The Divine Hunter

The mountains on Udvik Island are nowhere near as vast as the Dragon Mountains or the Blue Mountains.

Specifically, the land area of ​​the entire island is not even comparable to any large city in the northern Shikoku.

The mountains are covered with snow, but there are no clouds and lush green vegetation that linger all year round.

There were hard, jagged rocks everywhere, the noon sun shrouded the mountains, and the golden light shone an empty, desolate no-man’s land.

Roy walked up a narrow, winding stone staircase at the entrance to the foot of the mountain.

Because Udvik is far away from Mahakam, Bovis and Keville, which are rich in minerals, the price of ore shipped by sea is quite high. Minerals to meet the needs of the family to forge weapons.

The blacksmiths of the Tuodaluoqu family go into the mountains for three months of retreat every year after the beginning of spring. They use the ancestral forging furnaces to create the best weapons and equipment, and those who buy weapons go with them.

Five or six rulers of the Skellige Islands have been replaced, but the tradition of Todalocqu has never been interrupted.

Except this year.

Roy walked along the stone ladder for a few hours, leaving the pine forest and buildings at the foot of the mountain far behind, becoming as small as an ant, and incomprehensible.

The temperature dropped below freezing, and the air became colder and thinner.

The witcher's eyes suddenly narrowed.

On the narrow road leading to the mountainside, there was a large reddish-brown bloodstain in the shape of a jet, which had been there for at least a week.

The witcher held a pile of bloody soil and moved his nose.

"Human blood."

This is in line with Yuna's description, and I think it belongs to the team members who went into the mountain for search and rescue.

Near the bloodstain were dense and messy footprints, belonging to different boots, and several other columns of footprints that were not human.

It can be seen that the owner of the footprints has flesh pads on the soles of his feet, and his weight is far greater than that of humans, so the traces left are deeper.

Roy was lost in thought.

It's not a troll's footprint, it's a bear's paw.

And according to the size of the palm print, it can be inferred that this bear is more than three meters long and has a shoulder height of more than one meter six. It is considered a giant among brown bears.

"Could it be that the brown bear attacked the blacksmith in the mine?"

The witcher traced blood and footprints all the way,

Drill into a dark pit on the platform.

The mine is huge and deep, with solid pine wood frames that support the ceiling and side walls.

The terrain is complex like a cobweb labyrinth.

There are traces of excavation and excavation everywhere on both sides of the corridor - a few bags of waste mines that have not had time to deal with, rusted mining picks, oil cloth torches hanging from the side walls every few steps, and the witcher's fingertips shake off sparks, bit by bit. Bright.

The light came on.

The mine is not dull, and there is a faint cold air blowing from the other end where you can't see your fingers.

Roy was looking for the faint smell of blood and footprints in the air, jumping in the mine cave with many forks and layers up and down like a blue sheep.

On the walls along the way, some bamboo-shaped paw prints can be found from time to time, corresponding to the bear's paw.

After traveling for about half an hour, he found another large pool of dried blood on a piece of dark iron ore, stained with a piece of frozen meat.

Roy stretched out his index finger and poked a little at the tip of his nose and sniffed.

Human males have probably already encountered accidents.

Next to the minced meat were scattered traces of fighting, rocks smashed by a huge force, and tattered cotton wool and cloth strips that fell to the ground.

As well as broken steel swords, axes and arrows with shattered tips.

This shows that the enemy's defense and strength are amazing.

...

But what shocked Roy the most was that in addition to human footprints and bear footprints, there was another "hoof print" in the mine, with three toes and an oval shape, which was in line with the huge size in Roy's memory. The physical characteristics of the devil.

Could it be that there are ice trolls in addition to giant bears in the mine cave?

If this is the reason, it is no wonder that the two search and rescue teams were wiped out.

The witcher had a preliminary judgment in his mind.

