Different Faces of Friendship - Witcher Fanfiction
- Velen -
Gloomy swamps straggles as far as eyes could see, the cloudy sky darkened eerily in the pink glow of the twilight and cold, wet air lashed our garments; cool gusts of relentless wind breached my armor and jacket, causing very unpleasant shivers on my skin.
This narrow path seemed to be never-ending. Overgrown and muddy, it was like a claustrophobic prison. The foliage above us added the feeling of a trap.
Roach snorted anxiously. She reared her head and lingered tail.
Not only she was worried now, for the swamps invariably attracted all danger. Every witcher and every person with common sense knew it.
Dandelion continued his babbling.
- Geralt -
The forest was not as empty as everyone thought it was - the villagers of White Orchard had no idea that the road was no longer safe as it was a week ago. Or else they pretended not to know.
Something large moved in the nearby brush. Close to us. A sour, acrid stench swept through the air.
"The plague." I growled, drawing my silver sword.
"Something" sounded deceptively similar to the noise made by spider's legs when they hit the ground. The characteristic stench has grown much stronger.
Mother of the hive, I guessed; it was the only creature that could smell like burnt hair.
"Dandelion, get back, now!" - I ordered.
Bard's face turned pale , pressing his beloved lute to his chest as if it were the greatest treasure in the world. I didn't have time to think; his priorities were still incomprehensible to mine. Personally, I would save the lute for last. I would care more about my head.
I jumped off Roach and whistled the command to her to retreat out of sight. Of course, she didn't have time to back down. Neither did Dandelion, to mutual misfortune.
The monster jumped onto the road; it was not fullgrown, which made it fast, reaching dangerous speed - and it started running straight towards defenseless bard. I felt a rush of adrenaline. And anxiety. A lot of anxiety.
Fractions of seconds meant everything; me versus it. I let the Aard sign go. The creature's jawbones missed its target - Dandelion's exposed neck - and the monster rolled a meter away before its eight legs lifted it back into battle.
"I warned you, Dandelion." I hissed through my teeth. "Why do you never listen to me?" It was an empty reproach, because I had no right to expect a witcher's reflex from him but I was angry that he was being too loud. That he brought monsters on us once again.
I swung my sword, cutting at an angle; the creature's chitinous armor split in two, and the brown gore spurted on my bracers. The stench of acid hit my nostrils and I coughed violently. One crab spider was not a big threat, any witcher could handle it, of course. Worse, that the spiders never travel alone ...
"Run away. Take Roach and run, I said!"
The bard, terrified, ran up to the horse. He stood there, frozen, clearly unable to make up his mind.
"Geralt, what about you?"
"This is a trap, you fool!"
Of course it was. Two more creatures came at me. One monster, I heard, tried to circle us. I wasn't sure if these were all of them. There may have been more of them in the area.
I spat on the ground.
Dandelion had no chance to escape them. Before he made any decision of his own, I caught up with him and my horse and grabbed the reins from his hands. I was really furious.
"Hide behind me. " I said shortly, patting the horse's croup; Roach brayed uneasily and backed away, kicking backwards, confusing one monster. She had distracted it, and I just hoped she would be okay.
Dandelion did my bidding at last, of course only when he understood how much his life was at stake. He obediently clung to my back and didn't even panic. If he was always so sane and quiet, I might even like these journeys together.
I cursed the day he met me, when fate joined our paths. The world would be almost beautiful if I traveled alone again. Oh yes, he was jeopardizing his pretty face and voice and for myself, it was my sanity that was jeopardized.
Dumb bard. He irritated me so much. It wasn't the best time to think, but at times like this, things happened much faster.
Finally, when the Crab Spider - the mother of the swarm - attacked, I split it open in four short strokes. When the three smaller monsters no longer had the support of the tough armor of the largest of the creatures, I caught up with them and systematically killed them one by one.
"Dumb bard." - Swirled in my head - "He kept attracting problems. I no longer remembered what it was like to call my journeys peaceful."
"Geralt?" I heard his voice. I looked that way with reluctance. I was afraid that I would strangle him now with my bare hands.
Dandelion, beaming, looked at me with his puppy eyes, with delight painted on his face. With a lute on his back, in that funny, uncomfortable garment around his narrow hips. With that look on his face, he irritated me a little less.
"It was phenomenal!" He said, "I have to compose a ballad about it!" It's amazing with which grace you cleaved apart all those spiders, after all ...
"Crab spiders." I sighed, wiping the sword on the closest carcass. I interrupted him, hoping for silence.
"Crab spiders" he corrected immediately, pulling the lute from his back - You are undoubtedly right. The ballad will be of a convivial type, what do you think? I will title it ... "Mighty from Rivia!" Or ... "Fast as a whirlwind!" ... - He began to plan, but I interrupted him immediately.
"Dandelion, forgive me."
I grimaced. This wasn't the first time he saw me at work. Eighth to be precise, according to my calculations. Even so, he reacted with the same childlike admiration each time.
He came over to me, embarrassed. He rested a hand on my shoulder. As if we were friends at least. We weren't, of course. He mused,
"We'll be famous! " He said happily. "Don't make your wry face. You and me! Dandelion, the God of poetry, an indispensable guest of all royal parties, and the White Wolf, the most famous witcher in the land! Even wizards will invite you!"
"Have mercy." I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Anything but the wizards."
I took his hand off me. What a stupid bard he was. Annoying and noisy. Nothing but afflictions.
"Geralt. You deserve it. You may not believe it but I know it! He announced to the accompaniment of the first chord on the lute, "White Wolf!" Walking Legend! "Mighty from Rivia ..."
"Think something else, Dandelion." I sighed heavily, rising from a carcass, from which I took a vial of some deadly venom, which might be useful to me for potions. "And better make it up in silence."
