At the Edge of the World

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    dezz (100)

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    "I know she can handle herself." Egon nodded, his shoulders squaring as his body tensed. He wasn't so much worried about Anfrih fighting, but rather how difficult it would be to get the teachers there to agree to let a woman undergo the mutations and trials. That, and he was worried if she would even be able to survive them. More young boys died trying to undergo their transformations than those who made it out, which was obvious seeing as how few witchers there actually were.

    "We can worry about all of that when it happens. My focus now is just making sure I can keep her safe until we get there." He grunted, letting out a sigh as he tried to let his shoulders droop, trying to relax. "We should try to get some sleep." Egon muttered, leaning over to place another piece of wood into the fire, to ensure it would continue to warm them through out the night.
    The next morning, Verris had awoken early before anyone else. Sitting up on her little makeshift bed, she rubbed her eyes and looked around, first seeing Egon and Anfrih curled in on one another. Turning her head to the left, she saw Geralt sleeping like a stone on his back. Rising to her feet, she pulled her cloak around her shoulders and rifled through her bag until she pulled out a little empty vial. Tying her cloak at her neck, she headed out of the clearing, but not far enough away so she couldn't see her way back. There was a small river running through the woods, and fresh running water was just what she needed for her protection spell. If she could do it correctly, putting the fire out with potion would hide their tracks and make it a little harder for the brotherhood to follow them, if they were being tracked at all.

    Egon heard the rustling noises of the young girl disappearing into the woods, but he laid still for a few more minutes until he could will himself to open his eyes. "Where is she going?" He grunted, but low enough to where if anyone heard him, it would've only been Anfrih. Sitting up, the witcher closed his eyes once more, listening to the young girls footsteps, hearing her stop just at a creek not far from them. He didn't hear anything else, no wolves, no bears, nothing to be worried about, so he didn't see the sense in chasing after her.

    @ katahdin
    February 19th, 2020 at 06:33pm
  • katahdin

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    Anfrih let out a tired groan when she felt Egon stir next to her, the cold morning air chilling her as he moved his body away from hers to sit up. With a little whine she rolled onto her other side to face him, reaching an arm up to grab at his armor and give a tug, wanting him to lay back down and keep her warm while they slept. "Don't worry.. Just come back to sleep." She murmured, finally cracking her eyes open a bit to look up at the man she loved with all her heart.

    Geralt was sound asleep when Verris initially woke at his side but the rustling of her pulling on her cloak before moving into the woods woke him, although he remained laying down with his eyes closed as he listened to her move through the forest. He also noted that Egon and Anfrih seemed to be awake, although it was clear the latter wanted to continue to sleep. Opening his eyes finally he realized it was just after dawn, and with a grunt he forced himself to sit up, muscles stiff from sleeping on the ground. "It's time to leave." He grumbled when he'd finally woken up enough to find his voice, beginning to pack away his and Verris's makeshift beds.
    February 19th, 2020 at 08:57pm
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    Egon rubbed his hands over his face, forcing himself to ignore Anfrih's invitation to lie back down. He knew this bit of commotion would soon draw Geralt awake and once he was up, they would be leaving. That, and the makeshift bed underneath of him wasn't doing any good for his back. He tilted his head to the side and looked towards Geralt when he heard him grunt, watching as the white-haired witcher pushed himself up off of the ground.

    Turning back to Anfrih, he leaned over to rub his hand over her first. "We can't, it's time to get up." He patted her cheek softly with his hand before pushing himself to his feet. He kicked a bit of dirt over the flames that were still ablaze in the group's small camp fire.

    Verris appeared through the trees once more, swirling the vial around in her hand as she noticed everyone was slowly pulling themselves to their feet. Uncorking the vial, she moved over to the dead fire and poured the little concoction over the charred, smoking wood, before dropping the little container back into her pocket.

    Egon moved to ready the horses, and noticing Geralt was busy picking up their beds, the princess moved over to her friend, helping her up off of the ground. "I'll help you get your stuff together," Verris offered, smiling up at Anfrih as she hurried to roll up the other witcher's bed.

