The Divine Hunter Chapter 1: Survivors

The northern suburbs are dotted with farmland, where turnips, carrots, peppers and other crops are grown, as well as some low shrubs and grasses.

In the center is a spacious main road that stretches from Vizima to the endless north.

The main road is covered with wheel marks, and carriages traveling from north to south pass by it every day, some heading to Novigrad, and some heading to the no-man's land in the west, Goth Velen.

But the witchers had no intention of following this road by the rules. According to the plan, not long after they left Vizima, they drove their horses into the vast wilderness.

The wilderness is unpredictable and dangerous, but it is rich in natural resources.

Autumn has entered early October, which is the most active season for wild animals. Witchers are galloping in the wilderness on horseback. From time to time, they can encounter foxes, roe deer, and elk suddenly emerging from the grass, shrubs, and rocks nearby. Strutting around.

Roy even saw a family of wild boars, an extremely fat sow and a boar, with a bunch of petite calf-skinned cubs behind their butts, snorting and burrowing through the grass.

After intense internal discussions, the snake sect demon hunters let them go and did not try to break up this neat family.

At dusk, the demon hunters split into two groups. Roy took Gorfin out for hunting, while the three of them chose a temporary camp in the open space behind a rock and set up a bonfire.

When the moon hung in the sky, the rich aroma of meat wafted up along with the curling smoke. The youngest demon hunter held a soft-bristled brush in one hand and brushed spices on the disemboweled and cleaned deer roe on the grill. and honey, while turning the grill constantly with the other hand.

Cook until the meat is golden, crisp-tender and juicy.

……

Four snake sect demon hunters gathered around the bonfire, drinking the dwarven spirits and cider they took out from the space, their mouths full of oil... an entire adult forest deer turned into a bare skeleton.

"Boy, if you don't do this in the future, you can work as a chef in a tavern in a big city!" Lei Suo sucked his fingers and said with unfinished content, "I'm sure you'll make money!"

"Hiccup...how about changing it to a bison for roasting tomorrow?" Seret touched his round belly, picked his teeth with the little finger of his left hand, and began to think about the next few meals, "The day after tomorrow, change it to rabbit, and then Yes..."

……

"I told you, that's enough. I'm a witcher, not your servant!" Roy angrily stuffed a piece of barbecue into the mouth of the howling Golfin Black Dog, which had already eaten two. Just a rabbit, but I also want some food.

"Roy, you should feel honored... It is the glorious tradition of the Snake sect to prepare food for the seniors!" Oaks stood up suddenly, hooked his fingers at the young man, showing his white teeth, "Eat and drink enough, what should be done Do some exercise and compete with me!"

……

After the discussion, the witchers used the Yaksi Sign to calm their horses, and then sprinkled a circle of dried fork-tailed dragon excrement around the camp to prevent harassment in the dark.

There will be a demon hunter responsible for keeping vigil at night. After all, in addition to wild beasts, there are also troublesome beings such as Andraig, basilisk, and Qichimo in the wilderness.

But Roy is not included in the night watch.

He would sit by the campfire and listen to the stories of Reso and the Oaks brothers, such as their experiences of trekking through dangerous places in the far south, and stories of narrowly surviving battles with monsters.

But more importantly, they will share the experience of the demon hunters in all aspects of combat, drug preparation, and monster identification without reservation.

There are also repeated discussions to hone combat intuition.

Train the Golfins.

Occasionally, in the dead of night, Roy would secretly leave the camp, take out the telescope in the space, and chat with the sorceress in Kairak.

A week passed uneventfully. Except for encountering a grizzly bear, there was no special danger.

On this cloudy day, the four of them discovered something unusual.

The sky was filled with patches of cotton-like, dark, turbid clouds, the sunlight was completely blocked, and the air was extremely oppressive.

A cold wind howled across the vast wilderness, bending the shrubs and grass, and the chirping of insects ceased.

The witcher, who was pulling the reins of his horse and moving forward slowly, turned his gaze not far away, where there was a vague path wandering between fences. At the end of the path, it led to a row of simple buildings, a small village.

"Do you smell it?" Leisuo's nose moved. In addition to the fresh smell of earth, plants, and animal body odor, there was also a strange smell lingering in the air.

