The Divine Hunter Chapter 6: Ice Troll, Bear, Blacksmith
The mountainous areas on Udvik Island are far less vast than the Dragon Mountains or the Blue Mountains.
To be specific, the land area of the entire island is not even comparable to any large city in the four northern countries.
The mountainous areas are covered with snow, but there are no lingering clouds or lush green vegetation all year round.
There are hard and rugged stone piles everywhere. The midday sun envelopes the mountains, and the golden light illuminates an empty and 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, Powis and Kevir, which are rich in mineral deposits, the price of ore shipped by sea is quite high. More than a hundred years ago, the Todaloqu family dug out a reserve and There are not abundant mineral deposits to meet the family's needs for forging weapons.
The blacksmiths of the Todaloqu family will go into the mountains for three months of retreat every spring, using their ancestral forging furnaces to create the best weapons and equipment, and those who buy the weapons will go with them.
The rulers of the Skellige Islands have changed five or six times, but the tradition of Todalorqu has never been interrupted.
Exception is this year.
Roy walked along the stone stairs for a few hours. The pine forests and buildings at the foot of the mountain were far behind him, becoming as small as ants and unable to see clearly.
The temperature drops below zero, and the air becomes colder and thinner.
The witcher's eyes suddenly narrowed.
On the narrow road leading to the mountainside, a large reddish-brown bloodstain appeared in the shape of a spray. It had been there for at least a week.
The witcher held up a pile of **** soil and moved his nose.
"Human blood."
This fits Yuna’s description. She probably belongs to the team members who went into the mountain for search and rescue.
There were dense and messy footprints near the bloodstain, belonging to different boots, as well as several other rows of footprints that did not belong to humans.
The owner whose footprints can be seen has fleshy pads on the soles of his feet and weighs much more than a human being, so the marks left behind are deeper.
Roy was lost in thought.
These are not troll footprints, but rather like bear paws.
And based on the size of the paw prints, it can be inferred that the bear is more than three meters long and more than 1.6 meters tall at the shoulders. It is considered a giant among brown bears.
"Did a brown bear attack the blacksmith in the mine?"
The witcher followed the blood stains and footprints and entered a dark mine on the platform.
The mine is huge and deep, with wooden frames made of solid pine wood to support the ceiling and side walls.
The terrain is complex like a spider web maze.
There are traces of excavation and excavation everywhere on both sides of the corridor - several bags of waste ore that have not had time to be processed, rusty mining pickaxes, and oilcloth torches hanging on the side walls every few steps. The devil hunter shakes off sparks from his fingertips, They light up one by one.
The light brightened.
The mine is not dull, and there is a faint cold air blowing from the other end where I can't see my fingers.
Roy was looking for the vague smell of blood and footprints in the air, jumping like a rock sheep in the mine with many forks and layers.
On the walls along the way, you can occasionally find some bamboo shoot-shaped paw prints, corresponding to bear paws.
After traveling for about half an hour, he found another large puddle of dried blood on a piece of dark iron ore, stained with a piece of frozen minced meat.
Roy poked a little with his index finger and sniffed at the tip of his nose.
Human males may have encountered something unexpected.
Next to the minced meat are scattered traces of fighting, rocks smashed by huge force, and tattered cotton wool and strips of cloth that fell to the ground.
As well as steel swords broken in two, axes and arrows with broken 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 kind of "hoofprint" in the mine, with three toes and an oval shape, which matched Roy's memory. The physical characteristics of the troll among them.
Is it possible that in addition to giant bears, there are ice trolls in the mines?
If this was the reason, it is no wonder that the two search and rescue teams were completely wiped out.
The demon hunter has a preliminary judgment in his mind.
So he sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a bottle of "Ogre" sword oil, a bottle of "Frost-Eating Spider Venom" brought back from Skyrim Province, and a bottle of Snake Sect's paralyzing poison, and evenly applied them all over Alondai The extremely dark red sword body exudes a gleaming luster.
