Of Monsters and Men

Alastar merely watched it all unfold, these witchers had some interesting friends and they were wondering how a human girl could get along with a Witcher so well? Well then, he kept that comment to himself, that Vampire seemed real attached to the mage girl following her around wherever she went, though he doubted they were related. "If you're gonna visit a King I don't think I'm gonna tag along. Politics wastes way too ****ing much time and in the end it's all pointless, not to mention bastards acting all high and mighty, while they are still humans. I don't do well with them, then again I think I can keep my mouth shut for once." Alastar said

He listened to what the mage girl said. "I dunno who this Solomon bloke is, but if the Witch Hunters are after him, why bother, let them take care of it. Then after that we'll take out the Witch Hunters, honestly let them fight and deplete their resources, we'll take out whoever survives." Alastar said really not having much of an idea who he was on about. He followed the remained of the conversation just listening, so they were going to the famed Kaer Morhen then? He himself hadn't ever been there, but going by portal... he hated portals with a passion. But since it was more convenient and they needed to stick together he would make an exception and actually use the portal. "Ready, if still welcome. That is."He stood close to Treasa, she had never traveled by portal and it was quite the experience. He figured he'd stay close to her, so she knew she wasn't alone and he didn't quite trust the vampire.

Milosh merely laughed. "Cowards weapons? Well that's just your take on it. As for Coward's weapons, you're hardly one to talk having an associate who is attacking my people, when invisible." He had noticed the people dropping in the back as for his tactics, he gave a simple hand gesture with his free hand and half a dozen dimeritium bolts went for Bramwell. Cowardly as the crossbows might be, he didn't care, he only cared for results, not how they were achieved. And it wasn't like the man in front of him would play fair in his shoes anyways. No only the dead played fair. He swung the sword at the mage, it's runes enhancing the already master crafted blade. ​

 

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Hearing his named mentioned Zephyr gave a quick wave in response before returning to his thought, though he wasn't exactly thinking of much to be honest. He tried not to think about his encounter with the witch hunters as Ana explained what he went through. However, when she mentioned the mage that he fought. The only thing that came to mind was the fight in the alley before basically one crap situation after another. "His name was Solomon? What else do you know about him?" As per his nature, a part of Zephyr wanted some payback against him and knowledge was power as they say (and in some cases, proven) so any information that he could get would be helpful. "I'm ready as well." He wasn't quite sure if this needed to be said, given that he'd agreed to travel with them prior to arriving at the Witcher Camp, but it never hurt to make one's point clear.

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Kruez was indeed still behind Tatiana as they ventured furthered into the hall. He was partially surprised by the lack of response that they had been given. So either nobody was here or they were hiding. Taking into account where they were, the latter option was highly unlikely thus he went with the no one was here assumption. That said, or thought, that didn't mean that no one was in the entire area all together, just not in the immediate area.

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While Xross listened to what Talon had to say with fading interest, while dodging any stray object turned projectile due to the drunken fight that was still going on. Xross had tuned out most of what Talon had said after he said he didn't have much to do. "So you choose to come to this bar, clearly your information gathering needs work." Despite the fact that the current fight going on was completely his fault, he choose to ignore that small detail. The moment Talon turned to leave, Xross looked at the bartender cowering under his bar and motioned the man who was just knocked unconscious next to him. "Before he was knocked out, he said that he'd cover the damages." Then he got up from where he was sitting and followed behind Talon. "Since your information gathering needs works, I'll do you a favor and help you. For a price of course."

Sweallow put his hand to his chin as he recalled more about Katia. "While she certainly was braver and bolder than most girls, she still held a fondness for flowers and animals." The Sweallow thought back on how Katia was, the more he found himself reminiscing on the time that he spent either with or around her.

 

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"The difference is, you didn't have a choice, my dear. These men and women, they followed because they wanted to. And those who follow the darkness are no better than those who lead it. Nevertheless, the bad man leading them all is dead" he stated "Not killed by me, my contacts haven't come back with the full details of the battle yet. And yet the people still want justice. So. The answer is simple. I take them all out. All the bad people in this city. Even those not responsible. Because to the masses, they're all guilty. Once the bad people see what I've done to others of their kind, they will be afraid. And fear is a wonderful tool of manipulation and subjugation. It may be brutal, but it will prevent more brutalities in the future, and keep our city safe from them"

Kyle was losing patience with the doppler and the mage, in normal circumstance he would give the woman mage the same offer as he'd given the earth mage, but she was getting sassy and irreverent. He raised a spear of flame raised to launch at the doppler, when suddenly he was interrupted. Turning slowly, Kyle's gaze of fire rested on the little teenager who tried to disobey the nobleman "What the hell is it with citizens defying the royal authority today?" Kyle asked rhetorically through gritted teeth "You know, I wasn't going to hurt you, I was going to just capture you. But I'm fucking annoyed now" Kyle chucked his flaming spear at the doppler, while his guards crossbows shot the female mage and the disruptive citizen.

Vyle listened to Ana then turned to face Zephyr with an appraising stare "You fought Solomon and survived? Good job" Vyle stated. He considered what Ana said about the Witch Hunters hunting Solomon "The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Though I suppose this is one case in which the witch hunters are justified in their judgement" The witcher Alastar spoke up then, and Vyle rounded on him with a stern expression "If that battle were to happen, and Solomon wins, he'll only get more powerful. Every battle Solomon fights brings him more forces, not less. The bodies of the dead are his puppets" he stated. He turned back to Ana "I'm ready when you wish to go"

Bramwell's eyes flickered warily as the crossbows fired again. He summoned a shield of ice, but there were too many of them, and they had him surrounded. Pain flared in his side and back as three dimeritium bolts hit him. It hurt worse than anything Bramwell had encountered before, he could feel the material sapping his magical energy, the very force that gave him strength. Bramwell fell to his knees as blood dripped out of him. So this is it. This is where it ended. "Bastard" he muttered with a slight smirk "Does my death give you joy, you intolerant creature. Do you only feel joy from the pain of others?" Bramwell coughed up blood. He was sure one of the bolts had pierced a lung. The end was near "Go to hell" Bramwell coughed with a dying breath, and fell to the floor, his vision slowly fading

Willow followed the shady shape around the room. Fortunately she had just the solution. Lazily, she chucked an object into the air, which exploded into gleaming fragments of glitter-like substance. The glitter-bomb coated the form of the invisible woman, ruining her stealth. Like a viper, Willow lunged forward and struck, wrestling the daggers from her hand and holding a knife against her throat "So you're Milosh Beltz" Willow greeted the lord while she held the invisible mage "My employer didn't overstate your ruthlessness"

