Of Monsters and Men

​

It seemed that the werewolf was up again, as a human this time. Vyle stayed still, sipping tea, while Zach went back into the house. When the werewolf glared at him Vyle just raised an eyebrow. "Calm down" the vampire said to the werewolf when he was back "If I wanted to kill you, I could have done already" To get the point across Vyle brandished his silver knife "I was making sure you didn't get up again and cause any more harm. Lucky for you, you did not" Vyle put away the knife again "This may come as a surprise but I am not like other vampires, I despise my brethren. Rather than preying on humanity, I protect it"

 

​

Veera (new and improved) led the way, her eyes darting from side to side as she slipped from the dark basement into the light, and then the dark of the shadow. "It'll be okay." She didn't necessarily know that it would be okay, but it felt reassuring to say the words. "Just stay close to me." She made her way down the streets, watching the passersby warily. Most of them had the sense to stay away from the bloodstained strangers with yellow, glowing eyes. A few curiously looked their way, before realizing their mistake.

Most people had heard enough of the witchers that they knew not to try to bother the pair. It wasn't the common people she was concerned with; it was the guards. The gods must have been with them, for she managed to find the river without being accosted. She led Aaron towards the bridge, wading in to her hips to hide behind the pillars. This way they were shielded from anyone above, and anyone on the shore.

She turned her back to the younger man and pulled off her armor, leaving only the shirt underneath. That too was stained, but it would take more then a dip in the river to clean it. The current wasn't strong here, so she let the armor sink to the ground, weighed down enough it wouldn't drift away before holding her breath and ducking underneath to unlace her boots. These she tied to the armor before coming back up for air, wiping her soaking hair out of her face.

"Best hurry up, it's cold as hell." She muttered to Aaron before grabbing some sand from the bottom and using it to scrub the blood from her bared arms and face. It hurt, but it was better then the alternative. She did as thorough a job as she could until her fingers went numb, before grabbing her armor and boots and wading back to shore, where she grabbed a fresh handful of gravel and proceeded to scrub her clothing, sitting on the dry ground.

​

Teliana had averted her eyes when Zach finally woke up; he said not a word as he stomped off towards his house. The Change always left him a little angry, whether it was because of the forced nudity, or his body reacting to the magic. When he came back, demanding to know why Vyle was there, she stood up, brushing off her dress. Vyle answered as he always did, matter of fact and emotionless. Well, maybe not as he always had. She hadn't known him long enough to really decide that, had she?

"Zach, it's my fault he's here. I asked him to stay. To help me in case you got out of control." It didn't have to be said that Teliana wouldn't be helpful in front of a crazed Zach if she didn't have the wherewithal to kill him. "He's my friend."

​

Tessa shook her head at Seth's praise, but she couldn't help smiling. "You, Seth, are a flatterer, and you won't get anything from me because of it." She did take his hand to step off the ladder, rearranging her clothing before smiling again. "Thank you." She stepped forward, leading the way down the sewer towards the wooden door. "I hate it down here. So dark. A little sunlight would do this place wonders."

She resisted the urge to put her hand on the wall, knowing what disgusting things would stick to her skin. She had been down here with the doppler children more then once, playing in the darkness, away from watching eyes. Before they had the courage to go above.

There was no guard at the wooden door, which was strange. Tessa opened it, wary. "Something's not right." She stepped in, looking up and down the street, before noticing the crowd. "Hey Seth, I'm going to go see what's going on." There was an uncomfortable prickle on her spine. Something was wrong. She pushed her way through the people, and stopped dead, her eyes going wide.

"What..." the urge to vomit was too strong for her to resist, and she turned, falling to her knees in the nearest bushes as her body rebelled against the sights her eyes had just seen.

​

Zack noticed the girl. Tessa, she had called herself. He set down the sheets he was carrying and hurried over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He felt like he should get Bryce, or something, but he didn't know where the man was. He had been so absorbed in his work, he hadn't noticed where the man had gone. "Where's the other guy?"

