Chapter 48: Melee in the Rapids
Glug-glug-glug.
The swift currents were like countless invisible hands, pushing Arthur and the wooden cage to bob precariously in the middle of the river. Countless times, his hand was just about to grasp the cage, only to be swept further away by the rushing water in the next second.
"Aard!"
A column of water exploded upwards in the river. Propelled by the shockwave, Arthur shot forward like a swordfish for several meters, grabbing the cage firmly.
"Y-you…" Mara was already in a semi-conscious state, tormented by torture, severe cold, and near-drowning. She couldn't even form a complete sentence.
Someone seemed to be shouting in the distance, but a wave crashed over his ear, preventing Arthur from hearing anything clearly.
He held the cage with one hand, letting the current carry them toward the bank, when he suddenly felt a needle-like sting on his shoulder.
Danger! Arthur instinctively plunged underwater, but still felt something graze him, and his shoulder immediately flared up with a searing pain.
A streak of crimson spread, quickly diluting and vanishing in the rapid current.
Arthur lifted his head toward the source of the attack, seeing the black-robed man who had previously fled now returning.
"Your reflexes are sharp. You actually dodged my iron spike."
The man stood on the bank. In the magical glow emanating from his right hand, several foot-long iron spikes subtly vibrated. It seemed these were what had scraped Arthur's shoulder.
The black-robed man seemed deeply unsatisfied with the result of the first strike. He ripped off the black hood covering his head, revealing a twisted and maliciously gleeful face:
"However, I'm curious. Without that distraction, can you dodge my second shot, or my third?"
The black-robed man's voice became distorted and high-pitched. Iron spikes shot out from his hand one after another, aimed directly at Arthur's heart.
"Quen!"
In his haste, Arthur couldn't channel much magical power into the shield. He quickly angled the shield, creating a deflective angle against the incoming spikes. This quick thinking paid off handsomely. The black-robed man's spikes skipped off the shield like stones across water, flying far away and into the crowd of onlookers on the opposite bank. A bearded farmer threw his hands up and fell backward onto the ground, causing the crowd to scatter instantly.
"Damn it!"
Seeing that his attack had not achieved the desired effect, the black-robed man cursed loudly. He then squatted down, placing his hands on his boots, and began chanting a spell.
Even across the distance of a dozen meters, Arthur could clearly feel the increasing magical energy emanating from the black-robed man's boots.
This was clearly a magical artifact, but what was its purpose?
A wave slapped Arthur's face. He suddenly realized: the boots likely granted the ability to walk on water.
Arthur strained to swim toward the bank, but the swift current pushing the wooden cage made him lose two meters for every three he gained.
The black-robed man finally finished his chant. His boots shone with a dazzling light, and the water beneath his feet solidified like land.
The black-robed man let out a triumphant laugh, just about to continue chasing Arthur when Triss finally arrived, instantly hurling a cauldron-sized fireball at him.
The fireball, trailing black smoke, streaked through the air like a dark arrow, erupting into a column of water on the river's surface, completely separating Arthur and the black-robed man.
Though the black-robed man possessed the water-walking boots, he had no resistance against a water column several meters wide, floating like a dead leaf toward the bank.
As he tried to get up, he realized he had injured one of his legs in the fall. He instantly forgot about chasing Arthur and turned his anger toward Triss:
"[Kaedwen Obscenity], you will pay for this!"
The black-robed man roared, raising his right hand and shooting his remaining five iron spikes in a single barrage toward Triss. These five spikes were swift and heavy; even fine heavy armor might not withstand them.
But Triss's face betrayed no panic. Dangerous light erupted from her eyes, her hair flowed up like aquatic weeds, and with only a raise of her hand, the iron spikes suddenly halted in mid-air.
"You dare!" Triss's voice was low, but the fury within it was chilling:
"I obeyed the dictates of the Novigrad Concord and refrained from striking you. Did you take that for weakness?!"
Magical light pulsed dangerously around the sorceress. The five iron spikes looked as though they had been heated in a forge for hours, turning soft and glowing red. Triss suddenly swung her hand, firing the searing spikes back at several times the speed they arrived.
The black-robed man frantically cast a shield, but it only managed to block three. The remaining two shot into his shoulder like arrows, and the scent of roasting meat immediately wafted from the riverbank. The black-robed man shrieked, loudly crying out, and a small round medallion clattered from his person:
"Master, save me!"
A metallic, synthesized voice sounded from his waist: "Fool! Shut your mouth!"
A golden-yellow ellipse appeared in mid-air. Triss gasped:
"A portal!"
"Triss, stop him!"
On the opposite bank, Arthur finally dragged Mara ashore. After confirming she was still conscious, he immediately charged forward. The familiar lines of text that had just appeared in the air were instantly left far behind him, slowly dissipating in solitude:
[Compatibility has increased to 100/100, Bloodline Advancement Triggered]
[Bloodline: Ancient Nord (Superior), Compatibility 0/100]
[New Ability Unlocked: Dragon Shout]
[Current Shouts Available for Study: Unrelenting Force 50/100]
But he ultimately failed to intercept the black-robed man. Just as the man struggled to his feet, Triss, instead of stopping the target, threw a glowing, band-like restraint across Arthur's path:
"Don't go! That's Shadow Translocation!"
Though he didn't understand the term, the look of genuine panic on Triss's face made Arthur instinctively halt.
Seeing his pursuer stop, the black-robed man even turned back, cursing venomously:
"Don't be smug for too long. I know who all of you are…" The black-robed man's words were cut short as a shadow rushed forward. Against the backdrop of scattered stars, he saw his own teeth flying through the air.
Arthur straightened up, watching the black-robed man stagger before the portal, finally dragged inside by a clean, powerful hand.
The golden-yellow ellipse flickered once and dissolved into the air, leaving behind only the metallic voice: "I know who you are, Merigold. Cease your folly, or you will feel the chill of destiny. Don't mistake the reflection on the lake for the stars of the night sky!"
"Don't run! Come back and fight like a man!" Arthur picked up another stone and hurled it furiously at the spot where the portal vanished, but there was nothing left.
"Triss, why did you stop me instead of stopping that bastard?" Arthur turned to Triss, demanding an answer in a rage. He had finally realized: the black-robed man, who was capable of kidnapping Mara and her son from Maribor's teleportation tower, could easily have disposed of them in a secluded alleyway. The reason he created such a blatant spectacle of a witch trial by the river outside the tavern was entirely to lure Arthur out!
But now, all he had was a small medallion with the name 'Rience' inscribed on it, and nothing else!
Faced with Arthur's furious questioning, Triss did not immediately offer a defense. Instead, she looked with a complicated expression at the black-robed priest lying on the ground his body twisted into a grotesque shape. He had stopped breathing.
Just then, the tavern door creaked open, and young Everett rushed toward Mara:
"Mama!"
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