The Witcher: Shadow of the Moonby badassgruntChaptersContractEyes of the WolfWidow-MakerContractSTRANGE NOISES AND LIGHTS FROM CAVE. A cave near Oxenfurt is reported to have lights and dreadful noises coming out of it. Reward for anyone who discovers and eliminates the source. See captain of the guard. Geralt of Rivia looked at the notice on the board with interest. All the rest of the notices were about trading or missing items. He took it off of the notice board and read it again. This should be interesting. Geralt traveled to where the captain of the Oxenfurt guard lived. Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance. One stepped forward. "Oi, what do you want, Witcher?" He spat that last word. Long used to this type of treatment, he replied coolly. "Came here for the contract," The other guard donned a confused look on his face and crossed his arms. "What contract?" Geralt brought out the flyer. "This one," The guard looked over the paper. "Aye, looks alright. You can come in," The first guard looked at the second in shock. "Yer not really considering letting this...thing...in, are ya? They steal young'uns!" Second guard sniffed. "Aye, maybe. But I reckon that the cave holds something worse," "How?!" "Ya haven't seen the cave. Glowing unnatural-like. An' uttering unholy sound. I reckon some real evil is in that cave," "Guh, fine. But we'll be keeping an eye on you, Witcher." Geralt nodded and went inside. The captain was sitting at a desk, going over paper work. He looked up. "Ah, a Witcher. What brings you here?" "I'm here for the contract," "Ah. Suppose ya want the details," Geralt nodded. "Well then. It's like this. There's this cave near the ruins of Est Tayiar. A few days ago, it started glowin' from within. Royal purple in color. Sounds too. Queer sounds, like moaning. And wind tends to howl near the cave. Sometimes the moaning gets so loud people can hear it in the city. It's making folk afraid to farm," "I'll look into it," "Please do." The guard had a desperate look on his face. Geralt turned and left, ignoring the glare from the one guard. He left through the Novigrad Gate and called Roach. Galloping away, careful not to trample pedestrians, he made his way to the cave.He left his horse a hundred feet away and continued on foot. True to the captain's word, the wind was howling and the cave was emitting an eerie glow. Geralt was one to almost never get shivers, but when he heard the moans he involuntarily did so. Great evil was afoot, he could tell. He readied his silver sword. He doubted that humans were there. As he marched his way up the hill that the cave was on, his medallion started humming. Magic. A great deal, too. He reached the cave entrance, and his Witcher senses noticed something on the ground. An imprint in the stone. It looked like a crescent moon in a blob. Strange. As he ventured into the cave, the air grew as cold as the night. Among the purple glow emanating deeper within the cave was a hint of green. Wraiths. As he rounded a corner, what he saw made him took pause. The room's floor was covered in shallow water with a rock bridge connecting the room's entrance with a raised platform. On the platform was what he knew right away was a portal. Unlike the portals he was used to, which had a black abyss with swirling edges, this was swirling all throughout the portal. And it was purple. There were five Wraiths scattered around the room. They all turned as one towards him and moaned. He gripped his sword and readied himself. One Wraith vanished and Geralt leaped to the side. He knew this trick well. The Wraith swung its sword downward where he was a moment ago. This led the Wraith open to a counter-attack. Geralt swung his sword, striking the ghost in the chest. It howled and disappeared and reappeared some distance away. The other Wraiths started closing in. Not wanting to be backed into a corner, Geralt charged forward. The Wraiths tried to strike him, but Geralt dodged and rolled out of the way. He came out of his roll to stab a Wraith in the chest. it howled and dissipated. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and brought his sword up in time to parry an attack from another Wraith. This, unfortunately, led him open for another Wraith to slash at him. His Grandmaster Griffon armor took most of the brunt of the attack, but it would still leave a nasty bruise. He rolled out of the killzone and slashed at another Wraith. He hit it in the head and it died instantly. He turned around and parried another attack. He countered it by closing in and hitting it with the pommel of his sword. This stunned the Wraith for long enough for him to finish it with multiple strikes. He blocked, countered, and dodged his way to victory. He took a few hits on the way. When the last one dissipated, the battle was won. He quickly downed a Swallow potion, sheathed his sword, and gathered the spoils of war and looked back at the portal. As he stepped closer, his medallion shivered violently. So this is the source of the magic. His Witcher senses allowed him to notice faint tracks on the stone bridge. They looked like horse prints if they were filled in. Almost as if it was wearing fully enclosed shoes. They led to the portal. As he approached he heard sounds coming from it. Woodland area. Birds chirping. He turn around was about to go back to tell what he found when he heard a child-like scream from the portal. Geralt had always had a soft spot for children, ever since raising Ciri. He turned around and hesitated. This could be a trap. That's when another sound came through the portal. A roar. At this his morals got the best of him at the prospect of a child in danger and stepped through. The Witcher: Shadow of the Moon Geralt's stomach turned as he came through the portal. He felt wind suck his hair back and turned just in time to the portal disappear. Great. He turned back and noticed tracks on the forest floor. Hoof prints. And paw prints. Bigger than dogs. Wolves. With no other lead in sight, he followed the tracks at a fast pace. Who or whatever he was following, he was gaining on as he heard panting and footsteps. He caught splashes of bright colors between the trees. He saw that he was coming to a clearing. He slowed his pace and carefully came to the edge of the clearing. What he saw was a sight to behold. What first caught his attention was the wolves. Only they weren't really wolves. For starters, they were composed entirely of wood and leaves. They also had glowing green eyes. Geralt quietly drew his silver sword. What they were hunting was far more odd. Three foals had their backs to a tree and were hugging each