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| Thread: What if Alci was a witcher? | |
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 01:55 PM |
bonus applied by pandora on 29 Jan 2009. |
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What if Alci was a witcher?
Hey, decided to write a short story in the world created by Andrzej Sapkowski (the witcher). I am of course nowhere near him in terms of writing skill (especially since I wrote this in English which is my secondary language after all), but heck, maybe it will encourage you to read some of his books. It's one of the best fantasy books I know anyway. I guess they finally translated it to English (at least the first few titles), so it's no longer Poles-only stuff 
Here it goes.
Some swearing (ofc censored) + violence. Be warned 
The Drunken Dragon tavern did not have the best reputation. It was known for bar brawls, poor food, diluted piss imitating beer and choked latrines. The strong smell of vomit and urine all over the place was more than enough to scare all travelers away.
Except for those who had no chance. Drunken Dragon was the only place within a radius of many miles where you could eat a piece of meat or rent a bed. Even though the meat was either burnt or completely raw, and the beds were humid and creaky. There wasn't much choice when the only alternative was sleeping on the ground, in a place full of bandits, marauders, ghouls and tax collectors. The tavern provided a fraction of safety with its reinforced walls and bulky bouncers.
It wasn't enough to prevent brawls, of course. Especially not one particular brawl, that would be long remembered by the local thugs and bouncers. Those who survived the onslaught, at least.
It happened late at night, on a cold wintery day. The tavern was half-full by drunks, thugs and cheap prostitutes. The bouncers weren't even trying to pretend they are on duty and were completely absent, occupied by raping a peasant girl in the nearby wall. Her screams mixed with awkward music and swearing. In other words, it was a perfectly usual day.
And then came the man that changed everything.
He attracted attention the moment he entered the tavern. He was tall, well built, completely bald, dressed in studded leather jacket, hilt of a sword clearly visible over his shoulder. When he sat and unlaced the jacket, everyone could see the silver griffin head medallion, previously hidden behind the patch of leather.
Colvo glimped at the sword hanged over his back and spat on the floor.
"Some tough guy he thinks he is", he snorted. "Walking in here like that. Who does he think he is?"
"Beats me", the spotty guy answered. "But I heard about ones like him. Wandering monster killers. Witchers, I believe.
"Witchers. Never heard of that", Colvo glimpsed at the silver medallion. "Think he has anything of worth?"
"That medallion looks like worth a couple of ducats. Besides, I'm bored. I'd gladly kick his @ss for free"
"Yeah", Colvo replied, getting up with a nasty smile. The casual gests, knowing his reputation, quickly moved away from his eyesight, sighing in relief.
Colvo and his thugs used to beat and rob someone every day.
"The medallion looks great. Mind if I take a look?", one of the thugs asked, almost politely, getting closer to the new guest.
He didn't answer. The thug sweared.
"Respond when I talk to you, you son of a *****", he said, drawing even closer. The guest slowly turned his head and gazed at him.
The thug got pale and quickly moved back. The guest's eyes were horrible, yellowish, with vertical pupils.
"What the ****… what is this freak", the thug wheezed. "Colvo, get over here and see yourself"
"I'd rather back off if I were you", the guest spoken silently. He had a harsh, unpleasant voice, with a distant sound of intimidation when he spoke.
"Hey look, he's tough", Colvo laughed as he draw closer. "You know what, you freak? You come to my tavern, sit near my table and you tell me what I should or shouldn't do. And I don't like it. Get the **** out, or we'll talk differently".
"The night is cold", the witcher answered. "I have to stay for the night, afterwards you will never here from me again."
"I won't tolerate your ugly, stupid face for all night under this roof", Colvo spat and hit at him. Everyone held their breath.
The witcher dodged the ungraceful punch while still seating without any effort, merely by twisting his body.
"I really advise you to calm down and go back to your drinking", he said without a trace of emotion in his voice.
"That's it, you bastard, now I'm MAD", Colvo screamed, taking another punch. The witcher dodged it as easily as the last one. Colvo tried three more times, to no avail, after which he tried to kick the still seating opponent in the face, but only managed to lose balance and slam the floor with his butt as the witcher indefatigably dodged.
