Bear School Astartes

When Nanik spoke, it was primarily to give Lann an understanding of the situation beforehand.

But then, as she spoke of the point when the entire matter was finally discovered and taken seriously, Nanik’s tone became heavy.

”Just as the mountain folk finished a period of work, ready to return home with money, and take a vacation with their families...”

”According to the few villagers who ran all the way to this Divine Hall and only slightly regained their senses, they already felt something was wrong before even entering the village.”

”There should have been ancient giant trees and stubborn massive rocks around the village. These things were obstacles for the mountain folk’s travels, but also the natural defense of the village’s outer layer.”

”However, when those villagers returned from the mines with their wages during their vacation... the sturdy trees snapped like fragile matches, with shattered wood chips covering the land as large as houses.”

”The stubborn rocks seemed to be squeezed and smashed like blocks of butter, with the scattered stones flying as far as half a kilometer, breaking a section of the forest.”

”Hearing their descriptions, I even thought some bubble-headed General dragged an expensive Fire Scorpion Siege Vehicle up the mountain, just to do something to that unremarkable little mountain village.”

Nanik spoke solemnly.

As her deep voice and the unfolding of this ominous and tragic story continued, even this originally bright and lush garden seemed to be shrouded in a layer of oppressive atmosphere.

”The whole place seemed to have been violently ravaged by something. The mountain folk returning from work were completely terrified. In fact, Aiora and I took care of them for several days before they could speak again.”

”No one saw any signs other than the destruction of the site?” Lann inquired, ”Did they not enter their village to take a look?”

Nanik nodded, indicating that Lann was right.

”At that time, they indeed wanted to go in. After all, their families were in the village, and they wouldn’t be content without seeing it with their own eyes.”

”But by the grace of the Goddess, they were very fortunate.”

”A few villagers, paralyzed by the sight outside the village, trying to enter with covered heads, happened upon the already somewhat deranged Hunter from the village before they could get inside.”

Lann slightly tilted his head: ”The Hunter in the village survived?”

”He had even better luck,” Nanik replied without turning her head, ”Although the exact time of the incident in the village isn’t known, he was already in the mountains for a week chasing a bear, away from the village.”

”This Hunter returned to the village earlier than the working mountain folk, not only seeing the explosive marks outside the village sooner but even dared to go inside and take a look... which is why he became a bit deranged.”

”According to him, the scene in the village looked like...”

Nanik pursed her lips, seeming a bit at a loss for words, but finally exhaled and spoke.

”As if a greedy and brutal demon had ravaged everything!”

”Everything was gone, people, livestock, all life forms were gone, with ruptured depressions everywhere, the entire surface of the village seemed to have been shattered and shaved off a layer!”

”But this is the mountains, Lann,” Nanik turned to the Demon Hunter, emphasizing to him, ”Other than a surface layer of soil, it’s all rocky mountain land!”

”The Hunter was so frightened by the scene in the village that he became mentally disordered, his mind blank, wandering outside the village for several days, neither daring to leave nor stay. He survived on the already rotting bear’s carcass he had hunted.”

”It wasn’t until the returning mountain folk appeared, seeing familiar faces, that the Hunter’s mind became slightly normal. He ran out, dragged the equally panic-stricken villagers with frenzied words, and fled outside the mountain.”

”The group relied on the rotten bear carcass as they ran all the way from Mahakan Mountain to Elrand. It’s truly bewildering how they managed it.”

Lann’s thin lips moved under the hood, softly repeating Nanik’s description.

”Surviving on just a bear’s carcass?”

A bear carcass sounded large, at least yielding several hundred pounds of meat.

However, for an individual Hunter acting alone, he wouldn’t be able to carry a whole bear carcass away all at once.

So even if he succeeded in the hunt, the amount of meat he could bring back to the village in a single trip wouldn’t be much, requiring multiple trips or help from others as compensation.

And considering this Hunter stayed dazed around the site for several days, he would have consumed some of it himself, and providing for the returning mountain folks as rations for their escape... seems extremely tight.

Since he already understood to escape the unknown danger, he should have regained some rationality, at least being able to feel his body’s hunger and weakness.

”This Hunter could hunt bears, he must be skilled?”

The Demon Hunter tugged at the somewhat slipping hooded cloak, emitting the sound of armor clasps and the Chain Armor Shirt rubbing beneath the fabric.

”Plus, with the working mountain folk as assistants, couldn’t they have hunted something to eat along the way?”

Originally, Nanik was leading Lann slowly through the garden like guiding a guest on a tour.

At this point, when Lann asked this question, she abruptly stopped.