The index finger passed by.
Gently flicking the poisonous sword blade, humming softly.
Roy bent his knees like a cat and followed the drag marks on the road.
Soon after, a strong fire came into view, and a strange smell hit his face. Roy stopped breathing.
Beside the large pond-like forge built against the rock wall of the mine, a bonfire was burning. Above the bonfire and under the F-shaped pine boom, an astonishingly large stew pot was hung, enough to hold the entire people.
Food is simmering in the iron pot, and the heat and fragrance are wafting freely into the air.
Roy hid behind the rock and moved his nose.
"Meat, datura root, basil..."
Exotic medicines, grass roots, nuts, mead, and a variety of complex ingredients are mixed and boiled to create a subtle aroma and a stench that resembles socks, which makes people salivate wildly and at the same time, they can't help but feel nauseated. .
While the iron pot is further to the left, the bonfire projects two square black shadows standing side by side onto the uneven wall.
About 2.5 meters tall, most of the skin of the body is covered with patches of blue ice, but the belly is round and yellow, protruding outward like a pregnant woman who is eight months pregnant with a turtle shell on her back. Huge armor.
Under the bald forehead, two soybean-sized eyes are dry and lifeless, as if they are ready to doze off at any time. The nose that is flat to the point where the nostrils are turned out and the yellowed fangs in the big mouth give them a simple and honest temperament.
Ice Troll
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Life: 300
Properties
Strength:30
Agility:12
Physique:30
Perception:14
Will:9
Charm:3
Spirit:8
Skills:
Regeneration (passive curing): No matter what kind of troll, all trolls have legendary self-healing abilities, their metabolism is far higher than that of ordinary species, any non-fatal injuries will be healed in a short time, and they are immune to bleeding. Unlike rock trolls, they have no Obvious weakness.
Stone throwing specialization level 8.
Frost Body (Passive Solidification): Ice giants have infinite magic power, rough skin and thick flesh, and are extremely resistant to beating. If you attack them with sharp weapons, the weapons will be easily damaged. Its natural constitution and strength are +10, and its combat effectiveness will be further enhanced in cold weather and when it snows.
……
Hiss—
The demon hunter looking secretly from a distance looked solemn.
There are only ice trolls but no bears as expected.
But this is enough for him!
A third-level physique is equivalent to having one's own plate armor, and a third-level strength. If he is hit by a punch, there is no doubt that Kunen's shield can't stop it, and this plate armor can't stop it either. It will inevitably break a few bones. .
In such a narrow cave terrain, the threat of trolls rises sharply.
And there is not just one, but a male and a female. The female is larger and her fighting power is similar to her husband.
The two ice trolls were staring longingly at the cauldron that was being cooked, with foul-smelling, sticky saliva oozing from their big teeth exposed in the air.
It fell to the ground with a splash.
They can't wait to feast.
Roy glanced past the two huge bodies and glanced behind them.
A stone round table is surrounded by piles of pale bones. Even ten meters away, the demon hunter's keen eyes can clearly identify snow wolves, foxes, sheep, falcons and other animals, as well as human skeletons. ...for at least a dozen people.
Beside the pile of bones, there were five or six human corpses that had been frozen into ice. The flesh and blood were still there, and one of them had a missing leg and an arm.
As for where the missing parts went.
Roy glanced at the large stew pot.
There is an iron cage placed in the corner against the wall at the other end.
A disheveled man squatted in a cage. His blond hair, which was sticky with oil, covered his forehead and eyes, revealing only a wide square chin.
A pair of thick-jointed hands grasped the railings of the cage, his cheek pressed against the cage, and he looked in the direction of the big iron pot.
He was excited, and the witcher thought maybe it was out of fear.
The lean body under the gray-white fur coat could not stop shivering.
There was a gray and frozen iron plate placed outside the cage, which reminded Roy of a dog bowl.
Music by Farik Todalo
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Identity: Forging Master
Health: 40/80 (weak, hungry...)
