Stray

     Nemo's first reaction was to erect his shield. As soon as he thought about it, a translucent black shadow instantly covered the two of them.

    The sky is not so dark that you can't see your fingers, and the outlines of things in the dark are still clearly discernible. They'll never miss a human-sized target unless—

    A chubby orange cat is drilling hard through a gap in the garden fence. However, it was too fat - just halfway through, the whole cat was firmly stuck in the fence.

    "Help me." It repeated, unskilledly, in that horrible voice, "Help me."

    "..." Nemo was silent for a while, then removed the shadow shield. He pinched his arm blankly a few times to make sure it wasn't a ridiculous dream. "Oli, did you hear me? I may have auditory hallucinations again."

    "I hear you." Oliver stepped forward without a word, pulled the cat out with great effort, and nearly knocked down the fence. "This should be Madam Nadine's cat. It just..." He raised the cat suspiciously in the air and looked at the round cat face. "Did it just talk?"

    "Put me down." The orange cat quickly proved his language skills.

    Oliver shivered expressionlessly and let go of his hand instinctively. The cat was on all fours and slammed into the ground, with no feline grace at all. It calmly adjusted its position and began to lick one of its front paws.

    "Why is it too late?" He must be insane, Nemo asked, bewildered - he was asking about a cat.

    "Wither." The cat said in an unpleasant voice, as if unable to say too long words at once. "I can provide... blight power. Are you going to help her?"

    It stopped licking and looked up at the two of them: "Do you want to help?"

    "I don't mind," whispered Nemo. "Want to try it, Ollie?"

    "Of course." Oliver crouched down and rubbed the cat—or something else's head. "Although we can't guarantee success... who are you?"

    "Caramel," said the "cat," "no other name."

    "Uh... let me put it another way, what are you? Where does the withering power come from—" Oliver asked half of his words and was suddenly interrupted by the scene in front of him, and Nemo took a step back.

    The round pupils of the cat are more enlarged, and almost the whole eyeball of the orange cat becomes pure black. And before it was over, two new eyes popped out of its face—its face became large and flat, and its body swelled like dough in an oven.

    A huge knuckle lizard appeared in front of the two of them.

    Different from White II, who is more than half-human tall, its bone shell glows a touch of golden yellow in the moonlight, and its height is about the same as Oliver's. The middle-level demon in its original form blinked its four eyes and moved cautiously to the flagstone road, so as to stay away from the garden - when it began to return to its original shape, its claws swept across a weed on the road, and the originally moist green grass was visible to the naked eye. withered down.

    "Demon." It said, "You call us demons."

    The pale yellow lizard rolled its tongue in Nemo's direction and turned its face to Oliver. "You're strong. You don't hurt us. You name us," it said with difficulty. "You're fine."

    "Thank you?" Oliver said uncertainly. Listening to the meaning of this lizard, it seems to know about White II. Although he still can't figure out what White II really wants...

    etc.

    Adrian said that the knuckle lizard is very sensitive to magic - before White II was so afraid of Nemo, perhaps because he felt the breath of the superior demon. But it is very close to itself, helping along the way, and Caleb Village is the only way to cross the desert...

    "You are waiting for someone." Oliver tentatively put his hand on the lizard's bone shell and asked his guess. "...Are you waiting for someone to help her?"

    If White II has communicated with it, and their purpose is really the same, this is too inefficient. Oliver thought. White II never spoke, and it was powerless to change their scheduled itinerary.

    It picks out powerful passersby, then awkwardly protects them and follows them. If they did stop at Caleb, they would inform their fellow villagers who could talk, and find an opportunity to persuade them to help the dying witch—this seemed feasible at first glance, but the actual success rate was pitifully small.

    Let's not talk about the danger of the middle-level demons appearing in the human village, even if the selected people don't attack it, there is no reason to help the witch - Oliver has seen its poor eloquence. And he doesn't think that a demon who can't speak common languages ​​can understand Woodruff's theorem and know how Nadine can be saved.

    They are just...waiting. Wait for someone who may or may never show up.

     "Yes." The knuckle lizard's answer was very clear, "There is nothing else I can do."

    The humid air seemed to make it uncomfortable, and it shrank a few times unnaturally, and returned to the orange cat shape - and then began to frantically lick the fur on its back.

    "What are we going to do?" Nemo followed Oliver and pressed the cat's head, and the orange cat's fur instantly exploded.

    "You need a medium." The orange cat seemed to be trying his best to curb the urge to escape, and his unpleasant voice changed a bit. "You help her, I will give it."

    "Thank you," it added shiveringly, lowering its furry head. "thank you all."

