587 587. Witch Hunt
"Why are you still following me?" Alexander asked her.
"I want to know who you are and if you can help us find Ciri." She spoke.
"I don't even know who this Ciri is and what gives you the confidence that I can find her?" Alexander inquired.
"I just have a feeling. I mean, there's a Unicorn roaming with you and an Elf calls you boss. You are either as pure as a baby or powerful as a god." She reasoned.
Dobby laughed, "Well, he is indeed an old baby. Well, suit yourself. But him helping you fully depends on your skill of convincing him."
"Of course, I have confidence that I can persuade him to help us." She replied with confidence.
Dobby then looked back at Geralt, leading his horse with them.
"What's her name?" Dobby asked.
"Roach." Geralt replied.
Dobby chuckled after hearing the name. "Haha, well, I won't say anything about weird names. I know a sentient cat whose name is Hats."
"Does he like hats?" Geralt asked.
"Yes, he does. He likes them a lot."
...
Phixheim,
"Dammit, Hats. You're so Dirty. You need to take a bath." Olivia ran after the cat.
"NO. I HATE BATHING." Hats ran away.
"Gu Ga Ga..." Suddenly, little Thea appeared, crawling out of nowhere and hugging Hats. Thea's magic did its thing and made Hats so relaxed that he melted in her arms.
So, Olivia also caught him and held him by his nape, which was the off switch of most animals.
Hats suddenly realised his problem, "Ha, Thea, why did you betray me?"
"UWAAAA..." Thea made baby noises, oblivious of everything that was happening.
Hats resigned to his fate as he was taken to the bathroom. In the tub, water was filled for his doom. He shuddered at the thought of bathing.
"BOZ BOZ..." But to Hats' surprise, Chappy was already bathing in the tub with his favourite duck toy.
Now, Hats had to look tough in front of this kid or else his image would fall. So, he sucked it up and gritted his teeth.
It took Olivia just 10 minutes to make Hats look fluffy.
"Aaaachooo..." Hats sneezed loudly.
"Ah, did you catch a cold?" Olivia asked.
"I don't know, I smelled a certain elf for some reason"
...
Witcher World
After a little walk, Alexander and the company entered the city. Ulrik had gone away to find the elders of his herd.
Alexander was initially looking forward to seeing the city but when he entered, all he saw at the city gates were beggars and sick people. In fact, in the outer areas of the city, he only found the poor and sick on the streets.
"What is going on here?" Alexander inquired.
Yennefer knew the answer, "It's the Catriona plague, named after the Nilfgaardian ship that brought it to the Northern Kingdoms."
Alexander looked at a few infected people. It looked like a disease that bore a strong similarity to the bubonic plague
"What are the authorities doing about this? They can't have shut their offices and castles due to the plague." Alexander asked.
"There are no authorities here. It all comes under the Eternal Fire, a religious cult that has many followers among humans of the Northern Kingdoms. It was founded right here, but recently it has gotten too powerful, so much that it is practically law, and the city serves as the religion's de facto capital.
"The cult is led by an elected Hierarch, with the seat currently being occupied by Cyrus Engelkind Hemmelfart," Yennefer told him everything.
"Then who runs the city? I mean, what about its forces that keep order and the city safe?" Alexander asked.
This time, Geralt spoke, "It has no official acting army or military body, the Order of the Flaming Rose, and Witch Hunters defend the Eternal Fire and uphold its laws.
"The cult of the Eternal Fire is a very aggressive faith which fights against all abnormal beings such as nonhumans, witches and, of course, beasts. Occasionally, even witchers aren't welcome in cities that believe in the Eternal Fire. I don't like coming here because of that."
Yennefer chuckled, "Yeah yeah, white wolf likes the wilderness the most."
Alexander looked around at the hellhole, "So much for a free city."
Alexander realised that god most likely did not send him here just to find a wife for Dobby.
"HELP MEEE.."
Suddenly, they heard the screaming voice of a woman. They looked around and saw a woman being dragged by her hair. There were a couple of men in similar dress, doing the deed.
"Witch Hunters. They are the harsh, cruel, and fanatical members of an inquisitorial synod dedicated to the persecution and eradication of magic in Novigrad, Oxenfurt, and Velen. Helveed is the Grand Inquisitor of the Eternal Fire in Novigrad. They've been after me too but I'm too powerful for them." Yennefer explained.
"Yeah, they tried to kill me too. They are known for being intimidating as well as overzealous in their cause." Geralt added.
Alexander then looked at Dobby and nodded. "Let's start our work."
Alexander and Dobby started walking towards the crowd. A pyre was set up there to burn the so-called witch.
"Hey, where are you going? If you interfere the whole city will be after you. I don't think I can fight so many people." Yennefer told him.
"Child, letting that girl be burned for nothing when I can do something would be a crime bigger than what those witch hunters are doing," Alexander replied.
"HELP ME... I'M NOT A WITCH." The woman shouted as she was made to kneel in front of a man in red robes.
"Heathen, you used your magic to corrupt one of our priests. We found you in his bed." the man replied and whipped her.
"AAAA..."
"You are not welcome in this world. Your magic is a disgrace to God. We will purify you on the fire. Be grateful for this." He replied and waved his hand.
"NOOOO... PLEASE!" She screamed in terror as the men tied her to the pyre. The people around them were also booing at her. The whole crowd's IQ at that moment was in single-digit even if combined.
Alexander couldn't see it anymore. He walked forward, checking the sins of each of the witch hunters.
"THAT'S ENOUGH," Alexander came forward.
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