Arcane splendor begins with the throne

Chapter 174 Tistan

At noon the next day, 'Pomegranate' Yadong left.

Tistan from the White Crow Mercenary Group stood under the shade of the tree with a blank expression. He really saw that this fat red and fat young man from Tegrila was walking in pain.

He died under the tusks of a wild boar. To be precise, he was killed by a wild boar cursed with beastification.

The quilboar turned into a monstrous steel-brisled boar, which tore 'Pomegranate' Yadong from his genitals to his chest with two tusks.

The fat young man also took the opportunity to stab the wild boar in the eye with his sword.

The power he erupted might amaze even the gods in the sky. His steel sword pierced through the huge bloodshot eyes of the wild boar, and then sank into the position of the steel sword guard before it got stuck, making this brutal beast Killed instantly.

Among the lycanthropes, wild boars have the most vulgar and violent temper. In half-human half-pig form, they have a strong and stocky physique, with short and hard manes. In the full-body beast form, they charge violently, even Tistan must avoid its sharp edges.

The poor boy could have avoided death, he could not help thinking.

The wild boar's sharp fangs should have pierced the second son of the Marquis, Brynden, of Stormy Waves City, but at this critical moment, 'Pomegranate' Yadong pushed the second son of the Marquis, and greeted the arrival of death for him.

After the battle, Brynden tried his best to sew up his wounds, but the effect was still not obvious. He only lasted until noon the next day, and then died in pain.

At the end of the battle, the female warrior Xia Mei suggested to him that giving the young man a good time would be the kindest thing to do.

There is no doubt that this best proposal was not implemented.

The wine-soaked gauze used by Brynden to bandage him was stained with dark blood, and the smell was so horrifying that even Testan in the distance could clearly feel his stomach churning.

He killed a wild boar in a berserk state head-on, such a record is one of the few mercenaries in Longshou Port.

Tistan gave him one last look with respectful eyes.

Although he set off from Golden Feather City, he never said a word to anyone from the beginning to the end, but his eyes were silently observing everything.

Among the group of them, this red and fat young man was the most enthusiastic, and he was also the most yearning for going to Longshou Port to become the Duke's subordinate.

Because he was born as a commoner, he regarded this escort mission as the first step of his glorious start.

Unfortunately, he never even took the first step.

His last words before he died were not to explain what happened to him, nor to ask Brynden to help take care of his family, but to ask the second son of the marquis, can he be made a knight for his record of killing wild boars? ?

The knight who was not a knight assured him that he would definitely be able to obtain the title of knight in Longshou Port.

Brynden carefully sorted out the iron chain armor worn by 'Pomegranate' Yadong, which was torn by fangs, as well as the blood-stained and mud-stained boots, thick cloak, and his clothes were made of coarse wool. Yes, natural animal fur is also available.

It can be seen from this that he was born in the northern border of Tegrila, a place of bitter cold and hardship, with no mercy at all.

Even Tistan regretted that this young man from Tigrila didn't reveal the slightest news about his family to everyone until his death.

After all, the living environment of adventurers and mercenaries is harsh and ruthless. They are always on the edge of danger. If they make a wrong step, someone may lose their life.

Tistan has long been used to seeing life and death in the White Crow Mercenary Corps. When every member is dying, there is nothing he can't let go of more than his family members far away.

And this "enthusiastic" young man didn't disclose anything. He thought that news without news was the greatest comfort to his family.

This made him involuntarily recall his past.

He is a Westerman, born in the Goblin Wasteland, and his hometown is in the domain of Viscount Jarvan on the east bank of the Galen River.

What made him sad was that the war broke out between the Kingdom of West and Amastacia two years ago, and his hometown, Viscount Jiawen's territory and castle were not only razed to the ground, but also massacred.

He knew that the hope of his family's survival was so slim that he never dared to set foot on the land of his hometown from beginning to end.

The news that there is no news is the greatest comfort to him, just as he does not want to go home to visit his old father and sister, it is a reason not to let them know that he is still alive.

Because he was also afraid that one day he would die silently in the Twilight Forest like 'Pomegranate' Yadong.

This is too cruel for his old father and sister.

Tistan watched everything silently.

After seeing Brynden arrange Yadong's clothes, he took off the gray wool cloak trimmed with purple forging on his body, and took off a khaki earth on his shoulders as the background, and the purple dragon spread its wings and swooped down The emblems, all placed on his body.

The purple dragon is the flag and emblem designed by the Duke of Longshougang for himself, and the gray wool cloak with purple forging edge is the uniform dress designed for his subordinates.

