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TWL Chapter 272: A Tale of Mermaids and Monsters
🕑 Added 2024-12-17 02:11:00 +0000 UTCAs Bill stared desperately at the dying siren, he saw Guslav out of the corner of his eye, wearing the emblem of the An Craite clan. He turned in his direction and then immediately fell to his knees, begging for the sirens to be saved.
Guslav, still reeling from the blizzard Lann had just summoned—a skill comparable to the most powerful druids—was barely able to respond. And besides, according to rumors, the Lion of Cintra was even more feared for his swordsmanship.
Face stern, Guslav pointed toward Lann. “This is the Duke of Cintra, Lann Lannister, cousin of Lord Crach.”
Bill turned to Lann and bowed again, beating his forehead against the ground as he pleaded incessantly: "Lord Lannister! These sirens mean no harm. She had ordered them to protect me..."
As Bill spoke, the witchers noticed something strange: the sirens, who had previously remained still due to the frostbite, now looked terrified. Their eyes reflected absolute panic, and they began to crawl, not caring about their injuries, struggling to get away from Bill, even if it meant getting closer to the witchers.
"Their reaction doesn't seem like they want to protect you."
Lann shook his head, looked around and said: "I've heard about you, and I won't say anything about your relationship with the mermaid. But look around you..."
Lann pointed his sword at various parts of the cave. "This is a siren lair. It's filled with blood. I don't care if it was out of love or some other reason, but as a human, your position must be with humans. These creatures have devoured people, and they must pay for it."
Bill remained kneeling, without raising his head. "No, my Lord. Since I came here, they have never gone out to hunt. On the contrary, there are fewer and fewer of them... They have not harmed anyone. It is the humans who attack them!"
Guslav's brow furrowed, and he looked at the young man in disbelief.
Lann also felt that something was not right. Bill's attitude was too frantic... Had he taken some kind of narcotic?
Kolgrim suddenly came forward and whispered in Lann's ear: "The blood on the ground is not human blood, but..."
Kolgrim subtly pointed at the sirens.
Lann froze and looked at Bill with a hint of understanding.
"We came from Fornhala. There we met one of your companions."
Hearing this, Bill's body trembled violently. Those words seemed to be a trigger for him.
"You saw the bear, right? Or let me put it more directly: you saw the Vildkaarls, right?"
Bill continued to kneel on the ground, hesitating for a long time, motionless.
"Raise your head." Lann ordered, frowning. "Look at me."
This time, Bill obeyed without hesitation. Looking up, he saw Lann's left hand emitting a white glow.
[Axii Sign - Delusion]
Bill's expression gradually became blank, while Lann's became increasingly serious.
"What's wrong?" Geralt stepped forward and asked with concern.
"There's something wrong with this guy." Lann frowned. "The magic power consumed to hypnotize him... is the same as hypnotizing a monster. No, even more, comparable to hypnotizing an ordinary witcher."
Geralt paused for a second before analyzing: "Could it be because of the mermaid? Maybe, like he says, these sirens are protecting him. Maybe the mermaid's magic gave him some kind of mental protection?"
Lann pondered for a moment. "It's possible... but such a spell is beyond the reach of even many sorcerers."
"It's not a question of power." Geralt replied. "It's a question of the type of magic. I've seen with my own eyes how a mermaid transformed her tail into human legs. That's something that not even the best mages can achieve. But that doesn't mean that said mermaid is very good at magic."
Gerd also chimed in with a theory of his own: "I remember that mermaids can hypnotize sailors with their singing, right? Maybe Bill developed mental stamina after spending so much time with the mermaid? Or was he born with this talent, and perhaps because of that he was able to attract the mermaid?"
Lann sighed thoughtfully. "Maybe..."
With Bill now completely hypnotized, Lann began to interrogate him. "What's your name?"
"Bill."
"Are you in love with a mermaid, right or not?"
"Yes."
Lann nodded and continued with his questions, getting unexpected answers. The information Bill provided turned out to be even more valuable than he had imagined.
...
