The witcher sat up strongly, his breath escaped him in violent intervals, and he shifted to the right. Gulping any breath he could get quickly, trying to fill the void in his chest.
"What...what was that?" Euric wheezed. His mind whirling, pounding like an anvil being struck by a hammer. Each strike of the tool forced memories to appear...or re-emerge...or transfer - Euric did not know. Memories of a childhood that were never his, a mother and father he did not remember, a world he did not know - no, he did know.
Another life. Another him. Another Euric. Well, not Euric, he couldn't remember the other name.
"I guess this is what's on the other side?"
Looking up and around, the witcher spotted a blue man, transparent and ghostly - flesh pulled back and rotting, showing his teeth for all the world to see. His clothes were strange, a tunic and breeches of some make that were unknown to Euric. This was the other Euric or some other name that escaped him. Different face, different body, but something connected the witcher to the ghostly figure. A feeling of looking into a mirror.
"Who are you?" Euric finally asked.
The being shrugged. "I do not remember. Memories of my name and family escape me at this present time. Yet, I sense you know me, and I know you. Euric of Cintra, witcher of the bear school."
Euric wanted to deny it but could not, for he knew the ghost was telling the truth. This ghost was him, him from another sphere. One that wasn't a witcher, but a peasant in that he was living an ordinary life - a life that was calmer than Euric's own. The witcher went to nod, only to remember why he came to this place.
Grabbing his steel sword, Euric shot to his feet and pointed it at the last known position of the wizard. A few days ago, Euric came to a small village in Cintra with a notice in hand, that he had picked up from the previous settlement, that proclaimed 'a group of monsters is killing us and stealing children please help us'.
'Well, it wasn't a creature that was causing all that death, but a monster nonetheless.' Thought Euric as he stepped closer. His sword was steady despite the burning sensation on his arms. The mage was a surprise to be sure, especially the type of magic he was messing with. A madman through and through.
Euric stepped closer, through the smoke and rubble that was not there before, stepping over the chalk and salt and blood that had been burned into stone, seeing the old man bloody and battered - half-buried in stone and wood. Red leaked from underneath the materials and further in the room, like a waterfall into a lake.
"Yo-You...survived?" The old wizard wheezed and groaned and hacked up blood, decorating more of the floor with red plasma. His shaking hands wrapped around a sharp piece of stone lodged into his abdomen.
"What did you do to me?" Euric growled. His blade an inch from the wizard's neck. The ghostly man stepped forward and crouched in front of the dying man.
"I succeeded!" The wizard croaked, a sad smile on his lips. "Alas, a-a shame I can not see...the spectre, a...shame that I could-ld not see my b...beloved one more time. I die...knowing I-I succeeded in bringing back a soul…'an bringing them over. Not..as-as a raging spirith, bu'...ath...a…"
"Wizard! Do not die, wizard! Not until you tell me what you did."
The wizard looked and pointed to his desk, a rickety old thing that looked better a century ago, torn apart and strewn about an area of the room. Euric looked back at the old man, he was dead. Eyes unfocused but a smile on his lips.
"Be at peace, wizard. May you find your beloved in the next life." The ghost said. Head bowed and eyes closed in mourning.
"Why give this pissant any pity, ghost?" Euric questioned, confused. "You know the amount of pain and suffering he caused, just for a chance to speak to a dead woman."
"...And isn't that just a little pitiful?" The ghost said back. "All this 'pain and suffering' was caused not by a lust for knowledge, or for malice. But for love. Maybe if someone in this world helped him grieve for his beloved, or taught him better...but we can't dwell on these things. He is dead and in the next life. We should go and collect your reward. Oh, remember to take what is in that desk."
"Don't order me about, spectre."
"I'm not. I'm reminding you, or have you forgotten that you're a witcher."
"Hm." Euric frowned and sheathed his steel blade. Hissing through his teeth as slightly burned skin chafed against armour and cloth. Yes, he needed to make sure his skin wasn't burned in second or third-degree burns, most likely nothing more than some sunburn, but he had to make sure.