Solomon stopped talking and glowered at the interrupter. For a moment he just stood there, glaring. Then he hopped down from his perch and grabbed a pitchfork from a nearby farmer who surrendered the tool fearfully. He stood in front of the old farmer with a gaze of absolute hatred and madness "Never" he stated, gesturing for his hodded servants to follow him, two went forward to the farmer "Interrupt me" The undead fought the man briefly, but overpowered him and restrained him "While. I'm. TALKING!" he screamed into the farmer's face, inches away from his own, as he thrust the pitchfork into the farmer's stomach, impaling him. Violently pulling the weapon from his victim he stepped back slightly "As I was saying..." he began, glaring at the interrupter "...I have the cure for all your worries. It's just a simple matter of relenting your souls to me! No you don't have to get up, my friends will do it for you" Solomon gestured with a flourish and the gathered undead removed their hoods. As one, they strode forward, weapons raised, as they begun the brutal slaughter of the village of Pontarsfork. Solomon only smiled wickedly "It's harvest season"

 

Olivia's pov:



She still on her horse in the open field. The forest near by. She got closer and closer to the forest. it was the best option to head home. She headed into the forest. Looking around she could tell that someone was through here. She continued on her way. She was now on guard, who ever went though the forest could be still in there. She did not want to run into a another Doppler. That would be her luck too, going through a forest and what do you know a Doppler. She had her weapon in hand ready for what was to come. That was when she herd voices. She was sure now that someone was here. She got off her horse and made her way closer as stealthy as she could. She rounded a corner and spotted him. She was not sure to be angry that he was here or happy he was alive. There were other people here to. She walked into the clearing and look right at Derrick. "What are you doing here, Derrick?" She was not to happy with him at the moment. "Did you forget that you were meet up in Oxenfurt?" She looked at him closely. "I do not know if I should be mad at you for not showing up or happy that you lived through that Oxenfurt death trap." She looked at him for a moment. "I am glad you are ok" she had met it to. There was a slight smile on her face. She herd of a man standing up a girl, but this was a whole another thing. If nothing else it would give Derrick the chance to make it up to her. She looked at everyone else. There was some old faces, Veceslav and Veera amog them. "Where is Aaron? Did he head back to see his sister?" She looked at the new faces and if Derrick was with them they could not be that bad. That said he had a lot to explain.

 

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Before Evander could get a word in edge ways, what had first been a tense confrontation became a full on battle, with Alanna throwing up some sort of shield, Adolin baring steel, Kyle turned out to be a mage, and for some insane reason a random passerby decided to query what was up. At least the guards, from the looks of things shooting literally everyone in sight, were acting perfectly normally. He would have done the same in their position.
But yes, things were getting chaotic. Evander knew that he should have stepped right in to calm the situation, explain that while a doppler, Adolin technically was not of the dopplers the King had ordered to be executed. He wanted to bash their heads together, to tell them to grow the fuck up and shake hands. He wanted to merely watch the slaughter cackling in glee, and when the last was left standing, reward them with a slow death.
Instead, he did nothing. He had no power, and while he clenched the hilt of his sword with all his strength, he had so little of it he doubted he could draw the thing. The situation was too far gone for him to do anything, and he stood there swaying on his feet.
"You fuckers are keeping me from my drink," he bellowed, whirling around wildly to glare at everyone, jabbing a finger in their general direction. "I told you what would happen to the next person who did that!" He reached for his Power; there was none. Instead, it seemed as if the ground reached up to him, and then he was lying face down on the ground, consciousness slipping away.

 

"Like the ridge Alanna!" Adolin barked, stepping closer to her. Encased in the bounds of her shield, there was little for him to fear. He watched with a sense of satisfaction as crossbow bolts and the spear of flame impacted against the shield, clattering away and discharging dramatically. The shield got smaller, a result of the sheer force of magic that they were assailed with. Even as they hit, he made his move. Reaching into the folds of his coat he drew a trio of throwing knives and extended his arm outside of the shield and threw, sending the three blades flying towards Kyle's chest with the practiced precision of a Witcher, one of the many he gifts he received from Carrak of Cintra. "Evander, give us a- Oh hell." Damn it you old fool! You passed out!
"Got it Adolin!" She cemented her stance on the ground and raised both hands into the air. She remembered the ridge incident. They had been ambushed and were hiding behind this shield, assailed from above. It was just like that, except a little more deadly with this royal mage raining fire upon them. She was forced to take a step back and reduce the shield boundaries, being hit hard. They could do this dance for a while, Adolin throwing knives and ducking back in. With the mage out in the open, he wouldn't be able to evade them for long, and hopefully Evander would even the odds.




Dave felt himself being restrained by the clammy hands of what were revealed to be monsters. He struggled and thrashed around, desperately trying to get away. He clung to the sword, his only hope of fighting back. He felt utter despair. Dave Buttle, despite his resistance, knew that he was going to die here. Cold steel plunged into his stomach, and he cried out in pain. He looked down at himself. He nearly threw up. And then he heard it.
"Dave, NO!" Shrieked Bertha Buttle, and as the undead ravagers laid into the peasants, the peasants struck back. Bertha threw herself forward and struck the demon holding Dave's sword arm with her pitchfork. It was driven back by her surprise attack, and her husband was freed.
"Bertha!" Dave cried. There was only one thing to do. That man looked like a wreck, despite his minions. He was going to get him. If nothing else, if nobody else. "Let's 'ave you whoreson!" The farmer lunged forwards wildly with the sword and threw himself headlong at Solomon. If he was going to die here, then at least the one who did this could pay.

Delaine and Corwyn saw the undead rushing towards their inn from where they had been watching. She screamed and ran inside into the guest room where that lady knight had stayed the other day. If only she were here now. She could have saved them all. She locked the door and piled the drawers against it. Meanwhile Corwyn rushed the other way. Perhaps if he could distract them, Delaine could be saved. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed his club and the iron poker he'd left in the fire by accident when all the commotion started.
"Come here! Come get Corwyn Gilbert!" They did.

Wilfred Hoover stayed at the back, for once. He wasn't eager to see what was happening. And he was right not to. In fact, as soon as everything kicked off, he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him back to the Forge. He picked up Shinf*cker and waited by the door, expecting pursuit. One of the devils burst through the door after him, but he was ready. He hacked the legs out from beneath it and cleaved off its head on the floor.
"This sh*t es soo f*cked." Wilfred panted, running out the back door as fast as he could.

