Bab 237: 238. The Wild Hunt and the Ants.
The Wild Hunt?
Allen's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition gripped him. He exchanged a grave glance with Vesemir.
"Mary, wait here…"
Without looking back, Allen urged her, and the two witchers focused their magic, activating their Quen shield, and rushed out of the tavern.
"Bang~"
As the door of the tavern swung open, a cacophony of shouts and cries for help flooded in.
"Buzzing~"
The buzzing of the school emblem grew more intense, as if it were about to leap from his chest into the air.
Just as Allen stepped outside, he hadn't yet spotted where the Wild Hunt was. A streak of icy blue light fell from the sky like a shooting star, landing in the bustling marketplace not far from the tavern.
"Be careful…" Vesemir suddenly shouted, his face turning pale.
The next moment.
"Boom~"
The wooden marketplace was blown to smithereens. The shockwave instantly shattered the light golden shields on Allen and Vesemir. Before Allen could react, he was hurled back into the tavern.
"Crack~ Crack~"
He crashed through five or six sets of chairs, smashing two deep dents into the oak bar before finally coming to a stop.
"Buzz~"
"Buzz~"
The bell tolled violently in his ears.
Countless images swirled before him, merging together, and his brain felt like a mushy mess.
After what seemed like an eternity, Allen finally tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth, remembering to breathe.
He gasped for air.
It felt as if someone was crying out, calling his name…
But all the voices were muffled, like they were coming from behind a layer of water, indistinct and disembodied, as if from another world.
After what felt like ages, the double vision and noise gradually lessened. Someone gently pinched his cheeks, and cold liquid flowed in.
At the same time, warm drops fell on his face. After a few more seconds, Allen felt a warmth in his chest, a coolness rising from his stomach, suffusing his mind.
"Pop~"
The sound of a soap bubble bursting echoed just as Allen surfaced from the depths of confusion, clarity returning to him.
"Allen! Allen!"
A dirty-faced girl, her eyes brimming with tears, clung to him, calling his name. Sparkling tears carved two dirty streaks down her round, chubby cheeks. His nose was filled with a faint, sour odor mixed with a hint of orange fragrance.
"I'm fine!" Allen struggled to sit up.
Every part of him ached. However, it was all within the realm of tolerable pain. He glanced at the crystal bottle beside him, which still contained a bit of green liquid, and patted Mary's shoulder, asking: "What about Master Vesemir?"
"What happened to him?"
He remembered that during the explosion, Vesemir had suddenly stepped in front of him, facing the shockwave head-on.
"Ah?"
"Ah!!!"
"Right… what about Master Vesemir!!!"
Mary exclaimed.
In a flurry, she retrieved another bottle of "Verdant's Sigh" from Allen's reagent pouch. Fortunately, this reagent pouch was given to him by Lady Vera, and none of the potions had shattered during the shockwave. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of a financial loss.
After all, Allen still had two bottles of North Wind in the reagent pouch…
If they had broken in the explosion, he didn't know if there would be another opportunity to change his class.
Mary moved aside.
Allen glanced around. The tavern was a complete mess, debris from wooden tables and chairs scattered everywhere. The double doors were now truly double-open. He could see the outside sky, but something seemed to block the tavern entrance, making it hard to see clearly. Then Allen turned his head, following Mary's gaze.
Vesemir lay weakly among the wreckage of the bar, his eyes vacant and dilated. Blood flowed from his mouth and forehead, a frightening sight.
Of course.
Allen estimated his own condition wasn't much better.
However.
He didn't worry too much about Vesemir's injuries. After a careful assessment, Allen knew Vesemir's vitality was as strong as ever. He was just a bit dazed from the shockwave.
After Mary approached, a dwarf who had been tending to Vesemir stepped aside: "Is Vesemir okay? Is he okay…"
Ignoring the significant damage to his tavern, the dwarf's concern was entirely focused on Vesemir.
It was evident.
This dwarf, known as Blackbeard, was indeed a close friend of Vesemir.
"Don't worry, Master Vesemir will be fine." Mary carefully opened Vesemir's mouth.
He swallowed the Verdant's sigh.
After a few seconds, the blood on Vesemir's body began to clot. As his dark golden cat-like pupils dilated and contracted, the witcher master warily focused his gaze. Seeing Mary and Blackbeard in front of him, he finally relaxed. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he hurriedly asked: "Al… Allen?"
