第六章_恶魔之灾_暗黑小说_游戏英语_英语游戏

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CHAPTER SIX

ARRIVALS AND SETBACKS

第六章

抵达与挫折

Cherish all of Mankind, for Man has as much of the divine as the Archangels themselves.

cherish: 爱护 mankind: 人类 divine: 神圣的 archangel: 大天使

爱护好人类同胞，因为他们如大天使般圣洁。

But unlike the Heavenly spirits, Man must overcome his failings, and chief amongst them is pride.

unlike: 不同的 heavenly: 天国的 spirit: 灵魂 overcome: 克服 failing: 缺点 chief: 主要的 pride: 骄傲

但与天国的圣灵不同，他们必须克服自身的缺点，而在这些缺点中最致命的是骄傲。

—The Holy Scriptures of Zakarum

holy: 神圣的 scripture: 典籍

——《Zakarum的圣典》

They spent the night sleeping under the stars, Siggard holding Guthbreoht in his hands as he slept. The sword sang to him, and during its song, Siggard dreamed.

holding: 握住

他们在星辰下过夜，Siggard在睡觉时手紧紧的握住Guthbreoht。宝剑在对他歌唱，Siggard听着这歌声进入了梦乡。

He stood again in the shield wall at Blackmarch, watching the demonic army break through the treeline.

shield wall: 盾墙 break through: 突破 treeline: 树林边缘

在Blackmarch，他又一次站在了盾墙后，看着恶魔军团从树林中冲出。

Giant boulders smashed into the ranks, flattening entire groups of soldiers. Still the lines held, the spear-men shouting insults at the demons.

giant: 巨大的 boulder: 圆石 smash: 压碎 ranks: 队伍 flattening: 压扁 entire: 整个的 spear-men: 长矛兵 shouting: 叫喊 insult: 辱骂 demon: 恶魔

巨石落入队列中，将整队整队的士兵砸成肉酱。但队列并没有被打乱，长枪兵呼喊着向恶魔挑衅。

Old Banagar smiled. “This is the way battle should be!”

this is the way: 这种方式 should be: 应该是

老Banager笑了：“战斗就应该是这样！”

“I’d rather be home!” Siggard shouted, raising his shield as the arrows started to fly. The goat-things stood before the army, holding great bows in their hands.

rather: 宁可 shout: 呼喊 raise: 举起 shield: 盾牌 arrow: 箭 goat: 山羊 bow: 弓

我宁可还呆在家里。”Siggard喊着。当箭镞纷飞时他举起了手中的盾牌。长得像山羊一样的怪物站在队列的最前面，手中拿着巨大的弓。

Each time they loosed, a soldier fell, screaming in agony.

each time: 每当 loose: 射击 fall: 倒下 screaming: 尖叫的 agony: 痛苦

它们每次放箭，都会有士兵惨叫着倒在地上。

The smaller dog creatures and several of the goat creatures charged, bearing crude axes and clubs. They crashed against the shield wall, and the front lines became a struggle for survival.

creature: 生物 several: 几个 goat: 山羊 charge: 攻击 bear: 携带 crude: 简陋的 axe: 斧 club: 棍棒 crash: 猛撞 against: 撞击 shield wall: 盾墙 struggle: 挣扎 survival: 幸存者

小一些的像狗一样的生物和几只山羊怪拿着大斧和棍棒，它们冲击着盾牌，防线上的幸存者挣扎着。

Siggard cut a goat-demon down with his sword, the force of the blow nearly unbalancing him.

cut down: 砍到 goat: 山羊 force: 力量 blow: 打击 unbalance: 失衡

Siggard用剑砍倒了一只山羊一样的恶魔，巨大的反作用力使他几乎跌倒。

Something seemed strange about the blade, though, as if it wasn’t really the one he should have . . .

seem: 似乎 strange: 奇怪的

剑锋看起来有些奇怪，似乎不是他的那把剑……

The rush subsided, leaving the shield wall intact. Before the front lines lay a pile of bodies, some human, most monstrous.

rush: 猛攻 subside: 平息 shield wall: 盾墙 intact: 未受损的 lay: 铺设 pile: 大堆 monstrous: 怪物的

涌上的恶魔如落潮般退了下去，只剩下丝毫未动的盾墙。防线前躺着成堆的尸体，有战士的，但更多还是怪物的。

For the first time since the enemy came out onto the field, Siggard felt hope.

came out: 出现 field: 战场

自从敌人冲上战场，Siggard第一次感到了希望。

Now that most of the demonic force was in the open, he saw that Entsteig had the advantage in numbers. More demons came out of the treeline, but they were outnumbered fivefold.

demonic: 恶魔的 force: 军队 advantage: 优势 number: 数目 came out: 出现 treeline:树林边缘 outnumber: 数量上超过 fivefold: 五倍的

现在大多数恶魔都在开阔地上，他看到Entsteig在人数上占优。虽然还有恶魔从树影中涌出，但他们的人数是恶魔们的五倍。

Once again they charged, this assault even more furious than the last. Siggard found himself barely able to think, his reflexes alone keeping him alive.

charge: 攻击 assault: 攻击 furious: 猛烈的 barely: 仅仅 reflex: 本能反应

它们又一次攻了上来，这一次的进攻更为猛烈。Siggard根本没有时间思考，全凭着下意识战斗才支撑了下来。

As one creature came before him, he lifted his shield, the blow from an axe nearly knocking him over.

