The three scriptures were slowly closing in on their target. Although hidden by some hills, the top of the ruins was constantly getting bigger. Careful as to not arouse any unnecessary attention they were progressing much slower than possible. Soon all three units stood at the foot of the hill, looking upwards. The captains made short eye contact and then ascended the hill. After reaching the tip, they all had a clear view at what laid below them. An ancient-looking tomb, worthy of great kings, surrounded by statues and mausoleums. After they got closer, they could see the amazing artistic talent that was poured into carving those statues. Lifelike, as if they were just waiting for their owner´s permission to move, they appeared like huge sentries watching over this place. The dead trees created a stark contrast to the incredible architecture.

Without speaking even a single word, the scriptures worked very coordinated and everybody knew exactly what to do. Every member was tasked with closely observing a part of their surroundings, as well as keeping a close eye on their comrade right next to them. Thanks to the hard work of the Clearwater Scripture, they knew where to go. From the big building in the middle they would take a way underground and proceed through the Sorcerer Kings lair. So far nothing was out of the ordinary, which was extraordinary in itself. All of them were expecting traps and hordes of undead guarding this place, but so far they hadn´t encountered so much as a single skeleton. That unusual silence made some of them very uncomfortable and expecting an ambush any second. Others, mainly the high-ranking members of the Black Scripture were composed and calm and a single individual was much more bored and annoyed than nervous. Despite that, they reached the entrance very quickly. Depending on the inner layout, they wouldn´t be able to fight in a group formation, but on the other hand if the passages were narrow enough, two or three of them would be able to hold that bottleneck and block advancing enemies. Of course that was the case for both sides.

Once they entered the tomb, they were greeted with a poorly illuminated long corridor. Brick walls to the left and right, as well as the ground and the ceiling. None of them could see the end of that long path as it disappeared into the darkness. After a short exchange of glances they proceeded. The Windflower Scripture went up front and every couple of meters they checked for hidden traps. Knocking at the walls, throwing some stones at the ground ahead, but nothing happened. After they double-checked, the whole group continued. As they had feared, the path was rather narrow, so the group of almost forty people formed a long and drawn-out convoy, so they had to put in even more effort to protect their flanks. After almost fifteen minutes they reached a crossroad with three paths leading to different directions. This was the moment they had been dreading. What was the best solution for this kind of dilemma? Splitting up and weakening your forces, risking being taken out one after the other? Or stick together and search one path at a time, risking to waste a great deal of time while doing so? The night before the three captains as well as their vice-captains spent a lot of time discussing that very possible scenario. All of them had good arguments for their position and after a lot of back and forth they decided that the risk was worth it and split up.

The Windflower Scripture ended up taking the path to the left, the Holocaust Scripture the one to the right and the Black Scripture went straight ahead. The order was clear. Scout the path and retreat in case of enemy contact. Do not engage the enemy alone and make sure to bring back valuable information.

While following the path they took, the Windflower Scripture encountered many more branching paths, but all of them were dead ends, leaving only one real corridor to follow. Every single time they were forced to waste time exploring paths. The same happened when they encountered a door. They took their time to check for triggers, but in the end every door only led to a single empty room. Despite their growing frustration, none of them got careless or impatient. After all, this could be a trap in itself, making them lower their guard and lead them to make unnecessary mistakes. Most people would lose their concentration due to the constant mental tension, but a well-trained unit of elite soldiers was able to overcome that.

But what baffled them the most was the condition of this place. Despite it being an ancient-looking tomb, everything was in peak condition. Sure, everything looked centuries old, but there were no spiderwebs, no rats or other vermin. So it was obvious this was the preferred state of this place. The whole place was filled with the lingering smell of the undead, but so far none had come out to block their path. Even with the army the Sorcerer King had sent to E-Rantel, surely he wouldn´t leave this place unguarded. But what else could they do but keeping up their guard and progress deeper into the unknown depths of this place? Room after room, corridor after corridor greeted them with nothing but emptiness and silence. The tension between them was almost palpable.