Several demon hunters felt it carefully for a moment, their faces serious. A faint smell of blood came from the direction of the village. It was not just the blood of animals, but also mixed with human blood.

"Everyone, be careful..."

The witcher tied his horse to a nearby crooked neck tree, and then, using the cover of tall and lush elephant grass, he lurked outside the village behind a hut made of wood, rammed earth, and hay. Listened for a moment.

There was only deathly silence, not to mention human conversation, even the sounds, breathing and heartbeats of domestic animals were completely absent.

When something went wrong, the witcher became more and more cautious. He crept onto the roof of the wooden house, squatted on the eaves like a cat, and observed the entire village from a high position.

Dozens of old houses with grass and wood structures appeared in the field of vision, most of which were residential buildings. You could also see larger taverns and a blacksmith shop with whetstones in the courtyard.

But there was no sign of anyone.

It would be easy to understand if this was an abandoned village, but on the muddy path in the center of the village, messy footprints, ruts, and horse hoofprints can be clearly seen. All of these remind the witcher that the village was not long ago There are still human activities inside.

"What's going on here?"

The witchers jumped off the roof, followed the direction of the smell of blood in the air to investigate, and then discovered some suspicious clues one after another, distributed throughout the village: traces of fights left by violent collisions of limbs, dried blood, poultry, etc. Livestock carcasses.

"It is basically certain that this village is not visited by ghouls..."

Roy pulled out an arrow from a wooden fence where livestock was kept. The arrowhead was made of pig iron. The craftsmanship was extremely rough and primitive, with some burrs.

The maker's blacksmithing ability is obviously not professional enough.

When the witcher looked at the innermost part of the poultry pen, the dark gold pupils suddenly shrank to a point. In a layer of withered hay, a corpse lay quietly.

The witcher walked in.

The deceased was very young, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a delicate appearance and fair skin. He was definitely the target of many young men in the countryside.

However, this wonderful life ended before it even began.

Roy quickly confirmed that she had been strangled to death and had been treated badly before her death.

Obviously, there is more than one murderer.

The witcher took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Three big men came over at some point and patted him on the shoulder.

In their long lives, they had seen many similar scenes, but they were not greatly touched.

"Kid, I can probably understand how you are feeling right now..." Lei Suo muttered, "Bury them later and let them rest in peace."

"Them?" Roy was surprised.

"Come over here and see what we found."

The furniture in most of the houses in the village was violently destroyed and became a mess, and their belongings were looted.

In the courtyard outside the house, some people still use clay stoves and grills, with roasted and eaten leftover livestock and livestock skewered on them.

But there was no one around. Where had the villagers gone?

The door of the most spacious and luxurious building, the village tavern, was violently kicked in, and all the glass bottles in the wine cabinet in front of the door were smashed. Glass shards and wine were everywhere, and the floor was a mess.

The thick wine still exudes an intoxicating odor, mixed with the pungent smell of blood.

Pointing to the lobby.

The tables and chairs in the hall were violently destroyed and pushed to both sides. The empty area in the center was filled with a mountain of corpses.

Thirty-five in total.

The witcher dragged them down, lined them up side by side, and took a quick look,

This group of corpses includes men, women, and children. Most of them have rough skin, thin bodies, and calluses on their hands. They are undoubtedly farmers in this village.

But now these living lives have all turned into dead bodies.

"We have checked that these poor people all had sword wounds on their bodies, which was also the cause of their death." Seret explained, "Judging from the shape and depth of the wounds, the perpetrators included at least ten strong men. Men. But they have not received formal military training, their swordsmanship is fancy, and most of their wounds are unnecessary."

Many corpses were doused with a layer of sticky wine as a prank, and the only difference was that they were set on fire.

"Usually bandits who rob homes will destroy the corpses and traces, but they didn't, and they didn't seem to care. So they are most likely a group of miscellaneous troops passing through the border." Leisuo paused, "Did you notice just now? There are people on the road. There are many horse hoof prints...the murderers must have ridden away."

"Is this the end of it?" Roy stared at the corpses on the ground in ecstasy, his eyes scanning the pale faces.

