A Song of Ice, Fire and the Dead
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Chapter 36: A Fiendish Foe
Heading into the village, the group saw a middle-aged man sitting on a bench by one of the stone cottages. The Witcher Geralt walked up to him and spoke. "Are you Odhen?" he asked.
The middle-aged looked up at the witcher, standing to his feet. "Might be that I am," he then said in a scratchy voice. "Are ye here about the notice I posted?" he questioned.
"We are," said Geralt as Saeko and the others came forward. "These are Saeko, Aegon, Saya and Alice. Could say they're apprentices of a sort," he added.
"Tis nice to meet ye, were it under better circumstances," Odhen said sadly.
"Gathered as much. Something about your son Olve going missing?" Geralt asked.
"Aye, me sonny. He left a fortnight ago and hasn't been back since," Odhen explained. "Went to the tavern before that, and met some rogues from Faroe who filled his head with nonsense about treasure in the castle ruins," he said. "I warned Olve that Faroe folk are liars to a man, but he knew better," he added despairingly.
Saeko then chose to speak. "Can you tell us anything that will help us recognise him?" she asked. "All we know is that he doesn't listen to his father," she pointed out.
Odhen nodded and replied, "Aye, he were wearing a yellow tunic. Ain't none like it in the village. Got it from me last year on his birthday."
"That ought to do it, but let's talk the reward first," Geralt then said.
After a few minutes of haggling a price was agreed on to which Geralt and Odhen shook hands on.
"Now you said about castle ruins?" the Witcher asked.
"Aye, east of here, you can't miss it. Right on the plains near the main road," Odhen told him.
"We'll look for your son but some promises," Geralt then said to the worried father. Looking at his apprentices, the Witcher told them to mount up. Mounting their horses, the company rode out from the village with Geralt leading them.
The sun slowly began a slow descent to the western horizon, yet still shone brightly on the company. And in the distance the ruined keep of a castle loomed. Geralt slowed his mare to a halt to which everyone else did as well.
"Alright, dismount," the Witcher ordered them. "No need for horses to get spooked by what we might find," he said to them.
Everyone dismounted their horses. Saeko loosened her katanas in their sheathes and Aegon did the same with his own sword and his axe. Looking at Saya and Alice, Aegon said to them, "Keep a safe distance. We tell you to run, you run. Understood?"
Saya nodded, not wanting to argue and attract unwanted attention to the group. The group then slowly approached the ruined keep with the Witcher looking at the ground with an intense focus in his eyes. Geralt's inhuman senses picked up the myriad of signs of wildlife passing through the area, before he gave out a grunt as he spotted human footprints.
"Footprints," he announced to everyone quietly. "About two weeks old. Must've been Olve and his new friends," he remarked.
"Least we're on the right track," Aegon commented in understanding.
"Yeah," Geralt muttered before saying, "Damn!"
"What is it?" Saya asked in worry.
"Something big passed through," replied Geralt as he knelt down to examine the enormous tracks that were deeply sunken into the grassy earth.
"A bear?" Aegon suggested as his head whipped around looking for anything of an ursine nature.
"No. Bigger," the Witcher corrected grimly. "Hm. A Fiend's passed through here, and there's some fresher tracks too," he remarked.
"A fiend? Is that some kind of demon?" Saya inquired.
"Something of the sort; a relict, big, smart and dangerous and will kill humans without much difficulty," Geralt stated.
"What does a fiend look like?" Saeko asked calmly.
"It looks like a twisted version of a stag the size of a barn and full of hulking muscle," Geralt informed the group. "Besides its strength and sheer speed, they can heal from wounds almost instantly. Worse yet, is their third eye set in foreheads which can blind and hypnotise those unlucky or stupid enough to look into it," he said.
"How do we kill it?" Aegon asked.
"Silver sword coated in relict oil, plus samum or devil's puffball bombs are the best tools to kill a fiend," Geralt said. "But I don't expect any of you to kill it," he added in warning.
"Then why bring us along if we are not going to help kill a monster?" Aegon asked looking offended.
"Because you're in way trained to fight monsters like fiends and chorts," Geralt stated calmly. "You and Saeko seem to have done fine against drowners, but you got lucky in that instance," he said cuttingly. He then sighed before adding, "But at the very least, I can help prepare you to defend yourselves if the fiend decides to make a meal out of you all."
