Chapter 392: Fiend
Lynn spent about fifteen minutes meticulously searching the forest before he found the monster's tracks.
The footprints indicated the creature had large paws, long, sharp forelegs, and walked on all fours. Its back height likely exceeded two meters.
Following the tracks for about half an hour, Lynn finally located the monster's lair.
The creature resembled an elk, but with three eyes on its face, a body dense with muscle, and stood taller than a man even when resting on all fours. It was currently sprawled on the ground, sound asleep.
This was a Fiend, also called a Fint monster. Despite having only a single letter difference from a Leshen, the two were worlds apart.
A Fiend does not summon crows or wolves, nor does it employ plant attacks. Its primary strength is its physical form, which it boasts of with pride. No human can defeat a Fiend in close combat unless they employ long-range artillery like ballistas or trebuchets. Its strength is terrifying; even a tightly disciplined army will be scattered within seconds should a Fiend break their formation. Even a silver spear bravely thrust into its flank or rear will be stopped by muscles nearly as hard as steel.
However, the Fiend encountered no ordinary foe today.
Lynn forcefully stomped his foot, his figure vanishing from its spot. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of the sleeping Fiend.
The slumbering Fiend proved to be very alert. It instinctively raised its head, narrowly evading the heavy chop.
Despite this, its chest was still rent open by a horrific wound. Blood streamed out wildly, like water from a punctured sack. Driven by blinding pain, the Fiend reflexively swung its claws forward.
A monster is still a monster; what would be a mortal injury to a human was merely a "simple mortal injury" to the extraordinarily tough Fiend. Conversely, the Fiend's rage-fueled strike—had it connected—would have been enough to tear apart a stone wall.
Yet...
Clang!
An earsplitting sound of metal striking metal rang out. The massive blade of Aerondight blocked the Fiend's claw.
To the Fiend's disbelief, Lynn pushed against the sword's flat, shoving the claw back.
Then, a flash of cold light sliced across its neck.
Thud!
The head, adorned with thick antlers, rolled onto the ground. The expression of shock remained etched on the Fiend's face. Presumably, until its death, it could not believe that a human could possess greater strength than its own.
Lynn pulled out his hunting knife and stripped the Fiend of all valuable trophies, then searched the lair. Unfortunately, no treasure was found. This was logical, after all. This Fiend was hiding deep in the forests of Velen, away from the main roads, and Velen was notoriously poor and backward. Even if it had lived in this forest for centuries, how many valuables could it have scavenged?
Lynn wasn't discouraged. Given his current wealth, he had little need for paltry trinkets.
He picked up the Fiend's head, his gaze falling on the headless corpse. Fiend meat is inedible. Like Ghouls, Nekkers, Bog Witches, and Grave Hags, eating it would lead to symptoms ranging from severe vomiting and fever to certain death.
Thus, Lynn used the Igni Sign to burn the Fiend's carcass. He only needed the head as proof of the kill.
Only a few hours had passed when Lynn returned to the village. When he tossed the giant Fiend head onto the ground, he was met with shocked stares from everyone, including the knights.
The villagers' astonishment was understandable, but the knights were no country bumpkins. Simply judging by the monster's massive skull, they could gauge its size in life and estimate the manpower and casualties required to hunt such a beast. Yet Lynn had done it alone, and he was completely unharmed.
Truly terrifying.
"It wasn't just the Fiend; the Noonwraith in the fields has also been destroyed. It won't trouble you again," Lynn announced. "However, you should not venture into the forest yet. Even with the Fiend gone, there are still Nekkers, Endrega, and Crab Spiders in those woods."
"I'll find people to properly clear the area for you later."
Lynn was not being dismissive. Once the witchers he had dispatched south returned, he planned to send them to Velen to slowly and completely purge the land of its monsters. In truth, due to the monster ravages, Velen's natural resources were virtually undeveloped, and coupled with its sparse population, it was actually prime farmland. Velen lay just north of Novigrad. Novigrad excelled at commerce, and Velen could become its agricultural complement, which was precisely why Lynn had chosen it.
The company stayed in the village for several more days. Lynn visited the Noonwraith's field every noon until he confirmed the spirit was truly gone. Only then did the group depart for the next village. As they left, the village elder and the people watched them go from the village entrance. This time, their faces showed a sincere reverence.
Clearing Velen
It took nearly two months for the company to traverse the entirety of Velen and finally return to Crow's Perch.
Velen province was not huge, and its villages were few. Aside from the perpetually muddy roads, most of their time was spent helping local communities resolve the most urgent and severe issues. Because Vissarad had shirked his duties as lord, the people who had lived in Velen for generations were suffering immensely. Poverty, hunger, and even basic survival were not guaranteed. Therefore, at every stop, they had to dedicate significant time to handling immediate, critical problems for the villagers.
The most dire situation was found in the village of Downwarren, located on the eastern side of the province near the Crookback Bog. This was the very village that, in The Witcher 3 game, was associated with the cult of the Ladies of the Wood.
At this point in time, however, Downwarren was not yet wholly corrupted. But Lynn did notice that some villagers were missing an ear—a sacrifice required by the Ladies of the Wood.
Lynn and his company stayed in Downwarren the longest. Since the area was severely compromised by darkness, they had to employ severe measures: executing those villagers who were already corrupted and burning every item found related to the Ladies of the Wood. The remaining villagers who showed no signs of corruption were forcibly relocated to Crow's Perch.
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