other. That was odd. What was more odd was how they looked. Their heads were far too large, with expressive facial features one wouldn't expect from an equine. They were all different colors. That wouldn't have been surprising if they weren't so brightly colored. One was white, another orange, and the last yellow. One had a horn, a unicorn, and another wings, a pegasus. The last one was just a "normal" horse. Geralt's eyes widened one let out an oddly human scream when one of the wooden wolves stepped closer. The scream I heard earlier. With what looked like only seconds until the wolves pounced, Geralt had to choose fast. And choose he did. Eyes of the WolfThe first wooden wolf never knew what hit it. Geralt charged through the underbrush and swung low. His strike cleaved both hind legs off and the wolf fell on its rear. The wolf was too stunned to make a noise as Geralt withdrew the sword and swung it overhead. The force of the blow severed the wolf's head from its neck. Sap like blood gushed through the arteries of the stump of the neck. * The other Timberwolves turned at the new occupant of the clearing. One wasn't fast enough and was victim to Geralt's second attack. Geralt artfully stabbed it through the eye and into the brain. Blood splashed out and the Timberwolf twitched once before hanging limply on his sword. Geralt withdrew it just in time for one to close its jaws around one of his legs. Geralt winced and managed to kick it off. The wooden wolf bared its wooden teeth and lunged. Geralt rolled out of the way. Geralt, too, lunged at the wolf and ripped open its side. Its green liver and intestines spilled out. The last wolf look between Geralt and its fallen comrades. It turned to run but was too slow. Geralt dashed forward and brought his sword down with all his might. He cleaved the wooden wolf in two. Geralt sheathed his sword as blood slowly pooled beneath the two halves, guts slipping out on either end. Geralt turned to the three horses; they were clearly sentient. "Are you okay?" When they didn't respond at first, Geralt feared that they couldn't understand them. But eventually the one in the middle, the yellow one, nodded. "Thanks, mister..." "Geralt of Rivia. And you can talk," "'course we can talk. Why wouldn't we?" "I just didn't expect a horse to talk," "Whut's a horse? We're ponies," Geralt knelt down so he could be at eye level. "What're your names?" The yellow one pointed to the white and orange ones. "This here's Sweetie Belle, that ones Scootaloo, and Ah'm Applebloom," "What're you doing in this forest?" "We were going to Zecora's With Twilight and Applejack when-" Applebloom's eyes widened. "APPLEJACK! We were attacked by Timberwolves an' we got split up. Geralt, Ah know we jus' met, but can ya help us again? Please?" Geralt nodded, "Lead the way, but when we get there you three hide," "Can't ya jus' teleport us outa here, Twi?" Twilight Sparkle grunted as another Timberwolf rammed into the magic barrier she put up. "Can't...focus...enough..." Applejack looked at Twilight then back at cracked filled shield. She knew, deep in her heart, that the chances of getting out of here alive were slim. There were just too many. And that's when she heard rustling bushes behind the wolves. The Timberwolves must have heard it too, as most of them turned around. Suddenly, something big and red burst out of the foliage. A wolf immediately lost his head, while another staggered back from a kick to the face. The thing was fast, the next thing Applejack knew was that the wolf suddenly had a sword down its gullet. The wolf choked, spewing blood from its mouth. The thing withdrew its sword to parry a lunge from another wolf. The wolf withdrew a little, stunned. The red thing swung its sword overhead and sliced deep into the wolf's skull. It twitched as it withdrew its sword. It stopped to look at the rest of the wolves. This gave Applejack just enough time to get a good look at it. It was covered in what she guessed was red and gold armor, the only thing not covered was its face. The face was adorned with scars. A white mane adorned the top of its head with a scraggly beard on its face. What was most interesting was its eyes. It had slitted eyes, like those of a cat's. And then, just as fast a cat, he lunged at the remaining wolves. The wolves yipped and yelped as the thing cut into them. One lost both its front paws and was finished by a stab through the back of the neck. Another's head was sliced in half diagonally. The thing pulled back a crossbow from its back and shot one between the eyes. The remaining wolves knew they were loosing the fight and thus turned and fled. The thing turned and looked at them with its cat eyes, "Are you okay?" Twilight grunted and collapsed,the shield failing. The thing stepped forward but stopped when Applejack stood defensively in front of her fallen friend. It sheathed its sword and held up its limbs. "Easy, not gonna hurt you," Applejack narrowed her eyes in distrust when the bushes rustled behind him. Much to her surprise, her sister and her friends came out. "APPLEJACK!" exclaimed Applebloom, and rushed forward. The thing did nothing except look at them embrace. Scootaloo looked up at the thing, "How'd you know it was us that came out?" The thing turned its head to look at her, "Heard hoof falls. No wolf could make those," Applebloom managed to squirm out of her sisters iron embrace, "Sis, Ah'd like ya to meet Geralt of Reeva!" "It's Rivia," Geralt corrected. Applejack nodded, still a bit wary considering the brutality of him dealing with the Timberwolves. Twilight beside her groaned. Applejack turned her attention to her tired friend, "Twi! Are ya okay?" Twilight sat up and nodded, "Just tired," she looked up and her eyes widened. Adrenalin coursed though her veins allowing her to stand up. She looked at Geralt up and down before looking at the corpses. She winced, "Thanks for saving us..." "There any way we can do to repay ya for saving our hides?" asked Applejack. Geralt crossed his arms, "I'm not from this world, so my money is useless here. Do you have coin?" Twilight nodded, "How does 100 sound?" "Is that enough for me to get by?" Twilight laid her ears back, "Not enough to buy yourself a home, but your welcome to stay at my castle," Geralt nodded, "I thank you for your generous offer," he looked around. "We should probably go, the wolves may return." Twilight nodded, "Good idea. I would rather not deal with them again." She took the lead. They walked for a while in silence when Sweetie Belle spoke. "Are you really from another world?" Geralt nodded. Scootaloo flittered her wings. "What's it like