Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 6

Kaylee Brown wrote:Half the camp jolted together with you, looking like their souls were nearly scared out of their bodies, before slowly exhaling, shaking their heads and face palming.

The figure in front of you scratched his nose, sneezed again and rolled on his side, hugging a giant bottle of moonshine with a pleasant smile and went back to sleep. The smell of 98% alcohol, garlic and pork meat shot through your senses so hard, you momentarily felt you might actually throw up... if you weren't a two dimensional shadow.

Rogue slowly makes his way back to the others, having seen all he thinks there is to see.

"While I understand your reasons for continuation, it's all the more reason to rest soon." Twilight says back.

"As strong as our mounts are, they're not automatons, our journey will take much longer if they die halfway through from exhaustion. If this group is harmless, we'll stay. If not, I suggest we're going to find ourselves a safe place to gather our strength for the rest of the trip."

Viktoria looked around for a bit and chewed on her tongue, as the blizzard ruffled her hair:

"Pssssst! Rogue! Are you back? I can't see you, the wind is too strong. Did you spot anything interesting? Is that group harmless, or should we keep going?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:Viktoria looked around for a bit and chewed on her tongue, as the blizzard ruffled her hair:

"Pssssst! Rogue! Are you back? I can't see you, the wind is too strong. Did you spot anything interesting? Is that group harmless, or should we keep going?"

Rogue dispels Shadow and returns to normal, "Well unless you consider the discovery of a new species of tree to be a threat to national security, I'd wager they don't pose a threat.

There only seems to be one Witcher present, and he's drunk, along with the rest of them."

Circi blinks, "A new kind of tree?" She looks up at the ceiling of their carriage. Being one with nature for the longest time, she quitely loses herself in thought, digging through memorys trying to recall if she had ever heard of a strange tree that would make a scholar go looking for a king, "I wish to know what he found."

Rain sighs, "i still cant help but feel like this is still a bad idea. If im out voted though, I cant really argue.

Some Sinner wrote:Circi blinks, "A new kind of tree?" She looks up at the ceiling of their carriage. Being one with nature for the longest time, she quitely loses herself in thought, digging through memorys trying to recall if she had ever heard of a strange tree that would make a scholar go looking for a king, "I wish to know what he found."

"He didn't say, only that it was, and I quote, 'The greatest scientific discovery of the century!' " Rogue shrugs, "He seemed very keen to inform the university and Lady Alstreim about it."

Sasha, who was taking a drink from her flask, suddenly sprayed out all of it and zeroed in on you, her eye twitching:
"Did you just say... Tree?"


"Oh now you've done it." Bastila exhaled in exasperation.


There weren't many legends of trees worthy of note in Nifelheim culture. Apart from one.

The Lairathsh.
A tree as ancient as time itself, believed to be the first seed of life on this planet, from which all other life began. Its crown so massive and branches so numerous, they obscured the sky. Its roots so deep, they went all the way down to the Shimmer.

And it is this connection, that allegedly gave the tree its most precious property. The fruits that grew on its branches, were Memory Orbs.

It is said that all life begins in the Shimmer and returns to it, upon death. And since the Lairathsh planted its roots in the Shimmer, the tree allegedly possessed the memories of near everyone, who ever walked on this planet, and perhaps, anyone who is yet to walk it, in the future.

In all the folklore of Nifelheim, it is known as the Natures Library of Life, Lairathsh.


You've heard this story, many times since you've landed on this planet, in taverns, bars, caravans and all sorts of places.

You also know, that those who claim to have discovered its location, are generally treated with the same respect, as those who claim to have discovered the exact coordinates of Santa Clauses winter home in the north pole. The legend of Lairathsh is a children's tale, and those who took it seriously, were generally viewed as prime candidates for a psyche evaluation.


You could see in real time, how Sasha's eyes gradually lit up like a pair of stars, while Bastila watched her with an increasingly hopeless expression.

Rogue wrote:"He seemed very keen to inform Lady Alstreim about it."

"Which one? There's three of them, ahaha." Ryu asked with a smirk.



"Onward to scientific discovery!!" Sasha pointed forth and jammed her heels into the sides of her fox, prompting the giant creature to break into a sprint toward the massive campsite, kicking up snow in your face.


"Rogue," Bastila asked with a sour expression "How much did you say they were drinking down there?"


Sasha had already reached the campsite by the time you blinked. Jumping off her Hadedashi, she spread her hands wide and called in a loud voice:
"Greetings good folk! How fare thee?"

The crowd around the campfire was apparently too drunk or too jolly to question where Sasha had materialized from, and apparently took her as one of their own traveling companions and that she was apparently always with them.

The balalaika song became somewhat louder. As you suspected, the lone Witcher sentry didn't even react to Sasha's appearance. Not too surprising, since he had his back to the fire and stared in the opposite direction, while emptying his jug.