After an eternity of nothingness, the Scripture ended up in a dead-end. Confused they looked around, checking if maybe they have missed a secret passage or a hidden door, but nothing. Just as they were about to turn around, the whole area began to shake, like the tomb was hit by an earthquake. They tried to leave this part, fearing it would collapse, but their way was cut off, when a wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking the corridor they just went through. But that wasn´t the end of the quaking. On both sides of them new corridors opened up, as well as new doors appearing in previous solid stone. The whole part of the maze had turned into a haunted house, changing and twisting like it was alive. And so , their search for the path deeper started again.

After splitting up from the other two scriptures, the Holocaust Scripture followed their path for almost an hour. Just like the Windflower Scripture, they encountered many branching paths and rooms, all of them leading to dead ends. Despite this not being their specialty, all of them had training in detecting traps and secret passages, so they proceeded according to their experience. Now in a group of seven, every single one of them had to pay even more attention to their surroundings.

Iota, a young woman in her twenties with several daggers hanging on her belt carefully inspected another door they had just encountered and said.

"Nothing here, either."

Her captain, a man in his forties, was a man very proficient with a bow. He responded.

"I don´t like that. This place is far too big to be this empty. I am sure they are planning something. I just wished I knew what."

Agurun, his vice-captain then responded.

"Maybe that´s exactly what our enemies want us to think."

Iota asked.

"What do you mean?"

"They had to dispatch a very big number of troops to deal with the armies from the Council State and us, so they might be undermanned. Maybe they left this area unprotected on purpose, because there is nothing of worth."

The captain then said.

"It´s certainly possible, but we shouldn´t rely on that assumption. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

Sleagar, a very tall man with many scars on his face raised his hands to signal the others to stop.

Everyone immediately got in a defensive formation. The captain asked.

"Did you notice something?"

"I think I heard a voice."

He put his hands behind his ears and focused on his sense of hearing.

"It´s coming from this room."

The captain asked.

"Could you understand what they were saying?"

Sleagar shook his head.

They approached the room in question and after an even more careful inspection they slowly opened it. Sleagar was the first to enter, followed by a man holding a big maze covering his right side and another tall man holding a spear on the left. Behind them entered a short man, wearing a priest robe in the middle of the formation. Behind him were Iota and the captain. Vice-captain Agurun formed the rearguard and entered last.

After a short moment of inspecting the room, they quickly spotted the source of that voice. In a dark corner of this room was human, most likely a man. He was wearing tatters and was sitting on the ground, with his back to the door and hugging his legs. He was swaying backwards and forwards, almost hitting the wall with his head, all while constantly whimpering.

"Please. Please. Make it stop."

Sleagar looked back to his captain, who nodded at him. Sleagar then slowly approached the cowering figure. Treading carefully, he got closer until he finally said.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The man didn´t respond. Instead he kept swaying and whimpering.

"Please. Please. No."

Sleagar got even closer and slightly touched the man´s shoulder. The man reacted like he had been hit and quickly raised his arms to cover his head. He only let out a high-pitched scream. After a few attempts to struggle, he got restrained by Sleagar. That was hardly an accomplishment, as the man´s arms were as thin as twigs. Sleagar looked at the man´s face and felt pity. First, the man was thin. Not in an athletic way, but in a a-famine-has-been-ravaging-the-land way. His unshaven face was covered in tears and snot. His long, unkempt hair was long enough to cover his eyes. But there was something else than pity in Sleagar´s mind. This man felt familiar, but he couldn´t put a finger on it. Yet.

Through the unending screams the captain asked from behind.

"What´s wrong with him?"

"I´m not sure. Seems like a prisoner who has been here for quite a while."

Sleagar took a closer look at the man, trying to figure out what was bothering him. Then it struck him like lightning.

"Wait. Agurun?"