He admitted that he had killed many water ghosts, evil ghosts, and even people, but it was all for survival and self-protection.

What is the psychology behind massacring a group of unarmed farmers in such a remote village?

Just for trivial possessions, or to vent primitive animal desires?

"You want to avenge the villagers?" Oakes sneered.

"That's right," Roy grimaced and took a breath, "Isn't it the duty of a demon hunter to eliminate the 'monsters' that harm humans? You have also seen the miserable condition of that woman, the group of beasts who ruined her— —" A cold light flashed in the demon hunter's eyes, "Shouldn't I kill him?"

"The number of 'monsters' exceeds ten. With such a scale, they must leave a lot of traces of life along the way. It is very simple for us to track them down."

"But you have forgotten the principles of the witcher, exchange of equal value, and do not meddle in other people's business... We are not 'knights' of the Griffin School, and we don't have that much time to do good things!" Seret said seriously, " Burying their bodies would be the end of all benevolence and justice."

"But I have already accepted the deposit for the entrustment..." Roy stretched out his thumb and threw up a copper coin with a solemn expression on his face, "I just found it from the villager's house...I am going to catch up and replace it. They take revenge."

Now that he has encountered them, Roy has no intention of letting these beasts go. Killing them can earn experience without adding any psychological burden.

If the Serret brothers and Leisuo were willing to take action, it would be easy to eradicate a group of thugs.

This can be regarded as the realization of limited justice.

"You can catch up, I don't care." Oakes shrugged, "Leso——"

"Wait, there is someone..." The bald man looked at a big tree in the distance.

"Watch your back!"

Roy turned around suddenly, followed Lei Suo's guidance, and looked through the window of the tavern - on the other side of the village, on the huge banyan tree with an umbrella-shaped crown, there was a petite figure creeping down.

…

"Child...what is your name?"

This is a boy about seven or eight years old. He is in ragged clothes and smells bad. A dirty little face was covered with dirt, dust, and dry eye mucus, and his body was as thin as a stunted monkey, revealing a row of dry ribs on his chest.

He was shivering uncontrollably, looking at the four demon hunters timidly, his back firmly pressed against the cold wall, like a deer frightened by a beast, and he remained silent.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you..." Outlining the five fingers, Roy used the Yaksi Seal to soothe his fragile heart and win his trust.

When his eyes no longer looked so panicked, he handed over a piece of pickled meat jerky, and the little boy took it and wolfed it down.

"Ka...Karl...my name is Carl." He finally spoke.

The other three big men looked at the boy, and as their eyes moved, they didn't know what they thought of.

"Karl, are you from this village? What happened here?"

The boy suddenly choked when he heard this, and then kept coughing as if his throat was stuck. The witcher quickly patted his back and handed him a bottle of water.

After he regained his breath, Karl suddenly opened his mouth and big tears flowed down.

"Dead, everyone is dead...the village chief, Aunt Xina, Uncle Tom, and Father Downton are all dead...oooo..."

"Who did it?"

"A bunch of bad guys, robbers! Woohoo..." Karl suddenly screamed and cursed, bared his teeth viciously like a wolf cub, and then howled again.

"How many people?" Lei Suo asked proactively.

"Sixteen people..." Karl sobbed and took a bite of dried meat. "They rushed into the village on horseback and started attacking as soon as they came... I hid in the tree and secretly hid... Wuwu... I was scared... ”

"You did a great job and were very brave~IndoMTL.com~ Oakes rubbed his messy brown hair, "Do you have any relatives elsewhere? ”

"Woo..." The boy didn't answer, his nose and tears flowed out at the same time, and he kept crying.

This was exactly the answer the witcher wanted, and the four of them exchanged looks.

Before they could organize their words, the boy suddenly said, "But I recognized a teacher... He asked me to wait here to avenge me!".

"Teacher?"

"What teacher?"

Full of hope but suddenly disappointed, Oaks said frantically,

The boy licked his dry lips, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly took out a chain from his arms and showed it to the witcher——

A necklace woven from black hemp rope, with a silver pendant hanging from the top in the shape of an animal's head, a lifelike cat.

It is opening its mouth wide, revealing two fangs, and its eyes are flashing with light.