Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 2

"Are you saying it would make a difference if she wasn't?" Radiance stands back up

Rain raises her brow and points to her hair and then ursulas, then to her 4 wings, then to ursulas 4 batpony wings, "Im blue... shes blue... she got a mix of me and Harle, as children do. The resemblance is kind of uncanny actually." She raises her brow, "Unless of course you mean to tell me that there is somebody else here who matches my color, my four wings, harles batpony genes, and both of our stunning beauty..." she gloats, "It also just so happens she picked up my weapon preferances!"

"We obviously saw her as a baby too... those yellow eyes are unmistakeable. Im sure if we asked her age it would match up as well... ursula how old are you?"

Mist seemed dazed by the magic that had just occurred. She quietly watched what was going on, occasionally glancing at the hand that ice had burst out of. But then a thought occurred to her.

"Is it possible that this girl knows where the rest of our children our?"

Rain pauses at mists voice, "Wait a second! You tried to openly kill my daughter!" She turns around glaring at mist, "twilight did too but shes not the one that brought down hell you did!" She growls but closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "Forgive and forget Rain... your girls ok... thats all that matters." She whispers to herself.

Twilight seems to be in though. Then she looks at the gate.

"Guys, I don't want to be that guy, but isn't there a whole bunch of villagers that ran out of town because of us? Maybe we should get them back."

She looked around. "I'm sure we all have a ton of questions for our new teammate, but it's best if we don't load on every question at once. Perhaps we should spend a day or two here, give Rain and Ursula time to get to know eachother, to ask a few questions about this world from someone who's not post mortem and to get our bearing together so we have a more solid point to start from when we search for the other children."

"This may also be a good opportunity to start gaining a favorable reputation," Radiance retrieves his coat from the ground and slips it back on

"I mean, technically speaking we were all trying to kill her before we found out who she was, some of us were just slightly more successful than others?" Rogue says "And in relation to the villagers legging it, are we sure they would come back? The last they heard, Diana... Sorry, Ursula, gave them an order to evacuate before she blew herself up, so if they see her again, this time as friends with the people she was just trying to kill, and that she is in fact related to one of them, they might distrust her just as much as us?"

Twilight wrote:"Um, what do we call you? Diana is the name you knew, but Ursula is the name your mother gave."

"I am called Diana, the Archangel of Beauclair" the young woman smiled: "But Ursula is a nice name, I like it.
You may call me whatever you wish"

Rogue Fire wrote:"So, not to sound too suspicious or anything, but are we SURE that she's your daughter?"Rogue asks Rain "It just seems like a real coincidence that we should run into her like this?"

Ursula looked down: "..my mother told me that.. many years ago, I just.. appeared in the forest, nearby. She was picking mushrooms and berries in the area and heard me crying.
Unfortunately, she was not the only one who heard me cry.

Glystaria began to approach the area shortly thereafter. My mother grabbed me and ran to the village. She cared for me.. raised me as her own.
When I grew older, she told me we weren't related by blood, but we always saw each other as family...
She was my mother..."


Ursula looked down, her expression became pained, sad. After a moment, she shook her head and looked up at you:

"...I uh.. I live in this village, it is my home. If you appeared through the same portal I did, it wouldn't be long before you found me."

Rain wrote:I'm sure if we asked her age it would match up as well... ursula how old are you?"

"M-mooom!.." Ursula frowns a little, she looks shy: ".....I'm 19"

Mist wrote:"Is it possible that this girl knows where the rest of our children our?"

"You mean.. more children like me ended up here, from the Machine World?" Ursula asked:
"I'm, sorry.. I don't know any more children like that. If there were others, they didn't live in this village.
Perhaps if we head to one of the capital cities, we could find more information on them. The Witcher commanders may know something, or maybe a record exists in the library of memories."

Rain wrote:"If I may however give a suggestion... you shouldn't have called out your archers to leave." She shakes her head, "Im sorry im so used to thinking tactically, Im just happy I found you." She gives a joyus smile placing her hands on Ursulas shoulders and looking her over.

"..they're just kids.. I couldn't bring myself to put them in any more danger" Ursula looked away with regret:
"I am the designated recruitment officer, for the Witcher ranks, in this region. My job is to train the young generation of children and prepare them for the joining ritual of the Witchers.
It is a very dangerous ritual, taxing for both mind and body. The law only permits you to take it, once you come of age - seventeen.

Attempting the joining ritual any younger, can be fatal."



Ursula looked around the village: "...anyway... the archers you saw were my students. The oldest one is 13. They have many winters to go, before they can attempt the joining, so my job is to train them. Make sure they are strong enough to survive the ritual.


I.. ordered them to retreat, before I began casting the suicide spell... I didn't want them to die..." she looked down in sorrow.