"That looks like it hurt."
"Hm."
Euric ripped open the dilapidated desk bit by bit, body tired and burned but the mind strong, pushing the flesh to keep going. Within the corpse that was once a desk, Euric found pieces of paper, a key, and a well-worn journal hidden within a compartment, wanting to take a quick look, the witcher read the papers. Seeing strange symbols that he was too exhausted to remember if he knew them, and Elder speech written in circles, triangles, pentagram and many more shapes, Euric closed the diary and shoved it away.
"I need to rest first and find those children, we'll talk later, ghost." Euric hummed. Looking around one last time for any loot to sell, and found nothing of note except for a door not too far away. Euric heard whimpering and blood coming from it. Euric took the key, quickly inserted it and turned, a loud thunk sound echoed and the witcher pushed it. Taking a gleaming sword from its sheath.
"Be careful." The ghost warned as Euric entered. "Normally this is where a monster jumps the protagonist."
"Quiet," Euric whispered.
The cell was dark, but he could still hear and see several things move. They were small, two arms, two legs, bald, and one was bleeding.
"The children." The ghost said.
Euric slotted the blade away and stepped over, grabbing a roll of bandages from his back.
"Be still." He ordered.
"No!" The boy screamed, Euric thought the boy might think he was there to hurt them. After all, he was a stranger with unnatural eyes.
"Hold still, I'm a witcher, your parents hired me to find whoever took you. I need to bandage this wound or you'll be infected."
"A-A witcher?" The boy asked, trembling. "I-I-s the monster...g-gone?"
"Yes." Euric looked at the wound, it was shallow but could still be infected, and it was just a boy, locked away in a dungeon deep within a cave. The witcher tightened the bandage around the wound, the boy whimpered but didn't cry.
"Can you walk?"
"I-I think so." The boy said as he slowly climbed to his feet.
"Put a bit of weight on your leg," Euric said. The kid did so, his face only shifted a smidge.
"Good, you can still use it, someone help him walk." The witcher ordered. "Got to make sure you lot get home."
The children cried and sniffled as they walked out of the cave. Euric thought back to the ghost's words about the old wizard. The man was mad, using children as ingredients for his ritual. He was a monster sure, but...no, he dared not think like his counterpart. The ghost was naive, Euric was sure. The wizard killed children, maybe out of some feeling for a woman, but the wizard made his choice long ago.
And Euric killed him for it. He would do so again. Though he wondered if the old wizard has used a glamour of some kind, the village elder claimed a monster had taken the young ones, the witcher asked the children for any information about the so-called monster that had kidnapped them. All they said was it had red eyes.
'Yet no monster was seen nor any tracks could be spotted when I searched the area. Could have been a glamour, the old wizard was a strong one.' The thought consumed Euric's thoughts. He just couldn't get the possibility of an actual monster out there, despite knowing the wizard most likely transformed. After all, magic could do almost anything. Except for the dead bodies he saw, why would the wizard kill the adults that weren't anywhere near the places where the children were kidnapped. Their throats violently cut, leaving no evidence of a weapon except blood and muscle strewn about.
"But what if their throats were cut that badly to stop any evidence from being found." The ghost said, raising Euric's attention. Keeping the information in the back of his mind, he and the children exited the cave, Euric spotted his horse and three people, an elder and two men wearing swords. The elder wore clothing in only slightly better condition than the others.
"Grandad!" The injured boy cried, tears now falling as if they were waterfalls. The boy disregarded the help given to him, and in spite of his wound, and charged towards the elder. Going through the ghost along the way, the boy stumbled and shivered for a brief moment before continuing.
"Daler!" The elder cried back, his own eyes dropping water.
"The problem has been dealt with," Euric said, walking up to the elder. "It wasn't a monster, or at least nothing that I can see. It was just an old wizard, hoping to use these children for expe-"
"I don't wan' to know, witcher." The elder sternly said, still hugging his grandson tightly. "You 'ave given me grandson back, for tha', you 'ave more than earned your reward. Come back to th' village."
