The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

"I take it back, Lann..." Gerd grumbled, clearly dissatisfied. "Fighting you isn't that exciting.

Lann waved his hand. "Recharge your energy, there will be big guys later."

Pointing to the wolf corpses around him, Lann asked: "Do you notice anything strange?"

The question made Gerd realize something was wrong. His amber eyes flashed as he used his witcher senses to scan the scene.

The bodies of the wolves emitted traces of pheromones of varying intensities, but there was one in particular that was repeated in all of them and that led to a path that entered a nearby garden.

"Werewolves can summon wolves, which leave their mark on the group's fur…"

"Wait, that's not right!"

Gerd quickly bent down and examined the muzzle of one of the wolves. There he found fresh blood.

With his witcher senses, the blood gave off familiar pheromones.

"Human blood!" Gerd exclaimed in alarm.

"This is the abandoned temple of the goddess Freya. The people of the island know what happened here. What kind of madman would come to confront an immortal werewolf?"

Lann frowned. "We have not found any human footprints on the road. This means that whoever came here knows the place well. They probably used a path that we do not know."

Gerd thought for a few seconds. "You say they could be followers of the Freya cult? Only they would dare to come here, facing this monster without fear of dying…"

Lann shook his head and offered another theory. "Don't forget that, besides the believers, there is another group that knows about this place. They might also have returned in search of the werewolf."

Gerd was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood. "You mean... those pirates? The ones who looted the temple? Sure, they know this place better than outsiders. But why would they come back? To rescue their leader?"

Lann replied calmly: "It's possible. We'll only know when we find them." He looked at the blood on the wolf's muzzle. "If there's anyone left alive to answer our questions."

The reddish pheromones pointed a clear path.

Gerd and Lann looked at each other and said: "Let's go!"

...

The garden was built on a hill. Following the trail with their witcher senses, they quickly ascended until they reached a cave.

Inside, a dim candlelight illuminated the place. In the distance, human grunts and murmurs could be heard.

The target was inside.

Although Gerd and Lann were not novice witchers, they advanced stealthily, curving their bodies to move through the shadows.

Faintly, intermittent sounds came from the darkness.

"Key... huh, huh... Raymond, where is the key!"

The owner of the voice seemed to be suffering intensely, interrupted by grunts that were not at all humans.

Gerd motioned to Lann, indicating that they should proceed with caution. Although he knew that this thing was not human, it was clear that there was someone else in the cave. Possibly an innocent.

But Lann shook his head gently at him, as if he knew what was going on.

They moved forward slowly until an immense shadow appeared in their field of vision.

The creature had humanoid limbs, but its hands and feet cast claw-like shadows in the dim light. Its body was covered in dark fur, blending in perfectly with the gloom. It was hunched over, with a long, thick snout dripping with saliva, making it clear that it was hungry.

Furthermore, this werewolf, perhaps influenced by the ferocity of the Skellige beasts, was immensely larger than others of his kind.

And the 'innocent bystanders' Gerd worries about are no longer a concern.

In front of the creature was a mangled skeleton, held up by a frame. It was clad in torn armor, and next to it lay several fresh corpses, torn by bites and claws.

"Raymond...you good-for-nothing who deserves the plague...why don't you make a sound! My things are all there...I need...the key..."

Suddenly, the werewolf stopped mumbling, sniffed the air, and twitched his ears.

Then he spun around, staring straight at Gerd and Lann, before roaring: "Raymond... don't try to run!"

Lann showed a half-smile.

There was no one else who might be affected, so Gerd had no scruples.

He pressed his left hand to his chest and placed the Quen Sign on himself, then turned around and shouted at Lann: "Let me be that 'Raymond' for a while… That beast is mine! Don't interfere this time!"

Lann, arms crossed against the wall, made a mocking gesture inviting him to continue.

...

In the darkness, a ferocious howl echoed as the werewolf charged at Gerd, accompanied by a pungent stench filling the air.