When they arrive at Longshou Port, everyone will wear the iconic gray wool cloak to prove their identity.

This made him yearn a little bit.

Yearning for the prosperity of Longshou Port to be unified, the purple dragon flag fluttered on the city wall, and the warriors in gray wool and purple forged cloaks waited in an orderly manner for their lord to give orders.

As a personal bodyguard, he would silently stand behind the young Duke, silently observing the grand occasion.

Tistan firmly believed that this lord duke who taught him the true way of swordsmanship could definitely unify Longshou Port and the Storm Islands.

Thinking of this, the head of the Niluskan wolf contained in the wooden box he carried behind his back seemed to become as light as nothing.

It was this head that cost a young man his life, he couldn't help but think to himself.

He once again recalled the battle last night, when the violent wild boar transformed into a steel-bristle boar and rampaged across the battlefield, inadvertently threatening the wooden box containing the head.

Just when the head of the 'Wolf' was about to be crushed by the wild boar, the second son of the marquis, Brynden, rushed to him, and rolled out of the range of the wild boar with the wooden box in his arms, so that the furious steel bristled boar was covered with bloodshot eyes. His eyes locked on him.

The result can be imagined.

Tistan cast his emotionless eyes on the second son of the marquis who put honor above all else.

After seeing the other party buried Yadong's body in the ground, he sprinkled a handful of oak seeds on the body.

He also claimed that in this case, one day in the future, an oak tree would grow here to mark his burial place.

Maybe, he thought.

'Pomegranate' Yadong happened to be buried under a wild pomegranate tree. When the cold wind blew, Tistan seemed to hear the long branches whispering: Can I be made a knight?

Hearing this, he felt sad for no reason.

Listening to the whispering of the branches in the breeze, he looked at the few people around him, and couldn't help but think back to the battle without warning last night.

They were a group of 11 people. After the war suddenly broke out, two of them chose to flee into a more terrifying unknown place because of fear.

He was well aware of the strength of the enemy, so he did not choose to stand on the sidelines and actively joined the battle.

Because when the young Duke taught him the true way of the sword, he once said:
True masters of swordsmanship don't need to consider whether the blood of the wicked or the innocent will drip on the blade they create, they just want to be clear of their hearts.

This is the way for every sword master to hone his 'heart' skills.

Otherwise, it is easy to give birth to "inner demons" and cause one's own kendo to stagnate.

He helps Brynden first, and the two join forces to kill a forest troll before quickly engaging in another fight.

The reason why he took the lead in helping the second son of the Marquis was mainly because the other party shouted 'For Longshougang!Long live Longshougang! ' touched a string in his heart.

In fact, if it weren't for his character and responsibilities, he would also like to shout the glory he guarded when the battle came.

But the magic swordsman Snake Eye of Golden Feather City warned him: a qualified guard must be able to hide his emotions and anger, and hide his good and bad in his heart.

After the battle is over.

The first thing that came into view were the corpses of the two mercenaries. Their bodies were shocking, with deep marks of claws and fangs all over them.

It can be seen from the fact that they fell into a pool of solidified blood that they were the first to die.

'Onion' Ream leaned slumped under a tree, his whole body was full of arrows, and 'Skinny Cucumber' Roland's head rested on his lap.

Tistan originally thought that the two of them were dead, but the poet who liked to hum and sing suddenly opened his eyes, secretly rejoicing that these simple arrows were not as powerful as imagined.

Then he kicked away his unscathed fellow ranger, and said cursingly: I have carried so many arrows for you, your clothes have a lot of holes, and you still use my knee as a pillow.

Roland muttered "I thought you were dead", stood up quickly, and helped him pull out the arrows one by one from his chain mail shirt and leather armor. Several arrows shot into the poet's body, causing him pain. Screaming like a baby.

On the other side, 'Praying Mantis' Solas fell unconscious on the ground, and there was a wound on his right leg that was torn by the Ratman's sharp front teeth.

Tistan guessed that the reason for the other party's coma was probably infected with lycanthropy.

This wandering adventurer killed the most enemies. Five ratmen and two werewolves were all killed by the two scimitars in his hand. He really looked like a praying mantis when he fought.

What really amazed him was the female warrior Xia Mei. She alone blocked the attacks of the two strongest ogres, and she also possessed a rare berserk skill.

With a wild roar, her physique rapidly increased at a speed visible to the naked eye, until she became as burly as an ogre.