there?" Geralt's mind flew to the witch hunters in Novigrad. "Unpleasant," "Is that why ya have those scars?" asked Applebloom. Geralt nodded. "An' how might ya got them scars?" asked Applejack, faint suspicion in her voice. "Fighting a monster," "A monster, eh? Alrighty then," As they came out of the forest Applejack and Twilight strode further up ahead, no doubt to talk privately with each other. Thanks to his enhanced hearing he heard them easily. "Interesting fellow, isn't he?" said Twilight. "Mhm. I don't trust him, Twi," Twilight looked taken aback. "Why? He did save us, after all," "Ah don't rightly know, Twi. Somethin' about him feels wrong...like he ain't what he supposed to be. Like he ain't natural," "Well, I trust him. We--" It was in this moment that Geralt heard a distinct sound of wings flapping. Geralt looked up and spied a blue speck approaching their position fast. He put his hand on his steel sword. The three fillies must have noticed him and looked where he was looking. Scootaloo grinned widely. "It's Rainbow Dash!" The so-called Rainbow Dash landed in front of Twilight and Applejack. Her ears were laid back and eyes were wide. "Twilight, we've got a problem! There's a manticore in the town square!" Author's Note *Bestiary updated. Elder Timberwolves: Unlike Spirit Timberwolves, who are bound together by magic, Elder Timberwolves are living beings with blood and organs. Also unlike Spirit Timberwolves, who kill anything in sight, Elder Timberwolves need sustenance, and thus hunt like normal wolves. Spirit Timberwolves: Spirit Timberwolves are bits of trees and leaves held together by the magic of a spirit. These spirits hate everything for unknown reasons, and will attack anything that is not another Spirit Timberwolf. When the battle goes unfavorably, Spirit Timberwolves are known to break apart and reform in a giant Timberwolf. One can tell a Spirit Timberwolf is near is by the horrid smell they emit. They also hate Elder Timberwolves. Widow-Maker"Where is the town square?" Rainbow Dash turned her head to the Witcher as if she just noticed him. "Twilight, what the hay is that thing?" Twilight tilted her head towards him, "This is Geralt," "Can we trust it?" "Him. And yes we can. He saved us a while ago in the Everfree Forest," Geralt cleared his throat, "I'll ask again, where is the town square?" Rainbow Dash stayed silent for a moment before pointing to where she came, "That way. I'm guessing you're not from here," When he nodded she continued, "I can show you once we reach the town," "Ah'll bring the girls to th' farm," said Applejack. "What? No! We wanna stay with Geralt," protested Applebloom. Geralt knelt down to them, "Girls, it's far to dangerous," he said calmly. Applebloom fidgeted. "You'll come back though, right?" He nodded, "I promise," he looked up and saw Applejack looking at him with gratitude. There was still that faint suspicious look on her face, though. Applejack led the girls in a slightly different direction. Geralt looked at the remaining two, "Let's go," They set off at a fast pace, with Rainbow Dash in the lead Twilight looked at her, "How bad is it?" Rainbow Dash's ear laid flat against her head, "Bad. Sapphire Haze was...killed right off. Wild Strikes...it looks bad for him. Fluttershy-" "Fluttershy's hurt?!" exclaimed Twilight. Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. "Fluttershy got hit with its tail. Got knocked unconscious trying to calm it with the Stare. Before Rarity sent me off, she dragged her in a nearby house," "The Stare didn't work?" "Yep, didn't even hesitate either," Geralt stayed silent as the started to pass houses. His Witcher senses picked up faint roaring. He assessed the situation. Two were most likely dead, confirmed by Rainbow Dash, and another wounded. More were probably wounded or killed while Rainbow was away. He felt like he didn't have enough to apply an oil, as every minute could mean another pony's death. He still had plenty of Swallow left. The roaring grew louder as they neared the town square. Three mangled corpses were lying in in the dirt, blood pooled around them. It looked like the manticore fed on them, as their internal organs were visible with bite marks in them. The manticore was currently trying to break down a door to a house. Its ears twitched at the new arrivals entering the town square. It turned and growled at them. Geralt then took the appearance in. It was vastly different than the manticore he fought in the past. If it weren't for the identifying body parts, he would say it wasn't a manticore at all. True, it did have the body of a lion, but it was much more bulkier. Its scorpion tail was much shorter and looked to be grafted on. It was orange-yellow in color, with a red fluffy mane. The insides of its wings were red. It was covered in scars. Its eyes were faintly glowing blue.* Geralt drew his silver sword. He looked back. "Stay here," Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Fat chance. I got a bone to pick with it," "You'll get killed; you haven't got training. I do. Let the professional do it," "Rainbow Dash, please. Enough ponies have been hurt," pleaded Twilight. Rainbow Dash groaned, "Fine, but if it goes south I'm helping. No matter what," Geralt turned back to the monster, which was pacing back and forth. Twilight and Rainbow Dash went to a safe distance. Geralt stepped forward and they both started to circle one another. The manticore moved first, charging at Geralt. He leaped out of the way and slashed at the beast. Much to his surprise, the attack did little more than give a shallow cut on its hide. He regretted not putting on beast oil, but the door the beast was attacking looked ready to give. A minute more, and the manticore would have broken down the door and slaughtered whoever was in there. Movement to the side caught his eye and on reflex ducked. This caused the scorpion tail to miss its target. Geralt lunged at the tail, piercing it with the sword. The manticore howled and kicked with its back legs. He had already withdrew his sword so the attack missed. The tail, much to his surprise coiled back and jettisoned out like a spring. He grunted as it embedded in his shoulder. Geralt winced as he felt it inject venom into him. Need to finish this quick. His armor saved him, turning a grievous wound to a moderate one. The armor defended him enough for the barb to barely touch his collar bone. Without it the barb would've smashed his collar bone and came out the other side. He gritted his teeth as he leaped back, the barb coming out with a loud, sickening squelch. Blood began to seep through his chain mail. The manticore turned