    @ katahdin
    February 25th, 2020 at 12:09am
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    Anfrih whined sleepily when he removed her hand from his armor and patted her cheek as he told her it was time to wake up, huffing in irritation as she sat up finally to begin to help pack up their things. She looked over at Verris as she came over to help pick up, offering her a sleepy smile. "There's no need, Princess.. I don't have much anyway." She said, rolling up her sleeping roll before putting the last of her things into her bag. "Thank you, though." She stood and headed over to the horses, helping Egon to strap their bags to their horses.

    Geralt silently packed up their belongings moving over to Verris once he was done. "Are you alright? Did you sleep alright?" He asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We'll ride to the nearest village to look for work, and you and Anfrih will be able to rest while we're gone." He explained softly. He figured it was best not mention that the group would be parting ways after, not wanting to worry her.
    February 25th, 2020 at 01:03am
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    Verris bit down on her lip as she watched Anfrih head to Egon, almost startled when Geralt came up behind her. Turning on her heel, she looked up at the man and nodded, "I slept fine, yes." The young princess couldn't help but lean into his hand when he ran a strand of hair behind her ear.

    Egon looked up to Anfrih when she stepped up next to him, wondering momentarily if she would be upset to know they planned on splitting up. He thought about mentioning it to her, but ultimately deciding it would be better to wait. He'd rather tell her when Verris wasn't around, if he told her beforehand. He secured their last bag and gave his horse a single pat before straightening his posture. "Sleeping on the ground feels great, doesn't it?" He teased, half expecting Anfrih to grow tired of the witcher lifestyle sooner, rather than later.

    He mounted his horse and allowed room for Anfrih to slide up in front of him. Eyeing over to the side, he watched as Geralt and Verris were getting situated atop Roach, barely muttering anything before he rode off with Anfrih. "You can get some more rest in the town up ahead, it'll be a short ride." The guard still looked exhausted, and hopefully, there would be easy work too.

    @ katahdin
    February 26th, 2020 at 07:54pm
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    Geralt gave her a faint smile as she leaned her head into his hand, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek before turning to help her up onto Roach before mounting the horse himself. "It'll be a short ride to the next town. Hopefully there will be an inn where you and Anfrih will be able to rest and eat." He said once she was settled, following Egon and the guard as they rode off ahead of them.

    "Softer than a dungeon's floor." Anfrih muttered with a small smile, although it didn't reach her tired eyes. She grunted as she hoisted herself up onto Egon's horse, getting situated before the Witcher rode off, headed toward the nearest town. She found herself leaning back against his sturdy chest, the cool morning air chilling her despite the warm clothes she wore. She'd have to buy new ones soon, anyway, since hers were beginning to fall apart.

    "What will you be doing, if you're not resting with me?" She asked softly, glancing back at him curiously. He and Geralt seemed up to something, but she didn't want to pry too much.
    February 26th, 2020 at 08:06pm
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    dezz (100)

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    "We have a long road ahead of us. We will need coin unless you want to sleep on the ground every night and eat whatever I can hunt up." He laughed, the wind tossing through his hair. His horse seemed to instinctively know the way, leading them out of the thick forest to a dirt road that would have them within the next town in an hour or so.

    "Geralt and I will try to find some work while you and Verris can rest and get something to eat." He hoped Anfrih didn't try to argue with him, knowing the guard would probably want to tag along. So would the princess, but he would hold firm on his decision. They would only get in the way and if either of them wound up hurt... "Hopefully there's something lurking around that needs our attention."

    The town came into view shortly. It was a quiet, small village but there was at least an inn and that's all they needed. Guiding his horse up to the stable, Egon slid down before helping Anfrih dismount. "I can gather our things, care to grab me an ale?" He smiled, pulling coins from his pocket.

    Verris looked around the place, almost wondering if it was nearly abandoned. A few chickens ran around the inn and she could see one man trudging along down the road. If it weren't for noise coming from within the inn, she'd bet it was a ghost town. Getting to her feet, sliding off the horse, she looked up at Geralt and crossed her arms over her chest. "So, we get to bore ourselves to death while you track down a big scary monster?" The smile that pulled at her face was meant to relay that it was just a tease as she stood back and gave him room.