"Is he okay?"
Before Mary could respond,"Hahaha, you don't need to worry about Allen, Master!"
The dwarf laughed heartily, winking and teasing: "This young lady was the first to cry and feed him medicine, not you, Vesemir…"
"It was this long-bearded tough guy who took care of you all along…"
"Aren't you going to say thank you?"
Mary's face flushed at his words, and after wiping her tear-streaked face, she lowered her head in silence.
"Get lost!" Vesemir scolded irritably. When he turned his head and saw that Allen had gotten up, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What about the two little ones I brought?" he asked.
"Don't worry, they're fine." The dwarf shook his head. "The tavern maid took them into the underground cellar; it's very safe there."
Only then did Vesemir feel completely at ease. Supported by Mary, Vesemir rose and wiped the blood from his face, looking out of the tavern.
Screams, cries, and shrieks echoed from outside.
The two witchers tuned their keen hearing but didn't catch any sounds of explosions or the clashing of swords.
Once the effects of the Verdant's sigh took full effect and his injuries had mostly healed, Allen and Vesemir exchanged a knowing glance, took a deep breath, and cast another layer of Quen on themselves. Then, the two witchers moved towards the entrance.
At that moment, Allen felt a tug at his sleeve. Turning around, Mary looked at him with pleading eyes: "Don't go, Allen; it's too dangerous outside."
"You don't have any more Verdant's sigh left…"
Allen glanced at Vesemir.
The witcher master was cautiously moving toward the door, seemingly oblivious to her words. Allen shook his head and said: "Someone has to go out and see what's going on."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Go to the cellar quickly; Yennefer and Clay might be scared…"
"We… we'll be back soon!"
With that, Allen dared not look Mary in the eyes, lowered his head, and hurried to catch up with Vesemir. They hadn't even seen their enemy yet…
In a tavern filled with so many people, could they really hide?
As for letting Vesemir go out alone while he and Mary hid in the cellar…
-----------------
Allen's face was a bit thin-skinned, and he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. Although he didn't want to die, he wasn't afraid of death either.
Otherwise, what would be the point of being a witcher?
Following Vesemir, the witcher master glanced at him, his amber cat eyes filled with a sense of appreciation. However, Vesemir didn't say anything more, focusing all his attention on the tavern's entrance.
"Buzz~"
The school emblem suddenly trembled.
Allen paused for a moment as a blue magical glow flashed over him.
"It's Aether's Water Shield…" he thought.
The young witcher was about to turn back for a look but decided against it, continuing to walk straight ahead.
A second later, Vesemir was also enveloped by the same glow. Vesemir turned back and said softly, "Mary is a good girl; don't let her down in the future."
After hesitating for a second, he sighed and advised, "Otherwise… you might as well stay."
Allen shook his head and remained silent. He cautiously followed Vesemir as they ventured outside the tavern.
At that moment,
"Bang bang bang~"
Heavy footsteps came from behind them. Vesemir turned his head, surprised, and said softly, "What are you doing here?"
"Hmph~" The black-bearded dwarf raised a war hammer and snorted, "This is my home!"
"If an outsider can go, why can't I?"
Vesemir remained silent for two seconds and simply said, "Be careful," without further persuasion.
"Rest assured!" The dwarf raised his heavy war hammer. "Have you forgotten? My hammer has crushed the toes of giants."
The three worked together to quietly move aside the blood-stained wreckage blocking the tavern's entrance.
As they stepped outside, they were stunned by the scene. There were no living beings at the tavern entrance—more precisely, there were no living beings at all.
Everywhere lay the corpses of humans and horses.
The once-bustling trade market had vanished, replaced by a cluster of ice taller than the gates of Vengerberg.
Allen, Vesemir, and the dwarf stood beneath the shadow refracting a rainbow of colors, feeling as insignificant as two ants.
A chilling air transformed into thin mist, making them shiver.
"By the beard of the dwarves!" The black-bearded dwarf's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "What… what kind of magic is this?"
He looked at Vesemir and whispered, "Vesemir, I just heard someone shouting… Wild Hunt…"
Vesemir shook his head, "I heard it too, but I haven't seen the enemy's appearance yet, so I can't be certain."
"Have you seen the Wild Hunt?" The dwarf asked quietly as he stealthily followed the two witchers outside.
From his chattering jaw and the whiteness of his knuckles gripping the hammer, it was clear he wasn't as calm as he pretended.
