A full moon shone on the silent desert. As far as the eye could see, there were only undulating sand dunes and boundless emptiness. There wasn't even a blade of grass, let alone people. Amon stood there with his hands behind his back and asked with a frown, "Did you hear anything?"
Medanzo also frowned and listened attentively for a while before replying, "There was a rustling sound and a slight buzzing, as if something hard was rubbing against the sand. But I couldn't tell where it was coming from. What did you hear?"
Amon waved his hand and took out a staff out of thin air. There were seven parangons inlaid in a spiral shape on the body of the staff. It was the one he got from Abham Wellington. He handed it to Medanzo and said, "Take it, this staff is yours. Use detection magic to check the situation."
Medanzo took it and said with surprise and joy, "Hey, isn't this the same as Link's staff? My Amun, you are so generous! "
Amon smiled bitterly, "Don't be too happy too early. Take the staff and prepare for battle. Don't you know the situation?"
With this staff in hand, the power of detection magic multiplied by several times. He then exclaimed, "Not good, these sounds are coming from under the sand dunes. Countless scorpions are approaching from all directions. We are surrounded!"
As he spoke, Amon suddenly thrust the iron staff in his hand deep into the sand. A wave of impact rippled out and penetrated deep into the ground. He then shouted, "Medanzo, it's up to you now!"
Suddenly, countless black spots appeared on the pale white sand dunes around them. Looking down from the sky, the place where Amon and Medanzo stood became a white island in the black tide. That was the result of Amon's staff striking the ground and forcing all the scorpions to retreat from the ground.
These scorpions were nearly a foot long. They raised their pincers and raised their venomous tails. They looked extremely terrifying. If it was just one or two scorpions, he might be able to stomp them to death with just a lift of his foot. Even if he was accidentally stabbed by the poisonous hooks, it wouldn't be fatal. However, there were thousands of poisonous scorpions. Anyone who saw them would tremble with fear.
However, Medanzo showed no fear. He shouted loudly and waved the staff in his hand. A whirlwind rose and swirled the sand into a spiraling storm, sweeping out in a circle. The grains of sand that were blown up by the wind were like tiny needles, and there were countless wind blades that were hard to distinguish between the needles. The hard shells of the poisonous scorpions were shattered by the sand, and their bodies and chelicerae were cut off by the wind blades, leaving behind a ground full of corpses. Some scorpions had been cut in half, but their broken bodies were still struggling and twisting.
This large-scale offensive air element divine spell was very powerful, but the Desert Scorpions did not retreat because of the death of their companion. The scorpions behind them stepped over the corpses on the ground and surged forward. Amon did not attack. He only said one thing: "These scorpions are very big and their shells are very hard. It's too much effort to use air element magic."
Medanzo then raised his staff and a bright flame appeared in the whirlwind. The flame instantly turned into a dancing fire dragon that circled between the sand dunes. The scorpions' remains were the first to be ignited. Then the scorpions that surged forward also twisted and rolled in the sea of fire, and were burnt to ashes. Faint smoke rose in all directions, mixed with an unpleasant stench.
Amon spoke again: "Scorpions have venom in their bodies. With so much venom around us, the smoke will be very poisonous."
There was no need for Amon to remind him. Medanzo did not stop the whirlwind while casting Sea of Fire. Instead, he blew the smoke outwards. These scorpions seemed to be very resistant to fire. Many of them were still struggling to crawl closer with flames and smoke, but were cut into pieces by the wind blades not far away. At this moment, Medanzo was casting two kinds of large-scale advanced level magic at the same time.
He couldn't go on like this. After a while, he shouted, "God Amon, are we in a scorpion nest? There's no need to waste time like this. Why should we be surrounded by a group of scorpions? Let's just go. The scorpions can't catch up with us. "
Amon pulled out his staff and put away the tent. He nodded and said: "Then let's go. You break out."
Medanzo pointed his staff forward and the whirlwind converged into a straight line and shot out, blowing a wide trench in the sand. The scorpions were swept to the sides. The flames disappeared, and then turned into a cold. The scorpions nearby were stiff on the ground, and the scorpions a little further away seemed to be affected by the cold and slowed down. Medanzo took the opportunity to stride forward, and Amon followed behind with his leather bag.
Casting water magic in the dry desert was strenuous and unrewarding, but when used with Wind Shuttle and Freeze, the cold was a good way to deal with these scorpions. It might not be able to freeze them to death, but as long as they could stop them from moving forward, they could break out of the encirclement.
The two walked unhurriedly among the scorpions. Medanzo pointed his staff forward and opened a path. When the sky was getting brighter, there were fewer scorpions around them. There were still endless white dunes around them. Medanzo finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Amon: "How come there are so many scorpions? Have you encountered them before?"
Amon shook his head: "There are scorpions in the desert, and there have been people who were accidentally bitten to death. I've heard of it since I was a child, but I've never heard of so many scorpions. Maybe the environment changed after the flood."
Medanzo frowned: "These scorpions are obviously too big, and they look very poisonous. They are not ordinary sand scorpions, are they?" While speaking, he suddenly stamped his foot and killed a scorpion that suddenly burrowed out of the sand. He cursed: "Why are there more? Is there no end to them?"