Twilight wrote:"Guys, I don't want to be that guy, but isn't there a whole bunch of villagers that ran out of town because of us? Maybe we should get them back."

Rogue Fire wrote:"And in relation to the villagers legging it, are we sure they would come back? The last they heard, Diana... Sorry, Ursula, gave them an order to evacuate before she blew herself up, so if they see her again, this time as friends with the people she was just trying to kill, and that she is in fact related to one of them, they might distrust her just as much as us?"

"I grew up in this village, lived most of my life here. Its... my home" Ursula said looking up:
"Its a very small settlement, I know everyone's name and appearance. And everyone knows me.
They trust me and, I trust them"

She released a small smile, looking into space: "...at first, our village didn't have a designated Witcher... so when I was little, I dreamed of going to the grand university of Lieselotte, studying their knowledge and becoming a Witcher.

So I could return to my village one day and be its protector." she looked down at the palms of her hands, smiling:


"I wanted to help people... I wanted to heal them, when they're hurt. So I studied healing magic, more than anything else.

When I finally achieved my dream and returned home as a Witcher, the villagers nicknamed me, the Archangel of Beauclair... their own little angel that healed their wounds and ailments..."

Its a bit of a corny nickname I know, but it is tradition in Nifelheim, to assign a nickname to a Witcher, for significant deeds.


Can't really say I did that many significant things though.. curing a common cold isn't something to warrant a nickname.." Ursula looked at you and smiled.


"Anyway... you're right. We should call the villagers back. They will hear me, if I speak to them"

Twilight wrote:She looked around. "I'm sure we all have a ton of questions for our new teammate, but it's best if we don't load on every question at once. Perhaps we should spend a day or two here, give Rain and Ursula time to get to know eachother, to ask a few questions about this world from someone who's not post mortem and to get our bearing together so we have a more solid point to start from when we search for the other children."

Ursula's expression slowly began turning sad, even grim. After a while she sighed and looked away:

"....I don't know if you'll have that time.." she quietly said.


Johan bit his lower lip, looking at her: "W-..what do you mean?"


Ursula looked at you with a very pained expression: "...this is going to be difficult to hear.
Please. Take a moment to steel yourself and prepare for what I'm about to say.
Its... going to be hard to hear"

Rogue Fire wrote:"There are a few things here I feel we need cleared up! Twilight lost all her magic like the rest of us, but can now cast fireballs? Radiance can regenerate wounds like a Witcher? Diana is Rain's daughter? People are hearing voices? Did everyone forget to send me the memo?"

Rain wrote:Her eyes turn to Rogue, "Squiggles is bound to my soul and he can talk to me through my head!" She looks back to her daughter, "Do you know how to summon soulbound beasts perhaps and can you show me?"

Ursula slightly frowned, not at you, just in general:

"...these voices... they're not your friends okay? They only helped you, because it was convenient for them"

She heavily sighed, looking at you with a pained expression:


"...I... don't know how to say this properly, so I will say it the best way I can...


You have been infected with Glystaria.
All of you.

...I'm sorry" Ursula looked away.



"W-what's a Glystaria?" Kaylee quietly asked.



Ursula looked at you with pity: "......you came to Nifelheim, without knowing what a Glystaria is?
Do you have a death wish or something? Because there's easier ways to kill yourself. And less painful."

She looked away, seemingly trying really hard to remember: "Glystaria is..... it means..." she closed her eyes hard, trying to jog her memory.





"Parasite" Ursula finally said: "Glystaria means 'Parasite' in your language"

She sighed, looking at you:

"Glystaria is a parasitic life form, native to Nifelheim. They survive by... attaching themselves to your soul... and slowly consuming it over time.
The victim experiences severe headaches, loss of energy, hallucinations and pain. In the end, he looses his mind... and dies.



When the Parasite fully consumes the victims soul, the victim dies. The parasite is then left inside the victims body, literally wearing his corpse as a coat.
When the parasite had finally sucked out every bit of energy he could from the corpse, the corpse expires and turns into dust.

At which point, the Parasite moves on, looking for his next victim"



Ursula looks at you with a pained expression:


"...you have all been infected.
It seems to be very recent, maybe a few hours old... which mean you still have..."


She heavily sighed:


"...you have less than 24 hours to live... I'm sorry"

"B-But... Squiggles Is the undead horror I first met when I came here!" She frowns, "Man... Squiggles I really liked you too." She scooches back and crosses her legs, "Come to find out your just going to eat me and kill me, I really liked you Squiggles." She sighs, "Is there any way to fix it darling." Rain crosses her arms, "No wonder I cant trust you to come out and help me."

As the information sank in, Twilight quietly looks ahead. Her face was like stone. Slowly, she opened her mouth.

"Well... I got one word for this situation. I'm sure you're all a little familiar with it."