Tistan knew that he was no match for the berserk female warrior.

In the night, they didn't stay too long. Brynden didn't listen to Xia Mei's suggestion, carrying Yadong, who was seriously injured and dying, the ranger Roland supported his poet companion, and the female warrior directly took the unconscious Soo Russ carried it on his shoulders and ran all the way.

It wasn't until dawn that the veil of night was lifted, and they finally found a relatively safe place in the forest to rest under the leadership of Ranger.

With Yadong gone, they were ready to start again after resting.

At this moment, Solas, who had been unconscious all along, groaned, slowly opened his eyes, and looked around blankly.

"It can be seen that the evil beast curse did not destroy your will."

The female warrior Xia Mei looked at Solas with indifferent eyes, and then looked at the wound on his leg that was simply bandaged, "However, this leg of yours must be cut off, otherwise, the wound infected by the curse of beast will still remain. Keep torturing your will."

"This is just your family's inference. I have traveled all over the world for so many years, and I haven't seen any scenes." Solas sat up from the ground with difficulty, breathing in the air, "I know my own situation, and this leg doesn't need to be cut off at all. As long as all the rotten flesh of the wound is cut off and cleaned up, it can be avoided."

"If you really become a beast, I will be the first to kill you." The female warrior snorted coldly and ignored the other party.

"That may disappoint you." Solas smiled forcefully, looking around, "Whoever of you is proficient in this kind of delicate work, come and help me clean the wound."

The ranger and the wounded poet turned their heads to the side. Onion Rim had an arrow wound in his abdomen. After running around in the middle of the night, he seemed to be showing signs of deterioration, his face pale and frightening.

Brynden was eager to try, but Solas looked at his hands and frowned, as if he thought he was not suitable.

As for the female warrior Xia Mei who was carrying a two-handed sword, he simply ignored her.

Obviously, he also thought that using a two-handed sword to do such a delicate job was really overqualified.

"Let me do it." Tistan, who was standing under the shade of a tree, said.

"Then I'll trouble you." Solas's expression obviously relaxed, and he began to take off the bandages on his legs with a grin.

Tistan nodded slightly, squatted beside Solas, stretched out a finger to lightly press the wound, the gushing pus and blood made him wrinkle his nose.

What he didn't expect was that the beast curse could also accelerate the decay of flesh and blood.

"The nearby flesh and blood have deteriorated and must be removed." He suggested, "I think the most comprehensive way is to amputate the entire calf."

"A mantis with one leg can jump for a few days? It's better to let me die." Solas frowned, gritted his teeth, and insisted:
"Let me try my luck. If I fail, kill me. I don't want to become a rat with sly eyebrows. Remember, choose the sharpest sword when you do it."

"Don't worry, I will do it myself when the time comes." Tistan nodded silently, and took out a sharp dagger:

"Sir, I need to cut off all your rotten flesh now, then apply ointment, and then sew it up. Let me state in advance that this will be very painful. Do you need me to knock you out?"

"no!"

Solas immediately refused. He was worried that he would turn into a fluffy mouse when he woke up, and he was also worried that his legs would really be lost. "Just do it, I will scream."

"Are you sure?" Even Tistan didn't know that he was so patiently asking for the other party's opinion. He reminded again, "This will be very painful!"

"Hurry up and do it. If it hurts, I will scream loudly." Solas replied impatiently, closing his eyes, showing the expression of a martyr.

"Why don't you drink some wine first." Tistan suddenly remembered that there was still wine in his wine bag, so he took it out.

"I will need it... This is a good proposal, let's talk about it earlier." Solas opened his eyes, grabbed the wine bag, and began to drink heavily.

"Die Mantis, don't drink it all, leave some for my friend," shouted Roland, making his feeble fellow poet almost drool.

"I still have some here. I originally left them for...it's useless now. You can take them all." Brynden took off his wine bag, sighed, and threw it to the ranger.

When Solas's wound was sutured and bandaged, they were on the road again.

Although this guy claimed to scream loudly when faced with pain, he still passed out in pain, which saved him a lot of worry.

As usual, the half-elf ranger was still leading the way, 'Skinny Cucumber' Roland was born in the Duskwood.

He said that he knew that there was the nearest elf settlement in the forest, and there was also an elf priest there who could use magic to help the two recover quickly from their injuries.

So Tistan supported the dying poet, while Brynden carried the unconscious 'Mantis' Solas.

At dusk, Roland saw a bonfire burning beside a small stream.

