NOVEL SIMPLE 212. Pale Widow.
The weary Allen was still unaware. Because of Radek and Bogdan, the two mage apprentices, he and Vesemir had once again become the targets of Ban Ard mages. To avoid getting involved in the troubles surrounding the king's death. After leaving Toussaint, they galloped on horseback.
Along the way.
Apart from bypassing Ard Carraigh, the two witchers changed their usual habit of accepting contracts while traveling. They didn't take on any contracts and, with the two mage apprentices in tow, never entered large towns, only making brief stops in small rural villages.
After a quick overnight rest and some fresh supplies, they hurried day and night toward the southern border of Kaedwen. The patrols they encountered along the way, the cautious nobles and overseers in the villages, and the rising prices of food...
All confirmed that Vesemir and Allen's concerns were justified.
In fact.
Just two days after they left Toussaint, checkpoints and cities around Ban Ard were put under lockdown. Armies were stationed around the cities, and patrols were set up in places that were harder to seal off.
Had Allen and Vesemir been just a day or two late leaving Toussaint, they would have likely been captured and brought back to Ban Ard.
Thus.
What should have been a journey of at least a month took Vesemir's group less than ten days, and they reached the border between Kaedwen and Upper Aedirn...
The largest river in the North – the Pontar River.
-------------------
The weather warmed, and the ice and snow began to melt.
The Pontar River, originating from the towering Blue Mountains, was in the midst of the spring flood season. Its turbulent waters crashed against the rocks along the riverbanks, splashing into white foam.
From a distance.
The entire river looked like a white ribbon.
"We've finally left Kaedwen!"
Radek looked at the rushing waters below the cliff behind them, using his free hand to brush aside strands of his hair that had fallen in his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah, we can finally relax!"
Bogdan also glanced back, but the towering cliffs made his legs tremble with fear. Startled, he quickly moved closer to the inner side of the path.
"Are you trying to die?"
"We may have left Kaedwen, but nature's power is no less dangerous than a human army!"
"Stay alert and watch where you're going! We're still on a cliffside!"
"One small mistake, and no one will be here to collect your bodies!"
Vesemir angrily shouted as he led his horse. Radek and Bogdan, though scolded, weren't offended. They scratched their heads, giving a sheepish grin, and quietly followed the two witchers with their horses.
Allen saw the two mage apprentices make faces behind Vesemir's back and gently shook his head. Vesemir's words may have been harsh, but he didn't truly have a problem with the two mage apprentices.
Radek and Bogdan, though born into noble merchant families and raised in luxury. Their bodies, which had been unaccustomed to such intense travel, were clearly struggling. But, understanding the gravity of the king's recent death, they hadn't slowed the group down, nor did they complain during the journey.
On the contrary.
To help the group move faster, they had been quite thoughtful, offering assistance to Vesemir and Allen whenever possible. This had allowed the four of them to gradually grow closer. A few playful faces and jokes were no big deal. It wasn't just the two mage apprentices either. Having left Kaedwen, Allen also felt much more at ease.
"Master Vesemir, how did you know about this hidden path?"
After walking for a while, the talkative Radek couldn't help but ask. The well-known route from Kaedwen to Upper Aedirn was actually just one. That was through Kaedwen's Ban Gleann Fortress, crossing the Pontar River.
But clearly.
They weren't taking that route.
In fact.
They had emerged from a well-hidden cave, far from Ban Gleann.
"Why do you care?"
Vesemir rolled his eyes, annoyed. But a few seconds later, he still explained on his own: "Decades ago, this used to be a nearly public smuggling route."
"Dwarves, elves, humans—they all used this path to smuggle contraband..."
"And what happened next?" Radek, clearly a good listener, asked, "How did the path get abandoned?"
Vesemir stroked his beard, thought for a few seconds, and waited until they reached a more open area before answering: "Because a cyclops came to the cave we just passed through."
At that, Vesemir paused and glanced at Allen. Allen was puzzled when Vesemir looked away and continued: "The cyclops' name was Old Speartip."
"Old Speartip? Cyclopes have names?" Radek scratched his head.
Vesemir didn't answer that question.
"Of course..."
"That wasn't the main reason. That cyclops was soon dealt with by a group of witchers..."
