The Principality of Axia, also known as the "Principality of the Arc Coast", is a vassal state of Redania, one of the four major kingdoms in the north. It constitutes the northern coastline of Redania.
Not long ago, a civil war broke out in the Principality of Acosi between a duke and his daughter Helena Lange-Hall. After a bloody civil war, the baroness overthrew her father and was crowned duke.
"The Baroness had condescended to invite the demon hunters to join the righteous path, but the ungrateful mutants actually humiliated the Baroness. Damn usurpers!"
"Does the witcher think he can escape the Baroness's judgment by fleeing to this lair of pirates, bandits and criminals? Impossible!"
The deck beneath his feet shook even more violently, but Knight Chastek ignored it.
"Chastek..." A sailor seemed to have discovered something and called the knight's name in an attempt to alert him.
"The gods must have blessed our quest, allowing us to find the evil trail of Ged! It's a pity that we couldn't kill him on the Great Skellige Island. The damned pirates actually defended him and even killed Knight Charimir and half of our people!"
"Chastek..."
"What an honor it is to serve the most honorable lady! Anyone who refuses to serve is an unforgivable villain! A witcher whose humble mission is to hunt monsters is unwilling to kill the beast in human skin of the usurper. This is against morality and the rules of witchers, and he should pay the price with blood..."
"Chastek! The storm is coming!"
The sailors shouted in horror.
The knight turned, and the blow came like a heavy blow from the storm hammer on his well-maintained steel armor.
They didn't know when and how it moved. The small sailboat, which they had to use a telescope to see clearly just now, was now less than a hundred yards away from them. They could vaguely see a bald man in a robe and a big beard standing on it. The Chestack Knight had never seen such a fast sailboat.
[However, if the transport ship under my feet collides with the sailboat, the other ship will definitely be destroyed and the people will die. ]
As Chastek was thinking this, the next second he felt the small transport ship under his feet flying up.
He was confused:
"Why... is that sailboat still so stable?"
…
The sea was turbulent and the sky was gloomy.
The huge waves that rose up from time to time gathered in mid-air, like a giant hand that couldn't catch its prey, and it felt like one or two warships were missing in its palm.
This is the kind of weather that any experienced sailor or fisherman would not choose to go out to sea.
However, this huge wave seemed to have intelligence. It formed a circle and only wreaked havoc on the edges, while there were only a few ripples in the center of the wave circle.
Attis stood on his boat. The sails were bulging high, and the strong wind stretched every fiber to the extreme, as if it would be torn apart in the next second. But at the same time, the sea breeze also brought the speed of the entire ship to a speed that its structure should not have been able to achieve.
The fallen druid was meditating with his eyes closed, concentrating on controlling his natural magic. Suddenly, his ears moved and he seemed to hear a faint sound, which seemed to be screams and cries for help.
But he didn't care much: "Just think of it as a new blood sacrifice."
The Fallen Druid Attis sailed in the storm for another half day, until the wooden structure under his feet began to creak and shake, and he finally saw his goal - Udvik Island.
After Artis's feet touched the rocks on the coast, the small sailboat that had worked so hard finally broke its mast with a wail and disintegrated behind him. Vines connected the wooden boards, and it was obvious that the ship had already collapsed long ago, and had only been relying on the druid's natural magic to maintain its existence.
Kneeling on the ground, placing his oak staff in front of his knees, Attis began to meditate with a pale face, trying to restore his magic power that was almost exhausted.
It was not until the moon was high in the sky that he finally opened his eyes, and his face barely regained its rosy color. At the same time, the terrifying roar of a monster began to appear in the sky.
Looking up, I saw the sky filled with winged monsters with human bodies and snake tails. They had obviously smelled a living person and came to hunt.
Attis also showed a bloodthirsty smile at the right time, swallowing his saliva with a hungry look on his face: "Siren... hybrid beast... so beautiful!"
…
Half a quarter of an hour later.
Atis pulled the head out from the broken snake tail, chewed it with his teeth, and swallowed it. The blood and meat went down his stomach, eliminating the fatigue brought by a whole day of casting spells.
