Bandits

Geralt hopped shook himself off. Placing his belongings back into the bags that were on Roach and circled behind him, getting onto Roach and riding up the path in which he'd just passed, no sign of that Nilfgaardian soldier anywhere. He continued up the path until he reached a mill. The wooden square archway decorated with skull of some sort of creature that resembled something with antlers. He rode past the house straight in front of him and went to the second one he found. Trying to find the lost Temerian treasure inside. Well. At least it was sort of on his way to White Orchard. The window to the left of the door was small. Square, and the wooden shutters held on by metal hinges were all but falling off. He pushed open the door and made his way inside. It was dark. Not that he could see or smell a single lit candle. In the corner of a dark hut there was a hole in the floor, something that seemed to lead somewhere. Suspicious and grabbed Geralt's attention. But it was blocked by beams of wood and all sorts. He cast Aard and sent a telekinetic blast its way that forcibly pushed the wood away. Opening the entrance wide enough for Geralt to get through. He dropped down it, feet squelching beneath him. He couldn't see much besides the stone walls on either side of him, very close. Good thing he wasn't claustrophobic and that the path he was on only seemed to descend deeper, downhill. He turned around briefly. The light from upstairs showing the slight formation of steps he'd just used to reach another wooden door. He tried pushing it forward but it was jammed. He placed his hand in front of the door and for the second time cast Aard, the wood from in the door frame scattering and smashing to bits. He walked forward, eyes picking up roots that grew along the wall. And he only stopped when his left foot collided with something that gave a thud. He grunted and clenched his jaw. He still wasn't wearing the best boots. He bent over and felt around, he felt round objects. Metal and picked up what he could feel in the dark. 9 Orens, good. They were adding up, he felt the tip of his foot and moved it forward and pressed up against something a bit larger. He picked it up and felt it with both hands. A dark steel plate. He could probably find some use for that, he turned around and saw a little glint of something else. He bent down again. Hunting gauntlets were laying on the floor, and more Orens, he counted quickly. 34 Orens. It was definitely worth coming down here. He rounded the corner. He could feel the place open up a little, more fresh air around him. Still smelt like a shithole. He made his way over to one of the boxes feeling items on top. Resin. A lesser Dazhbog runestone. And a few scrolls, Geralt brought them closer to his face, a diagram of a Dorian sword and a torn-out page of Basilisk decoration, he continued to feel until he felt boots beneath his feet. Cavalry boots. A master item to be sure, not the most common things you could find. And again. More Orens. This time gaining 29 worth of them. He briskly moved over to the second box, pushing open the lid and reaching inside taking everything he could. Temerian rye, perhaps he could share some with Vesemir later, another Temerian special forces insignia, funny how they were turning up in places hidden like under bridges and in dark tunnels. Almost like Nilfgaard were trying to embed their Nilfgaardian crest into the very lives of everyone in Temeria, as though it had always existed. He obtained 31 crowns and a scribbled document. Which he tucked neatly into his armour that had begun to dry out a little. He also obtained another 12 Orens, with that. And his hand feeling around the edges of the box he couldn't possibly feel anything else. He turned around in a circle a few times. Using his hand to feel the edges of the wall and find his way back up the steps and to the main house area.

With a huff Geralt jumped and latched onto the edge of the opening and hoisted himself up, leaving the house in an instant and walking back to Roach. With a pull of the reigns he turned her around with gentle encouragement and cantered along the path. For the second time that day. He felt it again the tingling. He approached an old stone building, resembling what could have been the front of a church or some place of worship. And before it. A similarly shaped stone emitting an orange light. A place of power. The place was surrounded with shrubs, green bushes and grass, the place filled with ingredients, and for now. Geralt decided to ignore the dead body against the aged statue. He walked over to the line of bushes in front of the place of power and quickly began collecting, the first thing he found was Celandine. That's all he had time to collect before stepping too close to the stone and summoning a wraith. He knew there might be danger. Given the dead body. But he was sick of fighting wraiths for one day. And as much as he loved Roach, longed for her to stop neighing incessantly. He cast Quen. Slashing at the wraith and wasting no time. He immediately dazed it and it disappeared the moment it came back to focus. It came behind Geralt, the glow if the green lighting up the nearby plants as though it were summer time. This one was harder to fight. Stronger. And it was nearing to night. But Geralt pressed on, slashing and striking until it disappeared again, Geralt stood with his sword poised to attack. It appeared again further up but made no attempt to attack, just stayed there. Geralt quickly backed up and thankfully, the wraith left him alone, he was sweating and exhausted, his wrists starting with a dull ache. He approached the place of power and sheathed his sword. Kneeling down by it and drawing upon the strength it provided.

