too late. It was unable to move at this time, and was overthrown without even using its unique skills.
You must know that this group of Druchi beast trainers are specially designed to deal with these strange things. The sinister peaks are not a lawless place, and giant beasts are not allowed to run wild.
The ink continued for a while, some were packing up tools, some were unloading cargo on the cockatrices, and the cold lizards were eating the corpses. Maranur even jumped on the Disaster Walker chariot and went around the cave. When he came out, he cursed. There was nothing inside except the disgusting stench and eaten bones. There was no sparkling treasure house or anything sparkling. Glowing ore.
Soon, the team continued to travel through the steep mountain peaks. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise, as if the heaven and earth were shaking, and something seemed to be flying past from high in the sky. They raised their heads to observe, and saw a huge black dragon passing by in the sky. Its body was tens of meters long, and its black scales shone with dazzling light. The Druchi's eyes widened involuntarily, and their hearts were filled with awe and wonder.
Darkus took out the monocular from his belt and looked over. He wanted to confirm whether there was a saddle on the dragon's back and Druch was on it. It might be Barchus, the black dragon of Lacasse. , but it seems that this black dragon doesn’t look like a black dragon? Because the scales of this black dragon were different from those of the black dragons he had seen before. It seemed to be somewhere in the middle?
The black dragon's wings flapped, and its body flew in the air like a black flame. It drew a beautiful arc in the sky, flew into the distance, and gradually disappeared into the clouds.
"Turn!" On the other side, Lacasse, who was wearing the beast armor that was made after the Dark Council, also paid attention to the black dragon. He thought for a moment and then waved the whip of pain and ordered.
"Continue." A group of shadows climbing on the cliff also noticed the black dragon. After the black dragon disappeared from sight, the leader of the shadows spoke in Elvish language that only the shadows could understand.
The team was silent for a while, and no one spoke. They were all shocked by the magnificent sight before them.
"Why is there a black dragon here? And it looks so big?" Cowell couldn't help but speak first, gesticulating as he spoke.
Then the Druchi people began to discuss one after another. You must know that the black dragon is the product of Malekith's secret cultivation. The corrupted and strengthened black magic has infiltrated the dragon's body to create the black dragon. Now Druchi's black dragons are all Su Descendants of Lehe. Did the domesticated black dragons escape or did the black dragons lost during the war thrive freely in the wild?
"Seraphim? It should be Seraphim! I remember that a group of shadows found an unprotected dragon egg nest in the deepest part of the dangerous peaks. Seraphim was the first one to hatch. The ferocious Seraphim Fin was stopped by the sorceress when he broke the eggshells of his other brothers and sisters. After that, Seraphim became Malekith's mount, and Seraphim's brothers and sisters were given to the Dread Lord and Masters of the Black Guard Tower, form an army of Lords of Annihilation!" Darkus did not see the saddle and the rider in his imagination. He began to think carefully. He immediately thought of a possibility, and the time seemed to be correct. on.
"Is it from the Karonde Carl gang?" Maranur asked, turning to look at Darkus who was meditating.
"I didn't see it. It shouldn't be Barchus from Lacas." Darkus knew what his brother meant by asking.
"Sir, looking at the size, it doesn't look like an ordinary black dragon. It seems to be more ancient. I heard the legend of this dragon when I was serving in the stronghold. There are often reports of sightings of black dragons in various strongholds in the north. I didn't expect it to be true. "Yes." Dorian also thought for a long time, and when he saw the opportunity to speak, he cautiously interjected.
"I feel that what's surging on that black dragon's body is not flames, but the wind of Shaxu." Drusala added immediately.
Colonia nodded and agreed with Drusala's statement.
"Kalien!" Darkus shouted directly.
"A black dragon that can use death magic? "Calamity" Shakolette? No way? Doesn't Shakolette know necromancy? No, the energy of death and dark magic can also be used to cast necromancy! This area is nearby There can't be some damn Xacolat battle group. A group of undead creatures? Sapphiron? Icecrown Glacier? Alsace? It's a medley." Darkus' mind was a little confused at this time. Is he here? He stopped thinking about what he saw before and after, and also thought about the next choice.