 

Darick's pov:

"Nope, nope, the deal wasn't made with you. It was made with her. Aaaaaall her responsibility, but since she can't then she isn't allowed just yet. How did you not get set on fire" the person had said. "What if I can get her to make one, would you let her go then? I wasn't here when you set that fire." He was mentally preparing for a battle. He was ready to do anything to save the poor girl and wouldn't let her go into that portal he would save her if it was the last thing he did.

 

Please welcome
King Archon Dragoncrest
Supreme Ruler of Redanian
That's right, **** is about to get real​

Slowly the figure took out a bolt and reloaded the crossbow. He was wearing a purple cloak embellished with gold and a mask covered his mouth, leaving two piercing blue eyes visible. The last victim's corpse lay bloody on the ground.
"Release the next prisoner" He asked in a clipped and formal manner. Slowly the gate was brought up and a hesitant man wandered out. He was skinny, malnourished, when he saw the cloaked man he gasped
"Please! No! I just wanted to feed my family! I never meant to..."
"Run" the cloaked figure commanded "RUN!" the prisoner stumbled back and ran out across the fields, aiming for freedom. Calmly Archon brought up the crossbow and aimed at the fleeing figure. A quiet whooshing sound and the bolt sailed through the air towards its intended target and struck the man in the leg. the cloaked figure cursed. "That was supposed to hit his head" the figure tossed the crossbow aside, the man could no longer run and so the game had lost its fun. A wave of his hand and the assembled guards finished off the criminal. "Take the rest of the criminals to the Fear Chamber, I'll deal with them later" The figure commanded a nearby guard
"Yes my King" the guard responded, for the cloaked figure was indeed the King. King Archon Dragoncrest, a man revered and feared for his ruthlessness and the oppressive way he ran his kingdom. Archon strode into his castle and down the halls brazenly. Most leaders would be accompanied by guards but Archon was confident in his ability to defend himself. Most citizens of Redanian did not know the king's true nature, that he was not human at all, but a user of magic.
Agitated, the King strode into the Conference Room of the Order. The Order of the Supreme was an order founded by Archon and populated entirely by mages, they ran Redanian from the shadows. The people of the country had no idea that every political decision was made in this chamber.
"Reports" he snapped. The gathered mages quickly began to retrieve papers.
"There have been disturbances in the doppler Sanctuary..." a hooded mage began but Archon waved him away
"Let the dopplers deal with that, it is none of our business"
"A female mage has been seen causing trouble, she seems to be accompanied by a younger girl..." A mage stated, Archon smiled slowly
"Good. She's doing our job for us. Fear is an excellent method of keeping the populace loyal. However if we were to capture this woman and pretend to punish her, I would recieve even greater respect from the people. Send a mage after this woman" the other mage bowed and slipped out of the room through a portal, to follow the King's orders.
"There have been continued reports of the necromancer, Solomon..." a third mage, a woman wearing a large black cloak, murmured. She was Evelynn, one of Archon's most trusted advisors.
"Similar response. I would like to get this man on our side, I am sure we can learn much from him" Archon pondered for a moment, nobody interrupted the silence "What of the werewolf? In Vizima?"
"Continuing to cause dissent and fear, my King" Archon slowly fidgeted with the hilt of Punishment, his curved blade.
"This... this is different. We must continue our presence across the kingdom, this killer cannot be tolerated. Zavarius?" Archon nodded to a lesser mage "go after this werewolf. Kill it. In public preferably"
"Yes, my King"

 

Raymond Mercator

Raymond was walking throughout the quiet and dark streets of Oxenfurt. It was quite uneventful running into a few excentrics the kind you would only find at night. He was getting a bit tired and decided to head home. Walking across the bridge he heard an unusual sound, it wasn't drowners he knew that much. He decided to investigate the sound and happened upon two people washing themselves in the river. In all honesty they seemed a bit lost. As he got closer he noticed the eyes of the female, a witcher. He remembered what one of their kind had done for his father and seeing it was dark outside he decided to go see what they were doing out here by this time of day then again Witchers didn't need sleep or so his da had told him. "Greetings Master Witcher...is there some sort of monster nearby?" He had heard the stories of nocturnal monsters and seen some of them knowing they weren't just tales. He had to admit he was a little afraid now he had seen them in the area. It was only then that he noticed the two swords and same feline eyes on the male "I apologise I meant no disrespect to either of you, Master Witcher."

