Episode 6 : The Wilderness of the Barbarians - Part 6

 And--

 Once again we are in the wilds of Nosferus.

 By this time, though the fugitives had no way of knowing it, the pursuing party from Arvon had successfully crossed the Kes on a floating bridge based on a raft. The fugitives had not foreseen the blitz, for even the wily Istvan had not imagined that it would be the Lady Amneris who would lead the chase, but something inexplicably unsettling drove them deeper and deeper into the wilderness to the east. But something impelled me to go deeper and deeper into the wilderness to the east.

 They were not as well armed as the trackers, and their way might have been much more difficult, but instead Suni, a native of the wilderness, was at the head of the way, and they were able to go on their way in the night without much fear of running into danger. In that sense, they were able to proceed without fear of running into a dangerous area. In this sense, there was not much of a handicap between the pursuers and the fugitives.

 Even for Shem, the wilds of Nosferus could not be a safe haven, and Suni would often look in the dark, unsure of his direction. Shem's way of doing this was very different. At night, he would carefully pick up an angel hair that was floating on the wind with a faint blue phosphorescence. In no time at all it melts away in the heat of his palm, but by then Suni has already seen what he wanted to see.

 Linda and the others tried to reach out and take them, wondering what difference there was in the angel hair that revealed the direction in which Suni was looking. But no matter how they strained their eyes, the pale threads of light, which seemed to have emerged from a vision rather than from primitive life, soon melted away, and it was impossible to distinguish them, or even to look at them for a while.

"If this strange thing is edible... This is a hell of a place. It's inhabited by the foul Shem and the stupid Ragon, the land-dwelling Biggummacouth, the Sandworm, the flesh-eating, rock-like monster Null, the Blood Moss and this creepy Angel Hair. How did this area become such a hive of monsters? According to historical records and the legend of the kithara player, this is the hell of the world since the beginning, and when Janus and Dole played a game for the world, Janus won, but forgot to put the name of Nosferus in the land he bet on, so this is the only map of Dole that still remains on earth. It is said that Janus won, but forgot to include the name of Nosferus in his bet.

 Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that I'm a madman. My companions are all monsters or lunatics and with this damn throat thing churning, I won't be able to hum for the rest of my life. When the sun rises, this dismal land will be the bottom of a burning pond. Oh, the hexagonal rhinoceros that Janus and Dole played with all the world, only this time the Red Mercenary is a little more on edge."

"Don't talk to yourself so much. You're making me thirsty."

 Guin warned him. Istvan licked his lips, which were not yet dry, but he could see that they would be soon.

"That's why you're so gloomy and silent and wandering aimlessly through the darkness on this doll! That's not my thing, that's-- I like to be cheerful, no matter what."

"If you hear them talking, you won't be able to tell if there's some creepy creature creeping around here."

 When Guin said this, Istvan was silent for a few moments.

 However, he immediately began to complain again and demanded Suni to teach him some edible plants or animals in the area.

"Well, that can wait until the sun comes up. I'll just fall over like this. I don't care what the monkey eats. I'll eat Nosferus' caterpillar if I can. So, please, leopard head... ask the monkey in that beepy language. Is there any chance we can get something to eat and drink around here? Yo, Guin, please."

"You're in trouble, man."

 Guin spoke to Suni. Suni listened carefully and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Well, you were eating vachaça all by yourself earlier, without telling us."

 Linda said. Istvan drew a figure eight across his beautiful forehead,

"It's not even worth a tooth. Oops, I used a vulgar word in front of Paro's princess. Fuck you."

 He spat into the dark ground with a vigorous swoosh.

"Ymir!"

 Suddenly Suni stopped talking to Guin and, in a panic, raised her voice in a tone of reprimand, ran back and struck Istvan on the chest.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you monkey?"

 Istvan became angry and tried to stab Suni, but as soon as he did so,

"Whoa, help me! The darkness is biting!"

 I screamed and turned over.

"Heee!"

 She clutches at him and Suni falls over. Linda and Remus jumped out of the way.

 Indeed, the darkness had taken a bite. On the young mercenary's right leg, as if the jet-black darkness itself had taken on a life of its own and was flowing out, a formless black amoeba-like thing was clinging to it.

"Help me! He's trying to chew off my leg!"

 Istvan cries out and clasps his feet. He has no time to seize the sword at his waist, and the others twist their hands together helplessly, lest the sword should strike him in the leg.

"Whoa! It's coming up!"

 Istvan rolled over, trying to rub the darkness that had crawled up to his waist into the ground.

"Help me, do something, you heartless bastards!"

"Wait, wait!"

