The Witcher: My Own Path

So much outstanding talent in such a young body I was not at all put off by his outburst of anger, because whatever it was, I was asking for it. I had misjudged this young man, I think I know where all the praise for him comes from.

"I'm sorry I misjudged you. I took you for one of those young noblemen whose wealth has gone to their heads" I said, not avoiding his searching gaze, wanting what I said to sound sincere.

He looked at me for a moment more, squinting his eyes, and then nodded.

"And I apologise for my outburst, I shouldn't have behaved like that, but you should know that not so long ago I was a simple peasant."

"Exactly," I replied, not doubting that he would understand what I meant. He smiled fleetingly, as if what I had said sounded like a joke.

"Young sir, you have taken on a huge burden, why?" I hoped for enlightenment. An ordinary peasant, the son of a blacksmith, until recently, his hair had barely grown back in some places.

"To survive, Master Geralt".

"Geralt is enough".

"Tyr".

He got up from the chair, smiled slightly and once again held out his hand towards me, waiting for a hug, and I once again looked closely at his face, looking for some trace of falsity, but it was not there. I am starting to like this young man.

"Explain, because I still don't understand, you have a king, there is a guard, hell, there is even an entire army, if Foltest wants it?" I asked my young interlocutor and his eyes grew sad.

"It's not that simple, Geralt, and if you think about it carefully, you'll find the right answer. And although I don't want to talk about it, I will just say that certain people or things are more valuable than others. Figure out the rest".

"Mmm..." That was the only thing that came out of my mouth. The matter was not that complicated. Foltest didn't care that his subjects had been dying for years. He didn't want to kill his daughter, so he didn't send the army, he waited for a miracle, and in a way he got one, and the fact that hundreds of simpletons died didn't matter. What a damned world.

"On another note, where have you been all these years? This case has been going on for a very long time. Surely some of you have heard about it?"

All I could do was shake my head.

"The Wyzima case is not the only one in Temeria, let alone in the whole world. It's sad, but every day people die, devoured by even worse creatures. Wherever we go, we hear the same stories, but we can't be everywhere. There are too few of us, just a handful, and the world is a huge place".

"So maybe you should increase your ranks?" the young lord asked.

"what, do you want to join?" I asked.

"Forget it!" he replied without even thinking.

"You would be a great asset" and I meant it.

"Besides, it's not that simple. I could go into detail if you weren't an outsider. And besides, it's a long story, and if I remember correctly, I have a few drowners to hunt".

"So you will take the job after all? It is a long-term assignment".

"Only if you promise not to deprive me of all the amenities I have had so far".

Tyr smiled broadly, nodding his head in agreement and continued.

"I promis, and I will pay you for every monster you kill. I am also a novice alchemist, so I will pay extra for the ingredients you extract from them, but that's not all". The expression on his face grew serious.

Knock Knock

The knock at the door interrupted the young knight's train of thought. He looked towards the door and said loudly. 

"Come in"

The old elf who had been my guide entered the room, followed by a dwarf.

Lord Tyr, I have brought Orik as you requested, he said, bowing, as he was about to leave.

"Don't go, Isarim, I will need you", the old elf stopped and bowed again, then stepped aside to let the dwarf pass.

The dwarf, whose name was Orik, was nothing special. He was of typical dwarf height, had a long beard and wore the elegant attire of a scholar, with half-glasses on the end of his nose and a large leather bag under his arm.

As soon as he entered the room and saw the young lord, a broad smile appeared on his face. It was clear that they knew each other and were close. So it is not only people who respect this young man, but also members of other races. Interesting.

"Geralt, please meet my friend Orik, he is, as you can tell from his appearance, a well-read person, if it weren't for his collection of books and scrolls, I wouldn't be able to lift the curse from the princess".

The dwarf burst out loud laughing, special for their short, but unforgettable presence .

"Young Tyr, you exaggerate, I only helped a little, but it was you who saved us all," Orik stretched out his short but sturdy arm to shake my hand, still smiling from ear to ear.

"You have already met Isarim, he was the unofficial manager of Old Wyzima before my official appointment by the king to this position, but I selfishly decided to keep him with me because of his talents. He is my right-hand man in this district".

The taciturn elf bowed towards me, and I nodded in response.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business," Tyr said, turning to me.

"Geralt, the truth is that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to keep you here forever..." I nodded in response, letting him know that he was right.

"... That's why I would like you to share your knowledge about monsters, if it doesn't go against any rules of your profession. And before you say that there are countless books about it, I'm more interested in your personal experiences or the experiences of people you know. Anyone can read a book, but you know better than anyone how important experience is. Orik will be the scribe, and Geralt, I'm not just talking about fighting, but also about witcher poisons, ointments for swords or even bombs".

"You are not holding back", I admonished the young Lord. In response, he tilted his head slightly to the side and his face and eyes had an apologetic expression.

"Ahhh..." I sighed loudly. "I'll see what I can do, I gather you're not finished yet". Tyr did not change his expression, in a silent apology, and then continued.

"Orik is there to transform the knowledge you can share with us into written words, but Isarim is here for something else. Monsters have always been, are and always will be, even if you leave here. As Lord of the surrounding lands, I may have several dozen armed men under my command, and I want you to train them to fight monsters. We will never be as effective as you, but I have no intention of continuing to look at dead women and children and doing nothing! Isarim is there to gather and supervise the people assigned to the training".

"It won't work, the witcher fighting style is strongly connected to the mutations our bodies have undergone, it wouldn't make sense with ordinary people". I replied, it's not the first time I've been asked to do something like this. But Tyr didn't give up.

"I understand, Geralt, so my people will be trained in the standard Temeria fighting style, but I want you to at least give them a few lessons on how to react to different kinds of monsters, how to tell them apart, when to run, and when numerical superiority gives them the upper hand, i.e. written knowledge developed with Orik transformed into practice. I don't want just any monster they meet to slaughter them all because of they own ignorance".

I looked him in the eye for a brief moment, surprised by his nerve. The boy wanted to drain me to zero, but the truth is that I will soon be leaving for the trail, and these people will be alone again. At least they have someone who cares about them, and that is really rare in this world.

"Clean room and vodka are not enough, young lord, you want to empty me of the knowledge I have gained over years of risking my life. So I will empty you of your oren". I announced emphatically. To my surprise, the young man was smiling brighter than the sun. "A heart as pure as crystal, eh?" If only more people were like that. I thought to myself.