It was larger, cruder, more like a monstrous fusion of human resentment and bestial rage, tending to tear its prey with four limbs and pure physical strength.
Just then, Geralt sharply raised his head, his ears twitching slightly, and his amber pupils narrowed into slits.
He lowered his voice, his tone urgent: "Something deep inside... has awoken."
"It's approaching, and fast! We should leave, we have enough information!"
Without another word, the two immediately turned and retreated quickly but cautiously along the way they came.
Just as they were about to rush out of the palace gates and re-emerge into the relatively bright afternoon sun.
An extremely sharp shriek, full of madness and hatred, suddenly erupted from deep within the palace, and the two subconsciously looked back.
In the shadows deep within the palace, where light could not reach, a twisted and gigantic silhouette was lunging forward at an astonishing speed.
Karl could barely make out that the thing was roughly a deathly gray, like a waterlogged corpse.
And it was vaguely blended with the form of a human female and the characteristics of a bird of prey.
A huge, twisted beak-like protrusion, and sharp claws glinting coldly.
Its entire body was covered in dirty, matted feathers, fur, and even scale-like growths.
Most chilling were its eyes, like two burning crimson embers, filled with endless pain and a desire for destruction.
Fortunately, Geralt had his Witcher senses and gave an early warning, so the two had already retreated a sufficient distance.
The monster chased them to the boundary of light and shadow, seemed to dislike the light, and abruptly stopped.
It merely stared intently at the two intruders in the distance with its burning red eyes.
Then, it let out an unwilling and furious, hair-raising sustained shriek.
"Damn it! That thing is really ugly," Karl muttered under his breath.
"...Agreed," Geralt responded curtly, his expression incredibly solemn; this was more troublesome than he had anticipated.
The Guards outside also heard the inhuman shriek, and all of them turned pale with fright.
They nervously huddled together, weapons pointed towards the palace, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Karl stepped out of the ruins and instructed the pale-faced captain: "Immediately withdraw your men and set up defenses in the outer areas."
"Especially at night, stay far away from here! Do not approach! If you hear any movement, do not go in to investigate!"
"Yes! Yes! Lord El. We'll withdraw now! Thank you for the warning, sir!"
The captain hastily agreed, his voice still trembling; he wished he could leave this haunted place immediately.
On the way back to the city, Geralt uncharacteristically initiated conversation: "This reconnaissance... was very necessary. Your thinking is very thorough."
He paused, then added: "More thorough than I initially thought."
"I just don't want to fight unprepared," Karl smiled and replied... At the fork in the road, the two parted ways, Geralt heading to the herbalist's shop in the Trade District.
After mentioning Triss's name, the owner was indeed exceptionally enthusiastic and offered a great discount.
Geralt purchased the materials needed for preparing Moon Dust, Beehive, Dragon's Dream, and various potions at a 30% discount.
The original price was twenty-one oren, but after the discount, it was less than fifteen oren, saving him a considerable expense.
Meanwhile, Karl returned to the laboratory and informed Triss of the intelligence gathered from the reconnaissance.
After listening, Triss was first angry and anxious: "You two! You dared to just barge in without any preparations?!"
"That's a Vampire Bird's nest! Not a palace garden!"
But she quickly calmed down, her brows furrowed.
"...Larger in size, walks on four limbs, stronger in power... It seems Princess Adda's curse is deeper than imagined."
"She has become stronger and... more twisted than any Vampire Bird previously recorded."
Karl gently held her hand: "So we need your help even more, Triss."
"Is there any way to make us safer?"
Triss nodded without hesitation: "Of course there is! I would never let you face that kind of monster alone!"
But then she looked troubled: "However... Foltest doesn't completely trust sorcerers, especially when it concerns his daughter."
"He would never allow me to cast spells on-site myself, but I can assist remotely."
She explained in detail: "I can leave a powerful magical mark on you, and then observe the battlefield from a distance through my crystal ball."
"If the situation becomes critical, I can immediately activate a teleportation spell to bring you directly back to the laboratory!"
"I can also cast Alzur's Shield on you in advance to increase your protection."
"What about Lambert? Can he be teleported as well?" Karl asked.
Triss regretfully shook her head: "My abilities are limited; precise remote teleportation can only lock onto one target at a time... especially in a place that might be full of magical interference."
"At most... I can also cast an Alzur's Shield on him."
"This is already the maximum effort I can make for a... well... a Witcher I've only met a few times."
Her meaning was clear: in her heart, Karl's safety was far more important than Geralt's.
Karl completely understood Triss, and a warm feeling surged within him.
He hugged her tightly: "Thank you, Triss, that's enough."
...Over the next two days, Geralt borrowed a corner of the laboratory and began to focus on preparing various alchemical items.
Pungent chemical smells and eerie magical glows appeared alternately.
Moon Dust, Beehive bombs, and Dragon's Dream bombs were prepared one by one.
Alchemical potions of various colors also gradually took shape in the crucible.
However, an accident still occurred during the preparation of a Dragon's Dream bomb.
Geralt, perhaps distracted by tactical thoughts, or perhaps unfamiliar with the new environment's tools, made a slight deviation in the mixing ratio.
The liquid in the crucible suddenly boiled violently, emitting a terrifying "hissing" sound, and was about to explode.
At that critical moment, Triss, who had been paying attention to the commotion, raised her hand.
A translucent shield instantly enveloped Geralt's workbench.
"Boom!!!" With a muffled thud, fire and smoke were firmly confined within the shield's range.
But the violent impact still made the entire laboratory hum.
Bottles and jars on the workbench were shattered everywhere, and various herbs and semi-finished products splattered all over the place.
As the smoke cleared, Geralt looked a bit disheveled, his face smudged with soot.
Looking at the messy scene before him and the slowly dissipating shield that had saved his life.
He lowered his hand, which had been forming the Quen sign, and a rare expression of embarrassment and apology appeared on his face: "...I'm sorry, my mistake, I will cover the losses..."
"It's good that you're alright, these things aren't worth much, just be more careful next time."
For more chapters
patreon.com/Robertt45