piratefiction Chapter 3 Nightmare, The Tree Guardian
Chapter 3 Nightmare, The Tree Guardian
Late at night, in front of the checkpoint.
Xia Tong crouched low, using the shadows of the ruins as cover, and tiptoed toward the soldier named Grek who had a brass horn clipped to his waist.
Regarding the cause of death of his predecessor, Xia Tong estimated that he was beaten to death by the group of soldiers in front of the checkpoint.
If the soldier in charge of blowing the horn and calling for reinforcements is killed, the risk of being ganged up on will be much smaller.
I remember when I was playing the game, whenever I was leveling up before a level, the first thing I had to take down was always this "sentinel".
One step, two steps.
Nearly.
puff!
The king's straight sword plunged deep into the back of the Grek soldier!
Then, Xia Tong kicked the man's back with her left foot and pulled him up sharply!
Sizzle—!
Blood spurted out immediately, splattering all over Xia Tong.
This wave of old blood made Xia Tong cough repeatedly.
"Cough cough..."
Smelly!
It stinks!
However, this sword strike did not completely kill the Grek soldier.
He was incredibly resilient. He staggered around and swung his straight sword at Xia Tong.
"Too slow!"
Xia Tong's eyes turned cold.
He lowered his body slightly, slid to the side to dodge the attack, and at the same time swung his sword backhand to slash at the opponent's femoral artery.
puff.
The latter immediately collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then fell silent.
A faint golden light flowed into his body, amounting to approximately 64 points of runes.
"Okay, that's all for today."
Xia Tong skillfully stripped the armor off the Grik soldier in front of her.
Then, like an ant carrying its load, he moved the spoils to the cave where he had rested earlier.
At this point, the cave was completely filled with what looked like a small mountain.
There were seven or eight sets of equipment, all of them Grik soldier suits.
As for weapons, there are straight swords, spears, and some short knives that can be thrown.
"Leave the dagger behind."
Xia Tong picked out several sharp short knives and tied them to the outside of her thighs with strips of cloth.
In this perilous border region, every additional remote means offers a greater chance of survival.
........
Afterwards, Xia Tong returned to the blessing point in front of the checkpoint.
As a halo of light flowed around, a small patch of land around the blessing point was once again divided into a separate, tranquil space.
The sounds of the wind and the roars of monsters seemed to have faded away.
Xia Tong quietly called out to Melina.
hum-
The blue light spots converged again, transforming into Melina's petite figure.
She watched Xia Tong's busy day, seemingly puzzled:
"Actually... you don't need to keep all the armor you get in that cave."
"In the borderlands, every strong person who has been blessed or recognized by a blessing will have a space of their own."
Melina's voice was ethereal and gentle:
"I will always be with you. Even if you are not at the Blessing Point, you can summon me at any time."
"Now, give me your hand."
With a blue light, Melina reappeared in physical form.
Xia Tong did as instructed and extended her left hand.
This time, Melina used both of her hands to tightly wrap Xia Tong's left hand.
Her hands were cold and soft.
A faint, almost imperceptible force flowed from between her hands to Xia Tong's palms.
"Close your eyes and feel it carefully."
Xia Tong closed her eyes.
Soon, he felt himself in a surreal, dark space.
Not far away, a faint point of light was drawing his attention.
Guided by Melina, Xia Tong successfully established a connection with the light spot in this illusory space.
"Open your eyes."
Melina released her grip and whispered:
"How about it? Now try putting something in this space."
With a thought, Xia Tong tried to "put" a short knife from her leg wrappings into that space.
brush!
The dagger in his hand vanished into thin air.
In his mind, a short knife was quietly floating in that space.
"This is the legendary space backpack!"
Xia Tong was overjoyed.
With this, I'll never have to hide things like a scavenger again.
After finishing all that, Xia Tong returned to the cave deep in the dense forest.
He chatted with Melina for a while longer.
The campfire inside the cave crackled and popped.
The flickering flames cast intermittent light and shadow on their faces, creating a warm and tranquil atmosphere.
"Go to sleep."
Melina said softly, her figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Xia Tong closed her eyes peacefully and fell into a sweet sleep.
.........
The next day, just as dawn was breaking.
Xia Tong then rode Toret towards another direction in the dense forest.
Our destination is the Church of Islay.
He carefully dodged several Grik soldiers carrying torches and crossed several rolling hills.
Finally, the iconic small stone church in the distance slowly came into view.
However......
Tap! Tap! Tap tap!
Just then, a clear and heavy sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.
The sound was like a dull bell, ringing out loudly in my ears, making the ground tremble.
Xia Tong suddenly looked back.
Pupils suddenly contracted!
It was a gigantic human figure radiating golden light!
He sat atop a tall, heavily armored warhorse.
The golden heavy armor gleamed in the sunlight, resembling a moving golden mountain.
At this moment, he was only about 30 meters away from the Church of Islay.
And it was only a hundred meters away from Xia Tong!
That is—the guardian tree!
Beneath the helmet, a pair of indifferent yet terrifying eyes were fixed on Xia Tong.
"We're doomed!"
"It's locked!"
Xia Tong was instantly numb and shuddered.
This is a giant tree guardian!
A nightmare for countless newcomers!
I've been working hard to level up in the game, and I'm only level 3 so far!
