刀刃捎来的口信 Message on a Blade's Edge

作者：Michael Yichao

回荡的脚步声，冰冷的石板地面。

Echoing footfalls. Cold stone floors.

身后传来一声大喊。有人看到我了。我沿着宽敞的门廊向前跑，两侧的门扉一闪而过。前方是石拱门——我离开这座兵营的出口。突然一整支巡逻队滑进视野中挡住去路。情况不妙。

A shout from behind. Someone’s caught sight of me. Doors flash by as I sprint down the wide hall. Stone archway ahead—my way out of the barracks. Suddenly blocked as an entire patrol skids into view. Not good.

我回身向来的方向猛冲。更多士兵向我扑过来。我的指尖开始痒痒，但人太多了。我跳进一扇门，把它关严，放下木板门闩。

I turn and dash back the way I came. More soldiers careen towards me. My fingertips itch, but there are too many. I vault through a door, slam it shut, and drop the wooden bar across it.

刺客的刀刃只是她的众多武器之一。他的声音回响在我脑海中，经过多年的训练，它们早已挥之不去。了解下手的目标。了解动手的地点。任何东西都可以成为完成刺杀的工具。

An assassin’s blades are but one of her weapons, his voice echoes in my head, cemented there by years of training. Know your mark. Know the killing ground. Anything can be a tool to secure the kill.

我迅速穿过房间。这是某种战利品陈列室。经过层层加固，有一扇侧门通向后方的回廊。我身后传来盔甲碰撞橡木的声音。钢铁折页和坚固的结构应该能争取一些时间，足够让我——

I run through the room. Some kind of trophy chamber. Well fortified, with a side door leading to a back corridor. Behind me, armor thuds against oak. Iron hinges and strong construction should buy me more than enough time to—

木头破碎的声音打断了我的思路，一把巨大的斧子咬穿了门板。前方，另一扇门也打开了，又有更多士兵涌了进来。

My thought is broken by the sound of splintering wood, as a massive axe chews its way through the frame. Ahead, the other door swings open, and more soldiers pour in.

人太多，准备太充分。他们提前知道我要来。

Too many, too well prepared. They knew I was coming.

这些士兵们穿着诺克萨斯颜色的衣服，但戴着的家徽属于一个公开反叛崔法利的家族。他们对自己的力量太过自信，他们除了备战，居然还有时间刷漆。真可爱。

These soldiers wear Noxian colors, but bear the sigil of a house in open rebellion against the Trifarix. So assured of their strength, they spent time painting rather than preparing. How cute.

我抽出了双刃。

I draw my blades.

那些最前排的人慢下了前进的脚步，向两侧散开，拿好了武器。他们身后穿门而入的士兵们也同样分开包抄。他们绕着我，组成了一个经过训练的阵型。六人在前，七人在后。不好办。

Those ahead slow their advance, fanning out, weapons at the ready. Behind, those storming through the broken door do the same. They circle, taking a trained formation. Six in front. Seven behind. Won’t be easy.

有挑战才更有乐趣。

It’s more fun when it’s a challenge.

他的声音又侵入我的脑海。思考要快。动作要更快。交手之前先行计划，动手之时全凭直觉。

His voice intrudes again. Think fast. Move faster. Plan before you engage, then attack on pure instinct.

我让一把刀刃飞了出去。它掠过棚顶的吊灯，打碎了铁链，吊灯砸到了我身后的那群士兵身上。两具尸体倒在地板上，吊灯上的蜡烛跌落下来四处翻滚，映出摇曳的影子，让他们不由自主地循迹望去。我飞奔到距离我最近的人身边，把我的匕首插进他的肋骨。他发出呛水的声音，这是他的肺里充满了鲜血。

I let a blade fly. It glances off the chandelier hanging above, breaking the chain and sending it crashing down onto the soldiers behind me. Two bodies hit the floor as candles bounce and sputter out, casting wild shadows and drawing eyes betrayed by reflex. I spin into the nearest distracted man, and slide my dagger into his side. He gurgles as his lungs fill with blood.

我从他的身体中抽出匕首，带出一阵悦耳的挤压声，然后将匕首扔向第二个吊灯。它同样砸到地面上，屋子里最后的光源熄灭了。与此同时，我侧步让到冲刺而来的士兵身旁，利用他的惯性，让他撞到从我身后冲过来的两个人身上。

I unsheathe my blade from his body with a satisfying squelch, and fling it at the second chandelier. It also crashes to the floor, the last sources of light flickering out. At the same time, I sidestep the swing of a charging soldier, letting momentum carry him into the two rushing me from behind.