So he crossed his knees and took out a bottle of "Ogre" sword oil, a bottle of "Frost-devouring Spider's Venom" brought back by Skyrim, and a bottle of Snake's paralyzing poison, and evenly smeared it all over Arrondette's dark red The blade of the sword is shiny and shiny.

The index finger brushed away.

Lightly flick the poisonous blade, buzzing softly.

Roy bent over and bent his knees like a cat, and walked along the drag marks on the road.

Soon after, a strong fire came into view, and a strange smell came to him, and Roy restrained his breathing.

A large pond-like forge was built against the rock wall of the mine, and a bonfire was burning brightly. Above the bonfire, under the F-shaped pine boom, hung a surprisingly large stew pot, which was large enough to hold the whole person.

The food was being simmered in the iron pot, and the heat and aroma wafted wantonly and scattered into the air.

Roy moved his nose behind the rock.

"Meat, mandala root, basil..."

Strange drugs, grass roots, nuts, mead, and a variety of complex ingredients are mixed and boiled to create a subtle aroma and a sock-like stench, which makes people saliva frantically and at the same time, can't help but feel nauseated.

On the left side of the iron pot, the bonfire projected two square, side-by-side shadows onto the uneven wall.

About 2.5 meters high, most of the body's skin is covered with pieces of cyan ice, but the belly is round and yellow, protruding outward like a pregnant woman who is pregnant in August, with a huge armor like a turtle shell on her back. .

Beneath the bald forehead, two soy bean-sized eyes were shriveled and sluggish, as if ready to doze off at any time, while the nose that collapsed into the nostrils and the yellowed fangs in the big mouth gave them a simple and honest temperament.

ice troll

Age: 89

Gender: Male

Life: 300

Attributes

Strength:30

Agility: 12

Constitution: 30

Perception: 14

Will: 9

Glamour: 3

Spirit: 8

Skill:

Regeneration (passive curing): No matter what kind of troll has a legendary self-healing ability, its metabolism far exceeds that of ordinary species, any non-lethal injury will be healed in a short time, and it is immune to bleeding. Unlike rock trolls, he has no obvious weaknesses.

Stone Sling Specialization lv8.

Body of Frost (passive curing): Ice giants have infinite magic power, thick skin and flesh, and are extremely powerful. If they are attacked with sharp weapons, the weapons will be easily damaged. Natural constitution, strength +10, and in cold weather, when it snows, its combat effectiveness will be further improved.

...

hiss-

The witcher, who was looking at him secretly in the distance, had a solemn expression.

Only the ice troll but not the expected bear.

But this is enough for him!

The third-order physique is equivalent to the plate armor, the third-order strength, if you hit a punch, there is no doubt that Kunen's shield can't stop it, and the plate armor can't stop it, and it is necessary to break a few bones.

With such a narrow cave terrain, the threat of trolls skyrocketed.

And there is not only one head, but one male and one female. The female is bigger and has a fighting power similar to her husband.

The two ice trolls were staring at the cauldron that was boiling, and the stench and sticky saliva kept oozing from the big teeth exposed in the air.

It dripped to the ground.

They can't wait to feast on them.

Roy's gaze passed over the two huge bodies and swept behind them.

A round stone table, surrounded by pale bones, even if they were ten meters away, the witcher's keen eyes could clearly identify animals such as snow wolves, foxes, sheep, falcons, and human skeletons... At least ten The amount of several people.

Next to the pile of bones were five or six human corpses that had been frozen into ice cubes. The flesh and blood were still there, and one of them was missing a leg and an arm.

As for where the missing parts go.

Roy glanced at the large saucepan.

At the other end, in the corner against the wall, was a pair of iron cages.

A unkempt man was squatting in a cage, his forehead and eyes were covered by tufts of blond hair glued to oil, only a wide square chin was exposed.

A pair of thick-boned hands grasped the railing of the cage, their cheeks pressed against the cage, and looked in the direction of the big iron pot.

He was excited, and the witcher thought maybe it was out of fear.

His lean body shivered uncontrollably under the gray-white fur coat.

