Chapter 11: Resolve in the Dark Night
Arthur had never felt the road to Hoffer so long and so rough as it was tonight.
Traveling by moonlight sounded romantic, but it was agonizing in practice. The path was dimly lit and treacherous; when clouds covered the moon, it was pure chaos, and he stumbled frequently.
But these were the least of his troubles.
The sounds the ceaseless, indistinguishable noises from the sides of the road were irritating. Coupled with Walker's earlier comment that 'monsters are clustered everywhere here,' Arthur kept mistaking the roadside bushes for some kind of unknown creature.
After an unknown time, he finally set foot on the familiar road again, feeling an immediate sense of relief. The vague outline of Hoffer Village in the distance looked welcoming, and even the strange noises along the path seemed to have ceased.
Arthur hurried, wishing he could reach the village in two steps and sit down for a bowl of hot porridge.
Hmph!
Arthur raised a hand to wipe away his drool, only to hear a rush of wind by the roadside and see a torch abruptly plunged into the ground some distance away.
"Little bastard, your grandfather has been waiting for you here for a long time!"
Arthur was all too familiar with the voice it was Kory, the man he had fought in the tavern.
Kory placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, leaping into the center of the road, his fat face illuminated from below by the torchlight, making him look sinister and hateful:
"Where are you hurrying off to? We still have a score to settle, you and I."
Arthur looked up at Kory: "You're quite considerate. I was just looking to kill someone, and you showed up." Facing this hammy nuisance, he wasn't afraid. He even felt a little like laughing.
Kory spoke at the same time, as if snatching the words: "Do you know what a huge problem you caused me? The Baron kicked me out of the Castle of Amavet after that tavern incident because he thought I was a soft-bellied idiot who couldn't even handle a snot-nosed kid!"
Arthur noticed that Kory also had the ear-plugs plus tortoise-shaped stone combination, clearly intended to counter his battle roar. He was about to chuckle when Kory continued:
"There's no better way to prove the Baron wrong than to kill you in a duel! Kid, don't say I'm taking advantage of you. Both our swords are in their sheaths, so this is a fair fight."
Fair my ass…
Looking at the rambling Kory, Arthur was reminded of the discussion about sword-carrying methods from a few days ago. Near the end of that conversation, he had posed a question to the Witcher:
"What if the opponent is human, then?"
Kory suddenly burst into wild laughter, as if remembering something funny:
"In my homeland, there's a saying among mercenaries: When the man with the sword on his hip faces the man with the sword on his back, the one with the sword on his back dies."
He proudly rattled his side-sheathed sword, an arming sword less than a meter long. A skilled swordsman could draw it and cut a man in the blink of an eye.
Arthur subtly turned his head, glancing at the hand-and-a-half sword on his back. Its length far exceeded one meter. At this distance, there was no way he could draw it before Kory charged.
Kory's mouth was practically split to his ears. He released his grip on the sword, challenging him:
"Don't look so glum. At least give it a try! But don't get your hopes up. I've trained hard in the quick-draw… Ugh!"
Arthur didn't wait for him to finish, instead rushing forward in a single lunge.
Fool! Idiot! What good is closing the distance without drawing your sword? Kory thought, instantly gripping his sword hilt like lightning. With just half a second, he could leave a gruesome wound on Arthur's chest.
But he didn't get the chance to draw it.
A bone-chilling cold erupted in his abdomen. Kory looked down, trembling, at a dagger twisting rapidly.
His strength poured out like water from an opened sluice gate. Before his consciousness was swallowed by darkness, he heard Arthur speaking. The voice, transmitted along his ribs, sounded strangely alien:
"Next time you want to cut someone, just cut them. Don't talk so much."
Arthur took a step back. Kory, having lost his support, collapsed heavily, squirming on the ground like a maggot.
Kolgrim answer had been: "If you can't draw fast enough from your back, then get in close and give your enemy a dagger."
Half an hour later, in Hoffer Village, Walker's sharp exclamation nearly blew the roof off the cottage: "The Baron ordered a manhunt for you, and you escaped. Not only did you kill his subordinate in return, but now you're planning to go back and bail the other man out?!"
Arthur nodded: "The Baron is entirely at fault for this situation. What I did was self-defense!"
Walker shook his head like a rattle-drum:
"The Baron will surely claim this was an assault by a commoner on a noble. If he does that, the best outcome for you is the gallows. Forget your hostage plan. The Baron doesn't care about the lives of his soldiers' families. Unless you tie them all up and start killing them one by one at the castle gate, the soldiers might mutiny but can you even bring yourself to do that?"
Arthur shook his head. The kidnapping plan was already something he'd settled on with great difficulty; to harm wives and children was borderline insane.
Walker threw up his hands: "If you absolutely can't do it, then just let it go. Forget Kolgrim, change your name, and start over somewhere else…"
"That's not an option!" Arthur cut Walker off, saying decisively: "As long as there's a sliver of hope, I have to try."
He knew, of course, that Walker's suggestion was the most sensible course of action for the current situation. After all, he wasn't a Witcher, and he wouldn't be so easy to track down.
But he simply couldn't take that path.
Without Kolgrim, he wouldn't have woken up to a campfire and food, but to a ruined village with monsters likely feeding nearby. Without Kolgrim sacrificing himself, he would have been smashed into pulp under the griffin's wing.
If he just left now, what would be the difference between him and the beast in the castle?
Walker was stunned. This lad, having escaped the clutches of a noble, wasn't thinking about saving his own neck, but was trying to get back what he'd lost? Was he mad?
Walker sighed: "I hear Witchers are generally detached from their emotions, but you, you've got honor."
Arthur: "He saved my life, and not just once. If I walk away from this, how am I any different from that animal in the castle?"
Seeing his determination, Walker stopped trying to persuade him. After thinking for a while, he said:
"Do you remember how Hoffer Village came to be? The more I think about it these days, the more I believe the King holds a grudge against the Velerad family. If you absolutely must save him, you might try your luck at the Royal Court in Vizima. But the risk is high. Ever since I went to Vizima to lodge a complaint, the Baron has kept records images of any strangers coming into the village. He's very likely already issued a warrant for your arrest."
"That's what I'll do!" Arthur stood up abruptly. He had already sensed something odd about the Hoffer Village situation.
By all rights, nobles naturally sided with other nobles, yet the King sounded like he was unconditionally on the side of the villagers. Moreover, the final judgment was suspicious allowing Hoffer Village to be established without assigning fault was essentially stealing people and land from the Baron by other means.
This King was either truly wise and mighty, or he wanted to play a political game.
But that was the current rule of the game. A noble's passing whim could cost a commoner their life.
Seeing Arthur about to leave, Walker handed him a pouch:
"Take this coin. If you make it back, don't forget to buy some salves in Vizima Lenna is dying."
Arthur froze: "Lenna was sent out?"
Walker sighed: "It happened this afternoon, alas. The girl looked terrible, covered in bandages from head to toe. Peter fainted on the spot, crying."
Arthur shook his head, using a piece of wood to scratch the names of several herbs onto the ground:
"Vizima is fifty leagues away. Going and returning will take at least two days. I'm afraid that won't be fast enough. Find these herbs now, and I'll brew a healing draught immediately. It's a potion meant for Witchers. I've reduced the toxicity, but the efficacy is weaker, too. I don't know how much good it will do a common person."
"We can't worry about that now! Having any medicine is a blessing!" Walker quickly scanned the names, his face lighting up with surprise: "These are all common herbs. I can gather them in ten minutes."
He started to walk toward the door, but this time, Arthur was the one who pulled him back:
"I'll go with you..."
....
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