Chapter 82 Escape and Chase, Wounded, Rescue
Lamb ran as fast as he could, the wind whistling past his ears and his own rapid breathing. He couldn't stop, afraid that something might happen to Ray while he was still.
He couldn't imagine what would happen to Neil if something really happened to Ray. The last time was the same situation at the Kako Hotel, but at least his life wasn't in danger then.
But this time was different. After being dragged away, Lamb clearly sensed that the situation was far more critical. Those vines truly wanted to kill him!
Faster, faster!
Lamb's legs mechanically repeated the movements, maintaining his running speed.
Damn it!
Why did I have to be so reckless and run into the woods? Why am I not capable enough to protect the people I care about? Why do I always cause trouble for others?
Tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, falling in a continuous stream as he opened and closed them. Lamb wiped away the tears with his sleeve to keep them from obstructing his vision.
He was running too fast and tripped and fell flat on his face. Without bothering to clean himself up, Lamb got up and kept running.
On the other side.
Ray was dragged for dozens of meters by the vines. Fortunately, the vines weren't very intelligent; they only extended up to his chest along his ankles. His legs were firmly bound, but his hands remained exposed.
He gradually calmed down. Anger wouldn't change the situation, nor would it solve any problems. Until Lamb returned, actively trying to save himself was the best course of action.
Lei was thinking about a solution.
He had to cut most of the vines off at once, otherwise, once it realized its prey was still able to move, it would launch a more ferocious attack and retaliation, making escape even more difficult.
The vines dragged Lai across a protruding tree root. The root's obstruction, coupled with his feet bracing against it, caused a brief pause.
The opportunity has arrived!
Ray propped himself up and plunging the bone knife deep between his legs. A flash of light, and the vines from his thighs to his ankles were severed and torn apart with a single stroke. Ray used one hand to support himself, flipped over, and leaped away like an arrow.
This is my last chance. If I get caught again, I probably won't survive.
Lei ran with a do-or-die attitude, afraid that he might be caught again and tied up like a dumpling.
Although plants do not feel pain, they still perceive the loss of parts of their bodies.
Three of its eight vines were injured or shortened, which made it extremely angry.
Protect, deliver, dedicate.
These three instructions are its reason for existence, and they are also what is engraved in its genes and must be obeyed.
In winter, lacking a source of energy, its "spirit" begins to weaken.
No, no, no!
The vines began to become unusually active, and Lei noticed this as well.
He gritted his teeth, ignoring the wound on his leg, and sprinted back the way he came. Whenever the vines were about to touch him, he would skillfully dodge them; if he couldn't dodge, he would attack the menacing vines with his bone knife.
Suddenly, a vine appeared out of nowhere and knocked the bone knife out of Lai's hand.
!?
Cold sweat crept onto Ray's forehead. He was already sweating from running and defending, but at this moment Ray felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
That was his weapon for survival; without the bone knife, it would be even harder for Ray to escape danger.
He drew another ordinary dagger from his waist, one he originally intended to use to cut fishing line. But in this situation, having a weapon was better than having nothing at all.
A vine attacked his right side, and Ray blocked it with his dagger, barely managing to deflect the blow, his hand throbbing with pain.
The attack power of an ordinary dagger is far inferior to that of a bone knife inlaid with elemental stones. His forceful strike only scratched the surface of the vine, leaving a shallow mark.
......
run!
Although Ray was fast, after such a long struggle, he had little stamina left. The vines, however, continued their attack with undiminished speed, taking advantage of their superior strength.
If this continues, no matter how hard he struggles, being caught by it is inevitable.
The vines drew closer, and Lei could almost hear the whooshing sound of them moving too fast.
Think quickly about what skills you can use.
A goddess's blessing? A fertility booster? No, no, those two skills are too gentle.
Those two offensive skills? No, they are more effective against creatures with flesh and blood, but they are completely useless against plants.
Suddenly, Lai had a flash of inspiration. The magic book that his classmate had generously sponsored seemed to contain a kind of intermediate magic that could absorb the life force of plants, or rather, accelerate their growth and aging.
