[ 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

[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. ]