Along with the sticky blood, Attis took out the bright mushrooms and herbal juice that he had prepared long ago. Although he had just had a full meal, he still ate everything in his hands clean again like a hungry refugee.
Then he turned his gaze to the snow-capped mountains of the island.
Meditation restored a lot of magic power, but at this moment Attis did not use any magic. He held his oak cane, which had turned into a long stick, and walked step by step towards the snow-covered area.
Along the way, his robes were burned by the explosions of the Corruption Demons, his head was caught by the bloody marks of the swooping sea monsters, and countless monsters tore his robes and body along the way. However, Attis still used his combat skills to fight these beasts, saving his magic power like a treasure.
Until a huge cave appeared in front of him, and a huge figure appeared in the cave.
The wounded Attis smiled: "Ice Giant!"
He thrust his oak staff into the hard frozen rock, chanted a spell, and began to generate magical fluctuations around him. In a burst of blood-red light, his oak staff began to extend and deform, gradually turning into a wooden sculpture with claws and bear-like fur, and every line of it was covered with blood scabs.
Statue of Svablo.
The magic fluctuations attracted the attention of the ice giant, and the sound of a landslide echoed from the throat of an ancient being. Then, more frantic magic fluctuations began to surge from the giant body as if in response. The temperature around it dropped suddenly, and the prelude to a blizzard began faintly.
Even Attis in his prime was no match for the ancient beast before him—not even physically, and not even in spellcasting ability.
But the eyes of the scarred Attis lit up and a drunken smile appeared on his face.
"An unrivaled body, an innate ability to cast spells, a thousand years of unrivaled battle record, and the majesty of a king who commands the beasts of the snowy mountains. All of this is truly..."
“It’s so beautiful!”
The statue of Svablo, which was transformed from the oak cane, began to emit a terrifying bloody light, and a fishy smell surged painfully on it, and there seemed to be faint prayers and screams echoing in the air.
Attis knelt down and piously shouted in the midst of the snowstorm and the roar of the giants: "My god Svalblod!"
"Six hundred and sixty-six islanders with the blood of the hero Hemdor, one hundred and sixty-six of the most elite Welka warriors, thirty-three desperate berserkers under the rule of the archipelago, seven of the most devout believers who fed the bear with their bodies, and three druid apprentices who offered their blood full of magic, together formed a blood sacrifice for you."
"The betrayal at the family banquet, the chaos among the islanders fighting for power, and the final battle cry of the believers before their sacrifice, all just to please you, my God!"
The ice giant roared, and when he saw the little man in front of him, who was emitting a strong smell of blood, standing still, he strode forward.
"Although... a few berserkers escaped, which makes the blood sacrifice seem incomplete. But it doesn't matter. The seeds of faith have been planted in their hearts. They will continue to pray for you on my behalf and provide you with strength."
"I have fought all the way, hoping that my bravery alone can temporarily attract your attention. In the end, I will make the final sacrifice."
Looking at the big hand reaching out to him, one of the lines on the palm was longer than himself, and the terrifying cold air made people shiver even from a distance.
Atis smiled: "The final sacrifice... is me, the source of the devil."
The big hand closed, holding the little man in the palm. The arm was raised high in the air, and then it was released, throwing the flesh and blood down.
Faintly, one could still hear the fanatical shouts: "My God, Svalblod!"
…
All sounds were cut off by teeth as big as door panels, and the ancient beast made a swallowing motion, burying everything in its body.
Its sight shifted and it looked at the wooden stick stuck in the entrance of its cave, which just blocked its way out.
Taking each step that caused the ground to tremble, the ice giant was about to remove it like trimming a stone. However, at the moment when its fingertips touched the statue of Svalblo, an ominous light suddenly burst out from the wooden eyes of the statue.
A stench like a huge wave of blood and flesh rolling in a slaughterhouse with thousands of corpses bubbling with blood rolled in the cave. The rich blood light almost dyed the ice-blue rock wall red. Then the blood light detected the existence of the ice giant, and spread over its body like a conscious leech, drilling under the skin.