    "We'll do our best," Nemo muttered, taking the opportunity to touch again. The fat cat was shaking to the bone, struggled to his feet, and rushed into the garden again—this time he wasn't stuck.

    Nemo sighed and retracted his hand uncomfortably.

    "'They're on vacation, after all, their king's not around', remember, Ollie?" Nemo looked at the orange cat who was skillfully burrowing into the house, "In terms of its power, It's likely to be—"

    "The leader of that group of knuckle lizards." Oliver took over the conversation, lowered his head and lifted the upper of the moccasin. "But shouldn't they and Nadine be natural enemies?"

    But the two of them are not the only ones bothered by the knuckle lizards.

    Adrian Cross was leaning in the corridor, looking out the window. Although it was getting dark, most of the window glass was his own shadow.

    Too many things happen in one day. His common sense and reality were ripping apart in his head, and yes, he did relax to Oliver Ramon...or rather, Oliver Lopez. But the former Judge Knight Commander was still a little uneasy—it was not some kind of indecision, but a vague premonition born of instinct.

    It can't be that simple.

    A superior demon born at the bottom of the abyss, just happened to grow into a human? Adrian does not think that humans can fish out a complete "person" from the bottom of the sea, and the appearance of creatures at the bottom of the abyss has always been more exaggerated than those at the bottom of the abyss.

    But he could not find any known theory to explain this. There is no tenable evidence to deny the other party with a "I don't think it is possible", Adrian asked himself that he couldn't do it.

    It made his head hurt even more.

    And just when he was about to pinch his eyebrows purple, a vague white shadow flashed by the window. It was fast, but not so fast that the knight of the trial could not tell the difference—a fuller goat was running out of the village, with no fixed leather straps for tying luggage.

    It's that middle-level demon with an unknown purpose. Adrian did not hesitate, he confirmed that there were enough arrows in the quiver, and then decisively chased out.

    Fifteen minutes later, he folded his arms, trying to restrain his urge to pinch his brows.

    Adrian Cross was stepping on the sand that was getting colder. White II stopped not far from the village, changed back to his original form, and began to dig sand with concentration. It wasn't the only one digging—a group of knuckle lizards bit each other's tails, and the familiar spine shape reappeared before him. They spread out not far from White II, digging through the sand like a marmot into the depths of the desert.

    White II was especially fast. When Adrian began to wonder if it had penetrated into the center of the earth, it returned to the surface again, its tail carefully wrapped in a small clump of wet sand. It shook the sand on its body, rested in place for a few minutes, and began to bury the hole it left.

    Not every knuckle lizard is so lucky, only two or three return to the ground wrapped in sand. The tails of the successful ones pointed to the sky, while the tails of the losers were curled into a ball, silently burying the traces of the digging.

    Adrian watched silently as the knuckle lizards did not know what to do.

    White II gathered the sand **** obtained by his companions, dug a shallow pit, and threw the sand **** down one by one. But when it was thrown to the end, a sinful hand grabbed the only remaining sand ball.

    Adrian frowned and squeezed it open, and there were a few small rocks inside, heavy as metal.

    He pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped the suspicious stone in his pocket. Immediately he lowered his eyes - White II was looking up at him, his eyes full of grievances. Seemingly finding that the other party did not intend to return it, it turned around dejectedly and began to bury the sand clumps honestly.

    "Your interest is so strange." A frivolous voice came from behind, "Come out in the middle of the night to watch the demons dig sand? Are all the hobbies of the Knights of Judgment so interesting?"

    Adrian didn't look back, just sighed: "Your interest is also quite strange, tracking your companions is not something to be appreciated."

    "Oh, I thought you were going to date a girl!" Jesse Dillon rubbed her hands, "If it's true, I'll have to make a sudden interruption to stimulate, Are you right?"

    "Where's Bagelmore?" Adrian wasn't ready to take up that boring topic.

    "Fell asleep, screaming 'don't eat me' in the dream." The blond young man shrugged, "Mr. Wright may have left a serious psychological shadow on it."

    Adrian thought for a moment, took out the handkerchief, and unfolded it again: "Don't talk about this... Dylan, do you know this thing?"

    No matter how unscrupulous this person is, his strength and knowledge cannot be faked.

    "Seed." Jesse picked one up and tossed it. "They're too old to be dead."

    "Thank you." The knight commander nodded, "I'll go back first, you can enjoy the night view slowly."

    He diverted his attention for a while, and the knuckle lizards had already run away. Even White II became a small white dot in his field of vision and was running towards the village. In profile, it has changed back to fuller goat.