Forget about fighting, I'd probably die on the spot if that golden halberd of his were to graz me!
"run!"
Without any hesitation.
Xia Tong spurred the horse's flanks and immediately turned it around, galloping wildly towards the distant dense forest.
Click! Click! Click!
A despairing roar came from behind.
The tree guard was already quite large, and even with all four hooves on the ground, the warhorse beneath him was nearly three meters tall!
At this moment, it could fly with all four hooves and even unleash magic to counterattack.
Immediately, dust billowed up behind them.
The tree guardian occasionally let out angry roars, raising its golden halberd high, exuding a murderous aura.
"Torret! Run! Or we're both done for!"
Xia Tong pressed her entire upper body tightly against the horse's back to minimize wind resistance.
The wind was whistling in my ears, and my heart was pounding in my throat.
Fortunately, Torret is a spirited horse and extremely fast.
While the tree guardians were formidable, their heavy armor ultimately hampered their speed.
Xia Tong rode the Torret at full speed for half an hour, and only dared to stop after confirming that the terrifying sound of hooves was no longer behind her.
"Huff... huff..."
Xia Tong was panting heavily, her whole body soaked in cold sweat.
Torret, who was beneath him, was also exhausted, with white foam appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Xia Tong felt heartbroken and quickly went to pick some fresh Roya fruits from the surrounding area.
He fed it to Toret by the handful.
After eating the fruit, Torret felt much better and nuzzled against Xia Tong affectionately.
Under the shade of a tree.
Points of blue light converged, and Melina slowly materialized.
She looked at the disheveled man and horse and said softly:
"That big tree guard just now... you're definitely no match for it now."
"When you get close to his patrol area, you should dismount and walk there stealthily."
Xia Tong slumped to the ground, looking at Melina, when suddenly an idea came to her.
"Melina... I'm so scared, my palms are sweaty, and my heart is pounding."
Xia Tong deliberately feigned being frightened, speaking in a weak tone.
Maybe... I can get a free hug or something?
Melina looked at him suspiciously, then slowly exposed him:
"But...your breathing is calm now."
"Uh..." Xia Tong was a little embarrassed.
Despite saying this, a hint of helpless tenderness seemed to flash across Melina's indifferent face.
She kept her head down, her hands clasped together.
He silently chanted an ancient incantation, his fingers forming several intricate and elegant hand seals.
hum-
next moment.
A small, slender golden tree phantom, about two meters tall, appeared out of thin air in front of Xia Tong.
The golden tree emitted a soft golden light, like the warm winter sun.
The sunlight shone down, bringing Xia Tong a warmth that came from within.
The lingering fear and physical exhaustion after encountering the giant tree guardian vanished instantly under the light.
"This is......."
Xia Tong knew, of course.
This is the blessing of the golden tree.
This is Melina's exclusive prayer; only she can release it throughout the entire game.
I remember when I was playing the game, when fighting "Omen King" Mongot, Melina would cast this prayer to heal whenever the protagonist was injured.
In the game, it heals.
And now it seems that it also has the magical effects of calming the mind, dispelling fear, and restoring physical strength.
"Thank you, Melina," Xia Tong said sincerely.
Melina didn't speak, but simply watched the vanishing golden sapling in silence.
Rest complete.
Xia Tong once again embarked on her journey to the Church of Arele.
This time, he learned his lesson.
Xia Tong dismounted when they were about three kilometers away from the Church of Islay.
He sent Torret back to the ring, and then, like a thief, crouched low as he moved through the grass.
They hide when they encounter bushes and detour around high ground.
This time, they were lucky; they didn't arouse the tree guardians' hatred again until they got close to the church.
The golden knight was merely patrolling mechanically along the road in the distance.
at last.
Xia Tong climbed over the last remaining wall and entered the church.
Islay Church is an ancient stone building.
The dome above has long since collapsed and fallen, and most of the surrounding walls have become ruins, exuding a sense of historical vicissitude.
In the game, however, it is a quiet and dilapidated refuge standing in Nymgford.
Even in reality, it is extremely quiet.
There were no aggressive creatures inside, not even wild dogs.
The church, which is only about 200 square meters, is now mostly covered with knee-high weeds.
The walls were riddled with cracks, and the stones at the edges had crumbled away. Ivy and gray-green moss grew tenaciously from the cracks, adding a touch of life to the dilapidated landscape.
Looking up, you see the vast sky at the border.
In the very center of the church is a familiar cluster of lights—the Islay Church Blessing Point.
In the southeast corner of the church, a bonfire was burning.
A figure sat beside the fire.
He wore a large red hat and a heavy red cloak that covered most of his body.
Beside him was a docile donkey.
The donkey's back was laden with all sorts of goods and bags.
It was daytime, and his campfire had gone out, leaving only embers.
Hearing Xia Tong's footsteps, the man looked up, revealing a stubble-covered face and eyes that seemed to have seen through the coldness and indifference of the world.
His voice was husky and magnetic, carrying a languid quality unique to a wanderer.
"Hello friend."
"My name is Kale."
"Judging from your appearance... you're also a newcomer to the Faded Ones, aren't you?"
In a corner not far away, there was a heavy forging table.
Nearby, the golden light of blessing radiates a warm aura.