He quickly turned around to look at the man that had been in his team the whole day. The other members of the scripture followed suit and saw that Agurun had used his position as rearguard to get back to the door unnoticed. With a blank expression he stared at the others and touched the wall right next to the door. A magic circle filling the whole room appeared and the Agurun standing at the door waved his hand. The next instant, the Holocaust Scripture disappeared from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Kaer Morhen, two minutes earlier

Geralt and Dandelion were strolling down the yard of the fortress. Usually this place was filled to the brim with adventurers and more recently many orphaned children hoping to learn the ways of the Witcher. But today, almost everyone was absent. The adventurers and the children were on a small field trip, learning about wild herbs and edible plants, to be able to survive even without food in the wilderness. Many of those that have been adventurers before coming to Kaer Morhen already possessed that kind of knowledge and were now passing it on to the others. They would camp in the forest and return tomorrow. Of course Geralt was not reckless enough to send them into a dangerous area. He had scouted the forest himself the day before, just to be sure. He enjoyed his new role as a teacher, but a short break from time to time was also welcome, especially since the children had arrived. At first he was worried Ziri might insist on staying with him, but she was having so much fun interacting with children her age she didn´t seem to mind. The dwarves had the day off and were spending their free time (and money) in the best tavern in town. So the only people in the fortress were Geralt and Dandelion. When they first met, Geralt was irritated by the quirky man, but bit by bit he started to enjoy his company. Despite being only two people in this big fortress could seem lonely, the lively bard was as entertaining as ten.

Dandelion was running in circles around Geralt.

"Please, you have to tell me. What was it like seeing the legendary Dragon Emperor with your own eyes? Are the bards' tales true? Are his scales shining like diamond?"

"I have already told you, I mustn´t tell you more than I already did."

"So it is true?"

Geralt mockingly patted his head.

"Nice try."

"Come on. How can you expect me to just accept it like this? This is a once in a lifetime… no, more like a once in a dozen lifetimes opportunity. Please, just a little bit. I´ll be satisfied with whatever I can get. I promise."

Geralt seemed to consider his for a moment and rubbed his chin, while Dandelion´s eyes grew bigger by the second.

"Well…"

"Well?"

"I guess you could call his scales shiny."

Getting even more excited, Dandelion said.

"And did it have a big treasure like in the old fairy tales?"

Geralt chuckled and said.

"What happened to your promise to be satisfied?"

"Did you really believe that? You should know me better by now."

Geralt continued to walk and Dandelion kept running around him, begging to tell him even more. Then, all of a sudden, Geralt grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Whoa, I know I can be irritating, but I thought we were having fun. If I annoy you, all you have to do is say it."

"It´s not about you."

He grabbed his medallion.

"Someone is coming."

The next instant a large magic circle appeared in a distant corner in front of them, easily ten meter in diameter. After a couple of more seconds had passed, the magic circle shattered into particles of light and seven people were standing in the middle of the training grounds. Two of them were a little bit apart from the others. One of those two was sitting on the ground, crying like a little child.

"No more, please."

One of them, the oldest and apparently leader of that group yelled.

"Dammit. What is that supposed to mean? If that wasn´t Agurun who or what has been with us all this time?"

The others, also very agitated and confused were discussing among each other.

"I knew that something was off about him. He was so nice and polite since his mission in the Elven Kingdom."

"Was he an imposter ever since? That would mean we were fooled for months."

The leader tried to calm his group down.

"Let´s leave the speculation for later. Any ideas what happened?"

A man wearing a priest robe said.

"It seems that whoever that was activated a teleportation trap. I am very impressed. Teleportation magic in and of itself is impressive, but being able to incorporate it into a trap takes a huge amount of skill."

"So that imposter was working for the Sorcerer King. Otherwise there is no other way he would have known about that trap. Sleagar, is Agurun able to tell us anything?"

"No, no, no."

"Sorry. Whatever happened to him, he is unable to answer my questions."

"I can´t believe it. Not only did we allow the Sorcerer King to get into the inner ranks of the scriptures, we even walked right into his trap. We have to find a way to get back and warn the others. Be careful and stick together, I am sure it´s not over with just a teleportation. Iota, any idea, where we are?"

"Not really, captain. We are in some kind of castle or fort, but nothing that I know comes to mind. But we are not alone."

In the distance they could see two people standing there, looking at them. The captain responded.

"Be careful, for all we know, they could be enemies."

They slowly walked closer to those two.

On the other side were Dandelion and Geralt, still staring at the newcomers. Dandelion said.

"Oh, what a bummer. I was hoping for that cute maid to come visit me again. I felt like we really hit it off the last time. What do you think?"