"Ugh... lets make this quick." Bastila said, starting to trot to the campsite as well "We leave them some food, rest for a bit and head out. 4 Hours tops, and then we hit the road again."


"Hey Ryu." Viki subtly called "Mind dying your hare real quick and taking my place? I don't think I can stomach a botany lecture."

"Tsk, tsk tsk, you always push the boring stuff on me." Ryu sighed.

"Gotta keep up appearances." Viktoria smirked, while rapidly covering her face and hair with a scarf. "As far as most people are aware, the king of Rakshata is only one person."

"God damn it." Ryu facepalmed.

Kaylee Brown wrote:"Onward to scientific discovery!!" Sasha pointed forth and jammed her heels into the sides of her fox, prompting the giant creature to break into a sprint toward the massive campsite, kicking up snow in your face.

"Rogue," Bastila asked with a sour expression "How much did you say they were drinking down there?"

"Hella" Rogue sighs, racing to keep up with Sasha.

Kaylee Brown wrote:Sasha had already reached the campsite by the time you blinked. Jumping off her Hadedashi, she spread her hands wide and called in a loud voice:
"Greetings good folk! How fare thee?"

The crowd around the campfire was apparently too drunk or too jolly to question where Sasha had materialized from, and apparently took her as one of their own traveling companions and that she was apparently always with them.

The balalaika song became somewhat louder. As you suspected, the lone Witcher sentry didn't even react to Sasha's appearance. Not too surprising, since he had his back to the fire and stared in the opposite direction, while emptying his jug.

"He's over there" Rogue says, catching up to Sasha and pointing out the tree guy to her.

Circi quitely steps out of and off the wagon, "I see no reason not to investigate." She strides through the snow on her spiderlegs before setting back on foot when she hits more packed snow. Dispite any eyes on her she lets Sasha lead her curiousity, standing by like she were just a bodyguard to hopefully dispell any questions.

"Wait. Hold on- I-" Rain sighs in defeat before climbing to the front of the carriage, and quitely guiding the Hadachi to the camp to park.

Twilight steers her mount to follow to the resting spot.

When she hears her kids, she subtly shakes her head. "You should listen too, knowledge is important, and missing some by hearing a recap from someone might lack some of the crucial details. I'll go along to listen if it helps."

As you began to near the camping group, most folk erupted in cheers and generally welcomed you to sit by the fire and partake in jolly barbecue and drinking. Upon closer inspection, it seems they're not lacking in food and what's more, upon realizing you're Witchers, began insisting on filling your pockets with backed food and smoked meat.

The guy with the balalaika, apparently a bard, changed his tune to some sort of national song, dedicated to the valor of Witchers while everyone else drunkenly tried singing along, often off beat.


Viktoria continued to conceal her face and hair behind her massive scarf, while Ryu and Bastila inevitably drew attention, once their faces were recognized. When one of the more drunken hardy folk mistook Ryu for Viki and whole heartadly proposed marriage to him on the spot, Ryu looked sideways at Viki and subtly shook his fist:
"Damn you, you knew this would happen."

"Hehehe... ehehehehe." Viktoria quietly and evily snickered into her scarf, as the hardy man fell on one knee before Ryu.


"Fair maiden! I will fetch all 3 moons for you from the sky!" The man sang, pressing one palm to his chest and waving the other at the sky.

"Rejected." Ryu said in a deadpan, his eye slightly twitching.

"I will do all that you wish!" The man refused to give up.

"Sorry, I'm spoken for." Ryu said in monotone, looking somewhere into space with a very bored and detached expression, prompting Ursula to spray out her drink again, this time it being a 98% alcohol. There may not have been a direct correlation to what Ryu had said, but he looked sideways at her and apparently decided to improvise:
"Yes, that lady right there." he tilted his head toward Ursula.


Ursula froze like a statue, her eyes grew so round, they just about popped out of her head. You're pretty sure she turned the reddest you've ever seen her, as a small round of gasps rolled over the crowd and Ryu shrugged "Sorry, I like girls."


The man in front of Ryu caught an expression, as if he'd been shot through the heart and his head knocked by a sledgehammer. His jaw dropped to the floor, before he slowly and hopelessly wandered off, starting to drown his sorrows in booze.


"Damn it," Viktoria subtly frowned, shaking her fist at her brother "Don't start weird rumors!"

"What. I basically said the truth. Ehe.. ehe...ehehehe." Ryu subtly smirked to Viki.


Ursula looked at her 98% bottle of alcohol and took and aggressive drink, prompting Johan to turn green, just from looking at it.





Ryu slowly made his way toward the scholar that Rogue pointed to and slightly tipped his non-existent hat:
"Good evening to you sir, I have been told you were looking for me? I am lord-.. I mean lady Alstreim."