Amon suddenly thought of something and said: "Before coming here, I heard that there are monsters in this area. It seems that these scorpions are also one of the monsters. I once saw a scroll of myths and legends in the Temple of Isis, called 'The Land of Marduc'. It recorded that the town of Duc was once the battlefield of the gods. A long time ago, the gods created nine kinds of monsters to help them in the battle, namely, Nine-headed Serpent, Scorpion, Sea Monster, Giant Lion, Three-headed Hound, Human-faced Scorpion, Mermaid, and Wild Bull. "
"Nine-headed Serpent?" asked Medanzo. "Isn't that Humbaba, the God of the Euphrate River? It is said that he was the gatekeeper of Enril's realm. He was killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu not long ago. "
Amon nodded, "The Nine-headed Serpent is probably Humbaba. He must have been subdued by Enril in that great battle and became the gatekeeper of the divine realm. Although Humbaba is dead, he still has many descendants. I've met them in the Euphrate River. If Humbaba has descendants, then other monsters might have. The Human-faced Scorpion is one of the nine monsters. The scorpions we met may be its descendants. "
Medanzo stuck out his tongue, "Then we have to be careful. Maybe we will run into some poisonous insects or beasts."
Amon nodded again, "Yes. If we run into them, don't get entangled with them. We should avoid them as much as possible. We're not here to destroy the monsters. We can't do that with just the two of us. We're just here to check out the situation here and get to Duc as soon as possible."
As they continued to move forward, the two of them slowed down. There were always poisonous scorpions appearing in this desert. They would suddenly drill out of the sand, sometimes in groups, sometimes only five or six of them. Almost every day, they had to fight several battles, big or small. Medanzo was almost stung by a scorpion. Amon just followed behind and did not do anything. He let Medanzo deal with everything. Seven or eight days later, they could see sparse grass in the desert.
"Medanzo, can you hold on?" asked Amon.
Metatro took a few breaths and said: "Ever since I started practicing magic, the number of magic I've used in the past few days is less than the number of magic I've used. The opponent is just a scorpion, but it can't be sustained. Who knows when it will appear. If it weren't for you, Amun, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer. "
… …
On the same day that Amon and Medanzo decided to turn north from the trade route, three people were having a meeting in the Shrine of Syah Enril. They were an old man and his two young disciples.
Goliath's appearance had not changed much. He still had a goatee and a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes seemed to be clearer and deeper than two years ago. He asked Raphael, "Have you been practicing magic all this time?"
Raphael replied, "Magic practice has been my hobby since I was a child, and I'm used to it. Two years ago, Master sent me to Duc to explore the terrain. Because of an accident, I stopped practicing magic for a while, but since then, I have never stopped practicing."
Goliath asked, "Half a year ago, I sent you to Charcoal Marsh to investigate the monsters there. It was much more dangerous than the mission two years ago. Did you stop practicing magic?"
Raphael replied respectfully, "Yes, under your guidance, it has become a kind of self-awareness. I don't have to remind myself what to do, I do it naturally every day. Basic meditation is also a way to restore magic. Only in this way can I persist in that dangerous environment and finally complete the mission Master gave me. "
Goliath smiled and asked again, "Young man, in such a dangerous environment, do you know why you can always turn danger into safety?"
Raphael showed a thoughtful look, "I also have questions in my heart. At that time, there were several encounters that were really dangerous, but I always got through them safely, as if I was blessed by the gods."
Goliath smiled and shook his head, "Maybe you really got the favor of the gods, but the person who protected you at that time was Walter. I deliberately sent him to follow you secretly, but you didn't know."
Raphael was taken aback. He stood up and said to Walter, "So it was you who protected me, then you should have saved me several times, why didn't you tell me?"
Walter smiled slightly, "Master didn't let me tell you at that time."
Raphael knelt down and saluted, "Even if you didn't tell me at that time, it has been half a year since I completed the mission, and you haven't mentioned it for so long. You have secretly saved me so many times, but I have never expressed my gratitude."
Walter still smiled, "This is what I should do, and it is what I am willing to do. If Master didn't let me say it, then I wouldn't say it. Since Master has said it today, then I will say it. I am only completing the mission, and I don't ask for any gratitude. Of course, at this moment, I also accept your gratitude. Get up, my brother. "
He pulled Raphael up.
Goliath looked at Walter again and said, "This state of mind is very good. For the past six months, I deliberately did not tell you, Raphael, and you yourself did not take it to heart. Walter, have you ever thought about when you will become a supreme mage? I have taught many students in the Hittite Kingdom, but the one who is most likely to become the first supreme mage is you. "
The sixth-level mage Walter replied humbly, "It is not a matter of whether I want to or not. I am afraid that all the mages on the continent want to take this step, but it is not a wish that comes out of thin air. When faced with this goal, I can only decide what I will do and not think too much about it. "
Goliath nodded with satisfaction, "Very good, I hope you mean what you say and can really do it. This time, I will send the two of you to carry out another mission. Set off together across the Syah Desert, and then go to the city of Uruk in Bablon and the Cape States in Eygut respectively. Send a secret letter to the two governors, Gilgamesh and Rod-dick respectively. Come back when you get an answer, no matter what it is. "
The ninth-level supreme mage took out two sealed leather cylinders and handed them to his students, "You are not allowed to open them yourselves. The contents of the letter may also bring you trouble. If there is any trouble, try to solve it on your own and bring the reply to me.