Pulling out his satchel, the Witcher produced a flask green-gold liquid. "Is that poison?" Saeko asked in interest.
"Relict oil," the Witcher replied. "Sword blades coated in this will make relicts bleed more intensely and retard their regenerative abilities. There are other kinds of blade oils suited for other types of monsters," he clarified.
"Give me your swords, both of you." Saeko and Aegon then handed over their swords and watched as the Witcher uncorked the flask. Taking out a rag, the White Wolf poured a generous amount of the viscous fluid onto the fabric before rubbing the soaked cloth onto the blades of his own silver sword, Saeko's katana and Aegon's bastard sword. After layering a layer of the poison onto the blades that now had a film of greenish-gold on them, the Witcher handed Saeko and Aegon back their blades.
"Alright, time to arm you with some bombs," Geralt then told them and dug out from his hip satchel some round balls. "Samum bombs, it blinds anyone and anything in its effective radius for a few moments. Pull the pin and fling it at your opponent but be careful not to toss it too close to you," he advised them as he handed everyone in the group a samum bomb.
Looking at Saya and Alice, the Witcher said to them in a stern voice, "I want you two to stay as far back as possible. Hide somewhere nearby if you can and don't come out until I tell you to. Understood?" A cold glare was in the Witcher's amber eyes.
Saya nodded fervently and held Alice close to her.
"Alright. One last thing I have to do," Geralt then muttered as he pulled out some small glass vials, each one a different colour.
"More poison?" Aegon asked nonplussed by the vials in Geralt's hand.
Geralt gave a sardonic smile and replied, "Poisonous for you definitely. But for me, something that'll give me an edge." Uncorking the first vial, a green tear-shaped bottle, the Witcher slugged the contents down his throat, giving a grimace and a tiny shudder. Geralt then uncorked another vial, a blue tear-shaped bottle and drank the contents which brought out a groan and a more noticeable shudder. The Witcher then pulled out another vial, this one filled with amethyst-purple liquid and drank it down.
The Witcher almost doubled over before straightening up and everyone grimaced as they saw the inhuman sight on the Witcher's face. The blood vessels had turned a dark almost black colouration and the whites of his eyes had became a more sickly looking shade making the amber colour of his eyes stand out more.
"What in Seven Hells have you done to yourself?" Aegon asked looking aghast at the deathly looking sight.
"Something to give me an edge in this fight," the Witcher replied, his voice becoming more bestial sounding. "Not something you want to try drinking yourselves," he warned them before holding his silver sword ready in his hand. "Let's go!" He then turned around slowly and stalked off with the others following at a short distance from.
"Were those potions performance enhancers of some kind?" Saya whispered to Saeko who nodded in thought.
"They must be, but given Geralt's occupation, it makes sense he would need such things to help him in his hunts," the samurai said.
Slowly reaching the corner to where the courtyard lay, Geralt peered around the corner and gave a grimace. "Yeah, a fiend and a big one too," he remarked in a whisper.
"How big?" Aegon asked apprehensively.
"Look for yourself," Geralt told him with a nod of his head. Cautiously, Aegon peaked around the corner and almost immediately pulled his head back as soon as he saw what was waiting for them.
"Seven Hells!" he cursed. "That thing's enormous!" he hissed.
"Yeah," Geralt muttered darkly as he flexed the fingers of his left hand in an odd motion and golden orange light flickered around the man. "Got an idea; you or Saeko get ready to fling your bombs at the monster when I say. Once its blinded, I'll be able to get a few good strikes before it recovers. You and Saeko keep a distance and fling your bombs again when I give the signal," he formulated. "You got all that?" he asked them pointedly.
"Understood," Saeko nodded in confirmation as she pulled out her Samum bomb. "Say when," she said to Geralt.
"Alright, nice and steady now, it probably knows we're here," Geralt whispered to them as he prepared to step around the corner, his sword at the ready. Keeping to either side of the Witcher, Saeko and Aegon stalked around the edges of the courtyard as the Fiend was seemingly asleep while the White Wolf slowly approached it.
"Now!" the Witcher barked out. Saeko pulled the pin of her bomb and flung it at the fiend which was now roused from its slumber. The explosive landed near its face as its eyes opened. A bright flash of light precipitated an enormous explosion of sound that was then followed by an earth-shaking roar of discomfort as the Fiend hunched over, disoriented by the explosion of light and sound.