creature: 生物 lift: 举起 blow: 打击 axe: 斧 knock over: 击倒

一只怪物扑上来，他举起盾牌挡住了落下的斧头，那一击几乎将他打倒在地。

His counterthrust took the creature in the belly, and the monster keeled over, screaming in anguish.

counterthrust: 反击 belly: 腹部 monster: 怪物 keel over: 跌倒 screaming: 尖叫的 anguish: 痛苦

他的剑击中怪物的肚子，怪物皮开肉绽，发出阵阵惨叫。

As it fell, another took its place, and Siggard’s blow almost severed the creature’s head. The monster fell back in a spray of blood, a flap of skin the only thing holding its head to its neck.

take place: 代替 blow: 打击 sever: 切断 creature: 生物 monster: 怪物 fall back: 退却 spray: 喷溅 flap: 边缘 skin: 皮肤 neck: 脖子

它刚倒下，另一只就取代了它的位置冲了上来。Siggard一剑几乎切下了它的头。怪物喷着血跌了回去，仅有颈部的一块皮还连接着它的头。

“I think we might just win this battle!” Banagar shouted in triumph, raising his shield to mock the enemy.

might: 可能 battle: 战斗 shout: 呼喊 in triumph: 洋洋得意地 raise: 举起 shield: 盾牌 mock: 嘲弄

“我觉得我们将取胜！”Banagar得意的喊着，举起手中的盾嘲弄着敌人。

With a fierce rustling, the shadows at the treeline parted, and a horrific monster strode into the open.

fierce: 猛烈的 rustling: 瑟瑟声 treeline: 树林边缘 parted: 分开的 horrific: 令人恐惧的 monster: 怪物 stride: 大步走 open: 开阔地

一阵骚动，树林边的阴影向两边闪开，一只令人恐惧的怪物走到了开阔地。

Several of the Entsteigian archers loosed their arrows at it, but the shafts bounced harmlessly off the terrifying thing’s muscular crimson chest.

several: 几个 archer: 弓箭手 loose: 射击 arrow: 箭 shaft: 箭杆 bounce: 反弹 harmlessly: 未受伤的 terrifying: 恐怖的 muscular: 肌肉发达的 crimson: 深红色的 chest: 胸膛

几名Entsteig的弓箭手向它射箭，但箭碰到它那肌肉隆起的血红色胸膛时却被弹开了，没留下一点伤痕。

Siggard gasped. The demon was a giant, easily dwarfing the goat creatures assailing them.

gasp: 倒抽气 giant: 巨大的 dwarfing: 矮化 goat: 山羊 creature: 生物 assail: 攻击

Siggard倒吸了口冷气。与这个巨大的恶魔相比，刚才攻击他们的山羊怪就是矮子。

Its eyes shone bright red, and horns protruded from its shoulders, elbows, and knees. It wore only a primitive loincloth and a belt, and it bore a giant sword.

shine: 发光 bright: 明亮的 horn: 角 protrude: 突出 shoulder: 肩膀 elbow: 手肘 knee: 膝盖 wear: 穿戴 primitive: 简单的 loincloth: 缠腰带 belt: 腰带 bear: 佩戴 giant: 巨大的

它眼中闪烁着红光，角从肩头，肘尖，膝盖处伸出，它只穿了条简单的缠腰布，系着腰带，佩带着一把巨剑。

On its chest a strange symbol was emblazoned, and Siggard could not tell if it was a tattoo or something the creature wore.

chest: 胸膛 strange: 奇怪的 symbol: 符号 emblazoned: 饰以纹章 tattoo: 纹身 creature: 创造物 wear: 穿戴

它的胸膛有一个奇怪的符号，Siggard说不清那究竟是纹身还是怪物佩戴的饰物。

“I am the favored of the Lord of Terror!” the creature bellowed, shaking the ground itself. “You will drop your weapons and submit to me, or all of you will die!”

favored: 受到喜爱的 Lord of Terror: 恐惧之王 creature: 生物 bellow: 怒吼 shaking: 摇动 drop: 放下 submit: 屈服

“我是恐惧之王的宠臣！”怪物咆哮着，连大地也颤抖起来，“丢下武器俯首称臣，不然你们就统统去死吧！”

A voice, tinny in comparison to the demon’s, but still proud, called out. “We will never surrender to darkness. Go back to the underworld and trouble us no more!”

tinny: 细弱无力的 comparison: 比较 demon: 恶魔 proud: 自豪的 call out: 大声说出 surrender: 投降 underworld: 地下世界 trouble: 烦恼 no more: 不再

一个声音响起，这声音与那恶魔相比虽然细小，但却充满威严：“我们永远也不会向黑暗低头。滚回地下世界去，再也别来打扰我们！”

Siggard blinked, suddenly recognizing the voice. It was Prince Hrothwulf himself, the heir of Entsteig, a man beloved by the entire kingdom.

blink: 眨眼 suddenly: 突然地 recognize: 辨认出 prince: 王子 heir: 继承人 beloved: 受爱戴的 entire: 整个的 kingdom: 王国

Siggard眨了眨眼睛，很快便认出了喊话者。那是受王国人民爱戴的Hrothwulf王子，Entsteig的继承者。

He hadn’t realized that the king had sent his son with this army, and for a moment he wondered if it was a good idea.