She took a breath, then shouted at the top of her lungs.

"FUCK!"

She composes herself again, then looked at Ursula.
"Ursula, is there a way to be cured from this parasite? Or are we doomed now? Wait... Are the wild animals here infected with Glysteria as well? Is that why they're so hard to kill?"

"I should've known not to trust it. Moon always gave me lectures about head voices, and yet here I am." Mist frowned, rubbing her head with a hand. "But I'm guessing their keeping us alive so that they can consume us later... Which could be interpreted as a positive for now..... In a few hours time, maybe not so much."

"What sort of hallucinations are we talking about here? Are we talking about the trippy kind which put weird stuff in, or the creepy 'your worst nightmare' sort?"

"Raaaaain..." a tiny voice pleadingly rang in Rains head: "I didn't munch on your soul too much!.. just a little.. promise!.. a man's gotta eat you know.. I'd jump out of your body if I could..."



"U-undead?.." Ursula asked in confusion: "N-no.. it wasn't that. You must have seen the parasites, wearing someones corpse and thought they were undead. Its a natural mistake to make.
When our people first arrived in Nifelheim, we didn't know what we were seeing either"



She looked at Twilight with sadness: "The parasites hunt everything. When they consume someone's soul, they take over their body.
If you fought something that appeared unaffected by your weapons, then you probably fought a parasite.

The parasites are spectral beings, transparent. They're not a typical form of life.
Your weapons cannot physically harm them. Not in a million years.

Even if you shot a parasite point blank in the head, or cut him with your sword, your attacks would just pass right through them, without causing any harm.
No. Those kinds of weapons and armor are useless against them.



...You need a Witcher's sword for that..." Ursula quietly said. A fire rapier briefly materialized in her lap, burning with a green flame, then vanished.


Ursula looked at Mist: "...it varies from parasite to parasite, but most will try to destabilize your mind. Make you see something frightening. The more fractured your mind, the easier it is for them to consume it"



She looked at everyone, with sadness and pity:


"...you.. don't understand... there's no cure for Glystaria.

Once it attaches onto your soul, it will stay there forever. This connection cannot be cut. The parasite cannot be removed. And it cannot be killed, without killing you in the process.


Once a parasite attaches onto your soul... its over... it will stay attached to you, for the rest of your life... or until he consumes your soul anyway...

I'm... sorry" she looked down.



Kaylee slowly took hold of her head in fear, then desperately took a step forward:

"But-... there must be something!... There must be something we can do!
We cannot die here! Not before finding our children!"



Ursula grimly looked up at you:


"...there is one thing you can try...



Perform an ancient ritual that dates back a millenia.

Physically enter the depths of your soul and confront the parasite, in a battle of will.

If you loose, the parasite will take full control of your body, and you will be locked inside your own mind, helpless to struggle and left to wait, until he fully consumes you.


But if you win... the parasite will be bound to your will. Forced to serve you.

You will enter a state of Synergy.
You and the parasite will co-exist in harmony. Both, stronger together.
He will stop consuming your soul.


He will protect you, he will guide you and he will help you use magic. For if you die in combat, so will he."



Ursula looked at you with determination:


"...you will become like me...


You will become a Witcher"

"Well squiggles! Looks like we are witchering! Of course if you dont want to fight you can just give up now, but you know I like a fight anyway so i doubt you will. Also dont eat my soul its mine, thats stealing and stealing is bad squiggles." She huffs, "In all seriousness though." She looks to ursula, "Im down to go through with this one way or the other." She smiles, "No matter what squiggles says because he doesn't have any control over my disisions... yet."

She smiles at her daughter, "God we would have raised a good looking woman." She laughs, "Where can we pick up some winter coats as well... The clothing here is really stylish."

"I do have one other question... just out of curiosity are there any undesirable ways to get rid of it?"

Twilight looks at her hand. Then clenches her fist.

"Let's not waste any time. The sooner we're cured, the less time we'll have to worry about them taking over." She rubs her chin. "So, does being a witcher come with a perk of immunity to Glysteria in? Are there other side effects? Just want to be informed about we step in to."

"So maybe you can answer the burning question of the hour" Rogue asks Diana "What actually are the Witchers? Are they the government, are they a militia, what's their jurisdiction, and why did they build those eight pillars, what did they need all our magic power for back then?

And're you sure all of us're infected, because I haven't heard any voices, and I don't think Kaylee and Johan've mentioned it either?" Rogue says, looking at Kaylee and Johan for confirmation.

"If this is the end for me, I'd prefer to go down in a fight than idly being consumed from the inside out" Radiance cracks his neck "I know the others have questions but I'm ready to start this ritual"

“I vote on stopping this thing from killing me. Preferably before the hallucinations. My mind is already screwed up enough without a parasite rooting around in there.” Mist shrugged, still staring at Ursula with suspicion. Slowly, she pulled off the rest of her hardsuit. It was annoying her, and she was already infected with something. Her shoulders rolled back with soft metal clicking.

