Chapter 175 – The move of the King of Kaedwen.
[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Kaer Morhen.
...
...
"We cannot comply with your demand..." Vesemir spoke to the group of soldiers and knights sent by their king, who had just arrived at the gates of Kaer Morhen.
Vesemir now stood at the entrance of Kaer Morhen, with Geralt at his side, while the captain of the group held a document issued by the King of Kaedwen himself.
They had been spotted the day before, after Madara reported their presence, having seen them from the sky while flying on his griffin. That night, Madara infiltrated the Kaedwen soldiers' camp, swiftly stole all the correspondence without anyone noticing, read through it, and then placed everything back as it was. He then informed Vesemir, who was already prepared.
The king had issued a summons for the Witchers, demanding that they present themselves at court. This was not merely a request, but an order. They were to take one Witcher from the keep to the court. There weren't many details about the reason, but the command was clear.
Additionally, there was also a subtle order to investigate the Witchers' stronghold, with highly skilled spies embedded among the group. They intended to handle the Witchers easily, if possible. The king was restless and needed to look into the matter from nearly two years ago. Even though there had been no further news of Madara or Princess Ciri, the search had never ceased.
Many across the continent now believed they had truly left this part of the world and ventured into another land, but there was still the lingering fear that they might return one day and attempt to conquer Cintra, as foretold by Yennefer's vision during the meeting of the northern kings.
Much had changed over the past year. While the forces of all the kingdoms were strengthening, Nilfgaard had also not launched another attack, as it was preparing to rebuild its army.
The North, on the other hand, remained wary, wondering if the Empire would act against them again. They could not fully trust Emperor Emhyr and were expecting either war or the return of some monstrous force to these lands.
Upon hearing the Witchers' refusal to comply with the summons, the knight leading the group—who introduced himself as Sir Edmar var Drakenwald, a well-known figure in the kingdom—narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased.
"You do realize you are disobeying a direct order from the King of Kaedwen. You know this is something you cannot refuse. If the king demands your presence at court under the pretext of ensuring the safety of the entire kingdom, you must comply. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences of your actions," he stated.
"I doubt the king would want to launch a military campaign just to attack us," Vesemir replied, while Geralt stood beside him, arms crossed.
"Yes, that's true. I don't believe the king would send an entire fleet here. But don't forget—you are only two, from what I see. The Witchers are not what they once were. You have chosen a battle you cannot fight. We've been sending people here for a year now, seeking your services. You don't seem very willing to cooperate. That is why the king is growing quite dissatisfied," the knight countered.
"We shall see about that later. We are not giving any answers just yet," Vesemir said in a neutral tone.
"You had better indeed consider it, because... let's just say we already have an acquaintance of yours," he said, making Vesemir immediately narrow his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" Upon hearing this, Geralt asked.
The knight gave a small smirk. "Well, that is something between you and the king. We won't interfere," he said.
Vesemir looked at Geralt for a moment. "We will deal with this later," Vesemir decided. "I want to discuss our next course of action."
"Very well. We will await your response tomorrow. But I was wondering if we could stay at your keep tonight. As you know, we wouldn't like to be out in the open, in the middle of nowhere," he said.
"We will not allow it," Vesemir simply replied.
The knight stared at him for a moment but then nodded. He did not seem eager to argue further, though he was visibly frustrated.
"Heard that, men? We'll have to find a place to stay tonight, while the witchers decide whether to obey or disobey the king."
And so, they left the place. Vesemir returned inside along with Geralt.
"Very productive conversation you had out there, don't you think?" Madara spoke as soon as they entered the castle again. He was already waiting for them, having easily overheard everything they had discussed.
"Looks like we've got some problems," Vesemir murmured.
"They said they have something familiar... Could it be—"
"We don't know yet," Vesemir interrupted. "But... Coen and Lambert might have been captured," he replied with a serious tone.
"Why's that? How could they be suspecting us? We've been here for over a year," Geralt asked.
'Who knows... So much can happen. But I don't think it was because of Lambert and his big mouth. He's a lot of things, but he's not reckless. Either way, they've been looking for us for almost two years. We've never given them any answers, so their action is quite understandable," Vesemir answered.
"This isn't right," Geralt said, displeased and frustrated.
"We'll have to handle this carefully," Vesemir said, then looked at Madara. "And you? What do you think?"
"What do I think? I believe..." Madara closed his eyes and began to speak.
Meanwhile, the knight from the Kingdom of Kaedwen and his men found a clearing a little distance away and began setting up camp.
"What do you think of those witchers?" a soldier asked his captain, Sir Edmar var Drakenwald.
"Witchers are not to be trusted. They are grotesque creatures, and surely, it will be no waste to eliminate them under the king's command," the knight spoke with disdain.
They were nearly finished setting up the camp when a few men went out to gather firewood. That was when a soldier approached.
"Sir, I think you should see this," he said.
Without saying much, the soldier led the commander to an area a little below them and pointed to the ground.
"These footprints... They don't look like they belong to a witcher," he said, observing the old marks left over time. They seemed to have been made months ago, during a damp period. After drying, the soil hardened, and the tracks remained imprinted in the earth.