    @ katahdin
    February 26th, 2020 at 08:23pm
  • katahdin

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    "I can always use you as a pillow." Anfrih teased softly, smiling back at him as he laughed. She wanted to kiss him, to run her fingers through his beautiful curls, but now wasn't the time. She let out a sigh when he explained that he and Geralt would be off fighting a monster or two while she and Verris were expected to stay behind and wait for them. "I'm not helpless, you know. I could help you and Geralt. Three swords are better than two." She pointed out as they came to a stop in front of the inn, allowing him to grab her hips and help her off the horse once they'd arrived in the stable. She looked up at him stubbornly, clearly wanting to say something more about being able to help him and Geralt, although she only nodded when he pressed the coins into her hand, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his lips before turning to head inside.

    Once in the inn she made her way to the bar, asking for a mug of ale, as well as paying for a room for Verris and her to wait in while the witchers went off and hunted whatever poor monster was unfortunate enough to live nearby. She knew she'd gotten a better price than Egon or Geralt would have, simply because she hadn't mentioned that that room would likely be occupied by a witcher or two at some point. Giving the bartender a polite smile she tucked the key into her pocket before making her way over to a table near the back of the in with Egon's ale, knowing that they would prefer to sit out of the way of the crowd once they finished with the horses.

    Geralt had dismounted and was leading Roach toward the stables after Egon when Verris asked about what they were up to, shoulders tensing for a moment when he thought that she wanted to come along with them, but seeing her smile made him relax, and he let out a little chuckle. "It's dangerous work. You'd much rather spend time by the fire resting than be out fighting whatever it is we have to do. I'm sure you and Anfrih will enjoy the time catching up, anyway." He pointed out, tying Roach up in the stable before grabbing their bags before heading toward the inn, gesturing for her to lead the way inside.
    February 26th, 2020 at 11:52pm
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    Egon remained silent, deciding it was better to just let Anfrih's remark go. It wouldn't help anything if he told her that he knew she wasn't helpless, she would still only just argue to try and ride along. No part of Egon would ever allow Anfrih near a monster, not until she was properly trained. A lot more went into hunting monsters than what she assumed. It wasn't just knowing how to hold a sword and knowing where to strike, to slay certain monsters you needed to know certain things.

    There was a reason you didn't hear of mortal men hunting monsters.

    Still, a bit of doubt did linger in Egon's mind. If he were with her, he could keep her safe. She could feel the thrill of slaying a treacherous beast and he would be there to make sure nothing would go wrong... Shaking his head, cursing at himself, he wondered for a moment if he was crazy. Monsters still sometimes triumphed over witchers and for that reason alone, he would never willingly allow her to fight one until after Kaer Morhen. And then still, he imagined he would put her through many years of training.

    Following her into the tavern, he noticed her towards the back, but instead, Egon headed towards the counter, leaning his elbows against it as he eyed up the bartender. Keeping his voice low, he began to inquire if there had been any unusual occurrences lately. The man behind the bar looked up, and for a moment, looked bored, until his eyes fell to the wolf head Egon wore around his neck. Stiffening, the bartender laid his rag down on the counter top and began to tell Egon about a sunken ship off the coast, how he wasn't sure why, but lately drowned dead had been spotted lurking around on the sands. Some men had tried to put a few down, some had been successful, others hadn't...

    "Anyone willing to pay me?" Egon sighed, waving his hand to silence the man. He didn't care for the minor details, only for the type of monster and for its location, and for the pay.
    Stepping into the inn, Verris did look up over her shoulder at Geralt, before mumbling, "I mean, I could be helpful..." Why did she put herself through what she endured at the academy, if she would rather spend time by the fire? Verris still hadn't managed to find much of a voice for herself, noticing the way Geralt's eyes seemed to spark was enough to make her bite her tongue. He was a thick headed witcher, that was for sure. Her eyes fell back to her hands, thinking of all the things she could do, all of the things she was capable of that would be helpful to him. He had been traveling alone for so long that she was sure he was just stuck in his ways, all of the things witchers had been taught ingrained in his mind. They hunted alone, so it was strange enough that two witchers had decided to post up together, but it was likely impossible that Geralt would ever accept help from a mage.