"Dealt with? They didn't kill it?" Bogdan caught on to a key point and interrupted Vesemir.
"No, they didn't. The witchers took Old Speartip back to Kaer Morhen..."
Vesemir shook his head, looking somewhat complex as he glanced at Allen, who was diligently leading his horse: "But of course, that cyclops eventually died!"
"Was it Master Vesemir who killed it?" Radek asked curiously.
"Uh... no," Vesemir shook his head, "But you two do know the person who did..."
We know them?
Radek and Bogdan exchanged puzzled looks. Vesemir didn't keep them guessing for long: "It was Allen!"
"Allen killed Old Speartip during his trial!"
Huh?
Radek and Bogdan exchanged glances once more.
The creature that had terrorized the smuggling route for decades was killed by a witcher who looked barely older than a teenager?
Could it have been another witcher with the same name?
That was their first thought. But then they remembered Vesemir saying it was a witcher they knew. Their minds, accustomed to being the class dunces at Ban Ard, were struggling.
"Allen, was it really you who killed that cyclops called Old Speartip?" Bogdan asked in disbelief.
Allen nodded slightly: "Yes, I killed it, though I did use some tricks."
Oh, my God!
It really was Allen who killed it!
Though they had both seen Allen kill two large monsters before. Facing unfamiliar monsters is different from fighting creatures they know well.
The creatures in the arena, though they looked formidable, seemed less impressive after Allen toyed with them and killed them, making Radek and Bogdan think those large monsters weren't as strong as they'd imagined. But a cyclops was different.
Cyclopes were monsters they'd heard about since childhood. Aside from dragons, they were the most common creatures featured in knights' tales. And Ban Ard Academy had courses on monster studies that specifically covered cyclopes.
Now.
The "hero" from their childhood books who killed a cyclops was standing right in front of them, and they found it hard to believe.
And to kill it during his trial?
Allen wasn't even a fully-fledged witcher at the time!
Feeling the heated gazes of Radek and Bogdan, Allen, though secretly pleased, was mostly embarrassed, and goosebumps ran all over his body. So he shifted the topic and asked: "And then, Master Vesemir?"
"Since the Old Speartip was brought to Kaer Morhen by the Witchers of the School, why was this place abandoned?"
Vesemir, holding the reins of his horse, looked at Allen's awkward expression with a smile. After several seconds, he finally said: "Because Henselt rose to power."
"He began targeting dwarves, elves, gnomes, and all other non-human races."
"Using prophecies about the non-humans bringing blood and fire, he incited hatred among Kaedwen's peasants toward these others..."
"And at that time, the smugglers who used this path the most were dwarves, followed by elves, all groups hated by Kaedwen."
"After a few attacks by Kaedwen's mobs on them, fewer and fewer people dared to use this route."
"Then Kaedwen and Aedirn intermarried, easing tensions, and human merchants were allowed to pay a small fee to pass through Ban Glean to Kaedwen normally..."
"After that, it seemed like there was some internal conflict among the non-human smugglers as well..."
"Over time, fewer people came through this path."
Vesemir sighed, seemingly recalling some past events, and shook his head.
"When fewer people travel, monsters increase, and with the narrow and dangerous roads, naturally, no one dares to use it."
After Vesemir finished speaking, Allen and the other mage apprentices all fell silent. In the air, there was only the clatter of horse hooves and the faint roar of the Pontar River.
In the world of Witchers, there's no saying that death is the ultimate tragedy. Though Henselt seemed like a villain in Vesemir's words, Radek and Bogdan, being human, naturally didn't sympathize with the hated non-human races.
Vesemir's story, though told calmly, was filled with bloodshed—whether it was about the "hatred toward non-humans" or the "internal conflict among smugglers."
It left everyone unsure how to respond. They continued to walk for another three or four hours, until the spring sun began to set. After passing through a narrow mountain crevice, Vesemir's group, holding the reins of their horses, reached a three-way junction.
"We're almost there!"
Vesemir wiped the sweat off his face, took off his wide-brimmed black hat, and fanned himself. He pointed to the widest of the three roads.
"If we follow this road, we'll reach the main road before dark. After that, it won't take long on horseback to reach Vergen."