To be honest, he still hasn't figured out the underlying principles of that magical skill.
After so much time, he had already read through those magic notebooks completely. He could cast basic skills without any difficulty;
However, due to his own physical limitations and other factors, he is not yet able to independently and completely learn more advanced magic.
Ray recalled the details of practicing his skills; it was a very strange magic circle. Without time to recall it carefully, he immediately activated his magic and began drawing it.
While dodging the attacks of the vines, Lai failed on his first attempt. But he didn't give up and began his second and third attempts.
With the active wood element surrounding him and the halo of light flowing from his fingertips, a pattern imbued with magical power gradually took shape.
The air around him seemed to tremble, emitting a faint hum. Wood elements began to gather towards the magic circle, and the light grew brighter and brighter.
Thank goodness, after many attempts, Ray finally succeeded. But his magic power seemed to have reached its limit, and the hand drawing the magic circle trembled uncontrollably.
Now, all Lai needs to do is quickly cast the magic circle onto the vines, as this kind of magic circle without a carrier cannot be maintained for long.
The vines attacked again, and this time Lei didn't dodge. Instead, he slammed the magic circle directly onto the vine closest to him.
The magic circle activated, and a small portion of the wood element from the vine was extracted through the array's opening. Some flowed into the caster's body, while the rest dissipated into the air.
Ray felt a very pure energy begin to replenish his nearly depleted mana.
His fatigue began to ease, his magic returned, and he felt refreshed, which made him much more energetic.
The vine itself sensed the anomaly and began to reclaim the scattered vines.
The energy I had painstakingly accumulated over a long period of time was suddenly leaking away through my "hands"!
An inexplicable emotion stirred up the body's chaotic thoughts.
No! No!
The main body immediately severed the disobedient "hand," and the energy that was constantly flowing into Lai's body began to weaken until the severed vine changed from green to brown, and then into a long withered branch.
...
Lei was dumbfounded.
He only cast the spell and drew the magic circle as a last resort, never expecting it to have such great power.
Fearing the vines would launch another attack, Lei ran back to where the bone knife had fallen, intending to retrieve it and leave immediately.
The bone knife is also inlaid with elemental stones, which are absolutely essential and cannot be lost.
The bone-white knife is particularly hard to find in the snow, but fortunately he can determine its exact location by the activity level of the elements.
Ray bent down to pick up the bone knife, and a sweet, metallic taste rose from his throat. He couldn't help but cough, and a mouthful of blood spurted out with the cough.
Lei straightened up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Although he coughed up blood, he felt much better now; the tightness in his chest was relieved as soon as he coughed up the blood.
He dared not delay any longer. After retrieving the bone knife, he immediately set off in the direction he had come from, away from the vines and the chaotic area.
Rhys was leisurely fishing on the ice.
He had a good catch today; he not only caught many common fish, but also a blue trout that was half an arm's length long.
Blue trout are prized for their delicious flesh, making them a rare and high-quality freshwater fish. Nobles enjoyed eating blue trout raw; its sweet, chewy texture, combined with dipping sauce, made it exceptionally flavorful. Within this circle, a fine blue trout could fetch over a dozen silver coins.
Although the fish that Rhys caught was a bit old, it could still fetch several silver coins, but he didn't intend to sell it.
The blue trout soup tastes great; the broth is milky white and a rare tonic, which Farah loves.
Having achieved his goal for the day, Rhys was in a very good mood.
Lamb and Lai have been gone for an hour or two, and I don't know why they haven't returned yet. I guess Lamb is having too much fun again.
Reese knew his youngest brother's character well. The surrounding environment was safe, and with Ray keeping him in check, he felt at ease.
The main reason is that we have a very reliable person like Lei.
I don't know when it started, but the Lai who used to always stay at home and never chat or hunt with his relatives and peers has become the generous person he is now.
The changes are so drastic that sometimes it feels like they're completely different people compared to how they acted before.
Well, Rhys thinks this change is great; he likes how Ray looks now. It turns out that experiencing dramatic changes really can alter a person's personality.
I just hope that Ray can get out of the shadows and live a good life with Neil. I will do my best to help the two brothers.
