Chapter 234 Ring of Bears
After contracting Bill as a follower, Lann already knew about Bill's talent.
[Natural Affinity], judging from the effect description, it seems to be some kind of spell-like talent. It's hard to say whether its strength reaches the level of a demonic source, but at least it gave Bill extraordinary mental resistance.
For the berserker transformation of the Svablo sect, the herbs and hallucinogenic mushrooms that affect the mind are a very important part.
In the records of the Skellig people, the berserker trials of Svablo's followers are as follows:
[His followers will drink the psychedelic concoction beforehand, and then go deep underground to reach the cave in the center of the great Skellige Island. . Once there, the bears in the cave will eat them alive. These cultists then take over and control the beast's body like parasites. When they wake up, they will turn into monsters that are neither humans nor bears. ]
This also ignores some details of the process. For example, the Wilka people will also fight with giant bears - although in the end, people will be swallowed by the giant bears. But the fighting process also has an impact on the subsequent Berserker transformation. After all, this thing has the same success rate as the Demon Hunter Trial, and it may be even lower.
The mental resistance brought about by Bill's talent is obviously of great help in this transformation of pulling against the giant bear's consciousness and occupying the giant bear's body. It was also because of this that he successfully became a berserker, woke up early, and escaped back to his village before the Vilka people "recycled" him.
At the same time, this kind of mental resistance is probably also the confidence that Bill can resist the mermaid's singing, so that he will not be confused like other sailors, or even jump into the sea and drowned - otherwise Bill may become Become food for mermaids or sirens, not lovers.
Of course, it is not ruled out that the mermaid named "Shvana" is a kind-hearted facial control who was attracted by Bill's other talent.
Unfortunately, no matter what the truth is, the mermaid named Shyvana is now dead.
...
"As soon as I returned to the village, the villagers rushed out, and I could only run to the cave that Shyvana had mentioned to me. Because Shyvana told me: If I have nowhere to go, I will go there to find it. Her."
"And Shyvana is indeed waiting for me inside. She is singing and smiling at the same time to welcome me back." "
But there are still sirens living there, and they don't like me. They have never liked me. Shyvana didn't like me from the time we were together, so they screamed and jumped on me." "They
probably just wanted to teach me a lesson... They would have done this before, to make me hurt a little bit. , shed a little blood, because they don't like me... and Shyvana will scold them, and then gently use magic to heal me..." "
But this time is different... this time I am delirious. When I saw After blood flowed from my body and I tasted fishy taste in my mouth, I turned into a bear and was no longer under control..." "
I first tore apart the siren who attacked me, and then Shyvana who wanted to stop me... Then the sea monsters, until they were afraid of me and stopped attacking me."
Bill wailed in pain: "And after I recovered my human form, I forgot all about it... Those herbs and mushrooms have been affecting me until just now It's just over..."
"I thought it was Shyvana who was angry, so she was avoiding me... I thought the decrease in the number of sirens was due to the villagers' hunting, to protect Shyvana and me..." "It turns out they were all
. It's because I..."
...
The demon hunters who had finished the battle gathered around.
They had enjoyed the battle just now, but at this moment, their hearts were filled with mixed feelings because of what the young man had told them.
They have seen too many tragedies like this: blood fratricide, lovers killing each other; whether it is intentional or unintentional.
But no matter how many times they have seen it, it does not stop their hearts from beating because of it, and they can express their sympathy for it.
Even if they are expressionless at the moment.
Lann sighed. Under normal circumstances, he would not mind giving his new attendant some time to adjust his mentality. But at this moment, the Skellige people around them who had just ended the war were full of fighting spirit and anger, and they really were not in the mood to wait for Bill to vent his emotions.
Fortunately, after the collapse, Bill did not let things develop in the most troublesome direction.
He wailed, holding his head, and looked at the corpses of the Wilkas. The self-blame in his eyes soon turned into unforgettable hatred.
"It was them, they turned me into a bear... If it weren't for them, Shyvana would not have died!"
Bill turned and bowed to Lan: "Sir, all my memories have been restored... even better than before. It will be even clearer than usual. Please let me take you to the gathering of the Svablo Sect, and let me help you completely erase this filth from Skellig Island!" Lann chose
. Eyebrow, this change of thinking is quite good.
But when he looked at the raging fire in Bill's eyes, he always felt that this young man might develop into the extreme situation of "killing the enemy and then committing suicide" in the future.
But even if what the young man is thinking about at the moment is really this kind of thing, Lann won't let him put it into action later. This is not a problem for Lann now.
"Then, according to the memory in your mind, take us to find the Svablo sect and the Wilka people." Lan said seriously, with a tone of entrustment, "We now have a relationship with them. The hatred that cannot be resolved."
