[Western Fantasy] The mystery of life and death

The undulating horizon spreads across the sky like the back of a giant beast, and the deep dusk silently sinks the sky and the earth into darkness with the melting sunset.

Darkness brings the unknown, fatigue, the longing for rest and sharp alertness.

Loka jumped off his horse and directed the caravan behind him to rest on the spot.He had already scouted the terrain before sunset, and chose this barely reliable terrain for the caravan to camp.Following Loka's concise orders and a few neat gestures, the whole team got busy, and several figures spread out in all directions in the darkness.In the dim darkness where the torches flickered, the caravan was busy, setting up camp, setting up horses, placing goods, and deploying defenses. Everything was in order. The whole process was only small footsteps, the sound of horseshoes, no conversation, and nothing unusual. Caravan yelling conversation.

This is an ordinary business caravan in the southern part of the Romania Empire—an "ordinary" caravan of the Luna Company, but it is also an extraordinary caravan.

The Luna Firm was founded by Loka's father, Livingston, and became one of the strongholds for the Aranti tribe to travel around the mainland, and it also provided identity protection for the tribe.

The Presbyterian Church of the Aranti tribe also has other strongholds, and there are even channels through which priests can be arranged to enter the Holy Church.After Lorca came to the outside of the secret, Livingston had already bought him a priesthood.But Lorca strongly demanded to serve as the caravan's guard.He doesn't want to be protected, he hopes to protect his people by fighting.Tilda arranged for him to enter the Luna firm.The couple reluctantly admitted that their simple and straightforward son was obviously more suitable to face the battlefield of the sword than the battle without the light of the sword in the church.

Loka arranged for the priests in the guard to set up a defensive formation, and the guards quietly hid in the gaps between the rugged and intricate rocks.The guards who pretended to be grooms and guys were busy arranging carriages, goods, and setting up camp like ordinary caravan guys.Loka wandered around vigilantly and inspected, the terrain at the foot of the mountain was treacherous.He looked around, and found that this place was very similar to the Imaki Falls in the secret realm, but even more desolate. This location was the campsite carefully chosen by his parents, Livingston and Tilda.He remembered his father's gaze when he typed this location on the map, as sharp as a sword. "Here will be the battlefield you long for."

Tilda then added, "However, don't make it too much like a battlefield. Remember to eliminate traces of magic, the Holy Church is very afraid of magic. You must capture the prisoners alive." She pondered for a while, as if she wanted to say something, but she was talking to Livingston After exchanging glances, they didn't say anything. The Luna Trading Company is located in the southern part of the Romania Empire where there are many trading firms.This is also Livingston's strategy. It is not outstanding to operate this firm in a small or medium size, among hundreds of firms of various sizes.Facts have also proved the effectiveness of this strategy.When the entrance to the secret realm was exposed, various strongholds of the Aranti clan were attacked repeatedly, but the caravan and branches of the Luna Trading Company were spared, and played an important role in secretly transferring the surviving clansmen.

However, in recent months, the caravan formed by ordinary people employed by the Luna business firm has often been harassed by bandits and lost a lot of property.Even, at the branch in the capital, the priests of Aranti have discovered that unknown people are watching them in the nearby streets.

The caravan led by Loka is all composed of the guards of the Aranti tribe-yes, this is a lure.The goods they transported were ordinary to the Aranti, but they were of great value on the mainland, and there were even tributes to the holy church-treasures that were said to help inspire meditation and perform miracles.The caravans deliberately "give away" their cargo and destination in the city before setting off.Those who are interested can easily figure out their route of travel.From a strategic point of view, this mountain is indeed the best place for a sneak attack.

Loka jumped to the high ground in three or two steps, and he could see things in the dark without the help of lighting.After the camp was settled and the bonfire was lit, a sickle-like crescent moon had risen in the sky, and the surrounding fields were silent. Luoka found that the whole world had gradually become too quiet, and there was not even a single sound of insects, not even the sound of the wind whistling among the wilderness rocks. also stopped.

The night sky overhead was as black as ink, and at some point, the thin crescent moon was completely covered by dark clouds.As if in a space isolated from the world, the air around the camp suddenly compressed inward rapidly, and the horses pulling the cart were restless and restless, and the painful neighing sounded one after another because of the internal organs being squeezed.

The bonfire in the middle of the camp suddenly burst into beeping, beeping and sparks, and the flames burst into flames.The invisible pressure in the air then dissipated.A few cries of pain came faintly from the darkness in the distance, and then stopped.Obviously, the caster is backlashed by the mana attack.

Lorca cast approving glances at the center of the camp.He held "Morning Dew" in his hand, and this exquisite dagger turned into a broad sword according to his thoughts, shining brightly in the dark.He raised his sword and slashed forward in the air, almost condensing into a translucent wind blade that pierced through the thick ink-like darkness.

