Chapter 134

"Well? What's the verdict?"

I looked at Vesemir, who had just raced me all over the witches' playground. Naturally, he started with the children's simulators, but gradually moved on to the more complex ones. He didn't take me to the most difficult ones, though, stopping somewhere in the middle of the second half of the simulators.

"Well, uh. for someone who's supposed to have a gun as his primary weapon, it's fine. But you're a little better with a sword than you are with a stick. Although I can see that you weren't even at that level a short time ago. I think you could pass more complex simulators, but what's the point if you're pulling everything with your speed, not your technique?"

"I mean, it's bad."

I was sad. Not that I didn't realize that I was far away from the level Vesemir would consider worthy, but...

"No..."

Vesemir shook his head.

"...not bad and not all. No, if you were a witch, I'd be tearing you and your skills apart right now... but you're not a witch, you're a mercenary, and you're not working against monsters, you're working against humans. So, uh. it's okay. There's not a bad base to build on. there's the beginnings of a personal technique that's tied to speed and, judging by some of your moves, stealth. And what you said yesterday just confirms what I'm saying."

"Well, it is..."

I shrugged.

"...But it doesn't make me feel any better afterward..."

"Enough..."

Vesemir cut me short, irritation audible in his tone.

"You're a successful mercenary, and what's more, even with your technique now, you could take me and all the other witches combined. I'm guessing it was the same in your world. You were pulling at the expense of speed, and unless you had someone with the same speed, but a vastly superior technique."

"Well..."

"No, your stories with Mystique and Smasher don't count. They were just more experienced, maybe a little more tech savvy, but even there, your speed was enough to offset those advantages."

"Well..."

"You're still alive, which means I'm right. We'll get you more technical. I've already figured out what you need to do, and part of it can be done with a coffin, because you're not a mage, so we can reduce the time for training."

I nodded.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Now, forget you have a sandi and repeat after me. I'm going to very slowly show you how you need to move in order to maintain your speed advantage and start building up the skill of wielding your weird batons. Although given the way it works, they're more like swords."

"So get off the machine, and I'll show you how to move. But since you're a grown-up boy.

Vesemir grinned as he said those words.

"...then all responsibility for the training and exercises will be yours. I'll show you what to do, help you load my knowledge into the coffin, but I'll say it again, I'm not going to stand over you like you're an idiot."

"I don't have to..."

I shook my head.

"...my development is my responsibility. And it will be enough for me if you occasionally monitor my progress, so that I don't accidentally fix any mistakes in my style."

"That's no problem..."

Vesemir nodded, agreeing to such a request on my part.

"...Now watch this..."

Already the old man only outwardly jumped on the platform and began to move. Very and very slowly, commenting on each of his steps and explaining why exactly so and not otherwise, why to leave "vulnerability" in this place and what to prepare for at this or that moment.

For ten minutes he circled the pad before jumping off and nodding to me.

I closed my eyes and thought about what I could do and all of Vesemir's advice. Naturally, step by step I wouldn't be able to replicate all the movements of this old wolf, but taking into account his comments and hints...

With ease, I jump onto the pad and start moving. Very slowly. Very carefully and trying to follow all the recommendations of Vesemir, who is carefully watching me and giving comments. And I'm glad that he didn't interrupt me and tell me that I should do everything exactly as he did.

"Slowly, take your time... Now you need to learn how to really move properly, not do it fast. So even slower."

I didn't react in any way to Vesemir's words, just followed his advice and continued moving along the large number of posts hammered into the ground. Step by step...

Only after three hours of my exertions Vesemir stopped correcting me and after standing silently for about half an hour nodded and went to do his business, I continued circling the site working on the skill.

I wasn't going to filonize, because even the meager amount that Vesemir showed me when he gave me a demonstration of how I should move was far beyond the skills of Smasher and Mystic. And if I combined that kind of skill with my speed...

After that, no major league solo, well unless of course he paid attention to his fighting skills, I'll crush them like children. No, I can't say Smasher and Mystic are inept, but their skills and fighting style are sharpened for chrome combat, there's no pure martial arts technicality there, so...

The chime of the bell alerted me to the fact that it was time to finish my training and prepare for battle, because an enemy had been detected nearby. Five minutes later, I stood on the wall and watched the portals open, cold and dog-like creatures popping out of them.

And there were a lot of them. a lot of them.

"Thermal grenades ready!"

My voice echoed over the wall, and the people immediately prepared thermal grenades, which we had purchased in huge quantities while still in the cyberpunk world, and here at the expense of Triss and Ian, as well as a few other sorceresses made some alchemical charges.

"Throw it!"

When the creatures fell on the castle in a wave, or rather were close enough to it, we dropped these grenades on them and a fiery hell was formed in front of the fortress walls, in which the creatures used to the cold died almost instantly.

"Somehow it was easy... of course, last time it wasn't difficult, after all, Sol had a lot of weapons with him, but this time..."

"Preparation, that's the key to success."

I replied with a slight chuckle at the words spoken by Geralt, who was standing next to me.

