The Divine Hunter

"Geralt, remember what the golden dragon said about us in Kesdro Mountain?"

"You mean Three Jackdaws? Of course, he said we were a match made in heaven."

"We are destined to belong to each other," Yennefer's clean and pretty face pressed against his chest, his hair as black as a raven swaying gently, making his neck itch, "but we will not have 'results', because the guy who created us It wasn't very thoughtful, and there was something missing between us, something that could sustain the relationship for a long time. So we had to separate so as not to hurt each other in the future."

Geralt felt an inexplicable sourness and fear in his heart, what is this?

The death crisis and the intervention of a third party, they all survived together, but failed at this step.

No "results"? Yes, witchers and sorceresses live long, but doomed to have no "results".

"Go to Sintra, Geralt, and don't give up your destiny..."

"Bring that child back, the age of contempt is coming, she will be in danger, she needs you!"

"The law of accident, unbreakable."

Geralt suddenly shuddered, enlightenment rose in his heart.

Witchers and sorceresses have no "results" though.

But he has the daughter of destiny!

"Don't go now, focus on what's in front of you, and enjoy the night of the last May Day." Yennefer's voice was greasy like sugar, and raindrops of passionate lips fell on him.

Finally a deep kiss.

Let the white wolf be fascinated!

However, she was too hard, biting his lip, the stinging pain of the broken skin!

Well--

The sky was already bright, and the faint white light penetrated the gap in the forest, covering a huge oak branch, a witcher who was full of dust.

His waist-length snow-white hair was draped over his shoulders, and he was wearing a black leather jacket covered in blood and mud, with a belt tied with a scabbard across his shoulders.

Geralt opened his heavy eyes, bloodshot in his pupils.

This long sweet and sad dream made him dizzy, but the strange pain in his mouth urged him to quickly regain his senses, and the iron gauntlet inlaid with silver studs slapped casually, and a fat little thing chirped along his path. The body climbed down the tree.

"Bah! Bah!"

The witcher jumped off the oak tree, touched his lips, blood on his fingertips, and couldn't help smiling wryly. Maybe he was too tired during this time, so he relaxed his vigilance. kiss!

If you say it, you will definitely be laughed to death by Oaks and Lambert!

"Old man, you are quite calm, and you don't even know how to remind me!" Geralt walked to the black mare Rocky tied under a tree not far away, patted its neck and felt the hot breath it exhaled. Mind a little calm.

He looked around, and among the shallow woods, there were alder trees and nettle bushes... He could also see some small earthbags scattered further away, which were the three newly buried roadblockers last night by the witcher. .

It has been a month since I entered Soden.

He started from Brugg, traveled from west to east, crossed the Trava River and the Aina River, and searched the central area of ​​Soden. Passing the refugee procession, the robbers and robbers in the road... the evil spirits and ghouls that breed among the corpses.

But they all survived unscathed with the help of a large amount of alchemy supplies supported by the Witcher Brotherhood.

Unfortunately, he didn't find any news about Ciri, and the people he met either asked him three questions, or wanted his money and food, and even more wanted his life.

But after a month of running around, he was exhausted physically and mentally, and it was rare to have continuous dreams.

Yet he must find Ciri! This time, he will not let go!

Whether it is out of emotion, or the so-called fate!

For myself, and also for the long-awaited leaves.

He glanced at the south, the vast and boundless river surface was looming behind him, and this was the Yaruga River that divided the north and the south.

To pass the past is to go to the Rivendell Valley, and the north will enter Mayena.

How deep is the fetter of the law of accident, and can I really lead me to Ciri by following my feelings?

He took out a crown and threw it in his hand.

When the face was facing up, the white wolf smiled freely, and led the mare Rocky to the north.

Roy once told that Mayena had a ring of druids.

Maybe they will know something.

Maybe the man with his bloodline was there too.

The dark cat's pupils shrank, and the white wolf was inexplicably nervous and looking forward to it.

...

the other side.

On the sixth day, Roy stood on the edge of the forest in the drizzle, on a road sparsely distributed with dead bodies, and stopped.