"Va'esse deireádh aep eigean, va'esse eigh faidh'ar..." Solemnly spoke the elf, Boeen Cerbin from atop his tree at the forest's edge. He had so far remained unnoticed by the hellish horde, and with the plentiful slaughter there he doubted that he would be noticed. The words he spoke were of little comfort to himself. Nothing could begin from that, nothing good. It seemed that not even the dead could rest. Dark times. "Va faill, D'hoine. Va faill, Pontarsfork."




"Don't see any reason not to have you two along. I've calmed down a bit now, kinda lost my cool for a minute." Derrick replied, waving his hand as if to say that bygones were bygones and that was the end of that. Apparently, there was a lot of excitement over the mention of Solomon. Vyle was taking a great degree of interest in it, and his report was chilling. He truly could raise the dead. "Good thing that I set him on fire and ran him out of the city. Sadly, I doubt we're lucky enough for him to be dead. Either way, he won't profit off the massacre too much." Still enough to be a pain in our collective ass. Speaking of pains in the ass, Olivia showed up. He turned to face her, and immediately backed up with his hands in front of him.
"Hey, now I made it Oxenfurt. Shame you missed the explanation, because a lot of sh*t just happened. Good thing you made it out." She asked about Aaron. He looked awkwardly at Teliana who had mentioned the portal. "Can you open that portal? We should talk about things back at the Kaer. I'm getting real tired of this hill." Maybe then, everyone else could back him up. Because he was going to need back up. He didn't feel like explaining the whole ordeal all over again, it was far too tiring and there was a lot that she didn't know. ​

 

Olivia's pov:



'Hey, now I made it Oxenfurt.' "Did you even look for me?" Looking around it did not even look like he even tried. 'because a lot of sh*t just happened' "You dont say. I ended up in Oxenfurt with three Dopplers trying to kill me, then I end up dealing with them only to end up seeing hundreds of Dopplers in the city. If that was enough after the Dopplers I end up finding ghouls. All the while looking for you. Hoping that you would show up." He had no idea what he put her though. "There was so much death Derrick." Derrick seemed to be not showing any emotion. "You have no idea, what I thought. After fighting Dopplers and ghouls. I thought I lost you. I thought you were dead. After the countless dead bodies, I thought you might be one of them. That I missed saving you. That you might be one of the dead." She was just happy to see him alive. "I am not strong enough to lose you too." She was not sure how the man did not see what he met to her. He was a friend. She remembered seeing him when she was training to be a Witcher. She was not sure what to do. She was just happy to see him alive. Derrick seemed to be not answering her. If he thought that he could avoid her he had another thing coming. She let a small smile cross her face that said I am glad to see you alive. She was not really sure what to do in this situation. Her anger was somewhat gone.

 

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Teliana closed her eyes for a second before pressing her palms together and whispering a short prayer to the goddess to watch over them. She hadn't attempted to portal so many people before, and it wouldn't be easy. She wasn't even sure it was doable. But still, she would try. She could do this. She had to do this. Letting her palms spread apart, Ana let the flow of magic fall from her fingers and cover the air in a blanket that shimmed, and turned into a whirling vortex that rose from the ground. Unfortunately, she could only raise it to Vyle's height, and murmured an apology to Alastar, who would have to duck his head to come through.

In the meantime, a last character had entered their party. Ana watched Olivia warily, but shrugged when Derrick spoke. She would be happy if she never saw Oxenfurt again. Turning, she took Vyle's hand, and then Zephyr's in her other. "No matter what, do not let go." She whispered to them, her fingers twinging with pain as she clenched them tight enough to hurt. She took a deep breath, and then stepped in, feeling the inky black wash over her skin like cold rain. She always closed her eyes when she stepped into portals, and did so now, feeling the whirling colors distorting and nauseating.

One, two, three steps, and she felt the sun warm her face. Opening her eyes, Ana looked up to see the stone walls of what she assumed was Kaer Morhen, breathing a sigh of relief. It worked.

"We're home." She heard Veera say, the amount of happiness in her voice only reinforcing what she had suspected. We made it. Teliana let go of Vyle and Zephyr's hands, happy that both of them had made it through with her. But as she turned, the portal slowly shrinking and then vanishing, her heart slowly began to beat faster. Where is everyone else?

A message from your Overlord RP Manager​

Teliana's portal worked.....but not in the way intended. While Teliana, Vyle, Zephyr, Veera, and Veceslav have made it safely to Kaer Morhen, the rest were rather....unlucky. Treasa and Derrick haven't moved at all. Olivia and Alastar have been placed in the center of Oxenfurt, in front of a terrible new nemesis. This is also the introduction of a new portal system. All portals will be rolled for to see whether the portaling character ends up exactly where they desire or...somewhere else. May the odds ever be in your favour.

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Veera limped to Veceslav and pulled the unconscious witcher to his feet, swallowing the last of her potions with her other hand; a Thunderbolt, to increase stamina. I have you to thank for this, old man. She thought, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as the potion bolstered her failing stamina. She stumbled back towards the portal, giving Derrick a quick nod. "We're finally going." She murmured, before squaring her shoulders and following Teliana through the portal. It only took a few steps, thank the gods, and she was breathing in the crisp mountain air of Kaer Morhen, the sun beaming down on her face. She took a deep breath, the edges of her vision brightening and flickering as the potion kept its hold on her body.

Teliana, Vyle, and Zephyr were ahead of her, and she sighed, sagging slightly as she supported Veceslav. But then Ana turned, and the mage's eyes widened with shock. Veera turned as well with a little more difficulty, and felt her heart stop as the portal vanished into the ground. "But...but what about..
Her eyes narrowed. "Could they be on the grounds somewhere?" Veera turned to demand of Ana, who could only shrug, looking as though her own heart had broken. This was enough to tell Veera the side effects had not been premeditated, but it wasn't enough to still the panic. "They could be anywhere." Teliana admitted, her voice soft and scared. "They could be here, somewhere, or in the mountains, or...or they might never have left."

It was the uncertainty that Veera was sure would kill her. She hoped Veceslav would wake soon....she wasn't sure what to do. And the old man had a lot to catch up on. "Derrick! Olivia!" She called out, her voice ringing along the stone walls. When neither answered, she shut her eyes for a moment, then took a deep breath. "First thing first, let's go find the bedrooms and get cleaned up. If Derrick or Olivia landed nearby, then they'll know how to find us. Hopefully Alastar and Treasa can do the same."

