Rain started falling an hour past midnight. Fat, freezing drops punched through the dense canopy of the Whispering Woods. They hit Renn's bare shoulders. 午夜过后一小时开始下雨.冰冷的水滴从低语森林茂密的树冠上洒落而下.它们击中了雷恩裸露的肩膀.
Cold. Bitingly cold. 寒冷的.冷得刺骨.
Not that he cared. The furnace inside his chest—the mutated Nightfall Demon Wolf core—pumped heat through his veins like molten iron. 他并不关心.他胸口的熔炉,变异的夜魔狼核心,如同熔铁一般,将热量输送到他的血管中.
He didn't run. He let the shadows carry him. The darkness of the forest wasn't just an environment anymore. It felt like an extension of his own limbs. He stepped over rotting logs and jagged limestone outcroppings without making a single sound. His bare feet barely disturbed the wet leaves. 他没有跑.他让阴影带着他.森林的黑暗不再只是一个环境.感觉就像是他自己四肢的延伸.他踩着腐烂的原木和锯齿状的石灰岩露头,没有发出任何声音.他的赤脚几乎没有踩到湿漉漉的树叶.
Arthur's face kept flashing in his mind. The pristine white armor. The condescending tone. The holy magic burning into his spine. 亚瑟的脸不断在他脑海中闪现.洁白的铠甲.居高临下的语气.神圣的魔法灼烧着他的脊椎.
Renn dug his new black claws into the bark of an ancient pine tree. He hoisted himself up twenty feet in a single fluid motion. He crouched on a thick branch. The rough wood scraped against his knees. 雷恩把他新的黑色爪子挖进一棵古松树的树皮里.他以一个流畅的动作将自己提升了二十英尺.他蹲在一根粗树枝上.粗糙的木头刮着他的膝盖.
He needed clothes. He needed a weapon that wasn't a chipped iron sword. Most importantly, he needed a place to disappear. The Silver Moon Clan was currently being hunted by the Church of Pure Blood, framed for a demonic summoning they had nothing to do with. If Renn showed his face in any major city, the Inquisitors would descend on him like locusts. 他需要衣服.他需要一把不是有缺口的铁剑的武器.最重要的是,他需要一个可以消失的地方.银月族现在正在被纯血教会追杀,陷害他们进行与他们无关的恶魔召唤.只要雷恩出现在任何一座大城市,审判官就会像蝗虫一样向他扑来.
A low, guttural snarl drifted through the rain. 一阵低沉的,喉咙般的咆哮在雨中飘荡.
Renn tilted his head. His wolf ears twitched, picking up sounds a mile away. 雷恩歪着头.他的狼耳朵抽搐着,捕捉到了一英里外的声音.
Paws splashing in the mud. Heavy, metallic clinking. The distinct smell of wet ash and dog. 爪子溅在泥里.沉重的金属叮当作响.湿灰和狗的独特气味.
Trackers. 追踪器.
Arthur didn't just leave two guards at the cave entrance. He left a hunting party in the woods. 亚瑟不仅仅在洞口留了两名守卫.他离开了树林里的狩猎队.
Through the pouring rain, three figures emerged from the gloom. They wore the heavy, waxed leather coats of the Church's hunting division. Iron visors covered the upper half of their faces. Two massive Blood-Mastiffs strained against heavy chain leashes. The dogs were hairless, their skin a diseased pink, bred specifically to track abyssal magic. 透过倾盆大雨,三道身影从阴暗之中走了出来.他们穿着教会狩猎部门的厚重打蜡皮大衣.铁面罩遮住了他们的上半张脸.两只巨大的血獒犬被沉重的链条牵引着.这些狗没有毛发,皮肤呈病态的粉红色,是专门为了追踪深渊魔法而饲养的.
The remnant soul Renn had devoured left a scent. The hounds were following it. 雷恩吞噬的残魂留下了一股气味.猎犬们紧随其后.
