"What?"
"Rock trolls are coming?"
Sully, leaning against the gate, stumbled and ran inside without even checking the situation outside. The strongest monsters he had ever killed were drowners and ghouls.
Facing a rock troll?
That's a large monster.
If he could handle that, would a freshly graduated apprentice be able to earn the title of witcher master?
"Where's the gate control?" Sully quickly asked.
"In the second-floor passage of the wall..."
"Thud thud thud~"
Sully hurried upstairs but stopped abruptly and shouted back: "Marco! The second-floor door is locked!!!"
"What! Then... then quickly find someone..."
Hearing this, Marco panicked a bit too. Judging by the distance of the rock trolls just now, they would charge over in no time, and there was no time to find anyone.
In a desperate moment, he became a bit incoherent.
However, years of experience surviving near-death situations helped him calm down, and he shouted: "No! There's no time! Use the Aard sign to blast it open."
Then he ran to the back of the gate to observe the rock trolls' movements but suddenly heard: "Marco! I forgot how to cast Aard!"
Just as the words fell, a gray-blue figure appeared at the corner of the gate. The unique aura of a large monster filled the air.
Witcher Marco's body froze instantly, thinking: "Damn it! I survived the path of glory only to die at the hands of a waste!"
--------
The setting sun slanted. The radiant sunlight reflected on the snow, giving off a golden glow. It seemed as if countless treasures were hidden in the snow.
"Thud thud thud~"
Big Rock and Broken Rock were carrying the bodies of the swamp witch and the ghouls ahead.
Allen walked behind to prevent any corpses from falling off while teasing Little Rock.
"...Witcher...stone house...arrived..."
Hearing Big Rock's booming voice, Allen peered through the gap between the two rock trolls. The massive castle stood in the winter sunlight, shining brilliantly.
Kaer Morhen!
Allen smiled and said: "Yes, we have arrived, Big Rock, Broken Rock, and Little Rock. Thank you."
"...Friend...help...rotten flesh...gift..."
Big Rock shook his head, then continued: "...Big Rock...stone house...bad witcher...stab troll..."
"Don't worry, this is my home, and you are my friends. The witchers won't hurt you..."
Before he finished speaking,
"Clang clang clang—"
The alarm bells rang, interrupting Allen.
He paused; the time spent playing with Little Rock was so enjoyable. Allen then remembered that Kaer Morhen at this time, unlike in the game, had guards. But it was too late to remind them now. The snow was hard to walk in, and his voice couldn't drown out the ringing bells.
Moreover, Allen thought to himself, this was a good opportunity to test the vigilance of the Wolf School. After all, During the defense of Kaer Morhen, so many witchers died in a single raid, leaving only Vesemir and a few apprentices. That was quite unreasonable. But those events happened in the game, and couldn't be simply applied to reality.
So, Allen, after explaining to the somewhat panicked Big Rock, Broken Rock, and Little Rock, continued walking towards the fortress gate at the original pace.
--------
"Thud thud thud~"
Kaer Morhen was shaking, and the stones in the gate tunnel were jumping chaotically on the ground.
"Clang!"
Silver sword drawn.
Marco hid behind the gate, cast a Quen shield on himself, and stood ready. The alarm bells had sounded, and reinforcements would come soon. The leader, the master, and even the red-haired fox were all at Kaer Morhen, so these two rock trolls were never a problem for the Wolf School.
The problem was whether he could hold off the monsters until they arrived. Marco actually knew the answer to this question. But he didn't consider fleeing.
After all, right inside Kaer Morhen were the dormitories of witcher apprentices. Those children, not more than seven or eight years old, were training in the southwestern corner. If the rock trolls got in, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Thud thud thud~"
The footsteps were closer. Marco hid in the shadows, the golden sunlight on the ground obscured by a massive shadow. For some reason, watching this huge shadow, a question he hadn't thought about flashed through his mind.
Where did these two rock trolls come from?
"Thud thud thud~"
The footsteps were just a wall away.
"Hoo~"
He took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and gripped the silver sword tightly, eyes fixed on the shadow on the ground.
Next, The shadow of the monster's lower leg moved forward, and as the foot appeared in his view...
It stopped.
Marco: ?
What's going on?
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead; he almost swung his sword into the air.
"Marco? Sally?"
A familiar voice came from the gate.
"That's Allen's voice!" he thought.
But Marco didn't dare respond, fearing it was a trap. Even though he didn't understand why rock trolls would use a trap, he hadn't studied monster lore well.
"Marco? It's Allen, I can smell you!" the voice continued.
Marco didn't move. Anyway, other witchers would be here soon, so stalling was the best strategy.
"These three rock trolls are my friends. I'm coming in now."
As the words fell, Allen rushed in from the corner.
"Clang!"
Steel and silver swords collided. Sparks flew. The silver sword was forced back a few steps by the immense strength.
"? It's really Allen!"
With an exclamation, both of them relaxed their stances. Allen glanced around the gate, not seeing Sully, assuming he went to call for help. But if he called for help, wasn't the alarm enough?
And why wasn't the gate lowered in the time it took to call for help?
Although puzzled, Allen didn't show it and replied gently: "It's really me."
"Those three rock trolls you saw are my friends."
"They came to help me carry materials."
Marco's mind was buzzing.
What on earth was Allen talking about?
Rock trolls helping him carry materials?
He understood each word individually, but together they made no sense.
Seeing Marco stunned without any aggressive response, Allen called: "Big Rock, Broken Rock, Little Rock, come in, we're home."
"Thud thud thud~"
Three figures of different heights but equally heavy walked into the fortress gate from the sunlight. The massive shadows overwhelmed Marco. The combined intense aura of magic made his legs weak, rendering him speechless.
"Damn! Allen was telling the truth!"
...…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
107. Shattered Dream.
108. Grass! Grass!
109. The Beginning of the Witcher Corps.
110. Have the Wildcats Named Their Price?
111. Have I Done It All?