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TWL Chapter 265: Echoes of Svalblod in the Skellig Mountains
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 14:50:53 +0000 UTCThe Vildkaarls are a group independent of any clan. They eat what they hunt and live only to kill.
More warlike than any islander, even the first mainland settlers formed their idea of the islanders from the Vildkaarls: barbaric, savage, bloodthirsty.
They have no wives or children. The only way for someone to join them is to abandon their family to devote themselves entirely to the war, thus joining their cause.
Therefore, more than a tribe, we could say that it was a sect, a religious order.
What's unknown to rest of the islanders is that they secretly worship the forbidden deity Svalblod and all the blood they spill is meant to be in sacrifice to him. The remaining priests of Svalblod submit Vildkaarls to trials meant to ensure only the strongest individuals pass and then recreate them into berserkers via ancient ritual.
After revealing his identity as Vildkaarl, Morkvarg continued: “After the Skelligers attacked and nearly wiped out our sect, only a few of us remained. We retained the essence of the Berserkers, hid ourselves, and waited for the right time to reemerge.”
Lann asked: “Where are they hiding now?”
“At the top of the Ard Skellig mountains, in a place called Fornhala.”
Gerd widened his eyes in surprise. “Before I left, I informed myself about the history of the Svalblod cult. If I’m not mistaken, that place is close to what used to be the main camp of the Svalblod cult. Are they really still there?”
Morkvarg muttered unconsciously: “That's where the Bear Circle is, where the Berserkers were trained. The Skelligers would never have imagined that we would return…”
Lann frowned and rubbed his temples. What was once hidden was now obvious.
Although Morkvarg had been trapped here for some time, he didn't know if the Vildkaarls were still there. Perhaps they had already moved on.
But since they had a lead, they wouldn't miss the chance to investigate it.
To be safe, Lann continued to ask: "Is there anything else we need to know, or what you want to say?"
"Help me lift the curse..."
Lann cut off the magic supply of the sign.
Morkvarg frowned for a brief moment, before reacting.
“What have you done to me? Damn golden-haired mutant, why...?”
Lann scratched his ears, then, looking at Gerd, handed him the sword Aerondight. “Do you want to try his immortality?”
Gerd took the sword with pleasure, admiring the golden glints of the runes.
The sword was swung with immense force by Gerd.
Blood splattered all over the cave, extinguishing some candles in the process.
The werewolf completely lost its vitality.
But instantly, his body began to burn, engulfed in flames of a ghostly green. When the flames died out, Morkvarg had completely disappeared, as if he had never existed.
Gerd looked at the place where the werewolf once stood, now without even ashes. “I thought I could get a werewolf decoction...”
With a sad grimace, Gerd pulled out the silver sword he had used to immobilize the werewolf, and after comparing it to the Aerondight sword, he sighed deeply before handing it back to Lann.
"I have another question... Why can you hypnotize even magical creatures like werewolves?"
The system's abilities were difficult to explain. Besides, Gerd was not yet a member of the Order of Witchers, so Lann would not reveal the secret of his Elder Blood to him.
After a brief silence, Lann gave a plausible answer: “I am from the Griffon school. It is normal that my signs are somewhat different.”
Gerd remembered the powerful Yrden Sign that Lann had used before, and his eyes showed thought.
Lann obviously didn't want to talk about this issue anymore and waved his hand to change the subject.
“If we don’t want any more trouble, we better get out of here quickly. At any moment, the newly resurrected werewolf could come and attack us.”
“Although he is not that strong, his ability to not die makes him quite troublesome.”
Gerd nodded. Gerd nodded. “It’s better to go. If even we have problems with him, a normal person wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Both witchers turned around, holding their swords ready. “Will you accompany us, mysterious sir, hidden in the shadows?”
Inside the cave, a brief silence reigned.
Suddenly, among several corpses scattered on the ground, a corpse suddenly trembled.
There was someone alive there, hidden beneath the remains of his fallen comrade. This man, covered by the corpse, had gone unnoticed by Morkvarg, whose senses were dulled by hunger and his mind confused.
With shaky movements, the man tried to get up, but the viscous blood on the floor and his own wounds made him slip several times before he managed to stand up.