around and charged at him again, this time leaping into the air with a paw up high. A fiery pain was spreading from his wound outward. Geralt leaped to the side as it bought its paw down with enough force to create a small crater. His eyes widened. His armor wouldn't have saved him from that blow. He stabbed at the beast again, but this time the manticore was ready for it. Instead of dodging it like one would expect, it already was swinging its paw around and the blade started to sink into the flesh. At this point Geralt had a choice. Either he let go of the sword or the paw would probably take his forearm off. He chose the former and leaped back. He started to sweat, a fever starting to kick in. He quickly drew his steel sword and swung it overhand, hoping to sever the back bone and end this fight. The back area was apparently made of stronger stuff as the blade sunk in and was stopped inches from its target. He withdrew and blocked a tail attack. He grunted at the force of the blow, enough to push him back a little. He was starting to pant a little, finding it increasingly harder to breathe. Geralt huffed and activated the Sign Igni, catching the manticore's mane and fur on fire. He quickly downed a Golden Oriole and activated Aard, stunning the manticore. This was his chance. He gripped his sword tighter and lunged with all his might. The sword tip pierced the manticore's eye,blood and fluid bursting from it like a popped grape. The beast howled in pain before it was silenced as Geralt shoved the sword against the manticore. The blade pushed through the back of the eye cavity and skewered the vital tissue, meeting little resistance once he entered the skull. He withdrew the sword and the manticore dropped without a sound. He sheathed it and retrieved his silver sword from the manticore. In the coming silence he drank a potion of Swallow. His keen ears heard hoof falls and wing beats behind him. He turned to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach him with wide eyes. "That...was awesome!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Just doing my job," Geralt noticed that some of the ponies started to come out of their homes, staring widely at him. Some were whispering to each other. His keen hearing picked up on it. "What happened? "What's that?" "Whatever it is it just killed that manticore," "I've never seen a fight so...brutal," Geralt turned back to the carcass and drew his carving knife. He bent down to cut off the beasts head when he was interrupted by Twilight. "Wh-what are you doing?" Geralt paused, "Getting a trophy," "What?! What for?" exclaimed Twilight. Geralt turned to look at them, "Someone must want to pay for one," Twilight turned green at the idea of somepony willingly paying for such a grisly thing. Rainbow Dash decided to put in her two bits, too. "Uh, dude, nopony is gonna pay for that thing," Twilight recovered and agreed, "Nopony wants a decapitated manticore head in their living room. I certainly wouldn't," Geralt didn't know what a 'dude' was and he certainly didn't care, "Then who'll pay me?" "Is that what this is about?! Getting paid?? I already said you could live with me, and you can have my food, too. Isn't that enough?" said Twilight. "I need compensation," "Compensation? For what?" Geralt pointed to the bloody hole in his armor, who noticed Twilight turned a shade of green when she looked at it, "Damages to my armor that need repairing. And I need alcohol to replenish my potions," Twilight huffed, clearly unhappy, "Ugh, fine. We'll give you enough bits to fix your armor and we'll open a tab for you at the local pub. Happy? Just...don't cut off its head..." Geralt noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash actively avoiding looking at the corpse. He mentally rolled his eyes. Children back home could easily handle this amount of gore, "Fine," Twilight recovered again and stormed off. Rainbow Dash looked at her then glared at Geralt, "You know, ya could've been a bit nicer to her," "Sorry. I guess I was a little hard on her. In my world, though, people'll likely scam you if you don't push a little," She turned and walked in the direction that Twilight went. Geralt, with nothing to do for the moment, followed her. After a while she spoke, "I don't think I'd like your world," He nodded, "In my world people'll likely try to trap you and put you on show," Rainbow Dash winced, "How could you stand it?" "I rarely do. Though there are some...comforts back home," The rest of the journey was silent as they raced to catch up to Twilight. The only indication that she knew they were there was that her ears moved in their direction. Geralt spoke first, "I'm...sorry for pushing on your hospitality," Twilight sighed, "It's okay. You did save the town after all. I wasn't expecting you to get a 'trophy'," she paused before resuming speaking, "Is your world really that...brutal?" "Mhm. People won't pay me if I don't bring proof," he, too, paused before speaking, "Coin is vital in my world for my profession." "Let's let bygones be bygones. We should check up on Fluttershy," said Twilight. She turned to Rainbow Dash, "You know where Fluttershy is hidden? " Rainbow Dash nodded and turned in a direction back into town. They walked in silence for a few moments when a thought occurred to Geralt, "You're awfully calm for meeting something not from this world," Rainbow Dash shrugged, "We've seen a looot of crazy stuff," Twilight nodded, "We've even seen a hydra once," Geralt raised his eyebrows, "You've fought a hydra and lived?" Twilight shook her head, "More like we ran from it," Rainbow Dash slowed as they neared the house where Fluttershy and Rarity was located. They knocked on the door before stepping in side... Author's Note Constructive criticism is welcome, specifically the grammar. I feel it's lacking there. *Bestiary updated: Equestrian Manticores. "Don't go in th' forest around noon, that's when manticores hunt" Emerald Axe, lumberjack. Equestrian Manticores are native to the land of Equestria . They usually reside in forests, the largest population being in the Everfree Forest. They never go out of the forest they reside in willingly. In fact they avoid roads and building in the forest. They are fiercely territorial, however. If one spots you in its territory, then may Celestia have mercy on your soul. Its scorpion tail is powerful enough impale a pony in a single well placed strike. The tail's venom is potent enough to kill a pony in under a minute. Its claws and arms are sharp and strong enough to rend flesh like tissue paper. Its jaws can crush a steel helmeted head. As if that wasn't enough, it has excellent senses of smell and hearing.
