The Book of Hibernation

The light is getting dimmer.It was almost sunset.

Aldin had been waiting for a long time, and wanted to go back and ask Winter Thistle if everything was going well.When he returned to the pile of rocks, the stone crack that entered the cave disappeared.

He clearly remembered the location and the shape of the surrounding stones, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the entrance, and he couldn't feel it with his hands.Aldin's face became a little ugly.

Suddenly, he noticed a slight movement, he tilted his body, and a crossbow almost missed his shoulder and hit the stone not far in front.

Others might have continued to run farther away, but Aldin immediately turned around and rushed towards the direction where the crossbow was fired.Within a few steps, he drew the long sword on his back, and slashed towards the shadow between the mist and the branches and leaves.

There is a crisp sound when the metal meets.The dead hunter blocked the blow with a curved dagger, and was pushed back a few steps by the impact.

Aldin didn't stop, he immediately changed the direction of attack and followed up with a horizontal cut.This time the hunter didn't try to block, but rolled down nimbly, then jumped up immediately, and quickly distanced himself from Aldin.

The Horned Owl threw away the crossbow in his left hand, switched the curved dagger to his left hand, and unfastened the small handaxe from the side of his leg with his right hand.

They confronted each other.The moment he turned around just now, Aldin had put on the leather mask again, and now he was covered like a dead hunter.

The scops owl didn't ask the other party's identity, and didn't bother to negotiate.The person in front of him was obviously the murderer who killed the two hunters, and there must be a reason for this person to stay near the cave.Whatever the reason, just kill him and go investigate.

Aldin didn't intend to ask questions either.Once you are hostile to the dead hunter, you can no longer make sense.

The hunter took the initiative to attack again.He used short weapons, and his movements were extremely agile. It was almost impossible to completely dodge his attacks, so Aldin never dodged, but always parried with long swords, and then attacked at an opportunity.

The trees in this area are not so dense, and weapons such as long swords will not be hindered by branches.Aldin expected to fight with hunters. If he continued to use the scimitar, his shooting speed might not be faster than hunters who specialize in acuity, so it is better to simply switch to a sword, which threatens a longer distance and can use the strength of the whole body and Momentum to attack, perhaps this is more suitable for dealing with the dead hunter.

After dodging again to distance himself, the horned owl spoke softly: "Scimitars, whips, and swords, people from seaside countries, mercenary swordsmanship..." He paused, "Ah... I see. Ten Acting chief of the Fan Street Chamber of Commerce, are you back to your old job?"

"It looks like you won't be allowed to leave alive," Aldin said.

The horned owl chuckled and said, "To each other."

The hunter took the initiative to attack again, using a hand ax to feint from the side, tricking the opponent into defending with a sword, hooking the sword with the hand ax to close the distance, and then attacking the hand with a curved dagger - no need to cause a large wound, as long as blood is enough Nope, dead hunters always have poison on their weapons.

Aldin held the sword with both hands when he was blocking, but the horned owl failed to control Aldin's sword with the hand axe. Instead, he felt his right hand go numb, his shoulder changed the angle uncontrollably, and the hand ax flew out.

Before the horned owl could react, Aldin kicked him in the chest, knocking him down to the ground.

The scops owl reacted quickly, and wanted to cut Aldin's calf with the curved dagger in his left hand.Aldin swung the sword with one hand, and with a clang, the curved dagger in the hunter's hand flew out.

Accompanied by this violent force, the scops owl's left wrist was bent into a twisted angle, and his voice choked up, but he didn't make a cry.

Aldin didn't give the enemy a chance to breathe, he put his boots on the hunter's sternum and shifted his body forward.The screech owl scratched at his ankle with its uninjured right hand, but it could not shake his strength at all.

"You know," Aldin whispered, "we're like wolves and lions, we both like to live in packs, but when both are alone, a lone wolf can't beat a lion."

Because of the heavy pressure on his chest, the scops owl wanted to speak but couldn't make a sound.He vaguely heard the sound of bones cracking slowly.

In fact, he felt that today's situation was a bit unusual.Aldin's strength is indeed superior to his, he admits this, but he is not so weak...

The time they fought was not too long, and it is said that the physical exertion was not too great, but he was disrupted many times and his weapon was knocked out... He has also experienced many life-and-death battles, and he still has a certain sense of judgment. This is by no means a mistake It can be explained, but his physical strength has dropped significantly.

He wasn't sick, and he didn't have any unhealed old wounds, but his body became weak in a short period of time.When did this weakness begin?The screech owl could not recall at all.

Finally, he gave up.He no longer struggled, and of course he never begged for mercy. He simply lay flat and relaxed, waiting for death to come.

The pressure on my chest eased.The screech owl still couldn't get up, but his breathing was much smoother than before.He looked forward suspiciously. Aldin frowned and blinked several times, as if he was feeling unwell.

Due to dizziness, Aldin urgently needed to maintain his balance, so he subconsciously took two steps back, and the foot on the hunter's chest was naturally moved away.