"Ah! Viktoria Alstreim you grace! A pleasure!" The scholar shook Ryu's hand a half dozen times and bowed twice as much in 5 seconds "I have made the greatest discov-"

"She doesn't care Fyodor! Don't bother her!" The young merchant next to him tried to push the scholar in the shoulder, but Fyodor refused to back down.

"Your grace! I believe I have discovered the exact location of The Lairathsh!"



"Aaaaaaand we're back to crazy towns." Bastila subtly whispered to you, covering her mouth with her palm.

To his credit, Ryu's face remained the same stone, expressionless mask that it always been, as he simply nodded and asked:
"Very good. Please tell me where and provide empirical evidence please."


"Certainly." Fyodor bowed and presented a small Memory Orb. The young merchant next to him quite literally had his jaw drop, while Ryu raised an eyebrow and inspected the Orb from afar, slightly raising a skeptical eyebrow.


"The Memory is my own, of course." Fyodor bowed slightly "Truth be told, I couldn't go closer than 4 kilometers to the Lairathsh, it has a protective spell, you see. Its roots were getting a little rowdy, the closer I dared to stand, the more they tried to strangled me truth be told!" He nervously and loudly laughed.
"At any rate, the Lairathsh is located here."


He unfolded a map and presented it to you.









"Hmmm..." Ryu squinted "Theoretically, it would make sense, how it went unnoticed until now. That little red X sign, sitting to the East of Lieselotte and to the North of Scharlachrot, is located right in the middle of a massive, wild forest and uncomfortably close to a Shimmer volcano. Not many souls venture there. And even less come back alive."


"Hey... check out its placement." Kaylee suddenly said, her tone serious "Do you remember the last time we saw the Dark Machine? Several centuries ago, a fresh Witcher recruit carried it with him on a griffon, as he made his way to Scharlachrot Castle, but he never reached it. He was last seen, flying right over this general area, where the X sits.

If this tree truly reaches all the way down to the Shimmer and absorbs the memories of all who died within its vicinity, there's a good chance it has the Memory of that Witcher. It may help us discover the new whereabouts of the Dark Machine."


Ryu skeptically raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.

"Its really out of our way." Viktoria clicked her tongue "Why do we need a tree anyway? If there's a Machine-World device in Lieselotte that can lead us straight to the Dark Machine? The tree sounds like a waste of time."


"Ah! But it is also said it harbors vast, Vast magical knowledge!" Fyodor spread in a smile "It is said, those who reach for its Memory Orbs, may find themselves learning magic at a much, Much faster rate! Truly, the greatest mage of Nifelheim wouldn't pass such opportunity?"

He meaningfully looked at Ryu, who slightly shrugged and looked at the offered Orb of Fyodors memories, then shifted his gaze at the map again.


"...are you heading for Lieselotte, good sir?" Ryu subtly asked.

"No, Rakshata Castle." Fyodor beamed ear to ear.

Ryu's expression slightly darkened "...sir... your map appears to be fairly outdated... have you not heard the news of what transpired in Rakshata?"

"No, we've been on the road from the south for too long," Fyodor released a hardy laugh and slowly subsided, as he tried to read Ryu's grim expression.


"Did... did something happen?" the young merchant next to him wearily asked.

"The horde struck the city." Circi replys bluntly, "There isn't much left. The horde pushes forward." She hisses, quitely approaching Ryu's side. "I would also like to see this memory. Nifelhimes nature facinates me you see." She carefully places a finger on the memory orb.

Rain sits atop the carriages bench, she calls down to her drinking daughter "Dont slam it all in one go dear!" She raises her brow slightly, "When was the last time you drank? Are you a lightweight like Harle?"

Some Sinner wrote:"The horde struck the city." Circi replys bluntly, "There isn't much left. The horde pushes forward."

"The city hasn't fallen... yet, but it has taken quite a battering" Rogue adds, "Let's just say, it might be safer to turn back the way you came for the time-being."

"The horde struck the city?..." the young merchant repeated in disbelief. You noticed how the atmosphere around you began to change, slowly and drastically. Even the music slowly stopped, as more and more faces turned toward you:

"But... how could that be? The Suppression field-" the merchant mumbled.


"Two of the Obelisks fell." Viktoria grimly mumbled through her scarf, without going into the logistics of it.

"The horde exploited the breach in the perimeter and charged through." Bastila exhaled "We pushed back the invasion but 30% of the city was devastated. There are many wounded."

"A part of the horde still holds a staging area, near the castle." Ryu grimly added "I agree. In good faith, I cannot recommend you going there now."


"No..." Fyodor mumbled, his face pale.

"The Obelisks were destroyed irreversibly...?" The young merchant quietly asked, his eyes wandering between each of you, until he met Ursula's gaze.

The girl bit her lip and looked down: "The Obelisks were repaired, but the city is in a difficult position. Not to mention the curse that recently plagued it."

