Chapter 380: The End of the Contract
Lynn did not jump down immediately. He first used his witcher senses to detect for any ambushes below and then threw a Samum Bomb. This type of bomb acts as a flashbang, stunning any enemies within its effective range. After the bomb exploded, Lynn jumped down.
The wooden ladder led to a narrow stone passage that sloped gently downwards. A cold, damp wind blew from the depths of the passage. Lynn cast a Quen shield on himself, and then drank a Higher Wolf potion, a Higher Swallow potion, and a Higher Tawny Owl potion before proceeding with Triss into the depths of the stone passage.
After an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at an extremely wide cavern. The cavern, save for the ground they were standing on, was an immense black lake. A thick, impenetrable darkness hovered over the surface of the lake. The only thing visible in the darkness was a floating human head.
Yourcast.
"What took you so long? I've been waiting for you."
"My dear niece, my invitation is still valid. Come, join me in serving our great master."
"Uncle, why did you do this?" Triss's voice was full of sadness. "You are the Prince of Maribor. His Majesty Foltest had great trust in you, so why did you choose to betray him?"
Yourcast scoffed. "For eternal life, and for power, my niece. These are things you were born with, so you don't care about them, but do you know how many women want to be like you, to be able to keep the face and body of a twenty-year-old forever, no matter how long they live?"
"I don't care about my appearance, whether I look like a decrepit old man or a vibrant youth. It's all the same to me. But I am not content being trapped in a fleshly cage that can only live for a few decades."
"Mortal status, power, money... they are all fleeting in the face of eternal life. I don't want to die. I want to live. At least for another five hundred years. Am I wrong for wanting that?"
"I don't have a talent for magic, so the Ban Ard Academy rejected me. I offered a huge bounty to a witcher to come to Maribor, hoping he could turn me into a witcher through the Trial of the Grasses..."
"But I was told, in a cold and merciless manner, that no adult has ever survived the Trial of the Grasses, that the ten percent survival rate only applied to children."
"Do you know how frustrated I felt when reality shattered my expectations time and time again? Why could a lowly street urchin become a witcher and gain a long life?"
"I come from a noble family, and noble blood flows in my veins, but I have been repeatedly denied eternal life…"
At this moment, Lynn noticed that the gem on Triss's staff was emitting a gentle light, making her voice sound like music. He immediately realized it was a spell of fascination.
"Turn back, uncle. Though a mortal body has an end to its life, you can at least maintain your noble status. If you become a minion of evil, your soul will suffer for all eternity."
Under the influence of the fascinating spell, Yourcast seemed to regain some clarity from the Elder God's enchantment. "I... I... but it's too late, niece. I'm afraid there's no turning back for me..."
As Triss spoke, she subtly gave Lynn a look. "No, I can still save your soul and let it rest in peace."
The sorceress's fascination spell seemed to be working, but only for a moment. An evil aura within Yourcast's head suddenly flared, and Yourcast returned to his state of fanaticism.
"No! I will not give up my pursuit of eternal life! I will not give up halfway! Since you are unwilling to pledge your loyalty to my master, then you all shall die!"
"Hahahahahaha—you foolish insects, witness the power my master has granted me!"
Yourcast's head sank into the darkness. The darkness on the lake surface churned violently. In an instant, a huge claw emerged from the darkness.
Lynn and Triss dodged to the left and right, respectively. The massive claw swept through the space they had just occupied, leaving deep gouges on the stone. Then, another giant claw swept horizontally along the ground.
Triss instantly vanished from her spot and reappeared after the claw had passed. Lynn, on the other hand, leaped over it.
"Hahahahahaha—"
A wild and unbridled laugh echoed from the darkness. Triss waved her staff, and a small dart shot toward the source of the laughter. The dart plunged into the darkness and was quickly swallowed. But Triss chanted a spell, and the next moment, an explosion rang out in the darkness. The silver-white light briefly dispelled the darkness, revealing the hidden, sinister creature.
Yourcast had now become, quite literally, a true monster. Its head was bloated to the size of a two-story house. Only its head. The two massive claws that had attacked them earlier grew out from the bottom of its head, where its neck should have been. Its body had mutated with many obvious features of sea creatures.
"Igni."
A stream of fire coalesced into a spear and swiftly pierced Yourcast's right eye. The terrifying heat instantly melted the monster's eyeball, and the fire blazed in its eye socket.
Yourcast let out a sharp, piercing shriek. Its two claws flailed wildly. For a moment, the entire cavern was filled with dust. But the touch from the claws never felt solid.
Suddenly, Yourcast froze. In its vision, the dust had vanished. The cavern showed no sign of damage. Yourcast's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat. It had been an illusion. It had been caught in an illusion spell. It had never actually attacked.
Realizing this, Yourcast finally noticed a figure flying over the dozen meters of lake water, right above its head. The massive blade blank in the figure's hand was getting closer and closer. Yourcast instinctively reached out with its two arms to grab the figure.
But a fiery serpent shot from a distance, and under Triss's control, its body coiled around Yourcast's two giant claws. Before Yourcast could even attempt to break free, a grating sound of metal against bone echoed through the cavern, and Yourcast's head buzzed with pain.
But it was not over. Lynn released an Aard sign with his left hand, hitting the top of Yourcast's head. Using the recoil, he flew up and then came crashing down again.
THUD!
The second strike landed on the exact same spot. Yourcast was horrified to hear a cracking sound as its skull began to fracture. Its face turned ashen.
"This is impossible! You're no witcher!"
The only answer it received was the sound of the blade blank, pushed with immense force, finally piercing its skull.
"Wait, witcher, let's talk, let's talk. What's the point of following that Bitch of the Lake? Why not worship the one true master of the deep, Dagon? If you convert to our master's side, you can become an eternal champion."
Yourcast felt the attacks from above him had stopped. Was there still a chance?
A look of relief, cunning, and triumph appeared on its face.
In reality, Lynn, standing on top of its head, hadn't stopped attacking. He had simply pulled a cluster bomb out of his enchanted bag, a bomb made of a Higher Dancing Star, a Higher Dragon's Dream, a Samum Bomb, a Higher Devil's Puffball, and other explosives.
He pulled the massive blade blank out, stuffed the cluster bomb into the hole in Yourcast's head, stomped hard on its head, and quickly leaped back toward the shore.
BOOM!
Even with the Quen shield, Lynn felt an extremely strong push. As he reached the shore, Triss rushed to his side and added another magical barrier. They could hear the sound of countless pieces of flesh and blood hitting the magical barrier like hail.
Finally, when the surroundings became quiet, the sorceress removed the barrier. The darkness on the lake surface seemed to have been blown into tatters by the explosion.
But when Lynn used Detect Evil on the lake, he was surprised to find that the entire lake bottom had been corrupted by evil. To purify it, it would require multiple high-level sorcerers to perform a prolonged, arduous cleansing ritual.
But Lynn had a better idea.
He asked Triss to temporarily use Petrifying to seal the lake's surface. When they exited the cavern and returned to the surface, they blocked the stone passage that led to the cavern.
Lynn knew this was only a temporary solution. But it would be enough to prevent the corruption from spreading. Because his next plan was to find the Lady of the Lake and eradicate Dagon once and for all.
.............
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +120 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!