Euric leaned his head back and finally let out a sigh, his bandaged arms leaned against the rim. A bath was drawn in 'thanks' from the town mayor for dealing with the monsters. The room was compact and only a small bath was available for the witcher.
"What now?" The ghost asked, leaning against a dresser.
"Piss off, Ghost."
"I need a name."
"Yes, it's Ghost."
Ghost scowled. "Fine. Were you able to read our old wizard's ramblings?"
Euric hummed, almost a growl. "I was able to glean some writings from the mad man, from his rambling, I can see that..." He glared at Ghost. "We're stuck together."
"Hm, I...this is like a story I once knew."
"Quiet, Ghost, tell me later and let me rest. My arms need to heal, and I'm tired. Go away, I said. We have all the time in the world."
"And where would I go, I am bound to you until someone or something cuts us from one another. I cannot move away from you nor can I move things in the physical world."
"Hm, fine. Just stay there for the time being, we'll go back to Haern Caduch tomorrow and see if there are any notes left behind."
Ghost turned and rubbed his chin, Euric surmised that he was just going through their shared memories of his...home, he guessed. Every winter, he would go back there and live amongst the ruins, bones and memories - memories of a hard life training and watching young friends die.
"Okay then, I will explore our shared memories quietly. I feel your annoyance at my constant yapping and I apologise." Ghost said before kneeling down and closing his eyes, Euric noticed the form he took was one of a witcher's meditation. The witcher wondered how much much Ghost's memories would affect him and his ability to hunt monsters.
Thankful for the peace and quiet, Euric looked around to see the bathroom wasn't that big, after all, the village was just above the title of settlement in terms of population, but it was quaint. An image popped into his head, one of calmness, of dullness and contentment.
'No, stop it.'
"Euric."
"I thought I sai-"
"I know what you said but I can't help but think there might be a vampire in the village. I know that might be far-fetched, consider-" Ghost tried to give his idea only for the witcher to interrupt him in return.
"You're thinking that because the throats of the adult victims were cut so violently that no one, not even a witcher would be able to see two holes in the neck. The other evidence is the Daler child saying the monster had red eyes, suggesting that the monster and the old wizard were together." Euric stared at Ghost with a grimace. "Maybe he wanted to make her human, to try and 'get her soul back'."
"This vampire could have told him some nonsense about vampire souls being dead and needing to bring them back over."
The door knocked, ending their conversation, Euric answered and it opened to reveal a beautiful woman, wearing a loose covering for clothes with her fair red hair being the main attraction - bunched up in a single braid that trailed down past her shoulders.
"M'lord witcher." The girl curtsied, holding the covering with one hand at the chest. "Just wanted to thank you for saving those children."
Euric raised a brow. "Think nothing of it, I was paid to do so."
Ghost sighed and palmed his face. "She's the vampire, bet you she's a bruxa." He walked over to the woman and stood face to face, screaming at her. "It's obvious woman!"
The woman let go of the covering, letting it pool at her feet, Euric could not get a good look due to Ghost being in the way.
"Come closer." He told her.
"Yes, m'lord." She walked through Ghost, no shiver or any indication that she shivered. Letting the witcher see her naked body, full, big breasts on a lithe body, smouldering eyes and full lips. Like she was designed to attract attention to herself.
She slowly entered the tub, her legs on either side of him, and dropped down until her lower body connected with his thighs, an inch away from allowing him to enter her. The woman leaned forwards, slowly kissed a wound on his pectoral, then another on his stomach, another on his sternum. Each wound she kissed pulled at her lips, a moan of appreciation escaped the woman.
"My god, you really this built up?" Ghost complained as the dark-haired woman continued to explore Euric's body. The witcher glared at Ghost. "Don't give me that look, Euric. Just stab the bitch!"
Ignoring Ghost, Euric waited silently, waiting to see if his hypothesis was correct. Ghost was annoying but the spectre was correct, evidence from the wounds of the adult victims, the boy's words about a monster with red eyes, of course, the most damning evidence: she walked through Ghost and did not even flinch.
