To lift the curse, Striga must be kept from its crypt or grave until 3rd crow of the cock or till morning, usually for this and what I learned from my brother that I need is a Cat Potion for dark places, a chain to lock the creature into place, Swallow and Tawny owl for recovery, and bombs to screw with the thing. The downside is that I am out of bombs, so potions and the chain are used more than usual.
When I or any Witcher hunt, we typically go into it alone, but on specific terms. A person might come along, whether a bard, warrior, or mage, for various reasons, but in all my years, my brothers and I have never heard of someone stripping before going to Monster Den.
"What's your name again?"
"Gray, and why?"
"Gray, why are you removing your clothes?"
I stare at the mage who removed his shirt to show a muscular chest with a stage tattoo on the left side.
"Case fuck you, by the way. Did you tell him the truth or be a dick."
"So that's why you come with me to confirm I am not lying, and yes."
"More like make sure you aren't some lair psychos and kick your ass before I return to a guild."
"..."
Guild? For mages, there are schools but a mage guild...
"I see. Well, you are an assistant. I recommend going to the crypt and ward it; otherwise, stay out of my way."
"By sending down to a child's grave and making sure it's blocked, yep, no, it's a perfect idea."
Ignoring his joke, I pop the bottle for the Cat, and down it, the potion enters the system. I feel the effects. My eyes begin seeing more quickly in the dark, and my sense sharpens. Alright, let's start this. I begin to move forward. I check back on the mage, and he begins to move into the building, hopefully heading to the crypt as I ask, if not out of my way.
...
I walked through the villa searching for the thing. The estate was damaged. Most likely, it attacked the mansion first and killed whoever was in there. The lord must be. Luckily, he was not here or a successor. I was discussing getting the job form. I began to hear growls and snarls from a hallway. It sounded like it was returning and was in the house. I pulled out a chain line with a sliver. I swung the chain on the ground, making a lot of noise.
The creature scrapped and stalked in the halls. From the end of the hall, it turns to see me and roars at me, most likely remembering me from last time. As I hope it bound toward me and I count its paces
At one place, I increase the speed of the chain, and the creature roars louder and tries to scare me, but it fails.
Two paces, I aim for the limbs and close the distance.
Three paces, I threw for the limbs, and I overshot it instead of its limbs to slow it down and make it fall; it went around its neck.
fuck, the creature kept running, but its neck was burning from the sliver, and I stepped aside from the animal as it hit the wall; ouch. I pull my silver sword out for the fight and enter the strong stance.
The thing pulls itself from the wall and throws the wall stuff at me to distract me, mage to and be blind, but the creature rushes me and grabs me and slams me into the wall. I lose the air from my lungs, and the beast throws me further down the hall. I used my sword to slow my skid; as I stood again, the creature charged at me, its arms wide to catch me. I thrust my blade into its leg, pricing its thigh, causing it to reach as I pass through it and drag the blade along its thigh to his back as I pull it back and swing it on its heel to remove it. The creature managed to move, respect its pain, and try to get me. I dodged out of its way but managed to still claw on my stomach and rake my outer armor.
It pounced on me; the smoke from the sliver burning caused me to lose any mindset and try to bite my head off. It stirs using its claws, and I doge its bites, mashing onto the floor. If I remember correctly, doesn't the second-floor crypt have to eat at least two floors down? I cast aard on the floor, causing it to break under us. Grabbing the chains around this nick, I twisted the creature around to the ground. We mash into the ground while the floor and counties crash further down to the stone ceiling. The beast was weakened and seemed to be passed out.
Good, this gives me more time, and hopefully, the mage finishes warding the crypt, and... the ground was shaking from below, fuck the combined weight of me and the creature making it fall apart, also the fact I slammed it from 2 floors up with a thing uglier than Eskail. I slip through, slamming into the ground on my back and losing the air from my lungs.
As my vision cleared, I was finally in the crypts, and the Striga was still out.
"Hey, what happens..."
The mage comes running into the room. I was in and saw me & the Striga on the floor. He kept his eye on the Striga and me while approaching me.
"What did you do?"
"I use aard to break the floors and the Striga as a mattress."
Mage stares and begins to help me up from the rubble.
"Well can say this much you are a dangerous mother fucker because I see what the thing did and how it fucked up a lot of people, even ending a few."
"I am a Witcher. As I said, we are made for this and..."