Even if the world is cruel and life is difficult, fairy tales will always exist.
Bill considered himself a lucky man, a true protagonist of ballads and legends: he had met a mermaid and, most surprisingly, he had fallen in love with her.
He had not won that destiny through swords or heroic deeds but love often proves more captivating than force.
The mermaid not only filled his life with the charm of love; she also possessed extraordinary magic. Thanks to her powers, Bill was able to avoid the monsters that lurked near the coast, return each day with abundant catches, and, in the process, ensure the well-being of the other villagers.
However, fate took a tragic turn, almost following the rumors Lann and his group had heard to the letter. The villagers, fearful of the unknown, discovered the relationship between Bill and the mermaid and, believing her to be a threat, organized a group to capture and kill her.
Only the intervention of Bill, who agreed to take a test of honor, managed to stop the villagers.
The real turning point occurred in Fornhala.
"When we climbed the mountain, we heard a strange chant, like a hymn dedicated to the goddess Freya." Bill explained in a trance. "But their voices were higher pitched... and much more disturbing."
"Before we could get close enough to investigate, a huge bear suddenly appeared. It was the biggest bear I'd ever seen, but it moved with an agility that should have been impossible for its size. We didn't have time to react... or maybe even if we had, it wouldn't have done any good."
"In the first attack, I lost consciousness. Maybe some of my companions escaped... or maybe not. I never thought I would wake up again."
Kolgrim raised his eyebrows. "You mean that when you woke up, the bear and your companions were gone, and you simply returned to the village?"
However, under the effects of hypnosis, Bill completely ignored Kolgrim's question and continued narrating: "When I woke up, I found the bear holding me in its jaws. It held my arm gently... as if it wanted to take me somewhere."
"During the journey, I lost and regained consciousness several times. Finally, when I fully woke up, we were surrounded by a group of warriors. In front, a man was holding an oak staff. I assume he was a druid."
Lann's mind suddenly lit up. According to what Bill described, he had been taken to the Vildkaarls settlement, and not only that, he had seen its inhabitants with his own eyes!
"The druid told me that from that moment on, I too was a Vildkaarl and had to participate in their ceremony."
"They smeared animal entrails, honey and other substances on my body, which according to them was to attract bears. Then they made me eat a strange-looking mushroom. While shouting Svalblod in front of a wooden statue of a giant bear, they threw me into a cave."
At this point, even under hypnosis, Bill began to shake.
"There were three more people in the cave, also given up as sacrifices. They had all lost their sanity. Although the mushroom had stunned me, I still retained some consciousness."
"Soon, some huge bears were drawn to us. I have never seen so many bears together in all my life in Skellige."
"I took advantage of a moment of carelessness while the bears were hunting the others to escape. I ran back to the village, but the chief didn't even let me explain before attacking me with a harpoon."
"I didn't know where else to go. I just remembered that Shae'nira always told me that if I was ever in danger, I could come here. The sirens here wouldn't hurt me…"
The story ended there.
Lann exchanged glances with the witchers. This story was really too strange, but the amount of information it contained was astonishing.
Guslav gulped and spoke in a trembling voice: "Making believers eat special herbs and then forcing them to fight giant bears. In the end, the warrior is devoured by the bear, but the one who rises is a true Vildkaarl warrior... This is the birth rite of the Svalblod berserkers. Before, only the strongest of their tribe could perform this ritual. But now...?"
Lann finished in a grave tone: "Now, they are kidnapping common villagers from the mountains and forcing them to perform this ritual. That can only mean one thing: the Vildkaarls, or more precisely, the Svalblod cult, are desperate to increase their combat power. They are trying to mass produce berserkers!"
Guslav's eyes widened in horror. "Do they want to return to take revenge on the people of Skellige? We must inform Lord Crach as soon as possible... no, we must inform King Bran!"
Lann nodded firmly.
"We'll report it as soon as we get back. In fact, we came here specifically to investigate the Vildkaarls." He said, pointing at Bill. "And he can lead us to their hideout."