Euric moved his arms back over the rim, a hand reaching for something. The woman took this chance to lean forwards, her head resting against his, nibbling at Euric's neck. The bear medallion coiling and shaking with excitement, as if trying to escape from its chain.
"How long did you work with Veldi?"
Euric's question froze the girl.
"I haven't seen you once in this village, I'm a witcher, not a peasant."
The woman and Euric moved, her face becoming more animal-like, teeth became fangs, skin now lean and sinew with thin but strong muscle.
The bruxa moved her head back to sink her teeth into Euric's neck when a towel rolled into a ball flew into a move, stuffing her mouth. The shock of a towel forcibly shoved into her allowed the witcher to grip her neck with the same hand, and pull her head to the rim. Her temple smacked powerfully against the wood followed by a fist to the jaw, her pain-filled screech muffled by the towel. Pressing the attack, Euric lifted the bruxa over the bath and into the edge of a table. Leaping out of the tub, he found his satchel and opened it quickly, fiddling through it to find a vial of a black liquid.
"Look out!" Ghost warned, unable to physically help, only yell.
However, it was in vain, as a piercing wail deafened Euric, knocking him to the ground. The witcher held onto the vial with a tight stranglehold. His vision swirled for a short moment, a sound of wood coiling, and a woosh of air warned Euric quickly enough to allow him a fast escape to the side. The bruxa landed with a loud, sharp thud, a sound that echoed throughout the home.
"M'lord witcher?!" The elder's voice penetrated the room, distracting the bruxa and giving Euric another small respite to gulp the liquid in one go, then reach for his silver sword, but before he could, sharp hands found his shoulders and the witcher found himself weightless for a spell, only for his shoulder to smack against the wall. Euric grunted and bit his lip to stop the scream from escaping, the vial of black had kicked in - veins turned to the same black and a drop of blood dripped from his nose. For normal witchers, the smack on the wall might have felt like being knocked by a club, but for Euric it was like getting kicked by a horse that had spikes in its hooves. The potion, however, was like being doused in a fire and was penetrated by a barbed wooden spike. The witcher tumbled to the floor, he tried to get up but the bruxa did not allow him, kicking Euric with the flat of her foot. Driving him into the wall again, the pain was incredible but the man didn't stop and flicked his satchel towards the bruxa.
"Witcher!" The elder started to pound on the door, thuds that seemed half a world away.
A sharp slash of her claws flung the bag away, not giving the vampire a chance, Euric grabbed her wrist and pulled into a strong headbutt to the nose. The strike landed with a strong crack, another scream echoed, and the witcher found himself in flight once again. Landing on a table with a bag, whose legs fell apart from the impact, he felt his sack of bombs shake about.
"I thought witchers were tougher?" The Bruxa's question was mocking. "Guess I'll just have my fun and hang you by your entrails."
Sitting up in a way that blocked the Bruxa's vision of the bag, the witcher reached inside to quickly fiddle with the tip of each fuse.
"Euric, Euric! Are you okay?" Ghost's voice was loud and in his ear, but the witcher dare not take his attention away from the vampire.
"Ya' know, I never got your name," Euric said. Hand completing its search and grasping a bomb.
The bruxa head tilted slightly. "And why would I give my name to a dead man?"
The witcher smiled, teeth shining in the torchlight. Hand gripping the fuse tightly. "Because it is my last wish."
She curled her face into one of hate as if daring her enemy to speak again. "Your human customs are nothing to me!" Cried the vampire. She charged, her hands pushing on his chest, for the third time Euric was pushed against the wall. This time, the bruxa held the witcher up, a hand on his chest and the other holding his head to the side.
And she bit into the area between his neck and shoulder, the feeling more akin to hot iron pouring into his chest. Euric's growl of agony was loud, a hand reaching for her hair, but to no avail, for the vampire threw him to the floor like a sack of flour. A small sizzling sound spoke from his hand.
"No," The monster said, not even giving the banging door or sizzling sound, or its smell, a grain of interest. "I think I'll start slow. Your stomach first, then maybe your organs, before I finally grant you the sweet release of death."