ContractSTRANGE NOISES AND LIGHTS FROM CAVE. A cave near Oxenfurt is reported to have lights and dreadful noises coming out of it. Reward for anyone who discovers and eliminates the source. See captain of the guard. Geralt of Rivia looked at the notice on the board with interest. All the rest of the notices were about trading or missing items. He took it off of the notice board and read it again. This should be interesting. Geralt traveled to where the captain of the Oxenfurt guard lived. Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance. One stepped forward. "Oi, what do you want, Witcher?" He spat that last word. Long used to this type of treatment, he replied coolly. "Came here for the contract," The other guard donned a confused look on his face and crossed his arms. "What contract?" Geralt brought out the flyer. "This one," The guard looked over the paper. "Aye, looks alright. You can come in," The first guard looked at the second in shock. "Yer not really considering letting this...thing...in, are ya? They steal young'uns!" Second guard sniffed. "Aye, maybe. But I reckon that the cave holds something worse," "How?!" "Ya haven't seen the cave. Glowing unnatural-like. An' uttering unholy sound. I reckon some real evil is in that cave," "Guh, fine. But we'll be keeping an eye on you, Witcher." Geralt nodded and went inside. The captain was sitting at a desk, going over paper work. He looked up. "Ah, a Witcher. What brings you here?" "I'm here for the contract," "Ah. Suppose ya want the details," Geralt nodded. "Well then. It's like this. There's this cave near the ruins of Est Tayiar. A few days ago, it started glowin' from within. Royal purple in color. Sounds too. Queer sounds, like moaning. And wind tends to howl near the cave. Sometimes the moaning gets so loud people can hear it in the city. It's making folk afraid to farm," "I'll look into it," "Please do." The guard had a desperate look on his face. Geralt turned and left, ignoring the glare from the one guard. He left through the Novigrad Gate and called Roach. Galloping away, careful not to trample pedestrians, he made his way to the cave.He left his horse a hundred feet away and continued on foot. True to the captain's word, the wind was howling and the cave was emitting an eerie glow. Geralt was one to almost never get shivers, but when he heard the moans he involuntarily did so. Great evil was afoot, he could tell. He readied his silver sword. He doubted that humans were there. As he marched his way up the hill that the cave was on, his medallion started humming. Magic. A great deal, too. He reached the cave entrance, and his Witcher senses noticed something on the ground. An imprint in the stone. It looked like a crescent moon in a blob. Strange. As he ventured into the cave, the air grew as cold as the night. Among the purple glow emanating deeper within the cave was a hint of green. Wraiths. As he rounded a corner, what he saw made him took pause. The room's floor was covered in shallow water with a rock bridge connecting the room's entrance with a raised platform. On the platform was what he knew right away was a portal. Unlike the portals he was used to, which had a black abyss with swirling edges, this was swirling all throughout the portal. And it was purple. There were five Wraiths scattered around the room. They all turned as one towards him and moaned. He gripped his sword and readied himself. One Wraith vanished and Geralt leaped to the side. He knew this trick well. The Wraith swung its sword downward where he was a moment ago. This led the Wraith open to a counter-attack. Geralt swung his sword, striking the ghost in the chest. It howled and disappeared and reappeared some distance away. The other Wraiths started closing in. Not wanting to be backed into a corner, Geralt charged forward. The Wraiths tried to strike him, but Geralt dodged and rolled out of the way. He came out of his roll to stab a Wraith in the chest. it howled and dissipated. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and brought his sword up in time to parry an attack from another Wraith. This, unfortunately, led him open for another Wraith to slash at him. His Grandmaster Griffon armor took most of the brunt of the attack, but it would still leave a nasty bruise. He rolled out of the killzone and slashed at another Wraith. He hit it in the head and it died instantly. He turned around and parried another attack. He countered it by closing in and hitting it with the pommel of his sword. This stunned the Wraith for long enough for him to finish it with multiple strikes. He blocked, countered, and dodged his way to victory. He took a few hits on the way. When the last one dissipated, the battle was won. He quickly downed a Swallow potion, sheathed his sword, and gathered the spoils of war and looked back at the portal. As he stepped closer, his medallion shivered violently. So this is the source of the magic. His Witcher senses allowed him to notice faint tracks on the stone bridge. They looked like horse prints if they were filled in. Almost as if it was wearing fully enclosed shoes. They led to the portal. As he approached he heard sounds coming from it. Woodland area. Birds chirping. He turn around was about to go back to tell what he found when he heard a child-like scream from the portal. Geralt had always had a soft spot for children, ever since raising Ciri. He turned around and hesitated. This could be a trap. That's when another sound came through the portal. A roar. At this his morals got the best of him at the prospect of a child in danger and stepped through. The Witcher: Shadow of the Moon Geralt's stomach turned as he came through the portal. He felt wind suck his hair back and turned just in time to the portal disappear. Great. He turned back and noticed tracks on the forest floor. Hoof prints. And paw prints. Bigger than dogs. Wolves. With no other lead in sight, he followed the tracks at a fast pace. Who or whatever he was following, he was gaining on as he heard panting and footsteps. He caught splashes of bright colors between the trees. He saw that he was coming to a clearing. He slowed his pace and carefully came to the edge of the clearing. What he saw was a sight to behold. What first caught his attention was the wolves. Only they weren't really wolves. For starters, they were composed entirely of wood and leaves. They also had glowing green eyes. Geralt quietly drew his silver sword. What they were hunting was far more odd. Three foals had their backs to a tree and were hugging each other. That was odd. What was more odd was how they looked. Their heads were far too large, with expressive facial features one wouldn't expect from an equine. They were all different colors. That wouldn't have been surprising if they weren't so brightly colored. One was white, another orange, and the last yellow. One had a horn, a unicorn, and another wings, a pegasus. The last one was just a "normal" horse. Geralt's eyes widened one let out an oddly human scream when one of the wooden wolves stepped closer. The scream I heard earlier. With what looked like only seconds until the wolves pounced, Geralt had to choose fast. And choose he did.
