As Letho swung Gwyhyr at Dagon, Roy could hear a quiet buzz following the blade, as if a cicada were fluttering its wings. The sword seed to travel faster than light itself, its blade cutting through the sunlight and opening a gash on Dagon’s muscular thigh. Blood spurted out from the wound, and Dagon screeched in pain. Letho caught its attention, and it glared at the old witcher as it brought its iron fist down on him.
However, Letho expected that attack, and he leaped backward imdiately, though he only barely escaped that slam. Then he went around the creature and kept feinting. When it attacked, Letho rolled around to evade it, then he went straight back to taunt Dagon.
Letho was not the only hunter around. While he was taunting Dagon in the front, Roy went around the monster, and he tensed up for a mont before he thrusted his blade at the monster’s knee. The attack found its mark, and it drew blood.
Roy quickly rolled away once he pulled his blade out. At the sa ti, Dagon’s powerful arm swiped through the place where Roy was standing a mont earlier. It wanted to catch its attacker and turn Roy into minceat, but all it caught was air.
That failed attack created the perfect opening for Letho to strike. He held his sword with his right hand and made an Axii sign with his left as fast as he could. The mont Dagon turned its attention back to Letho, it was caught square in the face, and the spell stunned him for a split second. But that split second was enough for Letho and Roy to launch their assault at the sa ti.
Letho thrusted Gwyhyr upward into Dagon’s neck, and flas erupted upon the wound, then he sliced the monster’s artery, creating a monstrous gash on its neck. Roy darted behind Dagon and stepped on its leg, using it as a platform to leap onto its back, its spine, and finally, Roy stepped on the monster’s shoulder. He held his blade up high and stabbed right into the monster’s left eye. He quickly spread his arms and leaped down the gigantic monster once he landed his attack. The mont he dropped down to the ground, he rolled away to minimize the impact of the fall. When he turned around and stood up again, Aerondight appeared in his hands as if by magic.
Without Aerondight staunching the blood, Dagon had a hole on its face where its left eye was supposed to be. Black blood spurted out of the hole, and white smoke appeared from the ground as the blood ca in contact with it. Dagon howled in agony, and it glared at Roy with its remaining eye. There was fury and vengeance within that glare, and Dagon charged right at the young witcher. As he rampaged across the charred land, a mini sandstorm started whirling around him, and Black Tern Island trembled beneath the monster’s footsteps.
It was as if a small hill were running straight at Roy, and the wind felt like blades that could slash him if he made one wrong move. Roy felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he showed no fear even before the monster. He calmly made an Axii sign and hurled it at the incoming monster. At the sa ti, Roy cast Fear, and thanks to the double spell, Dagon was frozen for one tenth of a second. Roy darted to the side, but he was one mont too late. He heard the sound of sothing cracking, and Quen shattered into pieces. Without the protective shield keeping him out of harm’s way, Roy was sent flying back from the impact of Dagon’s rampage, and he fell down with a thud.
A long, long while later, Roy scrambled to get up, but he felt like his insides had beco a ss, and he spat out blood in agony. At the sa ti, Letho was facing Dagon alone, keeping Roy out of its line of attack.
Dagon kept slamming its fists against the ground in an attempt to hit Letho, but Letho wouldn’t stop dancing around its attacks. Letho was still holding his sword, but it seed like he had all but abandoned the offense. Instead, he kept dancing and dodging Dagon’s attacks. His speed had exceeded what the eye could see, and Roy thought he was seeing three Lethos around Dagon, dodging its attacks.
***
Roy wiped the blood off his lips and grabbed Gabriel out of thin air. He took a step forward and launched a volley of arrows at Dagon. The arrows buried themselves into Dagon’s back, and that was the final straw for the monster. The continuous injuries sapped its energy, and its speed slowed down. The light of Yrden glowed beneath Dagon, robbing it of its reaction ti and speed.
A strange scene started taking place in the center of Black Tern Island. Two ‘puny’ humans were circling a gigantic sea monster, attacking it whenever it showed an opening. It was as if two hyenas were fighting a huge lion on a prairie. The outco of the fight was supposed to be obvious, but the witchers were poised to create an upset. Instead of fighting the monster head on, they used their speed and agility to move around the monster’s attacks and harass it whenever possible. One of them would be taking the monster’s hits, while the other would take advantage of any opening to attack, and once Dagon switched its target, so too would the witchers switch roles.
The witchers used everything they had, hacking and slashing the monster with their sword, casting ailnts with their signs, and the young witcher kept firing volleys of arrows. The glint of sword oil, paralyzing poison, the flas of Gwyhyr, and the enchantnt of Aerondight rained down on Dagon. A minute later, its flesh and bones had been hacked away into nothingness, and there was not an inch of skin visible on its black shell.
Dagon’s movents beca slower and slower, until it was finally backed into a corner, and he summoned what little strength it had left to swing its arms and send the witchers flying. Then it opened its maw and roared into the heavens. The soundwave from that roar undulated across the battlefield, stirring up a storm of debris. As the witchers struggled to get back on their feet, they could feel Dagon’s screams piercing their eardrums, and their minds seed to be in danger of getting scrambled up by invisible hands.
Horrific illusions unfurled before them, and they bled from their faces. However, a crimson light seemingly appeared out of nowhere and covered both of the witchers. The source of that light was none other than the bloodstone Roy was carrying.
