chsdbacks Chapter 26 The Long Night Is Coming
Chapter 26 The Long Night Is Coming
Next are the mutually hostile "Hunter" Harley and "Handsome" Harley, whose children are said to have the same mother.
In addition, there are "Shieldbreaker" Solon, "Wanderer" Howd, and "Seal Skinner" Davidin.
And the "Warrior Witch" Morona who wears a weirwood mask, the "Blind Man" Doss, the "Merchant" Gavin, the "Wood Ear" Keller, and Var's lover "Jal," etc.
These are all savage leaders or raiders whose followers are different from the clan people whose appearance and customs have evolved, and are closer to the ancestors in the traditional sense.
The forest witch "Mama Mole" huddled in a corner. She was short and thin, with dark skin, wearing a tattered black robe covered with various kinds of dried tree bark, and her face was covered with deep wrinkles.
Many free people believed she possessed ancient powers, and her eyes looked both gloomy and insane.
Next came the shapeshifters, who played an irreplaceable role in the savage army.
Among them, the one most valued by Mans was "Six-Form Man" Valamir.
He was small as a mouse and had a pair of malevolent eyes. He could control a ferocious snow bear, three wolves, and a shadow lynx. He was a terrifying presence that would make anyone shudder. No one wanted to encounter such an opponent in the wild.
Lynn had heard of him before; people often called Valamir "the vicious little beast" behind his back because he had controlled the family dog to kill his two-year-old brother when he was very young.
After that, he killed his adoptive father and master—a wolf spirit named "Hagen".
Before following Mans, "Six-Shaped Man" Valamir was the leader of a large group of guys. He lived in a hall made of moss, clay and logs that once belonged to Hagen, guarded by his beasts.
The surrounding dozen or so settlements offered him bread, salt, and cider; he could provide the meat himself.
Whenever he needed a woman, he would send Shadow Lynx to bring her back. Any girl he fancied would obediently come to his bed, some even crying, but they still came.
Valamir sowed his seeds among them, left a lock of his hair as a memento, and then sent them back.
Every now and then a hero with a spear would appear, wanting to kill this beast and rescue his sisters, lovers, or perhaps daughters, but he would kill them all.
After hearing these stories, Lynn almost felt sorry for Mans. For the sake of the free people's survival, he had no choice but to associate with such a beast.
If Lynn were in charge, he would probably shoot someone like Valamir dead with an arrow.
However, this would likely result in a quarter of the people inside the tent being killed, a quarter being put on trial, and the remaining half probably escaping.
Next is the Polo District, a shapeshifter who can control giant boars.
It is said that his wild boar is as big as an ox, covered in coarse black hair, and has tusks longer than an adult's arm. He himself is very ugly, with thick black eyebrows, a flat nose, a double jaw covered with black stubble, and small, dark eyes squeezed together.
Finally, there's "Hawkeye" Oriel, a shapeshifter who can enter the body of an eagle, essentially a humanoid reconnaissance aircraft—an advantage that could change the course of a battle.
When Lynn's return capsule crashed, he was in the eagle's body and saw the crash site from afar.
But at this moment, their snow bears, wolves, lynxes, wild boars, and eagles were all gone, and all the leaders' weapons had been confiscated, including Kasa's "Star Spear".
Only Lynn, with the "Dark Sisters" hanging around her waist and the increasingly heavy demonic dragon "Bloodthirst" perched on her shoulder, calmly entered the tent of the King of the Frontier.
The implications of such exceptional treatment are self-evident.
The seat that Mans had reserved for Lynn was right next to him, and Lynn went over and sat down.
He noticed that Mance's wife, Dana, was not there, which was understandable.
Because the tent was crammed with dozens of people, the space was cramped and the strange smells were unbearable. It was not a place for a pregnant woman to stay. Her sister, Var, should be taking care of her.
After Lynn and Casa were seated, Mans, as was his custom, plucked the strings of his harp and sang a song about life and love.
When the song ended, a few people expressed their appreciation, but most people couldn't understand it at all.
Just as Lynn was wondering if Mans would ask him to tell some stories about heroes, he noticed that the other man picked up a broken sword from beside his feet.
Lynn recognized it immediately as "Raven Hunter" Avin's weapon.
About a week ago, Tormund used "Dark Sisters" to cut a very deep nick into the sword, and the current break in the sword is exactly where that nick was.
"Before the meeting begins, I have some unfortunate news to announce."
Mans held up the broken sword to show it to everyone.
"When 'Raven Hunter' Afuin was on a mission to explore the Wall, he encountered a large contingent of Rangers led by 'One-Handed' Colin. His entire force was almost wiped out, with only a few men escaping back. He himself has returned to the embrace of the gods."
Lynn had been wondering why he hadn't seen him, because apart from the giants who couldn't get in, all the other leaders were there, even a small leader like Jarl who had only recently formed a raider team. There was no reason for him not to show up.
Unexpectedly, he was killed by the Night's Watch. The notch that Tormund made on the Ravensword with the Dark Sisters seems to have greatly helped the Night's Watch.
Lynn glanced at Tormund subconsciously, then realized that Tormund was also looking at him.
"The Shadow Tower has dispatched a team of nearly a hundred people and is heading towards the Former Fist Peak, which is extraordinary."
Mans' voice interrupted their eye contact.
"My former brothers in black must have discovered something, which means we don't have much time left to prepare, and we must speed up the execution of the original plan."
"We need to set off ahead of time. Tell the teams still on their way to speed up. Oriel, later you take some men to set up an observation post at the high point at the entrance to Windwhisper Gorge. Make sure you don't miss any clues."
Oriel nodded in agreement.
Mans slowly rose and gripped the broken sword in his hand.
Winter is coming.
He said in a low voice:
"Everyone, I'm sure you've all sensed it. This disaster may be far more than just an army of the dead; along with the legend of the White Walkers comes the Long Night."
The mere mention of the word "long night" caused even the most savage and fearless free men to gasp for breath.
That immense catastrophe at the end of the Age of Heroes eight thousand years ago, a war sparked by the Others, brought a generation of darkness and biting cold that blotted out the sun, nearly ending all of human civilization.
"The Long Night" is a shared nightmare of the entire known world, and it has been documented in various civilizations.
The legends of the Eastern Iti people hold that the Long Night was caused by the sins of the Bloodstone King that angered the gods.
The story of the Rhoyna tells of a hero who used a secret song to summon the power of the river, bringing light back to the land.