We stopped moving forward hurriedly. Sanson moved his hand towards his waist, and I moved mine towards my shoulder, we are ready to pull out our weapons. In front of us there are nine Orcs, one Dwarf and one Elf.
Why are these Orcs wandering round during the day? Anyway, the Orcs are staring at the Dwarf. And the Dwarf is holding a huge tomahawk, stroking the blade and staring back at the Orcs. It reminds me of the tomahawk of Minotaur. The length is not that long, but size of the blade is similarly big.
However, even with such a big ax, the Dwarf can stand in front of nine enemies proudly, he is really amazing. Moreover, these Orcs compared with those we fought against, their bodies are larger, and they look more violent. The Orcs are staring at the Dwarf with angry expressions because of his provocation, but the Elf is actually not looking at any of those two parties, but standing in a distance from those guys and looking at the sky. We actually know this Elf.
"Iruril?"
Because the noise of the stream covered the hoofs beat, they didn't notice us until we got close. Sanson and I immediately jumped off from the horses. Sanson said to Iruril:
"Are you okay?"
Iruril tidied up her hair which got blown by the wind in the valley, and then said:
"We separated just now, and we immediately meet again."
"Don't worry, I will protect you."
"Huh?"
Iruril tilted her head. Sanson tensed up. Then I found that the situation is a bit strange. The Orcs have a overwhelmingly advantage number, but they didn't attack. And the Dwarf is not afraid at all, majestically staring at the Orcs, so it even seems like that the nine Orcs are afraid of the Dwarf. Iruril looked at me and said:
"Huchi, which side will you help?"
Uh... This is really a difficult question.
"I have to find out who needs help first."
Then the Dwarf put down the tomahawk and said:
"Fine now. Plus three, there are fourteen now."
But the Orcs' expression became very strange. One of the Orcs shouted:
"Oink! Then who will be left here?"
The Dwarf giggled with his gruff voice:
"I will kill two of you, how about that?"
"Oink! You and the Elf should be killed!"
Then Iruril stood out.
"No one should undermine the convention."
After she said, both the Orcs and the Dwarf looked at Iruril with unhappy faces. Sanson and I don't know what to do, we got confused. They actually didn't fight. But I don't understand what they are saying.
Karl asked calmly:
"Miss Sereniel, please explain the situation to us."
"Is it the first time you come here? "
"Yes."
"On the Bridge of Dozen, no matter what races you are, you can't fight."
"Can't fight?"
Sanson widened his eyes. Iruril nodded and said:
"It is the wish of the person who made this bridge, so he made the bridge that it will only move when there are twelve."
"Huh?"
Iruril pointed at the valley. We are startled.
The two cliffs are separated by about sixty cubits. However, in that the middle of the air there is a boat floating. No, I shouldn't say that it's a boat, it's just a large square which looks like a raft, there are railings on it, the structure is very simple. The most surprising thing is, it is not supported by any rope or other things, it's just simply floating in the air.
I ran to the cliff with Sanson and looked around, there can't be any hidden device. The thing is really floating in the air. There is just a circle painted on the bottom of the raft, as well as many complex patterns. That should be Magic Patterns... It's Magic!
Iruril continued to explain.
"Regardless of what races, there must be 12 individuals gathered in order to cross the bridge. As long as you can't fly, you have to comply with this rule no matter who you are. So everyone here would not fight."
Karl tilted his head and said:
"Uh... Does it work with twelve of the same race?"
"This doesn't matter though. So human businessmen or Orcs usually come with a team of twelve. But for other races it's not easy to have twelve of them traveling together. So no matter which races of them, they will be waiting here, and then cross the bridge together, and only because of that there won't be any fight here. "
Wow. Absolutely no fight? Well, it really is an amazing place. Karl nodded and said:
"That... The intention was good, but it's a bit inconvenient. If there is no twelve, the bridge is absolutely useless."
"Yes. But here is a busy place, so if you wait for a little while, gathering twelve is actually very easy. Also because of that we met again."
Aha, I know what's the problem.
