五.《沉没之地》(五)(1 / 2)

5.禁地

“踏入迷雾,你们会被随机传送到广袤的沼泽地深处。越快找到通往下一阶段的出口分数越高。击败其他阵营选手将会加分……”厄尼·汉弥尔顿·韦恩朝走向迷雾的学生们高喊。

迷雾涌动着无形而晦涩的力量将他们送往沼泽地各处。枯林边缘的米尔德丽德·汉普里和布里茨·泰尔注视学生们被雾霭吞没,低声交谈着:“为什么不告诉陆离先生真相?”,“这是他的机会……你不是也没说吗。”等到那道身影踏入迷雾,他们停止彼此间的哑谜,回到猎人小屋。

陆离走出雾霭。宽广而阴森、昏黄而压抑的广袤沼泽地延绵向远方,藤蔓缠绕着扭曲枝条,穹顶岩壁垂进沼泽深处的根须犹如贝壳的瑶柱。陆离没能在周围找不到任何熟悉的景象,他显然不在安全区周围。因为“树语者”,陆离靠向他的天然盟友——南边的死寂树林。遗憾的是它们早已消逝,枯死身躯犹如墓碑矗立在泥沼之上。只有每隔二十几分钟从东部地底深处传来的震颤摇晃枝条,让树木仿佛仍然活着。

犹如粗劣陷阱地呼救声忽然在树林边缘响起,陆离循声赶到,看到一只上半身柔弱少女,下半身即使最勇敢的男人也会发出女人般的尖叫、流淌着浓汁的、蜘蛛躯体的异人。它被树根缠绕紧缚,向陆离呼救并自称来自巨树学院下层。比起怀疑少女身份,陆离更疑惑分泌汁液腐蚀她的树根——他能够确定这里是一座树木形成自己的墓碑的墓园,这里没有丝毫生机,灌输人性只会让树干成为土壤诞生新的植物,而不是复活它们。那么眼前这株没有回应他,也没有植物气息的树根是什么?陆离将自己的猜想告诉异人,认出驱魔人的异人照做——受到伤害的“树根”畏缩钻回泥土。异人终于意识到,自己这头狮子险些可笑的因灌木的可怕阴影被落单的鬣狗咬死。

这只异人自称叫做伊达,污染并未腐蚀它的心智,犹如骑士般向陆离起誓:“您剑锋所指,皆为道路。”。陆离带上它,向震颤的源头、地居人挖掘矿区靠近。犹如维纳不冻港的贸易通商归属商人,而地居人商行是主要供货商之一,陆离可以从那里获得帮助。

靠近矿区的路上,陆离遇到沼泽地松软泥土上的杂乱足迹,通常震颤会湮灭一切痕迹,这代表足迹留下的时间不会太久。这些足迹和陆离的路径相同,然后在一段距离后突兀消失。伊达冒失地掷出石块,不过引出了杂乱足迹的主人——一支来自地表,向深夜城迁徙的队伍。陆离为饥肠辘辘的人们带来了食物和水源,为高烧的男孩提供药物,然后带着这群居民接近地居人挖掘矿区。

善良不总是能得到回报,这次例外。驱魔人的善意很快得到兑现:血脉家族联盟占领了矿区。而因为庇护了迁徙队伍,陆离和伊达得以伪装成队伍中的一员,通过血脉家族联盟的封锁。只是他们像是主动跳进这座囚笼——地居人禁止争斗,这里也没有出口,他们和几名躲在矿区的选手一样被困在了这里。不过陆离并非没有收获。他在地居人那里买到了关于出口的情报:由爱生忧,由爱生怖,离于爱者,无忧无怖——像是提示,又像是占卜陆离人生的箴言。

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