-
After being contracted to become a follower, Bill's brain became clearer countless times. He didn't even need the sensory help of Geralt and other demon hunters. He found it after looking among the rocks a few times. The path he used to escape before.
Soon, a cave that looked like a giant's deep mouth appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
The entrance to this cave is quite steep. There is only a narrow rock path connected to the normal mountain road, which is just enough for one person to pass through. There is no vegetation around it.
The most important thing is that experienced mountain people can definitely judge from the traces at the entrance of the cave that there is a bear inside.
This makes ordinary people even less likely to want to get close to this cave.
But for Lann and others, it means: they have found the right place.
East frowned and looked at the narrow rock passage. A thousand-man troops would be seeking death if they tried to pass through this level of terrain. The Wilkas only needed a dozen people to guard the entrance of the cave.
"According to these traces around, this is the base camp of the Svablo Sect." East pondered, "This kind of terrain is an advantage for them with a small number of people, but for us who are encircled and suppressed by a large army, But it is fatal. Maybe we need to disperse the people and try to find other entrances."
Even so, everyone knew that such hope was slim. The Svablo Sect was able to choose this place as a hiding place for decades, and they must have considered the possibility of being discovered in advance. There may be an escape path, but it will definitely not be a spacious terrain that can allow the army to pass.
Lann looked at it for a while and suggested: "Why don't you let me go in first to conduct reconnaissance? You all know my abilities. If there is an ambush in the Welka people, I can run out at any time." "
And At the same time, the troops can also try to find surrounding paths again, a two-pronged approach."
East thought of the two skills [Teleport] and [Flash] that Lan had already demonstrated, and reluctantly nodded.
Now Lann can no longer be treated as a conventional combat unit. East even suppressed his idea of letting Lan bring a few guards with him, because he now knows-let the guards go with him. Going with Lan En might actually be a drag.
But he still habitually warned: "Be careful."
Lan En nodded with a smile, turned around and estimated the distance between himself and the cave, and then his body emitted an emerald light and disappeared in the original place. land.
Then there was a flash of golden light at the entrance of the cave, and then it disappeared into darkness.
Asking the demon hunters to keep an eye on the movement at the entrance of the cave, East shook his head and turned around, preparing to arrange his men to find another exit.
However, before the reconnaissance team could set off, the emerald light lit up around him again.
Lan emerged from it with a strange look on his face.
East asked quickly: "What's wrong? Are you in danger?"
Kratz followed suit: "What's the terrain like inside? How many enemies are there? Have they discovered you?"
Facing the two people When asked, Lan sighed: "There is no danger..."
"Not even enemies."
"But I do need a little support. There are a few injured people inside, and there are some things that may need to be brought out."
...
Although Lann had already stated that there were no enemies inside, for safety reasons, East and Kratz still brought their own escorts. Jutta Ann Diemen was not willing to fight with the soldiers who followed the Diemen family. Go together.
Naturally, the witchers and Bill cannot be absent.
Entering the entrance of the cave, you are greeted by a fishy stench. Unlike the giant bear after the transformation of Velka Berserker, this stench is the smell of a real bear.
The entire cave was dark and damp. The rock walls were covered with moss and some unknown spiked vines, and the ground was littered with broken bones.
In the center of the cave is a terrifying statue of a god, dripping with blood.
Surrounding the statue were three naked and unconscious young men with horrific wounds on their bodies that had been simply bandaged.
Lan pointed at the three young men: "This is why I want to provide support."
East quickly directed several soldiers with medical experience to step forward. At the same time, he himself stepped forward to check on the conditions of these young people, and then revealed An incredulous expression.
"They are... Druid apprentices. I have seen them in the Druid Circle before." East couldn't believe what he saw.
What he said also surprised everyone present.
Kratz looked at the blood dripping on the statue and the three druid apprentices who were obviously used to provide blood: "The Svablo sect uses druids to perform blood sacrifices? They are so brave!"
Drew Yi's status in the Skellige Islands is not low, and the Warlock Brotherhood's status in the hearts of the kings of the mainland during its heyday was not as good as the status of the Druid in the hearts of the Skellig patriarchs. Because druids are knowledgeable and at the same time truly not greedy for politics, no matter how crazy or foolish the patriarch is, he will show full respect when treating druids.
Unexpectedly, the Svablo sect actually captured the druid as a blood sacrifice.
After Kratz finished scolding the Svablo sect, he hurried forward to check on these druid apprentices.
Fortunately, we found that they were still breathing.
"We need to send them back to the Druid Circle for treatment as soon as possible." Kratz said decisively.
While the soldiers were simply treating the injuries of these druid apprentices, Lan was explaining to everyone the results of his recent investigation.
...
