37 Anna
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"Centaurs are always generous to their friends," Margaery declared, clapping his hands. A young centaur promptly presented a sizable package before Ethan. Following Margaery's cue, the centaur opened the package, revealing what appeared to be a collection of hair.
Perplexed, Ethan mused, "Is Margaery gifting me a wig?"
Anticipating Ethan's confusion, Margaery explained with a smile that the package contained unicorn tail hairs. Staring at the valuable bundle, Ethan grasped the significance of unicorn tail hairs. They were versatile, used in potion-making, particularly for beauty potions, and in wand construction, producing stable magic with unwavering reliability. Wands crafted from unicorn tail hair formed a profound bond with their owners, and the market price for such hair was 10 Galleons per piece.
The huge package before him was easily worth a few thousand Galleons. Overwhelmed, Ethan hesitated to accept Margaery's generosity. He feared that in return, the centaurs might make unreasonable requests, such as assassinating Cornelius Fudge or Dumbledore.
Margaery, sensing Ethan's inner struggle, reassured him that the gift was simply a token of gratitude for saving Little Betty. Claiming that these unicorn hairs were routine collections, Margaery downplayed their value, emphasizing their casual abundance.
Ethan, surprised by the centaur tribe's hidden wealth, reluctantly accepted the unicorn tail hair, recognizing it as a gesture of goodwill.
Following the exchange, Margaery earnestly briefed Ethan on the acromantulas and the current situation. Concluding the discussion, Margaery proposed sending a contingent of centaurs to aid Ethan in eliminating the spider. Without hesitation, Ethan agreed, recognizing the value of additional manpower against the gregarious creature.
Once everything was arranged, Margaery assigned a stone room in the tribe for Ethan to rest. To his surprise, the centaurs' accommodations were quite comfortable, resembling human furniture, with soft straw covering the floor and a mattress stuffed with animal feathers provided for Ethan.
Inside the room, Ethan meticulously prepared the equipment he would need for the upcoming battle. The witcher followed his customary routine, polishing his silver sword, assembling alchemy bombs, brewing insectoid sword oil, and preparing potions in advance, all while adjusting his crossbow.
With everything in order, Ethan sat cross-legged on the mattress, entering a meditative state to fortify his mental and spiritual readiness for the imminent fierce battle.
During meditation, Ethan's acute witcher senses detected a light footstep approaching his stone house. The door gently pushed open, carrying the familiar scent of flowers from Anna's presence. Unperturbed, Ethan continued meditating, seemingly oblivious.
Soon, a soft and tender arm rested on Ethan's neck. Opening his eyes, he met Anna's purple gaze, luminous with a gentle light. [T/N Something happened]
Early the next morning, Ethan rose, disentangling himself from the open embrace, and ignoring the indignant murmurs of the nearby beauties. He got up, donned his equipment, massaged his sore waist, and stepped out of his stone abode.
In the early morning quiet of the centaur tribe, Ethan enjoyed a simple breakfast and engaged in physical exercises to ensure peak condition. Before long, Baine, Ronan, and Firenze appeared before him. Without armor, each held their bows with quivers of arrows slung over their shoulders, presenting a heroic stance.
A multitude of centaurs gathered to bid farewell to the departing heroes. Margery emerged from the crowd, and the centaurs instinctively made way for him. Following centaur tradition, Margery took a willow branch, a symbol of blessing, and adorned the heads of the heroes, offering wishes for a triumphant return.
As it came to Ethan's turn, he sensed the complexity in Margery's eyes, suspecting that Margery might be aware of the events from the previous night. Even the usually cheeky Ethan felt a hint of embarrassment, evading Margery's gaze.
When Anna approached Ethan, the atmosphere grew even more awkward. Unmindful of Margery's complicated gaze, Anna presented a willow headband she had just braided, placed it on Ethan's head, and enveloped him in a warm hug. The hostility in the eyes of the young horsemen intensified, while Baine, Ronan, and Firenze regarded Ethan with curious eyes.
Amidst the collective farewell from the centaur tribe, the team set out. Once outside the centaur tribe, they traced the locations where the acromantulas had previously lurked. Relying on his keen senses, Ethan detected several spiders attempting ambushes in the shadows, swiftly dispatching them with his silver sword and crossbow.
Inspecting the corpses of the spiders, Ethan marveled at their absurd size—resembling demons—with eight eyes, eight hairy legs, and a pair of shiny black claws.
The group progressed cautiously towards the spider's nest, navigating through denser tree cover. The sunlight waned, leaving only the sounds of snapping branches and rustling leaves.
Moving forward, Ethan noticed the ground sloping downward. After a while, they discovered a colossal pit, leaving Ethan awestruck. At the pit's center hung a misty, hemispherical spider web, surrounded by densely packed eight-eyed giant spiders—each the size of a horse. Eight eyes, eight legs, and dark and hairy, these creatures seemed like giants.
Bane, Ronan, and Firenze audibly swallowed nervously. Ethan gestured to his companions, and they dispersed according to the discussed tactics around the pit.
Bane reached for the bag Ethan had prepared, containing bottles of Raffard's Decoction for swift healing and detoxification, along with a few peculiar balls. Ethan signaled the three centaurs to set the balls ablaze and throw them after he initiated the attack.
Given Ethan's earlier demonstration, Bane decided to follow his orders, albeit with some confusion. Amid preparations, Ethan muttered something cryptic to Bane, "Blend tactics, then let the firepower cover them if need be."