Noises are heard from behind; the creature is still lying down, and the sound of it getting up from the rubble. I turn to the mage, and he stares at me, eyes wide with horror. I grab and drag him to the crypt case option C is aquitard.
"We need to go now before it's up. Quick to the crypt; let's hope your ward works!"
"What wards I don't do wards...?!'
I turn my head to him and stare for a second, stop myself from stopping, and slam my head into the wall.
"Well, let's hope Ynnard and the coffin be enough."
"And why we need the coffin of all things."
"We go in there and lock ourselves in till crow of the cock or till first light."
We went down the corridors to the end and line of coffins, with one open coffin covered in scratches and marks. As we entered the room, the mage stopped following me and stared at the coffin with, at the time, I believed to be horror.
"Hey, no fuck that. I am not going the coffin with you, not even for a second."
The mage stopped and faced the door, and put his hands together. He made a fist and then placed it on his plane. My medallion began to shake more. It should be the case the creature was still in the hall, not only that an air of mist began to form.
"Hey, lurk, you just need the thing out of the coffin, right?"
"Yes."
"Right, ICE MAKE WALL!"
He spells not one I would know if a magic circle flashes for a second before a well of pure ice covers the door. As soon he cast, I cast Ynnard to make sure Striga wouldn't attempt to break in to give us breathing room and a revelation that this is not the northern kingdoms or any country I knew I am further than home than I might have believed.
...
GRAY
This guy is a prick. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he came to save those guys, but that prick manages to haggle the guy and convince him to come along. Not only that, initially, I thought the guy was bullshitting, but I got curious not going to lie about that. I wasn't expecting to see the coffin open and empty of a body, only having scraps of clothing.
The job showed up a few months ago, and I was the one who took it, expecting it to be a simple monster-hunting job. I ran into bandits, which made me late, and we rushed interactions and got to the area to assist the guards. I didn't expect the guy to be there and know what this creature was.
This brings us to this asshole, the closest thing I could describe as if a rock with a painted face was real. Not only that, the guy Origins was weirder than anything. Witcher is not a guild I have ever heard of other mage or hunter guilds; he made a sound like a separate thing. Not only that, his accent was strange. He sounded like he was not from here but was. Also, I am not a mage is bullshit. He reeks of magic; too bad he is sleeping or meditating. It's hard to tell.
He pulls out an hourglass and sits on his knees and...
The guy's eyes open up, stare at me, and give me a look saying, really now?
"Gray," he spoke calmly, with no emotion from what I could tell.
"Yep," I answered.
"Where are your clothes?" he asks.
"What do you mean..." I look down and realize I strip my pants at some point, leaving me only boxers.
"DAMMNIT, NOT AGAIN," I yelp, standing quickly, seeing where it could have done with his pants.
"Again, how many times has this happened," he asks. I stare at him, giving him the death stare to let him know I am not answering that.
"Screw you, matter tell me who you are and where you form," I yelled, done with this day and his shit. he just stared at me at the amount and checked the hourglass, and he sighed.
"As I told you before, my name is Lurk of Kvor, and I am from the northern kingdoms," he answers. If it was a fact, Northern Kingdoms, I had never heard of them, but this would explain his accents.
"Never heard of the northern kingdoms, but you are not from here, are you," I asked, sitting back down and finally having some answer.
"No, but I am not. May I ask what state is this?" he asks.
"Fiore and I say welcome, though I have to ask how the hell you got here case we far from many ports," I ask in case he is telling the truth. We may have a problem with the government or magic council.
He was about to say something but paused, and it seemed he was thinking about something. That is not a good sign. If it is here by magic, then the council will know, and they won't be happy.
"I don't know. All I remember was walking in the woods heading to my me and my brother home before I realized I was in this town and Styria." as soon he said its name, the creature screeched behind the ice wall and made another attempt. Still, the purple sign shows up, primarily likely setting the thing into the wall again.
"Back on topic, that sounds like teleporting, but that lost magic, there's no way..." I say, but it makes sense he got here not through standard mains but through magic. The only person I can think of is the master, but should I take him to him? Master was powerful and undoubtedly kicked his ass, but this Witcher guy will be weird. These potions, the magic, and the fact he was using martial skills in this fight and mixing them, well, there is only one person that is close, and her name is...
"Grey, you good case, we don't need to take your underclothes either." The guy pulled me from the train of thought.
