Hello there! Welcome to the next chapter of Light Bringer Stories: The Witcher and the first chapter of the Hearts of Stone Arc.
Hope you enjoy it has much as I had writing it and now story time.
The battle against the Wild Hunt, where Eredin was finally killed by the witcher Geralt of Rivia, an battle that would surely become legend and a story told over the generations and eventually studied by the greatest scholars. While many versions of the events would be told, each one adding or losing events, many would consider the fact that Death herself and the Devil participated to be pure myth and fantasy.
During the months that followed, Geralt had returned to Vizima to have one last conversation with the emperor, and tell him Ciri would not be coming back.
After his meeting with Emhyr var Emreis, Geralt set off for White Orchard, where he had agreed to meet someone amidst the ruins of the old castle there. And who awaited Geralt in White Orchard? Ciri, ready and packed to set off with her father to set off on the Path.
Eventually both went on their separate way, with Ciri moving in with Lucifer at his Penthouse and granting Geralt and Yennefer charms to come visit any time.
One day Geralt arrived at Seven Cats Inn Inn in search of his next contract. He perused the notices hanging there, yet only one found his interest.
The notice announced a certain Olgierd von Everec, residing in the nearby Garin Estate, was looking for someone to kill a dangerous monster lurking in the Oxenfurt sewers.
What looked like a run-of-the-mill monster hunt, the kind Geralt had already completed countless times, turned out to be but the very tip of a very large iceberg. The first icy underwater hunk exposed itself when Geralt quite unexpectedly encountered a old friend Shani, an Oxenfurt medic, in the sewers during his hunt for the toad monster.
He promised to visit her as soon as he took care of his task, and kept his promise... but not before going on quite the detour.
When Olgierd mentioned rumors floating around that the sewer monster was an enchanted prince, the thought never even occurred to Geralt to grant them any credence. When he finally found and slew the beast, he learned the error of this disbelief.
Once slaughtered, the toad revealed itself to be, as rumored, a prince. Geralt was dumbstruck – partly by this surprise twist but mostly by the poisonous gasses that had escaped from the toad's body and still filled the air. He was thus in no state to resist the unit of heavily armed men led by a mage which suddenly appeared and captured him.
When he next awoke, he was on a ship, imprisoned with a strange man who informed him they were bound for Ofier. There Geralt was to be executed for the crime of killing the Ofieri crown prince.
Geralt was wracking his brain for a way to jump out of this pot of trouble, when, suddenly, out of the shadows came Gaunter O'Dimm, a merchant Geralt had met earlier on his path, with an offer of help. The merchant charged a high price for his assistance: he left his mark on Geralt's face and forced him to make an open-ended promise of repayment. And then... then a terrible storm broke out, flinging the ship against the rocks.
Geralt made it out of the resulting chaos unscathed and went to meet O'Dimm. The merchant asked him to carry out three wishes for the man who'd sent him after the toad, Olgierd von Everec. Willing or not, Geralt agreed, and the two set off together to the Garin estate.
As Master Mirror forewarned, Olgierd von Everec asked Geralt to perform several tasks for him. But before he would depart for them, he had an old friend to check up with.
Walking into Shani's clinic inside the city of Oxenfurt, where he saw Shani talking with several soldiers of the Redanian army.
"I've tested the slime samples." Shani informed them, "I believe we'll be able to brew an antidote."
"Good. A pox in an army can prove more ravaging than even the fiercest foe." the Commander of the Redanian soldiers said with his arms folded behind his back, "Your service will be recognized."
"How? Will I get a toad-shaped medal?" Shani said just as she noticed that Geralt had walked in her mood immediately turned to concern, "Geralt? Are you all right? What's that on your face?"
"Long story." Geralt said, looking around the room.
"We're conducting important business." the commander said shortly, "Youse can catch up later."
"Sir, I can take care of the antidote." a voice came from the backroom before walking into the room.
It was a tall and thin young man who appeared to be around Shani's age, maybe a year or two older. He has dark red hair shorten faux-hawk like style and green eyes.
Dressed in a long, white pinkish coat with a pink inner lining. Under the coat he wears a white zip-up hoodie with two zippers under his coat, a black shirt beneath that. His legwear consists of a pair of white pants held up by a belt. He wears brown boots that go halfway up his shins.
"It shouldn't take long." he assured them, "Lady Shani, I will make the antidote while you can attend to your friend."
"Good idea." Shani said with an appreciative smile, "Thanks Raphael."
He gave her a nod and a smile that showed off his perfect pearly white teeth, before turning to walk into the backroom where the alchemy station and storages of medicine and remedial herbs was located as Shani showed Geralt to her office.