It may be a little troublesome to cross the Syah Desert now. Try not to fight the powerful monsters and make sure you pass safely. Here are a few scrolls and a flying instrument. If your life is in danger, Walter, use it to escape with Raphael. But this is also a trial. Do not use the scrolls or the flying instrument until the last moment. "
… …
Amon and Medanzo had walked to the edge of the desert. From time to time, they could see low, cold-resistant grass growing on the sand dunes. Counting the distance, they would reach the inland lake in another day. This kind of grassy sand dunes was also the most suitable environment for scorpions to grow. Medanzo involuntarily raised his vigilance, but after walking for a long time, he did not see any scorpions. He could not help but sigh, "It's really strange today. Why haven't I seen a single scorpion?"
Amon laughed, "Haven't you been annoyed by the scorpions these days? Do you want to meet a group of scorpions?"
Metatro, who looked tired, also laughed. "That's not what I mean. I can't wait to relax. We've been on tenterhooks until now, but there's no movement at the place where we're most likely to encounter scorpions. It's better to have a good fight and get out of here quickly."
Amon said, "The most dangerous enemy is the invisible enemy. This feeling is really torturous. But you have to be mentally prepared. Even if we get out of the desert and get rid of the scorpions, there may be something waiting in front of us, maybe even more difficult to deal with than the scorpions. … Huh? There are marks on the sand over there. What are they? "
There were very strange marks on the sand dunes in front of them. They looked like frozen ripples on the surface of the water. Medanzo walked closer and bent down to observe. He took a deep breath and said, "I can't be more familiar with these marks. They are the footprints of scorpions crawling through the sand. But these scorpions are too big. Each of them is probably more than three feet long. It seems they are heading in the same direction. What happened? Let's take this opportunity to get out of here. "
Amon waved his hand, "Don't worry. Let me see what those scorpions are doing. It'll be safer if we can figure it out."
He took out a magic artifact embedded in a golden base. It was the "Soul-chasing Lamp" he got from Vitru's relic. He stood in front of the marks and gently waved his staff. The magic artifact embedded in the wick of the lamp emitted a circular halo of light. The scene in the halo was constantly changing, as if it was following the scorpions' footprints on the sand dunes.
After crossing countless sand dunes, the scene in front of them was already dozens of miles away. Amon and Medanzo saw a group of giant scorpions. Each scorpion was more than three feet long from pincers to tail. Their shells were black and shiny like hard armor. From time to time, the tip of their hooked tails would shoot out pale blue flames. They were terrifying giant scorpions!
The flames shot out from their hooked tails were in a straight line and could attack targets from very far away. Not only was the scorpion poisonous, but it was also accompanied by a high temperature. Even a little bit of it could be fatal. These scorpions didn't always shoot their venom. Instead, they lined up in a formation similar to a military formation. They protected each other and attacked each other, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The flames they shot out were only long-range attacks. The most threatening weapons were their thick pincers and hooked tails.
There were hundreds of scorpions, and all of them were giant scorpions. It was a terrifying sight to behold. In the middle of the scorpions were two young men. They were waving their staffs. Obviously, they were both mages. Their magic power was profound, and their skills were extraordinary. They were able to cast all kinds of large-scale defensive and offensive magic. The older mage was in charge of the attack, while the younger one was in charge of the defense. They tried to break through the encirclement, but in the end, they were unable to do so.
Around them were the bodies of nearly a hundred giant scorpions. Some were scorched, some were cut into pieces, some were frozen, and some were exploded by a tremendous force. It was hard to tell how many kinds of magic the two mages had used.
Amon shook the staff in his hand lightly, and the light of the lamp expanded rapidly. What he focused on was the corpses of the giant scorpions. Two days ago, he and Metatro had also encountered a scorpion. Naturally, he knew the effects of various kinds of magic attacks. If the scorpion was burned by the high temperature of the fire element magic, it would turn into ashes, leaving behind a hard shell that would crack at the slightest touch.
But looking at the scorpions that had been burned, their pincers and stingers were intact, shining in the sand and ashes. The effect of fire magic attacks was not very good, and it would ignite poisonous smoke. The two mages changed their methods after trying it out. The scorpion corpses that were left behind were destroyed with other magic.
Whether it was Spatial Slash or Wind Blade, the scorpion corpses should have been torn apart. But Amon found that there was a palm-sized hard carapace on the back of the giant scorpions that was intact. One could imagine how hard it was. The pincers, stingers, and carapace of these giant scorpions were all good materials for processing weapons or magic artifacts. What's more, there were so many of them. As the successor of Nietzsche, Amon immediately thought of them.
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