Tistan let the weak poet lean against the big tree, and went to check by himself.

He saw two men sitting next to the trout by the fire, their weapons and armor piled under a tree, a human with a missing nose, the other an orc with prominent tusks.

Undoubtedly, the two had spotted them too, and had begun to grope for weapons and armor around them.

He could clearly feel that the vigilance of these two people was very strong.

"Our trout is only enough for two people, don't come and mix it up." The orc shouted, protecting the golden grilled trout.

"We can catch fish ourselves." Tistan observed the two thoughtfully, and replied lukewarmly.

Then, at his signal, everyone lit a fire not far from the two strangers to rest.

Roland volunteered to go to the creek to catch fish and let everyone try grilled trout.

Tistan gave the female warrior Xia Mei a wary look, and walked straight towards the two of them.

As a mercenary, he certainly knew that mercenaries and adventurers were two sides of the same sword. His instinct told him that these two people who suddenly appeared here were dangerous.

He had to be vigilant, so he chose to take the initiative.

"Excuse me, what should I call your Excellencies?" Tistan took the initiative to speak. He usually didn't like to talk, so his tone seemed a bit blunt.

But he had to do this again, because he could feel the general strength of these two people.

The female warrior Xia Mei can only use her thorn whip and two-handed sword to communicate. Brynden, who is good at talking, is no match for the two. If you are not careful, you will encounter accidents.

Therefore, this burden can only fall on him.

"I am Marcello, a wandering knight once sung by singers."

The noseless man said: "Perhaps you should know about my deeds in the goblin wilderness two years ago. My partner was the 'Starving Ghost' Kremu."

The Goblin Wasteland, a place I would never dare to go back to, Tistan thought.

"I'm very sorry, but your names are as unfamiliar to me as your coat of arms." His gaze rested on 'Wandering Knight' Marcello.

His face was narrow and thin, and he wore a hood and a patched coarse cloth cloak, and he wore mail mail spotted with rust spots like freckles, and his shield—except for the tomahawk There are deep cracks, and there are pictures of mice and cats.

"That's such a pity." The wandering knight showed a disappointed expression, turned over the grilled fish, and said:

"I slaughtered the castle on the east bank of the Galen River, and earned a dozen bounties from Griffin Knights. Do you know Viscount Jarvan? Boy, you will never see him again, because I killed him on the spot. , When the two of us met on a narrow road, when the swords intersected, I never retreated, and I never hid behind Keremu."

His fellow orc grinned exaggeratedly.

Galen River, the domain of Viscount Jarvan.

A trace of imperceptible sadness appeared in Teaste's eyes, which quickly turned into a kind of regret, "It's a pity that I didn't have the chance. Otherwise, I might have participated in that battle and earned a few heads of gryphon knights. In this way If so, we won’t have to take risks in the forest.”

"Not only can you earn heads, but you can also have fun." The wandering knight winked at the half-orc, and talked endlessly:

"You know what? When we stormed into Viscount Jarvan's territory, we caught a fifteen or sixteen-year-old chick, ripped off her skirt, and threw her on the table in front of his father. Done, she struggled and wriggled like a rabbit, and was making noise. The expression on the old man's face at that time made me laugh so hard that even the wine spewed out of my nose, and I turned her over and entered from behind, Then she stopped struggling, hehe, maybe she also felt most comfortable from behind, but to be honest, I would rather women twist more..."

"What color is that girl's hair?" Tistan asked abruptly, his right hand hidden in the cloak clenched into a fist, and the knuckles turned white.

"It's red, like flames." The wandering knight silently gestured to his half-orc companion, and said with a smile: "Even the hair underneath is red, as red as blood."

"It's not golden...then I'm relieved."

As soon as the words fell, a fine gold dagger pierced through his rusty chain armor without warning, and pierced into the wandering knight's heart, crushing his heart instantly.

The wandering knight stared wide-eyed, stretched out his bony fingers, raised them feebly, and slowly fell to the ground, lifeless.

"clang!"

Immediately afterwards, there was the piercing sound of sharp blades colliding above Tistan.

He stood up abruptly, drew out his sharp sword like lightning, and tore through the air, leaving a deep bloodstain on the half-orc's neck.

He raised the burly body of the battle axe, and fell heavily into the stream, splashing icy water.

"As the Duke's guard, you have made the most fatal mistake." Brynden shook his arm that was numb from the battle axe, reminding him.

"There won't be a next time." Tistan put away his sword and dagger and said expressionlessly: "Thank you."

…………

(End of this chapter)