I was stunned, hands on my knees, and noticed the mysterious rotating ball of light. "what is this?"
"He only has these left," the samurai replied, "Don't touch, never touch. He may never let go..."
It was like being caught in a slow motion trap. The sphere began to fall, and I heard an impatient voice in my mind tempting me to approach. "Go, Danny, take it yourself! See what he sees! Know what he knows! Take it! Take it now!"
Out of fear, I resisted the voice and took a big step back. Then the ball fell on the grass and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I bent down to search, but found nothing but the miscellaneous green leaves. "Where..." I muttered to myself, stroking the grass with my hands. "Did you see it? Kate?"
After a while, a healthy blue light flashed on a blade of grass, and I took a step back a little later.
"His second death," Kate said, "and his new home. Either follow Fox's orders or end just like him."
I noticed the thousands of blades of grass around us. They can't be souls. I feel guilty when I think of how many blades I trampled on the way to the pillar.
"Let's go back to the road," I said regretfully.
The samurai nodded, and we went back, walking back step by step.
"I don't like it, Kate, something is wrong." In the twisted vines and twisted leaves, I felt my ignorance. In British Columbia, I have hunted elk with my father many times. In fact, I consider myself a skilled woodcutter; but in this desolate place, only Kate is very skilled.
With the foul air came a sense of evil, something lurking between the trunks, and an invisible predator waiting for a surprise attack. We don't need us on the high grass, and we don't need us in the dying woods.
The wind continued to follow us like an angry ghost, and our footsteps set foot on a solid path paved with fallen leaves and dead wood, extending to the distant doorway, where there are melting blacks and spinning grays. The surrounding trees are only a few inches away, and the festering trunks grow high on both sides of the road, until their branches are gathered together and fastened together, forming a mixed roof above the head. The skylight fell through the gap, but only enough to light up our road.
I was three feet behind the warrior, his pace was as jīng as any ballerina. Like the best chess player in the world, Kate considers every detail.
"Why do trees grow like this?" I asked, feeling a biting cold under my skin.
"When a person is frozen," he replied, "he might hold another person for warmth."
In shock, my imagination began to show those stiff faces. I tried to close my eyes and think to them, but it didn't work. Desperate men and women sprinkled like butter on the rotting tree trunk; this piece of wood was the last second of a drowning man on the water, a corpse buried alive, clutching nails on the coffin lid.
Only practicality can pull my thoughts out of imagination, so I look for a suitable stick to make a spear; unfortunately, decay swallows all power. The only thing that seemed to be half useful was the samurai himself and the two silver swords on his belt.
"You have two swords," I said, "Can I borrow one? You know, just in case?" I stretched out my hand, expecting Kate's short sword. Instead, the samurai turned to me with an expression of shame on his face, as if I had just asked my parents to lend me one of their children because they happened to have an extra. I don't fully understand it, but those weapons are part of the soul of my guardian, man and steel coexist. Kate won't give up a sword, he just scratched another itchy spot on the stubble, and said: "I am your weapon."
I laughed, I have never heard such a ridiculous thing said so seriously. My companion clearly criticized our situation; one of the most dangerous warriors in the history of the earth returned to his realm. His extreme confidence in his abilities left a deep impression on me, and I eagerly wanted to see this man's actions, preferably holding a bag of popcorn in the distance. I also want to know why Kate waited so patiently in the white hell above. What wish does he ask of God? What would a killer who was born with no chance to enter heaven ask for at the gates of heaven
The two of us trek for another hour—if time really exists—no accidents happened. The last ray of sunlight disappeared through the branches, the frost began to hit, and I couldn't see the hotel, I suddenly had a terrible idea: Kate and I will stay here for the night. When our narrow path finally turned, we found two horses tightly tied to the nearest branch.
"For us?" I asked in surprise.
"For us."
I am very happy to see these horses, these friendly living animals. Maybe this place is not as unique as they say. In such a sinister place, our helpless vehicles were unscathed and not worried, which also let us breathe a sigh of relief.