警告的叫声和疑惑的喊声回荡在石墙上，他们在黑暗中挣扎着，突然不知道哪个人影是敌、哪个人影是友。

Cries of alarm and confusion echo off the stonework as they struggle in the darkness, suddenly uncertain which silhouette friend, and which is foe.

我可不存在这个问题。

I don’t have that problem.

及常人所不及。扰乱感官，让他们的直觉成为弱点。

Adapt where others cannot. Lead their intuition astray, and their instinct to betray them.

我向前猛冲，贴近地面，从匕首落地的地方将它提起。匕首命中了一个人的咽喉，然后是某人的眼睛，然后是某人的肾脏，直到一声大喊盖过了所有惨叫。

I dash forward, low to the ground, scooping up my first blade where it fell. It finds a throat, then an eye, then a kidney, before a shout cuts through the screams.

“你们这群蠢货！她就在那里！”

“You fools! She’s right there!”

剩下的士兵跌跌撞撞地向我冲来，我闭上眼睛，感知第二把匕首的位置，将注意力向内集中，然后瞬跳。

As the remaining soldiers stumble toward me, I close my eyes, sense my second blade where it lies, draw my focus inward, and leap.

他们看到我凭空消失，疑惑地惊叫。我落在他们身后，抓住匕首开始疾驰，切断了几个人脚踝的跟腱。我赢来了几声痛苦和惊讶的尖叫，又有三人倒地。这种感觉屡试不爽。

They cry out in confusion as I disappear from their sight. I land low behind them, snatching up the dagger and spinning, cutting through ankle tendons. I am rewarded with screeches of pain and surprise as three more fall. That never gets old.

我反握匕首腾空而起，将一对匕首竖插进一个人的双肩，他大喊一声，我将他踢开，顺势一个后空翻。他倒在地上的同时，我将两把匕首分别扔到另外两个士兵的脸上。

I invert the grip on my daggers and jump, plunging them down in an overhead strike into the shoulders of the man who yelled, then kick off him into a backflip. He falls to the ground as I hurl both blades into the faces of two others.

一根长矛的握把打中了我的面门。我向后回弹，轻微晕眩。那个抓住我破绽的士兵将手中的长矛翻了个花，用枪头戳向我的心脏。我再度瞬跳，出现在半空中，我用手抓住一把匕首，把他从刚才那张脸上抽了出来。

The butt of a spear smashes into my head. I recoil, slightly dazed. With a flourish, the soldier that caught me off balance brings the spearhead to bear and jabs for my heart. I leap again, appearing in midair, my hand wrapping around one blade and wrenching it from the face I left it in.

一把战斧向我的肋骨挥砍过来，我勉强将进攻转换为格挡，我向后踉跄几步，金属碰撞的声音回响在我耳中。挥砍战斧的是一个身形巨大的人，他又举起了武器，我再次瞬跳到另一把匕首处。我刚把匕首抽出，另一名士兵就挥着钉头槌砸了过来，她砸碎了自己战友的头颅。钉头槌的尖刺划伤了我的手臂，见了血。

I barely pivot my attack into a parry as an axe swings toward my ribs, the clang of metal ringing in my ears as I stumble back. The titan of a man wielding the weapon hefts it again, and I leap once more to my remaining blade. I pull it back just in time as another soldier swings a morningstar at me, and she smashes through her comrade’s face. The weapon’s points graze my arm, drawing blood.

我向后翻滚，以蹲姿重回初态。依然站着的人有四个，在我面前散开。还有几个人受了伤但没咽气。所有人都在黑暗中向我窥视。显然他们现在知道要同时追踪我的匕首和我本人。

I roll back and reset in a crouch. Four remain standing, scattered before me. Several more are injured but still alive. All of them squint at me in the darkness. Clearly they now know to track my daggers as well as me.

不要接受公平对决。被围困的刺客等于死的刺客。我的双眼在两个出口之间迅速掠过。

Never take a fair fight. The cornered assassin is a dead assassin. My eyes flit between the exits.

然后她大步走进房间。

Then she strides into the room.

她从侧门进入。身边跟着两个贴身侍卫，每个人都举着十字弩。她一只手里拿着火把，另一只手里拿着剑。狂妄的耻笑在他嘴角上跳动。即使在黑暗中，她焕发的自信和魅力也昭然若揭。所有人都立刻看向她。

Through the side door. Flanked by her two personal guards, each wielding a crossbow. She has a torch in one hand, a sword in the other. An arrogant smirk dances on her lips. Even in the darkness, she oozes confidence and charm. All other eyes immediately fly to her.

我的目标。

My mark.

“哎呦，我实在是太失望了，”她不紧不慢地说。“如果崔法利给我派来的就只是个丑态百出的刺客，那他们一定是走投无路了。”

“Well, this is disappointing,” she drawls. “If all the Trifarix has to throw at me is a disgraced assassin, then they must be desperate.”

