The Tale Never Ends
/ The Tale Never Ends Chapter 165 The Hillside Hun
"But it was hardly an occasion for celebration. We still have no way of ascertaining Edelweiss's situation. After some discussion, we decided it was best we move together. With Chongxi guiding us, we realized that we had wandered into the middle part of the hazy area, where the fight was most intense, due to the many spirit familiars that the three strangers had unleashed, although they could scarcely see well in the dark themselves.
Lin Feng lashed his whip at another attacking hound, and watched it dissipate to dust. To step into the darkness and endure the never ending gauntlet of enemies charging at them, was was like stepping into the chaotic and gaping pit of an abyss; a never-ending climb up a mountain, the peak seemingly to elude us. We have been encountering scores of conjured attack hounds and humanoid minions, and they have never stopped coming out of the woodwork. Exasperated, Chongxi asked, "Have you not managed to find out what sort of magic this is? At this rate, the battle will never end before we tire out!" I shook my head, depositing a pill into my mouth to restore my energies. "I can't. They seem more like wraiths or spirits... Beings without corporeal bodies... I've never seen anything like this before." I felt my veins coursing with renewed strength, and I thrust my finger, controlling the Shiyan Blade with my mind, as it lanced through another huge black dog.
We stopped for a break, and I took a deep breath, all three of us welcoming the brief moment of respite. By now, our hike was going downhill, and the enemies would be waiting in greater numbers, the further we descended. As if to rub salt into our wounds, we began to notice spirit familiars flying in the air, under the guise of ravens and crows. They zipped and darted over our heads, swooping down on us when we least expected them, to try to peck and claw at us. But we have Chongxi with us. Armed with his slingshot, we were saved by his marksmanship that delivered us every time the dreaded flutter of wings approached us in the blight.
We continued our charge forward, unleashing whatever we could from our plethora of skills and weapons. Much to our astonishment, we broke out of the haze in the next second! We had reached the base of the hill! But there was hardly time for a breather or be jubilant. We were standing right in front of a vast group of weasels, all watching us with dumbstruck expressions on their faces. We stared at each other wordlessly for seconds, until the weasel at the forefront of the vanguard squealed vociferously and took off! The rest of its kin followed suit, running away frantically as if they had been routed. It took merely seconds before the last of them were gone, leaving only the old, wizened weasel; the very same one we encountered in a human form, helping to cure a boy. It stood not far away, staring at us eye-to-eye, with a horrified and disbelieving look.
Lin Feng's hand slowly traveled to the handle of his whip and his figure slowly lowered into a prowling stance. The gnarly weasel trembled and yanked a sword out of its scabbard. "I'd never think you'd be capable of so heinous a scheme! Releasing the haze to ambush us!" I was left grimacing quietly as the weasel's disgruntled ramblings continued. "We were also lost ourselves in the haze," I almost blurted out loud. But I put on a smug and proud look, and spat, "Who do you think asked for this fight?" I patted Lin Feng's back and we turned as one, plunging back into the noxious haze.
But before we were completely blinded by the darkness, I could see that both Chongxi and Lin Feng were confused, even though they would have followed me to the ends of the world. We ran as fast as we could uphill, my mind swirling with thoughts about Edelweiss and the Forest Sprite, as I wondered about their wellbeing. Once again, we ran through the darkness like blind men, our minds and impaired senses clinging only to our determined race up the slopes. "The trio must also be the same," I reflected, "although we now have no idea where they are now."
My concern for the others merely quickened my pace, instead of weighing me down. Then a sudden noise made us freeze in our tracks! Somewhere on the slopes ahead of us, came the deafening roar of a tiger! As one, we griped with horror and frustration, "A tiger?! That must be against the rules!" We traded quick looks, and I activated my Spirit Sight. But as soon as my vision changed, I quickly saw a ball of aura, hateful and malicious, charging down the inclination towards us!
I looked at my companions and they at me. Lin Feng chuckled weakly, "Any suggestions would be sorely welcomed now, I suppose. We'll be meeting it head-on, if we go on straight. We might be able to avoid it if we veer away now." "I suppose so," Chongxi agreed, "These things are also lost in the darkness. It's only by a dumb stroke of luck that it's caught on to us. I'm sure we'll be able to evade it if we divert now!" Just before I could say a word, the hoofbeats of a galloping horse passed could be heard nearby, and I could have sworn that I heard Edelweiss's grunts!
