The Witcher: My Own Path

Walking slowly but surely through the streets of the Monastery district, Albert tilted his black felt hat with a wide brim slightly to feel the pleasant and summer breeze on his Heated forehead. The weather was beautiful today, the sun shining high in a clear blue sky. He was wearing calf-length brown leather boots, black breeches with a fabric belt and a white cotton shirt, and the whole elegant ensemble was completed by a long black knee-length coat. However, it wasn't the outfit he wore or his well-groomed physique with heavy fencing training that gave him this confidence and peace of mind, but something much simpler.

Finally, after several years of hardship, of constant worry, of betrayal by the person closest to him, he was back to his old self, and began to live and enjoy life again. Although he looked like he didn't fit in here, he didn't feel that way at all and the smiles of the people he passed were testament to that. He didn't know most of them, but they knew him and respected him. Officially he was a food merchant again, a merchant with a conscience and a good heart and everyone knew it. He was one of the pillars on which the phenomenal growth of prosperity in the district was based and, most importantly, he was a business partner and close friend of the man every simple man in the capital loved, Ser Tyr, Knight of the Warm Morning. Many asked him why he didn't move to a richer part of the city when he could financially afford it, he always answered the same "because this is where I belong and you won't get rid of me so easily" with which he earned more respect and favour. As a man of wealth and influence yet still supporting the poor, he was a role model and hope for many. Heading towards the city market to buy groceries, he soaked up the warm sunshine with a broad smile on his face. Nothing could spoil this day, or at least that's what he thought until he paid for vegetables at one of the small stalls. Picking up the goods he had purchased, the saleswoman discreetly and with great skill placed a wad of paper in one of his hands and then, with a wide and dazzling smile like today's sun itself, asked him to come again.

Having no doubt that this saleswoman was one of Nightingale's "girls". The alternative was a love letter from a discreet crush, and although Albert knew she still had "that thing" about her, courtship didn't work like that, besides, finding a literate simpleton who wasn't a secret member of the Order bordered on the miraculous. If Nightingale told him to deliver whatever secret message she could without waiting for the monthly meeting, or if she did not do it in person, after all their flats were separated by only a few centimetres of wall, it meant that something was up. Without giving it any more thought, he resigned himself to a further relaxing walk and headed home, still calm, confident and smiling, as if the meeting with his friend's secret informant hadn't happened at all.

Entering the house, he put down his purchases in the kitchen, then unrolled a piece of parchment, with this message.

"Order headquarters, one hour, just us, code red, code revenge".

Crumpling the piece of parchment, he slipped it into his pocket, contemplating the contents of the message.

Nightingale wishes to meet him in an hour at the Order's Headquarters "code red", which is the highest possible, "only us" our Lord knows nothing about, and "code Vengeance!" Now, however, he did not know who, her revenge or his.

One of the reasons for taking the oath of loyalty to Lord Tyr and joining the Order was a personal vendetta, many things had changed over the years, but the events of the past still weighed heavy on his heart. He must rid himself of the chain that binds him to those dark times and to the people he despises with his entire being. Without giving it any more thought, he changed into less conspicuous clothes so that he could blend in more easily with the crowd. He left the house and headed towards the entrance to the sewers. He felt excitement and...fear. With a quick step he descended the stairs, heading for the sewers, passing a beggar sitting there, he glanced at the green bandana wrapped around his left arm. A sign that the way was clear. He grabbed the metal gate and pulled, opening the passage, then disappeared into the darkness. The beggar, by this point not at all interested in the hurried passer-by, got up from the stone floor, picked up, his sizable haul of rubbish and other trinkets, then sat down by the wicket, blocking the passage, preventing anyone from entering.

Moving through the long corridors, Albert held his torch above his head; even though it was the middle of the day, the sewers were shrouded in total darkness. Occasionally, narrow rays of light could be seen breaking through small gaps near the vaults themselves. These were places where rainwater and waste from the streets above flowed into the canals. Wyzima is a large city, the largest in Temeria and with the largest population so one would expect an unimaginable stench of excrement coming from the sewers below. The truth, however, is that the city's location next to the lake itself and the continuing river prevents the accumulation of waste in these ancient passages. Water from the lake flows from the west almost all the way through the town, washing the excrement downstream further east, making the canals relatively clean. Setting up the headquarters of one's secret organisation in the fumes of shit and urine would not have been the smartest idea or prestigious. After walking for several minutes Albert reached his destination, this indistinguishable wall was his destination, for his own assurance he extended his torch upwards at arm's length. On the vault, he noticed a small griffin carved on one of the bricks, the symbol of the Order. Now being completely sure, he looked around carefully to see if he had been followed, then counted off five bricks from the left and eight from the bottom by pressing the spot where they joined. The sound of a soft click and a secret door sliding open invited the Master of the "Business Development and Management" Sphere inside.

Stepping onto the grey-black marble padded floors and past the two armoured and well-armed guards guarding the passage, Albert relaxed his hitherto tense body. Trawling alone through the labyrinth of dark and damp corridors has never been his favourite pastime, although Haren's men regularly patrol and clean the sewers of whatever nastiness occasionally strays in, one can never be one hundred per cent sure if they have missed anything. Albert is sure of his victory against one or two drowning creatures, only they are always in larger groups.

Heading straight to the main council chamber to meet Loona, Albert couldn't help but marvel at the sheer amount of work and craftsmanship and the almost sea of orens that the Order as a whole would put into transforming this place from a forgotten elven ruin into a literal underground palace. Walls covered with magnificent paintings, massive olive lamps hanging from the ceilings illuminating everything as if it were daylight. Tapestries, banners and coats of arms of the order proudly displayed at every turn, water from the lake seeping in through the walls to form a small lake. At the time of the renovation work, this was thought to be a result of the slow deterioration of the place, but with Lord Tyr's encouragement and ideas, these seeps were carefully incorporated into the structure, decorated and adorned to create a waterfall, breathtaking in its beauty.

Previously empty and dilapidated, the halls have now been refurbished and dedicated to each of the Sphere, landscaped according to their purpose and the style of the work carried out. Libraries, armouries, training rooms, laboratories, hospital, classrooms, dormitories, meeting rooms, lounge and much more, but the most beautiful thing about it all was the bustle of people talking to each other. Elves, half elves, Dwarves, humans exercising together, laughing, some reading books and scrolls in silence, while others relaxed. The place was alive, bustling like a small town. Albert was filled with pride at the sight. Turning, into the last corner, he reached a massive door, adorned with two silver griffins standing on their hind legs and as if ready to fight each other. He grabbed the handle and entered the Council Chamber. At a massive round table stood Loona staring at a map of Wyzima and a mass of documents were scattered around her. She glanced at him fleetingly and went back to studying the map.

He approached her and asked hopefully.

" Loona what do you have for me?"

She turned her head towards him and said forcefully.

"What you have wanted for many years, revenge!"