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TWL Chapter 296: Footprints in the Snow
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 22:29:18 +0000 UTCA figure appeared accompanied by a snowstorm. As he left, the storm also faded away. His silhouette, tall and majestic, seemed to blend in with the mountains.
He was in human form and seemed to be in a hurry, so much so that the army of monsters following him could barely keep up.
At that moment, everyone was staring in fear at that figure, whose presence was even more terrifying than an avalanche. However, only Yoana, surrounded by her guards and about to flee, saw the eyes of the ice giant. They were not the eyes of a brutal monster that only knew destruction.
There was confusion in those eyes.
As Yoana turned around, a deep rumble echoed in her ears, as if someone was shouting through a loudspeaker next to her, and she couldn't help but hear it.
The voice said, "My God!"
...
"You mean... the ice giant spoke?" Eist asked in disbelief.
Yoana nodded, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe it was just a roar that sounded similar to the word God. But I'm sure of one thing: it's not the destructive beast of legends. It has intelligence. It seemed like it didn't come just to destroy, but to seek something."
Saying this, Yoana began to tremble. "If it weren't like that, with his size and the army of monsters we saw... we would never have been able to survive until His Majesty's help arrived."
The Ice Giant had existed on the Skellige Islands for centuries, always portrayed as a wild and ferocious figure in legends and never said to possess intelligence.
But knowing that the ice giant might have the ability to communicate plunged Eist into deep unease. Language represented something terrifying, something far more fearsome than the giant's ability to control sirens and other creatures.
Wisdom.
It is important to remember that the most important function of language is communication. The Ice Giant... with whom would he need to communicate?
"I have seen the Ice Giant awaken several times before, but I have never heard it speak, nor have I seen it do anything other than destroy." Fritjof looked at Eist and confirmed Yoana's words, "But it is different this time."
Fritjof had participated in the first part of the battle and witnessed the arrival of the ice giant.
"Yoana is right. The ice giant did not just dedicate itself to destruction, and... in fact, it uttered a word. Whether it was a sound similar to the word God or whether it actually said that word, one thing is clear: the ice giant has a remarkable intelligence."
"When I left, Harald was still leading the clan's guardians in fighting the monsters. When I returned, I didn't see him. I thought he had died. But now, recalling the frost giant's reaction, if he didn't die on the spot, perhaps... he's still alive..."
Hearing the druid's statement, the hope in Yoana's eyes shone even brighter. She looked at Eist seriously.
Eist took a deep breath. "We're just an advance party. We're here to help Clan Tordarroch evacuate and rescue as many people as possible. With five hundred people scattered across the mountains, we won't be able to take on the ice giant."
Seeing Yoana becoming agitated again, Eist raised a hand and changed his tone. "So... we can only go in to explore, but we won't directly confront the ice giant. If we find it, we'll retreat immediately. I just hope we're lucky, and that your father is lucky too."
After all, he was the Jarl of one of the seven great clans of Skellige, and someone that Eist, newly ascended to the throne, could not ignore. If he were to let someone with a chance of survival die without doing anything, his call to rally the other Jarls to send troops would be empty words. It might even push the Tordarroch clan against him.
At the same time, Eist was not one to let another die without trying to save them.
"But we still have to wait a little while." Seeing Yoana's impatience, Eist raised his hand, signaling her to calm down.
He pointed at Lann. "We must wait for him to recover."
He looked at the group of witchers slowly approaching and said: "The witchers may not be as familiar with the mountains as we are, but if we encounter monsters along the way, or if we really face the ice giant, those five will be far more powerful than any army of five hundred or even a thousand men."
…
While waiting for Lann to recover his magical energy, Yoana, as if suddenly remembering something, hurriedly entered the ruins of her clan's castle with her group of guards. After a thorough search, she emerged holding a singular-looking sword.
The blade looked like it was made of aged bronze. It was a simple, unadorned sword, as if it were incomplete; there were no gems set into it, nor were there any decorative engravings on the spine or hilt. However, upon closer inspection, tiny runes could be made out, glowing faintly, though the dark hue of the metal obscured them.
The only decoration on the sword was the pommel, designed in the shape of the round heraldic shield of the Tuirseach clan, clearly identifying its owner.
Yoana, holding the sword in both hands, solemnly presented it to Eist. "When my father learned of your plan to hunt the Ice Giant and was commissioned by you to forge a weapon, he summoned the finest craftsmen in the clan. Together they created this sword. His intention was to help you cut off the giant's head and achieve glory that would surpass that of your ancestors."
