[ CLOSED ] eyes black, big paws

[gynvael]

Who: Geralt + Various
When: March
Where: Cadens, Horizon
What: Catch-all
Warnings: Standard Witcher canon; nsfw marked.


and it's poison in his blood;
we took you right from your mother's womb;

discontinued | quantifies | starters below.

Comments

[gynvael]

[ Far is sufficient. He takes the answer for what it is and points to where the wyvern is circling. The dust obscures most of its form, but its wingspan is difficult to overlook. ]

The wing. It'll land.

[ Any creature that flies won't stay in the air if it injures a wing. Once they bring it down, they can take care of it quickly—and with some luck, discreetly. But they need to draw it closer, too. If it lands too far away, it won't do them any good.

Geralt shrugs off his cloak, leaving it under the overhang. Steve has the shield; that leaves him with the less desirable role.

Without another word, he ducks out from behind their cover and into full view of the wyvern. He trusts Steve won't leave him waiting too long. ]

[assembles]

[ This isn't the first time that the two of them have quickly hatched a plan against a formidable foe. In fact, the very Thunderjaw that they're here to investigate was the first real example of that, the proof that they were more than capable of coordinating in the heat of battle and working together.

Somehow, it always ends up being Geralt who takes the role of bait to draw the monster out. Then again, as much as Steve is also willing and ready to do that, he's used to it this way too; Thor and the Hulk had been just as likely to throw themselves into the fray while he remained at a distance.

At this point, it's all about timing. He needs to wait long enough for the wyvern to get close, but not so long that there's any danger of Geralt getting sliced into by those talons.

Still, this is what he does, and the only thing that's different from usual is how he has to mumble a few words under his breath to cast the spell that will help him control his shield once it leaves his hands.

He throws the metal disc out once the beast flaps close enough, clinging to it with his mind to guide it through the air. With how hard the wind is blowing it's tougher than usual, but this is what all the practice was for.

The hit isn't as spot-on as he would have liked, but he does hit the tip of the wyvern's wing; the hard metal of the shield is more than strong enough to crack a few of those hollow bones. The creature shrieks and does a short, panicked circle in the air before it redirects to land.

Although with the trajectory it's taking, it looks like it's going to touch down right on top of Geralt. ]

Out of the way!

[ Steve manages to shout a warning before he refocuses to mentally draw his shield back toward him. ]

[gynvael]

[ The rough winds make holding his ground difficult; he can hardly fucking see, but he can hear the whistle of the shield as it slices through the air. The magic it emanates makes his medallion thrum lightly, and it is the first time Geralt realizes that Steve is using a spell to guide it across the distance.

The wyvern reels. It spins before gaining control, though not enough as its one wing desperately tries to fight the gale. Lightning sparks above.

He stays put, almost as if he didn't hear Steve. He plants his feet, watching its shadow loom over him as it descends. The span of its wings blocks some of the dust; he can glimpse where the bones have snapped in its fragile limbs and the shape of its belly tells him it is a she with new hatchlings for the spring. That must be why she's emerged to hunt despite the storm. To feed her young. There isn't much they can do; her wing is already broken, and she will not survive long one way or another in this weather.

So he gives it no further thought. He lets her swoop down to land, ducking out at the last instant with his sword drawn, narrowly avoiding a sharp black talon. The wyvern pierces herself atop his blade. Her abdomen splits tail to throat, and she skids across the sand, crashing against the overhang Steve has taken cover behind. ]

[assembles]

[ It all happens in a matter of seconds. Geralt's movements and every beat of his timing in battle reads as if it's all been calculated in advance. In truth, Steve knows that it's more the result of years and years of experience doing this kind of hunting, which allows him to adjust accordingly to every danger in almost any situation.

The shield returns to his grip only a few moments before the downed wyvern skids right toward him. Realizing that the momentum is going to send it crashing against the wall, Steve leaps to one side and ducks into a roll to avoid getting pinned by the beast's mass.

The creature screeches, the sound full of pain and loss, and Steve watches as it twitches with the last vestiges of life. Its wing broken, its front split open — even a beast this large can't last for much longer.