Euric's faced the monster, his body while not receiving much in the way of strikes, the pain from those afflicted blows was more than enough to exhaust him. He breathed heavy for a moment, letting his enhanced healing deal with the main issues, bruised ribs, dislocated shoulder and a bleeding neck. The sharp stabbing was still there be he could already feel it calming down, even if slowly.
"Actually no, I'll kill the village first, then I'll kill you - impaled on a stake as a mess-" She stopped and hissing, the hiss turning into hacking as she attempted to breathe air for words, words that were stolen away from her.
"Oh, there we go," Euric said, chucking the origin of the sizzling sound towards her. A pouch of black cloth with small leather bands wrapped around it, a fuse near the end of its life thrown towards her. A samum bomb strengthened with several ingredients: phosphorous, stammelford's dust, blowball, foglet teeth, hellebore petals, aether and a powder from an alchemist.
The Bruxa's veins turned black, her eyes wide as she tried to move out of the way, but she could not. The room was lit up with a bright flash of white and an ear-shattering shriek - before it exploded, Euric curled up, shut his eyes closed tight, and covered his ears - ignored his body pretesting the action.
The witcher counted in his head, reaching towards the silver sword. At one, Euric pulled the blade. Two, he stood and ran towards the blinded, deafened and screaming bruxa. Three, his blade thrusted with desperation. Four, blood spurted onto the floor. Five, the bruxa gasped and looked down. Euric's blade piercing her breast, heart, lungs and out the back. The black faded away from the Bruxa's veins, mouth shrunk and fangs turned to normal, body was back to the lithe, eye-catching form it was before, nose straight instead of animalistic. Then finally, the eyes, they found nothing. No attention was there. Euric dragged the sword out of her, the Bruxa flopped lifelessly to the wood with a thud and the witcher stumbled back to lean against a shelf.
"Euric!" Ghost cried, but he was waved away.
"I'm fine, Ghost. In case, you didn't go back that far, my mutations caused me a higher sensitivity to pain. So even a small scratch is like getting struck by an enchanted elven blade for me, hmm." Euric clutched at his neck, holding his wound tight. "Damn it, I got complacent and stupid...fuck."
Euric's steps were slow, but he was able to open the door, somehow the Bruxa locked the door without him noticing. Ghost stared at him in concern, while the spectre's words and eyes filled with worry were pleasant. It was unneeded. Once, the slab of wood was opened, the elder and three armed men - with pitchforks in hand - stared at the witcher, eyes wide and mouths agape; before they looked down and their faces turned sheepish.
"W-Witcher, wha' 'appened?" A man asked, his face stuck between a bevy of emotions: concern, fear and embarrassment.
"A bruxa, a higher vampire but was able to kill her," Euric said, not caring for his nakedness, the witcher rolled his dislocated shoulder. "Don't suppose you can help me with my arm?"
"Put some trousers on, you scaring them." Ghost said with a look of annoyance.
Right, thoughts? I'm not completely happy with it, the bruxa fight especially, I think I screwed up the beginning of the fight and used the same words a few too many times. So please, tell me. Kindly, which would be nice.
So, I was introduced to the Witcher series via Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings (the combat still irks me to this day), then I played Witcher 3, then got Last Wish, then watched the Netflix tv show, then got the entire book series (just finishing Blood of Elves), watched Nightmare of the Wolf (which I don't personally like, they just made Castlevania, with Vesemir being poor man's Trevor with a bad haircut and a sorceress being a poor woman's Yennefer), then I watched xLetalis' ultimate walkthrough of Thronebreaker. Bit of a rollercoaster.
I read a Witcher SI called Signs of Destiny using the same Witcher CYOA template for the character, with a hint of the Middle-Earth game series. Have changed the CYOA locations at the end, as the fic starts before the first Northern War in 1262/1263.
So, yes, the 'Ghost' is my Self-Insert and the witcher is the 'Me' created by the choices in the Witcher CYOA. If that makes sense.