We stared at each other again, mouths agape with shock and our eyes as round as eggs. "What else! We go ahead!" Chongxi was the first to yell. "Indeed. Any delay and Edelweiss might stray off somewhere else!" Lin Feng added. I nodded. "Very well. Let the hunt begin!" I hissed, and I took the lead to head up the level of the slope.
Lin Feng and Chongxi trailed at my heels, trotting swiftly along. Just then, a blob of malicious presence darted down towards us, coming near and nearer and I almost expected to see a dark and hulking silhouette emerging from the hazy veil of the noxious mist at any time. We could not help slowing down to a walk, and the tiger seemed to have reduced its speed suddenly; clearly, it found us.
We paced warily through the fog-shrouded undergrowth. Before long, I could make out the massive and sinewy frame of a carnivorous beast of prey, and the sleek, black coat of a black tiger! It saw us and bared its teeth at us in a vicious snarl, and pounced suddenly, aiming for me who was standing at the center. Lin Feng darted forward with a leap, unleashing his Twin Kicks technique. There was a loud and muffled thud, before Lin Feng and the tiger crashed to the ground together!
The brief exchange was met with a sudden and surprised "Ah?!" from me. Lin Feng spun and somersaulted to his feet, and so did the tiger, which flipped itself up with frightening agility, despite its massive girth. Chongxi circled around them with a stone set in his slingshot, preparing to fire when he asked, "What did you see, Shiyan? Did you notice anything?" I nodded and barked at Lin Feng, "There's something different about this tiger, Lin Feng!" Lin Feng and the tiger circled around one another, prowling and alert like a matador and a raging bull ready to charge. "Yeah, I noticed that too. What should I do now?" He yelled.
At the exact moment when Lin Feng kicked out at the tiger, I could have sworn that I heard the sound of his foot slamming against the strong and brawny torso of the tiger. Since the very beginning of this battle, the minions that we had encountered did not have corporeal forms of their own. Unlike the huge hound familiars and humanoid golems which would have crumbled into dust at the slightest impact, the tiger did not disintegrate when he was struck by Lin Feng's Twin Kicks technique, as if it was an actual real tiger!
The tiger grew impatient at Lin Feng's hesitation, and gave a deafening roar, before it lunged at him! Lin Feng swung his whip at the beast and split its skull with an echoing crack that reverberated through the woods around us. It was a stroke that could have even halved a rock too, never mind the head of an animal. The tiger's head split like a smashed watermelon, as it tumbled to the ground, very much dead than alive! Behind them, Chongxi and I breathed easily, at last, relieved that the fight was over.
We formed behind Lin Feng, who crouched down to examine the carcass. But what we saw made us dumbstruck with shock. The carcass of the dead tiger was rotting rapidly, decaying with such speed that it turned into dark soot in no time, before a light breeze came and whisked it all away in scuds of dark fume-like tendrils that whipped through the dark, hazy forest. We shared long, dark looks among ourselves, clearly unsettled and shaken by what we had just seen!
Chongxi was the first to break out of the stupor. He stomped his foot and cursed, "Dammit! That's impossible!" Then he turned and took the lead, sprinting uphill! Lin Feng looked at me and our eyes met. Without so much as a nod, we took off, hurrying after him. The humid air in the forest did little to dry my slick back, now wet with cold sweat, as I yanked off the cork of my Spirit Gourd to draw in the noxious haze around us, while keeping up the pace to run towards the direction where we last heard Edelweiss's horse!
The miasmic fog around us began to thin and our visibility gradually increased. Before long, we finally saw Edelweiss! She was still galloping around on her horse, fighting furiously with another man who was also riding on horseback, with a strong and brutish destrier between his legs, while brandishing a weapon to fight against Edelweiss!
The air near the peak of the hill rang with the sounds of their swords clashing. Edelweiss jerked at her reins and squeezed her legs, willing her horse to dart forward to meet her foe. But she was not alone; the stranger steered his horse around and charged at her headfirst too. He raised his arm and I finally saw clearly what he held in his hands – a small wooden bow with some arrows!
Yet no matter how fast we ran, there was simply no way we could reach her in time. I frantically yelled at the top of my lungs, my arms reaching forward in vain, "STOP!"
Chapter end
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