    "What are you doing with these dead seeds?" Jesse asked suddenly.

      This information is to the leader of the team."

    "Does it make sense? I think we'll be leaving soon. Bone-knotted lizards don't like wet weather, there's no way that demon would leave the desert with us."

    "No." The knight commander sighed, "I don't think the captain will leave Caleb at this time, Mrs. Nadine's affairs...he will intervene."

    "Believe him that much?"

    "I believe in my own eyes." Adrian's voice was a little cold, "If Oliver Ramon chooses to ignore at this time, I will reconsider my decision ."

    If Mr. Ramon chooses to flee in the face of opposing forces, look away before the blood of the innocent. Then his commitment to Nemo can only be regarded as a statement made in the blood of a moment, or a cover up out of love.

     And Adrian will only trust him once.

    "Look, that's why I want to join." Ignoring Adrian's cold voice, Jesse's tone was still full of interest. "You always do this kind of stupid thing that can't be successful. This kind of hilarity looks extra happy."

    "It's not stupid."

    "Oh, you sure don't think so. You've done the exact same thing." Jesse stretched out an arm, as if trying to hook Adrian's shoulder, but was snapped block. "You know what those old men are going to do, but you still insist on exposing that poor devil - he hasn't had time to do anything yet. Don't be surprised, you think I'll believe that...what's the matter, tempting a best friend for merit. Fallen evil knight?"

    "It's their business how they deal with it." Adrian quickened his pace to get rid of the people behind him. "What I do is my business, there is no cause and effect."

    "Even if you know the end."

    "I don't know the ending." The knight commander stopped, "For me a miracle happened once, so of course it can happen a second time."

    "You're so cute and innocent, what if it didn't happen?"

    "Then it didn't happen." Adrian shook his head. "You don't get it, Mr. Dylan. The actions of others or the possible outcomes are irrelevant. I think Ramon So did sir - we just chose the path we believed in."

    "That's called 'stupid.'" Jesse raised an eyebrow.

    "As you wish." The knight-commander replied nonchalantly, and started walking in the direction of Caleb Village again. "I don't need your understanding."

    This time Jesse didn't follow.

    The blond young man stopped throwing the seed in his hand, he grabbed it, and stared at the back of Adrian Cross, which was gradually receding.

    Tender green rattan drilled out from between his fingers and wrapped around his fingers. It is slender and fragile, yet full of life. Jesse let go of his fist, and the rubble-like seed lay in his palm—and the cane was swiftly retracting into it, like a startled snail retracting its shell.

    "That's stupid." He sighed at it. "You think so too, Miss Miracle?"

    Adrian Cross was not disappointed when he returned to his hotel room. Their head seemed to have decided to step in, but the sight gave him a stomachache.

    No one was packing. Oliver was clutching the Sword of Rest with a serious expression, and the blade went out. He was obviously practicing magic control. And another...

    "Another one!" Ann threw another magic circle with great interest - Nemo nodded and clicked at a certain position of the magic circle with a bitter face, the magic circle suddenly collapsed, and then disappeared.

    "Ouch, Cross, are you done calming down?" The female warrior turned her head, and she grabbed Nemo's robe. "About Nadine, these two boys thought of an idea, and it's still a little feasible."

    "It's possible." Nemo corrected her in a low voice, sounding a little guilty. "But we have to practice practice..."

    "And our demon seems to have remembered a lot of good things. I haven't found a spell he can't solve yet." She seemed to remember something, and loosened Nemo's robe a little stiffly. . "But I can make up to three magic circles at the same time. What about you, Cross? Is there any way to give him some problems?"

    "Perhaps." Adrian's expression remained calm, "If I'm not mistaken...you're going to start practicing breaking nodes, aren't you, Mr. Wright?"

    "Yes."

    "You can see those roots."

    "Yes."

    "…Ok, but I have to make a point in advance." Adrian Close said, "If you really intend to exploit the loopholes in Woodruff's theorem, as it stands, you do not It may be successful. I have seen similar attempts, and simulating death is equivalent to a precise operation." The knight commander glanced at Oliver, who had stopped nervously. "And you seem to plan to operate both at the same time."

    "But we only have this way." Nemo's expression was blank for a moment, "After all, my power and Ms. Nadine's power are not of the same origin, so they cannot be used as a hedge."

    "I said, 'As things stand'." Adrian said slowly, "But I don't think it's too much of a problem for you and Mr. Ramon—I'm very Sorry, you may not have time to rest tonight."

    "It's best for the two of you to practice how to cooperate from now on."

    (m..=)