"I'll try not to eat your soul too much, promise" a cheery voice rang in Rains head.


Ursula looked at everyone and firmly nodded: "Okay"
She rose to her feet, helping Rain stand up as well: "Come. If you are serious about this, then we must set off at once.


We lack the proper ingredients to initiate the ritual and performing it in the village would be extremely dangerous. If you loose the battle of wills, your parasite will gain control of your body and run wild, endangering everyone in the area. Your comrades and villagers will be its pray.

Therefore, we must perform the ritual in a controlled environment.


There is a small Witcher stronghold, 12 hours ride from here. At least a few Witchers should be camping there, they can spot you during the ritual.
The stronghold should also hold the ingredients we need.

Come, we will speak more on the way" she waved you to follow and began heading toward the far city gate, on the other side of the lake.



"Uh, we have a car parked nearby-" Johan began: "A.. machine that moves really fast over land"

"No" Ursula shook her head: "No machines. If the other Witchers see you approaching the stronghold in a machine, they will blast you off the field, before you get into shouting distance."
She firmly looked at you:


"We are at war with the Machine World. Anything that resembles a machine, will be considered hostile and eliminated on sight.

If you have any personal effects stored in it, take them with you, I'll wait by the gate."



Ursula pointed ahead:
"We will travel by carriage, moved by Hadedashi. They are living beings, native to Nifelheim. Extremely strong and intelligent. With their help, we should reach the stronghold in time"

Rain wrote:"Where can we pick up some winter coats as well... The clothing here is really stylish."

"I do have one other question... just out of curiosity are there any undesirable ways to get rid of it?"

"There's probably some spare clothes and Witcher gear in the stronghold" Ursula nodded: "I'll see to it that you're properly equipped for this world, once we get there"


She looked at you with a level of regret:
"I'm afraid there's no way to get rid of the parasite, once it latches onto your soul. Its.. a part of you now" Ursula grimly said:
"You must find a way to achieve synergy, if you wish to survive."


She placed a hand to her heart: "Every Witcher has a parasite. Even I. Its what defines us.
It is also the source of our power.
If you are strong enough, it will be the source of your power as well." She looked at you grimly:


"A human cannot survive on Nifelheim alone. We were not meant to live here. But, with a Glystaria by our side, we can surpass many limits."

Twilight wrote:"So, does being a witcher come with a perk of immunity to Glysteria in? Are there other side effects? Just want to be informed about we step in to."

"Perks, yes, there are a few of those" Ursula nodded:

"By completing the ritual and achieving synergy with your parasite, you will live as one. If you die, he dies. Which means your parasite will go out of his way to keep you alive and share his power with you.


One of his more prominent powers is rapid regeneration.
You will never catch a cold and most severe ailments won't touch you. That also goes for aging.
The average Witcher lifespan is 120 years. Congratulations.




This also applies to combat. If you are wounded, your parasite will feel threatened and regenerate your wound in seconds.
However, he cannot do this infinitely.


Every parasite has a certain capacity, a set number of times he can regenerate you, before he'll grow weak. If you are wounded too many times, your parasite will eventually exhaust his regenerative capacity.
At which point, your next wound will be fatal. You will die.


The trick to being a Witcher, is utilizing your parasites capacity, without getting him fully exhausted"




"Parasites... regenerative capacity.. huh.." Kaylee slowly repeated, thinking.




"Yes" Ursula nodded: "We call it 'Health Bars' for short.
A new Witcher will typically have 10 Health Bars. Which roughly means you can sustain 10 wounds, before dying."



"...health.. bars?" Johan quietly whispered: "What's this, DnD in real life?"

"Gesundheit" Ursula said, raising an eyebrow, then continued: "Your parasite has several capacities of this kind.
Apart from the regenerative capacity, there is also the Mana capacity. It describes how many spells you can cast and how powerful, before exhausting your parasite.

A new Witcher will typically have 10 Mana Bars"



Ursula became a bit grim: "...there is also one other capacity we should discuss... we call it...

Sanity..." she waited, then shook her head:


"Perhaps its too much in one go, I will explain it later. It is another difficult subject to hear.




At any rate, yes, you are correct. Once you become a Witcher, you can no longer be infected by other parasites.
Your soul can only have one parasite attached to it. Once you have a parasite, it cannot be removed or replaced by another.

For better or worse, you're stuck with your new friend for life."

Rogue wrote:"What actually are the Witchers? Are they the government, are they a militia, what's their jurisdiction

"The Witchers are the protectors of Nifelheim." Ursula proudly said with a smile:

"We are the only ones who give pause to Glystaria. The only ones who can face them on equal footing.


