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TWL Chapter 273: Berserkers and Betrayals in Skellige
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 22:38:52 +0000 UTCLann stopped channeling magical energy into the Axii Sign, and Bill quickly snapped out of his trance-like state, looking around in obvious panic.
The speed with which he regained consciousness made Lann raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Where's your mermaid? You mentioned her name just now... Shae'nira, right?"
Bill prostrated himself on the ground, trembling, as if begging. "I haven't seen Shae'nira since I came here. She must have been scared away..."
"Don't lie. You know I can make you tell the truth, and you'll probably end up revealing more than I want to know."
Bill trembled more violently. "I really haven't seen her again."
Lann sighed, kicking the siren who was still struggling on the ground.
"Now that you have regained your sanity, you know perfectly well who you faced at Fornhala. They are enemies of the entire island of Skellige, and our enemies as well. I went to Egron's village to find you for that reason."
Lann continued, his voice persuasive: "And you are the only one who has reached their hiding place, so surely you can lead us back. As a guide, if you help us eliminate the enemies of Skellige, can you imagine the glory you will gain? I am sure no one will dare to harm your Shae'nira. Even King Bran and my cousin would be willing to help you."
Bill suddenly raised his head. His sunken, tired eyes seemed to shine for a moment. “Really…?”
Guslav rebuked him: "Are you suggesting that Lord Lannister would stoop to deceive you?"
Bill lowered his head in fear again.
Lann raised his hand to Guslav to stop him, then lowered his tone as he addressed Bill: "I don't need to lie to you, and I believe you have seen my ability. I can force you to take us there without even your consent."
"But I think you have potential. You have a natural talent, and I want to give you a chance. A chance to become someone intelligent, to regain your honor and dignity."
Bill shivered, as if reliving recent horrors. He dug his fingers into the damp earth soaked by seawater. Finally, he prostrated himself on the ground and declared in a loud, firm voice: "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Lord Lannister.
Lann nodded with satisfaction.
At his signal, Bill stood up. He hesitated before speaking: "My Lord, I must remind you that when I returned, my mind was clouded, and I fled in a state of confusion. I don't remember the exact route, I only have a vague idea."
Lann didn't seem to care, and his golden lion eyes gleamed slightly. "Wherever you went, you left traces. And with those traces, we can find the way to their lair."
...
There was no need to return to Egron's village. After Lann's promise, not even Bill wanted to return.
The group gathered at Crach e Eist's camp and told them what they had discovered.
"So what do we do now? Do we follow this lucky lad to the Svalblod cult's lair?"
Eist firmly shook his head. "No. The situation is much more complicated than we expected."
"At the height of the Svalblod cult, there weren't many berserkers. And after we killed a few at the party, I thought we were just clearing out the remnants of the cult. But now it's clear that's not the case."
Eist analyzed: "If they are able to create berserkers at this rate, they must have a method to control them. A giant bear alone could tear apart a squad, and if they were to fight as a group, the consequences would be unimaginable."
He turned to his soldiers. "They follow me in search of glory, but it is my duty to protect their lives. This is no longer a simple fight for the throne, but a matter that affects all of Skellige."
After some thought, Eist made a decision. "We need two experienced witchers to follow the lucky boy to locate the Vildkaarls' lair. In the meantime, Crach, go back and mobilize as many of your clan's soldiers as you can. If necessary, I will ask other clans for help."
Crach started to protest, but Eist held up his hand to silence him. "The throne is of no importance now. The safety of Skellige comes first. We do not know how many berserkers the Vildkaarls have created, or how long they have been planning this from the shadows. Even if the likelihood of danger is minimal, we must proceed with caution."
Crach could only nod solemnly. "I'll also be investigating how many people from the villages of Ard Skellig have gone to seek glory in Fornhala… or more directly, how many have simply disappeared."
Lann intervened, trying to reassure them: "Maybe the situation isn't that bad. Creating berserkers doesn't just require humans, they also need giant bears. Even though Skellige is big, giant bears aren't that common."
But far from calming down, Eist became even more serious. "No. Actually, I'd rather the Vildkaarls were just capturing villagers to create berserkers. Because if not... it would be much worse."
...
"Damn those Svalblod cult fanatics!" Crach slammed the table in fury, causing the inkwell on it to fly out and spill its contents everywhere.