realize: 察觉 sent: 派遣 wonder: 惊叹

他这才意识到国王将自己的儿子送入了军队，这一刻他觉得这是个好主主意。

The demon smiled, and in that grin Siggard saw more malice than he had experienced in an entire lifetime. “Then all of you will die!”

grin: 露齿笑 malice: 恶毒 experienced: 感受到的 entire: 整个的 lifetime: 终身

恶魔笑了，Siggard看到了有生以来所见到的最邪恶的笑容。“那你们就死去吧！”

The monster walked back into the trees, and the shadowy things moved again, covering its exit.

monster: 怪物 walk back: 走回 cover: 覆盖 exit: 通道

怪物走回了树林，阴影开始挪动，覆盖了刚才的通道。

There was a moment of silence, as Siggard and the rest of the army wondered what would come next.

silence: 寂静 rest: 其余的 wonder: 疑惑

四周一片寂静，Siggard和其他战士开始猜测接下来会发生什么。

“They’re behind us!” came a startled cry from the rear of the line. Siggard turned to see several soldiers cut down, seemingly by nothing. Yet the blood spilled was real.

startled: 震惊的 cry: 叫声 rear: 后面的 several: 几个 cut down: 砍到 seemingly: 表面上的 spill: 溢出

“它们在我们后面！”后排传来了惊叫。Siggard转过身来，他看到几个士兵被无形的东西砍倒了。但流出的血却是那样的真实。

Then a creature materialized, holding a long jagged knife, right in the middle of the shield wall.

creature: 生物 materialize: 显形 jag: 齿状 knife: 匕首 right in the middle: 正当中 shield wall: 盾墙

一只怪物缓缓现身，手中握着波浪形的长匕首出现在盾墙正中。

Confusion reigned, and in that moment the demons attacked. This time, they broke through the shield wall, and Siggard found himself trapped in a sea of enemies.

confusion: 骚乱 reign: 支配 demon: 恶魔 break through: 突破 shield wall: 盾墙 trap in: 陷入

在士兵们正疑惑不解之时恶魔们发动了进攻。它们攻破了盾墙，Siggard发现自己身陷敌阵。

He fought like a madman, taking several of the creatures down, but there were still more, and the line was broken.

madman: 疯子 several: 几个 creature: 生物

他像疯了一样作战，杀死了几只怪物，但更多怪涌了上来，防线被攻破了。

There was a gurgling cry from Banagar, and Siggard turned to face another of the materializing demons.

gurgling: 咕噜声 cry: 叫声 materialize: 显形

Banagar那里发出了喊叫声，Siggard转身看到了又一只现身的恶魔。

With a great blow, he split open the creature’s head, but more came, and Siggard found himself in a crush of men such that he couldn’t move.

blow: 打击 split: 劈开 creature: 生物 crush: 群众

他一剑下去劈开了怪物的脑袋。更多的怪物围上来，他身陷人群中无法动弹。

At that moment, sheer panic took hold.

sheer: 完全的 panic: 恐慌 take hold: 抓住

那一刻，恐惧笼罩了他。

He startled awake to see Sarnakyle standing watch. The wizard had draped his damp cloak over one of the tree branches, and seemed to be waiting for it to finish drying.

startled: 震惊的 awake: 醒来 wizard: 法师 drape: 覆盖 damp: 潮湿的 cloak: 斗篷 branch: 树枝 drying: 晾干

他惊醒了，Sarnakyle正在一旁站着看着他。法师将自己湿漉漉得斗篷挂在树枝上，看起来正等着斗篷晾干。

The morning sun was still close to the horizon, giving off a pleasant heat tempered by a light breeze.

horizon: 地平线 give off: 放出 pleasant: 舒适的 heat: 热度 tempered: 温和的 breeze:微风

旭日刚刚从地平线上升起，微风吹过，温暖的日光令人愉悦。

“It is a good day to be alive, my friend!” Sarnakyle said, motioning towards the clear sky. “This promises to be a great day.”

motion: 示意 promise: 可能

“我的朋友，今天可是个好天！”Sarnakyle指了指晴朗的天空，说道，“今天天气肯定不错。”

Siggard stood and stretched. “I only hope that the people of Brennor agree with you.”

stretch: 伸懒腰 agree with: 赞成

Siggard站起来伸了个懒腰。“我但愿Brennor的居民能赞同你的说法。”

Sarnakyle walked over, a piece of meat in his hand. “I was able to catch a hare last night. It was a bold creature; it almost walked right up to me.”

walk over: 走过 hare: 野兔 bold: 大胆的 creature: 生物 right up to: 直到

Sarnakyle走过来递上一块肉。 “昨晚我抓到了一只兔子，它是个大胆的小家伙，几乎径直向我奔来。”

Siggard took the offering with a nod and ate a small piece. Then he put the rest away.

offering: 奉献物 nod: 点头 put away: 把…收起来

Siggard点点头，接过了肉，他只咬了一小口就把它收了起来。

“You really should eat more,” Sarnakyle said. “This cannot be healthy.”

healthy: 健康的

“你真的应该多吃点。”Sarnakyle说，“你这个样子对身体可不好。”

“I found out only two days ago that my family was dead,” Siggard pointed out. “How can you possibly expect me to be hungry?”

find out: 发现 point out: 指出 possibly: 可能地 expect: 盼望

“我得知我家人两天前已经死了。”Siggard指出，“你怎么能指望我还会饥饿呢？”

