The Unwilling Protagonist

Chapter 29: The Colony and the Enforcers

Opening Theme:

"If I have to keep walking through this goddamn mountain, I'm probably going to kill myself..." Y/N shivered.

"Oh, quit you whimpering, the pass isn't even that long." Geralt said.

"We've been walking non-stop for two days."

"Have you? I was wondering why we were going so slow..."

Rathe raised his hand to stop everyone's march. He pointed over the hill crest he was stopped at and motioned everyone to come to him. What everyone saw made them awe-struck.

Over the hill and at the bottom of the mountain was a small colony with people running down below it. Everyone looked confused at what they were looking at; the Arcana's campaign should have destroyed everything on this side of the mountain, so why was there a village here?

Rathe looked at the village through his spyglass. He could see what looked like human and non-human villagers going about their lives, but then he blackfire instances interacting with these villagers.

"Mistress, do you see that?" Rathe gave Reighland his spyglass. Reighland looked through the spyglass and saw what Rathe saw. Blackfire instances interacting with regular villagers.

"It looks like the Arcana's occupied this village and are subjugating the people there..." Rathe said, "We should strike at them quickly and free the people while we can."

Reighland kept looking through the spyglass. It didn't look like that at all; in fact, the people seemed somewhat happy and content with the blackfire instances occupying their village.

"Rathe, I don't think these people are being subjugated at all..." Reighland said.

"What do you mean? Of course they are. Anything the Arcana doesn't destroy, they enslave. It's why they hire brigands to do their dirty work."

Reighland looked through the spyglass again, surveying the village, until she saw three individuals conversing with each other. Two of them were very close to each other; one of them was taller than the other and both of them had an androgynous appearance. The third one was what concerned Reighland the most. It was a tall woman dressed in white robes with blue stripes and wore a blindfold over their eyes. On her sides were two swords that were sheathed. The blindfolded woman was talking to the other two individuals until she turned and face Reighland's direction. She was looking directly at Reighland through the spyglass.

Reighland lowered the spyglass in surprise.

"We've been spotted." Reighland said.

"What? How?" Rathe asked in confusion.

From below, a bell was ringing loudly and the people below scrambled like ants.

"Well, no time to figure out, I suppose..." Rathe drew his sword, "Everyone, forward!"

"Wait, no!" Reighland protested.

Rathe's horse broke into a gallop down the hill and the rest of the soldiers followed him.

"Oh, you..." Reighland was fuming, but she followed after Rathe and his troops. Y/N and the girls followed her.

"Enforcers, up front!" Justice shouted, "Vanguard, in position!"

"You are enjoying this far too much..." Dom commented.

Justice pulled her chief enforcer aside while he was moving to the perimeter.