"Master!" Kalien ran back quickly.
The Drukis all fell silent at this time, looking at Darkus quietly, waiting for Darkus' further orders or inquiries.
"Can you tell where the black dragon just flew to?" Darkus frowned and looked at Kalien and asked.
"Master, this is the direction of the Chaos Wilderness, I'm sure! Master,..." Kalien hesitated as he spoke, not knowing whether he should say the next words.
"You want to say that you have roughly judged the flight path of the black dragon?" Darkus took out the pipe from his arms, and as soon as he held it in his mouth, the tobacco lit up. He turned his head and looked at him Drusala lit a cigarette and waited for Kalien's answer. There is no map in the team. The map is useless in this damn place. Sometimes it can be misleading. Walking around in this mountain is like being in Athel Loren. Although Darkus has not been to Athel Loren, the wind of magic and the mysterious unknown are constantly eroding this area. mountains. He only knows the east, west, north, and south, and follows the feelings and experiences of the animal trainers to find the needle in the haystack, wherever he goes. The original plan was that there was no plan. Before the baggage and supplies were exhausted, I could stay for about two to three weeks. When I returned, I would go out of the dangerous peaks from the south, or go out from the north to the border stronghold to resupply, and return to Nagaron. Virtue.
"Destiny? A lazy device invented by foolish philosophers and endorsed by incompetent playwrights and poets... If one believes in destiny, one loses the right to choose one's path and gives up all He doesn't take responsibility for his own actions." Darkus had never expected to encounter the Lema Beast the first time he came, and he also asked the old lady. Although the old lady didn't tell him where the Lema Beast was, she told him not here. He remembered again what Malekith had said to him, but he couldn't remember the middle part.
"Master, I'm sorry! I can't guarantee it! The terrain of the dangerous peaks..." Kalien knelt on one knee on the snow and lowered his head.
"Kalien! Follow your feeling, I believe you! Just like before, I always believe in you, even if you don't find anything in the end, it doesn't matter." Darkus jumped from Silk Laji's body He got down, walked in front of Kalien and pulled Kalien up.
"Master!" Kalien stood up smoothly, and he wanted to say something else.
Darkus patted Kalien's shoulder at this time, stopping Kalien's next words.
The Druchi in the team watched Darkus' personal performance in silence. Every Druchi, regardless of their identity and status, was thinking about something to a greater or lesser extent.
The team continued to move forward. In the next few days, there was no big harvest, but there was a harvest, a rather strange hydra egg (a book friend's trap). Of course, the beast trainers said it was strange. The team found a hydra cave, and it was still the same rhythm. Alyssa put the drone Quicksilver Dragonfly into the cave and discovered the hibernating hydra and the egg. Kalien drove the Disaster Walker chariot to put the hibernating dragonfly into the cave. The hydra in the cave woke up and led out of the cave. The hydra chased Kallion angrily. By the time the multi-headed snakeheads reacted, another Disaster Walker chariot had already brought out the multi-headed snake egg. Afterwards, the hydra was so angry that it chased away a long distance amid the exaggerated ridicule of the Druchis.
There was a strange metal creaking sound, and Kalien, who was driving the Disaster Walker chariot at the front, looked down and felt as if the wheels were pressing on something.
The team came to a strange place, and Darkus noticed that there were more and more boulders and scattered dead grass near the bottom of the slope. The boulders themselves are oddly shaped, with a mix of rounded and sharp edges that make them look very weird.
"Look over there!" A fellow trainer of the chariot suddenly pointed in one direction and shouted.
Kalien followed the direction and found a humanoid silhouette lying in the withered grass. The exposed metal shimmered under the leaden eyes. At first he thought it was snow, but then he suddenly realized that what he was looking at was a crumpled steel breastplate covered with a thin layer of snow and grass.
Soon, the team stopped.
Several animal trainers jumped off the Disaster Walker chariot and ran to the armor. It took a long time to pull out the frozen armor.