"These feet belong to someone younger," the man murmured to the knight.
There were a few more marks on the ground, but they faded away soon after.
"Could it be..." Sir Edmar looked at them with some surprise. "Well, we will investigate those witchers tonight. After all, our mission is to get inside the castle, kill anyone in our way, and find out what those witchers have to do with those children, as our king requested."
As the night progressed, the castle grew silent, while a group of men, now without their armor, began approaching the fortress under cover.
They simply threw a rope with a climbing hook over the walls, fastening it between the beams.
"It's secured, sir. We can start climbing," one of the men said, and the others confirmed that their ropes were secured as well.
"Excellent. Let's go, let's move," the commander said, starting to climb up.
More than twenty men began scaling the wall and quickly hid among the structures, peering towards the castle's entrance from a distance. Everything remained empty and devoid of any light from flames or torches.
More and more men continued to gather, preparing for the invasion.
"Everything is set. Let's go in," the knight said as he began to advance between the stone blocks until he found the staircase, moving forward cautiously.
"Well, now we wait for the mages to act," Sir Edmar said.
Meanwhile, outside, a man was preparing a spell, as this was supposed to be the distraction: launching a direct attack on the castle to set it ablaze and divert attention while the soldiers initiated their assault. He was preparing a large spell alongside two other lesser mages to combine their effects.
But, as soon as a light began to glow from their staffs, creating an enormous fireball, they had no time to react. The three mages barely felt something pierce their throats before they could respond. They let out muffled groans as they fell backward, dead, canceling all their spells.
"What is that?" the guards who had stayed to accompany the mages exclaimed nearby, but they didn't even have time to see who was attacking them.
Out of the darkness, red eyes emerged, advancing like a shadow. They barely managed to let out a scream before they were cut down in an instant. One by one, they all began to fall, killed swiftly.
"Shouldn't this attack have started by now?"
Back at the castle, one of the men murmured, noticing there was still no sign of the mages' assault.
Sir Edmar seemed even more frustrated as he glanced back beyond the walls. He saw no sign of the mages' attack to create the distraction.
"Where is that attack?" he muttered.
"It probably won't be coming, if that's what you're waiting for."
A voice emerged from the darkness ahead.
Immediately, they all jumped and drew their weapons, turning toward the source.
Then, they saw two men with white hair stepping forward, emerging into the castle courtyard.
"We knew you had such intentions," Vesemir spoke, while the knight stood speechless. "That's why we've already dealt with your mages," he warned.
"Damn it! The plan's been uncovered... So be it! Prepare for battle!" they shouted, raising their weapons.
Quickly, twenty men emerged from their hiding spots behind the stones, brandishing their blades and staring warily at the witchers.
Sir Edmar wondered, observing carefully, how they had dealt with the mages outside. After all, he could only see Vesemir and Geralt there.
'Could there be more of them?'
That doubt made the situation more difficult for the knight, but either way, they would have to deal with these two before any reinforcements could arrive.
"Quick, attack!" Sir Edmar shouted, advancing alongside nineteen other men.
It was a mistake not to wear armor. Even though it made climbing the walls harder, they needed that protection.
That knight, respected and well-known throughout the kingdom for his great skill, barely had time to react. Geralt's sword slashed his shoulder before he could even launch an attack.
He immediately lost strength in his body, collapsing to the ground with part of his torso torn apart. He felt immense pain and, with trembling eyes, watched the ground as his men struggled against the witchers. He lay there, dying from blood loss, hearing more and more of his men screaming.
The witchers had the advantage of the darkness, while their enemies stumbled blindly. The witchers had taken a potion to see in the dark.
Madara advanced, leaping over the walls to reach the first enemy from behind. He cut him down with ease.
The other soldiers who weren't yet fighting looked on in shock when they saw those red eyes.
For an instant, they froze.
But they had no time to think.
Madara surged forward like a ghost, moving his sword as though reaping their lives with effortless grace.
And with the witchers being superior to any ordinary fighters, it didn't take long before the last knight fell.
"Well, that was certainly a... mess," Geralt muttered.
The courtyard was already full of bodies. Some faint groans could still be heard.
Madara walked past them until he reached the wounded and dying knight.
"You shouldn't have injured him like that... He has information," Madara murmured.
"Sorry," Geralt said in the end, though his tone was neutral, he seemed regretful.
Madara ignored him and activated his Sharingan.
The man had only a few seconds of life left, even with the severe hemorrhage in his torn chest. Quickly, Madara began extracting his memories, searching for any useful information before he finally died.
"Did you get anything?" Vesemir asked, watching the Uchiha step back.
What they had done that night could not be undone.
They had essentially defied the King of Kaedwen in his own realm.
Whether they were right or wrong to defend themselves from the attack no longer mattered.
"Enough," Madara replied. "After all, we need to talk."
That was all he said, while the witchers silently nodded and headed toward the courtyard.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 180 - Starting the plan.
Chapter 185 - The King's Summons.
Chapter 195 - The Chaos Between Humans and Non-Humans 03.
Chapter 205 - Entering Val Drahzûn, the valley of dragons.
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