There was a slight clamor from the other end, and then a colorful motley team walked towards him with heavy footsteps, muddy water splashing from their tattered shoes.

Fifteen or six people formed a refugee team, but shockingly, almost all of them were haggard, thin women, and children.

They were wearing tattered clothes that didn't cover their bodies, each carrying packages and luggage, shivering in the light rain and cold wind as they walked.

In front of the team, the only two young men who looked like the backbone had rusted iron swords on their waists, wore shoddy fur armor, and carried elm bows and quivers. They looked around with alert eyes, and beside them was a mule full of loads. Goods, a large iron pot and a few iron boxes were revealed in the large and amazing saddlebag.

The man with a scar on his face noticed the witcher standing still on the side of the road, and immediately waved his hand to stop the team.

"Good morning! Who is Your Excellency?" He held the sword hilt at his waist with one hand and put the other on his hips, shouting from a distance of ten meters, "Why are you guarding the exit of the forest?"

"My name is Oaks..." Roy smiled as gently as possible. "A mercenary who plans to go to Soden to find his relatives. I just came from Carcano."

The man hesitated as he observed the witcher's slender and sturdy figure, and the unpretentious hilt that jutted out of his shoulders.

But the lazy yawning beagle at his feet softened the man's face a little.

An inhuman robber should not raise a puppy on this blood-soaked land that is useless and wastes food except for being cute.

"My name is Flick, this is my brother Bavi... As for the group of people behind them, they are all refugees who escaped from Liuye Village. As you can see, they are all women and children. They said there were more than a dozen people. , but a week ago, the Nilfgaardians caught them, killed most of the men, and drove the remaining women away on horseback, and my brother and I happened to meet this group of people in the forest, and now we are walking together."

"You two, you are very brave. Bringing such a group of people with no fighting ability, you are not afraid to meet Nilfgaardians or robbers again," Roy's eyes slowly swept over the two men and the group of women and children in the cold wind , reminded, "You know, after the war, monsters and ghosts will show up. They are more vicious than the vultures in the sky. Even if people die, they will be eviscerated and sucked the marrow."

When the people in the team heard the witcher's words, they shrugged their shoulders in unison. The child hid behind his mother and hid, only a pair of curious eyes appeared from behind the dirty sarong, looking at the handsome young man.

There was something out of the ordinary about him, and his voice was charming and reassuring.

Makes people feel trusting and close to him inexplicably.

And the naive puppy under his feet, who often circles around, can't help but let his guard down.

The scar-faced man sighed helplessly,

"Damn war! But there is no way, we can't leave them alone. This place is far from the direction of the Yaruga River, and the Nilfgaardians dare not go deep. As for robbers and monsters, they will not be everywhere, if If it happens, then everything is left to fate, if you really can’t live,”

He glanced at the rotting corpse by the birch tree,

"Then die!"

There was a moment of silence by the woods.

"Sorry, I'm too pessimistic, just dismiss what I just said as farts! Who are the Oakes brothers looking for?"

Roy lifted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

"The man with white hair and the little girl with green eyes, respectively..."

"I've never seen them, but I advise you not to go to the center of Soden. There's only blood, fire, and dead bodies. At least another month before the coalition can clear the road of danger."

"Nilfgaard has been repulsed, but is still stationed to the south like mangy dogs. Who knows if they will suddenly go mad and cross the Yaruga for a second attack."

"Now, as long as you still have a breath, you will flee to the north, or you plan to do so. According to me, the person you are looking for must also be in the north."

Roy nodded. This idea coincided with him. Geralt had been in Soden for a month, and he should have searched the central area of ​​Soden, but no news came back.

As for the four great masters.

There were fewer battles along the way than I expected.

He was more and more uncertain whether the other party would come to Soden's troubled waters.

In contrast, finding Geralt and bringing back Ciri is the top priority!

"Where are you going to take them, do you have a goal?"