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath before continuing, “Sadly, when the giant attacked us, this sword never had the chance to be used…” Yoana extended the sword towards Eist. “This sword is our clan’s masterpiece, the greatest legacy we have ever forged. I implore you, use it to save my father.”
Everyone present, including Eist, couldn’t take their eyes off the sword. The weapons forged by the Tordarroch clan rivaled those of the dwarves and gnomes. A sword like that could not only cut through an ordinary sword like paper but also carried rune enchantments created by the druids of Skellige.
Eist stroked the spine of the sword reverently and said with determination, "I will not allow this sword to be stained with dishonor."
...
After some time, Eist left Hjalmar and Cerys in charge of a small rescue unit to secure the area and prevent other monsters from attacking the wounded and refugees in his absence. With the rest of his men, Eist set off into the mountains to search for the missing Harald.
The ice giant had somehow acquired the ability to move while covered in snowstorms, making it difficult to track his location. However, as his departure had been recent, and with five witchers using their witcher senses, they soon found his trail and began to ascend the mountains.
Even though he had been in the mountains chasing the Vildkaarls, Lann couldn’t help but marvel once again at the imposing geography of Skellige. Less than half of the region was flat terrain, and on the island of Undvik, over 70% was mountainous. These mountains were home not only to rich mineral deposits, but also to countless monsters.
Soon, the steps carved by human hands disappeared and the group was forced to climb natural paths between the rocks. The temperature had dropped below zero, and the air felt increasingly cold and thin.
"Stop!" Geralt suddenly ordered. The entire procession came to an instant halt.
The soldiers, trained and led by the Tuirseach clan, obeyed without hesitation. This respect was due not only to Eist's orders, but also to the trust gained by the witchers during the last battles.
At the front, Geralt couldn't help but feel strange. It was the first time he had worked with such disciplined soldiers under his leadership.
"What's wrong, Geralt?" Eist asked as he approached.
Geralt was crouched, examining the ground. With a quick movement, he brushed away the layer of snow, revealing a giant footprint in the dirt. Mixed in with the mud were dark red stains.
"Human blood... and quite fresh," Kolgrim said, coming closer to inspect. His eyes, now with a serpentine gleam, reflected that he had activated his witcher senses. "We are very close."
Gerd observed the scene and found that the pheromones emitted by that blood were quite mixed. He commented, "The blood here is not from just one person. This blood has traces of various pheromones. It seems that the ice giant has captured more prisoners on its way."
Eist frowned and nodded gravely. "I hope they really are prisoners. That would mean we can still rescue them."
"But that's not all. We have a new problem." A voice interrupted their conversation. It was Coen, who had made a discovery further down the line.
In front of him was another giant footprint, similar to the first, but this one had something else: smaller footprints on top of it. These were not boot marks, which was strange in such a frigid climate. Also, the toes in these prints looked misshapen, as if parts were missing, and the edges were uneven, almost as if the sole of the foot was covered in stones.
"Trolls," Geralt said firmly. "Based on the weather conditions around here, they must be ice trolls."
"And there are more." Coen pointed to other tracks nearby: small footprints, like those of teenagers, but with elongated, twisted fingers. "Necrophages."
Eist, more accustomed to battles at sea than in the mountains, looked at the tracks with some uncertainty. "Can we estimate how many there are? And how far away are they?"
Geralt replied without hesitation: "They're close. If we keep going, we'll find them in about fifteen minutes."
He had barely finished speaking when the metallic sound of dozens of weapons being drawn resounded across the mountain. Fortunately, the wind dispersed the noise before it could spread.
The soldiers, already on alert, immediately adopted defensive positions.
"As for their number..." Geralt paused for a moment. "It's hard to say."
Eist hesitated. "Will there be a number as overwhelming as the sirens of before?"
Geralt shook his head. "Sirens have a very different behavior. They form large colonies and group together to nest, which makes it easier for them to move around. It is likely that the ice giant attracted all the nearby sirens in its forays across the islands."
"Necrophages don't have that mobility. And the mountainous terrain limits their groupings. There may be a dozen, but I don't think there are more than fifty."
Eist let out a small sigh of relief, but Geralt added seriously: "However, there may be some Rotfiends among the group of Necrophages. They prefer to explode to take their enemies with them. In group fights, they can cause devastating damage and unnecessary casualties."
Lann intervened: "If I freeze them, could we stop them from exploding?"
Geralt paused, remembering the devastating ice magic sign Lann had cast earlier. "I've never tried it. But you can try..."