”Because... there was nothing left to hunt.”

”Then,” Lann frowned, puzzled, ”What does that mean...?”

Nanik spoke calmly, and in that calmness, one could even discern a hint of ruthlessness.

”It means: there were no living creatures left.”

”From the mountains they fled from, there were no birds singing, no beasts roaring, not even monsters. Only the trail of destruction similar to outside the village... violent and terrifying destruction.”

”The ’thing’ that laid waste to their village... it didn’t just destroy a mountain village.”

”If this is true,” Lann adjusted the brim of his hood, clicking his tongue, ”that’s not just any ordinary terror.”

”Even if they didn’t see what exactly happened, didn’t they notice anything peculiar?”

”Yes.” Nanik replied promptly, ”Thick fog.”

”A dense, self-moving thick fog.”

Lann’s gaze hardened immediately; this brief description might be the most important detail so far.

”Can you elaborate?”

”The mountain folk who managed to escape said they saw the thick fog from a distance as they were fleeing the mountains.”

Nanik recounted the refugees’ words that she had heard.

”At that time, they were on one mountain peak, and the thick fog was moving on the mountainside below another peak.”

”The fog was so dense as to be called viscous, slithering on the shady mountains, and the ’crack’ of sturdy trees breaking echoed over the canyon, reaching the mountaintop where the mountain folk stood, resonating continuously.”

”There was something in the fog?”

Lann asked with certainty.

”Of course there was something in the fog.” Nanik answered bluntly, ”But the mountain folk couldn’t see clearly; they only saw immense dark shadows rolling intermittently within the thick white fog.”

”The shadows appeared darker and more defined near the fog’s edge, but as the entity moved back to the center of the fog, its outline and color gradually became obscured by the fog’s whiteness.”

After finishing, Nanik cautiously added.

”Of course, given the mental state of the mountain folk and hunters at the time, it’s hard to say how credible these descriptions are.”

”I’m just passing along information to you.”

Lann immediately nodded in thanks, ”This is the most detailed and useful information I’ve heard so far.”

”You’re welcome,” Nanik turned and patted the Demon Hunter’s arm, ”This is all I can help you with.”

The kindly plump woman smiled warmly.

”Do Duke Seward and those on Yaden’s side know about this news too?”

Lann asked Nanik.

”Of course.” Nanik nodded, ”After comforting those poor souls enough to speak normally, I passed this information to them.”

”The area affected by the ’fog’ is rapidly approaching the Ponta River Valley, making everyone increasingly anxious.”

”Although Temeria and Yaden, as the northern countries closest to the Niflgaard Empire, are primarily focused on the confrontation at hand, Seward and Yaden’s Demavi have nonetheless gathered quite a few people to address this issue.”

”Quite a few people?”

Lann tilted his head questioningly at the kindly plump woman.

”Skilled mercenaries, renowned hunters, dangerous assassins...” Nanik shrugged, ”And young people lured by money or fame, who’ve heard some wind or found connections and gotten involved. Things like that.”

”Isn’t this blowing it out of proportion? I thought Veltrest and Demavi wanted to resolve this silently.”

”They’d like to be discreet, but is that possible?”

The High Priest of the Divine Hall smiled wryly.

”Those actually carrying out the task, such as Seward, everyone cherishes their direct forces under their command for fear of losses. If they can hire people to work and risk their lives for a bargain, why not?”

”Moreover, the unknown ’entity’ is about to reach the Ponta River Valley; even if one tries to hide it, how long can they keep it from others? It’s one thing to delude oneself, but deceiving others is impossible.”

”Alright, alright.” Lann shrugged helplessly.

Nanik continued walking forward; during the deliberately slowed conversation, they already crossed the garden beside the Divine Hall.

”The rooms arranged for you all are next to others here for the same matter; in a way, I’m hosting them.”

Lann responded politely, ”At least it shows that in their hearts, you are considered more reliable and respectable than Seward.”

”Well, I just hope they don’t respect me too much,” Nanik replied indifferently, ”Instead, they should revere the Goddess. Going about licking blood off their blades, sigh...”

Speaking, as they exited the garden, sounds from a pavilion ahead, belonging to a man and a woman, reached them.

Nanik raised her eyebrows and smiled at Lann behind her.

”Among them, some are indeed interesting people, I recommend you meet them.”

”Like those two over there?”

Lann said knowingly.

”Specifically the woman, she seems rather interesting to me,” Nanik gestured.

”And her name is...?”

”Sachia.” Nanik pointed to the pavilion not far ahead, ”Sachia Sase.”