"...Fyodor, maybe we should turn around." the young merchant quietly asked, but Fyodor grimly shook his head:

"No. We are Nifelheim folk. The parasites will not drive us from our homes. I will go back to Rakshata."

Circi wrote:"I would also like to see this memory. Nifelhimes nature facinates me you see." She carefully places a finger on the memory orb.

Ryu placed a finger on the Orb as well. The ghostly white light burning within, began to swirl, then slowly flowed toward your hand and your vision became clouded.




A glittering snowflake, so massive and beautiful, you could see every contour of it, every sparkling corner, giving it the perfect geometrical shape. It rested in the palm of your glove and didn't melt, as you studied it with fascination, until a rustling in the bushes ahead, caught your attention.

You were standing in the midst of a wild forest, so thick and undisturbed by man, it seemed as almost a labyrinth. Numerous massive trees, standing closely together, their branches rising far over your head, twisting like the broken arms of witches and obscuring the night sky.

A weary owl hooted somewhere, a Hadedashi dug at the ground, chewing on the old roots it uncovered under the snow. A rabbit like creature without any eyes, popped its head over a boulder, joined by ten others, before the whole heard broke into a sprint, hopping away from you, in silence and without disturbing the cover of snow.


You pull out your telescope and glance, down the hill, into the distance. The tree's were just as numerous there, but something amidst their bark, was clearly glowing. A ghostly blue, gentle glow, cold and inviting.

He slightly shifted position, to try and get a better glimpse, and for a fraction of a moment, you thought you saw a great oak-like tree, so massive in size, it was incomprehensible. Its branches filled with some sort of strange, blue fruit, that was glowing, illuminating the darkness around it.


You felt your heartbeat increasing and just at that moment, a rumbling, ethereal voice, echoed over the forest.

"...YyyyoooOOOooooo've CoooommmMMMMeee SsssssssseeeEEeking KnoooOOOwwledge-" a gargling echo enveloped you, turning your blood cold, it was coming from everywhere, carried by the wind, heard in the rustling of leaves, the creaking of branches around you:

"Bbuuuuuuut yooooOOOOouuuu Diiiiddd NOOOOOOTTtttttt paaaaayyy tttttthhhheeee ttTTTTTOOOOOLLLLLllllll innnnnNNNTttterrrrrlllloooOOOOOppPPPEEEEEEEER!!!" The ghastly voice turned into a deafening roar, as the wind suddenly turn freezing and wild, threatening to knock you off your feet.

You glance down in horror and shriek, jumping back, as the ground itself came alive and tried to swallow you whole. You fell back on your hands, trying to crawl away and suddenly felt the roots under you, moving snaking under the thin cover of earth like thousands of serpents, slowly, subtly enveloping you, prodding and trying to push you, under the earth, starting to rip on your clothes and skin.


A piercing shriek to visceral and wild escaped your lips, you almost went deaf. The only thing you saw next, was the trees rapidly flashing before you, as you sprinted as fast as your legs carried you. The branches and bushes whipping your face, the roots clinging to your shoes.

You're not sure how long you've been running. But when you ran out of breath and finally came to a halt, the forest was silent and still, like a graveyard, and not even the wild animals were heard.



The Memory Ended.

Rain wrote:Rain sits atop the carriages bench, she calls down to her drinking daughter "Dont slam it all in one go dear!" She raises her brow slightly, "When was the last time you drank? Are you a lightweight like Harle?"

By the time Ursula realized what she was drinking, it was already too late. The 98% alcohol completely stunned her, making her eyes water. She aggressively swallowed and started gasping for air:

"Oh sweeet Jeessus! What IS this stuff?" she made a movement that possibly signaled a vomiting reflex, but somehow the booze went down.

One of the traveling folk laughed and smacked her over the back "Miners drink! Drink this and you'll never freeze to death HOHO!"

"EEEeeeuuuughhh!!" Ursula contorted with her entire body, prompting a series of laughs from the folks in the vicinity.


She finally looked at Rain and shrugged a little: "I don't even drink... I just thought-..." She slowly exhaled, then suddenly grabbed your shoulder and covering her mouth with her palm, so her lips can't be read, began loudly whispering:

"Mom I need help! I dunno what to do!" she threw a sideways glance at Ryu, before continuing "How did you and mom meet? What did you talk about?? How did you tell her you like her???"


"Oh jesus." Rose loudly facepalmed, drawing several confused stares. Being a parasite, regular humans couldn't see her, which was pretty much everyone in the caravan, so she enjoyed undisturbed peace and quiet until now.
The folks could hear her talk though, although they began chalking it up to her being an unseen Witcher, or their alcohol poisoning talking:

"We're trying to stop the world from being devoured by locusts, at you're worried about getting a date?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:"...Fyodor, maybe we should turn around." the young merchant quietly asked, but Fyodor grimly shook his head:

"No. We are Nifelheim folk. The parasites will not drive us from our homes. I will go back to Rakshata."