Therefore, our mission is two fold:
- Fight the Glystaria.
- And safeguard the human race and all other sentient beings of Nifelheim.



The Glystaria are a menace, a plague of locust that moves through the land, devouring every living thing in their path. Plants, creatures, even other Glystaria, they kill everything for sustenance. And they multiply very quickly.


From the first day the human race landed in Nifelheim, we faced extinction. Our military - the Witchers - is the only way we survived, so our government became militaristic out of necessity.
Ruled by the Witcher Kings."


A King is chosen by combat. Only the smartest and strongest are chosen as kings. Someone strong enough, wise enough, to ensure our survival."

Rogue wrote:why did they build those eight pillars

"...we plan to escape Nifelheim. We have been planning for a very long time" Ursula quietly said, her expression was grave:


"If there was a hell, it would be called Nifelheim. It is a hostile, vile planet, filled with disgusting creatures of darkness. Every day here, is a fight for survival.
We were facing extinction, ever since the day we were exiled to this hellhole.


But not for much longer" Ursula frowned:


"We have constructed 9 fortified Castle Cities, ruled by 9 Witcher Kings. And at the heart of each City, is a pillar. A pillar that, one day, will teleport us back to Machine World. The home of our ancestors... the home which we were exiled from.

The activation of the pillars is almost complete. Once it enters its final phase, all the survivors of Nifelheim will gather in the Castle Cities and we will all migrate back to the Machine World.

Our job, our duty as Witchers, is to protect everyone until then.


So we can finally escape this frozen hell, before the parasites consume us"

Rogue wrote:what did they need all our magic power for back then?

"You... magic.. power?" Ursula asked, she seems very confused: "..what do you mean? We draw all our magic power from our parasites. We never needed any other sources of power"

Rogue wrote:And're you sure all of us're infected, because I haven't heard any voices, and I don't think Kaylee and Johan've mentioned it either?" Rogue says, looking at Kaylee and Johan for confirmation.

"There is no doubt I'm afraid" Ursula quietly said: "I can see a parasite inside each one of you"

"..you can see them?" Kaylee asked: "What do they even look like? How big are they?"


"Uh.. they look like... giant red bunnies.. with spikes on their back, I suppose" Ursula said, thinking: "Some grow to be from 2 meters to 20 in height"

"Holy shit" Kaylee stared at her, eyes wide open: "We never saw anything like that"



"You wouldn't. Not with those eyes" Ursula tapped her eyelid, her yellow eyes were faintly glowing:
"Glystaria appear as invisible to a human eye. You'd only spot them, if they wore someones corpse.

But, as a Witcher... your parasite will grant you the ability to see the invisible.


Once you become one, you'll be able to see the Glystaria. And.. also a lot of other pleasant things in this world.. otherwise left invisible to the human eye" Ursula looked up and faintly smiled.

Rain lets the explaination sink in for a moment, "Well... I'd love to see the sun again." She looks up and frowns at the dark sky, "Can we get going onto the carrage? she looks to her friends, "Do we really need anything, going back to the vehicle for weapons probably isn't the best idea and having the humvee go missing... it honestly wouldn't be too hard to find. Im sure kaylee has the keys. My bow is in there but its not like its going to do us much good, I have my revolver." She looks to her daughter, "Forgive me for shooting you by the way. Lets leave before we... ya know... die?"

"Squiggles! Dont eat my soul at all! Now that I think about it im probably very sour... what does my soul taste like?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:"I'll try not to eat your soul too much, promise" a cheery voice rang in Rains head.


Ursula looked at everyone and firmly nodded: "Okay"
She rose to her feet, helping Rain stand up as well: "Come. If you are serious about this, then we must set off at once.


We lack the proper ingredients to initiate the ritual and performing it in the village would be extremely dangerous. If you loose the battle of wills, your parasite will gain control of your body and run wild, endangering everyone in the area. Your comrades and villagers will be its pray.

Therefore, we must perform the ritual in a controlled environment.


There is a small Witcher stronghold, 12 hours ride from here. At least a few Witchers should be camping there, they can spot you during the ritual.
The stronghold should also hold the ingredients we need.

Come, we will speak more on the way" she waved you to follow and began heading toward the far city gate, on the other side of the lake.



"Uh, we have a car parked nearby-" Johan began: "A.. machine that moves really fast over land"

"No" Ursula shook her head: "No machines. If the other Witchers see you approaching the stronghold in a machine, they will blast you off the field, before you get into shouting distance."
She firmly looked at you:


"We are at war with the Machine World. Anything that resembles a machine, will be considered hostile and eliminated on sight.

If you have any personal effects stored in it, take them with you, I'll wait by the gate."