……
Isn’t this one of the uncles Yuna asked her to help find? He has so many negative states.
Roy felt happy, then frowned.
More than a month has passed, and this guy is still alive, but except for him, there is no one alive in the forge or mine.
The situation is somewhat unreasonable.
What is the purpose of these ice trolls putting him in a cage?
……
The broth in the iron pot boiled gurglingly, and the soup splashed into the bonfire. It was dried by the flames, and the fragrance in the air became more intense.
Roy stared at the dancing firelight, lost in thought.
If the opponent is a rock troll, he will directly raise his hands and go up to negotiate. Seret's masterpiece "How to Use Words to Deceive a Simple Troll" is enough to guide him to solve the dilemma.
But there are some differences between ice trolls and rock trolls.
Perhaps the ice, snow and harsh mountain environment have further degraded their already slow brains... It has become 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. Only by being obedient can you survive.
In short, the impression they gave Roy was more difficult to communicate with than the family of Kaer Morhen's Troll Hillhead.
……
"Why is there a stinky smell? Are there other villains coming to the door?" The male troll muttered, his voice as loud as a tenor, with a unique rhythm, "No ! It’s not the same as Xiaorenren!”
What a keen perception!
The demon hunter's heart trembled, and he further restrained his breathing. In addition to the Quen Sign, he immediately outlined a Helio Sign on his left hand to further cover up his body's aura.
"You're starving!" The female ice troll twitched her nose, shook her head, and suddenly burst out laughing. She grabbed a handful of snow to put out the bonfire, turned the winch on the F wooden frame, and stewed the big stew. Put the pot on the ground.
The other end took a pair of metal stirring spoons more than two meters long from the forging furnace, and stirred the "fragrant" and "stinky" broth.
"One lap, two laps, three laps...hehe."
"One circle, two circles, three circles...hehe."
The ice troll, who seemed to be suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, counted eight times angrily and sprinkled a large amount of strange green powder into the soup.
Taking a deep breath, a simple and honest smile with a sense of accomplishment appeared on the ugly cheek, just like a chef who had cooked a table of delicious food.
"Crash!"
The troll filled two steel basins with spoonfuls of yellow broth. The hot broth splashed onto its bulging belly, but it showed no reaction.
Visibly floating in the soup basin are oval hearts, long intestines, and several plump and attractive ribs—ribs, large ribs, and leg steaks. However, judging from the shape, they do not belong to any kind of wild animal. .
The female troll didn't mind the heat either. She put her ice-covered palm directly into the broth, took out a piece of ribs and ate it with relish.
Amidst the sound of "whooshing", it sat carelessly on the cold ground, mouth after mouth, and bright red blood streaks were exposed at the joints between the flesh and bones.
"Ugh..." Roy covered his mouth. This was one of the rare scenes that made him feel nauseous.
The male troll was not in a hurry to enjoy it. He took the "dog basin" next to the iron cage, filled it with a full basin, and handed it to Farik, who picked up a key from the cage and opened the iron cage. cage.
Roy could see a slight ridge between his eyebrows.
It turns out that it was not the ice troll who locked up Farik, he locked himself up.
"Big man, eat! Little snails, little forest musk deer, little foxes, little people, little radishes, boiled, smelly and fragrant..." The male troll put his carrot-thick fingers into the **** mouth, revealing A rather intimidating smile signaled him to open his mouth, "Eat, big man! You will become stronger after eating!"
Roy swallowed.
The two ice trolls regard the master blacksmith as one of their own, but why do they call a skinny man big?
Fariq smoothed away the golden bangs in front of his forehead, revealing a pair of hungry blue eyes and sickly pale cheeks.
He brought the broth into the cage with trembling fingers, a trace of struggle flashing in his eyes.
But after a second, he sighed dejectedly, grabbed the ribs with his hands and started to bite them.
However, tears were clearly shining in the corners of his eyes.