Geralt made his way to the door of the church, examining markings on the wall. "Hm. Strange..." He grunted, he blasted the door open with Aard and stepped inside. Immediate descending down a stone path that led into an open room beneath the church. Of course. Where wraiths decided to be. Geralt drew his silver sword and killed them as quick as he could, thankfully they couldn't move too far inside the tight space. He sheathed his sword after killing the singular weak wraith and went over to a patch of mushrooms. Cortinarius. He picked them up and made his way around the room to find other things. He found a sack on the floor and opened it. Inside was a blunt axe and a Gildorf sword. Another master item added to his collection. He took both and went on. More weapons and armour came into his possession, a Novigrad longsword and a Cidarian gambeson, cavalry gauntlets and another blunt axe. Even if he didn't need or use them, he could sell or dismantle them. And even that was useful. He turned sharply to his left. A skeleton of a person laid up against the stone wall. Nothing but bare bones and a few items beside it. There was a letter, as it read, from a Witcher named Kolgrim of the viper school and following it, a diagram of a Serpentine silver sword.

He ran around the room, guided only but a singular kit torch upon the wall and gathered more mushrooms. Scoring some puffball along the way too. He left the crypt and exited the building, he brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled. Roach almost immediately running to Geralt who took her by the reigns. Geralt quickly switched out his witchers steel sword for the nearly acquired Gildorf steel sword knowing the blade was sharper and the blade itself was more improved than his currently equipped. He replaced his hunting boots one at a time with the cavalry boots he'd found, they'd give him more protection, and at least it was a form of light armour. Still making it easier for him to move, walk and fight, compared to the hunting boots which were medium armour. He switched out his hunting gauntlets for the newer ones he had. A dark brown that matched his outfit and also protected his hands more.

With that he rode on, back to the path and to the bridge he'd been at earlier in the day, riding back across it, drawing his sword at the sight of a Drowner but ultimately ignoring it. He followed the path to the left before cutting through the woods to the fields until he was a victim to shouting. He stopped Roach as soon as he could as they were galloping and jumped off, a bandit camp. Just what he needed. He drew the steel weapon from his back pretty sure he heard one of the men calling him a bastard. They seemed easy enough to defeat. He could see at least three of them. Not very well protected. But armed at least. They advanced on him together, Geralt simply swung at them in wide arcs and slashed them multiple times in a row. Such a mistake to stand so close together with nothing but soiled linen to protect their torsos. They fell. The first two easily at least. The third putting up a fight, he seemed to just be deflecting Geralt's blows. Sparks flying occasionally from the blades as they met. The man swung his sword and hit Geralt making him stumble back. He could feel blood dripping down his cheek. The tip of the blade catching the flesh as Geralt hadn't expected the man who seemed so unsteady on his feet to swing his blade before even turning to look at the Witcher. He stepped back and doubled over. Head almost touching the floor as he grunted at the pain in his cheek. He struck and struck again. Carefully and automatically dodging after s few strikes not wanting to risk being cut again. But he could tell he was wearing the bandit out, the man's arms limp by his sides barely able to keep a hold of his sword. He fell eventually. Geralt stabbing him as he let down his guard. Which left the last bandit who had remained at the camp. He turned around and spun on his heels as the slender man attacked. Geralt gave a quick fee cuts to the chest before avoiding the attacks if the slower bandit. He brought his blade down upon the man's arm with all the strength he could muster, not surprised to see his arm. Just below the elbow sever from the rest of his body. A spurt of blood coming from the wound as the man fell to his knees. Immediately unconscious and most likely to bleed to death. Geralt made his way to the camp, walking past the little fire surrounded by a circle of stones and a tent poorly prepped up with a chest outside in the open begging to be robbed. He opened the flip locks with a flick if his thumbs and looked inside. Hunting trousers, a lesser Triglav runestone, silver and a Harpy diagram. He went over to the sacks tied up with string. Getting old goat hide. And some Orens. He went around the back of the tent to find more bags. And with that, more loot. Another lesser Triglav runestone, an empty bottle. An exploding bolt diagram and a torn-out page of a Foglet decoration and a Nilfgaardian longsword, and in the second bag. Black pearl dust.

With that he left the bandit camp. Making it over to the fallen bodies of the bandits who deserved nothing less than death. He reached into the pockets of the last man he'd killed and gained 3 crowns and a rusty Novigrad sword, went to the second. Into his trouser pocket where there was a chicken sandwich, god knows why, and went over to the next bandits body to gain more Orens and another rusty Novigrad longsword.

With that. He mounted Roach, rode her out if the forest. Through the forest path, past the swamps filled with thick gas hanging in the air, best avoiding that for now. And going further along the path, which soon turned to a cobblestone path, which led to bridges and people and Nilfgaardian soldiers. Even if they weren't his favourite humans. It meant civilisation, and less Ghouls, wraiths or Drowners trying to kill him, or bloody bandits. He rode across the cobblestone bridge. "Not so fast Roach" Geralt said tugging on the reigns as he willed her to slow down.

Finally. He'd approached the Nilfgaardian garrison, his next step in finding his...dear friend.

Yennefer of Vengerberg.