"Keep the pace," the lead tracker grunted. Water dripped from his chin. "Commander Arthur wants the perimeter swept. The ritual might have attracted scavengers.""保持节奏,"领头的追踪者咕哝道.水从他的下巴滴下来. "亚瑟指挥官想要清扫周边.这个仪式可能会吸引拾荒者."
"The dogs are going crazy," the second tracker said, yanking his chain. The mastiff at the end of it was foaming at the mouth, digging its massive claws into the mud, pulling straight toward the pine tree Renn occupied. "Whatever came out of that cave, it reeks of the Void.""狗们都疯了,"第二个追踪者一边说,一边猛拉着他的链子.最尾端的獒犬口吐白沫,巨大的爪子扎进泥里,径直朝着雷恩占据的那棵松树拉去. "无论从那个洞穴里出来什么,它都散发着虚空的臭味."
Renn looked down at the newly synthesized *Night-Stalker Blade* in his right hand. The matte black metal absorbed the faint moonlight. 雷恩低头看着右手新合成的"夜行者之刃".哑光黑色的金属吸收了微弱的月光.
Three men. Two mutated dogs. 三个男人.两只变异狗.
A test. 一个测试.
He didn't hesitate. He simply rolled off the branch. 他没有犹豫.他只是从树枝上滚了下来.
Gravity pulled him down into the center of the formation. He didn't shout. He didn't announce his presence. The element of surprise was the ultimate predator's tool.重力把他拉到阵型的中央.他没有喊叫.他没有宣布他的存在.出人意料的元素是掠夺者的终极工具.
He landed in the mud with a soft squelch right between the two hounds. 他落在两只猎犬之间的泥地里,发出轻微的吱吱声.
Before the trackers could even register the naked, ash-covered figure dropping from the sky, Renn swung the black blade. A tight, brutal horizontal arc. 追踪者还没来得及注意到从天而降的赤身裸体,满身灰烬的身影,雷恩就挥动了黑色的刀刃.一条紧密而残酷的水平弧线.
The blade sheared through the thick, muscular neck of the first mastiff. Bone snapped like dry kindling. The severed head hit the mud before the body even collapsed. 刀片割断了第一只獒犬粗壮,肌肉发达的脖子.骨头像干火一样折断.身体还没倒下,断头就撞到了泥里.
"Contact!" the lead tracker screamed, fumbling for the heavy crossbow slung across his back. "接触!"领头的追踪者尖叫着,摸索着背在背上的重弩.
Too slow. 太慢了.
Renn pivoted on his heel. He ignored the second dog lunging for his thigh. He drove his left hand straight forward. His elongated black claws punched right through the boiled leather armor of the second tracker, sinking deep into his sternum. 雷恩用脚跟转动.他忽略了第二只狗扑向他的大腿.他伸出左手向前伸直.他细长的黑色爪子直接刺穿了第二个追踪者的煮沸的皮甲,深深地陷入了他的胸骨.
Hot blood washed over Renn's wrist. He squeezed. The man's ribcage gave way with a sickening crunch. 滚烫的血流过雷恩的手腕.他挤了挤.男人的胸腔发出令人作呕的嘎吱声.
The second mastiff sank its teeth into Renn's left calf. 第二只獒犬咬住了雷恩的左小腿.
Pain flared. Sharp, but distant. The Nightfall bloodline made his muscle fibers incredibly dense. The dog's jaws couldn't reach the bone. 疼痛突然袭来.尖锐,但遥远.夜幕血脉,让他的肌肉纤维异常的密集.狗的下巴够不到骨头.
Renn looked down at the beast. He didn't use the sword. He just brought his right knee up, smashing it directly into the dog's snout. The impact sounded like a dropped melon. The mastiff whimpered, its jaw completely unhinged, and let go. 雷恩低头看着野兽.他没有使用剑.他只是抬起右膝,直接撞在了狗的鼻子上.撞击的声音就像西瓜掉落一样.獒犬呜咽一声,下巴完全脱臼,松开了手.
*Thwack.* *钉入.*
A crossbow bolt grazed Renn's shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh. 一支弩箭擦过雷恩的肩膀,撕掉了一大块肉.