    @ katahdin
    February 27th, 2020 at 06:37pm
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    Anfrih waited patiently for Egon to come in, although she wasn't surprised when he approached the bar to speak with the innkeeper, knowing they were likely discussing any work that the two Witchers could take. She couldn't help but be a bit hurt that he didn't think she could handle herself well enough to go along with them, but she understood that he was likely just trying to be protective of her. She flagged a barmaid down and ordered a basket of bread for the four of them to share, waving Verris over once she saw her enter the inn.

    "I've bought us a room for the night. We'll be able to rest while Egon and Geralt are out hunting down whatever monsters are nearby, and once that's done we'll be able to move on." She explained to her friend as she sat across from her, pushing the basket of bread toward her. "You should eat."
    Geralt remained silent as Verris left to join Anfrih at the table, ignoring her comment about being able to help. Sure, she might be a powerful mage, but that did not mean that she'd be able to fight monsters. He moved to the bar beside Egon, listening as the other Witcher and the barkeep discussed a price for their work, as well as describing the monsters they needed to get rid of. After a good bit of arguing they settled the price and the barkeep handed over the coin, Geralt making his way to the back table where the girls were sitting while he began to divide the coin for him and Egon. "We'll be leaving in an hour. We should be back before nightfall."
    February 27th, 2020 at 07:18pm
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    Verris looked around the tavern until her eyes fell on Anfrih, the guard waving her down. She kept her head down as she moved through the packed bar, sliding into a seat on the opposite side of the table. It was clear the town looked empty on the outside because, apparently, every villager was stuffed in here, drinking. "Aren't you kind of annoyed we can't go?" Verris was hoping she could relay her frustration to Anfrih and that her friend would at least let her vent, if she didn't agree. "You can hold your own with a sword and why couldn't I help with my new powers?" The princess leaned forward and picked up a piece of bread, tearing it open as Geralt arrived at the side of the table. She shut up, knowing it would just be stupid to talk about it in front of them.

    Egon stepped up behind Geralt, watching for a second as he split up the coin. Nothing worried him about a few drowned undead, it shouldn't be a problem, but you never know. He stepped around his friend, until he could sit next to Anfrih. He leaned over the table and slid his part of the pay towards himself, before tossing all of the coins into his coin purse and then throwing that back into his bag. Picking up a piece of the bread, he glanced towards Anfrih. "You can get a bit more sleep and then we'll be back before you know it," he teased.

    @ katahdin
    February 28th, 2020 at 05:05am
  • katahdin

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    Anfrih gave Verris a knowing look as she chewed her bread, knowing better than to say anything with Geralt so close, but it was clear that she agreed with the princess. They may be women, but they were far from helpless, and to be treated so was insulting to say the least. She slid down a bit on the bench as Egon joined her, passing him the mug of ale he'd requested, her fingers brushing against his as she passed it off. She rolled her eyes at his teasing, nudging her shoulder against his as she took another bite of bread. "I'm not tired. I've gone longer with less sleep than this." She pointed out, offering him a little smile.

    Once their coin was divided Geralt sat next to Verris, helping himself.to a piece of bread and ordering himself an ale. Some undead would be nothing to fuss over, especially between two Witchers. The thing that would take the longest would be getting there and back, and who knows what they might run into on the road. With a sigh he looked to Verris. "You and Anfrih will be able to rest and eat, we'll be back before you know it. And then tomorrow we'll be in our way." He didn't dare mention that they'd be splitting up, glancing over at Egon. He was sure the other Witcher would mention it to Anfrih eventually, he only hoped he wouldn't do it around Verris.
    February 28th, 2020 at 05:41am
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    The witchers didn't sit around long, preferring to get up and be on their way. The pair had taken a few moments to eat something, down an ale and then say goodbye to the girls, before heading out of the town. The shore wasn't very close, it would take at least an hour or two by horse to arrive and both of the men knew the sooner they left, the sooner they could return.