 

Yana gave the boy a quizzical look. Why did the life of one person matter so much to him? Minion wasn't important, she was just a tool used to create suffering and take the burden of it all from Yana. "If you can teach her how to make a portal right now, then maybe I won't burn you to a crisp for the moment. How's that sound to you? Portal's here for another five minutes. If you want to try to save her so badly, then in you come. Do well enough, and maybe I'll let her go. Choice is yours, kiddo" the young witch said, before walking into the portal and vanishing with an eerie cackle. She glanced at Annabelle and sat down nearby the girl on a log. "You should clean up a bit, Minion. Methinks we will be getting some company" she giggled.


Zach scowled a little as Ana mentioned that Vyle was her friend. Friends with a vampire? He hadn't even thought that was possible. Then again, he knew his opinion was exceptionally biased. "Well, I can't pretend that doesn't make a little sense. I never knew you had such poor taste in friends though, Ana. Then again, if he's truly trying to benefit humanity as he claims..." he said, turning his head slightly to look in the direction of Vyle, "then you have my interest, vampire" the werewolf finished. He wasn't being his usual friendly self, which was very much odd for Zach, but the fact that he hadn't outright demanded the vampire left, began yelling, or outright attacked him spoke volumes about how much patience the boy was exercising.​

 

​

Cold and empty lay the castle that night, the halls echoed with Archon's footsteps as he marched purposefully across the palace. Novigrad palace was built for a family, yet now only three rooms were occupied. Archon's chamber, the guard garrison, and the chamber of the Order of the Supreme. Passing by old rooms Archon glanced into a couple. The old king's chamber, still in a state of disrepair since the dreadful "accident". The nursery, abandoned and unused. That irked Archon slightly, even though his extended lifespan would mean he would rule for a very long time, he still needed an heir. His legacy must go on. Yet as of yet he had never met a worthy mage. It was either find someone worthy, or indoctrinate them.

In a normally quiet village a portal popped open and out stepped disposable mage #6 Bramwell, a mage in the service of King Archon and member of the Order of the Supreme. Bramwell was dressed in wealthy clothing, much like a knight of Redanian, he didn't want to appear too conspicuous. Heading into the area the disturbance came from Bramwell just about managed to see a woman and a young girl pop through a portal, they seemed to be confronted by a man dressed like a mage. Bramwell strode purposefully towards the man "I am searching for a mage woman and her young accomplice, I assume they were the people who just went through that portal?"

disposable mage #7 Zavarius popped out in the woods near Vizima, this was a much safer and less conspicuous place to appear than within the city. As soon as he arrived he noticed blood on the ground. No doubt it must have been the werewolf. He began, with difficulty, to follow the trail of blood. Eventually he lost the trail, but unbeknownst to him he was closer to the werewolf than he knew, and the killer could probably see him...

​

"I cannot stop you if you wish to hate me, we are after all natural enemies" Vyle said expressionlessly "Honestly, I was going to kill you. You're lucky Ana here convinced me otherwise"

 

"There is a precedent for an unconventional payment. I will ask you to grant me that which you find at home but least expect. We call this the Law of Surprise. You've probably heard of it." Derrick explained. It was one of the things that their order was most famous for. That was how the Witchers gained new Witchers. Not many people willingly gave their children to the Witchers. His parents were the exception. He wasn't at all bitter. He saw that she was sitting herself down in the blankets again. He wanted to get going personally, but they had to negotiate the terms a little more. "Is that acceptable to you?"