Originally the Orcs, the Dwarf and Elf had a total of eleven. Therefore, in order to cross the river, although they didn't feel comfortable with each other, they didn't fight, and were waiting for the next person. But now we have three people. So the major problem is that two people must be left behind, and wait again for the next ten people.
During Iruril's explanation, the Dwarf continued roaring, shouting at each other with the Orcs.
"You disgusting jerks! Your should thank that you are on the Bridge of Dozen! Elsewhere, you would have destroyed by me!"
"Oink! How could there be such an ugly, long bearded short dwarf!"
In fact Orcs and Dwarves are impossible to take each other's size to make fun of. But these Orcs are so big that they are unlike Orcs, so they can point at the nose of the Dwarf and call him shorty. On the other hand, the Dwarf can't attack the Orcs in front of him, so he seems like going crazy. He hasn't got any foaming at his mouth, which is very amazing.
"But how can these Orcs walking around during the day?"
Probably heard me talking to myself, Iruril said:
"They are Urcs."
"Urcs?"
"They are known as a kind of Orcs. And it's the name of this branch... They are quite large aren't they? Although they also hate the sun like the other Orcs, they are still able to endure it. So the situation now is very strange. Usually Orcs won't come out during the day, so there wouldn't be any problem and you would be able to cross the river. But now Urcs and Dwarves, the two rivals, meet here."
Karl nodded and then walked away far enough from the Urcs, hesitated to say:
"Excuse me, please listen to me for a few words. Because we are latest, so we'll leave two people here and wait. Is that Okay?"
But the dwarves seems totally not willing to do according to Karl's words. He is swinging his tomahawk rudely, forcing Karl to step back.
"What do you mean? Come on! You leave two people here! Those left here can stay alive. But after crossing bridge, I don't know what will happen to me!"
After listening to the words of the Dwarf, I discovered another problem.
It's the proportion of all races after crossing the bridge. Iruril said very clearly that, no one should fight here. However when the destination is reached, will we still follow the rule? So the Dwarf is calculating a good proportion of races. If we leave two Urcs here, three human, an elf and a dwarf together we have a total of five people, and seven Urcs can cross the bridge. If there will really be a fight, we still have a chance. But if only one of us cross the bridge, the number will be three to nine, we can be in great danger. Although I unconsciously put Dwarves, Elves and Human in the same team, the idea seems to be correct.
Sanson's idea is probably the same as mine. He frowned, pulled Karl over. Although he is whispering with Karl, he's so loud that even I can hear.
"We don't know what the situation will become after crossing the bridge. Three of us have to go together."
"But... Didn't you hear that, no one can fight here?"
"Orcs can't be trusted."
Karl frowned. Then Iruril said:
"Mr Dwarf, excuse me. Did you count these horses?"
Huh? The horses are counted? Well, sure. This is a matter of course. No matter what races should be counted. So, we have seventeen here waiting to cross the bridge? The Dwarf shouted excitedly:
"Right, five of you Urcs can come with me! Which one want to stay?"
"Oink! Nonsense! Human, you are the latest.You stay here with your stink horses, wait here! No, you have to give one horse to us!"
Ah. Everyone is speaking their own language now. Iruril said:
"Absolutely no fight is allowed. That way no one can cross the bridge. We must follow the rule. You have to promise this first, then we can decide who will be staying here."
I think this sentence is absolutely right. However, such a right thing, for the excited Dwarf and Urcs, it looks non-sense.
Headache. If any one of us go with them, that man will be in danger. After we cross the valley, if the Urcs change their mind, he is likely to be attacked by them. I really want to suggest that the six of us (including our horses) must pass together, but we came late, it seems a bit unreasonable.
The Dwarf is very excited, and keeps shouting: "I will take five of your lives, tie the rest with a rope to go over it!" Kind of thing. The Urcs are squeaking, asking us to give up one horse.
What the Urcs thinking is obvious. Which horse is not a problem, as long as they can cross the river, they can deal with the Elf and Dwarf easily.