Geralt wasn´t responding, just staring at them. Dandelion noticed Geralt´s strange behavior. His face was almost expressionless and cold, but his fists were clenched tightly, and his whole body was tense to the point he was trembling.

"Are you alright?"

With a voice that left no room for discussion or questions he said.

"Hide."

Dandelion did as he was told and quickly disappeared from sight.

When the scripture had crossed half the distance, one of the two was quickly running away, leaving only one person to approach. The captain said.

"Hey, we don´t want any trouble. We are not her to harm you. Just tell us how to get out of here and we are gone."

The man, at least the captain thought he was one, but at the distance it was hard to tell, remained silent.

The group got a bit closer and the captain once again tried to talk to him.

"Could you please tell us the way to E-Rantel? Just a general direction will be enough."

The man began to talk.

"You already know the way, as you have already been here before. Only the last time you weren´t so polite about it, captain of the Holocaust Scripture."

The captain raised an eyebrow.

"You know who we are?"

"Far better than I would like."

He took a couple of steps into their direction and the captain could finally see his face.

"Shit."

He immediately drew his weapon and the rest of his team did the same. Iota asked.

"What is wrong, captain?"

"The Sorcerer King has sent us right into a tiger´s den. Maybe a wolf´s den would be more accurate."

Soon after, Iota and Sleagar were also able to remember his face.

"The Witcher."

After hearing the word Witcher, the other three members of the scripture got very nervous, remembering how their last encounter with one ended. Not even one year ago they had been given the order to exterminate one. They managed to fulfill their order, but payed with their life in exchange for his.

Careful not to make a wrong move, the captain carefully considered his options. They clearly had the advantage of numbers, but given how their last encounter with a Witcher played out, he wasn´t too keen on fighting his way out. On the other hand, he didn´t felt like this man would let them go without trouble. He was trembling in rage, radiating hostility from every fiber of his body. That, and he was concerned about the other scriptures, but there was little he could do to help them. Even when riding at full speed non-stop, it would take them more than one day to get back. So even if they could simply leave, they would accomplish nothing.

"Listen, this is nothing personal…."

Before he could finish his sentence, Geralt cut him off.

"For me it is."

"For me it is not. We were simply following orders. I am sure you can understand."

Geralt took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed a bit.

"My master has taught me that thirst for revenge clouds a warriors mind and that a Witcher should stand above such petty feelings."

The captain seemed relieved.

"So how about…"

He once again got cut off when Geralt drew his sword.

"Unfortunately, my master is not here to scold me for my disobedience."

He rushed towards them and the captain quickly aimed an arrow at him and let it fly using bow and arrow martial arts.

"Instant Shot."

Geralt avoided the arrow and continued.

The rest of his team prepared to attack Geralt, who reached for something on his belt. The captain saw it and yelled.

"Disperse."

He had seen that small orb before and was wary of it. Like in the last battle, it exploded and sent a large amount of splinters and shrapnel flying, hurting everybody too close to it. Most members managed to put some distance between them and the bomb, but the spear wielder with his heavy armor was a little bit too slow. Although his armor managed to protect him for the most part, he got hurt at his arms and legs.

The captain managed to get some distance between him and Geralt and coordinated his team´s further actions.

Sleager with his broadsword and the other swordsman managed to engage with him in close combat, but they were having serious problems simply defending against him. Just as he was about break through their defense, he had to avoid the incoming attacks of Iota. Wielding two daggers she relentlessly attacked Geralt. Without any signs of warning, he stepped forward right into her attack range, but instead of being cut by her weapons, he masterfully blocked her attacks. He then grabbed one of her arms and striking her with his sword, leaving a deep cut over her chest and stomach.

Geralt immediately turned to the two swordsmen, but before he could attack, he had to avoid further arrows. He threw another bomb on the ground, this time creating a smokescreen for some cover, a little trick he had learnt while fighting two assassins not long ago. He then used the cover to attack Sleagar. Sleager just barely managed to block his attack, but was pushed back. Geralt however, couldn´t use this opportunity, as the spear wielder were coming at him. Geralt was surprised to see him up again, but quickly remembered their teams build and looked around. He spotted his new target. The priest was using his healing magic on Iota. He quickly came up with a plan to shut this down for good.