Vesemir put his hat back on. He glanced back at Radek and Bogdan, whose pale faces were covered in sweat, with their hair stuck to their scalps, and asked: "Do you want to rest for a bit or keep going?"
He wasn't a demon, after all. They had been pushing forward to quickly leave Kaedwen, and the previous mountain path was too narrow and dangerous for resting. Now that it was safe, he didn't mind giving their small clients a break and stopping for a bit.
Vesemir didn't ask for Allen's opinion either. Though Allen looked in worse shape than Vesemir, the brief break during their conversation was enough for him to mostly recover. Radek and Bogdan exchanged glances, seeing their disheveled appearances, and couldn't help but laugh.
Radek looked at Vesemir: "Let's keep going. I want to rest on a soft bed when we reach Vergen!"
Bogdan nodded in agreement.
"Alright," Vesemir nodded, "but the only inns in Vergen are run by dwarves. The beds there aren't soft."
Vergen was an ancient city, originally established as one of the mining colonies of Mahakam. Therefore, most of the residents were dwarves. Of course, there were other non-human races and some humans living there as well, though they were few in number.
Dwarves, who had a passion for mining, preferred to sleep on hard beds. They believed they could feel the breath of the Earth Mother through them, and they were quite stubborn about it. So, for other races, especially humans, dwarf inns were not exactly comfortable.
"Doesn't matter, as long as we can find a place to rest!"
Mustered by the last remnants of his energy, Radek eagerly pulled his horse ahead of the Witcher. Vesemir was momentarily stunned, then smiled and shook his head as he followed along. However, they hadn't gone far when...
"Bzzz~"
"Bzzz~"
The medallions worn by Allen and Vesemir suddenly began to hum.
"Clang~"
The silver swords were unsheathed.
"Be careful!"
Vesemir shouted, releasing the reins and sprinting ahead with his sword drawn, positioning himself in front of Radek. Allen's eyes narrowed as he also let go of the reins and moved to shield Bogdan. Both Witchers extended their right hands simultaneously.
With their thumbs and index fingers slightly bent, they traced a triangle in the air before them.
Two golden protective shields materialized, enveloping the Witchers and the mage apprentices.
Radek and Bogdan instinctively backed up, complying with the Witchers' defense.
Though the Witchers hadn't taken on any contracts during the journey, they had encountered monsters more than once, so the two mage apprentices were already familiar with how to cooperate with them.
"Rumble~"
Amid the humming of their medallions, the ground began to shake. It felt like some colossal creature was approaching, closing in rapidly. Yet, despite their wide-eyed vigilance, neither Allen nor Vesemir could spot any monsters in their surroundings.
The horses neighed in panic, and the four mares, startled by the sudden vibrations, bolted in different directions. However, neither the Witchers nor the mage apprentices had the energy to worry about retrieving them.
"Is it invisible?"
In his confusion, Allen had a thought. The Mirage Pearl was useful for breaking through illusion-type invisibility, but ever since absorbing that dead Mirage Pearl, Allen's own had not fully recovered. It was still unusable. However, Allen wasn't limited to just that one trick.
Communicating with his Wolf Medallion, he quickly detected something. His gaze shifted downward.
Four dim yellow auras suddenly appeared beneath the soil. By the time he noticed, they were already close to the group's feet.
"Watch out! The monsters are underground! Four of them!"
Allen barely had time to shout the warning before retracting his shield and diving toward Bogdan.
"Boom!"
With an explosive sound, four human-sized creatures burst from the ground. It was as if a bomb had detonated, sending dirt and stones flying everywhere in a cloud of dust.
"Screeeech—"
A strange, high-pitched screech echoed out. Black-backed and white-shelled, the multi-legged creatures looked like giant centipedes, stabbing into the ground like spears. Their mantis-like forelimbs gleamed with a chilling, sharp light, slicing wildly like blades.
"They look familiar!"
Allen had another thought and quickly performed an identification.
[Name: Pale Widow]
[Level: 47]
[Attributes: Strength 51, Agility 24, Constitution 96, Perception 41, Mystery 32]
Pale Widow?
Allen was shocked.
Wasn't this the monster found in the Valley of the Nine in Toussaint, in that secret laboratory where Witchers underwent the second mutation in the game?
....…
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