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TWL Chapter 276: Bears in Battle, Witchers in the Fray
🕑 Added 2024-12-23 22:39:59 +0000 UTC“Roar!”
A giant bear roared and rushed towards Lann. It had four or five axes on its body, but none of them hurt its vital parts. Instead, it became more and more crazy.
“Hiss!”
A neigh, more deafening than the giant bear's roar, echoed loudly. From one of the emerald green orbs of light around Lann, a majestic black horse emerged, charging straight towards the gigantic bear.
[Bang!]
The giant bear flew through the air.
All eyes, drawn to the commotion, froze for a moment. The black horse reared up on its hind legs and, with its front hooves, launched a series of kicks into the air, while its amber pupils, vertical like those of a predator, shone with excitement.
Because Skellige's mountainous terrain was unsuitable for riding, Lann had left Black Wind resting in the stables of An Skellig for a long time. Now, faced with chaos of this magnitude, the monster-hunting horse seemed to be brimming with enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, the other three orbs began to slowly dissipate, revealing Geralt, Coen and Kolgrim, all with bewildered expressions.
"Is this... a portal? No, I didn't pass through the portal, it was a similar magic?" Coen looked at everything around him in disbelief. "And why don't I feel any dizziness?"
Kolgrim quickly scanned the surroundings and reacted immediately. “This is a pitched battle…”
Geralt didn't say anything. He simply unsheathed his steel sword and joined the fight.
...
"Geralt, Lann, finish off the bears! They've immobilized too many of our warriors and created absolute chaos!" Shouted Eist. "If we can form ranks, we can handle the Vildkaarl warriors ourselves!"
The three newly arrived witchers made their way through the crowd towards the bears.
The three witchers raised their left hands as they glowed with a faint white glow.
[Axii Sign]x3
Chaotic energies invaded the bears' brains, rendering them momentarily immobile.
At that moment, surrounded by Skellige soldiers, the bears had no way to resist or dodge. Several weapons simultaneously pierced their vital points, ending their lives.
The Skellige soldiers, surprised but jubilant, noted how the presence of the witchers made the battle easier.
After a successful attack, the witchers did not stop. As soon as they cast their magic signs, they retreated without looking back, looking for the next bear to cause havoc.
Using this method, they were able to quickly stabilize the situation.
Without the bears to break their ranks, the Skellige soldiers reorganized their formations. Faced with the Vildkaarl warriors, who fought fearlessly but were poorly equipped, the soldiers soon regained the advantage.
…
Meanwhile Lann, with a flash, appeared in front of Gerd, watching as the witcher tried to immobilize the bear with a neck lock.
Looking at the bear, now devoid of reason, and remembering Bill's bloody and ragged figure, everything fell into place.
He could even deduce more: the sirens' fear of him and the mermaid's absence until now...
"I don't know if it was because of Svalblod's hallucinogen or some other reason, but his memory was problematic, so your Axii Sign couldn't detect the truth earlier." Gerd shouted. "After all, he can't tell you something he doesn't remember."
"But we still need him, Lann." Gerd saw Lann's eyes shining and quickly advised him, "We haven't found the true meeting place of the Vildkaarls, and we still need him to guide us."
Gerd's argument had its flaws.
In theory, Bill was no longer needed. If they managed to annihilate the Vildkaarls here, the Svalblod cult would lose virtually all of its active strength. There would no longer be any need to stealthily infiltrate their main base.
Even if the cult still retained some combat power, the element of surprise was already lost. What awaited them now was open warfare. Sending small units like before would only lead to enemies ambushing them.
In reality, Gerd was acting out of compassion. This witcher, trained in the most ruthless and cold school, possessed a surprisingly kind heart.
Although, to be fair, Lann had never planned to kill Bill.
Lann looked at his system, where there was one last ability point and spot on the follower panel, yet to be unlocked.
Bill possessed such strong mental endurance so he must have some innate talent that was worth obtaining. Moreover, now that Bill had become a berserker capable of transforming into a bear, he was a valuable combat piece.
Lann was also curious about the Svalblod cult's transformation phenomenon: Was the berserker transformation a gift from their deity, a result of alchemy combined with magic, or perhaps a mixture of both?
Would it be possible to replicate it? Or even improve it? What if, in addition to the bear warrior, they could create wolf warriors, tiger warriors, or even griffin or wyvern warriors?
