Chapter 3: Questions

August lay on a bed made of hay.

There was nothing spectacular about the room August was in. Small room, with stone walls, wooden floor and ceiling. Rare candles served as the only source of light, but even with them, the room was very dim. Because of this, it was very difficult to see everything in detail.

Against a wall was a simple-looking wooden table with a chair next to it. Different instruments were lying there, most of them looked like things that you can write with or on which you can write.

The entrance was guarded by a huge door made of wood, reinforced with metal.

August looked around but found no one nearby. His wounds were still very sore since not much time had passed since his encounter with the monster.

Because of this, he could hardly move with such injuries. He looked at himself and noticed that all of his wounds had been treated in some way. But they served the purpose of stopping bleeding.

August was bandaged around his stomach and on his arms, which were also badly injured during the escape.

August played the last memories in his head and remembered the man who saved him. A man who possesses great strength, especially with his sword in his hands. August had seen nothing more beautiful than the swordsmanship of this unknown man.

The man was a Witcher, but August didn't know about them yet. He was just a lost child, lost in an unknown land, an unknown body, and an unknown past. He had millions of questions, but he had no answers to them. Perhaps he will find answers to some of them from the unknown man who saved him.

*Sound of a door opening with a creak*

An unknown man entered the room where the wounded August was resting. August recognized him as the man who saved him from the monster, despite his fear of the man, the fact that he had saved him allowed him to feel some comfort, as this man at least did not leave him to die. He was not killed or eaten, so he still has a chance to survive and find answers to his questions.

August wanted to find out a lot about different things. What else could be expected from someone who woke up with nothing but dirty rags and his name? He was eager to get answers to at least some of his questions. Unfortunately, many of the questions he might ask cannot be answered in the way that most people simply cannot have that kind of information and knowledge.

The man went to a table in the room's corner and took a chair, placing it in front of the recumbent August. He sat silently, peering into the eyes of August, who was doing the same. Finally, August broke down and asked.

"Hello mister, thanks for saving me from that monster. He almost killed me. You appeared at the moment when I no longer had hope. If you don't mind, mister, what's your name? And are you going to eat me? "August murmured the last part in a low voice. He didn't want to die immediately after being rescued, so he had to be sure. Looking at the man's stony face, August didn't know how to react.

The Witcher sighed heavily. Despite his quiet speech, he heard everything clearly, because he is a Witcher. They all have enhanced senses, allowing them to hear and see things that others easily overlook.

"Child, how did you…."

Before he could finish his question, August interrupted, saying, "My name is August. Please, I'm tired of asking questions. Can I get at least a couple of answers? For the last two days, all I've been doing is asking questions that I can't find answers to, I can't take it anymore." His voice sounded really desperate. He had so many unanswered questions, he asked them all the time he travelled, and even one answer could make him at least relax.

The Witcher shook his head and said, "Well, child, my name is Hans, and I'm a Witcher." Hans said this with a neutral expression, emotions were something that Hans was not rich with, and even if he was, ugly scars would hide everything that could be shown.

"Alright child, now it's your time to answer my questions. I don't have all the time in the world to listen to your questions. I'm sure you'll find the answers someday, with enough time and patience," the Witcher told August.

But, despite his speech, August could not stand it and asked another question: "And who are the Witchers, Mr Hans? Monsters?" not feeling threatened by this man, despite his coldness, August asked him a question that might make some of them very angry, as they are not monsters of their own accord. They were created to be weapons that deal with the killing and extermination of other monsters.

*Hans sighed*

Hans replied, "No, we are not monsters, we are humans…" After an awkward pause, Hans continued, "We were humans, but we were turned into Witchers to kill monsters. We are the biggest and most suitable weapon against monsters. But we don't seem to be needed anymore." He spoke his last sentence in a quiet, almost unremarkable voice, so August could not hear what Hans said. But a certain sadness was reflected on his face during the last words he spoke, which August could not hear.

Having received some satisfaction from the answers, August silently looked at the Witcher, waiting for questions from Hans.

Hans asked August "Kid, how did you get here?" There was some distrust in the Witcher's voice. That can be understandable since the child showed up out of nowhere.

August tilted his head to one side and said awkwardly, "I just knew I had to be here. I don't know why or what I should find here, but I know that I should have come here. If this place is called Kaer Morhen, then I've come to the right place. I can't say how, since I don't know the answer to this question myself, I just knew that I should go here, that this place should give me something that I need, but I don't know what".

Hans shook his head from side to side at the answer. This response raised even more questions to which he would like concrete answers. Asking another question to find out something that could at least give him a clue. "So how old are you, kid?" Where are your parents?"

After these questions, August silently looked into Hans's emotionless eyes. He never asked himself questions about where his parents were, but when he thought about all this, he found emptiness. Nothing, it seemed to him a forgotten word, something he longed for but lost a long time ago.

So he replied, "I don't know, I know nothing. All I can remember from my memories is Kaer Morhen. I even learned my name from a stranger. I don't know my age, I don't know where I'm from. All I can remember is my last 2 days. And my first memory is that some old woman woke me up, and then I was kicked out of the house. Later, I found out that I was in the kingdom of Kaedwen and in a city called Pillaris. That's it, no more, no less. I just know that I should be here." August said, expressing a rainbow of different emotions. Fear, anger, some relief and complete misunderstanding.

Taking a deep breath, Hans stood up and left the room asking no more questions or making things difficult for himself.

August was again left to himself, thinking about things that are still unclear. He continued to think about what his life and his future would be like.

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