Although all races are shouting at each other, there is no fight. If we really fight, regardless of who win, they can't cross the river. Because there is no twelve in the same races, in the five races here (Horse is a race too!) we need at least two races to go together. Well.... The man who built this bridge probably had thought of such a scenario! Although we are in this kind of situation, I decided to satisfy my curiosity first.
"In the end who built this bridge?"
Iruril looked at me and said:
"Strange. You actually ask an Elf about human stuffs."
"You make us the three most lack of knowledge men then. Who?"
Iruril smiled. I saw that, and realized that this was the first time I saw her smile.
"A human wizard. Called Tyburn Highseeker."
Then we, the three human's expression became very weird. Karl asked me:
"Nedval, what is last name of Tyburn? "
"Huh? Even Karl doesn't know? I don't know."
Sanson kept blinking with a confused face, and after a while, his eyes again fixed on Iruril's body. Stop staring at her! Really want to kick his leg. I don't know whether Iruril understands that kind of vision or not. She said to me:
"Do you know him?"
"We know someone who is called Tyburn, but we don't know his last name..."
Iruril tilted her head.
"I've never heard human life can be that long. The bridge was built two hundred years ago."
Two hundred years? Then it's impossible. Karl shook his head.
"Sounds that the builder should be another man."
"Maybe."
Sanson widened his eyes. Iruril nodded and said:
"It is the wish of the person who made this bridge, so he made the bridge that it will only move when there are twelve."
"Huh?"
Iruril pointed at the valley. We are startled.
The two cliffs are separated by about sixty cubits. However, in that the middle of the air there is a boat floating. No, I shouldn't say that it's a boat, it's just a large square which looks like a raft, there are railings on it, the structure is very simple. The most surprising thing is, it is not supported by any rope or other things, it's just simply floating in the air.
I ran to the cliff with Sanson and looked around, there can't be any hidden device. The thing is really floating in the air. There is just a circle painted on the bottom of the raft, as well as many complex patterns. That should be Magic Patterns... It's Magic!
Iruril continued to explain.
"Regardless of what races, there must be 12 individuals gathered in order to cross the bridge. As long as you can't fly, you have to comply with this rule no matter who you are. So everyone here would not fight."
Karl tilted his head and said:
"Uh... Does it work with twelve of the same race?"
"This doesn't matter though. So human businessmen or Orcs usually come with a team of twelve. But for other races it's not easy to have twelve of them traveling together. So no matter which races of them, they will be waiting here, and then cross the bridge together, and only because of that there won't be any fight here. "
Wow. Absolutely no fight? Well, it really is an amazing place. Karl nodded and said:
"That... The intention was good, but it's a bit inconvenient. If there is no twelve, the bridge is absolutely useless."
"Yes. But here is a busy place, so if you wait for a little while, gathering twelve is actually very easy. Also because of that we met again."
Aha, I know what's the problem.
Originally the Orcs, the Dwarf and Elf had a total of eleven. Therefore, in order to cross the river, although they didn't feel comfortable with each other, they didn't fight, and were waiting for the next person. But now we have three people. So the major problem is that two people must be left behind, and wait again for the next ten people.
During Iruril's explanation, the Dwarf continued roaring, shouting at each other with the Orcs.
"You disgusting jerks! Your should thank that you are on the Bridge of Dozen! Elsewhere, you would have destroyed by me!"
"Oink! How could there be such an ugly, long bearded short dwarf!"
In fact Orcs and Dwarves are impossible to take each other's size to make fun of. But these Orcs are so big that they are unlike Orcs, so they can point at the nose of the Dwarf and call him shorty. On the other hand, the Dwarf can't attack the Orcs in front of him, so he seems like going crazy. He hasn't got any foaming at his mouth, which is very amazing.
"But how can these Orcs walking around during the day?"
Probably heard me talking to myself, Iruril said:
"They are Urcs."
"Urcs?"
"They are known as a kind of Orcs. And it's the name of this branch... They are quite large aren't they? Although they also hate the sun like the other Orcs, they are still able to endure it. So the situation now is very strange. Usually Orcs won't come out during the day, so there wouldn't be any problem and you would be able to cross the river. But now Urcs and Dwarves, the two rivals, meet here."
