The Witcher: My Own Path

(Same day, late night hours, marshes, near Old Wyzima)

I held all the feelings inside me when I met hundreds of people congratulating me on my exaltation, I held my feelings inside me when my father cried overflowing with pride and my teacher squeezed me in a bear hug, I held my own feelings when my subordinates looked at me from afar, smiling at me discreetly, letting me know that my great success would push the Order to a new level. However, I couldn't take it any further as I crept out of the house late that same day, heading to my own "lands" to vent my stored up rage inside, at the injustice that had been done to me. When Foltest knighted me and granted me land to own, I had hoped for at least a suburb, possibly the village of Odments, but the bastard gave me swamp, swamp!!! And what the hell am I supposed to do with them! In size the marshes outnumber the Wyzime itself by almost double, but what does it give me, nothing! A small village of maybe fifty people and tens of thousands of square metres of marshy land where nothing can be cultivated, and filled so much with all sorts of monsters that even during the day people are afraid to walk there.

I walked furiously into the night, only my golden scarlet eyes standing out in the gloom. My rage radiated from me in all directions, to such a level that none of the monstrous inhabitants of my "lands" dared to approach me. However, I could not give up, I had to prove to my people that these fucking swamps had their uses. My subordinates might start to question my leadership, when they find out that after these few years of being almost flawless, showing kindness and great courage, and even fearless enough to pull off the curse from the royal daughter, in return they get useless lands filled with water, poisonous fumes and monsters, they might think that it is not worth following such a lord. A lord who has no future and can only dream of higher titles. I have to convince them that giving me the swamp was actually my idea and choice. So I head for one of the three caves located near the old cemetery. According to the game, there used to be an old mine there, now closed for unknown reasons, I can only assume. If I could, thanks to the power, explore it thoroughly and find resources worth digging in it, it would be a success. A small one, but still. I am also the new Administrator in the Old Wyzima, the slums of the Inhumans. If I could win their favour, I could recruit many of them to work for me. In fact, the position of Administrator is the best thing that could have happened to me, right after I received the title of minor noble. Inhumans, starving, without proper medical care, despised for their race and for living in squalor. If only I could change their lives for the better, I would find among them, many loyal followers.

There it is! I had finally found the right cave-in. The hoisting wheel, used to pull the ore carts from deeper in the mine, was in front of the entrance. There was no reason for me to delay, I was soaked to the waist and tired from the events of the past few days, I wanted to finish this expedition as soon as possible and devise a plan for what to do next. I entered the mine, pulled a torch from my equipment and set it off. At the very entrance, I found old tracks and an overturned cart, my footsteps echoing off the tunnel walls. I drew my sword; I knew it would not be without a fight, as I heard strange noises. Fury still driving me, I kept its flames burning, returning to Foltest's morass as he gave me a shit with a wide grin. I spread my senses across the corridor, waiting for my enemies. I was not disappointed, a lone nasturtium came around the bend, moving on four legs, a large mouth coming almost out of the body of a 'worker kikimora' probably have their nest here or came here looking for food.

Kikimoras were blind, but they could sense vibrations and had a great sense of smell. I reached out my hand in front of me and hurled the creature against the wall with all my strength, crushing it and breaking its bones in many places. It died without even knowing what had killed it. As I delved deeper into the mine, I sensed more and more of them, but, to my relief and partial disappointment, only small specimens, meaning that they had come here to look for food and had not formed a colony here. I was a little disappointed, as I wanted to give in to my own lust for murder, but reason prevailed. As I descended deeper, I came across more singles and individuals in pairs. I would crush them with power, strike them with lightning or slash them with my silver sword, until a kikimora warrior or the queen herself had no chance of stopping me even a little, and I knew those were not here.

Finally reaching the end of the tunnel and the mine itself, where the excavation and mining had presumably ended, I spotted the last six of the nasty creatures, who immediately rushed towards me, treating me as a meal. This time I was only going to use my sword. I moved at them, when the first one, the fastest of them all threw itself at me with its maw open and ready to plunge into my flesh, I cut it with my sword with all my strength, in addition I filled my own arm with power, the monster was cut in half in the air and its blood gushed around, without thinking, I cut once again with my weapon at the second one from the bottom diagonally upwards, also cutting the creature in two. A quick three hundred and sixty degree pirouette accelerated my sword to lightning fast speed, drawing a silver glow and afterimage passing through the creature, which didn't realise it was dead until the top of its body slipped off the bottom. Another kikimora was in front of me, I grabbed the weapon with both hands and cut from top to bottom, splitting it in two. The last one was already in the air as I finished off the fifth one, it was ready to plunge its teeth into my face, I quickly bent my body and as it flew over me, in a lightning-fast movement I rose up and slammed my sword into its back, pinning the creature to the ground. All in all, since I entered the mine, I have killed about fifteen individuals. Quite a dangerous bunch. There didn't seem to be anything living in this part of the swamp that could threaten such a large group of kikimoras. They were too many for the drowning which, although very numerous in the swamp usually live in groups of about five individuals and too fast for the bloedzuigers.

The fight, which ended almost instantly, left no mark on me. I directed the power in all directions to carefully examine whether I had missed anyone, when I was sure the mine was empty, I knelt down in a meditative position and delved even deeper into the power, searching deep within the walls and the ground, for any form of mineral that might prove very useful to me.

I found it!!! And these were by no means any leftovers, nooooo. These were massive veins of iron ore, just waiting to be tapped into. This abandoned mine could make me one of Temeria's wealthier citizens. However, there had to be a rational reason to leave such a richly-endowed mine, and all I could think of were the monsters roaming around and probably other difficulties such as the ever-present water and treacherous muddy places that would drag you into their depths without mercy.

I was happy, however there was a huge amount of work ahead of me. First I would have to hire people to get rid of the monsters, then map out and create a safe route to the mine itself. Everything and everyone has to be paid of course, damn it! Forever the same problems! Or I could focus on my one village and the bricklayers in it at first. I could invest in the whole brick industry, building more kilns and employing unemployed dwarves and elves from Old Wyzima. Profit from the sale of bricks and in the meantime use some of the raw material to build roads to the old mine. Then employ the people that Gaworn keeps an eye on all the time to cut wood. The wood has many uses not only in enlarging the mine, building roads, repairing and constructing new houses, but so that it can be turned into furniture.

In the swamp there is also, an old magical tower and some tombs with treasures, there is an old temple with a graveyard where Adda has made her lair, turned into a striga again, a cave with the Raven witcher's armour...now that I look at it, the swamp is not so useless after all, I am sure there are other interesting secrets hidden in it, but it all comes down to eliminating monsters and making it easier to navigate the marshy area. I've got to figure out a way to dry out these swamps!

That said, dealing with it first, investing in my village and the bricklayers, might be the most sensible thing to do. I'll also be the Steward of the Old Wyzma, giving work to the most needy of the non-humans might alleviate somewhat the hostile and distrustful attitude of the older races towards me. Bricks and logging will help repair, improve and even build them new homes. And when I gain their favour, I will form a troop of them to fight monsters in my land.

Well, it is time to go home, I have achieved my goal. At the meeting of the Council of the Order in a few days' time, everything will have to be carefully planned once again and everyone will have their respective tasks assigned.