 Linda stretched out her hand nervously, but Guin quickly brushed it away.

"Don't touch me. It's Ido, it's dangerous."

"Because I'm going to die!"

"It's okay. Get out of the way!"

 Suddenly Guin changed his appearance. He crouched down, grabbed Istvan's id-covered right leg and pulled him up.

"All right, keep your hands over your face. It's hot."

 He suddenly pushed the torch in his right hand.

"Whoa! Guin, you burned me to death. ..."

"Turn your face away from me!"

 Relentlessly, Guin set it on fire.

"Caw!"

 Linda screams. Istvan's right leg was engulfed in fire and turned into a giant human torch. The blunt creature burst into flames with a crackling sound.

"Stop, I'm dying, it's hot."

 Istvan screamed like a woman.

"Water on me!"

"Guin! There's no water! We're gonna die!"

 Remus cries out. Regardless, Guin picked up his burning leg, twisted it in the sand and laid his own body on it.

"Ah, guin!"

 The smell of burning flesh made Linda cower, unable to stand and covering her face. Guin's Leopard head recoiled, and he stifled a moan that threatened to escape his mouth.

"Very well."

 Eventually he woke up. Istvan lay there as if in a daze. From the waist of his robe to the feet of his leather boots, the filthy black, burnt remains of the id were sticking to him as if they had burst. But thanks to the boots that covered his legs, there was no sign of injury or blood anywhere.

"Guin!"

 Linda and Remus are on their way.

"Guin, are you okay?"

"That's nothing. More importantly, watch the mercenaries."

 Guin raised her hand and brushed the burnt remains of the id off her chest.

"Guin, you're badly burned! You can't put out a fire with your own body!"

"It's nothing. Injuries like this happen all the time in Randoc."

 He was about to say something when suddenly Guin gasped.

"Guin! Did you just-- did you just remember something? You remembered something, didn't you? Landok? Is that your... country?"

 Linda coughs. Guin forgot all about her burns and seemed to be trying to think of something to say, but she quickly put her head down.

"No."

 He says bitterly.

"Landock-- Remus, you've never heard of me, you idiot!"

"Landok--Langart would be the capital of the Duchy of Kauros, and Rygor is the port of the Free Trade City, but ..."

 Remus says with a shrug.

"Istvan, you've never heard of him? You've been all over the place, haven't you?"

"You're a-- you're a terrible little girl."

 Istvan, who was still limp, his eyes fluttering with a startled look of youth, shouted, and in his indignation regained all his strength and sprang up.

"A man is dying, and all you care about is the trivial memory of a Leopard head."

"Guin didn't save him! It was your carelessness that caused Guin to get hurt in the first place!"

"What do you mean, 'cause who'd know there'd be a strange thing like that there? I'll take Doll's scaly tail and I'll never see her again. Whoever didn't get stuck with him, as soon as he latched onto my leg, my leg went numb and cold and I couldn't feel a thing."

"Suni says you got what you deserved."

 Guin translated in a funny way.

"The id is fearsome, but it is rather less aggressive than the other monsters of Nosferus, the Great Mouth and the Sandworm. You spat at it, and it knew there was food there, so it jumped on you."

"Goddamn it!"

 was the mercenary's helpless reply.

"But we got lucky. I could've lit it right away. The id can't be cut with a sword or scissors. It covers its prey with a thick layer of food and slowly digests its unconscious prey alive. Fire is the only thing that works on an ido."

"How did you know, though we are no longer frightened of you?"

 Linda whispered. Guin shakes his head.

"I knew it. Something was whispering in my head, 'Fire, fire.'"

"Mysterious man--!"

 Linda gently rubbed the painful burn on Guin's chest.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh . --is everyone here?"

"Oh, my God, Suni. ..."

 As I looked around, a small figure appeared out of the dying night. He was holding various things in both hands.

"He said he picked up some medicinal moss nearby. Tell him to put it on his chest to cool it down. It's okay, Suni."

 Guin nodded to the monkey-like barbarian child and placed a piece of his hearty moss on his muscular chest, then put his leather belt back on.

"It's Landock, though."

 Guin was about to urge him to start walking when suddenly, from behind him, the "Red Mercenary" said in a low voice.

 They all turn. Istvan turns away. Stubbornly refusing to look at us,

"I think I've heard that somewhere before."

 He still whispered. So everyone knew he regretted it.

"Where? Country, or town, or ..."

"I think that's what you're trying to remember now . Shut up, you little shit."

 He just said it, and then he remembered,

"Yes! -- "Hey, I used to sail on a Valakian merchant ship on the Sea of Lent until I was fifteen."