The ice giant began to scream, its voice was heavy and hoarse, as if it came from the abyss; its eyes turned red and emitted a violent light, as if it was going to burn everything around it.
The huge sound echoed for a long time in the caves, valleys, cliffs and coasts, and the huge sound waves disturbed the snow on the mountain tops, which were used to being quiet, and rolled down to form an avalanche. Countless birds, beasts and monsters panicked and disappeared in this scene that seemed like a natural disaster.
Finally, the sound became sharper and sharper, as if the rock had turned into a knife. The muscles and bones of the ice giant began to shrink strangely. Thunderbolts roared in the clear sky above the snowy mountains, as if some deadly plan was brewing.
…
In the dungeon on Little Skellig Island.
The three surviving berserkers were kept here under strict guard. However, the Skellige soldiers still treated them with special favors, because they were not real prisoners, and Lord Easter had even specifically instructed that they would be recruited in the future, but they were not easy to control now, so they were kept here temporarily.
After all, these "berserkers" were just honest farmers and fishermen. Although some soldiers who had fought against them might have hatred towards them, many soldiers also sympathized with them. The perceptive East selected a few people from each of these soldiers to serve as guards, and together with the sturdy iron cages that even siege vehicles could not blast open, they formed a prison to hold these berserkers.
They thought everything was foolproof.
However, today, the three Berserkers suddenly fell to the ground together, holding their heads in pain. They had been drugged in a psychedelic state, and had been brainwashed with long prayers. At this moment, those words suddenly appeared in their minds, even moving their throats and mouths, and they began to recite desperately.
"What happened? What happened to them?" There was a sudden panic in the dungeon, but out of fear of the Berserker's ferocity, no one was willing to go into a cage where three Skellige giant bears could appear at any time to check the situation.
At this time, two people appeared at the end of the corridor.
One of them was Bill, who looked depressed, as if the destruction of the Welka's base could not bring him out of the shadow. Accompanying him was House, who was ordered by Lann.
"What are you doing here?"
The guard, who was worried about the unusual movement, saw another berserker coming and his temper was not very good.
Facing the rude Skellige soldiers, House frowned slightly and protected Bill behind him: "We are here to deliver food and let my companion come to visit his fellow countrymen. After all, he will return to Cintra with us later."
After seeing the chaotic scene, House was a little anxious. He looked at the Berserker who was reciting vague syllables and asked Bill, "The three of them had problems at the same time. It can only be the Berserker's problem. Do you feel uncomfortable? Do you know why they are like this?"
Bill, who had become Lann's servant, shook his head: "I don't feel anything, and I don't know anything..."
…
On the island of Udvik, the ice giant that was undergoing a horrific transformation suddenly stopped.
The blood-red light that enveloped its entire body seemed to have a loophole, and it was unable to release the planned energy intensity. The wooden statue now looked even more ferocious, but it also revealed a sense of weakness.
…
After hearing Bill's slightly innocent words.
The Skellige soldier was anxious. He strode forward and tried to grab Bill by the collar, but he looked at House fearfully and just shouted, "You must know something! You are the same as them, tell me!"
Bill was stunned for a moment, and said very simply: "If they are mumbling something, why not just cover their mouths. It can also prevent them from biting their tongues..."
The soldiers were stunned for a moment and looked at the iron cage.
As if he had seen through their cowardice, Bill, who was also a berserker, shook his head again and volunteered: "I'll go..."
…
All changes on the ice giant came to an abrupt halt.
The light gushing out from the bloody oak statue shrank back like a frost-bitten eggplant, and finally faded and disappeared; the shadow above the sky dissipated, and the thunder and strong wind also subsided.
Only the avalanche caused by the roar continued, but fortunately, the creatures who had lived in the snowy mountains since birth always had their own ways to avoid natural disasters. Unfortunately, they still lost their homes, and now they could only look at the place that caused everything, the lair of the ancient giant beast, with trepidation.
The strange color faded from the rock wall, and this place turned back into the cave that had been cold for thousands of years.