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Treasa waited until Veera and Veceslav had gone through, before gesturing to Olivia and Derrick. "You two go on." she murmured softly, squeezing her uncle's hand. They were the last two to walk through, and she took a deep breath, her eyes trying to follow the whirling movements of dark and light. "Well, first time for everything, right Uncle?" she asked, before walking through.

If this was portaling, she did not care to do it again. Winds tore at her hair and clothes like hands, and she clung to Alastar's hand tightly as she tried to walk through the gale force winds. She tripped, and her fingers were torn from Alastar's. She screamed his name as she fell to her knees, landing on...grass. Looking up, she could see the city, Oxenfurt in the distance. Over to her left, the imprints in the grass where the witchers had sat. The forest behind her, the river sparkling to the east. She hadn't moved, and Alastar was gone. Overcome by panic for a moment, Treasa pressed her face into the winter grass and screamed, her hands digging into the dirt as she struggled to control the fear that slowly crawled up her spine and towards her brain.

"You told me you would never leave me." She muttered, pulling herself up after a moment to wipe the tears from her face, leaving dirt smudges. "You promised promised promised." she wasn't sure if she was angry at herself for being so weak, frightened and panicked, or grief stricken that her last family member had been torn away. "But if I ended up here..." She took a deep breath, pressing her nails into her palms, "Where did everyone else end up?" Getting to her feet, she spotted Derrick a short distance away. An inner sigh of relief calmed some of the fear in her body, though it wasn't completely stilled. At least I'm not completely alone. She walked quickly up to him, kneeling down when she came within distance. "Are you alright? What happened?"

And his NPCs
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Group Alpha, made up of a scout, a hedgemage who could cast a reasonable shield, and a rogue that had worked in Bryce's court ran along the rooftops by the river. The city was a disaster, at best. What hadn't been destroyed by the fire had been ravaged by the marauding mobs of people left over from the battle, and what hadn't been taken or damaged by them was being corrupted by the necrophages that were taking over the city. The hedgemage wretched, but didn't stop to vomit, instead tossing his head to the side and leaving a trail along the shingles. There wasn't time, not if they wanted to be seen by the predators that prowled down below. They circled around and began to make their way back towards the edge of town.
"We'll cross the river, fight off as many drowners as we can, and head for the hills to meet up with Group Beta!" The scout called back.

Group Beta, on the other hand, had been circling around the burning Church. They had already lost their third member, a black smith apprentice, to an alghoul that was more agile then anyone had anticipated. The alchemist's apprentice and the scout were moving back through their original route towards the center of the city. It wasn't the safest, to come back the way they came, but as the apprentice pointed out, they could cross the town square and probably beat Group Alpha back to the meeting spot. That meant they would have to cross a swarm of drowners, but the scout decided that it was all or nothing, with a grim smile.

Group Charlie had met little resistance in the garrisoned side of town, but no survivors. This appeared to have been the origin of the necrophage attack, as referenced by bodies of torn apart raiders that were left to rot. Hardened warriors, Group Charlie did not have a problem holding their stomach against the stench, though they didn't remain long. They had chanced their luck, and taken the much quicker route through the streets, looting supplies off the dead and keeping a wary eye for attackers. Skilled thieves, the lot of them could take to the roofs in an instant, should trouble arrive. They still had twenty minutes before they would meet up with Group Delta, and were using the time wisely.

Group Delta was currently finishing off a group of drowners by the river on the other side of the city. One of the guards, a lieutenant, kept the creatures back as a small time mage dealt fire damage to the rotfiends that were circling from shore. The final member, an archer, was firing arrows from the far bank, providing support in order to let his fellows reach his position. They had arrived at the meeting spot early, and not a moment too soon by the looks of it. The area was crawling with necromorphs, and as the guard cut off another drowner head, he realized that Group Charlie might not make it here in time to meet with anything but corpses.

Zack paced the campsite, watching the position of the sun as he waited for the groups. They were not due back yet, groups Alpha and Beta having set out before Charlie and Delta, but still, he worried. He knew they were going to lose people doing this, skilled fighters that should have lived longer, died in more glory, but it couldn't be helped. They had to know the state of their city before they could take it back. Zack straightened, knowing the burden of those lost lives would rest on his shoulders. He would gladly bear that burden if it saved the rest of his people.

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Tessa flushed, scuffling her feet against the floor as Matilda reminded her of her place. Yeah, not the best plan to invite her. She told herself with a sigh. A small tremor of tension ran through her when Seth offered to walk the girl and boy home, but she pushed it down. It wasn't as though Seth wanted anything like that. And he had promised he would always stay with her. She believed him. I have to believe him. She told herself, locking her hands together tightly in front of her as she sat back down on the bed. She would just wait up until Seth got back, that was all.

I could always go with....But Seth would have invited me. And she was reasonably sure he would tell her to stay behind. Because I might get in the way. I can't run as fast as he can. Not now, anyway. She drew her legs up underneath her, settling in place to wait for Seth's return. I refuse to be the jealous....whatever I am to him. I trust him. I know I do.

 

"I managed to find Veceslav, Veera and Aaron but... We never got round to finding you. By the time we had managed to catch a break from the other drama to find you, Dopplers..." Derrick explained. She had seen for herself what was happening in the city. Little did she know that they were in the centre of it all, trying to make it out of the city. That they tried to save who they could. But it wasn't enough. It never was enough. "Well, hey. I made it. Relax Olivia." He smiled and put an arm around her shoulder and led her to the portal. She's still young. Still a little bit sensitive and attached. What he experienced next was not the most comfortable portalling experience he had ever had. Wind howled and the world was black except for a faint orange glow at the edge of his vision, he felt distinctly sick. He released what he thought might have been Olivia in a panic, throwing his arms out to grip on to something which wasn't there as it felt like the ground was pulled out from underneath him. Derrick cried out, and it was over in a flash. He blinked in the light and groggily looked around. Grass. That was a good sign. Must have put him outside on the training ground of Kaer Morhen. He groaned. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." They hadn't gone anywhere. But everyone else had. Everyone, except Treasa who was shouting at the air. She came over and knelt next to him, and he nodded as he got up to one knee.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse than this." He said with a grim smile. He felt a bit dizzy, but he was otherwise okay. "Looks like our sorceress doesn't know how to portal. Are you okay? Alastar is going to kill me if there's even a scratch on you." He dusted himself off and got to his feet, placing both hands on his hips.


Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely...

The Halla aep Ker'zaer of the Imperial Palace in Caethair aep Tor Oéranna hummed with the hushed voices of the ranks of the Nilfgaardian nobility. They spoke hurriedly and frantically, as if to get the day's gossip out of the way so that they could get to the crux of today's affairs. The nobility of Nilfgaard had put on their best outfits, high collared jackets and dresses, flecked with black feathers were common. Some of the more patriotic had the Great Sun emblazoned somewhere on their garb, whether it be the central piece of an embroidered shirt, a pauldron or even a necklace wrought in gold, the metal for which the city was named. The Imperial Herald stood at the side of the Throne in clear sight, presiding over the mass of nobility that were assembled there in that most illustrious of halls. I wonder how many of these people have plots, how many of them make their overtures of loyalty even while plotting his death in their secret chambers and their cups. I do wonder.

This was the scene for an hour. The Emperor was fond of this, gathering everyone an hour before he was due to make an appearance. His reasons, unknown to the mass inside, were simply so that they got their conversations out of the way so that they would pay the utmost attention. He was most irritated when people spoke when he was speaking. That, and it was a reminder that he was not beholden to them. It had, thus far, seemed to be effective. Then, at the behest of what they assumed to be some unknown signal, the Imperial Herald walked down the steps of the throne platform to the door. Every second step was punctuated by a tap of the grand iron staff of the herald bearing the Great Sun in all of its splendour at the top. Conversation died down, and by the time the Herald reached the door, the room fell totally silent. He raised the staff in both hands and smote a metal plate on the floor placed for this very purpose. The sound echoed impressively through the immense hall.
"His Imperial Majesty, Cahir var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Muire! Emperor of Nilfgaard, King of Cintra, Lord of Metinna, Ebbing and Gemmera, Sovereign of Nazair and Vicovaro and High Priest of the Great Sun!" The doors swung open and at once all, save the herald, took one knee and bowed their heads.




The Emperor of Nilfgaard strode through the room with purpose between the ranks of kneeling nobility. His eyes were fixed straight ahead at his throne. With each step, his boots heels clicked across the marble floor, resonating throughout the hall. As he left the ranks of nobility who filled about half the room, the third quarter was suddenly populated with his Imperial Guard who stepped out from their wings where they waited, forming two ranks either side of the Emperor. The Imperial Shieldbearers stood in the first rank, the Imperial Pikes in the second. Cahir var Emreis briskly climbed the stairs to the throne platform which took the fourth quarter of the room and stopped as he reached his throne. He turned around to face the amassed nobility in front of him, gazing upon them to ensure that all followed protocol. When he was satisfied, he took a seat and placed both hands on the armrests of his throne, sitting up straight.
"Those gathered will rise!" Declared the herald. They did. The Emreis smiled as the courtiers stood as a single, fluid unit in perfect step with one another. "Those gathered will await the Emperor's judgement!" Silence reigned in the hall.
"I am satisfied." Thus spoke the Emperor. There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the hall, as was customary. "Dubhenn haern am glândeal, morc'h am fhean aiesin!" He spoke the final lines of the Sun Oath, both a comfort and a threat to those gathered. My glare will pierce through darkness, my brightness will scatter the shadow. His eyes seemed to fall on all that were gathered, and all those with designs on his life were filled with fear, for the Emperor's gaze was terrible. Each one knew that they were being scrutinised for any sign of dissension. There was a deathly silence, then judgement was passed.
"Berengar aep Casteberg shall step forwards to receive the Emperor's judgement." The left hand group of nobles parted in a circle around the trembling individual. "What say you in your defence?" He fled, but not far. The doors swung open as he approached and a pair of Imperial Guard swiftly arrested the fleeing traitor. He screamed as he was dragged away, and the doors were closed. The group rearranged itself with a gap where Berengar aep Casteberg had stood. After a calculated minute of silence, Cahir var Emreis stood up and folded his hands behind his back to address the nobility of Nilfgaard.

"You are gathered here to bear witness to this declaration. Today marks the renewal of the Northern campaign. Our spies in the North have reported utter chaos, and now it is time that we began the war in earnest. The Northern Kingdoms have for too long been allowed to believe that we are of little consequence, that their armies can repel our forces, that they can afford to turn their eyes away from Nilfgaard. This changes now. No more shall the Roethainne live in their arrogance. Their King shall tremble before the might of the Great Sun, and when he raises arms to fight, he shall be found wanting." Declared Cahir var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Muire, the hall carrying and amplifying his voice such that he did not even need to raise his voice. "Your silence is found to be in favour of this course. I am pleased to see that you are wise in your choice of actions." Cahir took a seat on his throne again and placed one hand on his chin, the second holding the armrest. The Herald saw the signal and struck the plate again.
"All those with matters for the Emperor may now raise them!" One by one, nobles stepped forwards to raise their matters to their ruler while the Nilfgaardian war machine roared to life once again...​

 

Olivia's pov:



'I managed to find Veceslav, Veera and Aaron but... We never got round to finding you. By the time we had managed to catch a break from the other drama to find you, Dopplers' Were these the same Dropplers that she had come across? "I see, well do not happen again. Next time you better come look for me." There was so many in the city. She never trusted portals. Despite, not having any warning or anything with the portals, she went along with it, because Garrett was so gosh, darn nice. She opened her eyes and knew where she was right away. She found her self in Oxenfurt town square. She looked around and spotted someone that was at the camp of Witchers. She looked at Alastar and took his arm. "It is not safe here lets get going." She pulled him so that he was standing up. (or whatever) "Dropplers are here. We have to get out of Oxenfurt and quick." Derrick was with him, so there was no harm it trusting him, after all Derrick knew how to pick them. The dangers of the city were on her mind. She was just here and got out and now she was here again. Luck was not on her side.



Ethan's pov:



Rest did not come easy, but at some point he drifted off to sleep. He wondered what was going on in the village of Pontarsfork, as he sat there. There was so many things to do and he was not sure where to start. The sword was over and done with and really so were other things. Wilfred Hoover had been right about so many things. The way to find the answers. Sorcerers were the answer. All he had to do was repay him for his help. He hopped that it would be morning soon so he could do something new. Adventure is coming.

