Capítulo 29: The Gwent Card
Geralt, trembling as he walked alongside Wayne through the dark corridor, was immediately greeted by Toruviel, the gatekeeper. Her solemn expression conveyed concern as her eyes scanned Wayne's body, and a sigh of relief escaped her when she observed that he bore no obvious injuries.
Separated by the corridor, they didn't witness the events firsthand, but the echoes of bombs exploding and the frantic roars of numerous monsters could still be heard, creating a chaotic and unsettling atmosphere.
The battle that took place there was obviously more intense than they had imagined.
Upon seeing Toruviel, Wayne left out the formalities and directly addressed the female elf leader, stating, "Toruviel, Geralt has sustained minor injuries; please allow the camp doctor to treat him."
He then gestured towards the two subordinates standing beside the female elf and added, "Furthermore, organize a group, take torches with you, and head to the location where I recently battled. Retrieve the corpses; the scent of blood is too strong there. If left unattended, monsters will likely gather once more."
Toruviel nodded when she heard the words, then turned to whisper a few words in Elvish to the elf marksman beside her. Facing Wayne again, she assured, "I've made the arrangements, Wayne. Let's proceed to the location."
Upon hearing Toruviel's words, Wayne wasted no time in exchanging further words. He promptly turned around, leading both her and the heavily armored dwarf warrior back through the corridor to return to the underground pond.
This time, the trio didn't venture forward in darkness; instead, Toruviel and the dwarf warrior held torches to illuminate the path, while Wayne, wielding a silver sword, took point to guard against any potential mishaps.
When they passed through the arch and came to the terrace of the pond, both Toruviel and the dwarf warrior couldn't help but gasp at the scene in front of them. On the semi-circular terrace at the exit, it was covered by a large amount of blood and served limbs, with thick stench of blood in the air, dozens of drowner's corpses lay densely scattered across the ground.
Judging from the sword marks and flame marks on their bodies, it was obvious that they were all killed by Geralt and Wayne. Toruviel, though briefly shocked, quickly regained her composure. Suppressing her emotions, she scrutinized Wayne more intently and posed a serious question
"Wayne, what are we going to do now?"
Wayne still didn't relax his vigilance. Although the fogler that attacked Geralt was beheaded by him, the area of this pond was not small, and he was not sure if there were other foglers lurking in other places.
Hearing Toruviel's question, he thought about it for a dozen seconds and said:\
"Retrieve the corpses of these monsters first. It's advisable to burn them; however, if you opt to bury them, ensure it's at a greater distance," Wayne instructed. "Otherwise, their bodies might attract subterranean corpse-eating creatures."
"In addition, get some more lighting tools. The other side of this arch bridge is connected to another area. You'd better arrange people to guard near the gate to prevent other monsters from rushing out from there."
"I want to check all the entrances and exits here, lest monsters will emerge from nowhere in the future."
The female elf nodded, taking Wayne's instructions to heart and was going to arrange for someone to finish it later. Speaking of which, Toruwell was still a little bit lucky at this time, If it wasn't for the coincidence that she encountered Wayne and Geralt, maybe at some point, the monsters pouring out here would cause huge casualties.
After about ten minutes, the elven sharpshooter came in with a dozen soldiers. They were first surprised by the large number of monster corpses here, and then under the command of Toruviel, they began to carry out the corpses one by one in an orderly manner.
In this era, burning corpses had become a customary practice. In the northern kingdom, it was common knowledge that leaving corpses untreated or buried in the soil would soon attract malevolent spirits, ghouls, scavengers, and other corpse-eating creatures from the ground, posing a threat to the safety of the people.
No one knows how many monsters live in the underground areas that humans cannot explore, and the light and burning flames can drive away those monsters to a certain extent.
This circumstance might be one of the reasons for the widespread influence of the Church of Eternal Fire among ordinary people.
However, considering that the smoke from the burning corpses might reveal their location, Toruwell ultimately decided to have the corpses transported to the depths of the forest. This way, the monsters could return to nature without drawing attention.
A dedicated group of individuals were busy performing their duties. It took less than half an hour for Wayne to fight, but three or four hours had passed after a group of them had dealt with the corpses and blood, searched the entire underground pond, and completely resolved the worries in this area.
As the day's work came to an end, Wayne bid farewell and continued organizing affairs. Toruwell, fatigued from the day's activities, returned to the camp intending to find Geralt. To her surprise, She saw this witcher sitting opposite a dwarf by the campfire, fiddling with something.
They were also surrounded by several elves and dwarves. Wayne approached to get a closer look. Observing Geralt, he noticed the witcher was swathed in multiple layers of bandages and a thick black padded jacket. Despite this, Geralt was engrossed in examining a set of intricate cards in his hands, deliberating over which one to play.
The dwarf opposite him also looked at Geralt nervously. The cards between the two were neatly arranged in six rows. Seven or eight ducat gold coins were stacked together and placed in the center of the cards. It should be their bet.
The enthralled onlookers eagerly watched the unfolding card game between Geralt and the dwarf, the excitement and anticipation palpable in the air. It was evident that this particular card game, Gwent, held great appeal for the spectators.
Seeing this scene, Wayne has already guessed what they are doing. They were playing Gwent. He originally thought that this kind of game hadn't been born yet, or even if it had been born, it was just a self-entertainment among a few dwarves.
The unexpected encounter with the widely circulated Gwent card game just after descending the mountain added a surprising twist to the day. It appeared to be Geralt's first exposure to Gwent, as Wayne reflected on their two years of companionship at Kaer Morhen, during which Geralt had never mentioned or discussed the game.
Seeing that Geralt was still hesitating about how to play his cards, Wayne also came behind him curiously, wanting to see what set of cards White Wolf was holding. But just casually watching for a few seconds, Wayne, the experienced Gwent gambling king, has already thought of how to win. However, this was a bet between Geralt and the dwarf. Although he knew how to win, he would not interrupt their interest at such a time
Perhaps due to the lingering scent of the drowner's blood on him, Wayne was noticed by Geralt as he drew closer. However, the White Wolf, currently in high spirits, merely glanced over and, upon recognizing Wayne, offered a casual nod. Geralt promptly shifted his focus back to the ongoing gambling game, displaying an untroubled demeanor despite the interruption.
Regrettably, in the Gwent card duel, success relies on a combination of skill, luck, and a robust deck, with personal will playing a minimal role. Despite Geralt's efforts and a few minutes of strategic struggle, his lack of experience and the dwarf's formidable Gwent cards led to his ultimate defeat. The ducats earned from Misha's entrustment were lost before Geralt had the chance to enjoy the spoils of victory.
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