Chapter 74: Fighting Alongside the Dryads
"Halt!"
Seeing that Arthur had spotted her, the woman ahead not only didn't hide but called out loudly: "This is dryad territory. You have no right to enter."
"We don't want trouble with the dryads; we are here to exchange prisoners with the elves!" Arthur took out a small, exquisite knife from his pocket, attempting to offer a bribe.
But the moment he took two steps forward, a feathered arrow whizzed and planted itself less than a foot in front of him.
"Stop. Do not advance further."
"Hey, you little bitch, can't you understand common tongue…" The woman's firm stance angered Zoltan. He rolled up his sleeves, showing off his hairy arms, ready to barge through, but Arthur stopped him.
"Wait, don't rush. She isn't hostile."
"An arrow nearly pinned your foot to the ground! You call that not hostile?" Zoltan yelled, eyes wide, but Arthur merely patted his shoulder, nodding gently yet resolutely: "Trust me. Let me handle this."
To demonstrate his lack of malice, he left the Temerian Blade where it was, holding up only the small, ornate knife as he walked toward the woman in the woods. "We truly mean no harm. My friend was kidnapped by the elves right on dryad land; we need your help."
"Hey, get back here, are you suicidal?!" Zoltan called out in a low voice behind him.
Facing the cold glint of the arrowhead, Arthur slowly closed the distance. The woman in the woods genuinely didn't shoot, watching him until he reached a distance of ten paces.
Ten paces. This was the shortest distance at which Arthur could still reliably parry or dodge an arrow. Even one step closer and the risk of being shot would skyrocket.
"Those elves ambushed us just now at the edge of the forest. Perhaps you know them," Arthur stood his ground, speaking sincerely: "My friend is completely defenseless and poses no threat to either the elves or the dryads. If he dies in this conflict, it will be an utter tragedy."
The woman in the woods stared at Arthur's face for a moment, her tone softening: "Where are you from? Verden, Brugge, or perhaps Sodden?"
Arthur flipped out his medallion from beneath his collar: "I was born in Pontar, and the King of Temeria knighted me. I can't exactly say which side I belong to."
"Temeria…" The woman's brow slightly relaxed, and the arrow on her bow was lowered a fraction.
Temeria lay east of Brokilon. The two territories shared a long border, yet peace had always been maintained. Some said Foltest was an enlightened monarch, willing to coexist peacefully with non-humans. But the Dryad Queen said the King was a pragmatist, knowing he couldn't easily waste the kingdom's strength starting a war along such an extended border would be a catastrophic drain for both sides.
With this thought, RedKite fully lowered her bow, then made a 'stop' gesture: "The forest has many dangers. You wait outside; I will figure out how to arrange the prisoner exchange."
She paused, pointing to the medallion on Arthur's chest: "If you die in the forest, things will get much more complicated."
Damn it! I shouldn't have shown that thing off… Arthur hadn't anticipated that this medallion would become his biggest stumbling block.
He felt uneasy entrusting his friend's safety to a stranger, but the dryad's concern about diplomatic fallout was understandable…
A massive shadow emerged from the depths of the forest, closing in silently.
"Hey, stop! I'm not kidding!" The woman in the woods was fully focused on Arthur and completely oblivious to the danger behind her, until Arthur shouted a warning:
"Run forward, quickly!"
Trees the width of a man's embrace groaned and snapped, spraying sap as if rain were falling through the forest.
Two massive chelae (pincers) materialized simultaneously from the left and right. Based purely on speed, RedKite had no chance of escape.
"Aard!"
Arthur sprinted forward, unleashing a low-to-the-ground shockwave.
RedKite's sudden stumble transformed into a nimble dodge. The two chelae snapped shut above her, but only managed to clip a few strands of her hair.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Seizing the brief opportunity, Arthur grabbed the woman from the woods and ran. Zoltan threw the Temerian Blade back to Arthur, grabbed his iron sword, and charged at the monster.
"It's a giant centipede! Damn it, how did it get here?" RedKite shouted a warning: "Don't go! You can't be its match!"
But her warning came too late.
The giant centipede showed the fearless charging Dwarf sufficient respect: it anchored its legs firmly into the ground, then swung its chela, colliding violently with the iron sword in the Dwarf's hand.
Zoltan returned even faster than he left. Fortunately, the Dwarf's body was as tough as his head, and he didn't seem seriously injured.
Seeing Zoltan ready to charge again, Arthur quickly restrained him: "You take the elf and run outside. Koglgrim and I will split up to distract it. Dryad, you…"
"I'll look for a chance to shoot its weak point!" The woman in the woods put the bow in her mouth, quickly scampered up a branch, and began aiming for the centipede's eyes: "But don't get your hopes up! Its carapace is very tough!"
"Damn it, why are this thing's legs so tough!" Arthur, following the tactics outlined in the Bestiary, rushed in and unleashed several shockwaves at close range, but the giant centipede's legs did not snap on impact as the guide suggested.
"This thing is too big! Signs are useless! Watch me deal with it!" Koglgrim also raised his hand and cast the Aard Sign, but he used the force of the shockwave to propel himself under the giant centipede, where he swung his sword fiercely at its abdomen.
RedKite gracefully moved among the branches, instantly firing three arrows at the centipede's eyes, but the creature merely snapped its head away and avoided them.
"Witcher! Where is your silver sword?!" RedKite yelled: "This thing is vulnerable to silver!"
"It broke!" Koglgrim's figure was completely obscured by the giant centipede, only his muffled, frustrated voice could be heard.
"Damn it, why would that happen?" RedKite turned to Arthur and shouted: "Find a way to get the Witcher out! Without a silver sword, we have no chance! We can only barely circle this centipede now. If anything else shows up, we're finished!"
A certain unpopular sage once said that if nothing goes wrong, something always will.
No sooner had RedKite's words left her mouth than another monster appeared from the direction the centipede had attacked.
It stood nearly two meters tall, its back covered in knotty growths like burls, and its arms, as thick as a man's thigh, dragged a heavy wooden club it was a Forest Troll.
"Damn it! All the trouble is coming at once!"
Crying out in shock, RedKite twisted her waist, sending an arrow screaming toward the troll's throat. But the troll simply lowered its head, deflecting the arrow with its hardened forehead.
"Let me!"
Unlike RedKite's surprise and dejection, Arthur felt a flash of delight the moment he saw the Forest Troll.
No matter how fierce this thing was, it couldn't be harder to handle than a centipede over a dozen meters long. If he could just dispatch this troll, his Unyielding Force should finally be unlocked.
You can withstand the Aard Sign, but can you withstand the Dragon Shout?!
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