Carrrak and Alanna had finally reached the Kaer. Someone else, a woman, had rode past. The Witchers were leaving it seemed. It was as good a time as any to slip inside and start their work. He led the way, not heading immediately for the entrance to the Great Hall. Instead, he started a circuit around the castle and the gates to evaluate the opportunities. There wasn't anything out here from what he could tell, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a chance inside. In fact, that's what he was betting on. However, looking at it, destroying the castle was a bit out of his league.

Perhaps killing them all would do.​

 

Darick's pov:

A person came up to him and said: "I am searching for a mage woman and her young accomplice, I assume they were the people who just went through that portal?" Darick thought for a moment there was no reason to lie to this person. "Why do you want to know?" he asked curiously. "I am trying to save someone your more then welcome to help me as for your question, I cannot say if these are the people you are looking for. I am going to say maybe because I don't know if they are or are not." This person should know what they looked like and if they were the people he was looking for then he should already know by there appearance. He continued to watch the portal the girl had made. He had a feeling now more so then before that the young girl with her was probably to young to make a portal. For some reason (ilr John) he thought just maybe she just didn't know how to make a portal not that she was to young to do so. He had to make a choice soon if the portal closed there was a higher chance he wouldn't be able to save that girl. (if he can keep the portal from closing, can he?)

 

​

Veera finished cleaning up, then stood, ignoring the prickling of her skin. She felt much better, now that the stink of death had been washed from her body. She turned to Aaron, wringing her hair out with her hands to get rid of any excess water. "Perhaps we should-"
"Greetings Master Witcher...is there a monster nearby?"

Veera turned to see a man, a human, by the silence of her medallion and the lack of glowing eyes. "In a manner." She spoke cautiously, her hands dropping from her hair. "What business do you have with us?" While a contract wasn't the first thing on her mind, the form of payment could be changed from gold to a place to stay, if only for the night. Glancing at Aaron, she frowned. It would be foolish to give their true names, but there weren't so many female witchers that it couldn't be quickly assumed what her identity was. On the other hand, it might delay that breach of information just a bit longer.

The human was close enough he would be able to hear every word she said, so she would have to hope Aaron had the sense to keep his name to himself.

​

Ana bristled at Zach's comment. "I'm sorry that I'm such a disappointment." She spat, clenching and unclenching her hands in order to calm down. "I thought I counted you among my friends as well, but I guess that would be in poor taste, wouldn't it?" And after everything she had tried to do for him. Didn't trying count for something?

She was still concerned with Yana, and the way she had been treating the child. Then there was that strange mage...Will. And now Solomon. And they were sitting here, arguing over whether they should hate each other or not. Teliana had an overwhelming sense that something was going to happen, and that it probably wouldn't be good. And what she was doing? Hiding away in a small village, hoping that no one took notice as she tried to do what she could to make people's lives a little easier? Well maybe that should change. Maybe she had stayed far too long and let her responsibilities slide too far. Maybe that fellow, Will, had been right.

She was a coward.

"You gentlemen can sit here and argue until you decide to fuck each other or fight each other, but I'm going." She turned on her heel and headed for the forest, hair flying behind her. One thought made her stop, and give pause before turning her head over her shoulder, looking from Vyle to Zach. "And I forbid either of you from murdering each other."

That said, she turned and walked back towards the woods. It was time to do some packing. Time to stop being so afraid. Time to do something. Like face her fear. And find that necromancer.

It occured to her she could have opened a portal, but she didn't want to take a chance that she would end up in the wrong place. Again.

​

Tessa wretched once more before wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "What...what happened?" The question was more of a rhetorical one, and she didn't get an answer anyway. Looking up, she realized that Zack was gone. She pushed herself up, swaying slightly, and averted her eyes from the nightmarish scene in front of her. Who would do this?

