Amid the dissatisfied groans of the Shahan beasts, the caravan set foot on the endless sea of sand. The cargo hung on the backs of the beasts was fixed by raised baffles, with many nets firmly covering it to ensure that the goods inside
Things won't fall off.
Standing on the sand dunes and looking from a distance, they could see the north-south mountains stretching in front of them. This naturally formed an obstacle, but as long as they passed through this mountain range, their destination would be very close.
However, certain empty mountain ranges have always been taboo places for city-state residents. Although they originated there, their ancestors have long abandoned them. However, in the scary stories at night, the mountains are not empty. Those who have been
Abandoned existence, always watching everything that comes and goes with vicious eyes——
They must reach the foot of the mountain when "daylight" comes, where there is a shelter. Then they will cross the valley in the evening and spend the night in a cave in the valley. The leader here has walked here four or five times. He thinks this route is
Absolutely safe.
No one will doubt it.
Walking in the sea of death is like walking on a cauldron burning on fire. Everyone wraps themselves tightly because the hot wind in the sea of sand is deadly. Fortunately, those on their bodies are woven with worm silk.
The robes are extremely insulating, and living under high temperatures for a long time has given the residents of this world better heat resistance, preventing them from turning into mummies under high temperatures.
After walking for who knows how long, just when many people were almost dizzy, the leader began to sing, and the high notes echoed in the wind.
Before he reached the second verse, most of the people sang along with him.
Because the mountains are already in sight, the white rocks are even reflecting under the blazing sun, which also means that their trek is about to end. Only when they enter the shelter can everyone have a chance to drink water, because that can maximize
Reduce water waste.
But just when they saw the dark entrance of the shelter, the guard captain walking in front suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and warned everyone to stay quiet.
The Shahan beasts stopped with a creaking sound.
The chanter got off the back of the Shahan beast, and Likas supported him and walked lightly to the leader's side.
"what's the situation?"
His voice was low and a little hoarse. Although he was the only one who could ride a pack animal, the long period of direct sunlight still made his mouth dry.
The leader looked back at the team.
"I seem to hear the roar of something... Damn, everyone is thirsty and tired, chanter, we may have encountered a tribe of marauders. This is a premeditated ambush."
Likas glanced at the white rock cliffs, and seemed to be able to see the malicious shadows among the rock peaks.
He almost thought that the raider tribe was just a legend. Some caves in the mountains were abandoned, and the residents moved to places more suitable for survival. But not everyone left, some stayed, voluntarily or involuntarily.
Those who are considered a burden, deformed children, the sick...
They were supposed to fend for themselves where they were abandoned, with nothing left in the end, but that was not the case.
They survived, although they didn't know where they got water from. These terrible predators howled in the strong wind. More importantly, in the stories Ricas heard, their food was very special——
At least his father said that those predator tribes were cannibals.
The chanter was obviously well-informed and did not panic. Instead, he scanned the environment and whispered:
"This is not a place for defense."
"Of course it's not suitable. We have to go into the shadows. The other party is waiting for us to do this, but we can't put ourselves in the scorching sun."
After that, the experienced leader waved his hand and let the team continue to set off, but the weapons had been quietly distributed, and all the adult men were told in a low voice to be ready to fight.
In this cruel world, barbarism is still the mainstream, and fighting and death are not uncommon even in city-states.
Ricas got a scimitar from the teacher, which was the weapon of the chanter when he was young. Now that he is old and can no longer wield the sword, Ricas is his protector. Then the boy took out his own
Dagger, he also knew that he had to protect the teacher's safety.
Soon the scorching sun above them was obscured by the shadow of the towering mountain peaks. They were still some distance away from the shelter, but the team stopped.
The leader raised the horn to his mouth, blew it hard, and ordered everyone to form a circle around the Shahan beasts. These beasts of burden have thick scales and fur. When they lie on the ground, they shrink their heads to protect their abdomen and
It is difficult for ordinary weapons to damage them when they are on the head, so it can be used as a barrier.
It was like a signal, and another horn sounded immediately. The sound was rough and unruly, like the howl of a wild animal.
"Don't be afraid, everyone, we have weapons! Protect the water in the middle."
The leader shouted loudly, and the strange horn sound revealed the identity of the visitor.
Walking in the Sea of Death, the caravan will naturally not lack combat effectiveness. Including the chef, fifty or sixty adults are holding metal weapons, while the boys are ready with their slings, which are the most common long-range weapons.
The next moment, from the shadow of the rock peak, many ugly and savage figures emerged, and the noisy roars and thunderous footsteps shocked everyone's senses.
Ricas remained calm and faced the terrifying scene directly.
They were a group of outright savages. They had no clothes and only simple armors made of human bones. Their dark skin was covered with dirt and scars, and some of them had obvious deformities. The weapons they wielded were also made of stones and bones.
Mainly made of weapons, but they all have a similar symbol painted with red paint on their chests, which looks like half a gear. The first time Ricas learned about gears was when he heard his father talk about the terrible red weapon when he was a child.
The story of the Clothed Witch King, what they like most is this evil magic symbol.
However, there are quite a few of them, seemingly twice as many as the caravan. They are led by a tall monster with a distorted and deformed face, which is obviously the result of inbreeding. However, it is very strong and has skulls all over its body.
, holding a huge stone hammer in his right hand, and a shield made of human ribs in his left hand.
The barbaric plunderers were coming with such ferocity that many people turned pale with fright, but Ricas suddenly noticed a detail.
Among them were some guys wielding iron chains. Where did these barbarians get such things?
At this time, his mentor suddenly said:
"Too bad, they are here to capture slaves for the Red Witch King."
The red-robed Witch King, even the team leader trembled when he heard this title.
It was a nightmare legend that existed in the world of Ata before the arrival of the Sun Order. It was said that it was a demon that escaped from hell, wore bloody red clothes, lived in a place made of black metal, and constantly spit out black smoke.
The huge castle is filled with enslaved living dead. These Witch Kings can also use the evil magic of fire and lightning, but fortunately they rarely go out. After the Sun Order appeared, they promoted it as these demons.
Afraid of the rays of the Sun Emperor.
However, most people just regard it as a legend.
But a few well-informed people know that this is by no means a legend. The red wizard kings have an endless hunger for slaves. They will drive the barbarians to capture slaves for themselves, and at the same time, they will provide these barbarian tribes with water and food, and even
are some tools and weapons.
Each caravan leader prayed before setting off that he would not run into the Witch King's slave-catching team.
But today it seems they are unlucky.
Faced with this situation, the chanter could only close his eyes and chant, as if praying for the Sun Emperor's help, while the leader shouted at the top of his voice.
"Everyone drink water! Fight them off when you're full!"
He didn't dare say that this was the Witch King's slave-catching team, otherwise everyone's morale might collapse directly.