Chapter 341: The Last Night in Brokilon
Just as Lynn was pondering the future, a sudden, keen sound from the forest ahead caught his ear.
He immediately stopped and warned the others. "Wait. Something's not right."
Gared and Mousesack also stopped in their tracks. "What is it?"
"Someone's up ahead."
"Someone?"
Lynn pointed with his chin toward the front.
Soon, they understood what he meant. A squad of soldiers hacked their way through the thorny undergrowth and appeared in their view.
Upon seeing Lynn's group, the soldiers were visibly stunned for a moment. They then quickly reacted, spreading out into a battle formation and surrounding them.
Lynn noticed the checkered black and yellow shield crests embroidered on the soldiers' shields and cloaks. It was the banner of the kingdom of Verden.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in the great King Ervyll's forest?"
King Ervyll was the king of Verden. Rumor had it, he was a racist and a pederast. Among the human nations bordering Brokilon, he was the most aggressive and ambitious king, and he had spearheaded the anti-Brokilon alliance. To eradicate the dryads, Ervyll had even put a long-term bounty on dryad scalps.
Before Lynn and the others could speak, the dryad accompanying them bristled with rage and retorted. "What King Ervyll's forest? Brokilon is the dryads' territory, and it belongs only to the Queen!"
"Not anymore. When King Ervyll conquers the forest, he'll find your bitch of a queen and the other bitches a new home—I hear the Nilfgaardians to the south still have slavery. You'd better hope those southerners like you green-skinned freaks."
As the officer spoke these acid-tongued words, he stared at the dryad with undisguised lecherous eyes. The other soldiers behind him let out a chorus of vulgar laughter.
"I don't care who you are. I'm giving you a chance to serve King Ervyll. Arrest this dryad immediately and tell us everything you know."
"I might even reward you, and your heads can stay on your necks."
Mousesack stepped forward, letting out a cold snort. "Your king has no right to give orders to a druid and his companions. This dryad is my companion. Now, step aside, or your king will face the wrath of the Circle of Druids."
"A druid?"
The arrogant laughter came to an abrupt halt. The officer looked at Mousesack with uncertainty. The reputation of druids, though not as widespread as that of sorcerers in the North, held a certain standing. Normally, not even a nobleman would dare to disrespect a druid.
But the officer's heart was in turmoil. He seemed to be hesitating whether to act.
Logically, as a mere knight, he shouldn't dare to offend a druid. If the Circle of Druids came for retribution, King Ervyll wouldn't hesitate to throw him under the bus.
But the problem was, this was not a normal situation. He had been ordered to scout the path into the depths of Brokilon to provide accurate information for the main army.
If he had only encountered this group of a druid and his companions, it would have been one thing. But their party included a dryad.
Everyone knew Brokilon was the dryads' domain. While dryad society had positions like Queen, Head Physician, and War Chief, these were only divisions of labor, unlike the rigid, pyramid-like structure of human society. Therefore, any dryad was highly likely to know the location of Brokilon's center, the place they called Duén Canell.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially since this dryad was alone. He might not get another chance like this. If he could bring back a living dryad for King Ervyll, he might be promoted from knight directly to baron and become a true noble.
As for the druid and the others... a cold glint flashed in the officer's eyes.
Since he had decided to seize the dryad, he naturally couldn't leave any witnesses alive. The officer's knowledge was limited, but he didn't believe magic was all-powerful. Otherwise, kings would have long since succumbed to the rule of sorcerers. If he killed the other witnesses here and now, preventing the druid from reporting back, how would the Circle of Druids ever know what he had done?
With his mind made up, the officer no longer hesitated.
"Attack!"
At the officer's command, the prepared archers on both sides unleashed a rain of arrows.
"Get behind me."
Lynn drew the Quen sign with his left hand, and a bright orange shield of light enveloped the four of them. The arrows hit the Quen shield and bounced off, clattering to the ground.
With his current strength, dealing with these soldiers was no problem at all. What's more, he wasn't fighting alone.
The dryad next to him raised her bow, and every arrow she released hit its mark, taking down a soldier.
Mousesack let out a snort. He brought his oak staff down heavily on the ground. The surrounding forest seemed to come to life, and its branches swept across, knocking several soldiers into the air.
"What's happening?"
"The trees are attacking us!"
"Use fire... burn down this forest."
In an instant, the soldiers' formation was thrown into chaos.
"Let's go."
Putting away his Quen shield, Lynn drew the Gwyhyr from his back and lunged at the officer, whose smile was still frozen on his face, like a fierce ice-wolf. A flash of cold light shot through the forest.
Lynn moved past the officer and charged into the disorganized soldiers. The officer's head slowly fell from his neck. Until his last breath, the officer couldn't comprehend what had happened. They had held the advantage just a second ago; how had the tables been turned so quickly?
What happened next didn't need much detail. With the entire forest as their enemy, the soldiers were destined to not leave alive.
...
"We've returned, Lady Eithné. We have completed the task you gave us. All of Dagon's cultists have been executed."
Lynn paused, then continued, "But as for the bottle of Water of Brokilon you gave me, I poured it into the polluted lake as you instructed, but I can't see the effects just yet."
"That's normal. Purification takes time." Eithné looked at Lynn. "All this blood on you, is it from the cultists?"
Lynn shook his head. "No. Actually, on our way back, we encountered a squad of soldiers." He then proceeded to recount the incident with the Verden scouting party.
(End of Chapter)
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