她的言语嘲讽被门外的脚步声出卖了。增援，来的很快。显然她之前低估了包围我所需的人数。

Her taunt is undercut by footfalls outside the room. Reinforcements, arriving fast. Clearly she underestimated the numbers needed to trap me.

但如果我最后死了的话，我可就是在高估自己了。

But that will be of little consolation if I end up dead.

若已暴露，立刻遁形。永远不要与你的对手正面对抗。永远不要在别人的目击下刺杀。

If you’ve been made, vanish. Never take your mark head on. Never kill in the presence of witnesses.

我微笑着盯着她的双眼。“别了，指挥官。”

I smile and stare into her eyes. “Goodbye, commander.”

我将匕首直接扔向上方。两支弩箭立刻射向匕首，他们在预判我的瞬跳。四个幸存的士兵开始冲锋。

I throw my blade straight up in the air. Crossbow bolts fly toward it, predicting my leap. The four standing soldiers charge.

匕首在飞旋，时间似乎变慢了。

Time seems to slow as the blade spins.

一圈。两圈。

One rotation. Two.

我将另一把匕首投向士兵身后，对准我的目标。一名侍卫迈步挡在她前面，匕首牢牢嵌进他的胸甲。

I fling the remaining dagger past the charging soldiers at my target. One of the guards shifts in front of her, and the dagger sticks fast in his breastplate.

三圈，四圈。

Three, four.

我向匕首瞬跳——我的惯性将刀剑刺穿那个人的盔甲，刺入了血肉。我看到了他的眼白，里面混着惊讶、痛苦和恐惧。在我身后，我听到其他人的喊叫和转身。速度值得夸奖。但还不够。

I leap to my dagger—my momentum forces the point through the man’s armor, into flesh. I see the white of his eyes, the mixture of shock, pain, and fear. Behind me, I hear the others shout and pivot. Impressively fast. Still not fast enough.

五圈，六圈。

Five, six.

指挥官脚步慌乱地后退，举起了剑。她的反应由于惊讶而变得迟钝。我抽出匕首，向前冲击。我空下来的手抓住了他的头发，刀刃咬住她的咽喉。

The commander stumbles back and raises her sword. Reaction dulled by surprise. I pull my dagger free and lunge forward. My free hand finds her hair, my edge her throat.

七圈。锵啷。

Seven rotations. Thunk.

又一支弩箭穿过了我刚才站的地方，但我已经走了。弩箭射中了我的目标的胸膛，我跳回了匕首所在的地方，它结束了空中的回旋，插在地上。我一只手上握着血淋淋的匕首。另一只手上……是目标被割下来的头，她的表情凝固在惊愕的瞬间。

Another crossbow bolt flies through where I had stood a moment earlier, but I am gone. It pierces the mark’s chest, as I land back at my falling blade, now plunged into the ground. In one hand, I hold a bloody dagger. In the other… the severed head of my mark, her face frozen in surprise.

她的尸体瘫倒下去。鲜血喷溅在石板地面上。她手下的士兵僵住了，刚刚的事情令他们难以置信、惊恐错愕。

Her body collapses. Blood sprays over the stone floor. Her soldiers halt, caught in disbelief and horror.

我把那颗人头扔到他们面前。

I throw the head down in front of them.

“斯维因大统领致以问候。”

“Grand General Swain sends his greetings.”

更多士兵抵达门口。他们的惊呼和怒号让我狂喜。

More soldiers arrive at the doorway. I revel in their gasps and angered cries.

永远不要与你的对手正面对抗。永远不要在别人的目击下刺杀。那个声音在我头脑中反复念。但不知为何，现在似乎比以前安静了。我笑出声来。

Never take your mark head on. Never kill in the presence of witnesses. The voice repeats itself in my head. Somehow, it seems quieter than before. I laugh out loud.

我已经不再是你的刺客了，父亲。我已经不再受限于你的懦弱规则。

I am no longer your assassin, father. I have outgrown your timid little rules.

我抖掉刃上的血，俯瞰面前的这些士兵。恐惧是不逊于任何匕首的武器。让他们看到。让传闻蔓延。我绝不只是死亡的器具。

I flick blood off my blades and stare down the soldiers before me. Fear is as powerful a weapon as any dagger. Let them see. Let the rumors spread. I am far more than a mere instrument of death.

我是真正的诺克萨斯意志。

I am the true will of Noxus.

我面前，一个士兵大叫一声开始冲锋。我忍不住嗤笑起来，再度举起了双刃。

Before me, a soldier lets out a shout and charges. I can’t help but smirk as I again raise my blades.

滥杀并不是我的禁忌。

Not that I mind the killing.