nucmednet Chapter 2 The Adventurers of Mertenheim
Chapter 2 The Adventurers of Mertenheim
As the scarred man drew closer, Roger felt his blood freeze and he trembled uncontrollably.
Shaking his groggy head, he forced himself to straighten his back, trying to keep himself in line with the civilian prisoners around him.
At this moment, he dared not expose his weakness; to fall would mean death.
He was always just an ordinary person, never adapted to this dark world where human life was cheap, and was even more terrified of death.
"What should we do?"
Feeling utterly powerless, Roger grew increasingly anxious. He could only grip the rope connecting the ranks tightly in front of him, dragging himself along as he staggered to keep up with the prisoners ahead.
The scarred-faced thug approached Roger and easily noticed the anomaly.
Roger's steps were unsteady and erratic, his body swaying uncontrollably, looking as if he was about to fall to the ground, which the bandits could see clearly.
As a modern person with extremely convenient transportation, Roger had never traveled such a long distance as he had in the past few days. The exhausting journey over the past few days had left his body completely drained and unable to keep up!
"Another useless piece of trash! All looks and no substance!"
He spat at Rogge, stuffed the water pouch back into his pocket, and his fierce face contorted into a grimace.
The whip landed precisely on Roger's still-intact thigh.
The excruciating pain spread throughout my body instantly, like an electric shock.
Roger convulsed in pain, unable to suppress his cries of agony.
His vision suddenly went black, and excruciating pain overwhelmed his nerves like a tidal wave, almost severing his consciousness.
He gritted his teeth and pressed down on the rope with his hands to barely keep himself from falling over.
All the strength in my body was completely drained by the pain I endured.
He has reached his limit.
Roger didn't want to fall, but his already weak will was no longer enough to sustain him.
The scarred-faced thug roared angrily, and seeing Roger swaying violently, he kicked Roger's legs several times.
"Get the hell out of here!"
"If you fall, I'll kill you!"
His vision went black, and Roger instantly collapsed to the ground.
His consciousness had not completely broken down; his unfocused vision still allowed him to vaguely see the pebbles on the ground.
"After holding on for so many... days, am I still going to die?"
"I don't want to die!"
Urged on by the thugs' beatings and kicks, Roger tried to get up using both hands and feet, but his body was as limp as dough.
Each effort only brought deeper pain and a sense of powerlessness.
"waste,
Get up, you bastard!
If I die like this, the boss won't make any money, and I'll get a severe scolding!
"Stop pretending, I didn't even hit you hard!"
The scarred thug seemed to panic and kicked Roger even more mercilessly, but Roger couldn't get up no matter what he did.
"Is...it over just like that?"
Exhausted, Roger struggled but could not get up, and he gradually lost all hope.
"Help him up... Your worthless lives are not even a hundredth as good as his..."
The faint sounds of whipping and shouting reached Roger's ears, and he felt a pair of rough, large hands grab his arm from behind.
The large hand tried its best to pull him up, but the force seemed weak and powerless.
"Get up... hang in there!"
A tired but gentle voice came from behind, without any unnecessary words, yet carrying a reassuring power.
Immediately afterwards, his other arm was also grabbed, and another deep voice sounded:
"Hang in there, don't give up, we'll help you walk!"
In Rogge's unfocused vision, he could only vaguely make out the outlines of two men beside him, who were also prisoners, who were dragging him up.
These two men were none other than the "Mettenheim Adventurers" they had discovered earlier!
Roger managed to squeeze out a hoarse thank you, but couldn't say anything more.
He could only move forward obediently with the help of the two men, being supported by them.
The scarred thug watched coldly as Roger stubbornly stood up again, and snorted.
He glanced at the other two prisoners, a look of apprehension flashing across his face. Remembering his boss's orders, he said no more.
He pulled the water pouch out of his pocket again, cursing as he handed it over:
"You're all show and no substance. If it weren't for the money you're selling, I'd chop your head off!"
You're lucky you survived. Give me some water, or I'll die halfway there.
If you can't sell it for a good price later, I'll castrate you alive!
Upon seeing this, the prisoner on the left quickly reached out and took the water bag.
After the scarred bandit turned away, he hurriedly uncorked the water bladder and poured water into Rogge's mouth.
As the water was poured into his mouth, Roger's scattered consciousness snapped back to reality, and he instinctively began to swallow large gulps.
The water had a pungent, leathery smell, and Roger could even taste the mud and sand mixed in with it.
But he couldn't care less about any of that. The warm water, warmed by the sun, flowed down his parched throat and into his empty stomach. The water seemed to flow through his chest and instantly moisturized his limbs and bones.
Like parched land receiving timely rain, every pore on his body relaxed and opened up at that moment.
After gulping down most of the bag, Roger's consciousness was gradually awakened.
……
Upon waking, Roger was finally able to see the two men who had risked their lives to save him. They were staring intently at the water bag, their Adam's apples bobbing, their eyes filled with an undisguised, intense longing for water.
They hadn't had any water for a long time, and their bodies were parched with thirst...
Roger thought for a moment, then turned his head to gesture to the man.
The man holding the water bag didn't react for a moment, so Roger immediately reminded him softly:
"Drink it quickly."
The burly man was taken aback, looked around, and then, without hesitation, lifted the water bag and began to gulp it down.