Ursula pointed ahead:
"We will travel by carriage, moved by Hadedashi. They are living beings, native to Nifelheim. Extremely strong and intelligent. With their help, we should reach the stronghold in time"

Rain wrote:"Where can we pick up some winter coats as well... The clothing here is really stylish."

"I do have one other question... just out of curiosity are there any undesirable ways to get rid of it?"

"There's probably some spare clothes and Witcher gear in the stronghold" Ursula nodded: "I'll see to it that you're properly equipped for this world, once we get there"


She looked at you with a level of regret:
"I'm afraid there's no way to get rid of the parasite, once it latches onto your soul. Its.. a part of you now" Ursula grimly said:
"You must find a way to achieve synergy, if you wish to survive."


She placed a hand to her heart: "Every Witcher has a parasite. Even I. Its what defines us.
It is also the source of our power.
If you are strong enough, it will be the source of your power as well." She looked at you grimly:


"A human cannot survive on Nifelheim alone. We were not meant to live here. But, with a Glystaria by our side, we can surpass many limits."

Twilight wrote:"So, does being a witcher come with a perk of immunity to Glysteria in? Are there other side effects? Just want to be informed about we step in to."

"Perks, yes, there are a few of those" Ursula nodded:

"By completing the ritual and achieving synergy with your parasite, you will live as one. If you die, he dies. Which means your parasite will go out of his way to keep you alive and share his power with you.


One of his more prominent powers is rapid regeneration.
You will never catch a cold and most severe ailments won't touch you. That also goes for aging.
The average Witcher lifespan is 120 years. Congratulations.




This also applies to combat. If you are wounded, your parasite will feel threatened and regenerate your wound in seconds.
However, he cannot do this infinitely.


Every parasite has a certain capacity, a set number of times he can regenerate you, before he'll grow weak. If you are wounded too many times, your parasite will eventually exhaust his regenerative capacity.
At which point, your next wound will be fatal. You will die.


The trick to being a Witcher, is utilizing your parasites capacity, without getting him fully exhausted"




"Parasites... regenerative capacity.. huh.." Kaylee slowly repeated, thinking.




"Yes" Ursula nodded: "We call it 'Health Bars' for short.
A new Witcher will typically have 10 Health Bars. Which roughly means you can sustain 10 wounds, before dying."



"...health.. bars?" Johan quietly whispered: "What's this, DnD in real life?"

"Gesundheit" Ursula said, raising an eyebrow, then continued: "Your parasite has several capacities of this kind.
Apart from the regenerative capacity, there is also the Mana capacity. It describes how many spells you can cast and how powerful, before exhausting your parasite.

A new Witcher will typically have 10 Mana Bars"



Ursula became a bit grim: "...there is also one other capacity we should discuss... we call it...

Sanity..." she waited, then shook her head:


"Perhaps its too much in one go, I will explain it later. It is another difficult subject to hear.




At any rate, yes, you are correct. Once you become a Witcher, you can no longer be infected by other parasites.
Your soul can only have one parasite attached to it. Once you have a parasite, it cannot be removed or replaced by another.

For better or worse, you're stuck with your new friend for life."

Rogue wrote:"What actually are the Witchers? Are they the government, are they a militia, what's their jurisdiction

"The Witchers are the protectors of Nifelheim." Ursula proudly said with a smile:

"We are the only ones who give pause to Glystaria. The only ones who can face them on equal footing.


Therefore, our mission is two fold:
- Fight the Glystaria.
- And safeguard the human race and all other sentient beings of Nifelheim.



The Glystaria are a menace, a plague of locust that moves through the land, devouring every living thing in their path. Plants, creatures, even other Glystaria, they kill everything for sustenance. And they multiply very quickly.


From the first day the human race landed in Nifelheim, we faced extinction. Our military - the Witchers - is the only way we survived, so our government became militaristic out of necessity.
Ruled by the Witcher Kings."


A King is chosen by combat. Only the smartest and strongest are chosen as kings. Someone strong enough, wise enough, to ensure our survival."

Rogue wrote:why did they build those eight pillars

"...we plan to escape Nifelheim. We have been planning for a very long time" Ursula quietly said, her expression was grave:


"If there was a hell, it would be called Nifelheim. It is a hostile, vile planet, filled with disgusting creatures of darkness. Every day here, is a fight for survival.
We were facing extinction, ever since the day we were exiled to this hellhole.


But not for much longer" Ursula frowned:


"We have constructed 9 fortified Castle Cities, ruled by 9 Witcher Kings. And at the heart of each City, is a pillar. A pillar that, one day, will teleport us back to Machine World. The home of our ancestors... the home which we were exiled from.

The activation of the pillars is almost complete. Once it enters its final phase, all the survivors of Nifelheim will gather in the Castle Cities and we will all migrate back to the Machine World.

