The Divine Hunter
chapter-608

It was high noon. The blanket of mist was torn apart by the bright sunlight. Winds blew from the river, knee-length water weeds swaying in the waters, bathing in its golden ripples. Chotla had great scenery, but Lambert, Aiden, and Triss were in no mood to enjoy it. After Roy, Kiyan, Eskel, Felix, Coen, and Coral arrived through a portal, they explained the gist of things to their companions, and quickly searched the rivercoast.

Witchers, the expert trackers, worked together. Not too long later, they dragged a wooden boat out of a patch of reed. Half of it was covered in white canvas and greyish patches. It was old, rotting, and rickety. The bloated bow and deck were dappled in patches of blood. The witchers sniffed the air. They tasted something refreshing and sickeningly sweet. It was the smell of herbs and monster innards. Pungent.

That scent was familiar for everyone. It was the scent unique to Swallow, their regular decoction. "Gaetan's injuries are worse than I thought." Aiden licked the blood off his fingertip, his crimson eyes looking around. "He rode from Armeria to Chotla. That journey took a whole night, and he didn't rest for even a moment. Even with the decoction holding back the injury, he'd lose too much blood, so he couldn't clean his tracks."

Cats were the most adept at hiding themselves, yet Gaetan left something so glaring behind. It was worrying. Roy suspected that traditional methods might not be enough to save that Cat's life.

"He's weak. He could only go on through sheer will, so he can't be far." Aiden turned around, looking at his tense comrades. He gnashed his teeth. "We need to find him before it's too late." He took a deep breath, his face crimson, and he roared, "A witcher must not suffer death during an escape."

Everyone fell silent. Dying like a defeated dog was miserable and ignoble.

"Lighten up, people. Destiny led us to this boat. Finding Gaetan is a given. That's how storybooks go." Roy patted Aiden's shoulder and raised his head, looking in the direction the wooden boat was pointing in. He saw a crimson ribbon hanging in the air, smelling like the putrid stench of blood. The ribbon hung in midair, and bloody footprints on the ground led into the woods afar. The footprints were uneven, losing all elegance of a Cat.

Time was of the essence the team ran along the footprints. Even the usually cheeky Lambert didn't crack a joke for once. The ladies knew they couldn't run too far, so they cast a spell on the witchers to make them faster and saw them off as they passed through the wet plains. Into the thick woods they went.

Dappled sunlight shone through the leaves. Silhouettes shot ahead like lightning bolts, leaping across fallen trees and mulch and mushrooms like wolves on a hunt. Roy was in the lead. Lambert and Aiden flanked him, looking around for the escaped Cat. The clues they found on their way unsettled them more and more. Blood aside, they found more items that proved it was a witcher they were searching for. Empty decoction bottles, three bombs, five short knives the length of index fingers, leather jackets filled with pockets, a pack of poison, and a torn, charred beast hide cloak covered in tree sap and blood.

The witchers could imagine a wobbling man holding his injuries, breathing heavily as he traipsed ahead in his path. Every painstaking step he took would tear his wounds further, sapping more of his strength. Gaetan was at the end of his wits, unable to continue. He tossed off deadweight and used the last ounce of his strength to survive. Alas, this was the wilderness. There was nowhere to hide. Without anyone or anything to heal him, he couldn't save himself. It was possible he only kept going ahead out of instinct.

Roy was in more of a hurry now. He told everyone he was going ahead and whipped his crossbow out. As bolts traveled through the air, so did Roy. Every time he leapt, he would appear a hundred yards further ahead, covering ground at a blistering speed. He'd made up his mind. As long as Gaetan still drew breath, he would save him with a dose of higher vampire decoction.

Not too long later, Roy's companions were far behind him. The witcher came to a junction at the woods' exit. A tilted wooden sign stood at the junction. The eastern path led to a village named Kent, while the sign leading to the west had vague writing. Roy went down to check the pool of blood between the leaves. He dipped his index finger in the blood and sniffed it. Fresh. Been here less than three hours. More blood than the patches left behind on our way here. He must've stayed here for quite a while. Perhaps even blacked out. But where is he now?