“If you don’t eat, you will not have the strength to meet the foe, and you may end up joining your family before you can claim your vengeance,” Sarnakyle chided.

strength: 力气 foe: 敌人 end up: 死亡 claim: 拥有 vengeance: 复仇 chide: 斥责

“你如果不吃，当你遇到敌人时你怎么会有力气呢？没准你会在你还未复仇之前就去见你的家人了。”Sarnakyle责备道。

“Do not soil their memory by dying needlessly.”

soil: 玷污 dying: 死亡 needlessly: 无谓的

“不要用无谓的死亡玷污对她们的记忆。”

Siggard conceded the point and finished off the meal, even though he had no appetite for it. It seemed to settle, though, so he turned his mind to other things.

concede: 承认 finish off: 吃光 appetite: 食欲 settle: 解决

Siggard默认了这一点，吃完了食物。尽管如此他还是一点食欲都没有，他没有再想这些，而是思考起了其它事。

He stood and walked to the edge of the clearing, looking out at the barrows.

edge: 边缘 clearing: 空地 barrow: 山岗

他走到林地边缘，站在山岗上放眼望去。

In the morning light, they appeared old and decrepit, as though they were merely old tombs that would soon be forgotten.

appear: 显得 decrepit: 破旧的 merely: 仅仅 tomb: 坟墓 forgotten: 忘却

在晨光中，那些古老的坟墓破旧不堪，也许不久就会被人遗忘。

Perhaps one day they would fade into the land, and be passed by travelers who would mistake them for small hills.

fade: 消失 traveler: 旅行者 mistake: 误认 hill: 山丘

也许有一天它们会沉入地下，路过的旅人也许会误把它们当作小山丘。

Such is the way of things, Siggard thought. All things must be forgotten in the end.

forgotten: 忘却 in the end: 最终

事情就是这样，Siggard思索着。任何东西最终都将被遗忘。

“We should go,” Sarnakyle said behind him. “The open road awaits.”

await: 等待

“我们该走了。”Sarnakyle站在他身后说道，“前方的路在等着我们。”

Siggard nodded, turning away from the mounds. Somehow, he knew that he would never see them again in his lifetime.

nod: 点头 turn away: 转身 mound: 小山 lifetime: 终身

Siggard点点头，转过身来。不知为什么，他觉得自己有生之年再也不会看到那些坟墓。

He pulled on his cloak, and joined the wizard as they ventured off towards the Queen’s Road.

pull on: 穿上 cloak: 斗篷 wizard: 法师 venture: 冒险

他穿好斗篷，和法师一起沿着皇后大道走了下去。

Around midday, they finally came to Brennor, and as with every other time he had been there, Siggard felt overwhelmed.

midday: 正午 overwhelm: 不知所措

正午时分，他们终于到达了Brennor。Siggard第一次在这里感到了不安。

The town was huge, surrounded by a large stone wall that was said to be impenetrable.

town: 城镇 huge: 巨大 surrounded: 被…环绕着的 wall: 墙 impenetrable: 坚不可摧的

城镇很大，它被坚不可摧的高大石墙所环绕。

They stood at the gate, watching the guard allow a trickle of travelers inside the wall.

gate: 城门 guard: 守卫 allow: 允许进入 trickle: 慢慢移动 traveler: 旅行者

他们站在大门口，看着旅行者依次通过守卫的检查进入城市。

The guards were impressive, their deep blue tabards and shining mail putting the entire army of Entsteig to shame.

guard: 守卫 impressive: 给人深刻印象的 deep blue: 深蓝色 tabard: 纹章战袍 shining:闪亮的 mail: 铠甲 entire: 整个的 shame: 羞愧

守卫们那令Entsteig其他士兵都汗颜的深蓝色战袍和闪亮的盔甲给两人留下了极深的印象。

“So this is your idea of a town,” Sarnakyle mused. “Quaint. I like it, though.”

muse: 沉思 quaint: 有趣的

“看来这就是你对城市的理解。”Sarnakyle若有所思，“有意思。不过我喜欢这里。”

“Surely you can’t think this to be small,” Siggard scoffed. “This is one of the greatest towns in the land.”

surely: 无疑地 scoff: 嘲笑

“你肯定不是觉得它小，”Siggard反唇相讥，“这是这片大陆上最大的城市之一。”

“In Kehjistan, there are villages larger than this,” Sarnakyle said. “But that is Kehjistan, and this is Entsteig. Standards are different.”

village: 村庄 standard: 标准 different: 不同的

“在Kehjistan，有些村子都比这大，”Sarnakyle说，“不过那是Kehjistan，这里是Entsteig。标准是不一样的。”

“Let’s go in and see the earl,” Siggard sighed. He didn’t want to get the wizard started on another long-winded story about the wonders of his homeland.

earl: 伯爵 sigh: 叹气 wizard: 法师 long-winded: 冗长的 wonder: 奇观 homeland: 家园

“我们进城去见伯爵，”Siggard叹了口气。他可不希望法师再一次开始他无休止的对故乡的美好回忆。

Sarnakyle held his hand up for a moment. “You saw how easily a demonic presence can lurk in a human form. We must be cautious, and tell only the earl what we know.”

demonic: 恶魔的 presence: 鬼怪 lurk: 潜藏 form: 外观 cautious: 谨慎的 earl: 伯爵

Sarnakyle举起手挡了他一下。“你已经看到了恶灵可以轻易伪装成人的样子。我们必须小心，知道的事情只能告诉伯爵。”