Vesemir shook his head. Seeing the dwarf was nervous, he initially thought to advise him to return. But recalling the dwarf's stubborn nature, he decided against it.
"I've never seen the Wild Hunt, nor do I believe that what attacked here was the Wild Hunt…"
"After all, the Wild Hunt is merely an elven legend!"
Vesemir shook his head and then raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
The dwarf nodded.
Then, he crouched and cautiously peeked outside.
There was no one on the street, only corpses and the enormous ice formations.
Even the cries of anguish and sorrow gradually faded away. For a moment, the entire floating port was filled with only the "whoo" of the cold wind blowing through the ice formations.
The chilling temperature combined with the eerie atmosphere made the dwarf's teeth chatter.
"Where's the Wild Hunt?"
Seemingly sensing the strange gazes of the two witchers, the black-bearded dwarf quietly asked.
"Unknown…"
Vesemir's expression was grave as he scanned the surroundings, but still, no one was in sight. It was as if the massive ice formations had grown there out of nowhere.
"Tap tap tap~"
In the subtle sound of footsteps.
The three men, alertly leaning against obstacles, scanned the entire floating port but saw not a single monster.
Let alone any flying steel knights or skeleton soldiers.
If not for the ice formations at the tavern's entrance, where terrified merchant porters were frozen, they might have doubted whether they had just experienced a daydream. Just as the three frowned in contemplation over what could have attacked the floating port.
"The Wild Hunt has left!"
A middle-aged man with glasses, walking calmly from a nearby building, announced. But from the dust on his face and the scuff marks on his clothes,
Allen could easily deduce that he had previously fled in a panic.
"Who are you?" Vesemir asked with a frown.
"Apologies…" The middle-aged man elegantly bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ernesto, a master instructor and lecturer in the Department of Mysticism at Oxenfurt Academy. Who might you be?"
"Witcher master Vesemir of the Wolf School…" Vesemir introduced.
"Witcher master Allen of the Wolf School…" Allen added.
"Owner of the Blackbeard Tavern, John Kramer…" the dwarf said.
Ernesto was taken aback by Allen's age but didn't comment further. After a brief self-introduction, the black-bearded dwarf impatiently asked, "Human, did you really see the Wild Hunt?"
"The knightly army riding in the skies, a harbinger of war…" The Oxenfurt Academy mysticism professor stuttered, "Yes, I saw it…"
"Are you sure that was truly the Wild Hunt?"
Vesemir stared at Ernesto expressionlessly, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.
Ernesto paused for a moment, then lowered his head in contemplation. After several seconds, he replied: "Theoretically speaking, I truly don't know if they are the Wild Hunt, but…"
He looked Vesemir in the eyes and continued, "Skeletal horses, ghostly armies, and blue-black flames…"
"At the very least, the skeleton knights flying in the sky are exactly as described in ancient texts…"
"I watched as they rode out of the void," Ernesto pointed to a certain spot in the sky, "as if there were an invisible door in the sky…"
"About three to four hundred knights swept over the floating port…"
Fearing the two witchers wouldn't believe him, Ernesto added, "Not just me, many people in the floating port saw it!"
The dwarf glanced at Vesemir.
Vesemir remained silent.
Ernesto continued his account: "Then, the knight holding a long staff, who seemed to follow the king of the Wild Hunt, appeared to notice us…"
"With a casual wave of blue light, they departed."
"Why?" the dwarf suddenly asked.
"Why what?" Ernesto was momentarily taken aback.
"Why did the Wild Hunt attack the floating port? After attacking, they did nothing and simply left?"
Upon hearing this, Ernesto fell silent for a long time. Until he noticed a line of ants passing by on the roadside, he instinctively said: "Could it be that the Wild Hunt's magic was like a child seeing an ant hill and randomly stepping down…"
"With no purpose, just…"
"Just because they have the ability to do so…"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into a long silence. No one wished to be an ant, yet no one could refute this conjecture. Until Allen suddenly spoke up and asked, "Professor Ernesto, do you know which direction they went?"
Ernesto was taken aback, then pointed in the direction Allen and the others had come from.
"To the east! They headed east!"
....…
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239. Is There Really Nothing We Can Do?
240. The Wild Hunt's Idea.
241. Family and Heroes?
242. Departure.
243. Don't Do That, Yennefer and Clay Are Still Here!
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