There was a rumbling sound of cracking rocks in the direction where the wind blade was slashing.In an instant, the night sky became clear again, and the slender crescent moon hung quietly in the sky, casting an indifferent glow.In the camp, you can hear the chirping of insects, the sound of the wind, and the subtle sounds of nature in the quiet wilderness.

Lorca snorted coldly, he had already noticed this trap, and he could also judge that the enemy arrived a day before them and the arrangement was completed.But it was destroyed almost as soon as it was activated.The mages who cast the spell were backlashed by the huge magical energy shock, and they should all be severely injured by now.He swung his broadsword in the direction where the sound was made before, and the guards hidden in the dark immediately searched in that direction.

Loka did not relax his vigilance in his heart.The trap used to entertain them can be considered a big deal, but the bait thrown out by Livingston this time is really big, just solved it easily like this?Could it be that the other party is just probing rather than determined to win?Or is the opponent underestimating the enemy?He was thinking about it, when suddenly there were piercing sounds from all directions.

Dozens of shooting stars light up the night sky. If you look at it from a distance at this moment, you can only see the afterimage of the brilliant light and shadow flying across the night sky.

The trajectories of these fireballs look like huge and gorgeous flame flowers blooming in the night sky with this mountain as the center, and the flames that make up the "petals" gather rapidly towards the center.

The flames of the big bonfire in the center of the camp also suddenly exploded.Loka has already noticed that these are not all fireballs.Among them were some huge specially made crossbow# arrows, and he could already sense the aura emanating from those engraved with complicated magic patterns.Loka raised his broadsword high, like a guiding light in the darkness.

When the fireballs reached the camp after their brief flight, the campfire burst into flames.A gorgeous light and shadow bloomed above this mountain field under the night sky.The night sky is illuminated like day.When the little flames were annihilated, there was a bang in the surrounding rocks, and there were broken and collapsed mountain rocks everywhere.

The defensive formation resisted the attack, but Loka's expression became solemn. Under the huge impact, several priests were seriously injured and fell down. It seems that the opponent did not underestimate the enemy.If there is another wave of such attacks, the entire defensive array will be defeated.Loka suddenly felt his heart tense, he turned around suddenly, and a little flame flew into the sky again, what he really wanted, this wave was more and denser than before.Like a grand meteor shower.

Loka showed a decisive look. He jumped up, swung his broadsword, and slashed out huge wind blades one after another in the air. Hundreds of translucent wind blades screamed to meet the rain of fireworks that was getting closer.

The second wave of attacks was obviously more aggressive and denser, and the overwhelming killing intent could be sensed from a very far away, making people feel that there was no escape from this world.Luoka's handsome face is solemn but resolute, and each of his slashes is impeccable, just like the god of war descending.

He predicted calmly——he should be able to block half of the attacks.

Hundreds of translucent wind blades flew from the camp without hesitation, shooting towards the sky with flames.

Dots of flames that almost covered most of the night sky covered the camp, just like the first wave of attacks, the afterimages of each flame's rapid flight drew a bright flight path in the night sky.However, when they were still more than half away from the camp, the flames seemed to slow down suddenly, losing their successor power, and landed at the foot of the Doro Mountains after inertial flight in the air for a while. .

Only a small number of flames continued to fly towards the camp, colliding with the wind blade in the air, and colorful fireworks bloomed in the night sky one after another.

The second wave of attacks, which everyone was waiting for, failed to reach the camp in the end.When these sky-filled flames first appeared, they were like a dense rain of fire.In the end, none of the drops landed on the campsite.

The entire camp was silent under the silent night sky. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the well-trained Aranti continued to maintain vigilance amidst suspicion. The thick smoke from the burning forest on the plain had drifted to the Doro Mountains middle.These two waves of attacks have exposed the location of the spellcasting mages.Loka also noticed that there were masters lurking behind the high rocks.Perhaps it was originally intended to clean up the mess after the second wave of attacks, but the second wave of attacks failed, and the hidden master decisively chose to withdraw. To Loka's keen perception, his actions that he thought were cautious and slight were also exposed. his breath.After making a few instructions with gestures, Lorca chased in the direction where the hidden master retreated.

Under the cover of darkness, Loka no longer had to cover up the extraordinary physical strength and speed of the Aranti tribe.Fending off an ambush was not the goal of this mission.This time, it was to capture the captives alive and take them back for interrogation, to find out what forces dispatched them.

The original prey became the hunter, and the hunter who set the trap and waited to be hunted became the fleeing prey.As a master among ordinary humans, his speed surprised Lorca a little.Because he wanted to capture him alive, Loka didn't take it lightly.Under the moonlight, Loka could tell that it was a strong and brave warrior, and Loka found that the warrior was running in the same direction as the mages who launched the two waves of magic attacks on the camp.

