System of the Beast Slayer [litrpg Adventure]
Copyright© 1999 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 149
“Mercy, sir!”
The old man wailed and threw himself forward, crawling on the ground like a dog, shuddering uncontrollably.
The Witcher pressed a hand to the sword at the back of his neck, then kicked aside the straw beside him. The grayish cured thigh rolled out into view, and the Witcher’s gaze sharpened like a blade.
There was a “beast” hiding in the swamp.
The old man before him was white of beard and hair, skin stretched tight over bone, looking frail enough to topple in a breeze. His face was wrinkled, yet there was still a trace of gentle benevolence to it.
Judging by appearances alone, it was hard to associate him with acts so utterly inhuman.
Roy had long known that cannibalism existed in this world, even that there were warped groups devoted to it, but this was the first time he had stumbled upon such a scene with his own eyes.
What shocked him more was that the Northern Wars had not yet begun. The situation in the Northern Realms was nowhere near so desperate that people were reduced to eating one another. Why would this old man sink to such a state?
“Colluding with degenerate vodyanoi and gnawing on corpses. What you’ve done is enough to earn ten deaths!”
The young Witcher raised his sword to strike him down, only to be stopped by Letho.
Seizing the chance, the old man kowtowed frantically to the two of them, tears and snot streaming down his face like peelings from an orange. At the same time, a liquid seeped from his tattered linen trousers. He had wet himself in terror.
“Spare me, sirs! I’ve never killed anyone!”
“That’s strange,” Letho said. “Then where did this come from?”
He nudged the thigh on the ground with his foot, pinning the old man’s neck as he did so. His amber eyes locked onto the man’s.
“The thigh was ... taken from the dead. Old Panta has never had blood on his hands!”
“And where did the dead come from?” Letho pressed, relentless.
“Villagers killed by degenerate vodyanoi at the lakeside,” the old man stammered.
“So that means,” Roy held back his anger and asked evenly, “you leaked our movements to the degenerates, and in return they gave you ‘food’?”
Old Panta tacitly accepted the Witcher’s words. He slowly eased his neck out from under Letho’s palm and curled up against the wall, shrinking into himself.
“I don’t understand. Korna Village has plenty of food. You had many choices. Why choose corpses?”
Roy asked in a calm that was chilling.
Through Scry, there was no trace of degeneration in the old man’s state. He was an entirely ordinary human.
Hearing the question, the old man’s twig-thin arm pointed at the leg on the ground. There was a note of temptation in his voice, and expectation in his eyes.
“Do the two sirs want to know the answer? Take a bite and see. Just one bite. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it. That texture, that unique aroma, far surpasses any bird or beast. It’s unbelievably exquisite.”
He licked his lips, a faint intoxication crossing his face. “After the first time I tasted it, any other meat lost all flavor. It was like chewing wood. I couldn’t help but vomit it all up.”
“That was when I understood. For the rest of my life, this is the only thing I can live on.”
“Actually, curing isn’t the perfect way to eat it. You should use freshly...”
The old man suddenly fell silent, then corrected himself. “Stewed. Stewing brings out an even richer taste.”
A chill ran through Roy. What was this, some kind of deviant appetite, or a sickness of the mind?
“When did you develop this ... distinctive taste?”
Old Panta only answered hazily, “I’m too old. I can’t remember which year exactly. It’s been quite a while.”
“Have you encountered any other ‘kindred’ in the swamp?”
“No ... no one wants to share with me.”
The Witcher nodded.
“The meat stays with you for your own enjoyment. Now tell us how you contact the degenerates.”
“If I tell you, will you let Old Panta go?”
“You really haven’t killed anyone?” Letho demanded.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.