    The shore was abandoned and completely covered in a thick blanket of fog when the witchers arrived. Remains of a wrecked ship, bits and pieces anyway, had washed up to the shore, shoes, people's clothing. It was eerie, and the feeling alone would probably be enough to drive any sane man anyway, but Egon had already taken his coin and spent a bit of it. He either dealt with whatever it was plaguing this coast, or he didn't return.

    Gorged and bloated bodies of waterlogged victims could be seen wading in the water, looking like grotesque zombies. Their skin was swollen, discolored blues, greens and purples, their hair all but fallen from their head. Egon glanced towards Geralt, bringing his horse to a slow stop. "I don't think a couple of drowned zombies is the only problem here," his voice was low and deep, but the seasoned witcher could sense something else was creeping about.
    Back in the tavern, Verris sat against the window in the back of the building, her head slouched against the glass. The sun was already beginning to set, every passing moment drawing in the darkness. There was something Verris couldn't quite shake, an overwhelming sense of dread, like something was, terribly wrong. She looked down at her hands, a few short strands of black hair falling into her face.

    "Are we really just going to sit around here and wait like this?" She complained once again, looking over to Anfrih who seemed just as annoyed, if not more. "They've been gone for hours, didn't they say it wouldn't be that long?" Sitting up straight on the bench, she stretched around, trying to loosen up. The girls hadn't moved from the table they had been sitting at, no matter how much Verris might've wanted to go upstairs and rest. She couldn't relax, waiting on Geralt to return.

    "You know, we dont have to just sit here." Verris leaned across the table, her eyes begging Anfrih to give in.

    @ katahdin
    March 4th, 2020 at 03:33am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    Geralt had remained quiet for most of their ride to the shore, only speaking up to give input on directions. Upon arrival he scrunched his nose up, the smell from the bodies filling his nostrils. He grunted in agreement at Egon's statement, hopping off Roach and tying her up away from the shore, patting her nose to soothe her before heading out closer to the water drawing his sword for good measure.

    "I think you might be right.. Stay vigilant." He warned the younger Witcher, not wanting anything to happen to him.

    (I'll leave it off here, so that way when Anfrih agrees to go with Verris you can just skip ahead to them mid-fight)
    Anfrih had nearly finished her mug of ale, focusing on the remaining liquid in the tankard to keep herself distracted, fingers gripping it tightly. She wasn't one to drink, but sitting around worrying about Egon wasn't any good, so she'd thought perhaps ordering some ale would help. It didn't.

    She sighed as Verris asked if they were really just going to sit around and wait for probably the third time, groaning in frustration as she ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't like sitting here anymore than she did, but what could they do? They didn't have any horses, and it would be hours before they reached the shore.

    "I want to go to them as much as you do, but we don't have any horses, Ver, And we'll never make it there on foot.. I'm just as worried as you are, but they'll be back soon. They promised." She huffed , shifting on the bench to stretch her aching muscles, tugging her hair out of her messy braid to rebraid it, taking care to do it properly. "If it were just down the road, I'd already be there.. but whenever they've gone is hours away. We'd never make it."
    March 4th, 2020 at 04:14am
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    dezz (100)

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    Verris quickly turned her head to look at her friend, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "I can get us there." She spoke it like it should've been obvious, but the more she thought about it for a moment, she realized she couldn't expect Anfrih to know everything she had learned. They had barely talked about her time at Aretuza, or anything Anfrih had been through while they had been apart. If Verris knew their time was drawing to an end once again, she would no doubt be highly upset. It was a good thing Geralt and Egon were keeping it from her for the moment.

    "I can easily get us to their exact location... Instantly." Verris laughed, a smile breaking out onto her face. "Or do you have any objections?" Standing to her feet, Verris moved around the table, grabbing Anfrih by the wrist. Tugging her up from her own seat, Verris led them up the stairs to the room that they had rented for the day. Once inside, Verris pulled her gloves off and only waited to hear the door closing behind her before she opened a portal in the middle of their room, smiling towards Anfrih as she hurried for her to go first.