"Sorry, just thanking there is someone that could help you, but well..." I wonder if I should say the master's name or not.
"Let me guess he is some kind of faction leader or higher up, and he might ask for a favor in return or the fact I am a Witcher," he answered bluntly.
"Is there a rule you can't interact with other guilds or something?" I ask.
"Unless involved hunting monsters, Witcher avoids politics and stays neutral unless the situation requires such in case this does, so I have no problem," he answered, ensuring this won't be a problem.
"His name is Master Markov. He is my Guild master. He is most likely to help you to get home," I told him, seeing him stay silent, most likely understanding that he needed to come with me.
"I understand. If that's the case, let's get ready soon," I answer, getting up and reaching for the hourglass," I reply.
"Wait, why?" I ask, getting up as well. he shows me the hourglass as if it were empty.
...
LURK
The girl was alright, at least how she would be after being a monster for so long. She had stayed the stairway into the basement. She was covered in scratches and was shivering due to the early morning cold. We covered her with a blanket found in the closets and got her out of this nightmare.
We finally reach the outdoors and see the guards by the gate. At first, they do not notice us, but step closer, they catch us and call for the lord, and then they see the girl. Many drop their weapons, and others freeze in place. The lord came to the front and saw his child. Now I saw the resemble mostly their pigments and eyes, the girl who was silent and shy, refusing to talk to me, or the gray who understood. Seeing her father, she cries out his name and runs to him.
"FATHER FATHER IS THAT YOU"
"RUBY MY SWEET RUBY YOU BACK"
The lord hugs his daughter, holding her tight as if afraid. She turns again, which brings me to the thing I owe.
"Grey, do you have writing tools by any chance in case I need to write what he needs for her?"
"I got none, OI guards. Can you get me some paper and pencil?"
After a bit, a guard came with 'paper and a pencil. I grabbed it and wrote down the steps and items. I walked toward the lord with the paper. He was still hugging his daughter, and he noticed me and stood up. The girl hid behind her father and hiss at me. The father looked worried.
"As said, issues also here steps and materials for her recovery. Does anything need calefaction? I am here until I make a sapphire necklace to wear. I am waiting on my payment."
Then, I walk to the bridge and prepare the necklace.
...
The necklace was done, and I went looking for the lord, but instead, I found Gray. He looked panicked but calm when he saw me.
"Everything alright, Gray?"
"Yeah, I am fine, just nothing...I was going to get you the necklace done in case the mayor is looking for you with our payments."
I held up the necklace, Gray nodded, and I followed him to lord, who was taking him to the captain. I turned, saw us, waved off the captain, and waved us to come.
"Hello, boys. I presume you have this necklace and are ready to get the payment."
I handed him the necklace, and he held it like he was holding a child, then placed it in a box, which he set and closed. As soon he did, my medallion shook, most likely because it contained magic, as he grabbed what looked like envelopes for a letter sealed lift my water skin to drink, reading the bill for the bill.
"Alright then, he is your boy's payment. Sadly for you, Mr. Lurk, ourons are unknown to me, so I pay around the original price for the monster plus for rescuing my daughter here, which is 4,500 Jewels."
I spit the water out. Case at the time, 70,500 gems are a lot of gems; how the fuck.
"Oh No, son, that's like gem jewels. It's what we called our currency."
He tries to calm me down as grey patting my back, most likely pitying me or making sure I don't die from choking.
I apologize for reviving my reward, which was in an envelope. Confused, I looked inside, and there were colored papers with numbers on them on the corners. I checked with him to confirm he was the same as me, and it was. They use a paper system with numbers of value insisted on coins.
Once we confirmed it and the mayor thanked us with more tears (I had never seen a lord cry as much as him), we gathered and left for Fairy Tail, which was half a day's journey. We spoke sparsely, but the common thing that came up with me was why sunglasses, what magic I use, how I know the curse works, and again, why I have sunglasses.
"The magic I use is called signs. Second, my brother fought a creature like this before and told me, and finally, the glasses are to hide my eyes."
When I answer this, he looks unamused by my answers.
"Why hide them when you get chased out for being a monster."
He chuckled at this, thinking it was funny as I stay quiet in case it occasionally happens, especially when the village refuses to pay. Taking note of my silence, he stopped looking back and huffed.
"Okay, then I am going to take a piss. Watch my will, yeah."