While waiting for the fish, Rhys was lost in thought.
The fishing line twitches; another fish has taken the bait!
He quickly lifted the fishing rod, but the hook was empty; it was a pity he missed. Judging from the force he felt on the rod, it must have been a big fish.
Undeterred, Rhys sat back down on the small stool and put new bait on the hook.
"elder brother."
Lamb called out to Reese, panting heavily.
Lamb was still quite a distance away, and his throat was dry from panting, so his voice was very soft. Reese was focused on fishing and didn't notice the commotion behind him.
Lamb watched the leisurely figure on the ice and grew increasingly anxious. He swallowed hard, trying to ease his throat, but his mouth was so dry that he couldn't saliva at all. So he simply grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth.
With the snow water, my throat finally felt a little better.
"elder brother!"
Lamb's thunderous roar finally roused Rhys, who was hopelessly addicted to fishing.
"elder brother!"
Lamb called out again.
Rhys frowned as he looked at his silly younger brother, who was staggering toward him.
Oh no, something's happened!
Reese dropped his fishing rod and ran to catch Lamb.
With family members to rely on, Lamb finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"elder brother."
"What happened? Where's Ray? What happened? Tell me quickly!"
Rhys asked anxiously.
Lamb's face turned bright red, his damp, curly hair clung tightly to his forehead, and his head and palms were covered in sweat.
Lamb took a couple of breaths and spoke again.
"We encountered mutated plants in the forest, and Laige stayed behind to save me. Brother, you must go save him!"
Upon hearing Lamb's words, Rhys immediately became tense and returned to the ice to retrieve his weapon.
"Where is it? Lead the way, let's get there quickly!"
"Okay...okay."
Lamb adjusted his breathing rhythm, gritted his teeth, and began to lead the way.
Rhys wasn't unaware of Lamb's torn clothes and wounds, but now was not the time to rest.
He couldn't let Ray get hurt under his nose. If Ray were seriously injured, not only would he be unable to justify himself to Hagrid, but he would also suffer severe guilt.
Lamb had left a messy trail of footprints on the once smooth snow. After realizing that he could find the accident site by following the footprints without needing a guide, Reese decisively abandoned the panting Lamb.
"Lamb, stay here and don't wander off. I'll follow the footprints myself. No, you go back to the village and get reinforcements. The appearance of mutated plants near the village is a big deal; we must report this to the elders!"
"Okay, brother, go quickly. I'm afraid something terrible might have happened over there."
The two split up and ran in different directions.
There were only these few footprints in the forest, which were very directional. Having hunted in the forest for many years, Rhys quickly adapted to the terrain; all he needed to do now was find Ray.
He was very fast and soon reached the outskirts of the place where Lamb and his group had encountered an attack by vines.
The ground was covered with messy footprints and a drag mark several tens of meters long. This was the mark left during the time Lamb was dragged away.
Rhys held his weapon horizontally in front of his chest and began to survey his surroundings. After carefully observing the area and finding nothing unusual, he began to search for Ray's trail, radiating outwards from the drag marks.
Unfortunately, he went in the wrong direction. The footprints stretched for about a hundred meters before stopping abruptly, so he had to turn around and continue searching.
After searching for about ten minutes, Rhys finally found the spot where Ray had directly clashed with the vines.
The surrounding snow was trampled into a mess, and the black soil and withered leaves buried under the snow were turned upside down and splashed onto the surrounding snow, turning that area of snow into a very dirty color.
The ground was in complete chaos.
Ries continued his search and found bright red bloodstains on the snow a few hundred meters away. The specks of red, from a distance, looked like winter plum blossoms blooming in the dead of winter.
Ries had no interest in appreciating the "winter plum blossoms" painted in blood.
The bloodstains indicated that Ray had suffered a bleeding injury, and he couldn't help but worry about Ray's current condition.
Calming himself down, he continued searching for Lai, who had disappeared, following a relatively clear set of footprints next to the bloodstains.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-09-25 14:17:21 and 2023-09-27 01:29:23!
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Qiaomu Xiangnan (50 bottles); 65763903 (30 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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