Kate lifted a heavy-looking bag from the back of a horse and threw it in my arms. "Water and suitable clothes," he said. "You need both."
I put the bag on a leaf-paved bag, opened the folds, and revealed a large flask inside, with a pile of thick animal skins, practical rather than fashionable, and a pair of worn boots. I opened the flask and took a sip from the lid. That is water, clear and ordinary water. I quenched my thirst, but the sludge in my throat gave the sex a bitter aftertaste. Next, I grabbed the fluffy fur from the bag and took it out to check it carefully. It was a heavy wool coat, a piece of wool that was not so magical. "Will I be found dressed like this?" I joked. "How do they know my size?"
"They know everything..."
I draped the wool over my old shirt and tied my boots. I connected the flask to a sturdy vine and carried it on my shoulders. Now, when we look closer to here, we ride horses side by side and set off through the uncolored landscape. I prefer to follow the leader.
The progressive darkness seems to have nothing to do with Kate, so I guess he knows what he is doing. Although the samurai has no interest in me, I do have interest in him. Before we set off, I heard some fragments of his legend, but there was no news about him. So I decided to get answers from him step by step. I'm used to it, I will collect clues, build a personal file, kill time and ease curiosity. If the samurai cannot speak, he has to listen. "I've heard a lot about samurai," I said, my head swaying with the horse. "I once read a comic book about a soldier protecting a village from robbers. He single-handedly shot forty bullets and even blocked the bullets with his sword. It's really... very... Cool. "I felt embarrassed when I heard my idiot behavior; at the same time, Kate turned his serious face forward, "Why did they call you Kate? Is this your real name?"
No response, no response. This kind of work makes it more difficult for you to understand your small talk than I thought. "I once knew a woman named Stephanie Dogface," I said aimlessly. "Swear to God. She doesn't have a real dog face, but she is ugly—"
Ketra pulled on his reins and suddenly booed me. Pressing his index finger on his lips, a suspicious smell erupted from his nostrils. Doesn't Kate care about my conversation, or does the experienced man smell, see, or hear things I can't hear
The horses did not panic at all, snoring peacefully, kicking the leaves with their shoes. After a long time like this, I think Kate was too cautious, ready to break our silence, when some kind of toes curled up—a distant, indiscriminate scream. "I heard, Kate..."
As the moaning grew louder, he booed me again. It was approaching overhead, past the shed made by our closely connected branches. We widened our eyes through the crack and wanted to take a look. Suddenly, screams hit us, making the tangled roof rattle, and the fragments smashed into our faces. Immediately, my horse jumped violently, and I grabbed the rein and left it in the saddle. With a jerky pull, Kate also stood up. As the chaos subsided, my ears buzzed. However, peace is temporary. When the fierce sound and wind hit again, we all clung to our crazy animals and struggled to control them. This thing is a bird, a big bird, and Kate, always feeling that, has drawn out his katana, "on it!" he shouted.
Our embracing roof guards loosen in a single, crackling motion. The previously dead trees were resurrected, the branches waved their arms in the fire, and the earth, leaves and wood poured down. The bare purple skylight made people lose their sense of direction, so Kate was the first to see this bird monster, which frightened trees, animals and humans.
The vulture grows in the evening sky. Its wings cast an amazing shadow in the night, about thirty feet in diameter; brown feathers covered its chest, sharp skin folded over its neck and head. The predator found us, opened its open mouth and screamed.
I covered my ears, opened my eyes, and looked up to see that the paws of the little bird were approaching the top of my head. A few seconds before my skull was caught by those claws, Kate kicked me off the horse. The vulture has no one in it, but its nails plunged deeply into my horse. The animal was hooked and flew into the sky with a creepy cry.
At the same time, Kate got off his horse and put his leg in front of me like a tree root, "Get down!" he groaned. "A little bit lower!"
I completely pressed my face into the mud and lay down like a dead person. When the vulture abandoned my expired horse on the distant treetops, I could hear Kate's growl.
"What does it want?" I screamed, "What does it want from us?"