    The girls were transported right to the shore, the portal closing once Verris stepped out. "Ah-a! I did! First try-... I mean," she cleared her throat, blushing from embarrassment, "We had nothing to worry about, promise." Looking around the shore, she searched for any sign of the witchers, jumping when she heard grunting and cursing, and behind them, closer to the water, Geralt was struggling to fight what looked like a sea dragon. It was slimy and scaly, but its mouth was huge, large fangs gnashing and snapping at the white wolf.

    "Oh my god," Verris gasped, beginning to step forward, but before she could think to help Geralt, she saw Egon lying unconscious not far from where Geralt was fighting. Though unconscious, his hands were hiding something, a wound. She could guess from the blood pouring down over his hands. "Fuck, fuck-" Verris glanced back to Anfrih, knowing she could help Egon more than she could help Geralt. Falling down to the witcher's side, she pushed his hands out of the way of his wound. His armor was torn off, his shirt ripped, and in his side was a large puncture wound. Had he been grabbed the creature? Verris pressed her hands to his wound, closing her eyes tightly as she drew as much energy as she could from the elements around her, to avoid using her own to heal Egon's wounds.

    @ katahdin
    March 5th, 2020 at 06:13am
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    Anfrih's brows furrowed as Verris left her upstairs to the room that they'd rented, taking a moment to adjust her armor and sword at her side before stepping through the portal that she made. She'd always been wary of magic on account of the stories people like to tell in the tavern she grew up in, but she was relieved to see that they'd arrived at their destination in one piece. "Good job, Ver.." She praised, drawing her sword as she turned to look at the fight going on. She paled when she spotted Egon on the ground, taking a few quick steps forward toward him before she stopped, noticing how slow Geralt's movements were, how he was already quite injured. One misstep, one poorly timed swing of his sword, and he'd be no better off than Egon...

    Looking to Verris her grip on her sword tightened. "Heal him as much as needed to move him, then get him back to the inn. I'll help Geralt with the monster, and once Egon is safe you come back for the two of us and the horses." She knew it was a lot to put on Verris, but with all of their lives at stake, she needed Verris to step up. She rushed forward to join Geralt in battling the creature, the dragon not expecting another person to join the fight, so with the element of surprise she got a few good hits in. The problem was her sword was not silver, so her blade only did minimal damage.

    Geralt meanwhile was struggling. He had a few decent cuts on his arms and legs, and he was beginning to tire. At the sight of Anfrih his eyes widened, knowing that if she were here that that mean that Verris was too, and the thought alone made his blood boil. "What the hell have you dragged her here for?!" He spat when he got a chance, pissed that Anfrih would be so careless to bring Verris into danger.

    Anfrih would have responded, but a swing of the monsters arm knocked her back into the sand, knocking the wind out of her momentarily. As she scrambled to stand and catch her breath, she found Egon's sword discarded in the sand, taking a brief moment to get the balance right before charging back in. She was just in time, as the monster was about to slash Geralt to ribbons, but with a hard swing of Egon's sword she chopped the monsters arm clean off, earning a loud wail from the creature. Given the opening Geralt lunged and plunged his sword into the beast's chest, earning another loud wail before it collapsed.

    Both Anfrih and the Witcher we're ready to collapse into the sand as well, but once she realized it was over Anfrih turned and hurried to Egon's side, dropping his sword as she knelt beside him, taking in his injuries worriedly. "It'll be ok, Egon. Verris will heal you, don't you worry." She did her best to soothe him, although she honestly had no clue if he'd be alright. But he had to be. She couldn't lose him. Not like this. She of course had her own injuries; a few cuts here and there, particularly a nasty one on her cheek, a few cracked ribs, a number of bruises that would be setting in in the next few hours. But none of it was as bad as Egon's injuries. Even Geralt looked worried as he came over to stand by his friend.
    March 5th, 2020 at 06:56am
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    dezz (100)