"Are you done?", the witcher asked calmly. "Now I guess you can get back to drinking beer. Good day."
Colvo got up, ruddy and extremely angry, drawing his sword without thinking.
"You had your chance", the witcher sighed.
He got up before Colvo managed to swing, grabbed the wrist of his attacker and twisted powerfully. The big thug screamed and the sword fell out of his hand. The attacker's hand broke with a loud snap. The witcher released the screaming man from the grip and punched him in the face which send him sprawling across the floor, spilling blood all around from his compound fracture.
"Kill him", Colvo yelled with high pitched voice. "Kill the S.O.B."
The thugs drew their swords and charged. The witcher sighed.
They gave him no chance.
The first one attacked with an overhead swing that the witcher dodged without effort. The strength of the swing caused the thug to nearly drop over, and in such state he couldn't even dream of dodging the cut that was aimed at his carotid artery. Blood gushed out like a fountain, soaking the witcher's leather jacket. The others swung simultaneously, hoping that at least one cut would hit the target, but the witcher didn't try to parry. He jumped forward in a graceful rotation, slashing the right one almost negligently, which was still enough to knock him out of his feet. The guy on his left attempted to stab him with a desperate move, but he only managed to knock himself off balance. He didn't even see the blade coming.
It chopped both his hands, still holding the sword, off.
Someone near the wall puked loudly. The witcher scanned the area calmly. The man with destroyed artery was already dead, he bled to death desperately trying to stem the haemorrhage. The one hit with an apparently clumsy slash was also lifeless, with a nasty cut on his head. The one with severed hands looked at his wrists with vague look, as if he couldn't believe what he saw. The witcher made two swift steps, grabbed his head and with a rapid move, he cut his throat. As the lifeless body crashed on the floor, he laid his eyes on Colvo, crying and giving snotty sounds, still lying on the floor.
"Don't kill me.. please", the man screamed, panic in his eyes. The witcher sighed again and turned back, ignoring the crippled man on the floor.
"Beer please", he said to the innkeeper, sitting.
The innkeeper fainted.
"I don't know what to do with you, mister.. mister.. what's your name, anyway?", the short, podgy man asked, looking at the tall witcher with a mixture of hatred, fear and respect.
"Alcibiades", he answered.
"I know you came here because I called for a witcher, but that's absolutely not a way to introduce yourself to the town.."
"Didn't have much choice. I think the innkeeper has already confirmed it."
"He did, and that's why I am even talking to you", the man squinted. "Should you do this unprovoked, you'd be already hanged."
Alcibiades did not comment on it. The podgy man growled.
"That's all you have to say about it"
"What else can I say", Alcibiades sighed. "You should be grateful that somebody has finally put an end to the band of thugs terrorizing the inn. I guess you wouldn't be too happy if someone important got abused and killed there, say, a royal courier. You would have lots of paperwork afterwards."
The podgy man shifted on his chair.
"As long as I'm the mayor here, nobody gets killed without punishment. Same thing applies to you, mister witcher."
"Fine, I am waiting for the judgement. Can we talk about my assignment before I will be sentenced to death, then?"
The mayor pouted his lips.
"I have called you to get rid of the ghoul problem of my town. You see, people are scared to get out of their houses at night. I want this to end."
"Ghouls don't eat the living", Alcibiades replied. "Are you sure you've identified the monsters correctly?"
"Do I look dumb?", the podgy man winced. "I saw them with my own two eyes".
"Can you describe them?"
"Small, misshapen beings, stinking like a corpse, with blunt claws looking like adjusted to rootling.."
"Seems correct. I still have no idea why would ghouls become predators. They are scavengers by default."
"If they were just scavengers, I'd not hire a professional", the Mayor said with an annoyed tone. "They seem to be coming from across the river. There are a few houses there, which may be the source of our problem. I hired a few mercenaries before you and they didn't return."
"And you sent them alone to fight a horde of ghouls? Very clever".
"Look, we are a poor town, we can't afford that many. Can you simply do it without asking any more questions"
"I have to ask one. About my fee".
"You sure have the nerve to ask me that", the Mayor growled. "After all you've done, you should be more than grateful for me letting you live"
"Looks like my stipulations are a bit higher then. I can agree to do it for 250 ducats".