Clan An Craite enjoyed absolute respect in the lands they ruled. So when Crach ordered an investigation into missing people, a host of soldiers quickly headed to the region's villages, working with tax collectors and local officials to count the inhabitants.
However, due to the limited time available and the limitations of the population registration system at the time, only a few villages could be censused. Many others, especially the more remote ones, or families that hid some of their members, were not included in the preliminary figures.
Even so, the result was already alarming: more than a hundred people were missing.
And these people were not old men or helpless women. The abductees were healthy, strong young men, men capable of supporting an entire household, and in an environment like Skellige, where martial values abounded, these young men were potential warriors ready to take up arms and defend their land.
In other words, Crach had lost a hundred potential soldiers, a significant blow even for one of the most influential clans in Skellige like his own.
But the situation did not end there. The tax collector brought with him even worse news.
Ard Skellig is ruled by two clans. The south is under the control of Clan an Craite, while the north is the domain of Clan Drummond, ruled by Madman Lugos. In terms of management, Crach is much more methodical and stricter than the chaotic Lugos.
Tax collectors working on the border between the two clans' territories shared a disturbing message: in Lugos' domain, the number of missing youths was increasing rapidly.
"The Svalblod cult has captured more younglings." Lann mused. "Or rather, they've managed to recruit more warriors."
"But there aren't enough giant bears in Skellige to make berserkers on a mass scale. And they can't mind-control ordinary people without restraint. If they could, they would have taken control of Skellige long ago."
Lann took a deep breath and added: "There is only one possibility, and it is worse than the manufacture of berserkers..."
Crach completed his sentence: "Human sacrifices!"
"If those people are sacrifices, then they are surely gaining some kind of power from them." Lann said grimly. "Before, they sacrificed the so-called weak. But now they are kidnapping young people of warrior age, which might please their dark god even more and grant them stronger powers."
Crach nodded firmly. "Uncle Eist spoke the truth. Right now, perhaps we should put aside the fight for the throne. This could turn into a catastrophe for all of Skellige."
Crach stood up and put on his bearskin cloak as he said: "Luckily, we discovered the enemy's plot in advance. I will gather the soldiers immediately. If we receive any more information…"
Crach was interrupted before he finished speaking.
[Knock! Knock! Knock!]
The sound of loud knocks echoed on the study door. The intensity was such that anyone would have feared the door would end up smashed.
Immediately, rowdy voices were heard: “Wait a minute! You can’t come in like that, please calm down. This is Lord Crach’s office...”
The guards seemed to be trying to stop someone, but the visitor was clearly not willing to wait. The urgency of his business did not give him time to follow protocols.
With a crash, the door was kicked open and flung wide. Geralt burst into the room, the butler running after him, making a futile effort to stop him.
“Something terrible has happened.” Geralt spoke immediately.
This caused everyone present to adopt a serious expression.
According to the initial plans, Lann and Crach were to be in charge of gathering troops and taking a census, while the bulk of the army remained at the base of the mountain. Meanwhile, Geralt and Gerd, along with Bill, had climbed the mountain to locate the Vildkaarls' hideout.
Nobody expected Geralt to return so soon.
“What happened? Did they find the Vildkaarls? Or did our presence alert them and they fled?” Lann asked.
Geralt denied both assumptions. “It’s worse.”
“The other claimants to the throne have learned of our movements and accuse us of withholding information as unfair competitors. Not only that, but they openly mocked us, claiming that we exaggerated the dangers to justify our wait at the base of the mountain.”
He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Because we were gathering troops at the base of the mountain, they are convinced that the Vildkaarls are hiding there. Now, in their quest to gain the throne, they have gathered large contingents and launched an attack.”
“Damn idiots!” Crach slammed his fists on the study table, causing the documents, quills and inkwells to fall to the floor with a clatter.
“Gather the troops, we’re leaving right now! We have to help those fools before they ruin everything!” Crach shouted as he headed for the door. He then turned to Geralt with a frown.
“Geralt, remind me, what clan are those morons from?”
“Our old friend the Madman Lugos, and a certain Holger, he was a guy with an arm with a strange skin color.” Geralt replied.
“The Faroe Pirates and Holger Blackhand of the Dimun clan!” Crach cursed. “That bastard is just as much of an idiot as Lugos and only thinks about pillaging and stealing!”
