The Witcher: Age of the Dragon Redux
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Chapter 2
Keira quickly set the table for her newfound guest and she even brought out her last good bottle of Everluce wine. The Dovahkiin, for he had not given an actual name, sat down at the modest dining table and took a moment to remove his helmet. Keira was quite surprised when she saw the face of her guest.
She had honestly expected the man to be an ugly brute given his height and stature, but instead, he looked rather handsome. And very young looking. He had a close cropped beard of silver-blonde hair that made him look older than he was, but a closer inspection revealed he couldn't be any older than nineteen or twenty years of age. His equally silver-blonde hair was also cut in a short almost military style fashion. And it was his eyes that drew Keira and nailed her in place; they were a deep indigo colour that any woman would happily drown in and Keira would happily join in. And the way the Dovahkiin carried himself was reminiscent of a military veteran; someone who had seen far too much and gotten too comfortable with it. This little detail set the sorceress on edge a little making re-evaluate her initial impression of the man sitting at her table.
Schooling her features, Keira brought out a pair of earthenware cups and set them down on the table before saying, "You'll have to excuse the state of this house. I don't often entertain guests, so I haven't much in the way of entertaining," she said with a demure smile.
"Understandable, milady," the Dovahkiin replied respectfully. "I did suddenly arrive on your doorstep," he said as Keira finished pouring the wine.
"Indeed, which begs the question," Keira said as she poured herself a cup of wine. "How did you get here? You arrived by magic, that much I can clearly ascertain," she stated.
"That depends whether you would believe me or not," the Dovahkiin replied bluntly.
"I'm a sorceress. I've seen a great deal in my time," Keira said almost patronisingly.
"Very well then, I shall tell you."
The next two hours were spent with the Dovahkiin telling Keira Metz his life story and his adventures. Keira had a look of sympathy in her eyes when she learnt the fact that the Dovahkiin was an orphan found on the steps of an orphanage and when he turned thirteen, he was cast out to fend for himself. Worse still, no-one had bothered to give the Dovahkiin an actual name of his own, simply calling him Orphan Number Thirteen. When he had turned seventeen years of age, he had made his way to Skyrim where his adventures began. Keira was utterly enthralled by the Dovahkiin's lifestory; she had asked what it meant to be Dovahkiin and the man had given the answer.
"Dovahkiin means Dragonborn in the mortal tongue. A Dragonborn is born with the blood and soul of a dragon, uniquely gifted in the Thu'um, or the Voice," he told the sorceress.
"And what is the Voice?" Keira had asked.
"The Voice is the language of dragons. Words of power and meaning," the Dovahkiin replied. "A battle between dragons is really a heated debate which when fully unleashed can devastate the land around the two," he then said.
"Could anyone be taught this Voice?" Keira asked, half hoping she could learn a new form of magic.
The Dovahkiin shook his head and said, "It takes years for an ordinary person to learn even a single Word of Power, even longer to actually use it. It is one reason the Greybeards are called such because of the years that it took to learn what they know."
"Hm, shame," Keira muttered. "And how many of these Words of Power are there?" she enquired.
"Words of Power can be used as Shouts which consist of three words of the Dragon language," came the answer. "I know over twenty-seven shouts."
"Twenty-seven shouts?" Keira repeated in surprise. "Didn't you say it takes years to learn a single word of power and even longer to use it?" she asked.
"For an ordinary mortal, yes," the Dovahkiin clarified. "But a Dovahkiin can learn words of power in an instant and use them as naturally as breathing," he said matter-of-factly.
"And how does that work? Learning these words of power as quickly as you do?" Keira questioned.
"By devouring the souls of dragons I have slain," came the blunt reply.
"You slay dragons?" Keira asked slowly.
"Yes."
"And you then… 'devour' their souls?"
"Indeed."
Keira stared at the man sitting at her table dumbfounded. Taking a sip of her wine to fortify herself, she then asked, "So, dragons exist in your world, and you slay them?"
"Yes. It was only a scant couple of years ago that dragons had returned to Tamriel, thanks to Alduin the World-Eater and Firstborn of Akatosh," the Dovahkiin said as he took a sip of wine before continuing his tale.
