Hello there! Welcome legends to the next chapter of Light Bringer Stories: The Witcher.
Hope your going to enjoy it as much as I had writing it and now story time.
Lucifer felt the cold winds wash over his face as he set his first step in Kaer Trolde. It is a port city reigned over by jarls from Clan an Craite on the coast of Ard Skellig, the largest of the Skellige islands.
The port serves as the docks for the Jarl of Skellige's fleet and is accessible by longships and triremes. It is home to many sailors, fishers, and warriors but also alchemists, goldsmiths, glass blowers, and jewelers.
While the climate would be cold for a normal human and even a regular angel would be bothered by the cold, the freezing temperature was nothing he wasn't used to when he reigned from the Black Throne down in Hell.
"Well at least there are no Church of Eternal Dicks around." Lucifer said casually as he walked towards Kaer Trolde citadel.
The citadel has been carved through the mountain up to a stone bridge connecting two sheer rock walls, allegedly by Grymmdjarr. On the other end of this stone arch lies the gate leading to the castle interior.
Inside it lie spacious stone chambers and banquet halls that appear dark and foreboding in the dim light of candles and torches. In keeping with local custom, the walls are decorated with weapons, shields, and embroidered tapestries depicting fantastic animals, monsters, and heroic deeds.
Lucifer was surprised that he could just walk in, the sound of loud cheering and music came from the main hall as some sort of party was going on. Rows and rows of food, mostly meats and fish, the smell of strong mead's and big, burly and muscular manly men ducking it out with each other.
"Now this is my kind of party!" Lucifer said with a cheeky grin, snatching a tankard filled with strong smelling mead.
Mingle himself between the guests of this feast, as usual his appearance drew attention from women and men alike, something he really enjoyed.
"Parties like these remind me of my time in Skyrim." Lucifer said nostalgically before an altercation drew his attention.
"Call me goatfucker one more time, and I'll chop off your head, stick it on a pike, and piss down your neck hole." said one of the jarl's who he had overheard was named Madman Lugos, who was having an argument with another jarl named Donar.
"The emperor would be very pleased to hear you quarrel." a very pale yet beautiful woman said. Her eyes are of a cold and sparkling violet, rare for something in humans of this World. She was dressed in black and silver composition, which brought to mind December morning or it reminded Lucifer of his less handsome twin.
"Oh hello." Lucifer said, his nose picking up a distinct lilac and gooseberry smell from the woman, "Lucifer likey."
"The emperor is more than welcome to visit." Madman Lugos said.
"Let 'im sail over here." Donar said, sounding rather sure of himself, "We ain't afeared o' the Black Ones."
"Raiding coastal villages is one thing." the woman said matter of fact, "Total war with the empire is another."
"Awfully mouthy, this one. Go stir your cauldron and pierce some boils, witch." Madman Lugos said rather hot headed, "Don't talk when you haven't got a fuckin' clue."
"Now, now." Lucifer said nonchalant as he walked up, "Is that anyway to talk to a lady? Especially one as lovely as this one?"
"Mind yer own business Blondie." Madman Lugos said, "Or I'll punch your perfect whities in."
"Is that a challenge? Are you challenging me?" Lucifer said with a smirk, giving a slight bow, "Very well, I accept."
"Finally some diversion! And here I was ready to puke from all the boredom!" Madman Lugos shouted, "Come on, freak. Show us what you're made of!"
"Move the benches!" Donar shouted as he walked back, "There's to be some gob slappin'!"
Taking off his coat and throwing it on a nearby bench, Lucifer looked at his opponent. "I will give you one hit. Make it count because..." Lucifer said but Madman Lugos had already decked him in the face but he didn't even flinch, "As I was saying, because you will only got one. Now I'm going to finish you in one punch, man."
He had continued as if nothing had happened. And as Lucifer had told he delivered a swift blow to Madman Lugos stomach sending him flying into a bench, which shattered on impact.
"Ye got me good." Madman Lugos groaned in pain as he slid down to the floor, "That were quite a wallop... Room' rockin' like a leaky tub in a hurricane."
"Good." Lucifer said gesturing over his shoulder to the sorceress who looked at him with great interest, "Now what do we say to the lady?"
"Don't hold it against me, m'lady." Madman Lugos said as he attempted to get back on his feet but failed before a few men of his clan came over and pulled him up, "It's my deep conviction sorceresses are needed, deeply so."
"No offense taken." the woman in black said with a hint of haughty sarcasm, "Forget it."
"That I like. And the knockin', it's what men do." Madman Lugos said when he finally recovered enough to get back to his feet, "Gimme your paw, Blondie. Lemme squeeze, it's a worthy one."
Lucifer smirked as he shook hands with the man before feeling some sort of sensation in the back of his head.
"Cute. But I'm doing you a favor, my dear." Lucifer said smugly as he turned around to face the woman, "My mind, well, let's just say it's not a nice place to be."
"Interesting." the woman said half shocked and half fascinated, "All I feel is a void, a wall that repels every attempt at midn reading."
"Interesting is one of the words I could use to describe you, m'lady." Lucifer said with a smirk, "Though a rare beauty in cold lands would be more accurate."