"Well, we can't stop you, but if you do go, you should be prepared for a difficult sight" Rogue says.

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Circi wrote:"I would also like to see this memory. Nifelhimes nature facinates me you see." She carefully places a finger on the memory orb.

Ryu placed a finger on the Orb as well. The ghostly white light burning within, began to swirl, then slowly flowed toward your hand and your vision became clouded.

"Looks like someone's weed problem got out of hand" Rogue comments, having also peeked at the orb.

Sasha shivered from head to toe and caught an expression as if she was about to sneeze:

"Oh god, spiky vines flashback, spikey vines! Its just like with that horrid, overgrown tree we saw in the farmlands, only somehow worse!"

"Hopefully there won't be any Zorro impersonators this time." Adam neutrally commented.


"Alright. Thank you for the information." Ryu nodded "We wouldn't want to take any more of your time. Our own road is long and objective still far ahead."

"Do you think we should check out this tree later?" Johan wearily asked, sounding very unsure.

"I don't see why we should bother, honestly." Viktoria quietly whispered "We can't head to it, before we help Zoy anyways. And by then, we'll have a Machine device that will lead us straight to the Dark Machine."

"Mmm..." Kaylee fell into thought.



Off to the side, you saw Johan quietly heft Lightning onto his back and bring her closer to the giant campfire, gently sitting her down on a log. Her gaze remained unfocused and empty, as she quietly started at the flames. Johan borrowed a bowl of soup from the folk nearby and tried to gently feed her a spoon, but Lightning remained motionless and didn't react.

"Oh Light..." Johan mournfully sighed "Come on, you haven't ate in a week. You have to eat something." He tried to bring the spoon closer to her again, but she remained detached and motionless.

"...what's wrong with your friend?" The young merchant quietly asked.

"Battle injury..." Johan quietly sighed, placing the spoon back into the bowl and looking down.


An orange gust of wind faintly erupted out of Lightnings body and engulfed a nearby sapling. Within seconds, the small tree had shriveled up, all its leaves turned orange, then black and fell off. Its bark withered and the next time you blinked, the tree had all shriveled up and died, collapsing onto the ground in a black pile of ash, as the orange gust returned to Lightning's body.

"...at least her parasite is still functioning." Johan quietly said "...she won't die of starvation." he shook his head "But without human food... it will be difficult for her mind."

Rain adjusts, facing ursula, her boots hanging off the side of the carriage, "Ehhh... we originally were trying to kill each other!" She chuckles at Ursulas question, "Harley is just as much of an ass beater as you and me, an assassin dressed like theater ghost. She was enslaved by some government power who I cant remember the name of... likely for the best, he killed my sister." She sighs, "It took alot of convincing, and fighting, and getting my ass beat. But somewhere along those assbeatings I had gotten through to her, conviced her to join our side." She stares off into the trees, frowning as she watches lightnings parasite eat, "It was a mutual trust. I dont know what she saw in me at the time, but I know what I did. We spoke of freedom for her race, planned for the murder of her "owner" but after we had finished, it turned out she was also the rightful heir to her countrys leadership position, so she took it... and offered me to join her." She swollows heavily, "Ryu did say he was married to you just now... did he not?" She looks down at Ursula, her stormy eyes meeting her. Light blue flashes like lightning, flicker behind the gray of her iris like a thunderstorm, "I'd say your on the right path. Just keep doing what your doing." She jumps off of the carrage, landing in front of ursula with a 'Thump', "Just be you." She quitely presses her fingers to the sides of Ursulas drink and carefully takes it from her... before taking a swig herself, cringing slightly, and handing it back, "Dont drink it all or you will regret it in the morning." She warns leaning over and planting a small smooch on her forehead.

Circi hums, "a toll huh?" She raises her brow at the scholar, "You didn't pass any weirdo witchers trying to pull cash out of you did you? Or if this story is true, any mystical voice or something, did it ask you for anything?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:
"Sorry, I'm spoken for." Ryu said in monotone, looking somewhere into space with a very bored and detached expression, prompting Ursula to spray out her drink again, this time it being a 98% alcohol. There may not have been a direct correlation to what Ryu had said, but he looked sideways at her and apparently decided to improvise:
"Yes, that lady right there." he tilted his head toward Ursula.

Twilight had a notable facial reaction to his statement, which she found difficult to shake off.

"W-What?!" She stammered.

She seemed a bit shocked by his statement, or what she saw in it, looking perplexed until the moonshine hit her nostrils at full force, waking her up and giving her a disgusted look.

"Eugh, can't believe people would willingy force artificial alcohol down their throats, just to forget and keep warm." She mutters under her breath. "Is wine an option? Or beer?"