……
Roy was stunned for a moment when he saw this scene, and his expression became very complicated.
The blacksmith has abandoned some of his principles, but his intricate relationship with the trolls is hard to understand.
Arondette put the sword back into its sheath in his hand.
Roy decided to find out the truth before taking action. He lowered his body and continued to wait.
The life of an ice troll is simple and regular.
After eating and drinking, it’s time to take a good nap, the main event.
The two couples finished a pot of stew and then sat back-to-back by the forge to take a nap. Soon, thunderous snoring filled the entire mine.
The prisoner sat blankly in the iron cage, staring numbly at the sky that flickered with the light of the fire, not knowing what he was thinking.
Until he suddenly felt something cold pressed against his back, and a pair of hands covered his mouth.
My heart skipped a beat, and Farric was about to struggle desperately.
"Quiet! Camille and Clough asked me to save you."
Hearing the names of these two relatives, Farik's tense body suddenly relaxed. He turned around with the force, and an unfamiliar young face came into view.
"Get out of here first!" the witcher said in his ear.
Farik's dark and cloudy eyes shone with light, and then the light dimmed again, and a look of fear appeared on his face.
He shook his head in fear.
Roy, however, couldn't tolerate this guy's indolence.
With five fingers, he traced the Yakshi Seal, and the blacksmith followed obediently behind the demon hunter.
But in order to create an illusion, Roy first put a frozen corpse in a cage and pretended to be Farik.
How long can you deceive?
In addition, he was worried that Farric would make any noise and wake up the trolls, so he simply carried him on his back and tiptoed away from the two sleeping ice trolls.
The excitement is no less than the previous trip to the Mahakam Trail.
During this period, when the demon hunter's gaze passed over the bodies of the two couples, the cold light flickered uncertainly, and he was wondering whether to strike with a sword. The **** slash would be enough to send one of them away in his sleep.
But finally gave up.
……
The demon hunter did not return along the way he came, but continued 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 an open space on the back of a mountain covered with ice and snow. .
On the cliff side of the mountain road stands a dilapidated wooden house that has been in disrepair.
The witcher carried Farik into the house, lit a fire to keep warm, and waited for him to recover before starting a face-to-face "long talk."
"You, who are you?"
"Witcher Oaks, I was entrusted by your brother to save you!" Roy looked into his eyes, "To make a long story short, what happened to you and a few warriors after you went into the mountain to open a furnace a month ago? Ice giant? Demons attacked the mine?"
"No, you are wrong!" The blacksmith paused and was silent for a few seconds. Under the influence of Yaksi's seal, he began to explain honestly.
"The five warriors and I who bought the weapons followed the tradition of Todaloqu and came to the forge in the mine to smelt iron ore and open the furnace for forging. Everything was going smoothly, but no one expected it. One day later..." There was a look of panic on Farik's face, "One of the five guys suddenly disappeared."
Roy rubbed his temples, feeling that something was wrong.
"We searched the entire mine and the nearby mountainous areas together. There were no traces, no blood or bodies. We can only think that he lost his way in the mountainous area, and after searching to no avail, the matter was dropped."
"Forging must continue."
"On the next third day, the second companion disappeared. Still no one was seen alive, no body was found dead... Everyone realized that something was wrong."
Roy's eyes looked strange. Could it be that the two ferocious ice trolls were still interested in playing hide-and-seek with them?
"The soldier from Redania felt that we were in great danger and being targeted by something terrifying. He gave up his equipment and wanted to go down the mountain immediately."
"But when he made this suggestion, the warrior Iber from the Great Skellige Island suddenly, suddenly..." Farric's voice was trembling and broken, his eyes flickering in the air, his whole body filled with fear, The emotion of fear, "turned into a giant bear!"
"Did you read that correctly?" Roy raised his eyebrows, and the bamboo-shaped paw prints and bear paw prints he accidentally discovered while inspecting the mine appeared in front of his eyes. "A man from Great Skellige turned into a bear?"