"You must be ******* stupid. It's either 150 and a trail for a murder, or nothing and no trial. Your choice."
"My choice is 250 and no trial. If you don't agree, I will leave peacefully. If you try to stop me though, you will have a lot more ghouls eating corpses on your streets. Do you really want that?"
The mayor got ruddy.
"Look", he said, pointing his finger at him, malice in his eyes. "Should I yell, a handful of guards will come here to make a canyon of your @ss. Did I make myself clear?"
He didn't even manage to blink before he felt cold steel pressed to his neck.
"Before you can yell, you will be already dead. I already told you, you have two choices", Alcibiades said, pressing the sword harder into Mayor's fat neck. A small drop of blood ran down his sword. "One is to accept my offer. Second is to decline it and let me go. All others have pretty nasty consequences. So, what will it be?"
The pudgy man gulped, rolling his eyes histerically.
"Stop it, stop it!"
"What will it be? I won't repeat myself for the third time".
"gods, all right, all right.. we will pay you..", he said, completely panicked "you madman, just let me go"
Alcibiades put away his sword. The mayor coughed, looking very pale.
"I… I can't pay you more than.. 200. I'm sorry.", he said tonelessly, looking at the blade with fear in his eyes.
"Deal.", the witcher answered, getting up. As he got near the door, the Mayor stopped him.
"Alcibiades.."
"Yes?", he turned around, looking straight into Mayor's eyes, and then, lowering his gaze, to spot a small arbalet that the Mayor desperately tried to lift.
The Mayor gulped. The arbalet slipped from his grasp.
"Nothing. Good luck.", he said, hiding his face in his hands.
To be continued.
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 02:07 PM |
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Ah yes, and if someone knows how to fix the coding, please tell me.
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Asheera
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Elite Assassin
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posted November 23, 2008 02:10 PM |
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Well copy and paste the whole thing in Notepad. Go to Edit->Replace.
Find What: ’
Replace With: '
And then click Replace All.
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 02:11 PM |
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I replaced the word document's " version by normal ". Works like a charm now. 
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Asheera
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Elite Assassin
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posted November 23, 2008 02:36 PM |
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Edited by Asheera at 14:36, 23 Nov 2008.
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Wow awesome
Go Alc go! those Ghouls are history
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted November 23, 2008 03:06 PM |
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Very nice!
Man... why haven't I bought the witcher books yet? Gotta order them soon.
Oh, and one thing I've been wondering about since I joined here... isn't it ok to say @ss? I've been saying it without the @ for a year or so... 
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Darkshadow
Legendary Hero
Cerise Princess
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posted November 23, 2008 03:06 PM |
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It is, though some people don't like it
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted November 23, 2008 03:08 PM |
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Go Alc!
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H5 is still alive and kicking, join us in the Duel Map discord server!
Map also hosted on Moddb
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 03:08 PM |
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Thanks.
Dunno about the @ss, I'm just used to writing it like that everywhere (some forums are very strict about swearing).
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Asheera
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Elite Assassin
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posted November 23, 2008 03:15 PM |
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btw, Doom, from the COC:Quote:
2) NO bad language, profanity, vulgarity or swearing.
Censored vulgar words may be implied, but only for non-insulting purposes. To do this, the vulgar word must be replaced entirely with ***** characters by holding the SHIFT key and pressing the number 8 key (US keyboards). For example: f*** is not allowed, while **** is allowed, given that the statement is not an insult.
So as much as I don't like this, maybe you should edit your post and censor that f word completely.
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 03:15 PM |
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Seems I have to.
All right, now its fully censored. Pretty easy to guess what word was there before, though
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted November 23, 2008 03:17 PM |
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As long as you censor and don't overuse this kind of swearing it's fine. If you do it regularly or use it to provoke people it's unacceptable of course but Doomforge is nothing like that
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H5 is still alive and kicking, join us in the Duel Map discord server!
Map also hosted on Moddb
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 23, 2008 03:18 PM |
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haha thanks  But I did it anyway. Rules are rules.
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
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posted November 23, 2008 03:48 PM |
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Quote:
Very nice!