Oh gods. Bryce was okay, wasn't he? She pressed her hand to a mouth to muffle the despaired sound she made before darting off, disappearing down a side street. She ran to the house that he stayed at, checking the door. Locked, which meant he wasn't home. Dammit. She turned and ran down the south way, towards Bryce's office. The same result; no candles lit and the door locked. Where is he?! She pressed her forehead to the cool stone wall, her heart racing as tears prickled in her eyes. Where is he?

There was only one other place, but it was too big to search, realistically. Still, didn't she have to try?

She pressed her hand to the solid wall, revealing a pressure point only a handful of people knew about. A key was hidden there, the key to the office door. She unlocked it, biting her lip before slipping inside. There was a secret entrance, behind a false wall. An escape route, if something ever went wrong, in an emergency. She would say this was an emergency.

She needed to find her brother.

​

"Hey!" Zack grabbed at Seth, skidding to a stop as he tried to halt the other doppler's progress. "You can't just leave her! Bryce went away, and I don't know when he'll be back, but this isn't any time to just leave!"

Zack wiped the sweat from his forehead, unknowingly leaving a bloodstain in its place. This was really not his day. He was covered in gore, tired beyond imagination, a little bit of a headache still in the back of his mind from his hangover, and besides all that, he was scared, confused, and upset. In spite of it, Bryce had trusted him with a task, the same way he had clearly trusted Seth to watch over Tessa.

"Don't you know how important she is to him? How much she means to him? You can't betray that trust! Not now! He's.." He stopped, eyes widening.
"I think he's going to try and kill the people who did this." Zack muttered after a pause. "But in the meantime, none of us should leave! Those murderers are still out there!" He hoped Seth would listen. Glancing back, he stopped, then looked again. "Where did Tessa go?"

​

Bryce felt nothing, but anger. The witnesses had told them all they had known, leaving him devoid of all emotion. Until the hate, and the rage had set in. The same rage that had allowed him to kill one of them before. A witcher. He nearly growled, stalking the surface streets as he and his birds tracked down his contacts. The dwarven smith, striking a deal in order to let his birds take enough weapons and supplies down below for those that could/would fight. The alchemist, a blind old man that had been an ally for years, for healing and blinding potions, anything in order to stop them. His last stop, the amourer.

This one would be difficult. The man had no reason to love him, or any of his people, but neither did he have a reason to hate. And that was what Bryce was hedging on. As he haggled with the man, his thoughts kept going back to what he had seen. His people, slaughtered like animals. One of them could have been Tessa. Would have been, if she hadn't insisted on working in the bar. This thought wasn't necessarily true, but it kept occurring. Tessa would have died, if it hadn't been for a twist of fate.

Finally, a bargain was struck, and one of his spies came to start collecting. Bryce's purse was a great deal lighter, but war? War was expensive, and the price was more then just gold. But if his people were ready, if they would follow him, then he would lead. First, against the two that murdered his friends, then, against the rest of the witchers. He was done, cowering in the shadows and sewage. They hadn't done any harm to these people, and still been attacked, murdered for it. No more. It was time for dopplers to show the world just what they could do.

 

​

Delaine brought Ellyn to her room, and the warrior nodded her thanks with a bright smile. It wasn't long before Ellyn was left in the small, cozy, quiet room. The murmur of voices could be heard through the door, but overall this was a private enough spot to spend the night.
The first step in getting comfortable was doffing her armor. Releasing the straps that held her armor together with some difficulty, the heavy plates soon began to clunk to the ground, and Ellyn was finally able to move freely. She stretched her muscles to their full extent for the first time in a few days, her limbs free to move unrestricted. After this short ritual, Ellyn let out a sigh, and plopped back onto her bed, eyes closed and a look of satisfaction glowing on her face.
She couldn't go to sleep just yet though. She needed to go check on her horse one more time before bed, and she was still wearing her traveling clothes, the smell of which was wafting up her nostrils. She'd get up now, after a moment, just a moment to indulge in the softness of the bed and the warmth. Just for a moment...