Karl nodded and then walked away far enough from the Urcs, hesitated to say:
"Excuse me, please listen to me for a few words. Because we are latest, so we'll leave two people here and wait. Is that Okay?"
But the dwarves seems totally not willing to do according to Karl's words. He is swinging his tomahawk rudely, forcing Karl to step back.
"What do you mean? Come on! You leave two people here! Those left here can stay alive. But after crossing bridge, I don't know what will happen to me!"
After listening to the words of the Dwarf, I discovered another problem.
It's the proportion of all races after crossing the bridge. Iruril said very clearly that, no one should fight here. However when the destination is reached, will we still follow the rule? So the Dwarf is calculating a good proportion of races. If we leave two Urcs here, three human, an elf and a dwarf together we have a total of five people, and seven Urcs can cross the bridge. If there will really be a fight, we still have a chance. But if only one of us cross the bridge, the number will be three to nine, we can be in great danger. Although I unconsciously put Dwarves, Elves and Human in the same team, the idea seems to be correct.
Sanson's idea is probably the same as mine. He frowned, pulled Karl over. Although he is whispering with Karl, he's so loud that even I can hear.
"We don't know what the situation will become after crossing the bridge. Three of us have to go together."
"But... Didn't you hear that, no one can fight here?"
"Orcs can't be trusted."
Karl frowned. Then Iruril said:
"Mr Dwarf, excuse me. Did you count these horses?"
Huh? The horses are counted? Well, sure. This is a matter of course. No matter what races should be counted. So, we have seventeen here waiting to cross the bridge? The Dwarf shouted excitedly:
"Right, five of you Urcs can come with me! Which one want to stay?"
"Oink! Nonsense! Human, you are the latest.You stay here with your stink horses, wait here! No, you have to give one horse to us!"
Ah. Everyone is speaking their own language now. Iruril said:
"Absolutely no fight is allowed. That way no one can cross the bridge. We must follow the rule. You have to promise this first, then we can decide who will be staying here."
I think this sentence is absolutely right. However, such a right thing, for the excited Dwarf and Urcs, it looks non-sense.
Headache. If any one of us go with them, that man will be in danger. After we cross the valley, if the Urcs change their mind, he is likely to be attacked by them. I really want to suggest that the six of us (including our horses) must pass together, but we came late, it seems a bit unreasonable.
The Dwarf is very excited, and keeps shouting: "I will take five of your lives, tie the rest with a rope to go over it!" Kind of thing. The Urcs are squeaking, asking us to give up one horse.
What the Urcs thinking is obvious. Which horse is not a problem, as long as they can cross the river, they can deal with the Elf and Dwarf easily.
Although all races are shouting at each other, there is no fight. If we really fight, regardless of who win, they can't cross the river. Because there is no twelve in the same races, in the five races here (Horse is a race too!) we need at least two races to go together. Well.... The man who built this bridge probably had thought of such a scenario! Although we are in this kind of situation, I decided to satisfy my curiosity first.
"In the end who built this bridge?"
Iruril looked at me and said:
"Strange. You actually ask an Elf about human stuffs."
"You make us the three most lack of knowledge men then. Who?"
Iruril smiled. I saw that, and realized that this was the first time I saw her smile.
"A human wizard. Called Tyburn Highseeker."
Then we, the three human's expression became very weird. Karl asked me:
"Nedval, what is last name of Tyburn? "
"Huh? Even Karl doesn't know? I don't know."
Sanson kept blinking with a confused face, and after a while, his eyes again fixed on Iruril's body. Stop staring at her! Really want to kick his leg. I don't know whether Iruril understands that kind of vision or not. She said to me:
"Do you know him?"
"We know someone who is called Tyburn, but we don't know his last name..."
Iruril tilted her head.
"I've never heard human life can be that long. The bridge was built two hundred years ago."
Two hundred years? Then it's impossible. Karl shook his head.
"Sounds that the builder should be another man."
"Maybe."
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