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TWL Chapter 236: Triss's Visit and the Cyclops' Doom
🕑 Added 2024-10-17 21:03:42 +0000 UTCLambert began to explain who Old Spear Tip is.
"That's a Cyclops. It killed many of our apprentices and companions. I must kill it before I leave here!"
Lambert stood up suddenly and opened his arms. "We have never been sure enough to deal with it, because we are worried that it will cause more unnecessary casualties. But look at it now, there are ten witchers, two sorceresses, and a druid. Can't such a team deal with a Cyclops?"
"Lann of Cintra, you want us to go with you, yes. Kill Old Speartip, this is my condition!"
Lambert's impassioned words fell, and before Lann could react, the system prompt sounded immediately.
[Mission detected: Wolf's Revenge.]
[Even witchers have monsters they cannot face alone. For the declining Wolf School, the cyclops known as Old Speartip is one such monster. This creature has slaughtered too many apprentices, and the Wolves have not forgotten their vengeance. If you wish to gain their loyalty, first help them get their revenge. After all, for you, this should no longer be much of a challenge.]
Lann stood up seriously and, looking at Lambert, assured him: "For all those apprentices who died tragically, that Cyclops must die. I swear it!"
Lambert clinked his glass with Lann's forcefully. "Very good, Lann!"
Letho also expressed his attitude: "It seems that [Cyclops Decoction] has never been studied, and I don't know if its tissue fluid can be used to make any new poison. I am looking forward to it."
"Thank you, brother of the Viper School!" Lambert replied gratefully.
"It's not easy to hear words of thanks from Lambert." Geralt muttered in an ironic tone, but although his words were biting, his hand was shaking slightly as he held the cup. Clearly, he didn't want to miss the chance to kill that monster either.
The atmosphere at the table became livelier.
Vesemir suddenly remembered something and said to Lann: "Beyond the cave where Old Speartip dwells, there is a place we call the Circle of Elements. That place has a unique geography and is imbued with strong chaotic energy. The witchers of the Wolf School use it to strengthen their signs. After killing the Cyclops, you can try your luck there as well, Lann."
Lambert commented: "My Axii sign got an incredible upgrade. When I was first starting out, I ran into two bandits. One pointed a crossbow at me while the other searched my pockets. I used the Axii sign and got the crossbow guy to kill his partner. He then hanged himself from a nearby tree."
This effect made CoΓ«n, who is a member of the Griffin School, gasp when he heard it. Making the Axii Sign's hypnotic effect so strong that it could induce suicide without any resistance is something Lann can't do now.
By the Circle of Elements, it seems that Old Speartip is doomed to certain death.
...
When night fell and all was silent, there was a soft knock on Lann's bedroom door.
[Knock! Knock! Knock!]
Although the room's insulation was not the best, Lann had clearly heard the light footsteps approaching the door.
As soon as he opened the door, as he expected, Triss stood in front of him with a smile.
The sorceress's long, red hair glowed even in the darkness, reflecting the candlelight in the room and warming Lann's heart.
"I didn't come to see you during the day because I thought Ciri would miss you and you would need some alone time." Triss whispered, as if afraid of waking the others in the castle.
"Don't you miss me?"
"Ha, after all, I saw you in Novigrad and... we spent some time together."
"So you don't miss me?"
Triss smiled helplessly. "That's why I'm here, isn't it?" After saying this, Triss added: "In fact, I spoke to Ciri a little while ago. We chatted for a whileβ¦"
"What did you talk about?"
"About a lot of things. About our past, about how we'll get along in the future. I always wanted to treat her like a sister. She's smart, and as a royal, she knows there are some things that can't be helped. We talked at length, and in the end she asked me to come see you..."
Lann laughed softly. "Treat her like a sister? But I understand that her relationship with Yennefer is more of a mentor and apprentice... or even mother and daughter. And you're close friends with Yennefer... don't you think that complicates things a little?"
Triss playfully stomped on Lann's foot. "You are also a witcher, and you will live a long time. In time, you will understand that these things are more common than you think."
The banter ended there. Triss, hands on her hips, glanced down the dark castle hallway and then into Lann's room. "Won't you invite me in?"