She went along, taking a peak at the orb as the conversation continues.

"Toll... Hrmmm..."

She then saw Lightning's comatose state in the corner of her eye, and began to focus on it. She began to think what to say to her.

Twilight wrote:Twilight had a notable facial reaction to his statement, which she found difficult to shake off.

"W-What?!" She stammered.

Ryu sighed, smirking and shaking his head, before switching to Soren language:
"God's sake, you guys never been to improv school? Play along, literally anything to get these guys off me."

"Ryu, Ryu, the troubles of the rich." Bastila and Viki commented off to the side, snickering wildly.

"Your scarfs about to fly off." Ryu neutrally commented.

"What?!" Viki immediately caught a horrified expression and adjusted the mass of fabric over her head, making sure it completely concealed her face, then realized it was secure and caught Ryu releasing a sly smile. "I'm gonna get yoouuu!" Viki whispered, shaking her fist.

Rain wrote:"Just be you." She quitely presses her fingers to the sides of Ursulas drink and carefully takes it from her... before taking a swig herself, cringing slightly, and handing it back, "Dont drink it all or you will regret it in the morning." She warns leaning over and planting a small smooch on her forehead.

"Thanks mom." Ursula smiled, then looked in Ryu's direction. "Hold my beer." She passed the bottle to a random stranger and confidently marched up to Ryu, who got so surprised by her sudden materialization, he slightly recoiled.

"M-...ma-...May I borrow you, for a moment?" Ursula shyly smiled.

Ryu studied her blushing expression for a brief second, before exhaling in relief "Yes, of course." he courteously replied, before whispering on Soren "...get me away from these crazy people!" he released a strained smile, throwing a weary glance at the hardy folk off to the side, who were apparently mustering their courage to propose marriage, again, despite all odds and expectations.


Awkwardly linking their arms and walking on stiff legs, the two strolled off some 15 meters away from the fire, and went to stand by your caravan and foxes, away from large groups of people. Watching them from afar, they seem to be just talking, although you can't hear about what.


Rose hopelessly shook her head: "Knowing these two, they're probably talking about combat tactics and pentagram angles of fire."

Circi wrote:Circi hums, "a toll huh?" She raises her brow at the scholar, "You didn't pass any weirdo witchers trying to pull cash out of you did you? Or if this story is true, any mystical voice or something, did it ask you for anything?"

"Well ehh..." Fyodor stammered "I might have heard voices in the wind, whispering something about 'Equal Value', but honestly I thought I was hearing things at first and ignored them." he apologetically looked at you: "You must understand, it sounded just like normal wind howling, or leaves rustling, I didn't think to pay any attention to it, so focused I was on finding the Leirathsh.

I didn't see any Witchers though."

Twilight wrote:"Eugh, can't believe people would willingy force artificial alcohol down their throats, just to forget and keep warm." She mutters under her breath. "Is wine an option? Or beer?"

"Bah! Those are puny drinks! Not fit for strong folk of Nifelheim!" A hardy miner said in a low, bass voice, flexing his biceps and collecting his fists "Only Miners Brew will keep you alive in this weather!"

"Miners Brew, is that what you call it?" Kaylee asked, cautiously sniffing a nearby bottle and recoiling "...we usually call it medical alcohol... the kind that kills all micro-organisms..."

Twilight wrote:She then saw Lightning's comatose state in the corner of her eye, and began to focus on it. She began to think what to say to her.

Lightnings wounds have healed now, over the past week, but the stump on her leg still looked eerie. She sat still, right where Johan had sat her, with a completely blank expression, staring off into space. She hasn't said a word, for a week now. You couldn't even tell if she could hear what was happening around her. But Johan and Ursula continued talking to her during the trip.


Kaylee's cybernetic leg creaked slightly, as she twisted in her seat, watching Lightning with a torn expression, before releasing a small sigh: "...we really shouldn't stay long. The faster we get to Lieselotte, the faster we can fix her wound.

"Fixing her spine won't be enough," Johan grimaced "...if only we had prosthetics here."

"Prosthetics?" Viktoria asked "What are prosthetics?"

"Artificial limbs." Kaylee said, then switched to Soren "I have a metal one. I'd show you, but I don't want to alarm the locals."


"Oh. We have prosthetics here." Viki said.

"Wh-... you do?!" Kaylee blinked.

"Yes. We call them 'Mokuji'." Viktoria nodded "They're made from a special bark that can be attuned to a Witcher's soul." she began articulating:
"See, even if a Witcher loses a physical limb, he doesn't lose his Soul's limb. His 'Soul' is intact. You can even feel 'Phantom Pain', in the limb that's not there anymore. You still feel your limb, even when its gone.
The Mokuji, a wooden artificial limb can be attached to your body with straps, and once it gets attuned to your soul, it will bend and follow your intended movements. You'll be able to control it with a thought, like a normal limb. You'll even have the sense of touch in it, feel if you're touching something sharp, cold, or hot. Our craftsman can make those."

