Lin Yuan lightly whipped the reins, and the carriage rumbled smoothly down the old road. Its wheels creaked as they rolled over the stones. Ute was resting against the inside of the carriage, his hat brim pulled low, seemingly in a light slumber. Outside, the air was fresh, and Lin Yuan squinted, savoring the moment of peace.
In the past few days, their group had advanced almost without a hitch. They hadn't encountered any monsters, bandits, or even the shadow of a wild beast. Such a smooth journey made Lin Yuan feel uneasy. After all, his experience told him that calm like this usually preceded a storm.
Ahead, Vansil rode her horse side by side with Dapoe. The wind played with her long hair as a gentle smile lingered on her face. Dapoe, riding alongside, kept scratching his head nervously, as if desperate to break the silence but at a loss for words.
Desanro quietly sidled up to Lin Yuan and whispered, "Master Lin, look at those two."
"I see it," Lin Yuan glanced over and the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"Hehe, they seem to be getting along well, don't they?" Desanro winked, looking eager for gossip. "Vansil is known as the Ice Beauty in our Adventurer's Guild. I never thought she'd take a liking to Dapoe."
Lin Yuan shrugged and said casually, "Who can say for sure when it comes to matters of the heart?"
Desanro gave a knowing look and whispered, "Vansil never worked with male adventurers before. Now she's always with Dapoe. She probably likes him a lot."
"Really?" Lin Yuan watched the two ahead with interest. He noticed that Vansil stole glances at Dapoe from time to time, while Dapoe seemed flustered.
Just as Lin Yuan was about to tease Desanro further, he suddenly frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a blurred shadow. Almost instinctively, he pulled the reins tight and immediately went on high alert.
At the same time, Vansil seemed to sense something was wrong. Her sharp gaze scanned the surroundings, and her hand tightened around her staff.
The very next second, a shadowy figure sprang out of the forest's heart and charged headlong at the escort group!
"Enemy attack!"
A vigilant knight shouted. Then, the first attack came crashing down. A huge stone axe slammed into the middle of the team, sending up a cloud of dust.
Several warriors quickly raised their shields and braced against the impact. The heavy clash of metal echoed in the night. Then, a series of magical lights flared up as the warriors and mages entered combat mode.
Orcs!
These creatures were huge, with rough skin, exposed teeth, and eyes that glinted with a bloodthirsty light. They waved huge axes and spears and rushed out of the forest like they'd been hiding there, ready to fight.
Dapoe swung his long sword, precisely cleaving through an orc's shoulder. Blood spattered everywhere. Vansil stood at the rear of the team, quickly chanting an incantation. An ice spear shot through the air and pierced an orc's throat.
The rest of the escort team didn't lag behind either. The warriors formed a defensive line, while the mages kept casting offensive spells. Fireballs, wind blades, and bolts of lightning intertwined in the night sky, accompanied by continuous explosions.
But there was a problem... there were just too many orcs!
Sitting in the carriage, Lin Yuan propped his chin with one hand and watched the chaotic battle. With a click of his tongue, he muttered, "I know what it means to rile up hornets, but looks like we've just roused an entire orc army."
He hadn't expected the attack to be this fierce, and the number of orcs far exceeded his expectations. More importantly, from the distant woods, a figure could be vaguely seen—a orc shaman holding a staff, constantly casting buff spells onto the battlefield to enhance the strength and speed of its companions.
"Master Lin!" Vansil gasped, fending off an orc's attack, then turned to look at him. "Can you step in?"
Lin Yuan shrugged and sighed, "Fine. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can sleep."
He waved his hand easily, and a cold blue magic glow formed in his palm. Right away, the whole battlefield got much colder.
"Extreme Frost Freeze!"
Boom!
Centered around Lin Yuan, a wave of cold surged out in all directions. All the orcs' movements froze. Then, their skin, fur, and bones were covered in a thick layer of ice. Even the orc shaman in the distance was frozen in place by the sudden cold, its eyes wide open, as if unable to comprehend how it had been defeated.
The battlefield was encased in ice within seconds! Lin Yuan blew lightly on his fingers and smirked. "This persona... is seriously overpowered."
The adventurers in the team were all stunned. They never expected that the seemingly laid-back Master Lin could turn the tide of the battle with a single spell.
Vansil let out a sigh of relief and patted Dapoe on the shoulder. "Okay, now we just need to clean up the mess."
Dapoe took a deep breath, nodded, and led the guards to clear the scene and check on the injured.
After the battle, only a few members of the team had minor injuries, and there were no major losses.
Lin Yuan leaned against the carriage and his eyes fell on Brissmelie, who was in the middle of the group.
Her complexion... seemed to have improved a lot?
With her chin tucked down, she clutched the parcel close, a complicated expression flitting through her gaze.
====================
林远轻轻甩了一下缰绳,马车稳稳地行驶在古道上,轮轴碾过石子,发出轻微的咯吱声.乌特正靠在马车内侧休息,帽檐微微压低,似乎已经进入浅眠.车外,空气清新,林远眯着眼睛,享受这片刻的宁静.