Lann thought for a moment and said shyly: "The room is not well soundproofed and tomorrow we have to go out hunting a monster."
"Don't worry, I just want to make sure you haven't neglected your magic studies. We won't make much noise, nor will it take much time... we'll just chat a little..."
Lann stopped joking and quickly dragged her into the room.
The castle hallway went dark again, the bright red hair disappeared in an instant, and soon the soft slam of a door closing was heard.
Shortly after, an intense but controlled magic wave spread from the room, and all sounds faded away.
It seems Lann has learned a lot from Triss's magic lessons.
...
The next day, early morning.
Lann gulped down a potion of Tawny Owl, an alchemical elixir that restores energy and vitality during combat. As he did so, the bluish blood vessels around his eyes became visible, making him look paler.
Kolgrim, seeing this, asked intrigued: "Isn't it a little early to take a potion?"
Lann, who had raised the ability [Heightened Tolerance] to the maximum level, did not care about the toxicity of the potions, but he obviously could not explain this to Kolgrim.
After thinking for a while, he said: "You know I rarely use potions in combat. But this time I have no choice, so I want to get used to the effect, so I don't make mistakes later."
Without waiting for Kolgrim's response, Lann pulled back the hood of his Archgriffin cloak and mounted his horse, riding forward at the front of the group.
Kaer Morhen had not mobilized everyone: Ciri stayed behind in the castle, as a hunt of this level was still too much for her. Yennefer remained to continue Ciri's magic lessons, determined not to let the young girl fall behind in her studies.
Triss also volunteered to stay, and no one disputed her choice.
Although two powerful sorceresses were missing, the team was still impressive: two griffins, four wolves, four vipers, and the druid Mousesack. Given enough time, this group could conquer even a small or medium-sized kingdom without suffering any casualties.
The team continued along the mountain road to Kaer Morhen, gradually climbing.
They crossed a small hill on the edge of a precipice. From behind a rotten wooden fence, they could see a meadow covered in a thin layer of snow, a pine forest swaying in the wind, and a hill in the distance, shrouded in a light mist.
The mountain springs were beginning to thaw, and from their position the group could hear the soft murmur of flowing water. This stream was slipping through the gorge and joining a wider river.
"Today's journey is unexpectedly smooth." Vesemir walked at the front of the team. "For a few days now... no, more like a month now, the monsters in this forest seem to be full of energy. Many hybrid beasts that should be hibernating have gone haywire, and at night their hungry roars or screams of pain can be heard, disturbing our rest."
This topic has been mentioned many times, but this time it attracted Lann's attention.
If it were only in Redania or the Pontar region, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if the same thing was happening on the borders of Kaedwen as well and considering that the monsters' upheaval had only started a month ago, Lann couldn't help but worry.
This suggested that perhaps this was not a regional event, but something on a much larger scale. Even Cintra should be on alert.
...
In the sky, several black crow-like dots were hovering above the group, screeching irritatingly. However, if one looked closely, one would see that these winged creatures were human-shaped.
They were harpies.
Lambert, annoyed by the noise of the harpies, took out his crossbow, intending to aim at them, but these creatures knew that such a large group of witchers was not easy to deal with. They hovered just out of the crossbow's range, keeping themselves safe.
Lann let out a light laugh, turned his left hand, and pulled out a bow as tall as a person from his inventory. Drawing the bowstring tight with a teeth-rattling sound, he briefly took aim, thenβ¦
[Swoosh!]
The arrow shot into the sky at a speed barely visible. With a heart-rending scream, one of the harpies fell from the sky, accompanied by a swirl of feathers.
The annoying noise ceased immediately, and the sky fell completely silent. Lann spurred his horse and approached the harpy's still shaking body.
It was a terrifying creature. From the air, the curves of the harpy's body vaguely resembled those of a woman, but up close it was repulsive. Its face was deformed by a sharp beak, its head was completely bald, and although its wings were beautiful, its limbs and torso were like old bark, wrinkled and covered with a few scattered feathers.
Comments
Axell
Thanks for the chapter π