Ellyn's figure lay softly breathing in the dim glow of the candlelight, her armor and muddy boots bundled over to the side. In her hand thought he gripped her sword. She rarely left it out of hand, and even now passing out from exhaustion kept her grip on it.
And the spirit of the sword was vigilant.

 

Will's pov:



He continued to follow Evander there was something odd about the man. He need answers and there was only one way for that to happen. He had a feeling the this man knew something, what he could not say. He quickly caught up to the man. "Mage." He continued to be by Evander. He still thought he looked like he seen the man before. "Tell me do you know about the Council of mages?" He was somewhat curious if the man knew about them. So far no one really did and for good reason. The council of mages tower was no more. Did that mean the code of mages was gone too? Was he the only one left they knew of them? The mages had to come back some how and he guessed that he was the one to do it. "I never met a mage quite like you. Do you know what happened to the mages after the fall of the council?" He was running out of options and if this man would not help him he did not know what he was going to do.



Ethan's pov:



He sat in the chair of the inn. He could hear the various voices of the people moving every which way and heading to bed. At some point he fell asleep. He did not know when or how it just happened it just did. The first rays of light began to come through the windows. He sat up and stood up. He felt like he did not sleep that well, but hat you going to do. It was called an inn, but that did not mean you would get some sleep. He thought he would wait for more people to get up before he headed out. What would the day bring. Maybe he could pick up a job at this farm area. He stood watching the sun continue on its path. The first rays were now gone and the light became brighter.

 

​

Just like that things had gone from bad to worse. Someone had just grabbed Sara and ran further into the alley. Of course he wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing, but he wasn't exactly well equipped for a fight, especially against someone who looked like an assassin. He needed some help and the first person that came to mind was Terra, but he couldn't go after Sara and get Terra at the same time. What he needed was a way to be in two places at the same time. Fortunately he did have a way of doing just that.

He took a moment to make sure that no one was around to see him. "Come out, Byakko." Using his Spirit Channeling ability, he summoned the white tiger into the alley. "Follow them, I'll get some more help." The spirit nodded at Zephyr's command before heading down the alley, fitting just find through it. That left Zephyr to head back into the Orphanage and to Terra's room. "Someone grabbed Sara while she was out!" Other than his intentionally leaving out how Sara ran away from him shortly after getting aside, there was something Zephyr forgot to take into account. How would she react to the fact he was here instead of going to after Sara, least from her perspective anyway.

 

Raymond Mercator

The two seemed a bit surprised by his appearance "I apologise if I interrupted your hunt for the creature..." He said uncertain of what he even was doing here and when she hadasked him if he had any business with them he couldn't hide being nervous any longer. He figured it was something like awe for the witchers. "Well.... I don't have... work for you.. but.. I know that Witchers aren't recipients of the best treatment and that in spite of the fact that you risk your lives to save us common folk from monsters.... I just want you to know that I am grateful for that, one of you once saved my da from a noonwraith... I just want to show you kindness instead of the hate you receive.... and while words don't mean a lot without actions, if you are still looking for a place to stay around here. I have some spare room.." He stammered nervously. While he was nervous because of the witchers he wasn't going to draw this sword and even kept his hand clearly away from the hilt.


Veceslav had spent some time in Novigrad trying to find any sign from his two lost scions. There were no signs of them he had looked throughout the city and even asked about. Sometimes Axiing them to hearing the truth from them, the guards had seen no witchers in a some time, they had seen one enter that fit the description of Veera but that was a good time ago, before they had met up at the Kaer again. Eventually one of Sigmunds people came to him and quickly told him to meet the old man again he was filled in that there had been an incident in Oxenfurt. There weren't any details except that a group was stockpiling arms and armour. That didn't bode well, he asked if Sigmund would come with him. But the older man refused this was not something he wanted to get involved in. Veceslav thanked his old friend and promised he'd come visit once this was all over with and immediately found Hawk and headed for Oxenfurt.