"I'm sure! Its eyes were blood red, and its whole body was filled with a violent aura. It slapped away the Redanian's sword with one claw, and disemboweled him, and his intestines flowed all over the floor! Then the giant bear roared Come on, drive us into the mine!"
"The rest of the Kaedwen people and I were hiding in the forge. We were too scared to go out and face the giant bear. We even lost the courage to swing our swords!"
"You know? That brown bear is bigger than any beast I've ever seen before. It stands like a carriage, wraps a person in one paw, has a mouth full of fangs, and has scarlet pupils. Just one look at it makes people... I’ll have nightmares for days and nights!”
"So it was the giant bear that killed the first team. What happened to the two stewed ice trolls just now?"
Farik was stunned for a moment, his face was blank and hesitant for a few seconds, his pupils were blank, and then his tone became determined,
"The ice trolls appeared after the giant bears. They were probably attracted by the smell of blood and occupied the mine... They captured us as intruders and asked us to guess riddles!"
Farric's eyes became very strange, showing gratitude, fear and alienation. "It's a pity that the warrior of Kaedwen gave the wrong answer and was made into frozen meat."
"And you answered it correctly?"
The blacksmith nodded, "But they didn't release me, but raised me as one of the same kind."
Roy raised his eyebrows and looked up and down at the lean blacksmith. No matter how he looked at it, this guy was not related to the ice troll.
"Why did you lock yourself in the cage instead of escaping while the troll was asleep?"
"I'm scared. I'm afraid that the bear will come to the door again. I can only protect myself in this way."
"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 run away, otherwise the giant bear of Ibar will definitely find me and tear me apart! The only way to be safe is to stay in the cave and be protected by the ice troll!"
The witcher looked the lean blacksmith up and down. Was he frightened by the giant bear? He was so sick that he went to the doctor and used the troll as a bodyguard. Are he not afraid that they would eat the corpse and cook you?
Farik took a deep breath and looked sad, "Some time later, I clearly remember that two groups of soldiers entered the mine to rescue me, including my poor brother Okara, but as soon as they met Just treat the ice troll as an enemy and launch an attack."
"In the end, two big guys threw rocks and ice cubes to kill them all, and then made them into frozen meat or stew." The blacksmith's face was livid, and he shook his head with regret and pain, "I can't help it, an ordinary blacksmith. , flesh and blood, how can I resist them? I don’t want to die!"
This troll knows long range and no one can stop it.
"Did you just see it? The ice troll regards me as the same kind, and stubbornly believes that the same kind of food must eat the same food, and I am also starving!"
"So...I couldn't help it..."
Roy pursed his lips. He couldn't judge human behavior in desperate situations.
"One thing I don't understand is why they call you Big Man?"
"I, I don't know." The blacksmith looked blank, "But I was not so weak a month ago. The long hours of forging work made me strong."
"Okay. You were worried that the giant bear would come to your door, so you locked yourself up, but didn't you walk out of the mine safe and sound now? After all, more than a month has passed, and it should have left long ago. Come back to Cod Town with me.~ IndoMTL.com~ Roy looked at the warm bonfire and wooden house and asked,
"No! It will catch me. If we don't get home, it will catch up and tear me in half with its claws!" Farik shrank his shoulders and looked around nervously, like a giant bear Hidden in a dark corner and watched him, "Let me go back to the cage, please!"
"Click—"
Roy pressed the back of his head like lightning.
The blacksmith suddenly rolled his eyes and fell asleep.
Roy was lost in thought. The blacksmith's extreme fear of the giant bear seemed a little too weird, but the effect of the Yaksi Seal was still continuing, so he shouldn't be able to lie.
Thinking about it, the witcher walked out of the wooden house and placed Gurwishir in front of the door frame. Once something touched the steel sword, he could teleport back immediately.
Looking towards the cave.
There are many unreasonable things in the blacksmith's confession.
He wanted to take a risk and look for it himself.