"Serving Redania now?" Geralt said as he sat down on a couch as she closed the door behind her.
"I serve individuals, I treat them. That they're Redanians is coincidental." Shani said as she sat down next to him, "I'd help Nilfgaardians as well, were I in a position to. Kaedwenis, Aedirnian, elves, dwarves, halflings, all the same. Come on, Geralt, you know me."
"So what now?" Geralt said folding his hands, "Radovid is dead. Decrepitated by an unknown assailant on his own ship, right under his guards eyes."
"I know, but that doesn't mean that the war is over. The chaos continues, I'm still very much needed." Shani said rubbing the back of her neck, "Though I can't complain. At least I live at home now, and I treat the ill, as is my calling."
"What about your assistant?" Geralt said nodding his head to the closed wooden door.
"Medical-consultant, I crossed paths with Ralphael when he was healing some of the homeless. He offered his assistance when the Redanians came knocking with a urgent assignment. He has knowledge about medicine that surpasses even the greatest scholars. He seems a bit nervous and shy at times, but he's a good man. He wanted to accompany me into the sewers even, but I thought he might not be able to handle it."
But a voice from the soldiers came from the main room, as Raphael had wiped up the medicine.
"Your a lucky bastard, boy. We've seen her makin eyes at ye. Nowt like she looks at us. Ain't that right?" The commander said, "Admit it... you fancy her, too, eh?"
"W-What? W-well lady Shani is a beautiful woman. A-any man or woman would be lucky to have her as their significant other." Raphael stuttered before calming down, "S-So here's the medicine. It's a strong solution, so careful with the dosage. Each patient gets exactly two drops after meals, three times a day. At the most in three days, the infection should recede."
"I thank you in Redania's glorious name."
"All thanks belong to lady Shani." Raphael said as footsteps where heard and faded as the soldiers left the house.
"Seems someone has taken a shine to you." Geralt said with a smile before turning serious, "But I need your help this time."
"I guessed this wasn't a social call. All right, tell me what you need." Shani said, "Is it at all related to that mark on your face? And you must tell me what happened in the sewers?"
"Where do I start? Monster in the sewers turned out to be a giant toad." Geralt began to sum up, "And this toad was actually a prince, an Ofieri one, at that."
"And I'm a Koviri duchess." Shani said dryly.
"You could be one."
They turned to the door to find Raphael standing in the doorway holding a tray with a boiling pot of tea.
When he realized they both where looking at him, his cheeks became a slight tint of pink. "S-Sorry, I brought some tea for you and your guest and I happened to overhear and... I'm rambling again." he said a bit embarrassed, "Uhm, hi! I-I'm Raphael, pleased to meet you."
"Geralt." the witcher introduced himself.
"Of Rivia? Lady Shani has told me a lot about you... Only positive things, I assure you!" Raphael said quickly placing the tray down, "Your a witcher right? A noble profession."
"Not many humans would agree with that." Geralt said shaking his head.
"Well... then most humans would be wrong. I just think people should be more grateful when you save them from monsters." Raphael said rubbing the back of his head, "A-anyway I brought you something to drink, thought you might like it. I'll be going now."
"Raph, wait." Shani said, "Maybe you can look over that new scar on Geralt's face."
"That's not just a random scar. That is a mark." Raphael explained with just a glance, "It's a mark of Gaunter O'Dimm."
"You know him?" Geralt said.
"Never met him in person, he's not very nice. Actually he's a more like an evil version of my eldest brother, which is saying a lot." Raphael said treating Geralt as he would any other patient, "How did you met him?"
"He helped me out of a bind." Geralt said, "Now he expects me to fulfill some nobleman's wishes in return."
"My advice, finish your end of the deal as quickly as possible." Raphael said with a thoughtful nod, "But be careful, he is very powerful and very dangerous."
"I realized that." Geralt said stroking his chin, "But I know someone who can help. Someone even more powerful and dangerous."
A pulsating rift tore open the walls separating the Worlds as not much later, Geralt himself came stumbling out of it.
"I hate portals." he muttered.
Looking around he found himself in a luxurious high rise apartment, a large bar on the other side with the wall covered from floor to ceiling with bookcases filled with all sorts of books. In the middle of the room stood a long piano. The full wall window gave a view of a modern city. The apartment's interior design was nothing he would find in his world.
From some sort of large painting, moving images with sounds was being played.
"Geralt!"
He turned around to find the Devil he was looking for. Near the long piano stood Lucifer, his usual combed hair now was wet and hanging down his head and he was butt naked.
"Good to see you again. What brings you here?" he continued as the witcher averted his gaze, "If your looking for Cirilla, she isn't here. Had to take care of a contract, you know how you witchers are." he added with a knowing wink
"Actually I came here for you." Geralt said his cat eyes till avoiding Lucifer's entire being, "Put some clothes on so we can talk!"