With a bestial look on his face, the Witcher slashed at the relict's thick leathery hide. Dark red blood splashed out and hit the grass and onto the Witcher's gambeson. The Witcher ignored the blood that soaked into his armour as he continued to slash and back away at the fiend. The fiend then recovered enough to lash out at Geralt who smoothly leaped back, narrowly avoiding the thick sharp antlers that would've skewered a normal man. But a witcher, much less the White Wolf himself, was far from ordinary. Twisting his body around, Geralt used his momentum to deliver a downward slash aimed at the fiend's thickly muscled neck. But the creature was fast enough to avoid the strike, so the greased silver blade only made a thin cut into the beast's brawny shoulder. The wound still bled profusely thanks to the poisonous oil that coated the Witcher's blade, preventing or at least hindering its regenerative healing ability.
Geralt leapt back and shouted, "Another bomb!" Aegon pulled the pin of his Samum bomb and flung it at the fiend as Geralt leapt back further away from the monster. Another explosion of light and sound came forth and the beast howled angrily as it was blinded yet again. The White Wolf then dashed in and delivered a whirlwind of strikes on the beast, dark red life fluids spraying out. The beast then lashed out with one clawed paw and this time struck Geralt in the stomach. The Witcher gave a small grunt as he flung back, but a burst of golden orange light came forth as he was struck by the monster. Skidding backwards on his heels, Geralt looked up in time to see that the fiend realised the other two fighters present.
"Get back! Get away!" the Witcher shouted to Aegon and Saeko. The fiend charged towards Aegon who had a panicked look in his eyes but leapt away in time at the beast bore down on him, charging into what remained of the castle walls. A terrible groaning crack was heard as the fiend's antlers broke the masonry of the ruins. With a yell, Aegon made an attempt to slash at the monster's neck as it recovered from its charge. Blood sprayed out an artery and splashed onto Aegon's face, blinding him momentarily. Stumbling back to wipe the blood out from his eyes, Aegon was then struck in the chest by a massive paw.
Going head over heels, Aegon landed on his back with a thud. Groaning in pain and seeing stars in his eyes, Aegon looked up to see the Fiend rearing up on its hooved hind legs to crush him. A prayer to the Mother was on Aegon's lips as the monster prepared to smash down onto him. But beast howled as it stumbled back before falling over. Aegon breathed out a sigh of relief as he raised his head to see that Saeko had cut into the fiend's back leg, wounding and perhaps crippling it. Saeko was quickly by her lover's side, helping him to sit up.
"Are you alright?" the samurai asked the young warrior who gave a shaky nod in response to her worried query. Before he could say something coherent, a furious roar interrupted Aegon and he looked to see the fiend had recovered somewhat and was charging, if limping a little, towards him and Saeko. Flinging himself over Saeko, Aegon covered his lover with his own body to protect. Then a confused sounding growl was heard and Aegon looked to see a befuddled look on the fiend's muzzle as it stood momentarily still.
"Get away!" Geralt shouted to them. "It won't last long!" he warned the pair who quickly complied with his warning and scrambled to get out of the way. The Witcher then leapt towards the monster as it regained its senses. Landing on the beast's back, the Witcher prepared to stab the blade of his silver sword into where its heart lay when the beast began to buck wildly like a bull would at a rodeo. Gripping the shaggy fur tightly with one hand, the Witcher held on like grim death, waiting for the opportunity to strike a decisive blow at the monster.
With a final effort, the fiend threw Geralt off its back and spun around to glare at the Witcher, baring its fang filled maw in an angry snarl. Geralt was then flanked by Aegon and Saeko who held their swords at the ready. The fiend's third eye then opened, glowing an ominous red glow before flashing brightly.
Darkness then surrounded Saeko's vision as she tried to see where she was. She lost in an ocean of darkness before the black void was wiped away.
"Easy there," Geralt told the samurai who looked dizzy. "It's gone now," he told her.
"W-What?" Saeko asked groggily.
"Fiend's been wounded, it's fled from the area to lick its wounds," Geralt informed her. "It used its third eye to blind us to make its escape," he explained.
"I couldn't see a thing!" Saeko exclaimed.
