^(scout)
We have been walking for quite a while, finding this devil that we are meant to kill. Geralt got tired of walking and rode on Roach leaving the bard on foot. Seeing it as punishment for bringing up our past, as if punching him in the but wasn't enough. I was ahead looking over the bushes and rocks trying to find anything out of the ordinary, which left Geralt behind to listen to the chatty bard.
"Reading between the lines and the gut punches, chum, I'd say you two have got a bit of a...an Image problem." The bard starts again, in which I smile as I look back to see Geralt roll his eyes.
"Were I to join you on this..feat to defeat the devil of Posada, I could relieve you of that title. All the North would be too busy singing the tales of ... Geralt of Rivia, the-the White Wolf or-or something." He begins, making me let out a laugh,
"I like that one!" I yelled back at them
"And for you Negra of Erlenwald, the-the Red Eyed Raven." He comes up with my new name. Huh I do like the sound of that, as a nice ring to it,
"Butchers right." Geralt states, trying to get him to shut up.
"I do like that, but it would have to be Kaer Morhen. Since I was born and raised there." I stated, in which the Bard nods in agreement.
"By the way what is your name? I can't keep calling you Bard in my head." I asked.
" I am Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount of Lettenhove, at your service." He answers.
"Ohhhh, your Dandelion! I've heard of you from the mouths of many women who would love to string up your balls." I yelled back with a smile on my face. In which he laughs nervously
"haha, well thats what I am called, but my real name is Julian Alfred Pankratz." He states.
"Mmm, nah I'll call you Dandelion." I stated, continuing forward. Looking forward, I see a strange looking canyon that looked big enough to make homes. I get down from Scout and took off my cloak, folding it up and placing it into one of my bags on Scout. Revealing my two swords that still hung on both sides of my waist. Knowing how messy this could get, I flip my hair down and put it up into a messy bun, securing it tightly with a piece leather.
Hearing Geralts footsteps behind me, he gives me a look that tells me that he would go first. I sighed and nodded. I give Scout a kiss on her head before following Geralt, with Dandelion trailing behind.
"Geralt? Wh-Where are you going? Geralt, don't Leave me. Negra, tell Geralt to wait." He complains, I look at him and shrug. Geralt does as he pleases.
"What are we looking for again?" Dandelion asks.
"Blessed silence." Geralt response, there was a moment of silence.
"Yeah, I don't really go in for that. Have you ever hunted a devil before?"
"Devils don't exist."
"Right. Obviously. Then uh...Then what are we doing?"
"Sometimes there's monsters, sometimes there's money. Rarely both. That's the life" Geralt replies, slowly creeping being wary of his surroundings. That was until a small projectile almost hit his head. Well it left a scratch. I look at him with worry,as I walk up at him, and pulling his head towards me so I can see the damage. He was bleeding a bit, it should heal in a day or two.
"Act Two begins!" Yells Dandelion, excitement running through his veins. While I look at Geralts injury, when my eyes meet his, my gaze softens. While his does too, we looked at each other for a bit, till I break away and look at the pebble that hit geralt. I pick it up and look at it, curious on how it could launch that fast.
"Geralt, it is a devil." Dandelion states looking at the bushes.
"Ohhhh I have to see this magical, this mythi--" He gets cut off as another pebble gets thrown at his head, knocking him out cold. I sigh in annoyance before carefully walking around the bush. Keeping my head lowered just in case another one was launched. Geralt follows me, creepy close to my back covering it.
"LEAVE ME BE!" In comes a horned creature heading straight for us, I roll out of the way while Geralt gets hit and gets pushed back. He groans and gets up.
"You talk." He states, the creature goes to ram him again, in which Geralt grabs his horns and throws him onto his back. Damn that man is strong. He walks over to the creature and holds him down.
"Of course I talk!" He yells as he struggles against Geralt.
"What happened with you? Your mother fuck a goat?" Geralt ask making me wanna slap his head.
"I am Torque the Sylvan, a rare and intelligent creature!" He yells still struggling.
"A Sylvan!! I have never met a Sylvan before, aren't you supposed to be extinct?" I question, looking down at him with curousity.
"He's a dick with balls." Geralt insults.
"Balls I got from humans, who left our food filled with iron meant to poison me!" He yells grabbing Geralts hair and ripping a piece of it off.
"Did your mother fuck a Snowman?" He insults, making me snicker in laughter, I have to use that one of these days. Geralt punches the Sylvan before looking down at him with sympathy.
"You are intelligent, I'll give you that. So I won't kill you, but you can't stay here." Geralt states letting him go.
"Neither can you." the creature states, before Geralt and I could react, he gets knocked out by the boot, while someone smashes a rock on my head. All I saw was darkness.
**
AHHHHHH!!
Blood was seeping out of my stomach, my bloody hand holding it tightly to stop the blood flowing as I ran through town. Knocking on each door to help me, or give me herbs to make swallow. But every house I went to shut me out as soon as they saw my medallion, telling their children to not open the door or telling me to leave.