After several large gulps, the water sac completely deflated.
The burly man handed the water bag to another man supporting Roger, who took it without hesitation and began to gulp it down.
"Bedbugs, what are you doing?"
The scarred-faced thug just turned around and witnessed this scene.
He instantly flew into a rage and raised his whip, lashing it fiercely across the man's body.
But the man didn't budge, one hand still firmly holding onto Roger's arm, enduring the beatings, and drinking all the remaining water in the water bag.
The bandit snatched his water bag, tilted it upside down, and only a few drops of water fell to the ground.
"You fucking want to die!"
The next moment, the whip rained down on the man's body. He didn't utter a sound and silently endured it, but his cheeks were already completely red.
After the scarred thug turned and left, cursing, the man spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, turned to meet Roger's shocked gaze, and grinned broadly.
……
As the sun completely set, the team set up camp for the night in a secluded valley.
More than thirty civilian prisoners, their feet bound with thick hemp rope, were gathered in the deepest part of the enclosure. Two bandits sat on a boulder not far from the exit, their eyes fixed on them with sinister intent.
As night fell, no food was distributed. The prisoners' empty stomachs convulsed and howled like wild beasts, their voices rising and falling.
With their bodies weakened and guarded by special personnel, no one could escape.
Fortunately, he was no longer on the verge of despair as he had been during the day, and his body had been able to rest for a while.
He huddled in the middle of the prisoners, making sure they were all too hungry to sleep, while the bandits guarding them were just chatting idly.
No one paid him any attention. Focusing his mind, Roger began to explore the [Overlord Blacksmith] ability in detail.
[Overlord - Blacksmith Shop]
[Core Material Acquisition Method: Smelting]
Core of materials processing: refining
Equipment crafting core: Forging
Note: The forging process can only use exclusive materials obtained from the previous process;
Note: All stages consume stamina and mental energy, so please pay attention to your stamina consumption;
Note: All of the above abilities require the use of blacksmithing tools.
"Overlord Blacksmith Shop?"
Rogge's heart sank. He explored his awakened abilities, but none of them could help him escape his predicament immediately...
Roger understood that he couldn't escape for the time being and had to wait for an opportunity.
……
Early the next morning,
The prisoners were awakened by the bandits' whips shortly after dawn.
Before setting off, the bandits finally gave each prisoner a small, hard, dark piece of dry rations, as if it were charity.
Roger nibbled at the moldy, hard, tooth-grinding biscuit.
His weakness was slightly relieved, but his thoughts had already drifted to the unknown world.
It only took a few days.
He felt that if he could eat a bite of soft rice again, he would be willing to die!
……
Rogge had already confirmed that this was Pander, Singal, and he knew something about it.
Singal, a slave capital whose core was the slave trade.
It is also the veritable "underworld capital" of the mainland, and the absolute core hub of the underground order of the entire mainland.
The underworld is deeply entrenched, and there are many desperate criminals. Once a prisoner is sent to the exchange, there is no chance of ever turning his life around!
……
Waiting until you get into Singal before running away is just asking for trouble!
"No!
We must find a way to escape before we arrive!
His gaze swept over the two men who had helped him all the way yesterday; Roger already knew them.
One of them was named God, and the other was named Virgil.
Rogge had a plan in mind.
Even if he were freed from his shackles, he alone would not be able to escape the clutches of these bandits.
Moreover, being in an unfamiliar place, he simply couldn't move around alone in an unfamiliar environment, let alone survive in the wilderness!
He needs companions!
These two men, who dared to rescue him from the bandits and endure the whippings without uttering a sound, were the best choice!
……
The prisoner-of-war continued south, heading towards the so-called "Singal".
Rogge stood in the middle of the group, head down, moving his feet numbly like the other prisoners and slaves.
Throughout the arduous journey, Rogge would occasionally activate his "Eye of Insight" to take a look.
In that very moment, after this accidental activation, Roger was utterly astonished.
Three unusual light and shadow effects suddenly appeared on the side!
Rogge suddenly looked up at the distant sand dunes, in the direction of the three figures!
Anxiously click to open the consecration point to check:
【Griffin Knight - Knight Commander】
[Level: 50]
[Attribute: Unknown! (The difference is too large to analyze)]
[Combat Power: Estimated 10000+ (Unknown)]
Weapons and Equipment:
Black Hooded Barrel Helmet (+56 Head Armor, +1 Body Armor)
[Luxury Black Cloak Griffin Knight Plate Armor (+1 Head Armor, +63 Body Armor, +18 Leg Armor)]
[Reinforced Steel Greaves (+40 Leg Armor)]
[Supreme Steel Armor (+9 Body Armor)]
[Enhanced Griffin Fan-Shaped Shield (Resistance +18, Durability 499/583)]
【Mace (+38 Piercing Damage, "Breakthrough Parry")】
【Ebony Knight's Sword (+41 Cutting Damage)】
Extended Lance (+22 Piercing Damage)
Overall Armor Value:
+57 Head Armor
+73 Body Armor
+58 Leg Armor
[Warhorse: Griffin Ironhoof (54 Armor; 40 Speed; 28 Charge)]
Note: The spiked mace has high armor penetration and damage output; the Ebony Knight Sword is a powerful weapon for mounted combat.
……
Rogge was shocked.
"Griffin Rider!!?"