Man... why haven't I bought the witcher books yet? Gotta order them soon.
Borrow them (unless you're a horribly slow reader...)
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If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted January 28, 2009 04:14 PM |
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Second - and final - part is finally done, guys.
The river stank of crap and rotten meat. Alcibiades sighed. It seemed there really is no boat that can take him to the other side of the river, and it was a bit too wide to swim through. The fishermen were either too scared to open the door, or, after seeing his face and eyes, making a swift attempt at closing the door immediately and barring it. He could stop them with his inhuman reflexes easily, but he never really forced people to do anything for him. He was a professional, after all.
A professional who couldn't cross a stupid, stinking river.
He spat, scratching his polished, bald head. The sum offered by the mayor wasn't outrageous, but it wasn't that good, either. He agreed mostly because he had no choice. It was either to agree, or to slay at least a couple dozen people in order to get out of the town. He didn't enjoy killing people. Not those who actually did not do anything wrong to him, anyway. Not that he had a choice, in most cases.
His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet sound of footsteps. Someone obviously was trying to stalk him, and judging by almost complete lack of sound his foots made, the person was a trained professional. And that never meant any good. Did the mayor felt outraged to a point where he ordered his best men to kill him? It didn't scare him, because an ordinary human could not match his speed and reflex. But it obviously put his fee under a question mark.
He could already hear the stalker's breathing, even though he still wasn't anywhere in proximity. His hearing, amplified by a special formula known only to witchers, could not be fooled by a mere human. It was meant to give him an edge over monsters that made absolutely no sounds until they were an inch behind you.
- Why are you stalking me? – he said loudly, tired of the awkward situation.
The man, whose silhouette was barely visible in the dark night, froze, clearly surprised that his efforts of getting close to the witcher were in vain. He could see the outline of a hunting bow the man had hanged over his arm.
- I.. uh, well..
- If you want to kill me, better go and drown yourself at that stinking river already, that will save me some time – the witcher said, sighing.
- Why that weird thought? I'm actually here to help you – the man said, straightening up and forsaking the futile attempt of stalking.
- And you're trying to get silently behind my back. That is so helpful, I'm really impressed – the witcher smiled.
- I, uhh, couldn't resist the temptation to check on those legends about witchers' perception – the man responded – and I'm glad to see they are true.
- So, you said you want to help me? – The witcher scratched his head again.
- Yes, the mayor told me to get you across the river…
- … and get rid of me after I'm done, right? – The witcher guessed, coldly.
- Umm.. Can't really say that. Anyway, what's your name?
- It's not really important. Where's the ferry?
- Hidden in the bushes. Come with me..
The man fumbled in the pocket for a short while, than made some swift moves, eventually producing a torch using a rag, a stick and some sort of gesture. The gesture was meant to be invisible to Alcibiades' eyes, but his medallion vibrated slightly, and it became obvious to him that the man was a mage. His medallion reacted to even slightest hints of magic, a mandatory feat for tracking down monsters created, willingly or unwillingly, by magic. He made no remark, though, acting oblivious.
- First time I see a witcher to my own two eyes – the man said slowly, raising the torch a bit higher to see him. – Your eyes are indeed weird. No wonder the peasants were scared to help you.
- You tracked me all along? – Alcibiades asked.
- That's my job.
The man entered an inconspicuously looking pile of bushes, and emerged a while after with a smile at his face.
- The boat's right here. I'm meant to take you to the other side.
- I can go myself.
- You can't. You see, you asked me if I'm meant to kill you. No, I am not. But I'm meant to supervise you on your mission, and to provide help.
- How generous. I don't need help. I work alone.
- I'm good with a bow – the man explained calmly. – If there will be any ghouls you miss, I will happily put a few arrows through them.
- You can't kill a ghoul with arrows. Don't even try. You'll only draw their attention to you, and they ran rather fast.
- Who said I'll use ordinary arrowheads? I have a few silver ones.
Alcibiades sighed. If the man really wanted to risk his life, so be it.
- Is that an agreement? – The man spoke again.
- Look, if you want to get killed, it's not really my problem. But don't say I didn't warn you.
- I can take care of ghouls. Trust me.