Aldin leaned against a tree, held the sword in both hands, and tried to open his eyes to stare at the hunter.

From just now, he felt that his breathing was more disordered than usual.At first he didn't feel anything unusual, but thought it was because he had been at ease for too long and his physical fitness had deteriorated. Although he kept training, after all, training was not as good as actual combat...

Just when he was about to kill the hunter, he suddenly became dizzy.It feels a bit like being sick from a cold, and a bit like the discomfort when you suddenly stand up after squatting for a long time.But he has always been very healthy, and this feeling of weakness only appeared in his childhood when he was short of food and clothing.

This was a great opportunity for the screech owl, and he should have jumped up at once, but he had absolutely no strength to do so.He exhausted all his strength, but he could only support the ground and slowly get up.

Aldean, meanwhile, seems to have lost his sobriety.The sword in his hand dropped slowly, the tip of the sword touched the ground, and he didn't raise his arm again.He slid down the tree trunk and sat down, passing from dizziness to fainting.

Apparently something abnormal happened to Aldin and the scops owl.Symptoms in the scops owl started earlier and lasted longer; Arden's symptoms came later, but came on more quickly and more intensely.

The scops owl tried a lot, and finally stood up, but he couldn't stand firmly, and he shook a few times and almost fell down again.

He considered whether to walk over and strangle Aldin to death, but he was afraid that he would not be able to do it now that he had no strength.So he looked around and saw the curved knife not far away.This is a poisoned weapon, and it doesn't require any strength to kill the enemy.

The horned owl stumbled towards the curved knife, fell down halfway, and continued to crawl forward.He didn't stop to think about what was going on with this symptom, he just wanted to get the weapon quickly and kill Aldin.

Finally, he touched the curved knife, held the handle of the knife, gritted his teeth, and stood up with the remaining strength in his body.

He was about to turn back, but suddenly his whole body became stiff—he felt an evil sense of coercion, which was getting closer and closer to him in the direction he was facing.

He reflexively assumed a fighting posture, although his body posture was full of loopholes.

The forest was very dark at this time.Not only was the mist filling the air, but the sky was also getting darker.Two flames emerged from the shadows of the trees. The flames got closer and closer, and a black figure finally emerged.

This is a swearer with a long sword.

This is not the first time the dead hunter has dealt with such monsters.When the Necromancer was raided last time, some hunters died under its scorched black sword.

The swearers came closer and closer.The scops owl saw something even more astonishing - under normal circumstances, the monster's body and weapons should be pure scorched black, with some faint cracks on it, the color of blood flowing in the cracks.But at this moment, the swearer in front of him seemed to be a little different. Not only did it have blood in the crevices, but it was also stained with a large amount of dark blood that belonged to real creatures.

The monster's body and weapons were almost soaked in this blood.The blood is not obvious on the black surface, but it can show a wet texture under low light, and it also exudes a unique rusty smell.

Apparently the monster had been on a killing spree.Who would dare to approach such an undead creature?And who will find it, stand in its way, or even dare to fight it?And all of this just happened, and the place where it happened is not too far away from here, so the remaining blood hasn't dried up yet...

The screech owl opened its eyes wide.He saw the fate of the other fellow hunters.

The swearer strode forward.The screech owl did not duck, did not allow itself to lay down its weapon.

The mission of the dead hunter is to hunt down the undead and those who desecrate life until death.So the scops owl accepted his fate.

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The necromancers hid the golems on the banks of the river ahead of time.Including the two shield guards used before, and some flesh and blood golems that are better than nothing.The mages have a clear division of labor in advance: in case of conflict with the city-state, several people will be responsible for direct spell attacks, several people will be responsible for manipulating the golem, and several people will be responsible for escorting the dark clouds.

Sanyue and the other two young people are responsible for escorting Wuyun, but now it seems that it is hard to say whether they can wait until Wuyun.

Suddenly, a mage controlling the golem said, "Someone is crossing the river bank! They are stepping on the ice!"

Not only her, but several other mages also sensed it through the golem.Many soldiers from the city-state have stepped onto the ice. So far, they are only moving slowly, and they are still relatively far away from where the necromancers are. They should be conducting preliminary observations.

The controller asks what to do now, whether to activate the golem.While the mages were discussing, a commotion broke out at the caravan bodyguards.

"Deris!" One of the bodyguards roared, then turned and ran into the fog, and the other immediately followed.

Just now, the necromancers were swearing enemies and discussing golems. Those bodyguards have been paying attention to this side, so they were accidentally distracted.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Deliss used a tall male mage as a cover, and disappeared into the fog unknowingly.

In the caravan of the Carlos family, some people can still be regarded as real hostages, while others are actually conspirators, so the necromancer did not bind them in any way.

Although De Lisi is controlled by the family, she is also the leader of the caravan in name, so she has always enjoyed courtesy.Compared with the necromancer, the family bodyguard is more afraid of her escape.