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    Verris had missed most of the fight, being completely focused on the injured witcher. She could hear the wailing and cries coming from the dragon, and the clashing of swords, but pretended nothing was going on. She had to remain calm to help her friend. Ripping off the rest of Egon's armor, Verris tore his shirt open to get a better look at the puncture wound on his side. Knowing this wasn't the right time, Verris couldn't help but lean in for a better look, seeing small scales had been left behind, embedded in his skin. Picking them off one by one, Verris wondered if later they could come in handy. Stashing them away in her pocket, she covered his wound with her hands, drawing energy from the world around her. A golden light began to emit from beneath her palms and Egon gasped, his eyes shooting open.

    "Don't. Move." Verris snapped at him, afraid that if he moved out of shock, she might do more damage than good. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" the young mage questioned the witcher, slowly moving her hands to reveal that his skin had mended back together. The only trace of his wound being the smeared blood that been left behind.

    "Nothing a potion can't handle-" Egon grumbled, moving to grab at his satchel around his waist.

    A terrific roar ripped through the sky and Verris whipped around in time to see the huge beast falling to his doom. Anfrih had wasted no time in watching the creature meet its demise. As soon as it was safe, the ex-guard was running back towards where Egon lay on the beach. "He's fine, he's fine." Verris assured her, knowing that now that his detrimental wound was healed, the witcher would recover quickly. That's what they were good for, getting right back up after a beating. Verris reached out to rub the cut on Anfrih's cheek, gently smearing blood across her friends face. "Let me look at you, please?" she asked, before looking up to Geralt. His blonde hair was ripped from the ponytail he usually kept it back in, blood staining the white strands, as well as smeared across his own face. His clothes were torn and his armor was in desperate need of repair. "Are you okay?" she reached out to grab his hand.

    "You two shouldn't be here," Egon spoke up, coughing as she forced himself to sit up. "What did I tell you, Anfrih? You two were supposed to stay back at the inn!"

    "That's a lovely way to say thank you," Verris scoffed, forcing herself back up to her feet as she turned to look towards her portal. It was still here, hovering a few inches off of the ground. "We need to go, I can't keep that often much longer," she sighed, feeling her own energy draining the longer she kept it up. The young girl had honestly completely forgotten about it, knowing she should've closed it when they arrived.

    @ katahdin
    March 8th, 2020 at 02:04am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ dezz

    Anfrih was relieved to see that Egon was alright, pushing the hair that had fallen out of her braid away from her face, smearing sweat and blood and dirt away from her face. "Good. So it's safe to move him? We should leave before anything else shows up.."

    Anfrih flinched when Verris touched her cheek, waving her hand away. "It's fine, Ver. Check on Geralt." She insisted, moving to help Egon stand when Verris suggested they leave. "If you bring them back to the inn and open another portal to the stable I'll bring their horses back." She suggested, moving to go collect Roach and Egon's horse. She rolled her eyes when Egon scolded her for being there, shushing the horses, who were still a bit spooked.

    Geralt huffed as he moved over to the group, panting as he pushed his hair away from his face. "Egon's right, you two shouldn't be here.. It isn't safe. Let's get back to the inn, quickly." He grumbled, wiping the blood from his sword off on his pants before sheathing it. "Let's go, Ver." He huffed, taking Roach's reins in frustration as he started to lead the horse back toward the portal. "The sooner we leave this beach the better."

    Anfrih frowned as Geralt pulled the reins away from her, making a face before gesturing for Egon to follow them toward the portal, holding her hand out to him in case he needed the support. "If we hadn't shown up, you two would be dead. Try to be more grateful."
    March 8th, 2020 at 02:38am
  • dezz

    dezz (100)

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    Verris looked over her shoulder to Geralt. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him, but if they hadn't came... When she blinked, she saw Egon lying motionless on the sands, blood pouring from his side. If that had been Geralt... She watched as Anfrih helped Egon towards the portal, she gestured towards it. "You two, go on. I'll close the portal behind you and open another one, that's not inside the inn, for the horses."