 

"We can arrange a method of payment of some sort. I'm sure that we can come to an arrangement." Derrick replied, handwaving past the issue of payment. He did need payment, however he knew that such things didn't have to be resolved immediately. In any case, her home sounded bad, but there might be something there yet. They would see after everything was done. For now, the real question was at hand, and that was one of when they started. "Now then, when are we going to get going? The sooner the better obviously, but I'll leave it to you. If you need rest, I can use Axii and put you to sleep on the horse to Oxenfurt if you want." There was a sorcerer, but he didn't plan on asking for a portal service. Besides, he very much wanted to bring his horse because portals were all well and good up to the point at which he didn't have a practical way to get back. There was no point buying a second horse, and he didn't have the cash for that. This wasn't going to be a well paying job either, so the chances of him being able to get a temporary mount were slim at best. ​

 

​

Trudging aimlessly down the street, glancing around every now and then for a suitable place to get blind drunk, and with vague questions of what the hell he was doing with his life floating through his mind, a sudden word crashed through his thoughts like a thunderbolt.
“Mage."
Whipping his head around to face the person who had said this, he was confronted by the young man he had encountered earlier, the one who had made such a show in the tavern. Furthermore, this guy was asking questions about the council of mages for some reason.
Given his recent conversation with Henry, Evander couldn't discard the possibility that Will was someone looking for the mage who had helped Tatiana 'escape', so while he didn't want to make a scene, he had to ascertain who exactly Will was and what the hell he was after.
Glancing furtively around to makes sure that no one else's attention had been caught by the mention of mages, Evander darted towards a nearby alleyway, motioning for Will to follow him.
“Follow me, we'll talk over here.” Leading the way to the halfway point of the alley, Evander was certain that at this point they could talk without being overheard by unseen ears. “Ok, so who are you?” he demanded of Will, folding his arms with a thoughtful frown.

​

The sun was just rising over the horizon when Ellyn awoke. Remembering that she had mistakenly fallen asleep before tending to her horse the night before, she sat climbed out of the bed groaning, reluctant to leave the soft comforts that the bed afforded. Patting down her sleep crumpled blouse and strapping her sword to her side as a matter of habit, she stepped lightly and quietly through the inn, anxious not to wake anyone or in particular disturb Delain and her husband, whatever they may be doing at the time.
Making her way outside she soon found the stables, and inside the huge mass of her muscular warhorse. “Hello Oak,” she murmured into his ear, “how are you?” The horse responded with a quiet nicker and nuzzled her ear affectionately. She patted him absentmindedly, looking carefully around his stall, making sure that Corwyn had taken good care of her steed. After a few moments of careful scrutiny, she decided she was satisfied with the man's work.
“Well, they're honest and hard workers,” she told Oak with a smile. “Not often you find that.”

 

Will's pov:



He followed Evander to the into a nearby alleyway. The man asked who he was. "William, William Snow. I am looking for what happened to the mages. The Council of mages was a great thing, but they are no more. The area use to be a sight to see." He was talking like he had seen what it had looked like in person. "Now all that is left is rubble. It looked like some of it was burned to the ground. I have no idea what happened because I was not there, but I would like to know. So. What did happen to the mages? To the Council of mages? If the council is gone who will keep the mages going?" He had a ruff idea on how long he was frozen for, yet he still knew nothing only what was before he was frozen and after he came out. The years that went by was showing it age when he went back to the Council of mages building. He was unsure if this man knew where it was. When he had talked to Ana she seemed to not know a thing about the Council of mages or the code. This man seemed to be different somehow. He could somehow tell that this man had experienced a lot in his life time. With that said he wondered what this man was thinking. Would he help? He had a plan, but he was not sure it would work.


Ethan's pov:



The sun continued to rise. At some point the women from last night came out of her room and headed off towards the stables. He remembered walking past some horses on his way into the town's inn. He guessed that he should get ready to head out for adventure at some point too. He had a few things left to do before he left but that would not take long. He was kind of unsure what to do next.