Rain smiles, watching the pair go off to chat, overhearing the conversation taking place between Victoria and Twilight speaking in soren "Our prosthetics can give us special abilitys. Like that time I flashed you. I can also see heat signatures." She turns on her heat vision, and takes a glance around the edges of the camp, "There are some of us who built their capabilitys around their prothetics. My sisters body is entirely mechanical in fact." She looks down slightly, "Its... a little strange."

Circi hums, "My first thought is that it might make us give up our children. Thats obviously not an option if thats the case so we'll have to come up with something of equal value along the way." She cocks her head slightly, "Looking back on it now. What were some warning signs that things were about to go terribly wrong?" She questions.

As you switch on your heat vision, something strange immediately comes into view, but not at the edges of camp. Watching the forest, you only see darkness and snow, everything lifeless and cold. It is inside the camp, that something bizarre had caught your attention.

As you looked at the young merchant, you only saw a large spherical void, where he should have been. As if a black hole was swirling in his place, as if all heat was being sucked into him, preventing any energy escape, past a certain spherical threshold.

In the heat vision sensor, it looked as if a giant, cold, black sphere sat in his place, concealing everything inside it from view.


You stared at this cold, black sphere for several seconds blinking and trying to make sense of the bizarre, cold, geometrical shape, until your mind finally made the connection.
The young merchant was surrounded by an invisible Shield Sphere. Pretty high level too. Level 3 at least, maybe higher.

But the young man clearly seemed human. At least, his eyes didn't glow.


"What the fuck?" Squiggles quietly cursed in your mind "...what does a human need with a Shield Sphere?... and how come he's the only one who has it?"

Looking around the camp, you indeed verify that nobody else is wearing a Shield Sphere. Not even the lonely Witcher, guarding the camp.



The young man with an invisible Shield Sphere continued to chat, with a relaxed expression, seemingly without a care in the world.

Rain clicks her tongue in thought a moment 'It can never be simple huh.' She hums to her parasite, 'Perhaps he's one of their VIP's a single spell will thrash a human you know.' She bites her lip in thought, looking down into the snow, 'But that implys a witcher who can cast such a thing. Which im willing to believe our drunk witcher here, cannot...' she eyes the drunk witcher, before approaching casually, "Hay buddy." She nudges him on the shoulder to wake him, "How good of a mage are you?" She smiles disarmingly, "You look like you've held your own in a few scraps." She kneels down next to him.

"Baaah!" The Witcher almost jumped out of his skin, before zeroing in on you "You scared me."
With one eye closed and the other half open, he drunkenly listened to your question, then immediately puffed up his chest:
"That's right, young lady, I'm the best magician around, yessir." He continued to puff up his chest, lifting his chin up in pride and staring off into space somewhere, while unknowingly tilting his jug and spilling some of the contents into the snow:

"Why there was that one time I went fishing in the great Western Ocean, caught myself a WOOOWEEE Nasty critter! All rotten and pieces falling of him and all teeth! Growing right on his back!" The Witcher thrust his hand into the air, making a giant portion of the liquid spill out:

"And then I gave him a goood WAAAACK!! AAAGH!" he just realized he spilled half his jug and immediately hugged the bottle, as one hugs his most precious possession.


"...say." Squiggles wearily asked "Is this guy like, okay in the head? Unrelated to drinking I mean..."

Kaylee Brown wrote:Ryu sighed, smirking and shaking his head, before switching to Soren language:
"God's sake, you guys never been to improv school? Play along, literally anything to get these guys off me."

Watching her son go off with Ursala, she has a slight scowl. "Was that a play though?" She softly says in Equestrian.

Kaylee Brown wrote:
"Bah! Those are puny drinks! Not fit for strong folk of Nifelheim!" A hardy miner said in a low, bass voice, flexing his biceps and collecting his fists "Only Miners Brew will keep you alive in this weather!"

She looked at the miner with little amusement. "I don't need to be drunk to stay alive, thank you very much. I'll get myself some 'puny drinks' then, if you have those."

With that, she walks off to listen in on the conversation of her son and his "significant other.". She was also thinking of what to say to Lightning, as the kind words of the others seem to have fallen on deaf ears, in her head.

"Bah, you don't get it." The miner hopelessly waved at you "You need real drink and good meat, to put some muscle on those puny arms Witcher! Ho Ho Ho!" He drunkenly laughed, before taking a giant drink from his jug, as you walked off.

As you subtly approach within earshot of Ryu and Ursula, their quiet conversation slowly reaches you. They spoke in hushed, calm voices, staring up at the sky.

"...-ever wander what's out there?" Ursula asked.

"Whats... on the other planets, you mean?" Ryu tilted his head, looking up.