    Egon grunted towards Verris, something she could only hope was a thank you, as she watched her friend carry the weak Witcher through the portal. Closing it off, she looked towards Geralt, seeing the look of disappointment on his face. "Don't look at me like that," she whispered, feeling the breeze from the ocean running through her hair. "We were worried. You did say you'd be back before the sun set, remember? Could you expect me to sit and wait, with how worried I was? Would you not have come to check on me?" She turned fully towards him, raising her hand to rest on his cheek, her thumb running over his skin, feeling the sharp stubble from where he needed to shave.

    Roach made a whining noise, bucking her head up, her mane tossing back and forth. Verris sighed, dropping her hand from Geralt's face, to reach up and stroke the horse on the head. "I was worried about you too, girl."
    Egon didnt much like the idea of stepping through some portal, especially one made by a mage that had just graduated. He didn't have much of a choice as Anfrih pulled him through. He was only relieved when he stepped out on the other side and was in one piece. "Well, what if we were dead when you showed up and then the dragon munched on your bones too?" Egon scolded Anfrih once he was through the portal. He hobbled away from her, dropping down onto the bed in the room they materialized in. "This is the room we paid for right?" He grumbled, thought he didn't much care for the answer once he was down on the bed.

    He'd never admit her to that he was proud of her. Though he would have to thank Verris. His side still burned like brimstone, but at least he wasn't ripped open anymore. "Fighting men is one thing, Anfrih, but monsters are a completely different game. Promise me you won't ever do that again," he groaned in a stern voice. The Witcher did his best to relax back on the bed of hay, his back stiff and tense. The image of Anfrih raising that sword still burned behind his eyelids, seeing it every time he blinked. That took courage, to look into the face of a beast and still hold your own. He was proud of her, but if he admitted that to her, she would think what she had done was okay and it wasn't.

    @ katahdin
    March 10th, 2020 at 06:49am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ dezz

    Anfrih gave a little nod as Verris spoke, supporting Egon as she led him through the portal and into their room at the tavern, frowning as Egon pulled away from her as he scolded her. "Then I'd be dead too, and I'd come looking for you in the afterlife." She mumbled, turning to head into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of warm water and a washcloth, hoping to clean the blood and dirt from him before he made too much of a mess. Setting her supplies down on the bedside table before moving to pull him up enough so that she could get his shirt and pants off, tossing the dirty clothes into the corner before kneeling on the floor next to him, getting to work scrubbing his skin clean.

    "So what? Is this all I'm supposed to do? Sit around a tavern waiting for you to come back so that I can wash your clothes and clean your wounds, and then shower you with kisses and praises after? Do you expect me to call you 'm'lord' too?" She didn't want to fight with him, she really didn't, but hearing him ask her to promise to never fight on his behalf again.. "And what happens if I do all that, and then you die somewhere and get eaten? Am I supposed to just sit here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for you to come back like an idiot? And then sell myself when I'm out of money to keep paying for food and a room?" She was likely scrubbing a bit too harshly but she didn't care, he could handle a little pain. Once she was finished cleaning him she tossed a clean shirt in his direction before taking the bowl and cloth and his dirty clothes to the bathroom, sitting down with a huff so that she could clean everything. Once that was done she hung the shirt and pants by the fire before taking a seat in the chair by the corner, crossing her arms over her chest grumpily.
    "I wouldn't have let you go in the first place." Geralt grumbled, looking down at her as she touched his cheek. "And yes, I'd have expected you and the guard to remain at the tavern, where it was safe." He looked up at Roach as she fussed, watching Verris soothe her before gesturing toward where the portal had been. "Let's hurry up and get back. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we leave in the morning." He sighed, patting his horse's side.

    "I understand that you're some powerful mage now, Verris. But monsters are tricky, they're not predictable like men. Killing them is hard, and you don't have the training to defend yourself against them. Anfrih got lucky, she ought to be dead, as should Egon, and maybe even me. You shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." He huffed, leading the horses through the portal once it was created, relieved that they ended up in the stables.
    March 10th, 2020 at 06:59pm