 

Alastar didn't know what to say about the newly arrived 'witcher' he kept most of his his remarks to himself. He merely listened as Derrick defended himself from this clearly kind of crazy witcher. "Wow, three whole dopplers congratulations. While I was late to the party I must have killed atleast two dozen necrophages on my own." Alastar said simply about the moaning of Olivia and her three dopplers. The portaling was starting and Treasa and him were the last one to go. "Aye, Treas, whatever you do... don't let go of my hand." He told her in a calm voice. He had to duck his head a little as he walked into the portal, he felt Treasa's hand slip from his in the gale force winds he tried to reach for her, his finger tips brushing hers but it was too late. It felt like a cold hand snatched him away from her.

The portal didn't go where it was supposed to and Alastar found himself in the middle of Oxenfurt again, he looked around, surrounded by Ghouls, growling and snarling at him, Olivia was with him. The ghouls started to crawl closer towards him, but then they suddenly stopped. Alastar saw 'the man' in front of him, holding up a hand and the Ghouls backed down. "No ****ing ****, Olivia, now by Melitele what other useful observations do you have and hell Dopplers are the least of our problems!" He was surrounded by two dozen graveirs as his personal guard. Alastar was uncertain what to do, instincts screamed at him to grab his axe and to start fighting but he knew damn well that there were way too many, his gut had been right there was more going on with all the phages. He fought down the urge to grab his axe and start fighting and instead asked who the man in front of him was.

"I am Tobias, ruler of this city." The man said, his completely black eyes looked him over " If you wish to get out of here to alive, I have a request to make." Alastar was rather surprised at the reply of the man. The necrophages were listening to him? What the hell was going on here. Part of him Treasa wasn't with him in the middle of this mess on the other hand he had promised her he'd never abandon her and he had failed. And well he knew where he had to go to find her, if everything went right she'd be at Kaer Morhen, but he didn't know how the **** to get there. Damn it! Maybe the girl that was still with him knew "Why would I want to help you?" Tobias merely smiled "You wish to live, right? If you won't do it I'll find someone who will, look around you can't hope to fight them all. My Children will tear you apart. After all you wish to see the girl again, yes?" Alastar didn't know what to say to that, how did he know? Or maybe he was just reading into it too much and Tobias was merely refering to Olivia, but that hardly made any sense.

After a moment of silence Alastar saw he had no choice "Alright, what do you want?" He didn't have a choice, because he couldn't die here and leave Treasa all alone, then again for all she knew he was dead. He swore to never use a portal again. "There are people in my city who are killing my children, take care of them for me and let it be known that Oxenfurt is not a place for man anymore and I shall let you go, my children won't harm you I promise you that. I will extend this offer to those of them who will lay down their arms and leave, however do not mistake my courtesy for foolishness, hurt one of my children and you will die. Do you understand?" Alastar contemplated the offer, well if he wanted to find Treasa again he had no choice. "I'll do it...Don't know about her though." Tobias turned to Olivia "So what about you? Do you have any questions?"

Alastar wrapped things up with Tobias and went on his way, with or without Olivia to where the man told him these people were killing his children and he would extend them an offer for Tobias. He had no allegiance to Olivia nor owed her any loyalty whatsoever, she was free to do what she wanted, if she wanted to come with him, fine, if not then fine.

It felt very strange to walk amongst all these monsters and not having to fight them. He still grabbed a hold of his silver axe though, just to make it feel a little less more familiar and calm himself down. Unbeknownst to Alastar a crow was following him overhead, what he did notice was a small pack of ghouls following him around at a distance. There also was a crow shadowing each of the groups sent by Zack. Alastar himself went for the location of group Delta near the riverside, striding past all the necrophages who looked at him, growled, snarled, but they didn't attack him. He needed to get out of this city, then find Treasa, everything else could wait...


The sleeping witcher went through the portal and as other witchers hated portals with a passion. He woke up because of the transition. He was on his feet, leaning on Veera. He heard her call out for Derrick and Olivia. Wait they weren't near Oxenfurt anymore.... He then heard a pair of unfamiliar names. He was really out of it. He tried to stand on his own legs and nearly fell. He balanced himself on his own two feet and shook off the sleep and nasty feeling of the portal. "Veera.... what happened while I was out?" He asked her grogily "How did we get to the Kaer? Was I out for that long?" There were some people he didn't exactly recognise, Vyle was familiar, as was Tatiana which left two more unfamiliar faces, but first he needed to know what the hell had happened or was going on the rest could wait. He was quickly recovering from his short sleep, ready to lead them once more

Milosh merely stood over Bramwell as he died, not even giving him the satisfaction of a reply only smiling as the mage realised what he had been hit with. As the mage lay on the floor he stabbed him just to make sure the mage was dead. Then he heard his name. "I'll take that as a compliment." The Witch hunter merely said. "And did your employer also told you to introduce yourself, since you clearly already know my name. What's yours? And what brings you here?" He cleaned his blade on the robes of Bramwell and sheathed it again, then giving a few orders to the people in the room who were gonna clear the room and clean up taking those who had fallen. He himself had lost several people, 6 corpses he counted in a quick count. But to get two of Archon's people was more than worth it. With that out of the way, keeping a handful of armed men around the room, he and this stranger could talk. Maybe she could make it worth his while.

Sigmund merely listened to the conversation going on in the room "Well Seth, as I said, at the dock they're still looking for dockworkers, you might want to try there." Sigmund suggested, then the conversation shifted to Matilda going home and his guests were rentng out his house as if it were their own. Well he did say to make themselves at home so it was kind of his own fault, no matter. "Matilda, I can make you a portal home, you can choose to stay here as suggested or I'll bring you home myself or Seth and Tessa walk you home, which ever you prefer." The old mage said, Tessa and Seth were completely unaware of the fact he was a mage and he was uncertain if Matilda knew. He didn't exactly show that fact off, not that it mattered too much, it wasn't as if mages had an elevated status on one side or were hunted on the other, was it?​

 

​

Veera looked helplessly at Tatiana before down at Veceslav, who was starting to finally wake up. Both were asking so many questions, questions that had hard answers and were even harder to answer because she didn't remember. She felt a gentle relief towards Tatiana, and besides the girl knowing her name, she took this to mean she had known the woman previously. Frustration was building, though and as Veceslav got to his own feet Veera let her own collapse from under her, the effects of the potion fading and her knee no longer able to sustain her weight.

She looked up at her mentor with exhaustion and pain on her face. Why has this been left to me? Why can't I just catch a break? Tatiana had the excuse of worrying for her brother, but she had failed to realize that all of them, with the exclusion of Vyle and Zephyr, were worn down and battle weary, not to mention injured. Veceslav had been inconveniently unconscious for Derrick's talk, and it was slowly dawning on her she was going to have to tell him exactly what the other witcher had said, but without the presence of his, or Alastar's, or Treasa's support.