Eyes of the WolfThe first wooden wolf never knew what hit it. Geralt charged through the underbrush and swung low. His strike cleaved both hind legs off and the wolf fell on its rear. The wolf was too stunned to make a noise as Geralt withdrew the sword and swung it overhead. The force of the blow severed the wolf's head from its neck. Sap like blood gushed through the arteries of the stump of the neck. * The other Timberwolves turned at the new occupant of the clearing. One wasn't fast enough and was victim to Geralt's second attack. Geralt artfully stabbed it through the eye and into the brain. Blood splashed out and the Timberwolf twitched once before hanging limply on his sword. Geralt withdrew it just in time for one to close its jaws around one of his legs. Geralt winced and managed to kick it off. The wooden wolf bared its wooden teeth and lunged. Geralt rolled out of the way. Geralt, too, lunged at the wolf and ripped open its side. Its green liver and intestines spilled out. The last wolf look between Geralt and its fallen comrades. It turned to run but was too slow. Geralt dashed forward and brought his sword down with all his might. He cleaved the wooden wolf in two. Geralt sheathed his sword as blood slowly pooled beneath the two halves, guts slipping out on either end. Geralt turned to the three horses; they were clearly sentient. "Are you okay?" When they didn't respond at first, Geralt feared that they couldn't understand them. But eventually the one in the middle, the yellow one, nodded. "Thanks, mister..." "Geralt of Rivia. And you can talk," "'course we can talk. Why wouldn't we?" "I just didn't expect a horse to talk," "Whut's a horse? We're ponies," Geralt knelt down so he could be at eye level. "What're your names?" The yellow one pointed to the white and orange ones. "This here's Sweetie Belle, that ones Scootaloo, and Ah'm Applebloom," "What're you doing in this forest?" "We were going to Zecora's With Twilight and Applejack when-" Applebloom's eyes widened. "APPLEJACK! We were attacked by Timberwolves an' we got split up. Geralt, Ah know we jus' met, but can ya help us again? Please?" Geralt nodded, "Lead the way, but when we get there you three hide," "Can't ya jus' teleport us outa here, Twi?" Twilight Sparkle grunted as another Timberwolf rammed into the magic barrier she put up. "Can't...focus...enough..." Applejack looked at Twilight then back at cracked filled shield. She knew, deep in her heart, that the chances of getting out of here alive were slim. There were just too many. And that's when she heard rustling bushes behind the wolves. The Timberwolves must have heard it too, as most of them turned around. Suddenly, something big and red burst out of the foliage. A wolf immediately lost his head, while another staggered back from a kick to the face. The thing was fast, the next thing Applejack knew was that the wolf suddenly had a sword down its gullet. The wolf choked, spewing blood from its mouth. The thing withdrew its sword to parry a lunge from another wolf. The wolf withdrew a little, stunned. The red thing swung its sword overhead and sliced deep into the wolf's skull. It twitched as it withdrew its sword. It stopped to look at the rest of the wolves. This gave Applejack just enough time to get a good look at it. It was covered in what she guessed was red and gold armor, the only thing not covered was its face. The face was adorned with scars. A white mane adorned the top of its head with a scraggly beard on its face. What was most interesting was its eyes. It had slitted eyes, like those of a cat's. And then, just as fast a cat, he lunged at the remaining wolves. The wolves yipped and yelped as the thing cut into them. One lost both its front paws and was finished by a stab through the back of the neck. Another's head was sliced in half diagonally. The thing pulled back a crossbow from its back and shot one between the eyes. The remaining wolves knew they were loosing the fight and thus turned and fled. The thing turned and looked at them with its cat eyes, "Are you okay?" Twilight grunted and collapsed,the shield failing. The thing stepped forward but stopped when Applejack stood defensively in front of her fallen friend. It sheathed its sword and held up its limbs. "Easy, not gonna hurt you," Applejack narrowed her eyes in distrust when the bushes rustled behind him. Much to her surprise, her sister and her friends came out. "APPLEJACK!" exclaimed Applebloom, and rushed forward. The thing did nothing except look at them embrace. Scootaloo looked up at the thing, "How'd you know it was us that came out?" The thing turned its head to look at her, "Heard hoof falls. No wolf could make those," Applebloom managed to squirm out of her sisters iron embrace, "Sis, Ah'd like ya to meet Geralt of Reeva!" "It's Rivia," Geralt corrected. Applejack nodded, still a bit wary considering the brutality of him dealing with the Timberwolves. Twilight beside her groaned. Applejack turned her attention to her tired friend, "Twi! Are ya okay?" Twilight sat up and nodded, "Just tired," she looked up and her eyes widened. Adrenalin coursed though her veins allowing her to stand up. She looked at Geralt up and down before looking at the corpses. She winced, "Thanks for saving us..." "There any way we can do to repay ya for saving our hides?" asked Applejack. Geralt crossed his arms, "I'm not from this world, so my money is useless here. Do you have coin?" Twilight nodded, "How does 100 sound?" "Is that enough for me to get by?" Twilight laid her ears back, "Not enough to buy yourself a home, but your welcome to stay at my castle," Geralt nodded, "I thank you for your generous offer," he looked around. "We should probably go, the wolves may return." Twilight nodded, "Good idea. I would rather not deal with them again." She took the lead. They walked for a while in silence when Sweetie Belle spoke. "Are you really from another world?" Geralt nodded. Scootaloo flittered her wings. "What's it like there?" Geralt's mind flew to the witch hunters in