Our job, our duty as Witchers, is to protect everyone until then.


So we can finally escape this frozen hell, before the parasites consume us"

Rogue wrote:what did they need all our magic power for back then?

"You... magic.. power?" Ursula asked, she seems very confused: "..what do you mean? We draw all our magic power from our parasites. We never needed any other sources of power"

Rogue wrote:And're you sure all of us're infected, because I haven't heard any voices, and I don't think Kaylee and Johan've mentioned it either?" Rogue says, looking at Kaylee and Johan for confirmation.

"There is no doubt I'm afraid" Ursula quietly said: "I can see a parasite inside each one of you"

"..you can see them?" Kaylee asked: "What do they even look like? How big are they?"


"Uh.. they look like... giant red bunnies.. with spikes on their back, I suppose" Ursula said, thinking: "Some grow to be from 2 meters to 20 in height"

"Holy shit" Kaylee stared at her, eyes wide open: "We never saw anything like that"



"You wouldn't. Not with those eyes" Ursula tapped her eyelid, her yellow eyes were faintly glowing:
"Glystaria appear as invisible to a human eye. You'd only spot them, if they wore someones corpse.

But, as a Witcher... your parasite will grant you the ability to see the invisible.


Once you become one, you'll be able to see the Glystaria. And.. also a lot of other pleasant things in this world.. otherwise left invisible to the human eye" Ursula looked up and faintly smiled.

"You didn't need our magic for the pillars? So was it's loss from our world just an unfortunate side-effect?" Rogue asks "And you said there were nine pillars, does that mean one was built later as a replacement for the one lost at Ashra?

Another thing, you still think we're at war with you, so what'll happen when you do all go back to our world, will there be bloodshed?"

Radiance nods his agreement to Twilight.

"You said we'd be able to see things naked to the invisible eye. My own eyes haven't worked since I was born. Would it be that we could see them once we go through with this? Or is it more that their existence becomes physically tangible?" Radiance picks up his coat off the ground

// A thousand apologies >.< while trying to fix a forum error, I accidentally suffered an involuntary brain spasm, and accidentally deleted Twilight's last post,

Thankfully, Radiance had it backed up, I'm posting it here.

Again, sorry about this


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"I see, that's a lot to take in. Knowing this helps us out a lot, thank you." Twilight says. She looks a bit more solemn as she mutters to herself.

"Hey, prepare me one more shot to fire at my will, for our survival in the long run."

She then speaks up. "Maybe a harsh idea, but what if we destroy the car with the suits inside? I know it sounds harsh, but the less machines we have on ourselves the better. Plus, if others find it without context, they will track the ones who this machine belongs to, which is our powerless to unskilled group. But if it's destroyed, it might be seen as that the machine invaders have been dealt with."

She folds her arms. "That's just my thought on the matter, I don't know what you guys say."

Rain wrote:"Squiggles! Dont eat my soul at all! Now that I think about it im probably very sour... what does my soul taste like?"

"Tastes like food, nyahaha!" a tiny voice rang in your head.

Rogue wrote:"You didn't need our magic for the pillars? So was it's loss from our world just an unfortunate side-effect?" Rogue asks

"Wait... you could use magic... without a parasite?" Ursula asked, her eyes growing wide:
"But.. How? Humans can't use magic. Only a Witcher with a parasite can.

And there's no parasites in the Machine World."

She looked down, thinking: "..you're saying.. you had some kind of magic.. that worked, without a parasites help?
I've never heard of such a thing"

Ursula looked up at you: "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I don't know what happened to your world. The pillars were only supposed to create a portal, that's their only purpose.
If you had some different kind of magic and it stopped working, I.. don't know why it could have happened..

You must understand, I am a very young Witcher, I don't know all the ins and outs of this. Perhaps if we visited Lieselotte, our capital city, maybe we could find someone that knows more"
Ursula looks at you with regret.

Rogue wrote:"And you said there were nine pillars, does that mean one was built later as a replacement for the one lost at Ashra?

"N-no.. I was referring to Ashra.." Ursula looked away: "...the city was obliterated by the Machine Folk... no replacements could be made.
It takes years to gather the precious metals, for a pillars construction. We had to press on with what we had left...

The other 8 cities"

Rogue wrote:Another thing, you still think we're at war with you, so what'll happen when you do all go back to our world, will there be bloodshed?"

"That will depend on the Machine Folk" Ursula coldly said, looking at the horizon:

"They have banished us to this hellhole and left us to die. But we refused to die. And for centuries, they sent their armies here, to finish us off. Each invasion, taking dozens, hundreds of our innocent lives.
If that wasn't enough, they burned Ashra, some 18 years ago. A civilian city."


Ursula scowled at the horizon:

"Nifelheim cannot sustain human life for much longer. We will escape its grasp and return to the Machine World, no matter what.
And we will defend our right to exist. No more. No less.

