The Divine Hunter

Chapter 608: Missing

[TL: Asuka]

[PR: Ash]

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.

“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.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!