"First go to the refugee camp in the fortress of Mayena, there are rumors that the doctors there are treating the refugees for free, and some women in the team are not feeling well, so I will stay for a while, and then probably go to Maripo, or more. Settle in the North!"

"If you like, we can walk together and take care of each other. As long as you don't mind walking slowly, of course, women and children may slow you down."

Roy hesitated for a while.

Under the sunglasses, the different-colored pupils swept to the thin figures in the team and nodded.

...

This 90% refugee team, composed of women and children, continued to march on the soft and muddy ground.

The road leading to the north is full of car fronts, myrtle, and yellow poplars. The sky shows no signs of clearing. A swollen and rotting corpse can't make them move too much.

After fleeing for so long, they have become numb to death, and only the chattering children under their knees can inject some vigor into their empty eyes.

In a somewhat depressing atmosphere, Roy quickly asked about the origins of the two brothers.

Frick and Bavi were twin brothers, eighteen years old, stocky, with similar features, noses like downturned beaks, and a brown mess that had not been washed for many days and had a strong smell. Hair, sharp gray eyes, a surprisingly large mouth, and thick layers of calluses on his hands and feet.

The main difference is that the older brother has an index finger-like scar on the left side of his face.

Before the war broke out, they had been hunting for a living in the woods of Upper Soden. On the day Nilfgaard invaded their homeland, the two of them worked in the mountains and happened to hide in a cave to escape.

But they also witnessed the huge Nilfgaardian army passing not far from them and wreaking havoc on their homes.

They understand that Upper Soden is completely over.

So he left the forest where he grew up and stole a boat to cross the Yaruga River to hide in Lower Soden.

After the great northern victory at the Battle of Sodden, the two brothers, relying on the martial arts and archery they had honed from hunting, attacked the lonely Nilfgaardian soldiers everywhere and sent a few invaders to hell.

It's a different kind of revenge.

In Roy's opinion, they are indeed stronger than ordinary people, with dexterous bodies and amazing endurance.

"I didn't expect that in such a messy world, there are two such warm-hearted good people."

Roy sighed sincerely, especially after he met the perverted old man not long ago.

As he spoke, the witcher stared blankly at the few children behind him with runny noses and dirty eyes.

His eyes seemed to be penetrating.

The malnourished and thin children who looked like chickens were glanced at, and involuntarily stood upright and straightened their backs.

Xiao Hei wailed, limped and fled to Roy's feet and shivered, then was picked up and stuffed into his hood.

The sleeping Golfin Flower Cat was thrown to the child by the unscrupulous owner without any precautions.

Countless dirty little hands drowned it.

"Actually, the Oakes brothers have misunderstood," the slightly cheerful and talkative younger brother Bavi patted the warm fur of the mule, grinning with yellowed teeth, his smile bright and sincere, "We never thought of Take so many people away."

"Can you understand, we have lived in the forest area where birds don't shit for more than ten years, and we don't see a woman on weekdays! We only met Yugeni from Liuye Village at first, and she promised to take her to escape the ropes. Deng, marry Flick to be his wife! Who knows that she will meet her distant cousin before she goes far, and the cousin will call in several other relatives... Then five become ten, more and more!"

"They are all widows with dead husbands and children hiding. Our dead father said, shouldn't men protect women? We can only bite the bullet and take this "Department of Women" out."

Roy's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but admire the two of them.

In order to marry a daughter-in-law, tie his head to the waistband of his trousers.

"Are you sure she will marry you?"

"Of course, Eugenie is a good woman, you can see if you don't believe it... The fifth woman from us," Frick's face flushed with excitement.

Roy followed his gaze - a slender blond girl with shabby clothes that could hardly hide her delicate face, but the point was that she was holding a swaddled baby in which she was crying.

Yugenie noticed Frick's eyes, smiled softly at him, nodded lightly, two small dimples appeared on her face, and she showed the temperament of a good wife and mother.

