怪兽 Monsters

薇恩的手弩上只剩下一支箭。她身上有三处伤口往外渗着鲜血。她整晚都在狩猎那头曾是人类的野兽。现在，那野兽把她摔到了地上，正要把她的脑袋从肩膀上咬下来。

Vayne had one arrow left in her wristbolt launcher. She was bleeding from three different wounds. The previously-human beast she’d spent all night hunting had just knocked her to the ground and it was about to bite the head off her shoulders.

事情比预期的进展要顺利。

Things were going better than expected.

变身的野兽口中滴着黏液，发出渴望杀戮的尖叫。薇恩透过夜视镜环顾黑漆漆的四周，发现附近既没有武器，也没有可以躲避的地方。她故意跟着野兽来到这片开阔的草地，这样它就没法用德玛西亚的赤杨木做掩护，可这个决定也让她自己完全暴露在了怪兽面前。

Slime dripped from the shapeshifter’s maw as it shrieked in anticipation of its kill. Scanning the darkness with her nightseeker goggles, Vayne found neither weapons nor cover nearby. She’d tracked the beast to this open patch of meadow specifically so it couldn’t take cover behind the alderwoods of Demacia, but that decision left her exposed as well.

这样挺好的。毕竟，如果杀戮草草了事，那何来乐趣可言呢。

Which was fine by her. There’s no fun in an easy kill, after all.

野兽抓着薇恩的肩膀，把她举了起来。它的大颚张开着，露出一排排钢锯般的牙齿。即使它的大嘴咬不死她，它嘴里喷吐出的腐臭气息也足够要了薇恩的命。

The beast grabbed Vayne by the shoulders, its mandibles opening to reveal rows upon rows of jagged teeth. If its jaws didn’t kill her, its fetid breath could certainly finish the job.

薇恩的脑中飞速闪过种种选择。她可以试着闪开野兽的撕咬，但那最多也不过是权宜之计。她也可以一脚踢在那野兽多得可笑的牙齿上，然后顺势试着把最后一支箭射在它高高突起的额头上，但她不确定自己的箭能在那密林似的尖牙之间命中目标。或者，她也可以试试一些又快又猛的、甚至有点蠢的做法。

Vayne rapidly reviewed her options. She could try to dodge the beast’s bite, but that would be a short-term solution at the very best. She could kick the creature in its absurd number of teeth and attempt to land her last wristbolt in its bucking forehead, but she couldn’t trust her arrow would find its mark through its gnashing forest of fangs. Or, she could try something flashy, violent and slightly stupid.

薇恩选择了后者。

Vayne chose the latter.

她把整只手臂伸进了野兽张着的嘴里。剃刀似的尖牙在手臂和关节上割出了一道道口子。但薇恩笑了——这野兽的命门已经在她手里了。她感觉到那野兽的大颚正在合拢，要把她的手臂齐根咬断。薇恩没给它这个机会。

She shoved her entire arm into its gaping mouth. The creature’s razor teeth ripped strips of skin from her knuckles and arm, but Vayne smiled – she had the beast right where she wanted it. She felt its jaw clench, ready to bite and rip her limb off. She didn’t give it the chance.

薇恩扭动手臂，把手弩推进野兽满嘴的粘液深处，直到最后一支箭的银制箭镞直指野兽的上颚。她手腕一抖，那支箭就撕开了野兽的颅骨，扎进了脑袋里。

Vayne twisted her arm, dragging her wristbolt launcher across the inside of the creature’s gob until the silver tip of her final arrow pointed directly at the roof of the beast’s mouth. With the flick of her wrist, the bolt tore through the monster’s skull, shredding its brain.

那野兽的尖叫戛然而止，就和它开始嚎叫一样突然。它的身体瘫软下来，倒在了草地上。薇恩从它的尸体下爬了出来，试着把手臂从那野兽的头骨里抽出来，同时还得避免再被割伤。但她发现，自己的拳头卡在了野兽的头里。

The shrieking stopped as suddenly as it started, the creature’s body limp as it collapsed upon the grassy soil. Vayne crawled out from under it and attempted to remove her arm from its skull without cutting herself more than she already had, only to find that her fist was stuck inside the creature’s head.

她可以试着把她的手从这个变形怪的满是尖牙的嘴里拔出来——但也许同时会失去一两根手指——或者，她也可以将手臂再捅深一点，然后打穿野兽的头盖骨，再像掰断许愿骨一样撕开它的大颚。

She could either keep trying to pull her hand through the shapeshifter’s jagged mouth – and probably lose a finger or two in the process – or she could dig her arm in further to punch through the top of its head and snap its jaw like a wishbone.

