The Divine Hunter

Roy stood up, holding the hilt with one hand and the blade with the other. He raised it up to eye level and looked at the sword closely. Aerondight was deep crimson in , as if it were drenched in blood for decades. Unlike Gwyhyr, the blade had little to no decoration. It seemed plain and quiet, just like a lake.

‘Lady of the Lake’s Sword—Aerondight

Type: Silver sword

Materials: Tearstone, dark iron ingot, cured draconid leather, powdered monster tissue, nymph blood.

Measurements: Weighs 6.06 pounds, hilt measures at eleven inches (0.27 meters), and the blade measures forty inches (1.01 meters).

Effect(s):

Mana Reduction: Every time Aerondight hits a magical creature, it will—aside from causing physical damage—forcibly reduce the target’s mana.

Aqua Blessing: The user is blessed by the Lady of the Lake. The user can breathe underwater and walk above water. The sword causes most aquatic creatures to be friendly toward the user and lower their hostility significantly.

Aqua Summoning: Whenever the user is in a lake, they can use this sword to contact the local Lady of the Lake.

Reminder: This sword is given to Roy by Vivienne. You are the one who passed the trial. Only you can use this sword.

***

Roy spun the sword around, and it felt heavy. After all, Aerondight was double the weight of Gwyhyr. A permanent, comfortable sword was a mandatory piece of gear every swordsman had to have. A change in weight could affect every battle greatly, and sometimes, it was the difference between life and death. Thanks to Roy’s previous training, he was already used to Gwyhyr’s weight.

He concentrated on his character sheet.

You have acquired a silver sword that meets the binding requirement. Do you want to bind Aerondight?

You have bound the sword of the Lady of the Lake—Aerondight.

“Well, this is an unexpected surprise. This trip is a fulfilling one.” Roy happily strapped Aerondight to his back. The swords’ hilts poked out behind his back, and they gleamed under the sunlight. With the final piece of the puzzle in his hands, the young man was looking more and more like a witcher.

Vivienne watched him quietly, and dimples appeared on her cheeks as a smile curled her lips. “You seem to take a liking to the gift, my knight.” She extended her hand to him.

“Goddess Vivienne, your generosity is boundless.” Roy held her hand and kissed the back of it. It felt smooth and tender.

“Then let us talk about business. Aerondight alone is not enough to vanquish Dagon. We need a careful and feasible plan. What do you have in mind, my knight?”

Vivienne flicked her wrist, and Roy felt an invisible power gently surge underneath him, and he sat right on the surface of the lake, his seat nothing but fog. If they had a table and a pot of tea between them, it’d look like a proper little gathering. The light of reminiscence appeared in Vivienne’s eyes, and she said, “Dagon first appeared in the lake more than ten years ago.”

“More than ten years ago? Pardon me, but…” Roy tried to be as gentle as possible. “Why didn’t you destroy it the very moment it appeared? Why did you allow it to gain strength?”

Vivienne looked crestfallen. She stared down at the lake, and the light in her eyes dimmed. Anyone else would have felt a twinge of sympathy for her. “Dagon employed a special method of invasion. I didn’t notice it at first, but now I see that the dreams were the first part of his insidious plan. He invaded the dreams of the creatures near the lake, creating murmurs, nightmares, and even illusions that fulfilled the creatures’ lust for glory. The first victims showed no signs other than a weakened vigor. When the real signs finally showed, there was already no hope of salvation for the victim. The first victims were weak-willed vodyanoi. Under Dagon’s influence, they eventually lost their souls to its corruption.”

Vivienne’s hair swayed with the breeze, and as the wind blew against Roy, the young witcher tasted the scent of lilies coming from her. “The dreams were like a plague. It broke out all of a sudden, and there was no way to stop it. Creatures fell in droves and became Dagon’s believers. They provided the flesh, emotions, and faith Dagon needed to survive and thrive. When I realized what it had done, I was already powerless to stop it. Dagon has gained a lot of strength over the years, and now he is as powerful as I am.”

“He lured the creatures to corruption through dreams and sucked their emotions and faith to gain strength. That explains the bizarre phenomenon I saw in the villagers.” Roy massaged his forehead. “So if I want to destroy Dagon, I’ll have to cull his believers? His source of strength? Without any nourishment, Dagon will have no way to survive.”

“You can weaken Dagon that way, but it is not enough.” Vivenne elegantly brushed her feet against the lake, and she tilted her head. “And a big part of its believers are the villagers living beside the swamp. They haven’t fallen yet. There is still humanity within them. Can you really cull them, my knight?”

“If you can relocate the villagers to somewhere more than five miles away from the lake, Dagon will be unable to absorb their strength.”

Roy nodded. “So I’ll have to cull all the fallen vodyanoi, chase the believers away, and summon Dagon through the altar when it’s weakened so I can kill it?”

“Once Dagon’s projection and altar are vanquished, we can cut off its connection to this world. Without its interference, I can seal the crack in the bottom of the lake,” Vivienne said. “But the only ones who are powerful enough to enter this battle are you and that witcher. Anyone else will only be nourishment for Dagon, and they will drag the battle on.”

“I understand.” Roy clenched his fists. Fighting an evil entity from another world was an exciting but dangerous undertaking, even if that creature was just a projection. “Very well then, goddess. How should I lure Dagon’s projection out into the open?”

Vivienne gave it some thought. “My knight, you have two days to cull Dagon’s underlings. Once you have done that, summon me through Aerondight. I will give you a bloodstone as bait. Dagon cannot hope to resist its allure. Before the battle begins, my believers and I will risk our lives to keep it at bay and seal most of its powers. That will create an opening for you and your companion to kill it.”

Vivian smiled, and she realized what Roy was getting at. “If your mentor is willing to lend his strength, then our chances at victory will increase, and his work will not go unpaid.” She opened her palm, and a plain green ring appeared within. “This is a spatial ring left by a powerful mage at the lake many years ago. The space within isn’t big, so to speak. It only costs a negligible amount of mana to use every time. It’s better than that bag you witchers saddle on your mounts. If he’s willing to help, then this ring shall be his reward.”

Vivienne suddenly sighed. “There are a lot of useless items in this ring. Countless visitors throw coins into the lake every year just to make a wish. That is utter foolishness, and they are sullying the environment.”

Roy stared at her dumbly as she tossed the ring to him. “Go. Ask your mentor if he is willing to help. You can give me back the ring if he refuses to help, but do please take all the waste within it away.”

***

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