Outside the cage, there was a gray and frozen iron plate, which reminded Roy of a dog basin for feeding dogs.

Farric Todalo

Age: 48

Sex: Male

Occupation: Master Blacksmith

Health: 40/80 (weak, hungry...)

...

Isn't this one of the uncles that Yuna asked her to help find, there are so many negative states on her body.

Roy was overjoyed, then frowned.

More than a month later, this guy is still alive, but apart from him, there is no living person in the forge or mine.

The situation is a little out of the ordinary.

What was the purpose of this pair of ice trolls putting him in a cage?

...

The broth in the iron pot boiled, the soup splashed on the bonfire, dried by the flames, and the aroma in the air became more intense.

Roy stared at the jumping firelight, lost in thought.

If the other party is a rock troll, he will directly raise his hands and walk up to negotiate. Serrit's great book "How to Use Words to Coax a Simple Troll" is enough to guide him to solve the dilemma.

But ice trolls and rock trolls are a little different.

Perhaps the icy, snowy and harsh alpine environment further degenerates their already sluggish brains... It becomes difficult to communicate, and they are more easily dominated by the instincts of blood, killing, and eating.

more impulsive.

When encountering them, it is best not to do any disobedient behavior, and only by being obedient can you live.

In short, the impression they gave Roy was more difficult to communicate than that of Kyle Mohan's trolls.

...

"Why is there a stinky smell, and are other villains delivered to the door?" The male troll muttered, his voice was as loud as a tenor, with a unique rhythm, "No! Everyone is different!"

What a keen sense!

The witcher's heart froze, and he further restrained his breathing. In addition to the Quinn seal, the left hand immediately outlined a Helios seal, which further covered the body's breath.

"You're starving!" The female ice troll moved her nose, shook her head, burst into laughter, grabbed a handful of snow and set off the bonfire, turned the winch on the F wooden frame, and placed the large stew pot on the on the ground.

The other end took a pair of metal stirring spoons more than two meters long from the forging furnace, and stirred up the "scented" and "stinky" broth.

"One lap, two laps, three laps...hehe."

"One lap, two laps, three laps...hehe."

The ice troll, who seemed to suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, repeated the count 8 times, and sprinkled a large amount of strange green powder into the soup.

Taking a deep breath, a simple, honest and fulfilling smile appeared on his ugly cheeks, like a chef who cooked a delicious meal.

"Crash!"

The troll filled two steel basins with the yellow broth spoonful by spoonful, the hot broth spattering on its bulging belly, and it didn't respond.

In the soup basin, there are oval hearts, long intestines, and a few plump and attractive ribs floating in the soup pot.

The female troll was also not too hot, and her palm covered with ice cubes stretched directly into the broth to take out a rib and nibbled it with relish.

In the sound of "huchihuchi", it sat carelessly on the cold ground, mouth after mouthful, and bright red bloodshots appeared at the connection between the meat and the bone.

"Ouch..." Roy covered his mouth, which was a rare scene that made him feel nauseated.

The male troll was not in a hurry to enjoy it. He took the "dog basin" beside the iron cage, filled it with the same basin, and handed it to Farrick, who picked up a key from the cage and opened the iron cage.

Roy saw the shallow ravine rising between his eyebrows.

Turns out it wasn't the ice troll who locked Falek, he locked himself up.

"Big man, eat! Little snail, little forest musk deer, little fox, little man, little radish, boiled, stinky and fragrant..." The male troll put his carrot-thick fingers into the big mouth of the blood basin, revealing a rather bluffing expression. The man's smile signaled him to open his mouth, "Eat, big man! After eating, you will become stronger!"

Roy swallowed.

The two ice trolls regard the master blacksmith as their own, so why call a thin man a big man?

Falric brushed away the golden bangs in front of his forehead, revealing a pair of hungry eyes and a sickly pale cheek.

With trembling fingers, he carried the broth into the cage, a flash of struggle in his eyes.