I could feel more and more of my blood leaving me as I continued down the road. Never thought this was how I would die, I imagined I would die on a job by a kikimora or a striga. Now that would be one for the books, at least I went out with a bang.
Now I'm bleeding out from a scratch from a basilisk. Feeling dizzy, I fall to the ground and looked up at the night sky. My life flashing before my eyes, Uncle Vesemir teaching me to read and fight, meeting Eskle and Lambert, Meeting Geralt. The trial, our first fight, to our first dance, to our first kiss.
My eyes feel heavy as I hear a muffled old woman's voice. My vision blurs as a figure comes into it, but my vision turns black.
**
I groan, as I start to wake up. Blinking my eyes to gain my vision back, only to be met with a punch in the face. I groan in pain, as I spit out my blood from my mouth, I try to wipe my mouth but only to find them tied above my head.. Looking around I see we were in some kind of cave. To my left was Geralt and Dandelion, both awake and tied up while getting their asses beaten by a red haired elf.
"Hey! Leave them alone!" I yelled, trying to get out of these bonds. Only to have my stomach be kicked by her foot.
"Leave her alone! Negra!" Geralt yells, while I wheeze from getting the air knocked out of me.
"I'm ok." I wheezed as I try to catch my breath.
"whore" She insults in Elder as she gets closer to my face, in which I spit my blood at her. Causing her to punch me in the face again. I grab as I feel my nose begin to bleed and my jaw begin to ache.
"Negra! Leave her alone!" I hear Geralt growl, trying to get free of his restraints. In which the red head goes over to him and punches him repeatedly.
"Geralt!" I yelled, struggling against my bonds to help him.
"You hide in your golden palaces. You beat a bound man and woman, too scared to even look him in the eye!" Dandelion yells. Geralt looks up at me, giving me a look and asking if I was ok, I nod. I look at him again, asking the same thing, in which he nods as well.
"Do you like my palace? Hmm? Does it live up to the tales you humans tell?" She whispers to Geralt as she grabs his chin to look at her, making me growl. He reacts by headbutting her, sending her back onto her ass. Though she begins to gasp and cough, shes sick. In comes in a blonde elf with the Sylven.
"whos he?" Asks Dandelion
"He's Filavandrel, King of the Elves." Sylven answers, while helping the king treat the red head.
"Not a king. Not by choice." Filavandrel states.
"You were stealing for them" I stated, spitting out blood into the dirt.
"I felt for them. They were forced out of Dol Blathanna."
"Forced out? No, they chose-" Dandelion starts only to be cut off by the king.
"Do you know anyone that would choose to leave their home? To starve? To have Sylvan steal for them?" The king asks.
"Toruviel, no one was supposed to get hurt." The Sylvan states in which the red head responds.
"What's three humans in the ground when countless elves have died?" She starts
"ONE human, and you could let him go" Geralt argues.
"Then Posada will learn that we've been stealing. The Humans will attack. Many will die...on both sides." Filavandrel states walking over to Geralt looking down at him. All the while I feel my arms begin to cramp from staying in this position. Seriously couldn't they put me in a comfortable bounds.
"The Lesser Evil. No matter what you choose, you'll come out bloody and hating yourself. Trust me." Geralt begins, remembering what happened in Blaviken, he's still on that? That was what 4-5 years ago?
"That's the problem. I can't. This is necessary." Filavandrel states pulling out a knife from his back pocket. My eyes widen, as I begin to fight against my restraints feeling the rope begin to burn my skin.
"No, no, no, no Don't Touch Him! I'll kill you!" I yelled kicking my legs desperately trying to get out of my bonds.
"I understand. As long as you understand that it won't be long before you follow me in death." Geralt begins looking at Filavandrel in the eye.
"Yes, because they pushed us from viable soil. Even chaos is polluted. Synthetically enhanced so humans can make magic."
"Chaos is the same as it's always been. Humans just adapted better."
"You say adapt, and I say destroy." Filavandrel snarles.
"You are choosing to starve, You are choosing to hide in these caves, You are choosing my this way. Your people would live better lives if you learn to tollerate the humans." I but in, trying to come through to the King. He looks over at me with anger in his eyes.
"You think this about pride? My elders worked with humans and got robbed of all they had. And when they fought back, they were slaughtered. 'The Great Cleansing,' humans call it. I called it digging a mass grave for everyone I loved. And now the humans proudly watch these very fields grow, our babies fertilizer for their grain. I don't wish to bury anyone else. I was once Filavandrel of the Seven Towers, now I'm Filavandrel of the Edge of the World. If I bring my people down from these mountains, it would mean bowing to human sovereignty. They'll make slaves of us. Pariahs of half blood children." Filavandrel finishes looking back on the past.
"Then go somewhere else. Rebuild. Get strong again. Show the humans that you are more than what they fear you to be." Geralt advises them.
