Reincarnation ➵ The Witcher

xxxviii.

EDITH knew she was stupid for making this decision, and in that moment she questioned her life choices. The building smelled deadly of decay and rot, and she had to hold back a gag at the vile stench. She had entered the building minutes after the pair before her, but this did little in preventing her from getting lost in the labyrinth of hallways filled with twists and turns meant for confusion.

The darkness attempted to shroud the area, but the gray lighting from outside kept the place viewable. She had walked over a few pieces of human remains once or twice but she attempted to keep her gaze straight forward in a wanted ignorance. The place was hardly standing on its own two feet, and Edith knew for a fact she was incredibly dumb for following them both solely for the reason of proving a point. She debated calling out Geralt's name, but the echoing silence with the sight of dust floating across her vision stopped her in her wake. She knew nothing. Her brain was a large canvas filled to the brim with colors, however, the color of the creatures in the world beyond was an undiscovered shade. She didn't know a thing about what Geralt was hunting - and it made her fear all the worse. For all she knew, it could be hunting her right now - but she wouldn't know.

Her footsteps created a pattern on the floor, and as she turned a corner stealthily she was met with an unwelcomed sight of more human remains, but also with a staircase leading towards a large window shredding light down upon her. She thought about her options, before mustering the courage to make her way up the stairs. This is a bad idea. A reaaallly bad idea.

Halfway up the stairs, she could hear muttering voices coming from a door opened ajar on the landing. Edith froze, her heartbeat increasing in fear, debating running down the stairs as quick as possible and jumping out of a window if she had to.

Against her better judgement, she continued, knowing that the voices could easily belong to Geralt and Triss and she was most likely overthinking the entire situation. Her footsteps increased in pace, and rounding to the half open door she sighed in relief seeing Triss and Geralt's figures in the room.

Edith's hands pushed the door open the rest of the way, and cringed at the creak it let out at her action, "Hey guys." She started, and froze when Geralt's gaze whipped onto her with a hidden fury, "Got room for one more?"

Triss was crouched near a wooden chest, hands burried within it, and Geralt was focused on the four poster bed before Edith interrupted, now Geralt glared at her and Triss watched the pair in mild amusement.

"Are you deaf?" Geralt questioned, head titlted in her direction with a bite to his words that failed to sting Edith, "Or do you just never listen?"

"Mhm, well, if I had to pick I'd say the latter."

Geralt sighed in resignation, turning back to his observation despite her actions, "The latter it is." He murmured, and Edith moved to stand closer to the ashen haired man.

Her gaze flickered around the empty room, and the state of it wasn't any better from the rest of the building. Geralt was avoiding her gaze, but Triss went back to her observation of the room without a second to spare.

"Don't wander off." Geralt gruffly stated, and she nodded at his quietened words, "I mean it."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes at him, instead perking at the sound of music coming from Triss's actions, watching as she found a hidden shelf underneath the contraption.

"Geralt," Triss began, and Edith watched as he turned towards her location, her hands busied with paper, "Letters. From Queen Sancia, Foltest and Adda's mother."

Edith's eyebrows rose at the information, and her irises gazed at Geralt expectantly. What now? She almost expected the creature to jump out and kill them all, just to aid the creepy tension the place carried. Her gaze filtered around the room, a somber feel present that almost suffocated the atmosphere.

Probably no double update again today - weekends are tough to update twice on cus of work, and it's a struggle to even get one chapter done xd.