novelnext Chapter 109 Puppet Wanderer
Chapter 109 Puppet Wanderer
Chapter 109 Puppet Wanderer
Woody on his shoulder let out a gloating sound.
Then, unusually seriously, it said to Xia Lin, "Don't feel unbalanced. That thing opposite you is a wolf-turned-beast-turned-human."
It paused, then continued to flaunt its knowledge: "You know, the origins of beastmen are quite complex. The oldest legends trace back to a curse cast on mortals by an ancient god, while some scholars believe they are remnants of some kind of dimensional erosion."
In most cases, bestiality is a disease, contagious through wounds. Those attacked by bestial beings, if not promptly cleansed with advanced healing techniques or appropriate potions, may begin irreversible transformation on the night of a full moon or during periods of intense emotional turmoil.
Woody's dark eyes were fixed on the beastman who had turned his attention to Garu.
"These infectious beast-like humans retain most of their sanity and memories in the early stages of transformation, and can even disguise themselves as normal people. But the longer it goes on, the more their bestial nature overwhelms their humanity, and they eventually become pure bloodthirsty predators."
Woody's tone then became subtle: "But look at this guy, it has fragments of human equipment on it, and the wound on its neck is bleeding, which means it has only recently transformed."
But it completely overwhelmed a professional like itself and demonstrated astonishing tactical skill. This wasn't just a matter of being "bitten off guard."
"—You mean," Xia Lin responded mentally, "that there's someone controlling it?"
"Smart." Woody rarely gave Xia Lin a "good review," and continued, "Or you should call it the progenitor. Certain sufficiently powerful beast-human individuals can place their transformed offspring under their mental control through blood or special rituals. These offspring will not completely lose their minds, but will unconditionally obey the progenitor's commands, just like..."
"Like a puppet?"
"That's right."
Pastor Melissa's gaze casually swept over the beastman, or more precisely, over the rickety metal badge on its shoulder armor.
"That badge—" Melissa's voice was a little strained, "Look at the pattern on it. This is—this is the standard insignia of the church guard."
She paused, connecting the tattered armor fragments with the beast-like human before her: "He—he might be a member of the church team that went missing before."
"It's no use." Woody shattered that faint hope. "He's no longer human. As long as the master controlling him exists, he's nothing more than a flesh-and-blood weapon carrying out orders. Believe me, the only thing you can do now is wait and see what happens."
The grass on the side suddenly parted.
Another beastman slowly emerged from behind the blood-stained plants.
Its left eye has an old scar that stretches the eye socket into a hideous slit, but the ferocity in its right eye is even stronger and colder.
It didn't look at Garu, nor at Kyle.
It simply tilted its head slightly and turned to look behind it.
There, a young man was staggering out of the shadows, step by step.
He was lean and strong, but his eyes were empty and blank.
He was holding two well-maintained daggers in his hands at that moment.
"—Timmy."
Anderson's voice was hoarse, forced from deep in his throat, as he considered the worst possible outcome.
The young man did not respond.
He didn't even glance in the direction of the familiar captain, but stood quietly beside the beastman, like a puppet whose soul had been ripped out, waiting for the next command.
"He's been transformed." Woody's voice was unusually somber. "The beastmen forcibly tore his mind apart, turning him into a fighting tool that only knows how to obey. To be honest, these puppets are harder to deal with than fully transformed beastmen. They feel no pain, no fear, no hesitation; they only carry out orders."
"Until death," Kyle finished for it.
Her rapier was already pointed at the beastman that had appeared.
Garu slowly raised his giant axe, its blade gleaming coldly in the sparse afterglow of the evening.
He stood directly in front of another beastman.
The beast-like creature let out a short, unintelligible roar.
At the same moment, the adventurer Timmy moved.
His figure shot off like an arrow, almost skimming the ground as he flew towards the back of the group.
Over there was where Pastor Melissa was.
"Watch out!" Anderson roared a warning.
Xia Lin had already taken a step to the side, blocking Timmy's sprint path.
So fast!
This was the first thought that exploded in his mind.
He had seen the speed of the Wanderers, Ezio's stealth and ambush, and Kyle's lightning-fast rapier, but Timmy was different.
With each step he took, it was as if he was pressing all his strength onto a fatal turning point, without any superfluous movements or any predictable rhythm.
He is like a cold arrow that has been shot and will automatically seek out its weaknesses.
A flash of cold light!
Xia Lin hastily raised his shield, but instead of a slash, he received a light tap. Timmy's dagger did not attempt to break through the shield's defense. Instead, he used the edge of the shield to press down, and his whole body was lifted into the air as if weightless!
Oops!
"Watch out behind you!" Woody's warning arrived almost simultaneously with the gust of cold wind that swept towards his neck.
Xia Lin twisted his body with all his might, and his left shoulder blade was suddenly ripped open with a 1-inch-long gash in his leather armor. Blood gushed out instantly and flowed down the edge of his shoulder blade.
If Woody hadn't given him a warning, the knife would have precisely severed his shoulder and neck tendons.
Is this some kind of wanderer apprentice?
"Timmy used to be a scout for the frontline guard!" Anderson's voice came from afar, tinged with suppressed pain. "He came back alive from the front! Watch out for his back attack!"
Is the adventurer industry really that competitive these days?
Without a moment to think, Xia Lin gritted his teeth, adjusted the angle of his left shield to protect his side and rear, and lowered the tip of his sword in his right hand.
Timmy's second thrust followed immediately.
This time it was the lower body. The two daggers, like crossed snake tongues, one aimed at the back of the knee, the other at the heel.
This is a deflection technique specifically designed for heavily armored warriors; its self-description is to cut off their movement ability.
Xia Lin did not take the hit head-on.
He slipped and suddenly shifted backward, narrowly avoiding the two sharp blades.
Timmy's attack missed, but his movements didn't falter at all. He lightly touched the moss-covered tree roots with his toes, and then, as if propelled by a spring, he pounced forward again!
Too fast —
Xia Lin's breathing became rapid. He blocked four attacks, but the price was a deep gash on the edge of his left shield and a graze on the outside of his right forearm, with blood flowing down the hilt of his sword and between his fingers.
There was no emotion in those empty eyes across from me.
There was no smugness, no anxiety, and not even murderous intent.
He was simply following orders, like a tireless and painless killing machine.
"careful!
'
The concerned voice of Pastor Melissa came from behind.
She held a staff, and a milky white halo, like a soft mist, fell on Xia Lin's still bleeding wound.