Roy pricked his ears up and breathed silently. Carefully, he searched the bushes and brambles and greenery around him. Sparrowhawks chirped on the branches, millipedes scuttled between mosses, rustling the ground. But no human breathing or heartbeat. Five minutes later, a dismayed Roy had searched the whole place, but alas. Aside from the pool of blood, Roy failed to capture any trails of Gaetan. The witcher was nowhere to be found, as if he disappeared into thin air after falling into a pool of his own blood. That cannot be possible.

Roy rubbed his chin, musing over this bizarre scene he saw. Not too long later, quiet footsteps came from behind. In the lead was Lambert, and the witchers came storming out of the woods. Quickly, Lambert scanned the area, and he held Roy's shoulders. "What's wrong, kid? Got lost in broad daylight? Or did you lose sleep last night? Why aren't you looking for Gaetan? Life is on the line here. You can't slack off."

Roy dusted the soil off his hand. "The trail goes cold here. I can't find anything without a trail." He looked at his companions and shook his head. Sighing, he said, "Sorry, but Gaetan is missing."

"That's preposterous." Eskel was doubtful. He said quietly, "He was badly injured and dying. Couldn't even walk. How could he disappear just like that? He must've left clues behind. You must've missed them."

"Then check the whole place yourself."

Three minutes later, the witchers exchanged looks of disbelief.

"How is this possible?" Aiden growled in disbelief. "If a starving beast had taken him away, this pool of blood couldn't have been the only thing left."

Felix crouched beside him, his eyes twinkling with doubt. He muttered, "I didn't find any beast's footprints or excrements. No signs of battle nearby either, nor is there any flesh or splattered blood stains from any biting."

Roy held his unusually icy and quiet medallion. He added, "The chaos energy here is unusually calm. No one has cast any spells here in the past week. He couldn't have used any portals to escape."

"Gaetan's a Cat. He couldn't have grown wings and flown away or dug a hole in the ground and escaped through a tunnel." Lambert was exasperated. "This is more ridiculous than magic tricks."

"Calm down, mate." Kiyan punched Lambert in the chest and looked around. "If you have time to complain, you have time to use that head and experience of yours to figure things out. Think, everyone. Think."

"It's possible Gaetan was rescued." Coen rubbed on the little cave-in on the fallen leaves. He had a bright air around him, warming everyone. "Look, there are erratic footprints around the pool of blood. Someone else must've passed through this place. If they'd dealt with Gaetan's injuries, there wouldn't be much scent or blood left behind. Perhaps Gaetan is in a safe place now."

Aiden's eyes flared with hope. Getting rescued was better than dying. Roy shook his head. They're lying to themselves. Even the most skilled warriors cannot bandage a wound so perfectly, with not a drop of blood. Nor could they hide the scent so perfectly from witchers. And there's an easy explanation for the footprints. If anyone wants to travel to Chotla, they must take this path. Of course there are a lot of footprints here. More importantly, Gaetan's scent is gone.

"I know the chances are slim, but that's the most plausible one. Or do you have any better ideas?" Coen said. "No time to hesitate. I suggest we travel to the village in the east and ask questions."

The witchers' eyes gleamed. A moment later, everyone nodded.

"We'll split into two teams. Don't forget, the Cat is not our only matter to deal with. Foltest's army is on their way here fast. We cannot let them interfere with our business," Roy said. He took Aiden, Coen, Kiyan, and Eskel, following the footprints outside the woods into Kent, the human settlement in the east.

Lambert reluctantly stayed in the woods with Felix, keeping up their search for Gaetan and escorting the ladies. And they'd also have to mislead the incoming Sodden soldiers. It was a good thing Lambert was Foltest's bodyguard.

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