The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Next to the swamp, there was a small wooden cabin. In front of it, there was a makeshift dock where a small boat used to be moored, allowing people to cross the lake to the other shore.

However, at that moment, only a piece of frayed rope was tied to the post, while the boat swayed in the distance, floating almost to the middle of the lake.

Lane covered his face with embarrassment, obviously this was the effect of the previous [Aard Sweep].

Lambert also covered his face. "I tied a special knot in the rope. In theory, not even a storm could have broken the boat loose."

In the end, it was Mousesack who, using natural magic, controlled the wind and brought the boat back to shore.

But a new problem arose: the boat was too small.

"In fact, I can open a portal. After the fog is dispelled, I can also see the scene on the other side of the lake. Who of you wants to join me?"

At Mousesack's proposal, all the witchers took a step back in complete silence, avoiding eye contact.

Taking the boat twice to get everyone across was an option, but no one wanted to waste time. In the end, Vesemir and Letho decided to use the portal, and after a moment's thought, Coën also sighed in resignation and agreed.

Lan thought about it and said that he didn't need the boat, but he didn't want to go through the portal. Instead, he waved his hand and put the [Teleport] mark on Kolgrim.

The remaining six people just reached the load limit of this small boat. They were determined to swim to the other side even if the boat capsized.

Once again, Mousesack called upon his magic, and with a gentle gust of wind, he propelled the boat at an unusual speed to the opposite shore. Then, with a wave of his hands, he opened the portal.

Lann waved Mousesack's invitation away and watched from afar as the witchers in the boat began to disembark. He stepped back, and before everyone's astonished gaze, his body vanished in a flash of emerald light.

A hum echoed through the air.

Geralt noticed a different light in the corner of his eye, completely different from the glow of the portal. Turning, he saw a human figure materialize from a flash, and he soon recognized Lann, which left him speechless.

"Lann, it's true that we've been apart for a while, but I didn't think it would be that long… Your change is… well, hard to describe."

Suddenly, Coën and Letho staggered out of the portal, followed by Vesemir, who was lightly pressing his head, and Mousesack, who was walking calmly.

Lann noticed the old witcher's condition. This seems to indicate that the weakness of crossing the witcher portal can really be overcome.

"Hey, hey, Coën." Lambert approached Coën with a smirk. "Did you see how Lann came over just now? Would you..."

"Enough!" Coën shouted, completely losing his usual chivalrous composure. "If I could, would I have to suffer this?"

Lambert, satisfied with Coën's reaction, walked away laughing. Then, he turned to what was in front of them.

A deep cave.

The fog around the lake had thickened again without them noticing, and the dark hole in the cave looked even more ominous. At their feet, the lake water, mixed with mud and algae, spread out towards the mouth of the cave, and in the distance the remains of several boats could be seen scattered around.

It seemed as if the mountain had opened a huge, cruel mouth, chewing the small boats into splinters.

This was the home of Old Speartip.

"Prepare yourselves." Vesemir ordered with determination.

Everyone began to take items out of their alchemical backpacks, setting traps at the entrance to the cave. After about fifteen minutes, they stood up again.

From inside the cave, a deep, heavy sound could be heard, like the rumble of thunder.

"This is the snoring of Old Speartip when he is asleep." Lambert said with a serious face. "I'll never forget that sound in my entire life."

Neither of the witchers said a word. In silence, they unsheathed their silver swords. Ogroid oil was carefully applied to the blades.

The witchers began to drink different potions preparing for the coming battle.

At that instant, their faces turned pale like corpses, the veins around their eyes darkened, and their sclerae turned black as night, making them look like ghosts thirsty for revenge.

Mousesack raised a hand, enveloping himself in a magical shield as he followed the witchers deeper into the cave.

The cave was huge, over fifteen meters high, big enough for a giant to move freely. Moss and unknown plants grew in the cracks of the walls, twisted and shadowy from the lack of light.

Ten pairs of glowing eyes slithered across the rocks like stealthy felines. Lann, at first worried about Mousesack, decided to stay behind to keep an eye on him. But he soon realized that the old druid, agile and experienced, was surprisingly able to navigate the environment, outmaneuvering even many common mercenaries.

After all, Mousesack was an adventurer with decades, if not centuries, of experience, and as a druid, he was also knowledgeable in both magic and combat. It was no surprise that he moved with dexterity.

Suddenly, Vesemir, who was in front, raised his hand, pointing to the ground. What was hidden in the darkness did not escape the trained eyes of the witchers: bones.

There were both human and animal bones, all broken and pulverized as if something had crushed them with tremendous force. There were no bite marks on them.

In order not to disturb the sleeping monster, everyone carefully walked around the pile of bones. When the Wolf School saw a few pieces of children's skulls, their eyes became colder.

At that moment, everyone held their breath. In front of them, a huge creature was sleeping.

A thunderous snoring sounded. Everyone was still thirty steps away, but they felt as if a beast was roaring in their ears.

There lay the monster, sprawled on its back, its chest rising and falling slightly as it slept peacefully. It was over five metres tall, with pale, wrinkled skin, like that of a corpse. Its enormous head, half the size of a person, was covered by a black cloth bag, revealing a single, closed eye in the centre of its face.

Its lower half was covered by worn canvas trousers, blackened by grease and wear. It was naked from the waist up, revealing disproportionately long arms, almost reaching down to its knees.

Its hands, enormous, could easily crush a man.

All the witchers, except Lann, held their breath at the sight of the Cyclops. This was no game. Neither a witcher's armor nor the Quen Sign could stop a blow of such magnitude; the only difference between wearing armor or not would be dying instantly or dying soon after due to wounds.

Even Lann, who was used to extreme situations, had assumed that today, for the first time, he might need to use his [Undying] resurrection skill.

According to the previously established plan, Letho, accompanied by his schoolmates, began to move stealthily among the shadows. They took out their poisoned weapons, alchemical potions and toxic gas bombs, surrounding the sleeping beast.

Immediately afterwards, a huge amount of natural energy fluctuations suddenly rose from Mousesack's body.

No longer bothering to conceal his whereabouts, Mousesack roared, startling Old Speartip from his slumber.

Countless vines emerged from the cracks in the rocks, as if they had a life of their own, and tightly coiled around the giant. More thick roots fell from the cave ceiling, crushing him as if a mountain had fallen on him.

At the same time, the witchers of the Viper School launched an attack, using all kinds of poisons as if they cost nothing.

Kolgrim felt as if his poisoned dagger had struck a hardened leather shield. It had barely left a mark on the giant's skin, unable to penetrate his defense.

On the other hand, Letho's Viper venomous silver sword managed to make a small cut, causing a strangely colored blood to flow from the wound. However, for a creature the size of the Cyclops, it was as if he had been stung by a bee.

The Viper School witchers tried to continue their attack, but suddenly they felt a tremor in the ground. The vines that bound the giant began to tighten until they broke one after another.

Then Mousesack shouted: "Get back! My magic can't hold him back any longer!"

The plants created by magic were too fragile, unable to withstand the Cyclops' colossal strength for long.

Kolgrim fired a few poison gas bombs at the giant's face before turning and running. He had barely taken a few steps when a deafening roar shook him, nearly bursting his ears.

He looked back just in time to see the giant flex his muscles and with a force impossible to imagine, tear out the roots that imprisoned him, along with part of the cave wall.

Rocks began to fall everywhere, and Kolgrim felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. The cave was about to collapse!

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