The man using his spear tried to pierce Geralt´s heart, but was met with much less resistance than he expected. By taking half a step back, the tip of the spear slid of the armor, leaving not even a scratch. Geralt completed the rotation and attacked.

"Moon Sickle."

The man´s neck offered no resistance as Aerondight separated his head from the torso. Still holding the spear while gushing out blood, the headless body began to fall, but not before Geralt took the spear.

"Ability Boost."

Geralt threw the spear as hard as he could. The priest had barely a second before the impact on his chest threw him of his feet and nailed him to the wall. Shaken by the sudden loss of two of his men, but still focused enough to make good decisions, the captain screamed.

"Don´t get stuck in a one-on-one situation. Stick together and fight him as a group."

After a while of back and forth Geralt ended up next to a cowering figure.

"Please, please."

He slightly tipped his shoulder and watched the man tip over, still repeating the same pleas for help.

Geralt shrugged and planned his next steps, while avoiding a new set of arrows.

Sleagar and the other swordsman had no other choice. They had to give everything to pin Geralt down and with the help of the captain´s arrows they were doing fine. Every now and then Iota tried to get in a hit, but she had a hard time to get close enough to attack.

His rapid movements were enough to hold up with three opponents in close combat. He also took out his dagger to deal with the multiple blades coming at him from all directions.

He quickly diverted the incoming attack without stepping aside. Unable to hold his momentum, the swordsman stumbled forwards. With his guard down and balance broken, he could do nothing to defend himself against the next attack. Geralt stabbed him in the throat with his dagger. The man dropped to his knees. Geralt placed his foot on his chest and pushed him away, pulling his dagger out and unleashing a fountain of blood. Sleagar´s broadsword came down at him, but Geralt crossed his blades and managed to stop the attack.

While applying enough pressure to hold Sleagar in place, he delivered a powerful kick, aimed at Sleagars knee. With a horrifying sound his leg was bent in an unnatural direction, but the pained screams were cut short by Geralt slamming the sword´s handle against his neck, knocking him out. For a moment Geralt was trying to find the third person he was just fighting. Iota tried to use this short moment to attack and hid in Geralt´s blind spot.

"Dual Fang."

Both her daggers aimed for his neck, but Geralt was a bit faster.

"Igni. Slash."

In horror she watched her arms, still holding her weapons, fell to the ground. Because he had applied the effects of Igni on his sword, the searing heat immediately cauterized the stumps. Before she even had the time to scream in pain, Geralt already followed up on that attack. Punching her as hard as he could in the gut and unleashing another spell.

"Aard."

With amazing speed she was launched like an arrow and hurled across the whole training grounds.

Now the only one left was the captain. He and Geralt were staring at each other, roughly ten meters apart. He had already an arrow ready to fly, but was carefully observing Geralt´s movements. At this distance, he would be able to shoot two arrows at most before he would be in reach of his enemy´s blade. He couldn´t afford to waste even a fraction of a second. He had still one last trump card, but was hesitant to use it, because it would cause his men to be caught up in the attack. But now that they were dead or unconscious, this option seemed his only way out. Before they departed, he was given a magic sealing crystal, just in case he would have to use it. It was not one of those the gods had left behind containing tier ten magic, but one of them the priests had created using complicated rituals. Nonetheless, it contained a potent tier six spells. But would he be able to utilize it at that distance? He was planning out his next steps. He shot his arrow and immediately reached for his quiver again. Geralt managed to avoid it, but the next arrow was already aimed.

"Rapid Fire. Drill Arrow."

An arrow fired using these skills would even be able to pierce heavy armor made of steel with ease, but Geralt paid it no mind and easily blocked the incoming projectile with his sword, cutting it in half.

(He managed to hit an arrow that fast in mid-air?)

Even though it was an impressive feat, it was not totally unexpected. The captain was sure his attack would miss. It was only meant to buy him this crucial second. He reached for the bag hanging from his belt and pulled out a shining crystal. He held it up, causing it to start shining. He jumped backwards to increase the distance between them. Geralt was still three meters away, leaving only a very narrow window of time for the magic to activate, but the captain was sure it would be enough.