Since being "kidnapped", Deris has been very cooperative and even offered to help a lot. Both bodyguards and mages have lowered their vigilance towards her.She has been obediently cooperating, and even if she has doubts, she is good at negotiating and never acting on her own... This is her first attempt to slip away, so she succeeded once.

As for bodyguards, their position is the same as that of necromancers, so necromancers are even less guarded against them.Now they rushed out of the hidden magic circle in order to chase Doris, and the mages were caught off guard.

"Leave them alone," Sanyue immediately told his companions, "don't shout loudly, and don't be chased out anymore. If there is chaos here, the soldiers will find our position! The concealment circle is not completely invisible, we are too quiet Congress is easy to expose."

After she finished speaking, she squatted down to check the edge of the magic circle to confirm that the concealed magic circle was still operating stably.

After checking, she looked back at the fellow spellcasters... The older mages were still arguing with the younger ones, the mage manipulating the golem reported the location of the soldiers sensed by the golem, and some remained silent, just repeating Check the protective spells on your body again...

March gradually had a feeling that things had gotten out of control and were no longer under anyone's control.

This loss of control didn't just happen, but started a long time ago...from when they planned to let Winter Thistle cast spells, even when they kidnapped Winter Thistle...or from earlier ?When did it start...

March stood up slowly.An old mage looked at her and asked what her opinion was, whether she wanted to activate the golem immediately or something.

She wanted to answer, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her voice dissipated in her chest before gathering.

At this moment, she couldn't understand the reason, and thought she was suddenly dumb...Why couldn't she make a sound?

Then she felt pain.It is the kind of pain where the whole person is torn apart.

The pain didn't last long, went away almost instantly, and then came the cold, so cold that she couldn't feel her fingers.

March lowered her head and saw the blood-stained long sword.

There was only the blade of the sword, and the hilt was invisible. The hilt was behind her, and the blade pierced through her chest.

Then, a shock came from her lower back, pushing her forward.The sword was drawn from her back, and she fell straight onto the ice.

A pair of boots straddled March's body and stood in front of her.

Sanyue could only see the man's calf below, and the edge of the sword that was hanging down.She recognized the sword.

The craftsmanship of the sword itself is unremarkable, but the forging runes and multiple enchanting effects on the sword are amazing.Only the caster can discern these details.

The last time I saw this sword was in Harbor City.She still remembered that the person holding the sword was called Lion, and was Winter Thistle's younger brother.

There was a time when Lane, who joined the Squad, was out of sword use.He handed the sword to Duolin, and asked Duolin to send it back to the sea of ​​trees.

Not long ago, he actually saw this sword again at Gray Goose Station.

The owner of the inn said that it was the guests from other places who stayed here. The guests never came back after they went out, and they did not check out. Someone paid the room fee for them, so the guests' luggage and belongings were well placed in the room.Not only that, but the guest specifically said that he was looking for the Knights of the Temple of the Day and that he wanted to give this sword to one of them.

So Ryan got his sword back.

Not only that, but he was also delighted to find that everything seemed to be back on track—Winter Ji had left the Chamber of Commerce, and the chaos in the north was about to end.

Lane had been searching the ice for a long time.Just when he was about to give up, he saw something moving in the distance.

De Lisi ran out of the concealment circle, and then the bodyguards who were in charge of watching her also chased after her.

This behavior completely exposed the location of the magic circle.

Ryan didn't care about the businessmen, but walked in the direction they ran out.Sure enough, as long as it is within a very short distance, the concealment circle will not work.

This knowledge was taught to him by Winter Thistle.The invisibility technique cannot cover multiple people at once, and the duration is very short. Repeated casting has the risk of being detected; if you want to completely hide your figure, it is best to use a full-effect concealer, but this is difficult to make, and ordinary mages cannot do it ; There is also a compromise option, which is the concealment circle, which lasts for a long time and is not too difficult to cast, but it must rely on objective conditions such as wind, rain, fog and shelter, and can only be hidden from a long distance, too close It is easy to be found.

Ryan didn't look at March again, but only focused on the other terrified mages.

Sanyue struggled behind him, making a rustling sound. She exhausted all her strength, but she could only squeeze out a little breath from her throat.

In fact, Sanyue wanted to warn them about one thing, a very important thing... If the master died unexpectedly during the period when the swearers were leaving their master's body, the swearers would not dissipate on the spot, but would lose control.Even March didn't know what it would do after it got out of control.

But she couldn't say anything, and her fingers seemed frozen, and she couldn't make any gestures.

The ice surface was shaking, and someone should have activated the golem hidden by the river in a panic.

Even though the fog was still very thick, there was a sound like a gust of wind whistling. It was the incorporeal Vowser who was approaching.

Several mages were chanting incantations with trembling voices, and some simply ran out of the concealment circle.Ryan said a prayer and walked slowly towards them.

It was the last thing she heard and saw before March's consciousness faded.