The lead tracker stood ten paces away, frantically cranking the lever on his weapon to load another bolt. His hands shook violently. "Monster... what are you?!"领头的追踪者站在十步外,疯狂地转动武器上的操纵杆,装填另一颗螺栓.他的双手剧烈颤抖. "怪物...你是什么?!"
Renn didn't answer. He closed the distance in two strides. 雷恩没有回答.他两步就拉近了距离.
The tracker dropped the crossbow and drew a short sword, thrusting it at Renn's chest. 追踪者扔下弩,拔出短剑,刺向雷恩的胸口.
Renn didn't even bother dodging. He raised his left forearm. The steel blade struck his silver-and-black fur. Sparks flew. The steel chipped. 雷恩甚至懒得躲避.他举起左前臂.钢刃击中了他银黑相间的皮毛.火花四溅.钢材碎裂了.
The man's eyes widened behind his iron visor. 铁面罩后面的男人睁大了眼睛.
Renn grabbed the tracker's throat. He squeezed, lifting the grown man entirely off the ground. The tracker kicked, his boots thrashing helplessly in the air. 雷恩掐住了追踪者的喉咙.他用力一用力,将这个成年男子完全提离了地面.追踪者踢了踢,他的靴子在空中无助地踢打着.
"Arthur," Renn's voice was a rough, gravelly rasp. "Where is the main army?""亚瑟,"雷恩的声音粗哑,沙哑. "主力部队在哪里?"
The tracker choked, clawing at Renn's iron grip. "The... the Light... burns you..."追踪者窒息了,抓着雷恩的铁拳. "那...圣光...燃烧你..."
Loyal to the end. Useless. 忠于到底.无用.
Renn snapped his neck and dropped the body into the mud. 雷恩折断脖子,将尸体扔进泥里.
The forest fell silent again, save for the rain. 森林里又恢复了寂静,只剩下雨声.
[Devour talent triggered.][吞噬天赋触发.]
Blue text flickered in the corner of his vision. Faint wisps of crimson energy seeped from the three human corpses and the two hounds. The energy flowed into Renn's legs and arms. The deep bite wound on his calf stopped bleeding. The torn flesh on his shoulder knit together, forming a pale scar that quickly faded under a fresh patch of silver fur. 视野的余光里,蓝色的文字闪烁着.三具人类尸体和两只猎犬身上,散发着淡淡的红色能量.能量流入雷恩的腿和手臂.小腿上深深的咬伤已经停止流血.他肩膀上撕裂的肉融合在一起,形成一道苍白的伤疤,在一片新鲜的银色皮毛下很快就消失了.
The stamina drain from the earlier synthesis vanished. He felt full. 先前合成的体力消耗消失了.他感觉很饱.
He looked at the dead men. They had gear. He needed it. 他看着死去的人.他们有装备.他需要它.
He stripped the heavy waxed coats from the two intact bodies. He took their leather trousers, their boots, and the iron visors they wore. 他剥掉了两具完好无损的尸体上厚重的蜡衣.他拿走了他们的皮裤,靴子和他们戴的铁面罩.
He threw the pile of bloody clothes and metal onto the ground. 他把一堆血淋淋的衣服和金属扔到了地上.
"System." "系统."
*Ding.**叮.*
"Synthesize the two coats and the leather pants.""合成两件外套和皮裤."
[Target 1: Blood-stained Tracker Coat x2][目标1:血迹追踪外套x2]
[Target 2: Boiled Leather Trousers][目标2:水煮皮裤]
[Synthesis requirements met. Begin process?][满足合成要求.开始处理吗?]
"Yes.""是的."
The familiar blue grid expanded from his eyes. It wrapped around the bloody garments. The fabric liquefied, threads weaving together at impossible speeds. The blood was purged, turning into black ash that washed away in the rain. 熟悉的蓝色网格从他的眼眸中扩展开来.它包裹住了血淋淋的衣服.织物液化了,线以不可思议的速度编织在一起.鲜血被净化,化为黑色灰烬,被雨水冲走.