"Mhm." Ursula faintly nodded "All we ever knew, was Nifelheim. But once we Migrate to Earth, we'll be on a completely alien planet. A different colored sun, different moon, different fauna and flora. A completely different culture." she shifted her weight, wrapping herself in her arms to stave off the cold:
"I mean, I know we were born there, but we can't remember any of it. Its so... strange, when you think about it."


"...you're wandering if we'll ever fit in," Ryu softly said "out there."

"Mhm." Ursula nodded, seeming mesmerized by the sky.

"Its likely that, we'll all have to find a completely different path in life. We'll have to adapt. Everything we know will change." Ryu finished.

"Our ancestors succeeded somehow," Ursula softly said "when they were first exiled to Nifelheim. I'm sure we'll adapt too." she smirked "There won't be any parasites out there, coming to eat us."

"Maybe I'm just projecting." Ryu heavily sighed "Maybe, I just want a fresh start for myself, you know?"



Ursula lowered her gaze and looked him in the eye "...you're not happy, with your current assignment?"

"This assignment's for life." Ryu smiled, with a slight tint of bitterness, then shook his head "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy I was given this responsibility and I wouldn't trade it for any other calling but, they just don't tell you the full price you'll pay, once you're at the top."
He looked down "...you'd think I wouldn't be lacking in friends or connections, but the truth is, this is a very lonely job. Apart from my family, there's very few people I can truly call my friends."


"Ryu, how come?" Ursula tilted her head in worry. "I don't understand."

He released a genuine smile "...you called me by first name just now, a shorter, familiar version of it, just like usual. Did you notice?"

"I-... I," Ursula awkwardly covered her mouth, as if she said something she shouldn't.


Ryu looked at the sky again "This is what I've been missing. People don't see me as their equal, anymore. They see some... idol to be worshiped, or the physical manifestation of hope and war-spirit of Nifelheim... the only things I hear are 'Your Grace', 'My King', 'Your Majesty'. Political diplomats, trying to gain my favor, military officers buttering me up, fishing for a promotion, nobles hoping to gain my pledge of marriage, to enrich their bloodline with good genes, to gain influence, or just earn prestige and bragging rights among the 'High class society'.

The most harmless of them, are just kind-hearted strangers who incorrectly perceive some sort of perfection in me, and mistake it for genuine love. They all see this grand title - 'The White Flame, Dancing on the Graves of His Enemies, The King of Rakshata'... but they don't see... me.

None of them really know me, or took the time to try. They don't look at me as their equal, and I don't know if they'll ever be able to. They put me on this pedestal and I don't deserve to be there." Ryu shook his head and looked at Ursula:


"The truth is, I'm just another idiot, like everyone else. Struggling to protect what's precious to me, doing the same job as everyone else on this planet - trying to ensure that humanity has a future."



"...Ryu, I'm sorry." Ursula looked down. Her fingers kept nervously intertwining and releasing their grasp again, as if she was struggling to form thoughts.


"You've shed blood beside me." Ryu seriously said "We both killed, bled and crawled through the same dirt together. And you treated me as your equal. Your team mate, your friend, your fellow student of magical arts. I thank you for it." he smiled, and his smile grew gradually wider "...we're even about the same age, I think. If you had joined the Academy at 14, we could've ended up in the same class."


"Ryu," Ursula seriously said "I'm sorry, I didn't spend enough time trying to get to know you. You see me as a friend and I-"

"You can get to know someone quite well, when you fight side by side." Ryu seriously said "The way a man acts, when his life is in danger, says a great deal about him... or her."

"Well... ehehe.." Ursula looked away shyly "...no reason we still can't remedy that..." she looked at him "Hey... do you have any hobbies?"


"I... play piano, occasionally." Ryu awkwardly shuffled his feet "Nothing professional, I assure you. My skill are a far cry from what's demanded of a royal orchestra."

"Eeeeeh, I didn't know that about you." Ursula smiled, you think, its hard to read facial expressions in the dark.

"How 'bout you?" Ryu gestured to her with an open palm.

"I took a professional ice skating class in Lieselotte, while I was at the Witcher academy." she shyly smiled "I still practice it when I have time. Or, I used to... back in my village." She jolted "Oh! And water dancing."

"You were trained to water dance?" Ryu repeated, you can't see his expression but his voice is soft "I've seen a water ballet perform once in Lieselotte, it was mesmerizing"

"Mhm." Ursula shined a blinding smile "That, I still practice seriously. And will continue for sure, even after we Migrate."

"I guess, some things won't change, after all." Ryu smiled, looking up at the sky.



Somewhere in the depths of your soul, you heard Alyx's accusingly bemused click of his tongue:
"Tsk tsk tsk, spying on your children's awkward first date? For shaame Twilight. Lets give them some privacy. After all the grim stuff they've been through, they've earned a moment of respite."