Siggard nodded. “Or the enemy might know our secrets. Don’t worry; I understand.”

nod: 点头 might: 可能 secret: 秘密

Siggard点点头：“否则敌人就会知道我们的秘密。别担心，我明白这一点。”

As they approached the gate, the two guards lowered their spears to block the way. “State your names and business.”

approach: 行近 guard: 守卫 lower: 降低 spear: 长矛 block: 阻塞 state: 说 business: 事务

他们走向大门，两名守卫横握长矛挡住了路：“报上你们的姓名及要办的事项。”

“Siggard of Bear’s Hill, and Sarnakyle of Kehjistan,” Siggard replied. “We are here to stay for the night, and then head southwards on the King’s Road.”

reply: 回答 stay for the night: 过夜 head: 朝向 southward: 往南

“Bear's Hill的Siggard和Kehjistan的Sarnakyle。”Siggard答道，“我们在这里留宿一晚，然后沿国王大道向南走。”

“Why are you heading south?”

heading: 方向

“为什么要去南方？”

Siggard pursed his lips, then spoke. “My friend and I are visiting some of my relatives in Gellan’s Pass.”

purse: 抿 lip: 嘴唇 visiting: 拜访 relatives: 亲戚

Siggard抿了一下嘴唇，然后说道：“我和我的朋友要去拜访几位住在Gellan' Pass的亲戚。”

The first guard’s mustache bristled. “You might have some difficulty with that. We haven’t had word from the south since shortly after Blackmarch. Pass and be recognized.”

guard: 守卫 mustache: 小胡子 bristled: 直立的 might: 可能 difficulty: 困难 have word: 获得消息 shortly after: 在…之后不久 recognized:经过验证的

一名守卫的胡子动了动。那恐怕有些困难。Blackmarch失守后不久我们就再也没有得到南方的消息。身份确认完毕，通行。”

They entered the town, immediately assaulted by a menagerie of sights and scents as they went along one of the narrow winding streets.

enter: 进入 immediately: 立即 assault: 困扰 menagerie: 动物园 sight: 视线 scent:察觉 narrow: 狭窄的 winding: 蜿蜒的

他们进入了城镇。走在狭窄曲折的街道上，他们立即就感到了四处投来的惊异的目光。

The blocky stone buildings rose high above them, and several times they had to dodge a rain of reeking excrement as somebody emptied out a chamber pot.

blocky: 块状的 building: 建筑物 above: 在上面 several: 几个 dodge: 躲开 reeking: 散发臭气的 excrement: 粪便 empty: 倒出 chamber: 房间 pot: 便盆

石砖房一直延伸到他们头顶，几次他们不得不躲避楼上人家泼下的粪水。

“I suppose some people enjoy living like this,” Siggard muttered, wiping some mud from a passing horse off his cloak.

mutter: 小声抱怨 wiping: 擦拭 mud: 泥浆 cloak: 斗篷

“我猜有些人就是喜欢过这种生活。”Siggard 一边抱怨着，一边将跑过的马溅在他斗篷上的泥擦掉。

“People like to dwell together,” Sarnakyle said. “And in a city or town you can find artisans, craftsmen, all those trades that cannot flourish in a village.”

dwell: 居住 artisan: 工匠 craftsmen: 手艺人 trade: 贸易 flourish: 繁荣

“人们喜欢住在一起。”Sarnakyle说，“在城市或镇子里有工匠和手工艺人，他们的生意在小村庄里可兴旺不起来。”

“Art for squalor,” Siggard said. “I wonder if the trade is worthwhile.”

squalor: 卑劣 wonder: 怀疑 trade: 贸易 worthwhile: 值得的

“地位卑微的艺术，”Siggard说，“我不知道这种工作是否值得去做。”

Sarnakyle smiled. “When you come to the east with me one day, my friend, you will see why it is. Now, do you know anything of this earl?”

east: 东方 earl: 伯爵

Sarnakyle笑了：“我的朋友，如果有一天你和我一起去东方，你就会知道为什么会是这样。现在你知道有关伯爵的事情吗？”

“I served under the Earl of Brennor at Blackmarch, but I do not know if he survived,” Siggard replied.

serve: 服役 earl: 伯爵 survive: 生还 reply: 回答

“我在Blachmarch为Brennor的伯爵服务，但我不知道他是否生还。”Siggard答道。

“We can probably assume that he didn’t,” Sarnakyle said.

probably: 或许 assume: 设想

“我们可以认为他没活下来，”Sarnakyle说。

“I did not hear of any of the leaders living through the battle, and if any had, the bards would have spoken of them in their songs. Does he have a son?”

leader: 领袖 living: 未死的 battle: 战斗 bard: 吟游诗人 son: 儿子

“我没听说有什么头领在这场战斗后生还，如果他们之中还有人活着，吟游诗人的歌中会提到他的。伯爵有儿子吗？”

Siggard nodded. “Tilgar. Earl Edgewulf is a good man, who knows when and how to listen. I have not met his son, though. I have heard that Tilgar is brave, but not much else.”

nod: 点头 earl: 伯爵 brave: 勇敢的

Siggard点点头：“Tilgar。Edgewulf伯爵是个好人，他知道如何在恰当的时候聆听。不过我没见过他的儿子。我只听说Tilgar很勇敢，其它的就不清楚了。”