[Synthesis complete.][合成完成.]
[Result: Night-Weave Stalker Garb (Common tier).][结果:夜纹追猎者服装（普通级）.]
[Effect: Minor temperature regulation. Blends with ambient shadows.][功效:轻微调节温度.与环境阴影混合.]
The new clothes lay in the mud. A long, dark grey trench coat, reinforced with dense, flexible leather scales over the chest and shoulders. Matching trousers. It looked nothing like the Church's uniform anymore. 新衣服躺在泥里.深灰色长款风衣,胸部和肩部饰有致密,柔韧的皮革鳞片.配套的裤子.它看起来不再像教会的制服了.
Renn put them on. The fit was perfect. The material felt incredibly light, yet tough enough to stop a glancing blade. 雷恩穿上它们.非常合身.这种材料感觉非常轻,但又足够坚韧,足以阻止刀片的滑动.
He picked up the two iron visors next. 接下来他拿起了两个铁面罩.
"Synthesize the visors with the mastiff's skull." "用獒犬的头骨合成面罩."
[Target 1: Standard Iron Visor x2][目标1:标准铁面罩x2]
[Target 2: Blood-Mastiff Skull][目标2:血獒头骨]
[Synthesis requirements met. Begin process?][满足合成要求.开始处理吗?]
A blue flash. The iron melted, fusing with the dense bone of the magical beast. 蓝色闪光.铁块融化了,与魔兽致密的骨骼融为一体.
[Synthesis complete.][合成完成.]
[Result: Bone-Iron Half Mask (Common tier).][结果:骨铁半面具（普通级）.]
[Effect: Minor intimidation. Conceals magical tracking signatures from the face.][效果:轻微恐吓.隐藏面部的魔法追踪特征.]
Renn picked up the mask. It was a dark, metallic grey, shaped to cover the lower half of his face, from the bridge of his nose down to his chin. It had sharp, angular lines, resembling the maw of a snarling beast. 雷恩拿起面具.它是一种深金属灰色,形状覆盖了他的下半张脸,从鼻梁到下巴.它有锋利,棱角分明的线条,就像咆哮野兽的嘴巴.
He tied the leather straps behind his head. The cold metal pressed against his cheeks. 他把皮带系在脑后.冰冷的金属压在他的脸颊上.
He grabbed the dead tracker's coin pouch. Thirty silver pieces. Enough for a meal and a bed. 他抓住了死去的追踪者的硬币袋.银子三十枚.够吃饭,睡床了.
He turned away from the carnage and continued north. 他转身离开大屠杀,继续向北.
******
Deadwood Ravine wasn't a town. It was an infection on the border of the Vane Kingdom. 戴德伍德峡谷不是一座城镇.这是瓦恩王国边境的感染事件.
Built at the bottom of a steep, muddy canyon, it was a haven for smugglers, exiled mercenaries, and demi-humans trying to avoid the Church's purges. The buildings were haphazardly constructed from rotting timber and rusted corrugated iron. 它建在陡峭,泥泞的峡谷底部,是走私犯,流亡雇佣兵和试图躲避教会清洗的亚人的避风港.这些建筑物是用腐烂的木材和生锈的波纹铁皮随意建造的.
Renn walked down the muddy slope as the sun began to rise. The sky was the color of a bruised plum. 太阳开始升起时,雷恩走下泥泞的斜坡.天空是伤痕累累的李子的颜色.
He pulled the collar of his coat up. The Bone-Iron mask hid his features. His silver eyes were shadowed by the wide brim of a leather hat he had scavenged from a corpse a mile back. 他把外套的领子拉了起来.骨铁面具遮住了他的容貌.他银色的眼睛被一顶皮帽的宽边遮住了,这顶皮帽是他从一英里前的尸体上捡来的.
The streets smelled of open sewage, stale ale, and roasting meat. 街道上弥漫着露天污水,陈啤酒和烤肉的气味.