If the Machine Folk will choose to attack us, upon our arrival... we will repay them in kind."

Radiance wrote:"You said we'd be able to see things naked to the invisible eye. My own eyes haven't worked since I was born. Would it be that we could see them once we go through with this? Or is it more that their existence becomes physically tangible?"

"Both" Ursula nodded: "You will be able to see them, hear them and make physical contact. In other words, punch parasites in the face.

On our own, the humans have no defense against them.
But as Witchers, we can face them on equal footing"

Twilight wrote:"Hey, prepare me one more shot to fire at my will, for our survival in the long run."

"The spell I showed you is very basic. There's no need for preparation. Just concentrate on the spell and fire. It should be instantaneous" the young voice said in Twilight's head:

"Magic is very taxing however. We can only fire it once more, before I'll need rest. Please use it sparingly"

Twilight wrote:"Maybe a harsh idea, but what if we destroy the car with the suits inside? I know it sounds harsh, but the less machines we have on ourselves the better. Plus, if others find it without context, they will track the ones who this machine belongs to, which is our powerless to unskilled group. But if it's destroyed, it might be seen as that the machine invaders have been dealt with."

"I agree" Ursula nodded, then looked at Rogue:

"You were absolutely right. We use different flares to signal different warnings.
The flare I used meant - 'Machine World Invasion Has Started'.


Its not used casually and not used often.
The last one was several hundred years I believe, the Machine World invaded with hundreds of men and machines.

By now, the news of the invasion would have reached Lieselotte, the capital of Nifelheim."



Ursula looked at you grimly: "Which means... sooner or later, a Witcher Strike Team will be sent to this area... to track an eliminate the Machine World threat.

The Witcher Strike Teams are elite. If we run into one now, we'll have no chance of survival.

Which means we'll have to cover our tracks and get rid of anything that may give you away as Machine Folk."



"Can't we just.. cancel the warning flare?" Kaylee asked: "Send a different flare that says, 'All Clear' or 'False Alarm'?"


Ursula shook her head: "...it wouldn't change anything. The threat of a Machine World invasion is too grave to neglect. A Strike Team will be sent here regardless. And no Witcher would fire a flare like this without good reason.
Everyone understands the gravity of survival in Nifelheim..." Ursula grimly said:



"We should leave your machines behind and set them ablaze. It may keep the Strike Teams away from our trail, at least for a little bit"

Rain wrote:She looks to her daughter, "Forgive me for shooting you by the way. Lets leave before we... ya know... die?"

"I can hardly blame you" Ursula weakly smiled: "We were in combat after all"


She stepped through the gates of the village. Beyond, you could see a long, grassy plain, slightly covered by snow.
A wooden carriage stood by the gates. Next to it, was a giant 2 meter tall fox with blue fur. It stood on all fours and chewed on something that laid on the ground. It had four red piercing eyes that immediately locked onto you, as soon as you went passed the village gates.


The 'fox' slowly raised its head and looked at you. It was pretty clear the thing was carnivorous. The massive fangs in its mouth left little room for doubt.


"...this is Hadedashi" Ursula said with a wistful smile, calmly approaching the creature and petting its neck:
"They cannot speak, but they can sense your emotions. And they can project their emotions to you, so you'll know what they're feeling"

She looked at you and smiled:

"They are our friends, our allies. We help them. And in return, they help us. They're not our pets by any means. They only help us, because they want to"


The giant fox rested its head on Ursula's shoulder for a moment, Ursula smiled:


"Let me know when you're ready, and we'll set off at once"

Radiance takes a few moments to collect all the broken bits of his armor and pile it all together. As he does this he tries to mentally speak with the being infecting him. 

"Tell me, does the black and white nature of either being the master or slave infuriate you at all?"

(Radiance)


You heard a muffled laugh in the depths of your soul:

"I think the word you're looking for is 'Freeloader'.
I get to kick back and relax, without having to worry about my survival. Nifelheim is a harsh place yea? Sometimes parasites eat each other for sustenance. You have to keep your guard up constantly, lest someone pounces on you and eats you. Its exhausting, lemme tell you.

But I don't have to worry about that anymore, that's your job now, to keep us both safe.


I can let my guard down for once and hide inside a little bunker, called Your Soul.


And you will feed me, of course. You'll bring me food, if you want me to lend you my powers.

Lets call it... 'Rent'.

I'll make you stronger as Rent." the voice seems be enjoying the moment:


"That is of course, assuming, you have the guts to confront me, inside the depths of your soul. I don't lend my powers to weaklings."


The voice audibly smiled, turning into a whisper: "...and if you ever show weakness... I'll kill you.
That's how this dance works.


I'll be watching you, Radiance..." the voice quietly laughed.