Maybe it was to escape back to the base camp, or maybe it was to lure the enemy into another ambush circle.No matter what the purpose was, Lorca didn't care.If it is the enemy's base camp, that's even better, and you can capture more prisoners.Thinking of this, he was not in a hurry to make a move, and followed the figure of the warrior running like a gust of wind from a distance.Behind them, several high-ranking Aranti guards followed closely behind in a fan shape.

The tens of kilometers of rugged mountain roads were quickly left far behind them.Loka could even see a dozen tents in front of him.In front of that warrior appeared three warriors with the same attire.His companion responded, and the warrior was obviously in high spirits. He shouted to his companion from a distance. Loka recognized that it was from the northern part of the Roman Empire. It was probably a Persian warrior. Famous mainland.

During the ambush just now and the subsequent chase, Luoka found that the warrior's stealth, hiding, and excellent physical fitness were almost comparable to those of the Arantis, and he was able to fight against powerful enemies, which made Luoka feel excited. Seeing the camp of the Persians in front of him, and about to fight against the brave clan who is famous in the mainland, Loka's blood boiled all over his body.

The warrior quickly approached his companions. The firelight of the camp far away was enough for Loka to see the relaxed expression on his tired face. He opened his arms and spoke the dialect of the Persian tribe excitedly, fast.As he spoke, he had already arrived in front of the three companions.

Suddenly the warrior leaned back, narrowly dodging the iron ball that swept past, he fell to the ground and rolled away in embarrassment, the ground was smashed into a hole by the hammer that followed, but he responded in desperation In time, half of his shoulder was sliced ​​off by the sharp blade.

The warrior let out a mournful scream, which was unbearable to listen to. He staggered back, his eyes were full of horror and disbelief, his companions approached step by step with expressionless faces, blood loss and huge mental shock made his resistance full of flaws .The companion who made the sword hit him hard on the back of the neck with the hilt, making him stunned to the ground, and ended the heart-pounding screams.

The accident happened suddenly, and Loka stopped vigilantly.The warrior fell at the feet of his three companions, and after the three subdued the warrior, they stood quietly in place.

At this time, Loka saw a person coming out from between the tents in the distance, and his vision became hazy amidst the flickering lights of the camp.It can be seen that he is dressed in the shepherd's clothing that is common in the mountains. Perhaps the thin linen smock is not enough to resist the cold in the mountains at night. He is wrapped in a thick wool shawl that covers his hair and face, making it impossible to see his appearance clearly.He walked out slowly with a shepherd's cane, followed by an obedient shepherd dog.

The shepherd walked slowly, his figure was like a shadow gradually peeling off from the darkness, when he passed by the three warriors, he didn't take a second look at this strange scene, and didn't stop, he just walked straight to his own road.But the three warriors fell silently behind him.

For some reason, Lorca felt a strange sense of familiarity with the shepherd in his heart.But the scene in front of him was really weird, and he followed the shepherd curiously and vigilantly, trying to figure it out.Strangely, although the shepherd walked very slowly, Loka still couldn't get close to him.His figure quickly disappeared into the forest mottled with tree shadows under the moonlight.

At this time, the Aranti guards who followed Loka also arrived.The top priority is to occupy the camp. Loka suppressed his doubts and commanded the guards to form a defensive formation and enter the enemy's camp cautiously.

The camp is huge and can accommodate hundreds of people.But there is a mysterious silence, only the sound of the torches beeping.

"Your Highness, look!" Pete was opening a tent and looking inside.

Lorca opened the door curtain and walked in.There were corpses all over the place.He turned around abruptly and went out to check the other tents, each of which was filled with dead bodies.Some of these corpses have peaceful faces, as if they died in sleep, some have wide-eyed eyes and distorted faces, as if they experienced great fear before dying.

The search took place in a dignified atmosphere.Behind the camp, they found a huge magic circle, which still had the aura of magic fluctuations.Around the magic circle were more than 20 magicians.It can be seen from their robes that they are all quite accomplished mages.Those two waves of magic attacks were obviously sent from here.

In the camp's largest tent, they found dozens of people alive but unconscious.It can be seen from their clothes that they have a considerable status.There were also several mages who survived beside the magic circle.

When the morning light flooded the wilderness from the skyline, the mission of Luoka and his party was successfully completed.In the clearing after they had left, the enemy camp had completely disappeared.Tents, corpses, as if they had never existed.

This mission was accomplished with ease.Only a few priests were injured, and after treatment they were all fine.But Lorca didn't have much joy in victory.The sight of the enemy camp made him feel very uncomfortable.He thought of the shepherd who mysteriously disappeared that night, and an inexplicable feeling rose in his heart.

The author has something to say:

Can you guess who the shepherd is?