"Like you witchers?" the king asks.
"We have learned to live with them. So that we may live." Geralt states looking at me, I give a small smile, before the red head stands up from the floor.
"Please, my king. There are others. A new generation. Evellien who wish to fight! Let us take back what it ours, starting now." she argues. Filavandrel takes out his blade, in which I begin to struggled and cry.
"Wait!" Torque argues grabbing his arm, only to have his king push it away.
"Torque, stand aside!"
"The witcher could've killed me. But he didn't. He's different. Like us." Though the king pushes him away and looks down at geralt. Who looks up at him with a blank expression but an understanding one.
"if you must kill me..I am ready. But the Sylvans right. Don't call me human." Geralt looks at me with a sad expression in which I continue to struggle and cry. Tears pouring down my face
"no no no no no, please don't do this! He's all I have!!!, Please Don't!! Kill Me! Kill me instead I beg you!! Please!! He's all I have!" I screamed, my throat giving out on me as well as my vision as I cry. I could feel my blood begin to seep out from the rope burns, but I didn't care, all I was focused on was Geralt. Who looked at me with a small smile, making my heart break in two, before lifting his head up to the ceiling showing his throat.
"NOOOOOOO!!!" I yelled as the knife comes down.
**
Opening my eyes, I am in a cottage of some kind. I groan as I feel my wound on my stomach pinch me. Looking down I see it was bandaged, some blood seeping through but done well. Gently I sit up from the bed and looked around, seeing I was in a wooden cottage that was filled with herbs and spices. Candles filled the room lighting it up, gently leaning over to a open window, I see it was still dark outside but looked almost morning.
"Good morning dear. Glad to see you awake." A old voice comes into the room, and I see a old woman who looked to be about 60, wearing a violet gown. Holding a tray of cookies?
"You took a nasty injury, but don't worry I was able to get to you on time and stitch you up." She states smileing down at me, taking a seat on the chair that was next to the bed, and giving me a smile holding out the tray.
"cookies?"she asks, I softly smile at her before hesitantly taking the cookie.
"Who are you? and Where am I?" I ask polietly
"Oh you could just call me Grandma Sofie, and you are in Redania."
**
"You know that reverse psychology you put there was brilliant. 'Kill me. I'm ready.'" Dandelion states as we walked away from the Edge of the World.
After Filivandrel let us go, we gave all of the gold that the curly man gave us to help them rebuild. He apologized on behalf of the red haired bitch, and gave Dandelion his lute as an apology. As we said our goodbyes, I've been quite not wanting to talk about what could've happened in that cave.
Geralt was ready to die. He was going to leave me, he was ready but I wasn't.
"When a humble bard
Graced a ride along
With Geralt and Negra
Along came this song
From when the White Wolf fought
A silver-tongued devil
His army of elves
At his hooves did they revel
They came after me
With masterful deceit
Broke down my lute
And they kicked in my teeth
While the devil's horns
Minced our tender meat
And so cried the Raven
They can't be bleat" he sings
"That's not how it happened. Where's your new found respect?" Geralt comments, looking at the bard in disappointment. The bard looks up at him with a pity look.
"Respect doesn't make history." He states before turning around and continues to walk. Geralt looks at the bard and sighs before looking at me. Noticing that I haven't said a word.
"What's wrong?" He asks, I look at him with tears in my eyes threatening to fall.
"You were going to leave me again." I whispered in which he heard. He looks at me with sympathy leading roach towards me on Scout, he tries to take my hand but I take my hand away.
"You were ready to die, why? Is being a Witcher so devastating for you that you are willing to have an elf slit your throat in front of me?!" I yelled at him urging for Scout to start walking.
"Why would you care? Last time I checked you hated me." He yells from behind me. I scoffed and stopped Scout looking at the White haired Witcher.
"I never hated you, you fucker! Yes I'm angry for you leaving me and for disappearing off the face of the world. Yes I wanted to make you pay for the pain you caused, but I NEVER wanted you dead. You were the love of my life, the ONLY person that I entrusted with my secrets and hardships. Besides Uncle Vesemir, you are all I have. You don't abandon the ones you love, because it's Bullshit. You may had it hard these past couple of years, but guess what Geralt, so have I!! We aren't meant to have a happy ending or a happy life. We kill monsters and save innocents sometimes get them killed for money, that is our curse!! It may suck and it may be hard, but you don't take the easy way out, you suck it up and move on!" I yelled at him my eyes burning as I refuse to have my tears fall. Though they did anyway, he didn't say anything just looked at me conflicted.
"I forgive you for that night, Geralt. But I won't forgive this." I stated looking at him with anger. I don't wait to hear his response, I click my tongue making scout move and keep walking. Not bothering to look back.
"Toss a coin to your Witchers
Oh, Valley of Plenty
Oh, Valley of Plenty, oh
Toss a coin to your Witchers
Oh, Valley of Plenty"