People gave him wide berths. A tall man in dark, unfamiliar gear, walking with the quiet, balanced stride of a killer. Nobody asked questions in Deadwood Ravine. It was bad for your health. 人们对他敬而远之.一个身材高大的男人,穿着黑色,陌生的装备,以杀手般安静,平衡的步伐行走.戴德伍德峡谷没人问问题.这对你的健康有害.
Renn needed information. He needed to know how far Arthur's influence had spread, and what happened to the Silver Moon Clan after the 'sacrifice'. 雷恩需要信息.他需要知道亚瑟的影响力已经蔓延到什么程度,以及'牺牲'之后银月族发生了什么.
He spotted a large, two-story building with a crumbling stone foundation. A rusted iron sign hung above the door, depicting a severed boar's head. The Boar & Barrel. The loudest building on the street. 他发现了一栋巨大的两层楼房,石头地基已经摇摇欲坠.门上方挂着一个生锈的铁牌,上面画着一个被砍下的野猪头.野猪与桶.街上最吵闹的建筑.
He pushed the heavy oak door open. 他推开厚重的橡木门.
The heat inside hit him immediately. The air was thick with pipe smoke and the smell of unwashed bodies. Dozens of rough-looking men and women sat at scarred wooden tables. Some wore battered plate armor. Others wore dirty robes. Mercenaries. 体内的热气立刻袭来.空气中弥漫着烟斗的烟雾和未洗尸体的气味.数十名相貌粗鲁的男女坐在伤痕累累的木桌旁.有些人穿着破旧的板甲.其他人则穿着肮脏的长袍.雇佣兵.
The noise level dropped slightly as he walked in. A few hands drifted toward sword hilts. 当他走进去时,喧闹声稍微低了一些.几只手伸向了剑柄.
Renn ignored them. He walked straight to the long wooden bar at the back. 雷恩无视他们.他径直走到后面的长木吧台前.
The bartender was a massive Orc with a missing tusk and a thick, braided beard. He was wiping down the counter with a dirty rag. 酒保是一个身材魁梧的兽人,缺少了一根象牙,留着浓密的辫子胡子.他正在用一块脏抹布擦柜台.
Renn sat on a wobbly stool. He placed a single silver coin on the sticky wood. 雷恩坐在一张摇摇晃晃的凳子上.他在粘糊糊的木头上放了一枚银币.
"Ale. And a plate of whatever meat you have. Raw." "麦芽酒.还有一盘你有的肉.生的."
The Orc stopped wiping. He looked at the coin, then up at Renn's mask. "Raw? You sure, friend? The local mutton carries worms."兽人停止擦拭.他看着硬币,然后抬头看着雷恩的面具. "生的?你确定吗,朋友?当地的羊肉里有虫子."
"Raw," Renn repeated. The gravel in his voice left no room for debate. The wolf bloodline demanded fresh meat. Cooked food tasted like ash to him now. "生的,"雷恩重复道.他声音沙哑,没有任何争论的余地.狼血统需要新鲜的肉.现在,煮熟的食物对他来说就像灰烬一样.
The Orc shrugged. He scooped up the coin. "Your funeral." 兽人耸耸肩.他舀起硬币. "你的葬礼."
A heavy mug of dark, frothy liquid was slammed in front of him, followed by a wooden platter holding a massive, bloody slab of raw venison. 一大杯黑色泡沫液体被猛地砸在他面前,随后是一个木盘,上面盛着一大块血淋淋的生鹿肉.
Renn pulled down his mask slightly, just enough to expose his mouth. He picked up the meat with his bare hands and tore a chunk off. The raw blood coated his tongue. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. 雷恩轻轻拉下面罩,刚好露出他的嘴.他徒手拿起肉,撕下一块.鲜血覆盖了他的舌头.这是他尝过的最美味的东西.
"You're sitting in my chair." "你坐在我的椅子上."
The voice came from behind him. Thick, slurred with alcohol. 声音从他身后传来.浓稠,用酒精搅成糊状.
Renn didn't stop chewing. He didn't turn around. 雷恩没有停止咀嚼.他没有转身.