“We must hope that he is the equal of his father,” Sarnakyle stated.

equal: 比得上 state: 说

“我们只能但愿他和他父亲一样。”Sarnakyle说。

When they arrived at the stone castle that housed the seat of the Earl of Brennor, they were shown in to a small audience chamber.

castle: 城堡 earl: 伯爵 shown in: 领进 audience chamber: 会见室

到达Brennor的伯爵居住的石头城堡后，他们被带到了一个小的议事厅内。

There they waited, Sarnakyle taking a close look at the tapestries on the wall while Siggard sat in one of the three chairs that had been provided.

close look: 仔细观察 tapestry: 挂毯 chair: 椅子 provide: 提供

在他们等待的时候，Sarnakyle仔细观看了墙上的挂毯，而Siggard则坐在厅中三把椅子中的一把上。

“This is interesting,” Sarnakyle said, pointing at one of the pictures. “This shows a battle between Heaven and Hell. I didn’t think that mythology had spread so far.”

point at: 指着 battle: 战斗 Heaven: 天堂 Hell: 地狱 mythology: 神话 spread: 传布

“有意思，”Sarnakyle指着一幅画说道，“它展示了天堂与地狱间的一场战斗。我以前不知道神话流传的那么广。”

Siggard blinked. “We have always believed in Heaven and Hell. We may even have learned of it first.”

blink: 眨眼 Heaven: 天堂 Hell: 地狱

Siggard眨了眨眼：“我们相信天堂与地狱的存在。我们甚至还研究过。”

Sarnakyle chuckled. “Now there you must jest! No learning could equal the greatness of Kehjistan!”

chuckle: 轻笑 jest: 说笑 equal: 比得上

Sarnakyle轻笑道：“你肯定在开玩笑！Kehjistan的伟大研究成果无人能比！”

The door opened, and a rotund man with a bushy gray beard walked in. Siggard looked at him closely, but it was not Earl Edgewulf. The man appeared too old to be the earl’s son, though.

rotund: 圆胖的 bushy: 浓密的 gray: 灰色的 beard: 胡须 earl: 伯爵 appear: 显得

门开了，一位长着浓密灰胡子的胖子走了进来。Siggard凑近看了看，但那人并不是Edgewulf伯爵。但如果他是伯爵的儿子，那未免也太老了。

“I am Hunfrith, the steward of Brennor,” the man said. “Please, be seated. I understand that you request an urgent audience with his lordship, Earl Tilgar.”

steward: 管家 be seated: 请坐 request: 请求 urgent: 紧急的 audience: 召见 his lordship: 大人

“我是Hunfrith，Brennor的管家。”那人说道， “请坐。我知道你们请求马上拜会Tilgar伯爵。”

Sarnakyle nodded and sat. “It is of the utmost importance.”

nod: 点头 utmost: 极度的 importance: 重要

Sarnakyle点点头坐了下来：“这件事极为重要。”

Siggard blinked. “Not Earl Edgewulf?”

blink: 眨眼 earl: 伯爵

Siggard眨了眨眼睛，“不是Edgewulf伯爵吗？”

Hunfrith shook his head sadly. “His lordship was slain at the battle of Blackmarch. Earl Tilgar now holds the seat of Brennor.”

shake: 摇动 sadly: 悲伤地 his lordship: 大人 slay: 杀害 battle: 战斗 earl: 伯爵 holds the seat: 掌权

Hunfrith悲伤的摇了摇头。“Edgewulf大人已经在Blackmarch的战斗中阵亡了。 Tilgar伯爵现在掌管着Brennor。”

“Our condolences,” Sarnakyle said. “But we really must see his lordship now.”

condolence: 哀悼 his lordship: 大人

“太不幸了，”Sarnakyle说，“不过我们真的必须见到伯爵大人。”

“Now, what this is about?” Hunfrith asked, leaning forward.

leaning: 倾斜

“那么是关于什么事情？”Hunfrith 身体向前倾了倾，问道。

“It would be better if his lordship heard it first,” Siggard said.

his lordship: 大人

“最好让伯爵大人赶快获知这些情况。”Siggard说。

“Understand my position here,” Hunfrith said. “You are asking to see his lordship, who is a very busy man.

position: 立场 his lordship: 大人

“请你搞清楚我的立场，”Hunfrith说，“你请求见伯爵大人，他现在十分繁忙。

Not only is there now a food shortage, due to a lack of merchant trade,

shortage: 缺乏 due: 应有的 lack: 缺乏 merchant: 商业的 trade: 贸易

这里现在不仅面临着食物短缺，连商贸活动也减少了。

but the king’s son, Prince Hrothwulf, was slain with the old earl at Blackmarch, a battle for which we have no reliable accounts.

prince: 王子 slay: 杀害 earl: 伯爵 reliable: 可靠的 account: 报告

况且国王的儿子Horthwulf王子和老伯爵一样在Blackmarch战死了。对这场战斗我们却又缺乏可信的战报。

This means that there is now no successor to the throne, and now that his majesty has become ill every landowner who has rings to give away is trying to solidify his power.

successor: 继承人 throne: 王位 his majesty: 国王 ill: 不利的 landowner: 领主 ring:盛传 give away: 丧失 solidify: 巩固

这意味着现在王位无人继承，因此国王陛下担心那些有实力的领主会借此机会加强自己的势力。

For all I know, you two could be assassins, or you could have news of minor importance at best. So I need to know that this is worthwhile.”