和往常一样，薇恩选择了后者。

As always, Vayne chose the latter.

麻烦的不是把那个该死的东西杀掉。麻烦的是把那东西带回给他的新娘。

The hard part wasn’t killing the damned thing. The hard part was carrying it back to its bride.

好吧，现在是寡妇了。

Well, widow.

寡妇赛琳娜出人意料地漂亮。黑暗的小屋子里，篝火映在她的头发上，折射出不逊于阳光的光彩。脸上深深的伤口，再加上滚滚而下的眼泪，也丝毫没有减损她的美丽。

The widow Selina was beautiful beyond imagining, with hair that caught the sunlight even in the darkness of her fire-lit cabin. The deep scratches on her face, and even the tears that streamed down her cheeks, did nothing to diminish her beauty.

薇恩尽可能小心地把尸体放在女人的脚边。尸身已经完全畸形，破烂的肉体上面满是伤口，有些是自己弄的，有些不是。与其说那是一个人，倒不如说看起来更像是一堆胡乱堆砌的肢体和血肉。

Vayne laid the carcass at the woman’s feet as gingerly as she could. Its flesh was monstrously transformed and wracked with wounds both self-inflicted and not-so-self-inflicted; it looked more like a collection of limbs and meat than a person.

“他走得……快吗？”这位寡妇啜泣着说。

“Was it quick?” the widow asked through sobs.

并不是很快。薇恩追踪着这个丑东西直到它的老巢——在东德玛西亚外面的树林里。她设法打断了它的变形——它的眼睛开始增生、扩大，嘴巴变成大颚。它的左臂已经长成了一只剃刀般锐利的螯——它看起来很生气。

It had not been quick. Vayne had tracked the changeling to its den in the forests outside eastern Demacia. She’d managed to interrupt it mid-transformation: its eyes had multiplied and expanded, its mouth had grown mandibles, its left arm had formed into a razor-sharp pincer – and it was angry.

薇恩甩掉手上一团黏糊糊的脑浆，那是在她打碎它的头骨时粘上的。

Vayne flicked a glob of brain off her wrist, a clinging remnant from when she’d punched through the creature’s skull.

“嗯。”薇恩答道。

“Erm,” Vayne said.

“噢，我的爱人。”赛琳娜说着，跪下来抱着那已经不成人形的身体，说：”怎么会发生这样的悲剧！”

“Oh, my love,” Selina said, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around the mutated body. “What could have caused such a tragedy?”

薇恩也跪坐在这对夫妇的旁边。赛琳娜抱着男人残缺不全的脑袋，紧贴着胸口，毫不在意鲜血弄脏了她的裙子。

Vayne kneeled beside the couple as the widow brought what was left of the man’s head to her breast, either not noticing or caring as his blood smeared her dress.

“有些人是自己把自己变成了野兽。但有些人并不是心甘情愿的。”薇恩说。

“Some people transform themselves into beasts. Some are transformed against their will,” Vayne said.

她握着尸体已经发肿的手，漫不经心检查着。”他应该是第二种情况。”

She picked up the bulging hand of the corpse, casually examining it. “He belonged to the second group.”

赛琳娜瞪大眼睛，眼神里满是愤怒。

The widow’s eyes went wide with fury.

“你是说有人把他变成这样的？是谁？为什么……”

“Someone did this to him? Who would – why would–”

她扑倒在男人的尸体上痛哭起来，说不出一句话。

The widow collapsed onto the body in tears, unable to find the words.

“有些时候，那些动物——或者说是变形者——想要有同伴。有些时候只是残忍的天性使然。它们攻击别人，要么是因为愤怒，要么是因为脑子不清醒。我还见过一些家伙，它们只是无聊。它们觉得这样很有趣，”薇恩轻拍着女人的头说：”但还有一些……它们是饿了。”

“Sometimes, therians – shapechangers – want a companion. Sometimes they’re just savage: they lash out and bite somebody out of confusion or anger. Others I’ve met just get bored. They think it’s fun,” Vayne said, patting the woman’s head. “But some…some just need to eat.”

寡妇抬头望向薇恩，不住地啜泣着。

The widow looked up, sniffing away tears.

“我不……我不明白……”

“I don’t – I don’t understand.”

薇恩冲那女人怜悯地笑了笑。

Vayne gave the widow a pitying smile.