"You're lying. It's a pirate ship."

 Linda was harsh. Istvan grinned, implicitly affirming the point, but then continued,

"Then I came across a ship from somewhere - a strange streamlined ship that I had never seen before. It was very fast. I've never seen a ship that fast. It was a white ship, the throne ship of a king or something of the sort, and as I was preparing to attack it, it disappeared into the horizon."

 Istvan flicked his tongue out, realizing he had just confessed.

"Then, in the instant that the ship passed me, I could read the words on its starboard side. "LANDOCK."

"Name of the ship?"

 Remus exclaimed excitedly.

"Or not." That's all I saw. There was also a bust of a beautiful woman on the bow with wings and a harpy. Well, Leopard, what did you say the woman's name was?"

"Aura."

"..."

 When Istvan stopped talking, everyone was lost in thought. It was not a thought that could be answered.

"Guin could have been the king of that Landok . Then the rebels put a leopard curse on him and forced him off his throne. ..."

"You're a girl with a big imagination. But guesswork won't get you anywhere."

 Istvan's done. Linda is annoyed and keeps silent. She doesn't care that Remus is glaring at him,

"But it's strange. I've been completely oblivious to such trivial things for five years now. But now, as soon as I heard the Leopard's words, it came back to me as if I had been drawn to it."

 He said, tugging at his lips. While they talked and walked on, without stopping to rest their feet, they found that it was becoming brighter and brighter, and that the sun was beginning to shine on the wilderness, as if a hot day were coming.

 They decided to take a rest for a while. They were hungry and tired. They clung to the little green moss that Suni had gathered, but it only made them spit.

 It was decided that they should take turns in taking a nap, and that Istvan should be the first to wake up with moss on the fire. When he saw Guin's wound, he stood guard meekly, without so much as a whisper.

Good grief, I've never been so stunned. If it had gone on any longer and the Leopard hadn't been able to come up with that wild treatment, I would've pulled out my sword and cut off your legs for sure. Then the demon warrior would be helpless. I have to admit... you're a tough guy. He's a fine warrior and a fine man. He might even defeat Lure, god of war, god of the sun. He's like the legendary Helm the Great with the white goatee of Moth. I'd hate to be his enemy.

 That said, those twins--

 This young man is not a man who can keep quiet. He secretly took out the last vacha fruit, which was still hidden in the bottom of his shoe, and while he was chewing it, he was mumbling to himself in his mouth.

 The sun, in the meantime, hastened onward to ascend tirelessly. Suddenly Istvan jumped up and down.

"What's wrong with you? I got a bad feeling we're in danger!"

 Spit out the vacha fruit and shout.

"The back of my neck feels like it's on fire, and the enemy is close! But I don't think they're-- Ah!"

 Something glittered on the rocky mountain. That is to say, it was Amneris, who had just gone up to scout and found the smoke of their camp, and his armour of white gold and his blond hair shone like a rainbow in the sun.

 For a moment, Istvan narrows his eyes and looks back as if he were trying to wake the group. But then a tongue appears and licks his lips - and he makes up his mind instantly.

"Yes!"

 As soon as he muttered, he gathered his things, fastened the sword he had beside him to his belt, and looked at his companions. The leopard-headed warrior seemed to have been wounded and weakened, and he seemed to be sleeping languidly, and the twins were asleep without any identity.

 Once more Istvan licked his lips. He was about to crawl out from under the rock, looking for his friends.

 Then a small hand grabbed him by the hem of his jacket!

"Wow!"

 Istvan, biting back his voice,

"What's that, a monkey? Shut up, you idiot. What are you mad about? He's after us-- he's got an idea. Don't you get it? Hey, you're a messy monkey."

 Immediately, he hugged Suni's small body to his side, covered her mouth with his palm, and ran off without looking after her.

 East--

 And the little dust that stood in the wilderness near the shore of Kes in the west grew quickly until the whole of the five hundred horsemen appeared in the smoke, at first as grain, then as stone, and then as four hundred and fifty red and sixty white. Guin awoke with a start.

 As soon as he saw the crossbows of the horsemen in the dust, a roar came out of Guin's mouth.

"What--what?"

"How: ..."

"There are no mercenaries--not even Suni!"

"He betrayed me!"

 Pulling the twin's mournful cries to either side soothingly, the Leopard warrior stood in the cloud of sand that had begun to surround him.

 Five hundred crossbows and swords encircled the three of them, and a sharp voice commanded them to disarm. Guin obeyed without resistance.

 The three of them fell into the hands of the Gora once again.