assassin: 刺客 news: 消息 minor: 次要的 importance: 重要 worthwhile: 值得做

据我所知，你俩可能是刺客，最好的情况也不过是有不太重要的消息。因此我必须先知道是否有必要放你们进去。”

Siggard decided to take the risk. “There is an army of demons raiding the lands around Brennor.

decide: 决定 take the risk: 冒险 army: 军队 demon: 恶魔 raid: 突然袭击

Siggard决定冒险。“现在有一支恶魔军团在Brennor周边扫荡。

My own village has been attacked and destroyed, and so have most of the settlements around the town. That is why no merchants have come with harvest goods.”

attack: 攻击 destroy: 毁灭 settlement: 居留地 merchant: 商人 harvest: 收获 goods: 商品

我自己居住的村落遭到攻击并沦陷了。城周围的其它地方也一样。这就是没有商人带着收获的作物前来的原因。”

“Their strategy will be to cut off your supplies and then attack the town,” Sarnakyle added reluctantly.

strategy: 战略 cut off: 切断 supply: 供给 add: 附言 reluctantly: 不情愿的

“他们的战略是先切断你们的补给然后进攻城市，”Sarnakyle不太情愿的补充道。

“I have seen this before in Kehjistan. From what you have told me, they have already succeeded.”

succeed: 成功的

“我以前在Kehjistan见过它们这样做。从你告诉我的情况来看，它们已经成功了。”

Hunfrith looked at them incredulously. “Do you honestly expect me to believe this?” he demanded.

incredulously: 怀疑的 honestly: 真正的 expect: 期望 demand: 盘问

Hunfrith疑惑的看着他们。“你们真的以为我会相信这些？”他反问道。

“An army of demons? I wish that was a new rumor; I think I preferred the stories of goblins and a dragon. This must be some sort of ridiculous joke.”

wish: 希望 rumor: 谣言 preferred: 觉得还是…更可取 goblin: 恶鬼 dragon: 龙 sort: 种类 ridiculous: 荒谬的 joke: 笑话

“恶魔军团？但愿这只是个新的流言。我宁可相信龙与妖魔的故事。荒谬的笑话种类可真多。”

“It is no joke,” Siggard asserted. “I was at Blackmarch, and I saw what faced us. We were not fighting against men, but the foulest creatures of Hell.”

assert: 断言 face: 面对 against: 对抗 foul: 令人恶心的 creature: 生物 hell: 地狱

“这不是笑话，”Siggard坚持道，“我当时在Blackmarch，看到了我们面对的敌人。我们的对手不是人类，而是来自地狱的最恶心的生物。”

“You were at Blackmarch,” Hunfrith said.

“你当时在 Blackmarch。”Hunfrith说。

Siggard nodded.

nod: 点头

Siggard点点头。

“And how did you survive the battle, may I ask?”

survive: 生还

“我能问一下你是怎么在战斗中幸存下来的吗？”

Siggard shrugged. “I do not remember. I just recall the shield wall breaking, and then I was in the forest with a giant lump on my head. I lost two days.”

shrug: 耸肩 recall: 回忆起 shield wall: 盾墙 forest: 森林 giant: 巨大的 lump: 肿块

Siggard耸了耸肩。“我不记得了。我只记得盾墙被攻破了，然后我就在森林里，头上起了个大包。我昏迷了两天。 ”

“It sounds to me like you are a deserter trying to cover your cowardice with tales of ghosts and goblins,” Hunfrith stated.

deserter: 背弃者 cover: 掩盖 cowardice: 懦弱 tale: 故事 ghost: 鬼 goblin: 恶鬼 state: 说

“听起来你似乎是个用妖魔鬼怪的故事来掩饰自己怯懦的逃兵。”Hunfrith说。

“Siggard is no deserter, and we have important news,” Sarnakyle said impatiently. “You may come under attack any night now. Will you kindly let us pass?”

deserter: 背弃者 important: 重要的 news: 消息 impatiently: 不耐烦地 kindly: 宽大的

“Siggard不是逃兵，并且我们有重要情报。”Sarnakyle失去了耐心，“你们现在每夜都有可能遭到攻击。您能行行好让我们通过吗？”

Hunfrith stood up. “Absolutely not!” he bellowed. “You are lucky I don’t order you two hanged for cowardice! Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!”

stand up: 站起 absolutely: 绝对地 bellow: 怒吼 order: 命令 hanged: 绞死 cowardice: 懦弱 get out of: 走开 sight: 视线

Hunfrith站起来。“绝对不行！”他咆哮道，“我没有以你俩是逃兵的缘故把你们绞死算你们走运！现在在我改变主意之前从我面前消失！”

Siggard shook his head and stood angrily, turning to Hunfrith. “This is not over.”

shake: 摇动 angrily: 气愤地 turn to: 转向

Siggard摇摇头愤怒的站起来，转身面对着Hunfrith。“这事儿咱没完。”

The steward smiled thinly. “Shall I have the guards escort you out?”

steward: 管家 thinly: 浅薄的 guard: 守卫 escort: 护送

管家似笑不笑：“您是否需要卫兵护送您离开？”

“We know the way,” Sarnakyle said bitterly. With that, they turned on their heels and left.

bitterly: 愤恨地 turn on: 把…转向 heel: 脚跟 leave: 离开

“我们知道怎么走。”Sarnakyle不情愿的答道。说完，他们便转身离去。

They found a suitable inn shortly before sundown.