"I was about to do that, then you teleported in." Lucifer said, it takes a mere hair flip for him to style his hair back to it's back combed style, before walking back into his and Ciri's room, "But how is everything, Geralt? We haven't really talked after we defeated the Wild Hunt all those months ago."
"I've been better." Geralt said, looking around the penthouse before his eyes fell on the flat and wide portrait, "Is this portrait some kind of megascope?"
"Oh that just the telly. It's pretty cool sometimes." Lucifer voice came from his walk in closet, "Like this show where this guy called Rick, who turned himself into a pickle and the series kinda went downhill around the third season... There was this sauce and things got out of hand, now everyone avoids the show like the plague."
Lucifer came walking back in, wearing a tucked in dark purple dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows under a purplish waist-coat, black dress pants and brown-black dress shoes.
"So I was flipping the channel last night, I know, who actually watches the telly anymore, but I found this Britcom called 'Miranda' and I couldn't help but like that Gary character Not sure why." Lucifer said walking over to the bar, "Come on, sit down, relax. When was the last time you ate?"
"I don't know." Geralt said as Lucifer disappeared behind it, "Two days or so?"
"Ah, we have to fix that." Lucifer said, appearing again with two empty glasses and a bottle of his finest Vodka, "Nothing like a... Geralt?"
"Yeah?" he said, surprised by the tone the blonde Devil was taking.
"What's that on your face?" Lucifer said, his tone change from smugness to genuine concern, something usually only reserved for the likes of Ciri, surprised even the witcher.
Geralt sat with Lucifer in his lavishly decorated dinner room, seated at a long black table with a glass top. A plate with steak, roast potatoes, peas, carrots and gravy. Which kept filling until the witcher was full.
The witcher explained what had happened in the few months since they last saw each other. How he had accepted a contract which resulted into a chain of events that led him into being indebted to a man called Gaunter O'Dimm.
This fact alone seemed to set Lucifer off, "Geralt, you bloody idiot! If you wished to make a deal you should have come to me, instead of accepting a deal with bloody Gaunter O'Dimm!" he shouted, "Go for the original! Not for the one cheap knock-off who copied the art of favors from me!"
"Hate to break it to you, Lucifer. But you didn't invent the concept of doing favors." Geralt said but Lucifer gives him an 'Oh, really?' expression, "Yeah, forgot who I was talking to. I suppose you did."
"Granting favors defines me! You wouldn't ask Superman not to fly or a Kardashian not to selfie?" Lucifer said annoyed, taking a deep breath to calm himself down, "Alright, you need to be completely honest with me. Tell me the exact words he used to form the deal with you."
"Is that really important?" Geralt said between bites.
"Well yes! Like a curse, rules of a deal can be played around with depending on the wording. The devil is in the details, as they say." Lucifer said refilling his glass, "Like for example, if we would make a deal and for your part of your payment we would need to meet on the moon. Sounds pretty safe, right? Here comes the wording in play. If I had said 'We need to stand on THE moon' that would mean the floating space rock. But if I said 'we need to stand on A moon' it can literally be anything with the moon on it, like a floor painting, a reflection or a picture."
"So please, go on." Lucifer said leaning back in his chair, "Tell me everything, don't spare any detail no matter how trivial they might seem."
Lucifer kept pouring himself drinks as he watched Geralt eat and listen very carefully to anything. As he heard Olgierd's wishes, Lucifer figured that they would not be the usual sort, seeing as Olgierd apparently was immortal.
One wish was for Geralt to bring him the house of Maximillian Borsodi. He didn't supplement this request with such key details as where this house was located or just how the witcher was to transport said real estate.
Another was to show his brother, Vlodimir, the time of his life. Which would be an easy task to help Geralt fulfil, aside from the fact that Vlodimir was dead. From Lucifer's experience, the dead make for very poor party times.
The last one would only be revealed once the first two where fulfilled. Once Geralt plate had been completely cleaned, Lucifer finally placed his now empty glass down.
"That's great." Lucifer said having committed the entire deal to his memories as he stood up, "Well let's get to it."
"What do you mean?" Geralt said, standing up as well.
"What? You came for legal advice? I got an entire army of lawyers down in Hell for that." Lucifer said with a raised eyebrow, as with a snap of his finger he wrote a note letting Ciri know he would be gone for a while, "I'm going to make sure you come out alive of this ordeal. Think of me as your guardian Devil."
That was the chapter, hope you enjoyed.
Anyways many thanks to everyone who read, reviews, favorites or follows this, you beauties. I hope you will join me next time.