I nodded to understand him, and he left to the bushes while removing his clothes again.
"Grey your clothes."
"DAMINT"
I wait for him to take his piss, and only after a few minutes do I hear a gray yelp. Shit, that's not a good sign; I run to his last location, hoping he scares himself and does not run into bandits or a monster. As I reached what I now heard was fighting. It was grey from the voice, but another one was heard, and from what I could listen to, they knew each other. I saw who he was fighting. What looked like a person around grey age with a scarf, black jacket, shorts, sandals, and pink hair? I whistle to him as he turns to look. I drop and kick him out of the bush into a clearing. Even though I have no clue what's going on, I needed Grey, so if I fight this guy, so be it.
...
NATSU
The clock guy rushing and kicking me in the face into the clearing had pissed me off. Case who the fuck is this, and why did he drop the kick.
"Natsu, what happened the lady said," Lucy or the clock man asked, concerned about what happened, and honestly, I don't blame her.
The guy walks out, removing his clock, revealing a guy in chain mail armor, cool-ass shades, and an arm with two swords. He pulls out one of them and walks toward me.
"One chance, leave or else, and I am not asking again," He spoke emotionlessly.
"Screw you" I yelled. I inhaled as I began to cast a dragon's roar. The guy raises his hand, bending his finger into something as I unlashed into the funnel.
'FIRE DRAGONS ROAR' flame unleashes from the funnel traveling to him. As soon it reaches him, the flame engulfs him, almost completely swallowing him. Then he came out of the fire covered in shield magic, protecting himself from the flames, his hand still managing that strange sign. As he left the flame, I charged him, and he quickly changed it to a different one as a symbol appeared as a triangle with a section missing. I lunch myself as soon as I see the sign.
'IRON DRAGON...' As I cast the spell, he is active even though the circle never appeared. Whatever the spell was, it took its effect. I became dizzy and fell face first; I gripped my stomach and felt all to Simler's sickness.
HO, NO, MARINA WAS WRONG. MOTION SICKNESS MAGES ARE REAL, AND I JUST TRIED TO FIGHT ONE PANIC PANIC: WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!
I look up at the guy, but my vision barely focuses on him. He seems to stop and put away his sword. He seems to be talking to someone, but from what I can gather, it looks like Gray. It was gone as soon as I suffered motion sickness as if I never had it. I stood up right off the bat.
"HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU DOING GREY? HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THIS MOTION SICKNESS MAGE" I yelled at both. They look at each other. The guy points and asks.
"How is he a mage?" the guy asked, grey pointing at me.
...
LUCY
So, there we were next to Cliff while Happy was trying to fish, Natsu pouting, and Gray sitting next to the guy who I am pretty sure is a mage but armed to the teeth like a solider and seems to be in some mediated state case barely spoke so far just grunting.
"So, you guys were returning from a job, right," I ask mainly Gray. Gray smiles back and nods.
"Yep, me and Card Box here coming back from the job. There's a shortcut through the woods back to town. "Gray answered, pointing toward the directions we were heading to.
"See, I told you I was going the right way." Happy chirped as he continued to fish.
"Then why do you never notice them if you smell so good." I sneer at the Cat.
"Most likely because of Striga and the fact we stayed in a crypt." the guy spoke emotionlessly. Gray and Natsu glared at the guy as he returned, silent as for Happy; he ate the fish but kept his eye on him. I don't care.
"If you are going to talk, can you at least tell us who you are," I ask, suspecting either no answer or at least something?
"I am Lurk of Kvor. I want to ask your guild master to be sent home," he told me bluntly like it was a fact of life.
"I see no doubt the master will help you, no doubt," I said, trying to put on a friendly face, but the guy did not answer.
"Will smell you guys later," Natsu jokes at their expression.
The guy stood up from meditation, turned to Grey, and asked, "Fine, ready to go grey."
"Yeah, we need to get going, so are you guys as well. "Grey stood up and turned to us.
"Why should we?" Natsu barked at him.
"Case Ezra is returning," Gray told us as he prepped to go as well, but still, EZRA, the Ezra scarlet she mentioned a lot in Sorcery Weekly, but there's never any picture.
"Whose Ezra?" the guy spoke, weird as he never heard of Ezra. I put that aside for now.
