Chapter 72 — A Life-Form Reaction?
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 3
Gao Yang was jolted awake from a hazy sleep by the commotion outside.
The sound of soldiers running and shouting tore him from his dreams, mixed with cries of something like "the stone ball is alive," and he could hear several sets of footsteps racing toward his tent. Already a light sleeper, Gao Yang came fully awake at once, grabbed his clothes, threw them on, and called out: "What's going on?!"
Philip's voice came from outside the tent: "Sir, there's something off about that stone ball you brought back!"
Something off—what did that even mean?
A young knight who was always so sharp and capable had resorted to such a vague description, and Gao Yang immediately realized the situation might be quite complicated. He quickly straightened his clothes, took up the Pioneer's Sword that he always kept close at hand, pushed open the tent flap, and stepped outside.
Dawn was still two hours away, and there was not the faintest hint of light on the horizon, but the braziers and torches burning here and there kept the camp from being swallowed entirely by darkness. Gao Yang had just stepped out of the tent when he felt a shadow at his feet suddenly twist, and then Amber emerged from the darkness. The half-elf had not yet had time to change into her usual leather armor; she was wearing a set of light everyday clothes. As she pulled herself free of the shadow she was already chattering noisily: "What's going on, what's going on, I was sleeping just fine and then suddenly—hey, hey, I'm stuck, I'm stuck, give me a hand..."
Gao Yang, breaking into a cold sweat, grabbed Amber by the back of her collar and hauled her out of the shadow, finding her as light and nimble as a cat. "A shadow master like you can still get stuck in her own Shadow Step?"
"It's just—I was in a hurry and hadn't fully woken up," Amber said, a little embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject. "So what happened?"
"That stone ball I brought back seems to be acting up," Gao Yang said, gesturing for Philip to lead the way. He took Amber with him and followed behind the knight and the soldiers. "Let's go take a look together."
Hearing that this was what it was about, Amber immediately yawned. "Ah, I want to go back to sleep..."
She had barely gotten half the words out before Gao Yang tucked her under his arm and carried her off.
The isolated tent on the south side of the camp had already been surrounded by soldiers and militia, who had formed a cordon about a dozen meters from the tent. The burning torches made the area bright as day, and the civilians in the southern part of the camp had been roused by the commotion—though almost no one dared to come out of their tents to investigate. Most simply huddled inside, trembling, and considered themselves lucky to poke their heads out for a single glance.
Because Amber had struggled so fiercely, by the time Gao Yang arrived carrying the half-elf, Hedy was already on the scene. She was tracing magical runes in the air, setting up a weak protective barrier around the tent. When she saw Gao Yang, she could not help looking startled. "Ancestor, what are you..."
Gao Yang set Amber down. "This one's senses are sharper than ours at night, but she didn't want to come on her own."
Amber stamped her feet in protest. "You can't do that! You nearly strangled me!"
But no one paid her protest any mind...
"How's it look in there?" Gao Yang asked, gazing toward the tent. He noticed there was an empty buffer zone between the tent and the cordon, as though approaching the stone ball meant grave danger. "Any casualties?"
"No casualties, but two militiamen and one soldier are trapped inside," Hedy said, her expression strange. "They're being... stuck to it."
"Stuck?" Gao Yang blinked. "Like a magnet attracting metal?"