But after a second, he sighed sullenly, grabbed the ribs with his hands and gnawed them.

However, there were tears in the corners of his eyes.

...

Roy was stunned for a moment when he saw this, and his expression became very complicated.

The blacksmith has abandoned certain principles, but the intricate relationship between him and the troll is hard to fathom.

In his hand, Arundette put the scabbard behind his back.

Roy decided to figure out the truth before starting, lowered his body, and continued to wait.

The life of an ice troll is simple and regular.

After eating and drinking enough, it is the turn of the main event to go to sleep.

The two couples ate a pot of stewed meat upside down, then sat back to back by the forge to take a nap, and soon thunderous snoring resounded throughout the mine.

The prisoner was sitting in the iron cage, staring numbly at the mid-air flickering with the fire, not knowing what he was thinking.

Until he suddenly felt a cold object stick to his back, and covered his mouth with both hands.

His heart skipped a beat, and Falric was just about to struggle desperately.

"Quiet! Chamil and Clough asked me to rescue you."

Hearing the names of these two relatives, Falik's tense body suddenly relaxed, and he turned around with strength, and an unfamiliar young face came into sight.

"Let's get out of here!" the witcher whispered in his ear.

Falric's dark and cloudy eyes glowed, and then the light dimmed again, and a look of fear appeared on his face.

He shook his head fearfully.

Roy couldn't tolerate this guy dawdling.

Five fingers drew an Axifa seal, and the blacksmith obediently followed behind the witcher's ass.

But in order to create an illusion, Roy first put a frozen corpse in a cage and pretended to be Farrick.

How long can you cheat.

In addition, worried that Farrick would make a move to wake up the troll, he simply carried the other party behind his back and slipped away from the two sleeping ice trolls.

The level of excitement is no less than that of a trip to Mahakam.

During this period, when the witcher's eyes swept over the bodies of the two couples, the cold light flickered uncertainly, wondering if they should take a sword, the blood slash was enough to send one of them away in their sleep.

And finally gave up.

...

The witcher did not return along the way he came, but continued to go deep into the mine, looking for the place where the cold air poured in. In less than ten minutes, he left the dark room and entered a clearing between the icy and snowy mountains.

On the cliff side of the mountain road stands a dilapidated and dilapidated wooden house.

The witcher carried Farric back into the room, built a fire to keep him warm, and waited for the other party to recover, and then began a face-to-face "long conversation".

"You, who are you?"

"Ox, the witcher, was asked by your brother to save you!" Roy looked into his eyes. "Long story short, what happened to you and a few warriors a month ago after they went into the mountain to open the furnace? The ice trolls attacked. Mine?"

"No, what you said is wrong!" The blacksmith said with a sigh, and after a few seconds of silence, he began to explain honestly under the influence of the Axif seal.

"Me and the five warriors who bought weapons, following the tradition of Todaroqu, came to the forge in the mine to smelt iron ore and start forging. Everything went smoothly, but no one expected that it would only be a day later... There was a hint of panic on Farik's face. "One of the five guys suddenly disappeared."

Roy rubbed his temples, always feeling that something was wrong.

"Everyone searched the entire mine and the nearby mountains together, and there were no traces, no blood or corpses. We can only think that he lost his way in the mountains, and after the hard searches were fruitless, it was over."

"Forging has to continue."

"On the next third day, the second companion disappeared, still no one was alive, no dead body... Everyone realized that the situation was wrong."

Roy's eyes showed strange light. Could it be that the two murderous ice trolls are still interested in playing hide-and-seek with them?

"The warrior from Redania felt that we were in great danger and was being targeted by something terrifying. He gave up the equipment and wanted to go down the mountain immediately."

"But when he made this suggestion, the warrior Iber who came from the Great Skellige Island suddenly, suddenly..." Falik's voice was trembling and choppy, his eyes flickered and he looked at the air, his body was filled with fear, fear , "turned into a giant bear!"