The ice giant collapsed to the ground like a lumpy mud. After an unknown amount of time, its eyes suddenly opened.
Madness, confusion, hideousness, hunger, contempt, joy, fear, countless emotions flashed in these eyes, and the emotions shown in the left eye and the right eye were not exactly the same, as if multiple consciousnesses were fighting for control of the brain.
The ice giant held his head in agony and pounded it against the rock wall, as if trying to use the pain from the outside world to ease the pain in his brain.
Gradually, its screams became clearer, more specific, and even turned into syllables that could be understood.
"Oh my God! Swapo..."
"Oh my god, hiss..."
“My God…”
At a certain moment, the ice giant stopped moving and the pain receded like a tide, but the difficulties were not over yet.
In the dust of the collapsed rock wall, the ice giant was confused. It looked at the statue at the entrance of the cave, then looked at the vast glacier and sky outside, as if looking for something.
“My God…”
"god?"
…
"Gods bless you!"
A merchant ship raised its anchor, and several sailors held on to the ropes tightly to keep their bodies out of the icy water.
With a "clang", the body hit the deck. The sailors looked around and found that most of their companions who had suffered a shipwreck had miraculously survived - except for one person.
"Where's Chastek?" Among the people rescued, the only one missing was the knight wearing the emblem of the Principality of the Arc Coast.
"It sank as soon as it hit the water. That idiot was still wearing a full set of armor in the sea, looking for death..."
"No one tried to save him?"
The person who answered the question sneered: "Did you go?"
The sailors were silent, as if they had not expected that they would fall into the water in such a ridiculous way, and that they were being rescued by the Skellige people when they were about to go to Little Skellige Island for assassination.
"Wait, that's not right." An experienced sailor suddenly said, "They are not Skellige people, and this is not a merchant ship."
"There is not a single merchant on this ship. They are all very skilled. If they are guards, they are definitely not something a merchant can afford. They are definitely more elite, or even regular soldiers."
"This ship has a very shallow draft and has no cargo at all... Woohoo!"
The sailor's mouth was suddenly covered to prevent him from speaking.
The sailors who had just been rescued from the icy sea felt the cold around them getting even colder and began to shiver violently.
The "merchant ship guards" who "rescued" them looked at them unkindly. Then, the crowd suddenly parted, and a muscular figure wearing leather armor and a helmet slowly walked out.
The sailors from the Arc Coast held their breath because the other party had a very iconic emblem on his body, and the other party did not seem to intend to conceal his identity.
It was a black sun.
This is a Nilfgaardian officer.
The Nilfgaardian waved his arm and several soldiers immediately came forward and grabbed the sailors, forcing them one by one to pose as if they were death row prisoners about to be executed by the executioner, making it difficult for them to breathe.
The sailors trembled even more violently, this time with fear.
"I originally only wanted to capture a local guide who was asking questions, but you seem to be very united and have a strong desire to survive. Although you don't look like Skellige people, this gives me more choices."
"Listen carefully, I only need one person, and I will only ask my question once..."
Before the Nilfgaardian officer could speak, the sailor who had revealed the true identity of this "merchant ship" at the beginning spoke again, his teeth almost chattering in fear.
"Sir, we are sailors from the Principality of Acosi, that is, the Arc Coast! We are here to kill the traitors under the order of the Baroness. It seems that your sailing direction is also to Little Skellig Island. We have conducted detailed reconnaissance there and are definitely qualified to serve as a guide."
When he said this, he looked around cleverly: "Your Excellency, it seems that there are not many people on your side. But no matter what we do, we always need warriors, right? We don't know the overall situation, but Skellige also has a grudge against us. If necessary, we can always take up our swords and rush to the front line!"
The Nilfgaardian officer choked, as if he had seen something extremely interesting.
The sailor grinned.
The next second, there was a flash of knife, and the sailor was beheaded by the executioner in the executioner's posture.
The Nilfgaardian officer shook his head and repeated slowly, "Listen carefully, I only need one person, and I will only ask this question once..."
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