When it comes to who can give the cleaner and kinder final blow, Steve knows that Geralt's deadly sharp blade will be the best option. As he pushes back to his feet, he nods to Geralt, figuring he already knows what has to be done. ]

[gynvael]

[ Its dying screech pierces through the howling storm. He can hear its slowing pulse and laboured breathing. It all cuts off abruptly when he severs its head. For a second, he watches and waits to be sure it's dead. Instinct. Not every detached head signals a death knell.

This one does.

He shakes the blood from his sword. Then he offers Steve a hand up. ] You undersold how far.

[ Another time, he'll have to ask Steve about that shield. He's never quite seen anyone go into battle with only a shield and no weapon, but he's equally never quite seen anyone use a shield in the same way Steve does. For now, he shoulders his sword again, prepared to carry on. No point in lingering. The storm will only grow worse as the day goes on and he wishes to return home before dark.

Or before they're caught. ]

[assembles]

[ Steve takes Geralt's hand, trusting that the wyvern is well and truly dead, and huffs out a noise near to a laugh. ]

Kinda hard to explain in the heat of the moment.

[ But now Geralt has seen it firsthand. Steve knows that his fighting style is unique, to say the least, and a lot of that is the result of not being formally trained and mainly just feeling things out with the shield. Until Natasha gave him some proper hand-to-hand lessons, that is.

He returns his shield to his back and with that they continue on, leaving the carcass to rot or maybe even be swept down the mountain road by the sheer strength of the winds. The good news is the storm is so incredibly deafening that no one seems to have noticed their presence on the mountainside, and while the rest of the journey isn't exactly a pleasant stroll, no other creature is desperate enough to ambush them in these conditions.

Some time passes, and Steve wonders if this is all going to turn out to be a bust. It was all on a hunch, following rumors and little more, so it's entirely possible they'll find nothing. But as they reach some level ground on the side of the mountain and continue down the makeshift path, he spots something in the distance: a deviation from the typical rocky cliffsides they've been staring at for hours now. It's difficult to see with all the sand and grit blowing into their faces, but there's something built into the side of the cliff face.

... A door?

There's sudden movement from that direction and Steve acts on instinct, ducking behind the closest boulder that will shield them from view. He knows that Geralt will follow his lead, if not move in sync with him, their senses equally attuned. ]

[gynvael]

[ The remainder of their journey proceeds in blessedly uneventful silence. Geralt keeps one eye on the ground for signs of any other beasts nearby, though he doesn't expect tracks to stay long under these dusty gales. On occasion, he's come across other travellers or merchants on the mountains, or sometimes what he suspects are simply nomads. Now, there's merely the two of them and the endless sand.

A part of him is hoping they will find nothing of note. It would not mean there isn't anything to find, but no news is good news.

If only.

He slides in next to Steve. He hates how much he can't hear over the storm. Normally, the winds would carry voices towards him. He glimpses the same hidden door, however, and the movement of men nearby. It must be something significant if they're out here in these conditions. The door opens a second time. Then nothing. Just quiet, as if there was never a soul in the region. After a minute, he glances at Steve and shakes his head. He isn't certain what Steve is thinking, but he hasn't any plans to risk getting closer. Not until they're sure that what's in there is worth getting caught for.

But now that they've found it, he knows he can track his way back. And he thinks...he might recognize the scent of one of the men should they encounter him in the city later. Hard to say. ]

🎀

[assembles]

[ Maybe it would have been better to find nothing, but on the other hand, that would have left this entire situation shrouded in mystery. Seeing this, they now know there's something going on.

Steve's made reckless choices in the past and had them pay off, but he knows this isn't the time to go charging in. They don't know what they're dealing with or how many soldiers are even inside this secret base, and the storm introduces too many variables into the equation.

So when Geralt shakes his head at him, a quiet now isn't the time, Steve nods in agreement.

At least he confirmed what he had already suspected, which is that the military dragged the Thunderjaw off for a reason. And it can't be anything good. ]

We should head back before the storm gets any worse.

[ And then he'll have to share this intel with a few trusted people. ]