"Praise Freya… Thank you, master witchers, for your help." The man stammered as his entire body trembled. "Please don't point your swords at me. As you can see… I'm just an ordinary man."
"An ordinary man would have no reason to be here." Gerd said, his face unchanging.
"Masters, my name is Einar." The man looked at the corpse next to him wearing similar armor, revealing a sad expression. "I am a devotee of the Mother Goddess, I came here to purge this impurity in her name…"
In a bitter tone, he added: "But I never imagined that the defiler's power would be so overwhelming. My companions fell to its clutches. I... am the only one left. It must be the Mother Goddess's blessing that protected me."
As they spoke, a howl of wolves echoed in the distance from outside the cave. This time, a low, angry roar was heard interspersed with the howls, indicating that Morkvarg, after his fiery death, had been resurrected again somewhere nearby.
Einar looked visibly nervous as he heard the sounds. "Masters, we must go! The defiler is immortal… He has come back to life again…"
But Lann coldly interrupted: "Didn't you come here to kill him? Why do you want to run away now? You yourself saw that the werewolf poses no threat to us. This could be your chance to fulfill the goal for which you came."
Einar was stunned, unable to respond. His body trembled even more intensely.
The howls outside intensified, signaling that the beasts were rapidly approaching.
Lann and Gerd exchanged a meaningful look and made a decision without words.
"Einar, right? Guide us out of here." Lann ordered in a firm tone.
The man raised his head, relieved. But what he saw was a raised hand, making a peculiar gesture.
A flash of white light flooded his eyes, invading his mind without resistance.
[Axii Sign - Delusion]
Lann, without changing his expression, asked: "Who are you really? Why are you here? What do you know of Morkvarg?"
"My name is Einar, son of Toradar. But outside of here I am known as Raymond."
He continued: "I used to be one of Morkvarg's men. I was out raiding villages, slaughtering women and children… It was my daily routine."
"But one day Morkvarg suddenly took us to capture Freya's temple and killed a large number of priestesses... Priestesses, even for me, this was too much."
Gerd sneered. "So you have your limits?"
The man, under the effects of the hypnotic spell, did not respond to Gerd and continued to answer Lann's questions.
"I had long grown tired of Morkvarg's behavior. So, during his celebration, I pulled out a treasure I inherited from my father: a necklace with a wolf's fang. According to legend, anyone who was hurt by it would be cursed. And sure enough, Morkvarg turned into a monster soon after."
Gerd showed a surprised expression. "So, it was you who cursed him and turned him into a werewolf? Wasn't it the work of Freya's priestesses?"
Raymond ignored Gerd's question.
Lann thought for a moment before asking. "Why did you return here?"
Raymond responded without reservation: "Morkvarg locked all the loot from our raids in a room in the temple, and after I cursed him, I hid the key. But I didn't expect the curse to make him so strong. I hastily escaped at that time and was unable to take the treasure with me."
"So this time you've come back to retrieve the treasures." Gerd summarized, then asked: "How do you break Morkvarg's curse?"
Raymond didn't answer, but Lann raised his chin slightly and ordered: "Answer his question."
"The curse can be broken if the cursed person comes into contact with the wolf fang necklace again. I have it with me right now."
From outside the cave, the howls of wolves could be heard growing ever closer, and one in particular, a roar that sounded both human and animal, stood out among the rest.
Gerd patted Lann on the shoulder and took a step back.
Lann understood his companion's meaning and stopped the sign in his hand.
The man, now conscious, blinked in confusion. As his memories came back, he understood what had just happened and what was about to happen.
He fell to his knees and began to plead desperately: "Please, masters! Have mercy! It is true that I lied, but I was the one who punished Morkvarg, who killed that bandit so that he would stop doing harm!"
"I am now a devoted follower of the Goddess Freya! I pray every day, preach every week, and donate every month…!"
A massive jaw emerged from the shadows, interrupting his pleas. Its fangs glistened in the dim candlelight.
The man let out a short scream and was dragged into the darkness.
Gerd's eyes glowed brightly. In the dim light, he could see the man's body rapidly disintegrating into ash inside the werewolf's mouth, not even having the 'honor' of becoming food.
"Faith, justice... whatever." Gerd muttered coldly, addressing the nonexistent corpse. "This is the fate you deserve for your actions."