"Yeah, pretty disorienting when a fiend does that to someone," Geralt remarked. "Give it a moment and you'll be fine," he instructed her. A deep frown was on the Witcher's face as he looked at Aegon and Saeko both. "Damn wreckless of you two to attack the fiend like that!" he chided.
"Sorry," Aegon mumbled in apology. "But when I saw my chance, I took it," he said in defence.
"Yeah, seemed to have wounded it enough for it to flee," Geralt said in understanding. "But don't do it again if you can avoid. Is that clear?" He glared at Aegon who nodded vigorously in reply.
"Is it over?" a voice called out and peeking around the corner were Saya and Alice, worried expressions on their faces.
"The fiend's fled," Geralt told her and Alice. "Probably gone back to its lair to lick its wounds," he said knowingly.
"What are we waiting for? let's get after it!" Aegon exclaimed.
"Need to find its tracks first, see which direction it's gone in," Geralt stated as he looked at the ground closely. Giving a nod as he founded the deep paw and hoof prints, the Witcher said, "It's gone this way, and it's bleeding heavily, but it won't be for long."
"Then we'd best not give it a chance to recover from its wounds," Saeko said stoically.
"Let's go!" Geralt then gave a piercing whistle and a neigh was heard and trotting into view came the group's horses with Geralt's mare leading them. Leaping into the saddle, Geralt grabbed the reins of Roach and give a sharp kick of the stirrups. Roach then headed off into a gallop as everyone else climbed onto the saddles of their steeds and followed after the Witcher and his horse.
Racing over hill and dale with his eyes focussed on the ground in front of his horse, Geralt followed the tracks left by the fiend, entering more ruins. Seeing the broken walls and snapped trees, the Witcher dismounted as everyone else caught up to him. "It's close by," he whispered to them. "Saya. Alice. You two wait here. Aegon, Saeko, you're with me!" he ordered as he broke off into a jog following the trail of destruction left by the monster.
Getting off their horses, Aegon and Saeko ran after Geralt and soon caught up to him and soon spotted the Fiend resting in its lair, breathing heavily as it wounds healed at an alarming speed.
"Got any bombs left?" Geralt asked.
"I've got one left," replied Aegon.
"So have I," Saeko said.
"Alright, Aegon, throw yours. Saeko, save yours for when we need it," Geralt instructed them. "Now!" he shouted as he leapt into the monster's lair. Aegon primed his bomb and flung at the fiend which rose to its feet and roared angrily in defiance. The beast was disoriented by the explosive, allowing Geralt to inflict three strikes; the first two were swift with the third being a heavy blow which staggered the fiend's head. The beast the jutted its head out and forced the Witcher back and the fiend seized the chance by trying to swipe at its aggressor with a clawed. Aegon and Saeko then leapt in and getting on either side of the beast's flanks, they hacked and slashed at its thick hide.
Geralt grimaced but took his chance as well by thrusting his sword into the crook of the monster's neck and collar. The beast roared in pain that slowly died and faded as it collapsed on the ground, seemingly dead under the onslaught. Geralt removed his sword with some effort, wiping his face clean of dirt and blood before fixing a cold look at his two apprentices.
Realising that they had made an error by leaping in to aid the Witcher, Aegon and Saeko both had sheepish looks on their faces as Geralt prepared to give them a dressing down. Then there was a sound of something ripping in the air followed by a hollow boom and a flash of golden orange light as a vortex appeared behind Aegon Saeko who both turned around to look at the maelstrom of energy.
"A portal?" Geralt breathed out and before he could say anything rational, the fiend seemingly revived with a roar, it swung its paw at Aegon and Saeko, successfully knocking them back right into the magical maelstrom of otherworldly energy.
"Shit!" Geralt cursed as he swiftly slashed at the fiend's head, partly severing it from the neck before he prepared to leap into the portal after his apprentices. But it was too late as the portal closed after Aegon and Saeko had been knocked into it.
Geralt stared at the spot where Aegon and Saeko had been thrown and uttered one word.
"Fuck…"
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/B: There! Chapter 36 of this story is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed the action of Aegon and company helping Geralt on an actual monster contract. And now it looks like Aegon and Saeko are between worlds after being thrown into a random portal by their quarry. I've got some ideas of which world Aegon and Saeko end up in; what creatures of the night will they face? What landscapes will they traverse? What heroes and legends will they meet as they try to make their way back?
In the words of the immortal bard, "That's for me to know, and you to find out."
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.