He said nothing. The man puffed a couple times, simulating an attempt to get the boat on water, and made another secret gesture that make the heavy boat raise an inch above ground and fly slowly to its destination. Alcibiades didn't comment.
- There, it's done. – The man turned around. – By the way. My name's Elvin. I know you said yours is not important, but I still want to know it, anyway.
- Alcibiades – he said, entering the creaking boat. – If you really insist to act like a ferryman, be my guest, but don't expect me to do the rowing, then.
- Of course not – Elvin agreed, grabbing the oars. He feigned some rowing, and the witcher's pendant vibrated. The boat moved, Elvin still feigning.
He remained silent.
Half across the way, Elvin broke the silence.
- It's rather.. unconventional situation, you see.
Alcibiades didn't respond.
- Those aren't ordinary ghouls, you see. I mean, ghouls aren't predators, naturally, am I right?
- Yes – He adjusted his sword, making sure the hilt was in correct position
- Those keep attacking people that get too close to river, though. Living people.
- Indeed a rare situation, but not impossible.
- Care to elaborate?
- Not really.
Elvin remained silent for the rest of the conveyance. As the sweet flag covering the other side of the river became visible, Alcibiades focused. Ghouls weren't the problem for him, but he could tell already that they weren't his real target. There was something greater hidden in the dark, and he could already guess what it was.
The boat moored.
- All right, we're here – Elvin whispered. Alcibiades smiled under his breath.
- No need to whisper. They can track their dinner up to ten kilometers with their smell anyway. The ghouls are already alerted.
The man looked surprised and impressed.
- You sure know a lot about those … things.
- That's my job – he mimicked his sentence, stepping on the sodden sand. Elvin followed. – Put out that torch. The light reflections and shades can mislead my sword.
- Where are we going? – Elvin asked, obeying witcher's wish.
- To a place where there is a lot of room.
- Why? Aren't you going to search for the ghouls?
- No need to search. They will come willingly. Soon.
A loud, barking sound came from somewhere not far away. Elvin, looking alarmed, carefully took his bow, checking the strain of the bowstring with his thumb. The marched in silence in darkness. Elvin could barely see anything. The witcher seemed not to have such problems, though, quickly locating a piece of rocky beach that would prevent his feet from sticking in the sodden soil.
- How fast will they come?
The witcher didn't bother to answer. The sound, much louder this time, came from the bushes right behind them. The ghouls smelled meat and nothing could prevent them from tracking him now. Not that he objected. The monsters spared him some time that he would normally have to waste by dragging a stinking corpse here to lure them.
Elvin scanned the bushes, looking puzzled in the dark. The witcher smiled. People were so helpless in the dark, their petty senses confusing them rather then helping them in a critical situation. He was different. There was no point in denying that he didn't felt human at such moments.
The monsters came swiftly, jumping out of the bushes. Elvin groaned and made a few steps backwards, trying to focus his sight. Alcibiades didn't understand why did he risk his life in such a bad situation by not using magic, but he decided that it wasn't ultimately his problem. The potion he has swallowed before his task burned in his veins, and the euphoria of the incoming battle overwhelmed his feelings. His jaws clenched together as he withdrawn his sword with a precise, automatic move, thoughts vaporized, replaced by battle hunger.
Elvin blinked. The muffled slashing sounds and agonizing barking filled the area in front of him, almost merging with each other, resulting in a confusing cacophony. He could only judge the location of the witcher by moonlight reflections on his silver sword, but he couldn't believe his eyes. The sword simply moved too fast for his eyes to keep up, blending into silvery streams.
The witcher dodged, spun around, slashed. The ghoul roared, tracking his severed leg with its blighty eyes, until the next precise cut closed them up for good. There were many ghouls, but the number of corpses around were almost as numerous. The witcher kept dancing, his mind managing somehow to calculate the path of all the claws and jaws aimed at his body and come with a solution that would evade all of the blows and throw in another slash that would reduce the number of potential threats by one. Or two, if he was lucky. Stinking excretion spattered on his face. The ghoul, cut in half, blocked the two other ones, who in result crashed with each other. His mind didn't miss the opportunity. A long, powerful blow cleaved both of the creatures' heads at the same time.