"Flirt." the woman said with a smirk, holding out her hand, "Yennefer of Vengerberg."
"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Yennefer." he said gripping her hand, "Lucifer Lux." and pressing her knuckles against his lips.
"Lucifer Lux?" Yennefer said with a raised eyebrow, "Like the high class demon?"
"High class demon!? Do I look like Scanty and Kneesocks!?" Lucifer said offended, "I'm the Devil. All demons, greater, lesser or middling are subservient to me! I'm something far more dangerous and powerful."
"Of course." Yennefer said dismissively, "Like the actual Devil would mingle among humans."
"Believe me, it's much more enjoyable and less boring than Hell." Lucifer said taking a tankard and he began to drink, "Besides I have a reason to be among the mortally challenged."
"And that would be?" she said.
"I heard rumors of strange things happening on Ard Skellig." Lucifer said, "A disaster brought about by a burst of magic."
"I've heard about it." Yennefer said her fascination with the man was turning into a bit of suspesion as she was certain what the cause of the magic anomaly was, "Unfortunately, Ermion and his druids aren't letting anyone near."
"Interesting. Though I sense something about this situation." Lucifer said drinking from his tankard again, "I have a feeling you want to investigate. So the question then becomes, why won't this... Ermion right? Why won't he let you inspect the area of the anomaly?"
"Call it a difference of opinion." Yennefer said casually, "A large, loud difference."
"Well then." Lucifer said assured of himself as he clapped his hands, "Perhaps I should have a word with him."
"Your welcome to try." Yennefer said, "Saying he's headstrong like a mule, it would be putting it lightly."
"I have my ways. I can be very persuasive, my dear." Lucifer said with a smirk, "If I wanted to, I could have persuaded you to come back to my room."
"Oh, really?" Yennefer said, feeling something of her desire being drawn out of her, "And what would we be doing there?"
"Having the best night of your life." Lucifer said with a smile, he knew that the woman was having goosebumps by his suggestion, "See. Your considering it. But perhaps at a later time, my dear. I will see you at the magic anomaly forest."
Lucifer placed his tankard down, turning around to head outside and with a flick of his fingers, his coat flew off the bench and formed around him.
He walked to through the party, further back into the party where he found the man he was looking for, surrounded by a father, a son and a daughter, each of them had each of them had brown orange hair.
But the man he was looking for, time had not been kind to him. The last time he had seen him, he was a younger man, but now at the age of eighty, the hair on his head and on his face had turned fully grey.
"Hello there, Bran." Lucifer said with a smirk.
This drew the attention of the people around the man, who had to take a better look but upon recognizing, Bran Tuirseach got a warm smile.
"Lucifer Lux." the King of the Skellige Isle said, shaking hands with the blonde Devil, "You have not aged a day." before introducing the people next to him.
They where his nephew Crach an Craite and Crach's children Hjalmar and Cerys.
"Not aged a day?" Hjalmar said interested, "Are ya a sorcerer like Lady Yennefer?"
"Good one." Lucifer said with a smirk and a good natured laugh, "No, I'm not a sorcerer."
"Then how come ya haven't aged?" Cerys said with a similar interest as her brother.
"Benefits of immortality, my dear." Lucifer said amused before turning back to the king, "Now, Bran. You probably already know why I'm here."
"I do. It's time." King Bran said with a knowing nod, "It's time to return the favor. What do you need?"
"I'm looking for someone. She likely came to Skellige, and is probably caused the magical anomaly along the coast. I have it on good authority that a Ermion and his druids refuse to let anyone explore the site." Lucifer told him what his favor would be, "I wish to investigate the site and I wish lady Yennefer of Vengerberg to accompany me."
"Is that all? I made a deal with you, and I aim to keep it." King Bran said, standing proud, "You've my permission to investigate as you see fit. I will sort everything out with the druid."
"And with that, your debt of the deal has been fulfilled." Lucifer said with a smile at the king, one of the few he was on good terms with, someone he would even consider a friend. Before leaving he picked up a handsome red apple from a nearby bowl of fruit.
It was during the morning at the the edge of the forest where the magic anomaly had occurred. The trees were gnarled, the wood had turned black and looked rather dead. He could feel the static, caused by powerful magic hanging heavy in the air.
Lucifer was leaning against a nearby tree, tossing the handsome red apple in his hand as he waited for Yennefer to arrive.
"A red apple? Really now?"
Catching it out of midair, he turned around to see that the beautiful sorceress had arrived. "You believe yourself to be Satan and your eating an apple." she said shaking her head, "How cliche."
"Believe me, my dear. I don't get it either. I mean, I know where the story comes from, I just don't know where the apple comes in. When I entered the Garden I didn't tempt Eve with an apple. Come to think of it, the forbidden fruit should be a banana." Lucifer said as he took a bite out of the fruit, "But as you must have heard, we have permission to investigate."
"Still can't believe you managed that." Yennefer said slightly impressed.
"As I said, I'm very persuasive." Lucifer said throwing the remains of the eaten apple over his shoulder, "Well then, shall we?"