A heavy hand clamped down on his right shoulder. "I said, you're in my chair, freak."一只厚重的手按在了他的右肩上. "我说,你坐在我的椅子上,怪物."
The man was a hulking human, easily six and a half feet tall, wearing rusted chainmail over a beer gut. A massive double-bitted axe was strapped to his back. He reeked of cheap liquor and dried sweat. 这个男人是个身材魁梧的人类,身高六英尺半,啤酒肚外罩着生锈的链甲.他的背上绑着一把巨大的双刃斧.他浑身散发着廉价酒味和干汗味.
The tavern grew quiet. People turned to watch the entertainment. 酒馆里渐渐安静下来.人们转身观看娱乐节目.
"Take your hand off me," Renn said. He swallowed the meat. He didn't raise his voice. "把你的手从我身上拿开,"雷恩说.他把肉吞了下去.他没有提高声音.
The big man laughed. "Or what? You'll cry into your raw dog food?" He tightened his grip on Renn's coat. "Get out of the seat before I break your—"大汉笑道. "或者什么?你会因为生狗粮而哭泣吗?"他抓紧了雷恩的外套. "在我打断你之前离开座位——"
Renn moved. 雷恩动了.
He didn't stand up. He just twisted his torso. His left hand shot up, grabbing the man's thick wrist. He applied pressure. 他没有站起来.他只是扭动了躯干.左手猛地抬起,抓住了男人粗壮的手腕.他施加了压力.
Not human pressure. Demon Wolf pressure. 不是人的压力.魔狼威压.
*Crack.**裂缝.*
The sound of the man's wrist bone shattering was loud as a gunshot in the quiet tavern. 男人腕骨碎裂的声音,在安静的小酒馆里,如同枪声一般响亮.
The big man's eyes bugged out. The alcohol drained from his face instantly. He opened his mouth to scream. 大汉的眼睛都瞪出来了.脸上的酒精立刻就消失了.他张开嘴想要尖叫.
Before the sound could leave his throat, Renn grabbed the heavy wooden ale mug from the counter with his right hand and smashed it directly into the side of the man's knee. 声音还没出喉咙,雷恩就用右手从柜台上抓起沉甸甸的木啤酒杯,直接砸在了男人的膝盖一侧.
The joint inverted with a wet pop. 随着一声湿响,接头倒转了.
The man collapsed to the floor like a puppet with cut strings, clutching his ruined leg and screaming in agony. 男人像断了线的木偶一样倒在了地上,捂着断掉的腿,痛苦地尖叫着.
Renn slowly picked up another piece of raw meat. He chewed it. He looked down at the writhing man, then back to the Orc bartender. 雷恩慢慢地拿起另一块生肉.他咀嚼着.他低头看着那个扭动的男人,然后又看向兽人酒保.
"You got a board for mercenary contracts here?" Renn asked calmly. "你们这里有雇佣兵合同委员会吗?"雷恩平静地问道.
The Orc stared at the broken man on the floor, then looked back at Renn. A wide, ugly grin spread across his green face. 兽人盯着地板上破碎的人,然后回头看着雷恩.他绿色的脸上露出了灿烂而丑陋的笑容.
"Yeah. Back wall." The Orc pointed a thick finger. "What name should I put on the ledger if you take a job?""是的.后墙."兽人伸出一根粗大的手指. "如果你接受了一份工作,我应该在账本上记上什么名字?"
Renn swallowed the last of the meat. He pulled the iron mask back up over his mouth. The memory of the black ash consuming his body in the underground ruins flashed behind his eyes. 雷恩吞下了最后一块肉.他把铁面具拉回到嘴边.他的眼前闪过地下遗迹中黑灰吞噬身体的记忆.
"Ash," Renn said. "Call me Ash." "阿什,"雷恩说. "叫我阿修吧."
He stood up, stepping over the groaning man on the floor, and walked toward the bounty board. The first step of his empire had just begun.他站起来,跨过地上呻吟的男人,朝赏金板走去.他的帝国的第一步才刚刚开始.