"The portal has clearly vanished. No one else is coming." She directed at Tatiana, biting back annoyance and exhaustion. "Ana did the best she could to get us through, but we've appeared to have lost the others along the way." She looked back up at Veceslav, silently pleading with him to take charge. She couldn't do this. "Veceslav, this is Vyle, Ana, and Zephyr." She didn't know if she, or he had known them previously to her..she pressed a hand to her head. "I'll explain what Derrick told me, but I can't..." I don't remember why I did it.

​

Treasa swallowed a sob, wrapping her arms around herself as though it was all that kept her from falling apart. "If we ever find him." She murmured, glancing at the city of Oxenfurt. "If that's how portals work, I never want to go in another one again." She paused, glancing back at Derrick. "You're concerned for me? After how I treated you?" The bewilderment was evident in her voice. She shook her head, arms dropping as they reached for her bow. "I'm no glass doll. I would have been a witcher, if Alastar hadn't forbidden it." Her voice gentled. "Your concern is appreciated."

She checked that the bowstring was taut before looking around. They were alone, for now. "So what do we do, Master Witcher?" The title held a trace of mockery to it, but was tempered into a teasing tone as she turned to Derrick. "I'm hoping we can remain together until I can at least find my uncle." she hesitantly admitted. To admit that it was because she was afraid to be alone...she would have to lose both her hands first.

​

Tessa blinkd in surprise, watching as SIgmund sent Matilda and Greg somewhere else with a flick of his wrist. Fear hadn't yet penetrated the amazement she felt at watching such an action. She quickly moved over to allow Seth room on the bed, glancing at him with a concerned frown. "You won't go tomorrow. You'll go when Matilda says you can go." She declared, glaring at Sigmund as if to challenge him to say differently. Mage or not, she wasn't afraid of him. She didn't need to be afraid, with Seth by her side.

"And I'll help him." She decided, crossing her arms over her chest as if daring either male to stop her. "That way you won't have to work as hard, and I do have some skills." All thanks to her brother....she blinked away the memories that were sure to haunt her for a long time yet. "Thank you Sigmund." It was grudgingly said, but genuine. "For helping us." She would wait until he left to crawl in next to Seth. She felt protective of the other doppler, as though some force was going to tear him away the second her eyes left him.

 

Veera fell to the ground as he stood on his own feet again, the look she gave him told him everything he needed to know. "I know who Vyle is, met him in Oxenfurt just prior to everything falling apart... Pleased to meet you, Ana, Zephyr." The old Crow said as he pulled Veera back to her feet, supporting the side with the bad leg. "Last I remember is passing out in a field outside of Oxenfurt, fill in the gap to here and I'll be good." He heard the comment about the portal, so it had gone wrong then. Derrick, Olivia, Treasa and Alastar.... damn it he hoped they hadn't gotten splintered too much.

"Alright everyone, eventhough it's a good view out here we should get inside." The old Crow ordered "If it had been agreed on to come here, then I'll wait for them here, anyone else can rest up and leave if they so desire." The witcher adressed the group of people as he started walking inside, supporting Veera as he went, his own wounds still hurt as well, but he would be fine. He lead the group to the evening hall again and got the fire in the big fireplace blazing again to warm up the hall. "For those wanting to rest, there are several empty quarters down the hallway. Unlocked doors are free for you to use. If you got any questions, ask away." He instructed anyone that had followed he got Veera seated and sat down himself by the fire. "So after passing out in that field, what happened?" The old Crow asked, he didn't think too much happened but what she said about Derrick explaining something rubbed him the wrong way.

Portals weren't without their risk and he probably should have said something about that, but Sigmund still did as requested and made the portal hoping for the best. Seth then went on in a rather respectless way to get him out of the room yammering about sleep, Sigmund remained quiet about the lack of respect, giving him some leniency for the long journey and nearly infected hand. "Sleep, yes, yes, I'll leave you to it..." The old mage said as he walked out the room, stopping when he heard Tessa's words "Whether you are allowed to help or not isn't on me after all I am not his employer, as for the hand if he feels fine, I see no reason not to let him. And it's nothing but a favour for an old friend, nothing for you to worry about. Sleep well." With that the mage left the room and closed the door behind him.​

 

​

With this being the second time Zephyr's ever gone through a portal, he still wasn't quite sure just what to expect going through it. However when he opened his eyes and found himself still with Ana, Vyle and Veera he felt relived. However when he heard Veera shouting, he noticed that the number of people around had gotten smaller by a bit. Then some girl dressed in what looked to be bed sheets appeared and addressed Veera. Just where exactly was he now? While he was wonder this, Ana revealed that the others could've ended up anywhere due to the portal. Man he really did get lucky, all things considering the two times he went through a portal.

​

If only it were that simple. Regardless of him tagging along with Tatiana because he was bored or wandering around someplace else, the cold truth was that there wasn't much of a life left for Kruez to live. There was only one thing that he absolutely had to do, but there was a lot of wandering around to accomplish this goal since he had no leads to go off of. Thus when Tatiana ran off to greet Veera and whoever else and arrived, he simply stood there and waited the to walk into the hall.

​

Xross had indeed chosen to follow behind Talon, all the way to the point where he'd gotten shot at. At which he simply stepped out of the line of fire and said. "If this is your way of gathering information, you really do suck at it." While this went on, Xross learned something interesting. The fact that Talon was a lord. Now while that mean very, and I mean very, little to him Xross couldn't help but to smirk at bit at this. He'd always wanted to mess with someone of high power and now was his golden chance. Well not now as in right now cause he was being shot at, but afterwards was fair game. Turning to Kyle, he decided to say something to him. "I have no idea who you are, but good job on shooting a noble." A thumbs up accompanied his words to Kyle.

Sweallow wasn't expecting to be handed a picture at all, in fact he'd just assumed that Terra was still drawing pictures for the kids she had lost. Instead he was handed a drawing that appeared to represent Katia well. The bold lettering, the animal, flowers, all of it was just perfect. "You have my thanks." He would to find a place to keep this that would preseve it's beauty, but for now he walked over to his desk and placed it down. Hearing Terra, he let out a chuckle before replying. "Yes, yes it does."