"Gale Acceleration."

Geralt´s sudden increase in speed shocked the captain, as he closed that gap in an instant. But it didn´t matter. The crystal was ready and about to unleash the devastation sealed within. The only downside was, that the captain would be caught up in the spell as well, but given the circumstances, it was a necessary sacrifice.

"Wild Hunt."

It seemed like the Witcher didn´t want to accept defeat. Even as he was about to be obliterated by magic, be it because of pride or a faint glimmer of hope, he continued to attack the captain. At least he thought he would do. Too late did the captain realize the true target of the attack. Geralt was aiming at the crystal. Unable to pull it away in time, it was hit by the sword´s blunt side and hurled up in the sky. It exploded and unleashed a burning inferno, just far enough away to make the heat bearable. Nervous his plan had failed, the captain tried to pull up another arrow, put Geralt quickly cut through his weapon, destroying his bow. Now barehanded he had no idea how to defend against a sword at close range, but he didn´t need to. Geralt put his sword away. The captain looked into the cold, yellow eyes. Without saying a single word, Geralt slammed his fist into the captain´s face. Desperately trying to stop the attacks, he also used his fists to attack, but to no avail. Again and again he felt the hard punches hitting him. After a couple of hits, he could keep standing and fell to the ground, But Geralt didn´t even think about stopping. Kneeling over him, he continued beating up the no longer resisting man. It took Geralt almost a minute to realize his opponent was no longer putting up a fight. Drenched in sweat and out of breath he looked down on the barely recognizable face, with his fist still raised. The man he had beaten to a pulp was not moving and only after looking closely Geralt noticed his chest was still heaving. He then frantically looked around, looking for possible enemies, but nobody else was moving. The whole area was dead silent, with the only exception of a whimpering.

"No, no, no."

Geralt got up and slowly walked to the next wall, leaning his back against it and slowly sliding to the ground. Closing his eyes more from mental than physical fatigue He felt his head pressing against the hard stone. The cold sensation helped him calm down his boiling blood. He focused on his breathing and thinking about what just happened, smiling satisfied.

Back in the throne room, Albedo seemed to be very annoyed by that development, while Demiurge wore a smug smile.

"Well, it seems like you lost our little bet."

"Hmmm. Too bad. I really hoped he would kill them all. To think that he left more than half of them alive is quite annoying. But on the other hand that balances out those killed by Aura, so everything is within an acceptable margin of error. "

"But I have to admit, I am more looking forward to how the girl will react."

"Yes, it seems to be a lot more entertaining."

In a distant corner Dandelion stuck out his head of the barrel he was hiding in. Carefully he asked.

"Is it over?"

After nobody answered, he took all of his courage and came out of his hiding spot. He headed straight for Geralt, carefully avoiding the bodies on the ground. He slowly approached Geralt sitting with his back against the wall, asking him.

"H-hey buddy, are you alright?"

Geralt slowly opened his eyes.

"Yes. Now I am."

"Oh, good. For a moment you had me worried."

He sat down next to him.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what can I do? If there is anything I can do, just say it."

"Shut up."

"Oh, OK"

"If you want to do something useful, get a rope and tie the survivors up. I don´t want them to cause trouble as soon as they regain consciousness."

"I think you are giving them too much credit. Even if they wake up, I have a hard time imagining them causing problems. You know, with all those missing and broken limbs."

Geralt tilted his head and looked at Dandelion with an expressionless face.

"One rope, coming up."

Dandelion got up and disappeared into the fortress, leaving Geralt alone. Geralt enjoyed the silence dominating the area. Then his sensible ears twitched. He opened his eyes wide.

"Are you kidding me?"

Hello everyone. You might wonder, why the Windflower Scripture was handled so briefly, but the answer is simple. I forgot about them. Only while reviewing the script did I notice that they were still going around and because I had already placed all important characters somewhere else, I had to squeeze them in somewhere. I am deeply sorry and i will try to come up with a better way in the future, but for now this will have to do. Hope you enjoy it, despite the blunder on my part.