"I know, but, uh. it's like I'm not even needed here. just standing around watching you guys throw this shit at your enemies and they just die."

"Would you rather be there right now?"

I nodded at the space in front of the fortress where the creatures continued to die. I nodded at the space in front of the fortress where the creatures continued to die.

"Risk your own life? The lives of your brothers in the order?"

"No..."

He shook his head.

"...and I must apologize for the way I acted last night. I had a little too much to drink."

"It happens..."

I shrugged.

"And still I acted like a pig... your people fixed up my house. Cured us witches of any lingering trauma so we wouldn't die in another encounter with some not-so-popular creature from the bestiary. Anyway, thank you.

"You're welcome..."

I grinned with the edge of my lips, surprised at this behavior from Geralt, who had clearly admitted he was wrong.

"Prepare the grenades!"

I kept a close eye on what was going on outside the walls, as I didn't want to let the enemy in. The conversation with Geralt didn't distract me at all, though.

"Throw it!"

A new command and a new portion of thermal grenades flies at the enemies... But this time from the side of the portal comes a gust of wind, which somewhat blows the grenades in our direction and they explode much closer to the walls, and the creatures just freeze in front of the wall of fire and heat furiously clacking their teeth and howling.

"The magicians are here. snipers, you're up."

One command and from the towers of the castle wall snipers start working, the primary target of which is the enemy mages. However, soon not only mages appeared from the portals, who were successfully hiding with the help of various spells, because of which they still had to be calculated, and since the mages were not visible, and shooting blindly by indirect signs obviously did not bring results, snipers switched to more accessible targets.

"Pants-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

I made a gesture with my hand and the shooting immediately stopped.

"Who's so brave?"

My questioning shout obviously reached my opponent, as an elf in the familiar armor with a crown on his head stepped forward.

"My name is Eredin Breakk Glas, I am the king of the wild hunt! And I accuse you of cowardice!"

"You accuse me of cowardice, when you yourself pursued a single girl with the Wild Hunt in full force? You're a hypocrite!"

"That's different!"

"And really..."

I nodded at his statement, though he could not see it. But my tone was far from agreeing with this statement of my enemy.

"...you probably think that you are pursuing a lofty goal and therefore all means are good, right?! And when you meet an opponent who thinks that he is right, that his goal is good and yours is not, and starts treating you the same way, that is definitely wrong!"

"We wish to save our people!"

"A people who have spent thousands of years enslaving other races from other worlds?! Is this the people you're going to save?!"

"You don't understand anything!!!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

I nodded my head again.

"If you're not a coward, come out and fight me!"

I grinned with the corner of my lips. I didn't like Eredin's confidence, so I decided to be reassured and activated the walkie-talkie without shouting.

"Panam, my cherry, take aim at this king..."

"You're gonna play dirty?!"

Geralt looked at me with a dose of disdain in his voice.

"Yeah..."

I shrugged.

"...he's an enemy, and not only your lives, but the lives of my clan and Ciri depend on my actions. So, do you really want me to, uh."

"No, no..."

Geralt shook his head.

"...I have nothing against this approach. After all I am a witch and I'm used to the world not being white and fluffy. It's just that people generally like to invoke concepts like honor and courage, so I was a little surprised..."

I shrugged.

"I'm a mercenary, not a noble lord."

"But you claim that title..."

Ciri snuck up on me from behind.

"...at least you want to hold a very high position in Nilfgaard when I'm Empress. And yet you want to do something so dishonorable--

She shook her head disapprovingly, but there was an understanding smile on her lips.

"Ciri? Why don't I know about this? The Empress? Not a witch?"

Ciri sighed and shook her head.

"Not a witch... Geralt, I appreciate and respect your profession, but what can I accomplish as a witch? Save a couple tens of thousands of sentient beings by the end of my life?"

"It's not a small thing..."

There was a hint of condemnation in Geralt's voice.

"Quite a few..."

Ciri nodded her head.

"...Except that as Empress, who will support the Aldecaldo clan, which will absorb the witches of the Wolf School, I will save hundreds and tens of hundreds of thousands of sentients with your hands. And that's just looking at you. And if you take the various laws, innovative solutions and much, much more..."

Ciri shook her head.

"I can even stop a war in progress! And that's not only stopping deaths here and now, but also reducing the number of ghouls and algouls that breed on the battlefields where hundreds and thousands of dead were left. And by stopping the population of these things from growing."

"I got it, I got it, I got it."

Geralt threw his hands up in the air.

"...by becoming Empress, you can help more people. But there will be a lot of dirt, too."

"Yeah, but there's no way around it."

Ciri shook her head, but I was checking my tonfa and concealed-carry pistols. I also checked that the sandi was working properly, and then quietly descended the castle wall and made my way to the main gate.

"Open the gate..."

"Stand down!"

My scream interrupted one of the guys.

"Open the gate. It's not enough to open the gate when the enemy is under the walls."

"Okay..."

And a wicket was opened for me to go out.