"You read that right?" Roy raised his eyebrows, and the bamboo-shaped paw prints and bear's paw prints that he accidentally discovered while inspecting the mines appeared in front of him. "A man from Big Skelliger turned into a bear?"

"I'm sure! It's eyes are blood red, and its body is full of violent aura, and it slaps the Fridanian's long sword with one paw, disembowels him, and its intestines are all over the floor! Then the giant bear roared, We are banished into the mine!"

"I hid in the forge with the rest of the Kaldwin, so frightened that I didn't dare to go out to face the giant bear, and even lost the courage to swing my sword!"

"You know what? That brown bear is bigger than any beast I've ever seen before, standing up like a carriage, wrapping one paw around a person, mouth full of fangs, and scarlet pupils. Just one look can make you hairy. Nightmare for days and nights!"

"So the giant bear killed the first team. What happened to the two ice trolls who were stewing meat just now?"

Falik was stunned for a moment, his face was blank and hesitant for a few seconds, his pupils were absent, and then his tone became firm,

"The ice trolls appeared after the giant bears. They were probably attracted by the smell of blood and occupied the mines... They caught us both as invaders and let us guess!"

Farik's eyes became very strange, with gratitude, fear and alienation, "It's a pity that the warriors of Kaedwen gave the wrong answer and were made into frozen meat."

"And are you right?"

The blacksmith nodded, "But instead of releasing me, they raised me as a kind."

Roy raised his eyebrows and measured the lean blacksmith up and down. No matter how he looked at this guy, he couldn't be related to the ice troll.

"Why did you lock yourself in a cage instead of running away while the troll was asleep?"

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid that the bear will come to the door again, I can only protect myself like this."

"You mean the bear is still hiding around here? How can you be sure?"

"I can feel it, do you understand!? I don't dare to escape, otherwise Iber Bear will definitely find me and tear me to pieces! Only in the cave and under the protection of the ice troll is safe!"

The witcher looked up and down the lean blacksmith. Was he scared by the giant bear? He went to the doctor in a hurry and used the troll as his bodyguard, not afraid that they would eat the corpse and cook you?

Falric took a deep breath and looked sad, "For a while, I clearly remember that two groups of soldiers entered the mine to rescue me, among them my poor brother Ocala, but as soon as they met, they were blown away. The trolls are the enemy and take the initiative to attack."

"In the end, the two big guys threw stones and ice cubes and killed it, and made it into frozen meat or stew," the blacksmith shook his head with regret and pain, "I can't help it, an ordinary blacksmith, a man of flesh and blood. Body, how to resist them? I don't want to die!"

This troll will be remote, and no one can stop it.

"Have you seen it just now? The ice trolls treat me as their own kind, and they stubbornly believe that the same kind must eat the same food, and I'm starving too!"

"So...I couldn't hold back..."

Roy pursed his lips, he couldn't judge human behavior in a desperate situation.

"There's something I don't understand, why do they call you a big man?"

"I, I don't know." The blacksmith looked blank. "But I was not so weak a month ago. The long-term forging work has made me a strong body."

"Okay. You're worried that the giant bear will come to the door, so you locked yourself up, but didn't you walk out of the mine safe and sound? After all, it's been over a month, and it should have left long ago. Come back to Codfish Town with me. "

Roy glanced at the warm bonfire and wooden house and asked,

"No! It's going to catch me. If we don't get home, it's going to catch up and tear me in half with one paw!" The dark corner watched him, "Let me go back to the cage, please!"

"Crack-"

Roy pressed the back of his head like lightning.

The blacksmith immediately rolled his eyes and fell asleep.

Roy fell into deep thought. The blacksmith's extreme fear of the giant bear seemed a little too strange, but the Axif seal was still in effect, so he shouldn't be able to lie.

Thinking about it, the witcher walked out of the hut and placed Guvihir in front of the door frame. Once something touched the steel sword, he could immediately teleport back.

Glancing at the cave.

There are many unreasonable things in the blacksmith's confession.

He wants to take a risk and find out for himself.