His mind didn't rage anymore. It was quiet, precise, focused on the murderous dance he had known so well. Which time was it? Hundredth? Thousandth? Millionth? He could not recall, his memory blank, as if the brain used every extra part to calculate his movements and slashes. It felt almost distant. Almost serene.
Like always, he didn't notice the battle was over in time, still standing in his battle stance, weight carefully put on one leg, in position in which he could almost instantly dodge or attack. The burning in his veins felt almost painful. How many times more will he have to endure it? How many times left, before the one particular monster, the end of every witcher's path, will manage to get past through his inhuman reflexes, perception and skills and put and end to his existence?
- It's not possible for a human to move that fast. – Elvin said with a changed voice.
- Who said I'm human – he answered, slowly lowering his sword arm. – Do you really think a human could do this?
Elvin glimpsed at horribly mutilated bodies of the monsters and slowly shook his head.
- So it's over? – he finally asked?
- No. We're not done. There is still one thing to be done.
The witcher went forward. Elvin followed wordlessly.
***
The stinking, half-rotten huts weren't appealing to the eye, but they didn't care. Elvin produced another torch, without pretending he didn't know magic, this time. Alcibiades didn't care.
- What are you looking for?
- There are certain.. monsters, that can take such place in possession – the witcher replied with a tired voice. – And all the nearby ghouls gather around to obey them. This is the only way the ghouls can became predators.
- Are they any threat to you?
- Depending what type of creature is it. If we want the ghoul problem to end, we have to get rid of it.
His sight focused on a house that didn't look particularly different from others, but the vibrations of his pendant clearly marked it as the lair of the creature.
- This is it. I'm going in. And you wait here.
- Look, I wasn't to any real use to you on the beach – Elvin protested – but I bet I can help you here.
The witcher didn't respond, trying to open the rotten door.
- Let me help – Elvin said, making a complicated gesture. The door burst open so rapidly that it flew out of its hinges.
The witcher nodded, entering the house.
It was dark and stank so horribly that Elvin's eyes clouded with tears. Alcibiades gestured him to stop so he could hear the murmurs coming from the cellar. Elvin nodded. The witcher took a deep breath and a step forward.
The monster didn't wait for them.
He jumped from the stinking hole in the floor, roaring. It was much bigger than the ghouls Alcibiades fought on the beach, almost twice a grown man's size, filling the whole room with an aura of stinking fear. Alcibiades barely dodged the swipe directed at his head, but not without difficulties, Elvin noticed. The monster's attacks didn't follow any pattern and were much, much swifter than an ordinary ghoul's movements, despite his size. And the fact the room they fought in wasn't exactly big was to his advantage. Alcibiades could move as freely as he wanted.
The silver sword draw a glittering arc in the air as it cut the monster deeply in the neck. The oversized ghoul roared horribly and slammed his fists at the ground with such force that the shockwave threw Alcibiades off balance. He dodged the swipe meant to tear him to pieces by a acrobatic summersault, and immediately jumped forward, lashing the monster with his sword repeatedly, aiming at the same spot, that quickly turned into a vast wound. Black blood spurted out, yet the monster seemed unaffected, getting faster and faster with each second. Elvin blinked. His hands did not obey his thoughts.
Alcibiades crooked his fingers in a weird way, throwing a wave of pure force at the monster that almost tripped it over, followed by a fierce, powerful cut at the monster's exposed wound, the amount of force used by the witcher caused the sword to sing in the air. Elvin had no doubts. This was the final move, meant to decapitate the monster. He almost heard the sound of the abomination's oversized head hitting the ground.
He didn't hear it. Instead, he heard a distinctive sound of rotten wood breaking under the witcher's foots. Alcibiades put too much power into his slash and couldn't even dream of controlling his movement. He slipped and crashed onto the floor, managing to retain his grasp on his sword. The monster got up, roared and jumped.
Elvin gulped and threw his hand in front of him. The stream of light not only halted the monster, but also cut into his wound, making it even more severe, making the black blood vaporize under the extreme heat. Alcibiades didn't wait even a second, getting to his feet and swinging, simultaneously. The sword cut through the monster's powerful spine and decapitated it with a popply sound. The giant, headless body swayed for a moment, then crashed loudly on the floor.