"How is this possible!" Dorian said in disbelief.
"This! This? This is impossible? The sign of Nagaryth! Why?" Renn jumped off the cold lizard's back, ran to the armor, held the broken piece of armor and exclaimed silently.
Darkus was also a little shocked, because this was an Asur-style armor from the early ancient times. He saw many statues similar to this armor in the Black Tower of Malekith. He turned his head and looked at the fog in front of him, thinking in his heart Suddenly uneasiness came over me.
Soon, more remnants appeared, clustered on the sides of roads that were not roads. Darkus thought it was a boulder at first, but as the excavation progressed, he realized that it was an Asur chariot, the Ysrama silver chariot that the Kingdom of Tyranlok was proud of. However, the wheels had long since rotted, and the sides of the armor were dented and cracked, and an outline made of Ysrama silver could still be seen. He also saw helmets, rusty swords and spearheads, the handles long turned to dust, the metal tattered by time.
"This seems to be the edge of a battlefield? I seem to have thought of something." Maranur rode a cold lizard and stood next to his brother, chewing tobacco and frowning in thought.
Darkus glanced at the other Druchi around him, and these Druchi walked further away in a wise manner.
"At the end of the great invasion, the first Phoenix King Aenarion asked one of his generals to lead his powerful army northward." Maranur leaned against Darkus and whispered.
"Then what? My brother." Darkus asked curiously with a confused look on his face.
"The result was tragedy. It was said that he was betrayed. A few even blamed the great general for doing it, while some claimed that the general was just a fool. The great march turned into a bloody, painful retreat. , full of magic and killing. Every meter of that road was soaked with blood, the stones on the road were smashed with bones, and that army never returned to Nagaryth." Maranur pointed The mist in front said cautiously.
"I remember that the purpose of the march was to besiege the demon city in the far north, so why are you here? In the dangerous peaks?" Darkus was a little confused. He searched through his memories. It seemed that he and his brother were in the family library when they were children. I've seen similar remarks.
Before Maranur could answer, Darkos thought of something else. Was the previous dragon staying here and being corrupted? After the Druchi came to Nagaros, why did some Druchi run into the mountains? Are they looking for something?
"I don't know either. Do you remember the last paragraph? That book says that the power of the Chaos Demon is so great that it can fix the orbit of the moon and fight under the eternal night. That kind of power The echoes, and the restless spirits of the dead still linger here today. When the right season comes and the moon is in its right phase, that long night will begin all over again."
"Why don't I remember? And why does it feel like it's right again?" Darkus nodded and thought.
"Perhaps this is the bard's reverie or a random fabrication? Ever since that legion went to the north, it has never appeared again. No one knew the situation at the time. Divination? Prophecy?" Maranur is still there He kept chattering and became doubtful at the end.
Darkus said nothing, but looked at his brother.
"What's wrong?" Maranur said as he wiped his face, as if there was something on his face.
"Where is the stone I gave you?" Darkus suddenly asked.
"Here, I wear it all the time. My good brother, this is really a good thing. I don't have nightmares when I sleep with it on at night." Maranur tilted his head and spit out the black stuff in his mouth. After getting out of the water, he opened his armor with one hand and took out the necklace made of ogham stone fragments from his neck with the other hand. He continued, "You don't think I've done anything to you, do you? Yes, there is something strange in this mountain."
" Do you have any good ideas? My brother." Darkus did not say anything like an apology, but directly changed the subject.
"No, but I believe we won't still be in this ghost place. No matter whether the legend is true or not, we have strong maneuverability and fast speed. We just need to rush in. And it is not the twilight tide now. My brother, I know you What are you worried about? We really need to think carefully before making such a decision. But it seems that only this road can be passed now. If we go around it, time? You believe in Kalien, and I believe in you, my brother." Mara. Noor's behavior was grandiose, as if he were performing a comically lame opera.
"Then let's take a rest and rush in later!" Darkus decided as he looked up at the sun hiding behind the leaden clouds.
(End of chapter)