"Ezra is a famous wizard from Fairy Tail, and she shows up a lot on Sorcery Weekly, but there are no pictures of her on of them," I answered to him. He nodded and looked back at Gray and Natsu.
"If she fairy tail, then why are Gray and Natsu look like they are about to be sent to the gallows," he said, pointing to Grey and Natsu, looking like they revived horrible news.
"She isn't brutal, isn't she," the guy asks.
"Scray," both said, along with happy.
"Like a wild animal," Gray Goran
"a vile beast," Natsu shuttered.
"She a full-on monster," Happy chirped.
I stared at them and back at the guy, and back at them. What, was she a giant or something? There was no way someone like that existed.
"Is she a vampire or something..." As soon as the guy asked, his mouth was covered by Natsu, who shushed him and whispered something. He was about to say something but froze quickly, then kicked Grey to the ground and dove toward me while screaming, "GET DOWN NOW!"
As soon as he tackled me, an explosion of dirt rose where we were. So Lurk, with Natsu holding on to him on top of me. Lurk removed Natsu by dropping on me, which hurt a lot. Rescan the area.
"Where is your familiar?" Lurk asked while lifting his sunglasses to search the tree line.
"Our what?" Grey asks as he helps me and Natsu up from the ground.
"the blue cat creature you had is not here. Think it's either taken or..." Lurk spoke as he lowered his glasses.
"HEY, HIS NAME IS HAPPY, NOT CREATURE EITHER, AND WE NEED TO FIND HIM NOW, "Natsu left at the guy grabbing his clack. I looked into the woods, but I could see anything off.
"we find him. Do you have anything on you to track cause I can track him?" as he said, he picked something off Natsu from it. It looks like it was a piece of Happy fur.
"find, but I can happy too. Now let's go," Natsu growls as he runs to the woods. Lurk sniffs the fur and runs behind Natsu, me, and the grey fellow suit.
...
Lurk
Finding their pet was the easy part, but the hard part was the bandits. I saw five guys surrounded by a bonfire with the cat creature tied. There is no way that things are food.
Ask for a plan on the way, and all I got was
"HANDLE IT!" This is from Natsu. As he screamed, I had to gag him not to scream bloody murder. When I caught the mad beast under the controlled stripper, what I initially considered a prostitute had returned.
"So where is Happy, and why do you cover Natsu's mouth?"
"he's about to be eaten by twins, a fortune teller, a muted person that looks like a rooster, and what I'm hoping is not an evolved nekker form here. As for that one, you want him to reveal where we are. Grey, you have a plan."
"smart idea, Natsu is a lizard. As planned, we go down there free, happy."
"Straightforward, alright, and Natsu, do me a favor and burn them all."
As I said those words, I realized he dove into camp while Gray and Lucy went down; I joined as soon as I removed the cloak and pulled my steel sword out. The teller looked like he was casting some spell. Before he could release it, I threw one of my daggers at him and aimed for his head; the teller barely dodged but grazed his head. The chicken mutant uses a stuff to cast a flame spell shaped like an arrow. I avoid the magic and see he cast another spell. Cast axii casing enters a state of confusion and rushes for the chicken to end this before I can reach the sandblast. I see the nekker being beaten half to death by Natsu; turning to check on the others, Grey was fishing the twins off. Mine medallion buzzed. I flipped being with the teller behind with his orb.
"I see you have trouble with a woman and a knight."
I kicked him in his balls and heard the steps from behind me close to the mutant chicken. I spin to see Grey knocking out the mage.
"done. This should be the last of them. Let's tie them, leave them."
Okay, maybe gray is sadistic, but it is not my issue. Natsu and Grey tied them. I help Lucy with the rope. I cut Happy out with my dagger.
"the hell you call me ice box."
"that you some reckless idiot flame breath
Grey and Natsu are fighting about something.
"Is this normal?"
"Aye, and don't worry, they tried themselves out."
"...how any of you are mages is something I never understand."
Grey and Natsu both turn and yell.
"WHAT THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!"
Before I answer, my medallion shakes. When I turn to check around, I hear the guy bandits scream and shadow speed before I grab my crossbow.
"What was that?"
"a spell blonde one. Some why I don't know to care. It's not my concern."
"What that heartless they could be..."
"the witcher creed doesn't allow us to interfere if some royal dumb ass wants to do dumb shit; that's fine by me."
I go to get ready for the guild and see this master Markov.