Elvin slowly turned to face the witcher. His face was pale, tired. He slowly lowered the sword, but the mage refused to lower his hand. The witcher smiled, faintly. He knew it.
- Go ahead.
Elvin remained silent, his finger pointed at the witcher.
- You know.. I lied to you.
- I know. You don't have to explain yourself. Just do it.
- I indeed was told to kill you, the moment you take care of our problem. – Elvin said with a low voice. – I couldn't do it myself. You probably know..
- I knew.
- It's really.. nothing personal – Elvin said, sounding uncertain.
- Just do it already – the witcher sighted – like it did matter is it personal or not.
Elvin sighted too.
- Look, everybody is tired with that bastard, mayor Dougal. Did you know that the thug Colvo is in fact his brother? The rule the place, they are above the law. This place is a mess.
The witcher did not respond.
- You're not the most talkative type – Elvin said slowly – But I have a feeling.. that I can trust you. That you can help me to end this.
- Why not do it yourself?
- I.. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I will fail to kill all of them, that they will shoot me in the back or something. Don't look at me like that, damnit! I'm not a mutant like you. I feel fear.
- And you need a witcher to do the dirty work for you.
- I know you can reflect arrows with your sword. That's all I'm asking you.
- So you want me to be your little meat shield.
Elvin bit his lips.
- They are scared of you. They would put all attention at you. That would give me enough time to prepare a spell that would destroy them all. You know that bigger spells need longer preparation, don't you.
- I can deflect one arrow, maybe two. Not twelve at the same time. And the mayor's personal army is bigger than that.
- You would still hold long enough for me to prepare – Elvin said with a pleading voice – we can get rid of that blight together. Do you really want them to terrorize this town any longer?
Alcibiades laughed. Elvin looked at him, shocked.
- You don't understand a damn thing, mage. I'm not an avenger. I'm a witcher. A soulless mutant, a monster, created to kill other monsters. I don't give a **** about mayor Dougal, Colvo or anything else. I don't give a **** whether they terrorize the place, kill people or rape infants. As long as they pay me, I will do what they ask, and leave peacefully, not caring who they are and what they do. And I will definitely not participate in this folly. Find yourself another meat shield.
Elvin shook his head, puzzled.
- So you say.. even if they raped little children.. torture them.. you wouldn't act?
Alcibiades look into his eyes and sighted. He was tired. He didn't care any more. He ignored the medallion, vibrating wildly, as if he tried to stop him from thinking. But it was too late, and he was too tired.
- No. – he answered.
That was the last lie in his life.
The scarlet beam launched from the fingertip of the mage hit him in directly in the chest. He didn't feel really anything, neither pain nor relief, as if the void in his heart took over to embrace him and shield him from feelings until his lifeless body hit the floor and oblivion closed his eyes and his heart forever.
The mage remained motionless for a long while, staring blankly at the silver pendant, clearly visible in the dark, reflecting the timid rays of moonlight, streaming through the broken window.
Then, he turned around and just left.
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Asheera
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Elite Assassin
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posted January 28, 2009 04:37 PM |
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AwesomeQuote:
My name's Elvin
This was clearly a surprise, at least for me.
Kinda sad ending, poor Alc
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del_diablo
Legendary Hero
Manifest
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posted January 28, 2009 05:02 PM |
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Hmmm, i guess the orginal books are a littel better so i guess i will have to read em sooner or later.
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted January 28, 2009 06:47 PM |
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sure they are
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted January 28, 2009 07:11 PM |
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Umm the end doesn't make much sense unless a witcher hates his life so much. And Elvin sounds like a guy I would not trust from the start lol
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H5 is still alive and kicking, join us in the Duel Map discord server!
Map also hosted on Moddb
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted January 28, 2009 07:31 PM |
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The original witcher also didn't like or value his life too much. Felt very purposeless ;p It changed of course towards the end of the book, but I liked his original personality more.
And he just didn't expect to be killed. He just wanted so much to tell the guy he's not what he thinks he is. Maybe I didn't make it very clear But hey, I couldn't write "he hoped he will change his mind".
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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