"This cave seems to be divided into two levels. We are now on the second level. Apparently, after finding a natural cave, the Wilka people also used manpower and even magic to repair these places artificially." Lan introduced to the group. According to the results of his recent investigation, "The Wilka people should all live on the first level, and this level is where they train berserkers." "Or...
" Lan pointed to several places in this huge cave, " This is where they 'produce' berserkers."
On the edge of the huge cave, several smaller artificial caves were dug out for living. But there are no people in these caves used for living, but bears.
Or rather, little bear.
Several small black dumplings with round heads were crowded inside, separated from the outside world by solid and spiky vines, looking curiously at the demon hunters outside.
"The cub of the Skellig giant bear? No..." Kratz exclaimed, "The Wilka people are breeding giant bears to mass-produce berserkers? No wonder they can pull out so many berserkers in one go. , I almost thought they captured all the giant bears in the archipelago, but I didn’t expect it to be like this..." "But
these are Skellig giant bears. They cannot be bred. Every one of them is How could the overlords of their respective territories be like this..."
Facing Kratz's question, East pointed to the center of the cave and diverted everyone's attention there.
"If it's there, everything is possible," East said.
In front of you is a half-human, half-bear statue. The person who made it is really skilled in craftsmanship. The muscle texture and hair layers on it are almost clearly visible. There are also several blood grooves reserved for the flow of blood. Obviously, this statue is also suitable for occasions that require blood sacrifice.
East stepped on the ground under his feet and explained: "With the existence of the statue, it seems that this is indeed the hiding place of the Svablo sect." "
I have seen the collection of books in the family. The place under our feet should be It is a place called the 'Ring of Bears' by the Welka people. When they hold berserker trials, they will use special methods to gather all the surrounding giant bears here, and let the warriors fight with the giant bears." "
This It is a unique ability mastered by the Svablo Sect. Now it seems that they have gone one step further on this basis. After summoning the giant bears, they did not fight with them, but trapped them here in captivity, and..."
East slowly walked towards the cubs who looked at him and others curiously. The cubs of these beasts were not afraid of people at all and seemed to be accustomed to their existence.
But what East cares about is not these bears, but the thick and hard vines with spikes that trap them inside.
"These should be spawned by the natural magic of druids. You must know that druids can tame pterodactyls and have unique breeding techniques. Coupled with the unique skills inherited by the Svablo sect, breeding giants It's no surprise that the bear is there."
After hearing his uncle's explanation, Kratz showed an expression of sudden realization. Although he is also the leader of the clan, when it comes to these secrets and other knowledge, his knowledge is still far inferior to that of East.
"Yes, Druid!" Bill, who had been behind the crowd, suddenly exclaimed, attracting everyone's attention.
"When I was kidnapped, a druid appeared! I will never admit my mistake!"
Everyone looked at Lann.
Lann shook his head: "I just explored everything here, and there is no one here anymore."
Gede immediately seemed to let out a breath: "In other words, we still let them run away this time, and we were not able to completely Annihilate the Swablo Sect?"
As soon as these words came out, before East and the others could react, the Dimen family and Bill, who were intent on revenge, were already gritting their teeth. They were holding on for breath just to avenge the Svablo sect.
Lan once again shook his head: "The situation is not so unbearable... I observed the size of the upper-level Wilka living area, and it was only enough to accommodate a hundred people at most. In other words, the Wilka we defeated in the previous battle People may be all their warriors - unless there are other secret gathering places of the Wilka people in this mountain."
East nodded and affirmed: "Then let's search this place again to see if there are any missing ones. clues, and at the same time send out people to see if there is a gathering place for the Wilka people, and we must find the fallen druid who escaped." As he said that,
East looked back and looked at the three people who had been simply The Druid apprentice who dealt with the injury said: "I even suspect that these apprentices were captured by the fallen Druid."
...
It has always been East who has been giving orders. There is no problem. After all, East has the highest seniority, the most prestige, and the most experience. He can also mobilize the most resources in Skellige.
Lann and Kratz will also make up for the mistakes from time to time, and East is also willing to accept the correct suggestions from the two juniors.
But this time, when East gave the order to search the residence of the Wilka people and continue to search for the druids, Kratz made an expression that was hesitant to speak.
East obviously noticed, and he attached great importance to the suggestions that his nephew might have: "Kratz, do you have any ideas?"
Kratz took off his helmet and said hesitantly: "Uncle, let's encircle and suppress the Svablo sect. Just to support you in becoming a king, right?"
East nodded matter-of-factly, not knowing why Kratz would ask such a question.
"If it is true, as Lan said, that your previous battle has killed all the Wilkas, leaving only one fallen druid, then the Svablo sect has actually been destroyed, right? "
If that's the case, I think the Druid is no longer important."
"You have now defeated the other opponents and can be crowned."
(End of this chapter)