The tale ended with Keira having many questions whirling through her head and the bottle of Everluce had run empty, leaving only the scant other bottles of wine she had left, most of which weren't her usual brand of fermented grape.
"Well, it seems you've led an interesting life, hard as it is for me to believe," the sorceress said to her guest, rubbing the back of her neck as she said those words.
"It's what I've told you. Not up to me to convince you whether or not it's true; you'll have to decide for yourself," the Dovahkiin replied simply.
Keira's lips briefly quirked in a smile before saying, "Well, now the question: what do I do with you? I can create portals to other places, but I cannot say whether or not I could create a portal to take you back to your own world," she said.
The Dovahkiin hummed as if contemplating those words before asking, "And who would be able to help me return home?"
"There are a few who might, and I emphasise the word, might be able to help you return home," Keira said. "But with things as they are now, it's next to impossible to meet with them," she added grimly.
"Might I ask why?" the Dovahkiin enquired and Keira obliged, telling the warrior of the current conflict happening in the Northern Kingdoms and the persecution mages now faced at the hands of the Redanian Witch Hunters and the Church of the Eternal Fire. Keira purposefully left some parts out, such as her membership in the Lodge of Sorceresses, simply telling her guest that because she is a mage she would be hunted down and burned at the stake.
The Dovahkiin asked some questions when he needed clarification, but he otherwise absorbed all the information Keira supplied him with.
Once Keira had finished telling the warrior of the goings-on in the North, he spoke, "So, a mad king sits atop the Redanian throne, while an emperor to the south seeks to conquer the northern kingdoms and mages themselves face persecution. Is that about right?" he asked.
"It is," Keira confirmed.
The Dovahkiin hummed in thought before saying, "Seems like I have my work cut out for me."
"What? What do you mean by that?" Keira asked perplexed.
"Two warring factions with the innocent caught in the middle. I've faced such a thing back in Skyrim between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks," the Dragonborn replied. "And the innocent people who caught in the wake of the war never asked for it. And it appears it is the same here," he said.
"And what is it you plan to do?" Keira asked the warrior who calmly looked at her for a moment before replying to her question.
"I will need to ascertain which side has the more… benevolent intentions and sort through the chaff of who is innocent among those who practice magic," the young man said. "Once I have learnt all I can, I will then make a decision of which side to choose," he added. "Might even do some odd jobs in between times," he then said offhandedly.
"Odd jobs?" Keira parroted. "What are we talking about?" she asked with humour in her voice.
"Whatever people need of me," the Dragonborn said in a serious manner. "Bandit gangs that need to be eliminated. Wild beasts that need hunting down. Whatever people ask of me that they need done."
Keira couldn't help the amused smile that spread across her face as she said almost mockingly, "An honest to goodness hero in my home. I almost envy that mindset were it not for my past experience telling me that such paragons of virtue are practically non-existent."
"The world is a cruel place, but we ourselves do not need to be as cruel as life can be," the Dragonborn rebutted firmly.
"How wonderfully naïve of you," Keira laughed.
"Believe what you will," the Dragonborn said blandly with a shrug of his broad shoulders, his armour rattling a little as he made the motion.
"Well, since you're so intent on helping others, perhaps you could start with me?" Keira suggested a smile growing on her lips as she realised that her plan to get back to the lap of luxury seemed close at hand.
"What is it you require?" the Dragonborn asked in a business-like tone of voice that surprised the sorceress a little at the change in attitude.
"Well, beyond just dealing with the quibbles of the locals, there are a few items I require that I cannot obtain normally," Keira said engagingly.
"What kind of things do you need? Is it for some sort of spell?" the Dragonborn queried.
"Something of the sort," Keira said slyly. "My supplier is in the Free City of Novigrad, but he's unable to send what I want across the Pontar given the Redanians restrict entry or exit from Velen, and I cannot go to Novigrad myself without risk of being captured by the Mage Hunters," she added.
"So, you wish to me go see this supplier of yours," the Dragonborn said rather than asked and Keira nodded in response. "How am I get through this border then?" he asked.
