Place

Chapter 503

The sun hung high up in the air, burning red. Roy came out of the dungeon, his mind occupied by a few thoughts. Even though Geralt and Yurga had told him about the red light, he still thought he should check out the spot himself. Maybe I can find something. He blinked out of the fortress' walls and darted to the bridge over the valley a mile north from the city.

Despite how deep the valley went, Roy could vaguely see skeletons and broken carriages lining the ground of the valley. Weed was abundant, and elliptical fern grew on the rotting bridge.

And the look on Roy's face changed, then he stopped in his tracks. A gale howled from the valley, shaking the bridge. The wooden planks and chain rubbed against each other, screeching in the air and swinging around. Roy easily held on despite how much the bridge was shaking. No, the danger came from somewhere else. The Elder Blood told him so.

Roy bent over a little, holding his crossbow. He was like a beast lying in wait, wondering if it should fight or flee. Ebony—the dog—was lying around Roy's feet. It stopped howling and barking so its master could think in peace. Gryphon the Black Cat lay around Roy's right foot, eager to get into a fight and help its master.

Roy didn't let the cat do anything. That would be a suicide mission. He stared at the space across the bridge. His blood told him that something fatal was hiding across the bridge. What awaited him was an abyss. A maw that would gobble him up and grind him into pieces should he take a step forward.

Roy waited for ten whole minutes, and the danger lingering in his heart slowly disappeared. The witcher heaved a sigh of relief. This case is probably hiding something big. I need to be careful.

He then came to the shrubs sitting across the valley, and the second threat came. A guttural growl thundered in the air, and Roy thought it was just the buzz of mosquitoes in the shrubs, but a moment later, he knew he was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Pairs of amber eyes shone through the shrubs and woods. They were looking up at Roy with bloodlust.

Roy quickly unsheathed the crimson sword and crouched a little, holding the blade against his waist. The blade glinted a dark red under the sun, but it did not deter the attackers. Another growl pierced the air, and out came a dozen wolves.

The witcher froze for a moment. These wolves were a lot larger than their regular counterparts. These were about the size of a calf, and their fur was nearly black. Their limbs were covered with muscle, and their claws were the size of scythes. Their shoulders looked like small hills, and strips of bloody flesh hung from their fangs. Their eyes were fixed on Roy, their prey.

Roy was still cautious, but he stood still like a statue. Observe told him what happened to these beasts. "I see. So that's why they're attacking in the daytime. These beasts have mutated." Their stats were 50% higher than regular wolves. Most humans would die easily to these beasts.

Roy held up his left hand and quickly made a Sign, the yellow shield of Quen covering his armor. He then made another Sign, and the kaleidoscopic circle of Yrden appeared underneath his feet.

Angered by his actions, the alpha wolf roared. As if on cue, foul winds and claws charged ahead at Roy. A wolf bared its fangs, pouncing at its prey, and its companions followed.

The witcher spun, and an arc of light flew through the air. The wolf who attacked from behind found its head flying high up into the air, and a stream of blood shot from the stump where its neck should've been.

Unfazed, Roy leapt high into the air and charged into the pack of wolves. He swung his blade like it was a whip, lashing out at the wolves before they could get close. A rain of flames scattered across the battlefield, enveloping the beasts in its fiery embrace. Roy was dancing among the beasts, but his dance was deadly. Brutal. Lethal. Every swing took away one life, but Roy didn't stop. Again and again he swung. Again and again he danced. Flesh was torn asunder, bones were broken, cries of pain were cut short, and then, finally, something fell with a dull thud.

The battle barely lasted thirty seconds. By the end of it, silence had returned to this place. Even the leaves stayed still. Once again, sparrows started to sing and dance. Cats began to mewl, and dogs started to howl.

Roy stood among the sea of corpses, slowly wiping the blade with a piece of fur. A thin gash decorated the witcher's cheek.

'10 Mutated Wolves killed. EXP +200. Level 12 Witcher (8500/12500).'

***

Roy crouched. Despite the stench, the witcher pulled out the dead wolf's insides and did a close check. "No signs of human intervention. So this is a natural mutation? Same reason as to why the red light appeared?"

He tucked the least broken corpse into his inventory space and buried the other bits and pieces in a big hole he dug up. The witcher tossed a fire ball into the hole and burned the corpses into ash. That'll make sure no necrophage shows up. Among the corpses were three human bodies. Unlucky sods who were eaten by the wolves when they tried to pass the bridge.

And then Roy was met with no further attacks. The patch of woods where the red light showed up was located a mile and a half north of Mayena. A week had gone by since the case happened, and the red light was no longer there.

The only thing left was a patch of woods with trees undulating across the land, their leaves swaying under the gentle caress of the breeze. It was quiet and beautiful, but the moment Roy stepped into the woods, his medallion started to buzz. "Knew it. Remnants of the energy."

Even after a week, the lingering energy was still intense enough to elicit a reaction from the medallion. Roy scanned the trees around him, but he found nothing out of the ordinary. That puzzled him. Why'd three of them manage to survive while Ainz got burnt to a crisp?

When Roy came to the center of the woods, his medallion was vibrating so hard he thought it would fly away. The witcher surveyed the land. The red light enveloped an area that had a thirty-yard radius, and there was a line separating it from the other land. Within that line, an abundance of flowers bloomed. There were meandering vines, purple oleanders, and daylilies on the outer edge. Underneath the witcher's feet were roses and orchids. His pets were frolicking around, chasing butterflies. They were getting a bit too excited.

Animals seemed to like this place. The flowers outside the line weren't as beautiful as the ones within, nor did they shine like stars. It was obvious something was different. Roy looked around and realized that every plant within the line, including the trees, looked bigger and stronger, like they were blessed with some special force.

And then Roy was reminded of the mutated wolves. "Perhaps they stayed around and were affected by the red light."

But if the light brought life for animals and plants, why did Ainz get burnt to a crisp? The red light affects humans, plants, and animals differently? "How does this work?"

Ebony barked hurriedly. Gryphon was holding the dog by the nape of its neck, running around wildly. "Stop it at once! Did the light get to you, Gryphon? Get over here. I need to check on you."

***

Roy searched the forest a few times. Aside from the beautiful plants, he found nothing else. In the end, he scooped up a big sack of soil, cut a branch of a tree, and plucked a few flowers as evidence. Then he set off for the next destination. That light has affected the laws of nature and changed this land. The druids should be able to recognize the reason. There's a circle around Mayena, but first, I need to find out more about the place.