 

(& Friends)
​

The portal shimmered as an elegant riding boot stepped through it, followed by the rest of the body of a well dressed and elegant nobleman who carried a cane. Disposable Mage #6 Bramwell gazed around at the scenery disinterestedly. The mage woman and the young girl were here, the older girl was clearly insane. "In the name of King Archon Dragoncrest..." Bramwell began, before he was rudely interrupted by a dark fireball thrown at him, the mage deftly stepped aside as the fire hurtled further into the forest "...Very well, if you're going to be like that..." With that the mage threw off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt before charging towards the woman, cane raised. He swung at the woman's face viscously but she dodged and punched him in the stomach. She was good, while the strike was not particularly hard it was effective and Bramwell was knocked back, bent double. With a look of rage Bramwell lobbed a blast of frost at the woman, she was obviously not expecting him to be a mage as she was too surprised to dodge the attack. While stumbling back from the impact Bramwell lunged and struck her across the jaw with the gold-plated head of his cane. Desperately the woman threw weak flames in his direction but Bramwell summoned a shield of ice to halt the blast, she was obviously getting low on magical energy. With one final ember her magical energy was finally depleted. Muttering incoherent things she stumbled away into the forest, Bramwell was too tired to follow her. Sitting down he turned to face the young girl "Sorry about that... who are you anyway?"

Disposable Mage #7 Zavarius heard a rustle from behind him. The werewolf must be near. Slowly he took out his falchion, the weapon was weighty and made a powerful cutter, not to mention the fact it was crafted from silver. It had been specifically designed by a witcher for killing werewolves, but it had certainly not been good enough to kill Zavarius. In his other hand he readied a spell and a magical coil of silver thread seemed to swirl around his arm for a moment. Zavarius was not like the more scholarly mages who thought a staff and some robes would be enough to save them, Zavarius was practical, from his experience he had learned the use of a bit of chainmail. The mage was a monster hunter and wore many relics of his hunts upon his armour as well, including the horned helmet and pauldrons and his cloak made of scales. Suddenly, the mage sensed a movement from behind but was not quick enough to turn and stop the werewold pouncing onto his back and tearing its razor claws into the man's armour. The brutish creature was heavy but twisting around with force Zavarius managed to hack into the beast's arm with his silver falchion. The creature howled in pain and leaped away, as the mage got back up the two faced each other again, daring each other the make the first move. The werewolf struck, and the mage released the spell he had been holding all this time. The magic twine lashed out, a silver thorn at its head, and struck the werewolf in the chest. One hand gripping the tether the mage whipped it to the side and pulled the wolf off course. Zavarius went to strike the fallen beast but it was too quick and attempted to bound away. But the silver thorn was still embedded in the wolf's chest and the mage pulled it taut, limiting the creature's movement. Another silver thorn was lashed towards the wolf, this one wrapping around its legs. Two more followed and the creature was bound and on the floor. Overconfidently the mage strode over, leering at the creature. But the werewolf was tough. In one thrash it broke the thread that bound it and slashed at the mage, retreating with surprise the mage attempted to parry, but the wolf managed to rake its claws across his face. The wolf leaped on top of him and pinned him down, its maw going straight for Zavarius's neck. Swiflty Zavarius summoned more roped to try to hold the wolf back, and for several moments the creature's slavering jaw snarled at him, desperately straining against its constraints. Noticing that the threads would break, the mage could do only one thing. A portal manifested below them, taking them deeper into the forest but high above the forest floor. For several moments the pair grappled, until they landed with force on the floor, both flung in opposite directions. The silver had taken its toll on the creature, who bounded away into the night. Zavarius was no better off. There were deep lacerations in his back and face which wouldn't be pretty any time soon. In futility he limped after the wolf but gave up. This mission was a failure.

​

"Wait!" Vyle called to Teliana "Solomon went to Kaer Morhen. That's where the portal lead. I... I cannot go there for obvious reasons but... could you maybe investigate for me?" He could not step foot in that place, but perhaps she could. Vyle never thought he'd enlist the help of mages but at this point he had to.