Without giving up a step, Gerd met the onslaught head on, violently colliding with the creature. He used his bare arm to block the werewolf's sharp claws.

With a deafening crash, the clash filled the cave. However, the Quen Sign withstood the impact.

Gerd's body, already shrouded in golden sparkles, was suddenly surrounded by a spherical shield of the same color. This shield did not seem designed for defense; it barely appeared for an instant before expanding with explosive force, generating a golden wave that launched the werewolf backwards.

The werewolf, taken by surprise, left his chest completely exposed, vulnerable to Gerd's longsword.

What happened next was inevitable.

The sword flashed a silver glow as it cut through the air.

Gerd's body unleashed a beastly force. The creature was pushed brutally until it was pinned against the rock wall.

Howling in pain, the werewolf tried to claw at Gerd with his claws. However, the Quen Sign shimmered like a rippling water surface, absorbing each impact without breaking.

Gerd took a couple of steps back, moving out of reach of the claws. The werewolf's foul-smelling blood splattered across the cave floor, draining his strength and reducing his movements to weak spasms. Eventually, only faint murmurs escaped his lips.

"Didn't you say he was immortal?" Gerd commented, watching the werewolf calmly. He unsheathed the steel sword on his back, standing at the ready. "It seems that 'immortal' is nothing more than an exaggeration, no?"

Lann approached carefully. "Immortality can manifest itself in many ways. Perhaps it will surprise us later."

"Raymond... Raymond..." The werewolf muttered, his voice cracking as the glimmer of reason returned to his eyes.

"You... aren't Raymond?"

"I'm glad you can finally think clearly. It seems the sword is an excellent therapy for regaining sanity." Lann replied, expressionless.

Gerd, for his part, looked at the werewolf with curiosity. "A werewolf who can communicate in full transformation... You don't see that every day."

The creature, still nailed to the rock, was breathing with difficulty.

"Hu, hu... Ever since I was cursed... I have been like this, there is no... transformation or non-transformation."

"I don't know how long I have been in this state... I am trapped here, and all food will turn into ashes as soon as it enters my mouth... But the hunger is torturing me all the time..."

"It is not the werewolf state that makes me lose my mind... but this hunger... Sometimes I even bite my own hands... I just swallow a small piece of meat, but it feels like drinking asphalt..."

The werewolf was already speaking intermittently, and after weakening from fighting, his voice was even more vague and rough, making it difficult for people to understand him.

Gerd crossed his arms, assessing the creature's words. "From the looks of it, dying has restored your sanity. It seems the fear of death outweighs hunger. Though, considering what we know of your crimes, whatever punishment you're suffering seems entirely deserved."

"Hu, hu... But you have something to ask of me, right? Otherwise... You can kill me immediately." As the blood flowed, the werewolf's wildness seemed to be completely suppressed. "Are you decent people? Hehe... But no matter how much you hate me... You have to force yourself to communicate with me."

"Look at your outfit... You are those mutant freaks, right? No wonder you are so strong... But it doesn't matter, it's better this way!"

"I want you to find a way to help me lift this curse and give me freedom. I can give you my treasures that I looted before, and everything else you want!" He declared, his voice rising in intensity, almost hysterical.

Gerd turned his head and looked at Lann. "Do you think he really knows the news we want?"

Lann was not the type to speculate or let others dictate his steps. Ignoring the werewolf's words, he raised his left hand and made a sign. A white light enveloped the creature's eyes.

[Axii Sign - Delusion]

With the power of the sign amplified by the Circle of Elements, the creature fell under the spell without resistance. Its eyes filled with confusion.

"About the Svalblod cult… what can you tell us?" Lann asked.

"My god Svalblod… I will tell you everything." The werewolf replied.

Both Gerd and Lann were shocked. Had this werewolf been a devotee of the dark god during his time as a pirate?

The creature began to speak, its voice monotonous and distant: "I am a Vildkaarl..."

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