Novigrad. "Unpleasant," "Is that why ya have those scars?" asked Applebloom. Geralt nodded. "An' how might ya got them scars?" asked Applejack, faint suspicion in her voice. "Fighting a monster," "A monster, eh? Alrighty then," As they came out of the forest Applejack and Twilight strode further up ahead, no doubt to talk privately with each other. Thanks to his enhanced hearing he heard them easily. "Interesting fellow, isn't he?" said Twilight. "Mhm. I don't trust him, Twi," Twilight looked taken aback. "Why? He did save us, after all," "Ah don't rightly know, Twi. Somethin' about him feels wrong...like he ain't what he supposed to be. Like he ain't natural," "Well, I trust him. We--" It was in this moment that Geralt heard a distinct sound of wings flapping. Geralt looked up and spied a blue speck approaching their position fast. He put his hand on his steel sword. The three fillies must have noticed him and looked where he was looking. Scootaloo grinned widely. "It's Rainbow Dash!" The so-called Rainbow Dash landed in front of Twilight and Applejack. Her ears were laid back and eyes were wide. "Twilight, we've got a problem! There's a manticore in the town square!" Author's Note *Bestiary updated. Elder Timberwolves: Unlike Spirit Timberwolves, who are bound together by magic, Elder Timberwolves are living beings with blood and organs. Also unlike Spirit Timberwolves, who kill anything in sight, Elder Timberwolves need sustenance, and thus hunt like normal wolves. Spirit Timberwolves: Spirit Timberwolves are bits of trees and leaves held together by the magic of a spirit. These spirits hate everything for unknown reasons, and will attack anything that is not another Spirit Timberwolf. When the battle goes unfavorably, Spirit Timberwolves are known to break apart and reform in a giant Timberwolf. One can tell a Spirit Timberwolf is near is by the horrid smell they emit. They also hate Elder Timberwolves.
Widow-Maker"Where is the town square?" Rainbow Dash turned her head to the Witcher as if she just noticed him. "Twilight, what the hay is that thing?" Twilight tilted her head towards him, "This is Geralt," "Can we trust it?" "Him. And yes we can. He saved us a while ago in the Everfree Forest," Geralt cleared his throat, "I'll ask again, where is the town square?" Rainbow Dash stayed silent for a moment before pointing to where she came, "That way. I'm guessing you're not from here," When he nodded she continued, "I can show you once we reach the town," "Ah'll bring the girls to th' farm," said Applejack. "What? No! We wanna stay with Geralt," protested Applebloom. Geralt knelt down to them, "Girls, it's far to dangerous," he said calmly. Applebloom fidgeted. "You'll come back though, right?" He nodded, "I promise," he looked up and saw Applejack looking at him with gratitude. There was still that faint suspicious look on her face, though. Applejack led the girls in a slightly different direction. Geralt looked at the remaining two, "Let's go," They set off at a fast pace, with Rainbow Dash in the lead Twilight looked at her, "How bad is it?" Rainbow Dash's ear laid flat against her head, "Bad. Sapphire Haze was...killed right off. Wild Strikes...it looks bad for him. Fluttershy-" "Fluttershy's hurt?!" exclaimed Twilight. Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. "Fluttershy got hit with its tail. Got knocked unconscious trying to calm it with the Stare. Before Rarity sent me off, she dragged her in a nearby house," "The Stare didn't work?" "Yep, didn't even hesitate either," Geralt stayed silent as the started to pass houses. His Witcher senses picked up faint roaring. He assessed the situation. Two were most likely dead, confirmed by Rainbow Dash, and another wounded. More were probably wounded or killed while Rainbow was away. He felt like he didn't have enough to apply an oil, as every minute could mean another pony's death. He still had plenty of Swallow left. The roaring grew louder as they neared the town square. Three mangled corpses were lying in in the dirt, blood pooled around them. It looked like the manticore fed on them, as their internal organs were visible with bite marks in them. The manticore was currently trying to break down a door to a house. Its ears twitched at the new arrivals entering the town square. It turned and growled at them. Geralt then took the appearance in. It was vastly different than the manticore he fought in the past. If it weren't for the identifying body parts, he would say it wasn't a manticore at all. True, it did have the body of a lion, but it was much more bulkier. Its scorpion tail was much shorter and looked to be grafted on. It was orange-yellow in color, with a red fluffy mane. The insides of its wings were red. It was covered in scars. Its eyes were faintly glowing blue.* Geralt drew his silver sword. He looked back. "Stay here," Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Fat chance. I got a bone to pick with it," "You'll get killed; you haven't got training. I do. Let the professional do it," "Rainbow Dash, please. Enough ponies have been hurt," pleaded Twilight. Rainbow Dash groaned, "Fine, but if it goes south I'm helping. No matter what," Geralt turned back to the monster, which was pacing back and forth. Twilight and Rainbow Dash went to a safe distance. Geralt stepped forward and they both started to circle one another. The manticore moved first, charging at Geralt. He leaped out of the way and slashed at the beast. Much to his surprise, the attack did little more than give a shallow cut on its hide. He regretted not putting on beast oil, but the door the beast was attacking looked ready to give. A minute more, and the manticore would have broken down the door and slaughtered whoever was in there. Movement to the side caught his eye and on reflex ducked. This caused the scorpion tail to miss its target. Geralt lunged at the tail, piercing it with the sword. The manticore howled and kicked with its back legs. He had already withdrew his sword so the attack missed. The tail, much to his surprise coiled back and jettisoned out like a spring. He grunted as it embedded in his shoulder. Geralt winced as he felt it inject venom into him. Need to finish this quick. His armor saved him, turning a grievous wound to a moderate one. The armor defended him enough for the barb to barely touch his collar bone. Without it the barb would've smashed his collar bone and came out the other side. He gritted his teeth as he leaped back, the barb coming out with a loud, sickening squelch. Blood began to seep through his chain mail. The manticore turned around and charged at him again, this time