这几日,他们的队伍几乎是风平浪静地推进,没有遇到任何怪物或强盗,甚至连一个野兽的影子都没瞧见.如此顺利的旅途反倒让林远感到有些不安,毕竟,他的经验告诉他,暴风雨前往往都是这种宁静.
前方,万玟丝骑着马,和达破恩并肩而行.她长发被风轻轻拂起,脸上挂着淡淡的微笑.而达破恩一边策马,一边有些不自然地挠着头发,似乎想找话题却又不知该说什么.
德珊萝悄悄凑近林远,压低声音说道:"林大法师,你看那两位."
"看出来了." 林远瞥了一眼,嘴角微微勾起.
"嘿嘿,感觉他们已经差不多了吧?" 德珊萝眨了眨眼,一副吃瓜的表情,"万玟丝可是我们冒险者协会公认的冰山美人,没想到竟然会对达破恩有意思."
林远耸耸肩,随意地说道:"感情这种事,谁知道呢?"
德珊萝一副神秘莫测的表情,压低声音道:"我可听说,万玟丝之前从不和男性冒险者搭档呢,这次突然和达破恩靠得那么近,怕不是早就心有所属了."
"是吗?" 林远饶有兴致地看了一眼前方的两人,发现万玟丝确实时不时地朝达破恩瞥上一眼,而达破恩则显得有些手足无措.
正当林远想再调侃两句时,忽然,他眉头微微一皱,眼角余光捕捉到了一道模糊的影子.几乎是本能般地,他拉紧缰绳,整个人瞬间进入戒备状态.
与此同时,万玟丝似乎也察觉到了异常,她的目光凌厉地扫向四周,手已经握紧了法杖.
下一秒,一道黑影从树林深处猛然窜出,直袭向护卫队!
"敌袭!"
一名警戒的骑士大喊出声,紧接着,第一道攻击轰然落下,一只巨大的石斧砸向队伍中央,溅起一地尘土.
几名战士迅速举起盾牌,硬生生挡下冲击力,沉重的金属碰撞声在夜色中回荡.紧接着,一连串的魔法光芒亮起,战士们和魔法师们纷纷进入战斗状态.
半兽人!
这些怪物身材魁梧,皮肤粗糙,牙齿外露,双眼闪烁着嗜血的光芒.它们手持巨斧,长矛,从森林深处疯狂冲来,战意高涨,仿佛早已在暗处等待多时.
达破恩的长剑挥舞,精准地劈开一只半兽人的肩膀,鲜血四溅.而万玟丝则站在队伍后方,迅速吟唱着咒语,一道冰枪破空而出,瞬间洞穿了一只半兽人的喉咙.
护卫队的其他成员也不甘示弱,战士们筑起防线,魔法师们则不断释放攻击魔法.火球术,风刃术,雷电术在夜空中交织,爆炸声此起彼伏.
但问题是... 这些半兽人数量太多了!
林远坐在马车上,单手撑着下巴,看着这场混战,不禁咂了咂嘴:"听说过捅马蜂窝的,但我们现在好像是捅了半兽人的窝啊."
他可没想到,这次的袭击居然会这么猛烈,而且半兽人的数量远超预期.更重要的是,远处的树林中,隐约可见一道身影,那是个拿着法杖的半兽人巫师,正不断向战场释放增益魔法,强化同伴的力量和速度.
"林大法师!" 万玟丝喘着气,挡开了一只半兽人的攻击,回头看向他,"能出手了吗?"
林远耸了耸肩,叹了口气:"行吧,早点解决早点睡."
他随手一挥,掌心凝聚出一片冰蓝色的魔力波动,下一秒,整个战场的温度骤降.
"[极寒冻结]."
轰!
以林远为中心,寒气瞬间席卷四方,所有半兽人的动作一滞,紧接着,它们的皮肤,毛发,骨骼,全都被一层厚厚的冰霜覆盖.哪怕是远处的半兽人巫师,也被这股突如其来的低温冻结在了原地,双眼瞪得老大,似乎无法理解自己是怎么败的.
整个战场,在短短几秒钟内,被彻底冰封!
林远轻轻吹了吹手指,嘴角勾起一抹微笑:"这次的身份... 还真是强啊."
队伍里的冒险者们纷纷露出震撼的表情,他们怎么也没想到,这位看起来悠哉悠哉的林大法师,随手一个魔法就彻底扭转了战局.
万玟丝松了口气,拍了拍达破恩的肩膀:"好了,现在只剩收拾残局了."
达破恩深吸一口气,点了点头,带领护卫们清理现场,检查受伤人员的情况.
此战结束,队伍中只有少数几人受了轻伤,并无重大损失.
林远靠在马车边上,眼神不经意地扫向了队伍中央的布里士嫆莉.
她的脸色...似乎好了许多?
她低头紧了紧怀中的包裹,眼神中闪过一抹复杂的神色.