"**!" Kate called, turning his sword, "Shut your mouth!"
This bird tilts its wings to one side and then flies into the air.
"Did it disappear?" I asked, my heart beating painfully on my ribs, "Tell me it's gone!"
Kate groaned and hit me on the head with the hilt of the katana.
When the vulture began to descend, I was scolding and rubbing my scalp. It will fall like a missile and strike us in less than five seconds.
Four.
In the blitzkrieg, the wings of the flying monster roar like a bomb dropped.
three.
"We are dead!" I closed my eyes and cried.
two.
When preparing to eat, the bird stretched out its murderous paws, opened its yellow mouth, screaming, hungry.
one.
The samurai bent his knees firmly and lowered his head. Then, with great strength, he kicked himself up with a kick, and threw the air over with his steel.
zero.
The bird and the person collided, and I heard the sound of bones and body breaking ugly, and then opened my eyes and saw feathers sliding down like winter snow.
Unfortunately, the vulture did not die, but was injured, dissatisfied, and angry. It retracted its wings, ready to dive again. I was trembling with fright. I didn't see Kate's shadow. I staggered to my feet and started jogging along the path. It quacked, and I stumbled to stand up, only to trip over my own feet. "Oh my God!"
I ran, clenching my fists, grinding my teeth, breathing polluted air in my lungs. An extremely painful cry erupted in my ears, causing blood to flow down my earlobes. It's very close now, very close.
I turned my head and saw that its claws were about to pierce my spine. I clenched my fists tightly, hoping to preemptively shut out the pain. However, what is puzzling is that the condor suddenly grew thousands of feathers, and threw me into the air, pressing tightly on my face. Somehow, everything is over.
I stood up a few minutes later, unharmed, but covered with thick feathers from head to toe. I stumbled to find the missing samurai.
"Kate?" There are no birds in the sky, thank God, the night is with us. "warrior?"
In the end, I found that Kate was rubbing against the suitcase like a worn-out car tire. When I arrived, he opened his eyes and selfishly relieved. He was hit hard, but still alive, I don't want to stay here alone. When his pupils became sharp, he appeared dumbfounded, but not because of the blow he had just received. After all, he is a samurai, a protector, and a legend, but now he is here, drooping and leaning on a feathered beginner to help him.
"It's a cut, right?" I said tremblingly, "what the hell is that?"
Kate did not help, and jumped up before he was ready. "An illusion," he said, hiding his pain and embarrassment, "Someone is playing with us..."
We spent a surprisingly comfortable night in the woods. When I closed my eyes and dreamed of my lost earth, I was dead to that world. At the same time, Kate was leaning against the box, his eyes fixed on me.
We set off at dawn, and we rode the last very nervous horse together. Kate took the reins and squeezed me behind. We haven't spoken since the Vulture Incident, and so far, I have given up any plan to expose fragments of his past. For us, the only important thing is to be consistent and get rid of these vicious forests as soon as possible.
Our horse will occasionally trot past piles of bumpy moss, and Kate will complain bitterly. It must have been a long time since he asked his body to maintain such sustained physical strength and power of God. In this special mission, he needs everything he once had.
Early in the afternoon, the humidity was so full that the road seemed to have no end. It will guide us to the left, guide us to the right, and then another straight through the same stagnant attraction. Sometimes I get lost, my forehead trembling between Kate's shoulder blades, and my thoughts are in a pleasant place. All nonsense about angels and warriors, forests and monsters may be forgotten in a coma.
But this did not last long. When Kate brought Mara up, my exhaustion was wiped out. I gripped his body tightly with my fingers, thinking that the vulture would attack him again, or worse, but looking closely at the coiled branches above, I neither saw nor heard the sound of birds of prey.
"In the front," the samurai said from the corner of his mouth.
I bent down and walked past him, seeing nothing except the boring scenery that I have been trying to forget.
"Your bottle," Kate said, showing me his open palm. "give it to me."
"What's the big deal? Are you thirsty? You wake me up just for this?"
"Bottle!" He collapsed. (To be continued) (End of this chapter)