"I have long since asked, her husband was a soldier in Soden, who died in the first wave of Nilfgaard's attacks, and she became a true widow. Marry her, and you can still pick it up for nothing. A son, I checked that big fat boy, he is in good health, he will definitely survive this ordeal and grow into a great boy!" Flick said proudly, rejoicing for this cheap son, his steps All a little quicker.

"Cough, cough... A hunter who grew up in the mountains has a different vision and a very broad mind!" Roy reluctantly complimented, "So Bavi, do you like any widow?"

"I've always had my heart," Bavi used a smooth and sharp knife to cut a woodcarving of a little girl with dreadlocks, while looking around vigilantly, "When I was a child, another hunter in our house and the house next door The doll was set, and their daughter promised me."

"Oh, which girl has such an honor?"

"Her name is Maria Barin, but unfortunately his father fell ill and died not long after we got engaged. Later, her stepfather beat and scolded her at every turn. She couldn't stand it and fled to the north." Barvey said solemnly, " After leaving Soden this time, I plan to wait for Frick to get married and marry her! This is the token of love she gave me when I was a child."

"Maria Baring? Are you sure?"

Roy's pupils froze.

Wasn't that woman the female archer he once let loose outside Brock Leon Forest.

On the same day, he obtained two finished products of the carburetor seal for Coral. With this, Coral successfully persuaded the Queen of Kailak to get a large amount of compensation for resignation.

"Man, I think you should go to the site between Karak and Brock Leon..." Roy said half jokingly, half seriously, "As the daughter of a hunter, she might live near that virgin forest! But be careful, the dryads inside are cruel and ruthless to humans!"

"I think so!"

Bavi nodded and squeezed the wooden sculpture.

...

The journey that followed was a near miss.

Roy asked all the refugees in the team and found no clues about Geralt or Ciri, but his relationship with the two brothers quickly warmed up.

As the only three men in the team, they work together.

Frick was responsible for appeasing the women and children in the team and maintaining the basic order. He stopped every half day, found a dry and safe place, set up a stove, took out the iron pot in the saddlebag and boiled some hot water to keep the women and children warm from the cold.

The younger brother, Bavi, swung around, searching the bushes, sometimes running out of sight of everyone, and then at a considerable distance, with a sloth-like comical and effective gesture, to show that all was well ahead, precisely because of him. With a wealth of field experience and a cautious attitude, the team can only avoid danger a few times.

From time to time, he brought back a handful of berries, raspberries, or eccentric but rather delicious plant tubers, and gave them to the five or six children in the line to make them happy.

Roy also has other responsibilities.

The women and children in the team have been away from home for more than a week. They have been terrified and slept in the open air. Several of them have contracted colds and coughs.

Among them is Frick's fancy Yugni.

If these small problems are not dealt with, if they are unlucky, they may deteriorate into pneumonia in Mayena, and it will not be easily cured by then.

Roy silently mixed some herbs to ward off cold and cough, such as licorice and basil, into their food-he often took Xiao Hei and Golfin into the woods or the nearby wilderness. .

Returning in one or two hours, I can always hunt a rabbit, roe deer and other small animals, and cook a pot of broth for everyone.

The Bavi brothers admired this very much. Most of the animals were hunted down by the refugees who crossed the border like demons.

Along the way, the two brothers also tried hunting, but unfortunately the harvest was extremely limited.

Of course no one knew about witcher senses.

...

Witchers always pay attention to fair trade, and they must pay in return.

Roy can only repeatedly remind himself that this is the way, this is the way.

Go to Mayena, the Ring of Druids, maybe Geralt is there, and join him.

In fact, every time he saw the bright and sincere smiles of the Bavi brothers, he couldn't help but want to help them.

The world is already so cruel, a little more kindness and sincerity is always good.

...

The team went smoothly, and with the herbs Roy secretly applied, the coughing symptoms of the women and children were also relieved, and there was a little more smile on their faces.

The corpses on the side of the road were rapidly decreasing, and the terriers and Golphins had become immune to the petting of children.

At this point, the team has begun to move away from Soden.

Everything is going in the right direction.

But on the fifth day, the team encountered an unexpected situation and stopped.