“它们想吃人，但有时候它们的猎物会逃跑。这个过程中，那些野兽的噬菌体可能会感染到它们的猎物。这样，正常的人也会变形了。”

“They want to eat somebody, but sometimes that somebody gets away. And the thing that tried to eat them accidentally passes on its phage. Then they end up turning, too.”

那寡妇盯着薇恩。薇恩的手轻轻地把头发从她满是泪水的眼前撩开，手腕上的弩叮当作响。

The widow glared at Vayne. The wristbolt launcher on Vayne’s arm clinked as she brushed the woman’s hair out of her tear-filled eyes.

“上一个我杀掉的野兽告诉我，如果猎物深爱着它，那猎物尝起来就会更加美味。那是一种美味多汁的口感——当猎物脸红的时候。要是再加上度蜜月的气氛，那口感是不是好的都没法想象了呢？”薇恩揣摩着说道。

“The last therian I killed told me his victims tasted better if they loved him. Something about the juicy flavor they took on when they blushed. Can’t even imagine how they must taste while on honeymoon, hmm?” Vayne mused.

寡妇不再哭了。她的眼神变冷了。

The widow stopped crying. Her eyes grew hard.

“他真的爱你，你知道的。”薇恩说。

“He did love you, you know,” said Vayne.

寡妇试着站起来，但薇恩一把抓住她的头发，紧紧地拉着。

The widow tried to stand, but Vayne gripped a fistful of the woman’s hair and pulled tight.

“你咬了他的时候，他肯定很吃惊。人们在害怕的时候总是做出让人意想不到的事。而且，被心爱的人背叛，肯定是最令人感到害怕的吧。”

“He must have been shocked after you bit him. People are unpredictable when they’re scared. And there’s nothing more frightening than being betrayed by someone you love.”

薇恩手腕轻轻一晃，扣住了手弩的扳机。

Vayne flicked her wrist, cocking the wristbolt launcher on her forearm.

“所以，是谁让你变了形？”

“So, who turned you?”

那女人满是憎恶地瞪回薇恩，她的眼神渐渐阴沉，变成了深红色。

The woman stared back with hatred, her eyes slowly darkening to a deep red.

“没有谁，”她的声音就像刀子刮在石头上。”我生来就这样。”

“Nobody,” she said in a voice like knives scraping across rock. “I am of my own design.”

薇恩笑了。

Vayne smiled.

“你怎么知道的？”寡妇问道，她的手缓缓地滑向背后。

“How did you know?” the widow asked, sliding her hand behind her back.

“咬痕是在脖子前面，而不是在后面。并且，他身上没有任何其他的伤口。我就知道这肯定是他信任的人干的。来啊，试试呗。”

“Bite marks on the front of his neck, rather than the back, combined with the lack of wounds anywhere else on his body, told me he was attacked by someone he trusted. Go ahead. Try it.”

寡妇怔住了。

The widow paused.

“试什么？”

“Try what?”

“你背后那只刚变出来的螯。砍我吧，咱们看看你能不能在我给你的脑门来一箭之前，砍掉我的手。”薇恩说。

“The pincer you’re forming behind your back. Slash me. Let’s see if you can cut my hand off before I put a bolt through your forehead,” said Vayne.

寡妇背后的螯收缩了回去，她沮丧不堪。游戏到此结束了。

The widow retracted her pincer from behind her back, crestfallen. The game was up.

“为什么？”她问道。

“Why?” she asked.

“什么为什么？”薇恩面无表情地反问。

“Why what?” Vayne blankly replied.

“为什么你不是走进来然后就杀了我？为什么还要做这么一套……戏？”

“Why not just walk in and kill me? Why this whole… presentation?”

薇恩咧嘴一笑，狡猾中带着厌恶。

Vayne smiled. A sly, hateful grin.

“因为我要确定我的判断是对的。还因为我想让你也尝尝他的恐慌和害怕。但主要来说……”

“Because I wanted to be sure I was right. Because I wanted you to feel the panic and the fear he felt. But mainly...”

薇恩手腕一紧。一声金属的脆响，一支六寸长的银箭扎进了女巫的脑袋。寡妇两眼翻白，像一袋石子一样瘫倒在了地上。

Vayne tightened her wrist. With a metallic twang, a six-inch bolt of cold silver pierced the changeling’s brain. The widow’s eyes rolled back into her head. She collapsed to the floor like a bag of stones.

“是因为这样很有趣。”

“Because it’s fun.”