The Witcher: Oblivion

Chapter One

"Death comes to all of us. . ."

Those words haunted the young brunette as she sat against the brick wall with her knees hugged to her chest tightly. She listened to the sound of the Nilfgaardian footsteps that approached on the other side of the wall.

Her ragged breath fogged the air, leaving her to lift her hand. She clamped it over her mouth and tried her best to breathe quietly through her congested sinuses.

"Find her and bring her back alive!"

The brunette gasped, clamping her hands over both of her ears. Her eyes squeezed shut as the voice of her father bounced off of the walls of her skull.

"That is what you deserve. . ."

She staggered to her feet as the soldiers passed, and she darted into the opposite direction. Her worn, hole-infested boots left marks in the mud beneath her, causing her to stop.

Without hesitation, she jumped on one foot to pry each boot off before throwing them down. She tried her best to maneuver through the patches of grass to avoid the thickening gunk.

The air was cold against her pale skin as she ran. Her lungs felt like sandpaper the more she ran out of oxygen, but she refused to stop.

The brunette gasped when the sound of one of the Nilfgaardian soldier's voices pierced her ears. She lifted her head to see them as they crossed over the hill.

"There!"

She turned back quickly and darted for the edge of the forest she was gaining on. She ignored the pain in her tired calves and the numbness in her toes, because she knew that her life depended on it.

She weaved through the trees inside of the forest without any thought as the forest grew darker and foggier. The farther she got herself in, the gloom increased.

Her foot caught upon a thick root within the ground, sending her flying forward. She gasped as she flew downhill, smacking her head against a log.

The woman laid there motionless, unable to hear as ringing filled her ears. Blood oozed from her temple and various slices from branches and such on the skin of her arms and face.

She closed her eyes and moaned as her body ached.

"Don't— Don't. . ." She said as her body became heavy. "I'm not a monster."

And within seconds, she fell into unconsciousness.

When she woke, the forest was still dim and gloomy. She didn't open her eyes right away, but decided to question whether she was alive or in the after life.

But when leaves crackled in the distance, she opened her eyes quickly. Everything was a blur for a long second, but as she sat up and turned her head, her sight adjusted back to normal.

She could no longer hear their thoughts. But the sound of footsteps grew closer. . .

Standing to her feet, she limped towards the nearest tree and stared into the direction of the sound.

She watched as something brown walked through, heading towards the swamp over the steep hill. A doe.

Her stomach rumbled at the sight of the young doe as it disappeared over the hill. She had no weapon to kill for food. She'd just have to make up a way.

She focused her hearing on the sound of the doe's heartbeat as she walked slowly. She climbed the hill and avoided the dead leaves scattered on the bed of the forest.

The doe stood before the pond, observing its choices of food. It's heart was calm, not aware just yet that it was being hunted.

The woman crouched and tried to put an idea together in her brain as to how to kill the doe. There would be no chance of getting close enough to strangle it or snap its neck.

Nothing came to mind.

So, she pulled an idiotic move and began nearing the doe as it fed on the mossy grass before the swamp.

Bubbles surfaced within the swamp water, and the doe turned its head and stared at the calm water. The woman did the same, unaware of what could be lurking.

And as she lost focus on the doe's heartbeat, she found it unsettling to hear two other heartbeats.

When a large monster rose from the waters, her eyes flew wide, and she fell backwards. It appeared to be fighting with a man, who somehow managed to fend for himself with a sword in his hand.

The girl got back on her feet and ran through the woods again in the opposite direction she came from. Although the man and the monster weren't aware of her presence, she didn't care.

She gave up running, and slowed down as she breathed heavily. Her ribs ached and her chest was sore, and her head was pounding from the strike she took to it by the log.

As she walked, she noticed another animal standing in an open area.

A horse.

It had been a relief for the first time to see a living being that wouldn't attack her on instinct.

She made a clicking sound with her lips, and the horse huffed as it turned its head to look at her.

"Easy, pretty one." She whispered, stepping closer. She eyed the horse cautiously as he turned around, facing her completely. The horse kicked the dirt softly with his right hoof.

Lifting her hand, she stroked the horse's mane slowly to show that she meant no harm. He seemed to appreciate her gesture, telling her this as he leaned more into her hand.

She smiled and stepped in front of him. "You're a beautiful girl."

The sound of a low growl snapped her into an alert gesture. The woman took a step back, only to gasp as she ran into someone.

As she turned around, her blood ran cold.

It was the same man, who fought the monster in the lake. His long, white hair was wet as it was slicked back from his face, revealing a pair of black pupils surrounded by several dark veins within the skin of his face. His skin was incredibly pale in the gloomy light.

She moved away from him and found herself staring at him in horror, and back down at the sword in his hand.

"I—I didn't know." She stuttered.

The man took a step forward, and she watched as the veins within his cheeks faded away slowly from her eyesight. His eyes went from coal to gold orbs within seconds.

She blinked several times as he stared at her.

"Your. . . Your eyes." She said, flabbergasted.
"Hmm," the man hummed. She watched as he placed his sword back into its rightful place, before patting the horses' neck. "Black as night, gold as day."

Her head began to ache, but she tried to ignore the pain shooting through her temple.

"You're not going to kill me?" She asked. The man stopped, before glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"Why would I?" He asked. She felt a lump form in her throat, causing her to gulp.

Before she could answer, the pain within her temple worsened. She pressed her fingers to her head, panicking as her eyesight grew blurry.

The man watched as she stumbled backwards. He could notice the blood now that ran down her face.

"I'm not a monster." She gasped. The woman fell to the ground, her eyelids heavy.

And the last thing she saw before passing out, was the tall, soaked man kneeling down and hovering over her.