Keeping an obedient test subject and handing it over to Mousesack for research seemed like a prudent plan.
Thinking of this, Lann put his hand on the forehead of the giant bear who was being strangled by Gerd.
The bear's consciousness was fading rapidly. It was the ideal moment, when its will to resist was at its lowest point.
Lann's experience bar dropped slightly. Soon, a new follower panel appeared in front of him.
[Follower: Bill Rovarr
Gender: Male
Race: Skellige Giant Bear (Human)
Level: 1
Talent: Nature Affinity
Experience: 0/1000
HP: 1067/2000 (106/200)
Mana: Unawakened
Inventory: None
Skills: Berserker Transformation, Advanced Fishing, Intermediate Navigation, Intermediate Diplomacy, Elementary Axe, Elementary Riding
Quest: None]
[Shared Follower Talent]
[Shared Follower Talent: Nature Affinity]
[Nature Affinity: Increase the initial favorability of non-human race intelligent creatures by 100%, and increase the sensitivity to the three chaotic energies of earth, air, and water by 30%]
Lann's eyebrows raised.
Bill really did turn out to be an unexpected talent, providing a pleasant surprise. Part of the reason he could attract mermaids seemed to have become clear.
It seems that Mousesack will have a particular interest in him. In addition to using him as an experimental subject for berserker studies, Bill could fill other unexpected roles.
For now, however, Lann had other plans for him.
...
As Lann removed his left hand from Bill's forehead, Gerd felt the strength of the giant bear he was subduing diminish noticeably.
In fact, he stopped struggling. Now he moved only by instinct, with involuntary spasms.
Gerd thought he had finally managed to suffocate the huge animal, but then he heard Lann's soft laughter.
"Gerd, you can let it go."
Hearing Lann's instruction, Gerd looked at the bear. He noticed that the eyes, previously filled with uncontrolled fury, were now clear and calm.
With some hesitation, Gerd loosened his grip.
The giant bear, now free, pushed him hard, but did not attack. Instead, he began to fidget, growling at the Skellige soldiers around him.
Gerd tensed again, ready to pin the animal down again. Bill had clearly not yet fully regained his senses and seemed to be still dominated by his baser instincts.
However, what Bill did next surprised everyone.
The confused bear was growling and baring its teeth at Gerd and the soldiers, but its body was leaning toward Lann, as if searching for the hand that had touched its forehead moments before.
It was a disconcerting sight. On the one hand, it displayed a menacing ferocity, but on the other, it maintained a docile and submissive posture towards Lann.
Lann chuckled but avoided touching the beast as if it were a domesticated animal; after all, he knew the giant bear was actually a young man inside.
In a firm voice, Lann gave an order: "Go!" Pointing towards the ranks of the Vildkaarls. "Finish them off!"
...
Eist, protected by Gerd, climbed to a high place and, using his horn, led a coordinated counterattack. The witchers, with their superhuman abilities and magical signs, broke through the enemy lines, while Lann, flashing constantly, rescued allies and eliminated enemies at every turn.
The Vildkaarls no longer had the ability to resist.
When Crach arrived with reinforcements from Clan an Craite, the only job left was to clear the battlefield.
"Uncle! Lann!" Crach cried as he arrived. "What happened? Am I late?"
With a flash Lann appeared right in front of him, causing his guards to instinctively raise their weapons. Recognizing Lann, they lowered their weapons in relief.
"You're just in time." Lann replied, gesturing around. "The Vildkaarls ambushed us. We'll see the details later. Now we need to split up your troops to help with the wounded."
Just as Lann finished speaking, a heart-wrenching cry interrupted the conversation.
The soldiers formed a circle around the place where the crying came from. In the center, Eist stood with a grim face, accompanied by Lugos, who wore a mixture of anger and guilt on his face.
In the center of everyone's attention, a female warrior was crying inconsolably over Holger's lifeless body.
Crach looked at Holger's corpse in disbelief.
"That guy..." Crach removed his helmet. "He was unbearable, but you have to admit that he was one of the strongest pirate leaders on the islands. I was never sure I could beat him in direct combat during a boarding, and now he's dead... ambushed on the mainland."
Lann was silent.
"The Dimun clan will face turbulent times." Crach pointed to the woman crying over Holger. "That is Jutta An Dimun, Holger's niece. Since he has no children, Jutta is a leading candidate to succeed him."