The duo walked down the hill and upon entering the forest, the effect the magic had on the surrounding area. The clear skies above darkened, as a utter and eerily silence drowned every other sound out.
"How did you managed to persuade Ermion anyhow?" Yennefer said during their walk.
"Not that difficult really. I overheard he protested the use of a mask or something, how that piece of wood would spell the end of Ard Skellige, bla, bla, bla. A day doesn't go by when the world isn't about to end." Lucifer said with a roll of his eyes, "I just got the help from Bran, who owed me a favors."
"Bran?" Yennefer said doing a double take, "As in King Bran?"
"No, Bran the village fool I came across in Velen." Lucifer said sarcastic, "Yes, King Bran. Helped him slay a dragon a few years back. It actually was this act that made him king."
"...I'm with a completely insane person." Yennefer muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Over the centuries I have noticed people are rarely insane, they're just 'differently rational'." Lucifer said before turning to the business at hand, "Now we have to get to specific spots, so I can work my magic."
"That was my original plan." Yennefer explained, "But for that we would need the Mask of Uroboros. The one that would allegedly cause the end of Ard Skellige."
"You might, but I'm different my dear." Lucifer said smugly as he puffed out his chest, "While inflicting some horrible curse on someone may take a lot of magic, time, and effort for a sorcerer, for me it's about as demanding as swatting a fly. Now there is the first location."
The two stood next to each other and Lucifer snapped his finger, the sound echoing through the silent forest. The green outline of two people, one male and one female emerged from a portal.
"Interesting. Whatever caused the magical anomaly is interfering with my magic." Lucifer said intrigued by the very concept of something that unusual and powerful, "But the woman... It was Cirilla."
"How do you know?" Yennefer said as they continued to follow.
"She lived with me for a few months, I..." Lucifer said a pleasant memory passed by in his mind, "I have watched her moves, memorized them. It's her."
They came upon a second echo, where the echo of Ciri and her companion where surrounded by a group wielding heavy sword. The echo of Ciri unleashed a powerful burst of magic, something Lucifer theorized could have been the reason for the current state of the forest he was standing in right now.
"So it was Ciri." Yennefer said relieved and excited of a sort, "Let's see where they went to."
At the third location, they saw the echo of Ciri being wounded before fleeing into a portal. Using some magic of her own, Yennefer concluded that it led to Velen.
"Right into the hands of the Bitches of the Bog. She not there anymore." Lucifer said, giving his companion the answer before she could ask the question, "Let's try and find her companions portal."
"Good idea." Yennefer said with a nod, "Come."
"If you really want to. I'm happy to oblige." Lucifer said with a smirk, as they set off again, "Where would you want it?"
"Not in a place like this, Lucifer." Yennefer said annoyed.
"So you admit, you do desire me." he shot back still with a smirk, which grew bigger as a hint of red come upon her cheeks as she realized what she had said.
As they set down the path, they saw the echo of two men fighting, one repelled the other with powerful magic, then fled through a portal.
"It's Ciri's companion and the one who wounded her." Yennefer said.
"Seems like the most logical conclusion." Lucifer said folding his arm and propping the other on it, "Now who could her companion be? Think you can sense where he fled to?"
"His trace path leads to Velen as well..." Yennefer said, closing her eyes as she concentrated, "But the target coordinates of his portal differ from those of Ciri's. The explosion must have disrupted his teleportation..."
"Again bloody Velen? What does every bloody person seek in that bloody swamp!?" Lucifer said annoyed, throwing his arms up, "Alright, time to see if the attacker left behind anything useful."
"Good thinking." Yennefer said, noticing a fallen tree at the end of where the echo fallen, "There under that tree."
"Allow me, m'lady." Lucifer said, walking over to the tree. He bend his knees, hands placed under the trunk. To her surprise, he manged to lift it up and launch it over a hill, where the sound of its impact against other trees could loudly be heard.
"I... Nice throw." Yennefer said awed, knowing he was strong to one punch Madman Lugos, but didn't realize he was that strong.
"Thank you!" Lucifer said happily before his face turn to a angry frown when he saw what was laying in the ditch.
It was a corpse of a rider of the Wild Hunt.
He recognized that armor, how could he ever forget as it was their fault he was now searching the Worlds for Ciri.
"The Wild hunt... I feared as much." Yennefer said, "Rumors of them appearing at Hindarsfjall already spread, but it seems there might be truth to them."
"Then that's where I'm going next." Lucifer said, a determent look in his eyes as he turned away from the ditch.
"It's where we're going next." Yennefer corrected him.
"I would love to have your company, my dear." Lucifer said with a smirk, "Hindersfjall, here we come."
And that was the chapter, hope you enjoyed.
So I watched 'The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf'. I thought it was pretty good, even if the fight scenes felt a bit too anime for The Witcher.
And I think Lucifer can say it best what I thought about Vesemir:
Lucifer looks to a picture of Vesemir from the movie, to the old Vesemir from The Witcher 3, who stood next to him. He repeated the movement a few times before saying: "What happened!?"
Anyways many thanks to everyone who read, reviews, favorites or follows this, you beauties.
I hope you will join me next time.