 

"You asked me how I was, as if I need babysitting." Derrick replied with a light smile and a shrug. "I figured I'd return the favour. You're a tough girl. You're probably good enough to last your lifetime with the skills you've got, assuming that you don't do anything stupid. I don't fancy your chances against some of the bigger monsters out there. A single misstep can be the end for one of us, even with our mutated bodies and reflexes. Not that you need me to tell you that I'm sure." But I did anyway, so take that. He wasn't sure how anyone could have mistaken her for a glass doll. Even though she had clear insecurities which she wore on her sleeve for everyone to see, she wore it like armour. Although, he did wonder how much of her attitude was an act and how much was genuine. He'd probably never know the answer to that one.
"Anyways, Witcher girl," He said in a teasing tone, returning the gesture. "We'll stick together. As far as I'm concerned. Now, we know that we were headed for the Kaer. It's a pain in the ass but I'd suggest that we head up that way. Not going to lie, that's kind of annoying because I was planning to hit Novigrad to get a job as you know, but it's alright. It'll give time for this old thing to heal up." He patted his wounded shoulder and it twinged a little. He spotted his own horse and Veceslav's, which was panicking just a bit. Without its owner, the mighty steed was getting frustrated and worried. He approached it and cast the Axii sign. The beast calmed quickly and he stroked its mane to try to comfort it a little more. It should have been familiar with its presence so it was probably going to be alright.
"Grab my horse, Vecelsav's probably won't like you. No offence to you or anything, but it's a little bit picky and doesn't like strangers." ​

 

​

Archon sighed. It seemed it would take a while to break this innocence. He smiled at the girl "Be calm child. I'm not actually going to kill them all" he said reassuringly "What of your old tormentor? Yana? What would you have me do with her?" suddenly, Archon was struck with a telepathic message. It was as though his mind had been suddenly lashed. A connection had been severed. "Bramwell" he breathed, the word inaudible to Annabelle. Archon felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Sadness. Bramwell hadn't just been a follower, Bramwell had been a friend.

"I DON'T CARE!" Kyle screamed at the lordling in between throwing flaming spears "I don't care if you're the fucking emperor of Nilfgaard!" Kyle then turned back to the battle and was suddenly struck with a flying knife in his leg. He hissed at the pain, but tried to ignore it. They had a shield. Break past the shield, and the pair would be defeated. "To me!" he called to a pair of guards with large shields, they stood in front of him, shields raised in a protective position. The shield could block magic and crossbow bolts, but what about people? He commanded the guards to charge, and they began to run forward, shields raised. Though they were slowed with their heavy armour and bulwarks, they had a lot of momentum. Kyle ran behind them, ready to vault over once they'd broken the shield
While this was happening, a guard took Talon aside
"Are you blind and deaf boy? Haven't you heard? The king's ordered a doppler culling, and Lord Kyle follows the king's orders to the letter. You shouldn't have intervened. Now he wants to take you to the dungeons as a doppler sympathiser" the guard said with a look of pity as he handcuffed the young noble.

Vyle looked around at the group, well at least he and Ana were together. He didn't know what he'd do if they'd been split again. he nodded his head at the witcher respectfully "Thank you Sir" he stated, and turned to Ana "Are you alright? I know last time we came here you were rather... worried... about being in the Kaer" Vyle asked. She seemed to have recovered slightly from what had been troubling her, but just thinking about what those witch hunters could have been doing to her made Vyle's blood boil... blood... It suddenly struck Vyle that he was thirsty. It had been a while since his last meal, and he'd fought hard since then. He faced Ana and gulped. He didn't want her to see him feeding, but last time he'd left terrible things had happened. But if he stayed... he didn't trust his self-control. What if he took a bite from her neck? Her supple, tasty neck... he shook his head wearily and said nothing.

Willow smiled "Of course, forgive me. I'm Willow Duskstrider. Assassin" Willow stated "There's no contract I won't take, no quarry I won't eliminate. As such I'm often employed to kill some of the most difficult people; witchers, lords..." she paused for a moment and smiled at the mage she held "...mages" Suddenly she pierced the mage's arm with a dimeritium needle, siezed the mage's daggers, and forced them to the ground "My employer sent me to help you while his little birds look for my current target. So. Here I am" Willow placed her foot on the mage's back "I'm sure this little birdie will sing a ballad for you"

Solomon laughed as the farmer came at him, and backed away. The farmer managed to slash at him across the chest, Solomon simply looked down at the wound in silence. No pain. Black blood oozed from the cut. He wiped up a droplet with his finger and licked it off "Delicious" He said with a smile. As the farmer tried to lunge at him again, the man found his sword strike parried by a steel sword from a hooded figure who rushed to Solomon's side. Not giving the man a chance to react, that steel cut through the air ans struck at the farmer, again and again, with a witcher's precision. As the hooded figure lunged and slashed, the hood fell away from his head, revealing a deathly pale youth. The undead's head was attached to his neck hastily with stitches. The revenant of Aaron, nothing but an empty husk, was a storm of silver and steel as he overpowered the farmer and massacred peasants.

Meanwhile Solomon approached the one named Bertha, his pitchfork held out in front of him menacingly and two undead accompanying him "So brave, such a brave woman. But bravery is always misplaced, don't you see? You are nothing but my puppets to torment as I please!" Solomon struck with the pitchfork as he spoke.

They went and got Corwyn Gilbert. A group of undead, lead by what appeared to be a child, slowly approached. They were in no rush. Without warning they lunged forward and ravaged the man, ripping him to pieces and feasting on his flesh. Hardly pausing, the group continued. They reached a barricaded door, hardly a problem. One by one they hurled their bodies at the door. They could feel no physical pain, but who knew what torment those souls were in, due to being nothing more than puppets of Solomon? Eventually, the door cracked and burst down as undead flooded into the room. The pale child, with straw-like hair, stared expressionlessly at the helpless woman who hid. They would feel no pleasure from this killing.

As the dwarf ran out the back door of his forge, he was seen by a pale, pestilent undead, whose body was covered in bulges and sores; a victim of the terrible disease that had plagued the village. The ghoulish creature loped towards the dwarf on all fours, easily catching up. It lurched at the dwarf, black bile dripping from its mouth, as it clawed the air, trying to ravage its quarry.

"NO!" Sylvi shrieked as Bramwell was killed by the monster. She trembled in the assassin's grip. She'd been outmatched, and was about to pay the price. Yet her gaze remained on the terrible creature in front. She examined the beast's scorched scalp, his hate filled eyes. She'd never sing for him