"I haven't the faintest idea, but I'm sure you'll think of something," Keira said with a sly smile.
The warrior contemplated for a moment before speaking. "If these Redanians are restricting entry or exit, I would need a pass to allow me through. Doubtless some individuals will have created counterfeits and forgeries to sell, for a price," he said knowingly.
"Sharp one, aren't you?" Keira smiled. "Have you any money or currency?" she then asked lightly.
The Dragonborn stood to his feet before taking off his hip satchel and said, "Say when." He then opened it and turned it upside down. Keira's eyes almost bugged out of her skull when she saw the waterfall of gold coins come flowing out in a massive torrent of gold and crescendo of jingling and clinking. A massive pile grew and grew, spreading across the floor, almost covering the floor of the entire house until Keira cried out for the Dragonborn to stop.
Keira stared dumbfounded at the ocean of gold coins before looking at the man before who had a small smile on his bearded lips. "Is this enough?" he asked.
"How in the sweet name of Lebioda did you get this much gold?!" Keira blurted out in surprise and disbelief.
"Odd jobs," came the simple response.
"Well, they certainly pay you well for these odd jobs," Keira muttered as she ran a hand through the locks of her blonde hair. She was half tempted to take all the gold and run off somewhere where she could live like a goddess for the rest of her life and never want for anything again. "What did these odd jobs include?" she then asked.
"Clearing bandit hideouts, killing wild animals, slaying dragons, giants, undead. Whatever they needed me to do, and they paid me for it," the Dragonborn said simply.
"I wouldn't call those odd jobs," Keira said dryly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a Witcher," she remarked.
"And what is a Witcher?" the warrior asked curiously.
"A monster slayer for hire," Keira said to the man. "Taken as children, taught foul sorceries and the killing arts, and then turned into monsters to kill other monsters for coin," she added flippantly.
"Truly?" A raised eyebrow was on the warrior's brow as Keira said those words to which the sorceress then said, "That's a general agreement of what a Witcher is, but Witchers do more than just slay monsters for coin. Sometimes they're tasked with lifting curses off unfortunate souls, or removing enchantments from places," she explained.
"Sounds a bit like what I did back home," the Dragonborn observed.
"Yes, well sometimes Witchers work as assassins which has given them a very poor but well-earned reputation," Keira said grimly. "Often times a Witcher will be killed by local peasants for being a mutant freak," she added. "I almost feel sorry for them, witchers I mean."
The Dragonborn gave a hum as if processing that information before saying, "So, Novigrad was it?" he asked. "Which way is it? What road do I need to take?"
Keira then brought out a map of Velen and showed the warrior some of the roads through nearby villages that would take him to the Pontar crossing.
"What can I expect along the way?" the Dragonborn asked Keira who then took a tome from the shelf, handing it to him.
"A Witcher's bestiary of monsters, wraiths and other horrors," the sorceress told him. "take this with you also," she said as she handed him a folded letter. "When you reach Novigrad, if you reach Novigrad, my supplier is in Hierarch Square. Look for the Kingfisher tavern and ask for a man named Neel. The rest I leave up to you."
"Very well, I'll leave immediately," the Dragonborn said as he put his helmet back on his head and prepared to leave. With a nod of his head, the Dragonborn then left Keira's cottage.
After the man left, Keira smiled to herself and said, "Soon. Very soon."
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! After a long wait, I finally updated this story! I do apologise for making everyone wait so long, and for the lacklustre chapter I put out, but I wanted to show that I'm not dead in this story. I just got caught up with other projects, not to mention real life business getting in the way, especially with the Silly Season coming up.
Next chapter, when? Don't know to be honest. Depends on my mood and my creative juices, but who knows, I may sit down again tomorrow and bang out another chapter for this story. Next chapter may entail the Dragonborn travelling through Midcopse and doing a couple of the Witcher contracts there such as Jenny of the Woods which would be his first brush with the monsters of the Witcher world which would be very different than what he's used to, but fear not, he shall adapt and overcome.
And that's about all I have right now, so I'll leave this here and see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.