The witchers’ eyes refocused as Dagon’s spell was dispelled. Letho darted straight at Dagon and disemboweled it, while Roy leaped up to its back and stabbed its right eye with murderous fury. It was the last stretch of the battle, and the witchers circled the monster, their speed as blinding as lightning. Thirty seconds later, the witchers finally bled Dagon dry, and the towering monster was brought to its knees under the unrelenting assault.
Wisps of smoke billowed from its body, and just like a cube of ice that was left under the sun, Dagon started to shrink. Roy tried to touch it, but his hand went through Dagon as if it were a phantom. Just like a bubble, it popped under the sun, while its flesh, blood, and bones disappeared, as if it had never existed.
The only thing it left was an ominous ssage that lingered in the air. The monster whispered, “Ninnas geas dear. (We…shall et again, witcher. We shall et again…)”
“And I’ll jump into your dinsion to face you, you bastard! I’ll kill you for real!” Roy shouted at the air without fear or fervor.
The battle with Dagon was the most exhilarating one Roy had ever experienced, and he was still buzzing with excitent after the kill. He turned his attention to his character sheet, and the results were satisfying.
‘Dagon (Projection) killed. EXP 300. Level 5 Witcher (2610/2500).
You have killed enough prey.
Massacre Level 4 → Level 5
Bloody Aura: Any enemy within a radius of (0.6 → 1) ters has a chance of (15 → 20)% of being Feared. If the enemy’s Will is lower than you, they will lose control of their body for up to (2) seconds.
The damage you cause to creatures you have hunted is permanently increased by (15 → 20)%.
Fear: You may cast Bloody Aura on any target within (2) feet and perform a forcible Will check on them. If the target’s Will is lower than yours, they will lose control of their body for up to (2) seconds. Cooldown: (5 → 4) minutes.
Tip: The more types and number of creatures you kill, the more this skill will level up.’
Alright. I’ve killed two out of the ten magical creatures I need to advance to interdiate witcher, which are the vodyanoi priest and Dagon’s projection. This is one fulfilling trip.
***
“What are you spacing out for, kid?” Letho ca up to him. The potion’s effect hadn’t passed, and there were still black veins on his face. Sweat was turning into steam, but that only made Letho look more terrifying.
“This god isn’t as powerful as I thought it would be.” The whole battle lasted for less than five minutes. Roy suffered two hits, and he only had a third of his HP left. That was including the regeneration Swallow granted him. Without that, he would have been on the brink of death. Dagon’s attacks were powerful, but aside from breaking a few bones and suffering so minor internal injuries, there wasn’t anything to worry about.
“The Lady of the Lake suppressed most of its strength.” Letho shook his head. “And our preparations weren’t for nothing. We chased the villagers away and killed all the fallen vodyanoi. It had no source to draw its strength from, so that was why it died without using all its powers. Rember, preparation can be more important than your own strength at tis.
***
They went to Dagon’s altar after they cleaned up the battlefield. Without the projection in there, the altar couldn’t affect the witchers, and now that they had a closer look, the altar looked just like a regular marble well. I wonder if Observe can work on this. He cast Observe on the altar, and to his surprise, Dagon’s altar was made out of the sa substance as the statue of litele.
‘Dagon’s Altar
Vessel of faith for the evil god’s projection
Faith: ??’
Back when Roy saw the statue of litele, he felt warmth and kindness radiating from it. There was love and hope within it, while Dagon’s altar radiated obsession and devotion. It had the air of hatred, despair, and insanity. It contained the purest darkness made out of all negative human emotions. Dagon was the opposite of litele. litele and Dagon are both collecting faith energy. Wait… “Faith is like currency, but the difference is that different gods accept different kinds of faith. So the Lady of the Lake i—”
The air around Roy suddenly felt humid and refreshed, and a happy voice cut off his train of thought, “My dear knight, it must have been a hard battle.”
A wave shot out from thin air and darted into the witchers’ bodies. A surge of comfortable warmth enveloped them, and the wounds they sustained during the battle started to heal and form scabs. Their depleted health and mana were also replenished at a surprisingly fast rate.
Roy moved around happily. The pain in his ribs and joints had disappeared, as if they were blessed by Full Recovery.
Without Dagon suppressing her, the Lady of the Lake regained her full strength and was more powerful than she was. “Thanks to you, Dagon is finally vanquished,” Vivienne said. Suddenly, the bloodstone on Roy’s waist darted off into the air, and another one appeared in Roy’s palm.
‘Bloodstone: An empty vessel. It can contain souls.’
“You may keep this bloodstone. It is a reward for your hard work,” Vivienne said, her voice seemingly everywhere. “I need so ti to handle Dagon’s wealth and seal the crack in the lake’s depths. I shall see you once more once this matter is handled.”
“Lady Vivienne, we would have departed Vizima by then. Our eting will have to be adjourned,” Roy said, sounding disappointed. However, the trip to Vizima had co to a perfect end. He had acquired Aerondight and killed Dagon’s projection.
“You need not worry, my knight. Aerondight shall guide your way, and we shall reunite eventually.”
At the sa ti, the whole island started to shake, as if an invisible hand were stirring it around. As a storm of debris blew up around them, Dagon’s altar faded into nothingness, leaving a patch of land behind it.
‘June, year 1261.’ Roy wrote down a detailed record in his leather journal. ‘An encounter with the Lady of the Lake at Lake Vizima… knighted… Aerondight granted… Dagon killed.’ Roy drew a huge question mark at the end of the journal entry. ‘What is the use of the bloodstone? What are gods and faith?’
***
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