suitable: 合适的 inn: 旅店 shortly before: 在…之前不久 sundown: 日落

太阳快落山时他们找到了合适的旅店。

The accommodations were acceptable, but barely, and it was the best they had seen in the northern side of town. At least the help didn’t try to harass them while they ate.

accommodations: 居住设施 acceptable: 可接受的 barely: 勉强 northern: 北部 at least: 至少 help: 侍应 harass: 困扰

食宿条件勉强可以接受，但这已经是他们在小镇北部所能找到最好的了。至少酒保没有在他们吃饭时打扰他们。

“We will have to try again tomorrow morning,” Sarnakyle said, supping on some thin vegetable soup. “If this town isn’t prepared, the archdemon will simply walk through it.”

have to: 必须 sup on: 吃晚饭 thin: 稀薄的 vegetable: 蔬菜 soup: 汤 prepared: 有准备的 archdemon: 大恶魔 walk through: 穿过

“我们明早必须再试一次，”Sarnakyle边喝着蔬菜清汤边说，“如果他们没有准备好，恶魔头目恐怕能轻易将这里夷为平地。”

“We’ll need a way to get past the steward,” Siggard said, ignoring his own soup and longing for some of Emilye’s delicious mutton stew.

get past: 越过 steward: 管家 ignore: 忽视 soup: 汤 longing: 渴望 delicious: 美味的 mutton: 羊肉 stew: 炖汤

“我们需要想法绕开管家，”Siggard说道。他没有在意面前的汤，一心想着Emilye做的美味的炖羊肉。

The very thought of her brought a tear to his eye, and as he wiped it away he had to wrench his thoughts back to more immediate matters.

thought: 思念 tear: 眼泪 wipe: 擦拭 wrench: 扭曲 immediate: 最接近的 matter: 事件

他因对她的思念而流泪，他擦去眼泪，让思路重新回到即将面对的事情上。

“Perhaps we can deliver something,” Sarnakyle suggested. “Is there anything the castle is in desperate need of, besides a new steward?”

deliver: 递送 suggest: 建议 castle: 城堡 desperate: 迫切需要的 besides: 除…之外 steward: 管家

“也许我们可以传达一些有用的消息，”Sarnakyle建议道，“除了新管家，有什么东西是城堡急需的？”

Siggard shrugged and stood up. “I have to get some fresh air.”

shrug: 耸肩 stand up: 站起 fresh: 新鲜的 air: 空气

Siggard耸耸肩站了起来。“我要呼吸些新鲜空气。”

“One moment,” Sarnakyle said. “I’m almost finished.” He downed the last of his soup, left a small silver coin on the table, and joined Siggard.

one moment: 等一下 almost: 几乎 down: 喝下 soup: 汤 silver coin: 银币 table: 桌子

“等一下，”Sarnakyle说，“我快吃完了。”他喝尽了最后一口汤，在桌上放上一枚小银币，和Siggard一起走了出去。

In the street, Siggard took a deep breath, but the air was not as fresh as he had hoped.

deep: 深的 breath: 呼吸 fresh: 新鲜

走在街上，Siggard深深吸了口气，但空气并不像他想象的那样新鲜。

Sarnakyle leaned against the inn’s gray stone wall, and together they watched the few townspeople meander around,

lean against: 靠着 inn: 旅店 gray: 灰色的 townspeople: 市民 meander: 闲逛

Sarnakyle斜靠住旅店的灰石墙，他们一起看着街上的行人。

some looking as though they had some sort of direction, others appearing to be lost souls.

sort: 态度 direction: 方向 appear: 显得 lost: 遗失 soul: 灵魂

有人似乎确定了要去哪，其他人则像丢了魂一样。

“Do you remember anything about the archdemon you fought?” Sarnakyle asked. “Anything at all could help.”

archdemon: 大恶魔

“你记得你们攻击的那个恶魔头目吗？”Sarnakyle问道，“任何记忆都可能有帮助。”

“Lots of horns,” Siggard replied.

horn: 角 reply: 回答

“好多角。”Siggard答道。

“Most greater demons have lots of horns,” Sarnakyle said. “I have no doubt that the Prime Evils themselves must look like balls of spikes. Anything else?”

greater: 高等级的 demon: 恶魔 horn: 角 doubt: 怀疑 Prime Evils: 庇尔斯级恶魔 ball:球 spike: 尖刺

“多数等级比较高的恶魔都有许多角。”Sarnakyle说，“毫无疑问庇尔斯级恶魔长得都比较像长满刺的球。还有其它特点吗？”

Siggard thought for a moment. “There was a symbol on its chest. I can’t remember what it was, though.”

symbol: 符号 chest: 胸膛

Siggard想了一会：“在它的胸前有一个符号，不过我不记得那是什么样的了。”

“A glyph,” Sarnakyle said. “That could be very ill news. That means that the archdemon is enchanted in some . . . do you smell smoke?”

glyph: 符号 ill: 坏的 news: 消息 archdemon: 大恶魔 enchanted: 被施魔法的 smell:闻 smoke: 烟

“一个符号，”Sarnakyle说，“这可是个糟糕透顶的消息。那意味着恶魔头目有某些强化属性…你闻到烟味了吗？”

Siggard started and inhaled sharply. Indeed, an acrid stench now filled the air. He looked around to see a large pillar of smoke rising from the eastern side of town.