leaping into the air with a paw up high. A fiery pain was spreading from his wound outward. Geralt leaped to the side as it bought its paw down with enough force to create a small crater. His eyes widened. His armor wouldn't have saved him from that blow. He stabbed at the beast again, but this time the manticore was ready for it. Instead of dodging it like one would expect, it already was swinging its paw around and the blade started to sink into the flesh. At this point Geralt had a choice. Either he let go of the sword or the paw would probably take his forearm off. He chose the former and leaped back. He started to sweat, a fever starting to kick in. He quickly drew his steel sword and swung it overhand, hoping to sever the back bone and end this fight. The back area was apparently made of stronger stuff as the blade sunk in and was stopped inches from its target. He withdrew and blocked a tail attack. He grunted at the force of the blow, enough to push him back a little. He was starting to pant a little, finding it increasingly harder to breathe. Geralt huffed and activated the Sign Igni, catching the manticore's mane and fur on fire. He quickly downed a Golden Oriole and activated Aard, stunning the manticore. This was his chance. He gripped his sword tighter and lunged with all his might. The sword tip pierced the manticore's eye,blood and fluid bursting from it like a popped grape. The beast howled in pain before it was silenced as Geralt shoved the sword against the manticore. The blade pushed through the back of the eye cavity and skewered the vital tissue, meeting little resistance once he entered the skull. He withdrew the sword and the manticore dropped without a sound. He sheathed it and retrieved his silver sword from the manticore. In the coming silence he drank a potion of Swallow. His keen ears heard hoof falls and wing beats behind him. He turned to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach him with wide eyes. "That...was awesome!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Just doing my job," Geralt noticed that some of the ponies started to come out of their homes, staring widely at him. Some were whispering to each other. His keen hearing picked up on it. "What happened? "What's that?" "Whatever it is it just killed that manticore," "I've never seen a fight so...brutal," Geralt turned back to the carcass and drew his carving knife. He bent down to cut off the beasts head when he was interrupted by Twilight. "Wh-what are you doing?" Geralt paused, "Getting a trophy," "What?! What for?" exclaimed Twilight. Geralt turned to look at them, "Someone must want to pay for one," Twilight turned green at the idea of somepony willingly paying for such a grisly thing. Rainbow Dash decided to put in her two bits, too. "Uh, dude, nopony is gonna pay for that thing," Twilight recovered and agreed, "Nopony wants a decapitated manticore head in their living room. I certainly wouldn't," Geralt didn't know what a 'dude' was and he certainly didn't care, "Then who'll pay me?" "Is that what this is about?! Getting paid?? I already said you could live with me, and you can have my food, too. Isn't that enough?" said Twilight. "I need compensation," "Compensation? For what?" Geralt pointed to the bloody hole in his armor, who noticed Twilight turned a shade of green when she looked at it, "Damages to my armor that need repairing. And I need alcohol to replenish my potions," Twilight huffed, clearly unhappy, "Ugh, fine. We'll give you enough bits to fix your armor and we'll open a tab for you at the local pub. Happy? Just...don't cut off its head..." Geralt noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash actively avoiding looking at the corpse. He mentally rolled his eyes. Children back home could easily handle this amount of gore, "Fine," Twilight recovered again and stormed off. Rainbow Dash looked at her then glared at Geralt, "You know, ya could've been a bit nicer to her," "Sorry. I guess I was a little hard on her. In my world, though, people'll likely scam you if you don't push a little," She turned and walked in the direction that Twilight went. Geralt, with nothing to do for the moment, followed her. After a while she spoke, "I don't think I'd like your world," He nodded, "In my world people'll likely try to trap you and put you on show," Rainbow Dash winced, "How could you stand it?" "I rarely do. Though there are some...comforts back home," The rest of the journey was silent as they raced to catch up to Twilight. The only indication that she knew they were there was that her ears moved in their direction. Geralt spoke first, "I'm...sorry for pushing on your hospitality," Twilight sighed, "It's okay. You did save the town after all. I wasn't expecting you to get a 'trophy'," she paused before resuming speaking, "Is your world really that...brutal?" "Mhm. People won't pay me if I don't bring proof," he, too, paused before speaking, "Coin is vital in my world for my profession." "Let's let bygones be bygones. We should check up on Fluttershy," said Twilight. She turned to Rainbow Dash, "You know where Fluttershy is hidden? " Rainbow Dash nodded and turned in a direction back into town. They walked in silence for a few moments when a thought occurred to Geralt, "You're awfully calm for meeting something not from this world," Rainbow Dash shrugged, "We've seen a looot of crazy stuff," Twilight nodded, "We've even seen a hydra once," Geralt raised his eyebrows, "You've fought a hydra and lived?" Twilight shook her head, "More like we ran from it," Rainbow Dash slowed as they neared the house where Fluttershy and Rarity was located. They knocked on the door before stepping in side... Author's Note Constructive criticism is welcome, specifically the grammar. I feel it's lacking there. *Bestiary updated: Equestrian Manticores. "Don't go in th' forest around noon, that's when manticores hunt" Emerald Axe, lumberjack. Equestrian Manticores are native to the land of Equestria . They usually reside in forests, the largest population being in the Everfree Forest. They never go out of the forest they reside in willingly. In fact they avoid roads and building in the forest. They are fiercely territorial, however. If one spots you in its territory, then may Celestia have mercy on your soul. Its scorpion tail is powerful enough impale a pony in a single well placed strike. The tail's venom is potent enough to kill a pony in under a minute. Its claws and arms are sharp and strong enough to rend flesh like tissue paper. Its jaws can crush a steel helmeted head. As if that wasn't enough, it has excellent senses of smell and hearing.
