ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ (Geralt of Rivia)

xxɪɪɪ.

ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ: xxɪɪɪ.

The soldier had been in front of Cirilla's room. Geralt's eyes fell to something inside, a book, left open.

He stepped into the room, looking at the book. "She loves to read," Thazina noted, the words weak.

He picked up the handful of knuckles that sat on her table. "She plays knucklebones sometimes with the local children. This morning..." Thazina went quiet, sighing to herself.

Geralt nodded stiffly. "We'll find her, Thaz. I know it."

"It's what destiny demands," she replied.

And that was how she found herself sitting atop Roach, Geralt behind her, arms around her waist to keep her steady as they rode through the forest.

Bodies littered the ground as they approached a campsite. 

A man was dragging one of the bodies toward his cart, where other corpses lay.

Geralt stopped before him. The man looked up at the pair. 

"Ill winds follow grave robbers," Geralt noted.

"If I was a robber, I'd be taking their belongings, Butcher," the man answered.

"If I was a butcher, you'd be amongst the corpses," Geralt said.

The man sighed. "I was goin' home to my family when I came upon these poor souls. Cintran refugees. Dead at least a week. Now they're a feast for the crows."

Geralt hesitated, scanning the area. "They're not crows," he said.

"Wolves?" the man guessed.

"No."

The man sighed once more. "With the hands of three, I could move quicker."

"The only thing you should do quickly is flee," Geralt said. He looked down. "Come on, Roach, back to Kaer Morhen."

"Don't leave!" the man stated as Roach started to turn away.

"Geralt," Thazina said softly. "We ought to help."

"Look at these people," the man continued, Geralt ignoring him as he started to ride on. "Innocent people, killed for what? So Nilfgaard can have more land? We owe it to 'em to do better."

"I'm not better," Geralt answered.

And then he was off. Thazina sighed, glancing back at the man. 

"Those were my people," Thazina said. "We should help him. Show that Cintra cares."

Geralt shook his head. "The bodies will attract necrophages."

"All the more reason to turn back, Geralt."

It was Thazina's convincing and the sound of the man screaming that made Geralt turn back toward the camp.

As Geralt had predicted, necrophages were attacking, clawing at the man's legs as they dragged themselves out of the ground.

Thazina started to use her powers, started to ball her hands into fists.

Geralt stopped her, hopping down from Roach's back, leaving the mage in charge of the mare's reins as he drew his sword and killed the two that had emerged, amber eyes turning inky black.

"Go home," he stated as the man moved to see who his rescuer was.

"I can help," the man said.

"One bite will kill you," Geralt replied.

"Or you. Or the girl."

Geralt rose to his feet, staring him down. "Go... home!"

"All right..." The man stumbled to his feet, hurrying to his cart.

Thazina sat tall on Roach's back, watching Geralt make a slow circle around the camp, waiting for any more of the creatures.

Flies buzzed around the corpses.

And then a horrible screech echoed in Thazina's ears as a necrophage leaped up from the dirt, surging toward Geralt only for his sword to cleave through the skeletal beast.

The ground rumbled, showing the path of the next one that made to attack, only for Geralt to bring his sword down hard on the spot where its head was.

One barreled into him from the side, knocking him to the dirt.

He had barely gotten up when two more ran at him. He was grappling with one, trying to throw it off of his sword, when another came up behind, leaping onto his back and hooking its arms around his neck.

The others came at his legs.

Thazina sent a surge of energy in their direction.

They, along with Geralt, flew backward, slamming into trees. The necrophages died on impact as their skulls cracked from the impact. Geralt sat up slightly, only to slump over.

More of them were coming now, swarming the semi-lucid Geralt.

Thazina was shaking. 

Geralt was grappling once more, not fast enough. 

One of them managed a bite to his leg before Thazina sent out another wave, throwing the others back, killing them instantly.

"Fuck," Geralt stated as he looked down at the bite.

"I'm sorry!" Thazina said. "I only meant... I wanted to help."

"You did," he said. "They're dead, aren't they?" He brought a hand to the back of his head. When he drew it away, blood dripped down his fingertips.

He stumbled a few steps to get his sword, turning back toward Thazina and Roach.

Then he fell to his knees, muttering to himself. "Not a happy ever after, after all. A fitting end..."

He keeled over forward, face hitting the dirt.

Thazina screamed.