Chapter 64: Episode 61

Words Count: 5494

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read 24 Episodes in advanced.

p a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

A/N: So while I was writing Ep 62, I re-read 61 and found the second part… Disjointed, it feels so odd, and it’s not up to my usual standards, so I kinda added in some parts and rewrote others, the fight remains the same, but the romance with Triss is better, I think? Hopefully you guys enjoy this.

---

One moment, I was alone in what seemed to be everlasting Darkness, the next I was quite literally plopped back into my stiff body. I slowly opened my eyes, watching in anger as Abel turned his back on me, his wings flapping in agitation as the Demon prepared to take off, and from the direction he’s aiming for, I knew immediately he was targeting Ciri.

Everything was slowed, the colors appeared washed out, faded from where I lied, as though somebody had put an ugly, horror-filter over the usually radiant World of the Witcher. Grunting, I flopped on my back, forcing my rigid legs to work. I had forgotten how [Second Wind] operated as a Skill. It most likely took inspiration from Borderlands, meaning in this state, my physical Stats were a mere fourth of what it was usually.

I inhaled sharply, charging at the Demon just as he noticed my presence. Even with those seemingly permanently-paralyzed facial muscles, he could not hide the disbelief and panic in his eyes. I wrestled him to the ground, a wicked grin on my lips as I rained down blow after blow after blow on his face, enhancing the effectiveness of my hits with a healthy dose of [Mana Burst] and [Reinforcement].

This would not kill Abel, he was too resilient, his regeneration too quick for attacks of this caliber to end him. But, I wasn’t aiming to kill him, I had about thirty seconds to make the little bastard suffer, and I was going to make full-use of that time. Today! Today was the day I put the fear of Gods in a Demon, the day I made a Hellspawn tremble in terror, starting with this fucker.

“Die- Die- DIE!” I growled, punching half his face off, the hit tearing his fanged lower-jaw to chunky pieces and bits that stained the ground under him crimson. Abel attempted to fight back, of course. Sadly for the Demon, even without access to the majority of my Stats, I was able to get the better of him still.

Abel was an expert spearman, he used wits, tricks and AGI to overwhelm his foes with a flurry of blows, maneuvering out of dangers using his wings after, but his STR and DEF were rather lacking… Thus, by wrestling him to the ground and straddling his waist, I had essentially crippled Abel’s strongest point– His mobility, effectively turning the Demon into my own personal punching-bag.

“Your Mistress couldn’t kill me–” My fingers dug into his eyes as I began to pull, as though wanting to split open his head. His third-eye, the one located in the middle of his forehead, rolled madly as the Demon clawed, kicked and struggled helplessly in my grasp. I blocked the claws zooming in on my face, breaking Abel’s arm from the joint with a loud crunch. “– What made you think you could?!”

14…

13…

12…

Anger and vindication consumed my rationality as I kept bouncing Abel’s head off like a cheap, deflating beach-ball. It’s only when the timer ticked down to 10, and the sound-cues were slowly getting louder that I decided to end his sufferings.

“Count yourself lucky, you filthy fucking Hellspawn.” The Demon should have had to suffer so much more than just this for his crime against me. Unfortunately, time was on his side, not mine. Hence, with one last growl, I started channeling my Mana… Using [Ansuz], I called upon the might of the Gods of Lightning and Thunder, any I could imagine and smote the Demon as he shrieked, his Vessel starting to disintegrate. “Now fuck off to whichever asshole you crawled out of.”

The effect was immediate.

Colors returned to my vision,

Strength crept back in my body as the previously mentioned stiffness ceased to be a problem.

Sounds, which I hadn’t even realized were muffled and muted earlier, were now ear-piercingly loud.

Getting to my feet, I groaned in satisfaction and pleasure.

Yet, just as I took a step in the raging Witch-Bitch’s direction, nausea hit me like a speeding truck.

Visions of what I was made to experience thanks to her Psychic Scream brought me to my knees. I had heard of evils, I had witnessed atrocities, but not like that. Never like that. Everything always seemed so… Disconnected when you were seeing those from a screen, or reading about them in books. What I went through, it’s as though I was both the victims and the perpetrators, somehow.

To see it from their eyes, experience their horrifying demises, it was eye-opening.

Parts of me, the more humane parts could not help thinking that maybe, just maybe it’s what I deserved, and that perhaps I should turn back before I was too far gone. The other, more stubborn parts scoffed at the thoughts. What had being humane and selfless ever done to anyone? He said, and I couldn’t find it in me to refute. If I hadn’t brought the Red Riders to Novigrad, thousands wouldn’t have lost their lives,

But...

Ciri could have– Would have had to suffer much more. My existence might have changed things, yet there was no guarantee it would have been for the better. In fact, logically-speaking, by merely existing, I could have made things worse. One Child of the Elder Blood was enough temptation, two? The King of the Wild Hunt would have most likely sent an army after us, instead of the small-squadrons format he so preferred.

Clenching my fist, I spoke. “Life’s cruel, better them than I.”

Just like that, the guilt and lingering torment dissipated bits by bits, slowly chipped away like a dilapidated wall left to fend for itself. Those emotions were weak to begin with, they represented naught but weaknesses and shitty philosophies he had desperately clung to in an effort to fit in.

“I was looking out for myself and Ciri. I. Did. NOTHING. Wrong!” Once more, I reassured myself, and the visions subsided. I could sense them, fuming underneath the surface of my thoughts– Hungry sharks waiting for a chance to dominate my mind again, to submerge me in grief, guilt and irrational fears. “I will not let you. You’ll all shimmer out of existence sooner or later, just like that weakling has.”

A triumphant roar left my mouth as they whined and whimpered like the pathetic, lowly mutts they were. Utterly impotent and useless when faced with the tight, iron-grip I had over my consciousness. ‘Perhaps choosing you to be the new Vessel for All the World’s Evils was the correct decision after all. Much easier for someone like you to deal with all the… Negativities associated with the Title.’

Disbelief tainted Angra’s tone, almost as if he could not believe there were people– Humans capable of such a thing. Weird, seeing as psychopathy had been a thing for as long as Humanity had existed, and pieces of shits like Kirei were walking around. ‘Still, to so confidently say you’ve done nothing wrong after causing the deaths of thousands… How callous of you, Leo-tan.’

I chuckled at the familiar voice, my throat felt hoarse, yet I was unusually cheerful. ‘Welcome back Angra, thanks for the praises, but surely someone like Kirei would have been the better choice?’

‘You’d think so, but no. Us Nameless Martyrs and the Curses are… Separate beings with different goals. We want the World gone, since no Humanity means no Evils, the Curses adore Humans for bringing it into existence.’ I shot towards Gabriel as Angra continued with the explanation. Although the entire process of my resurrection felt like it took days, it had actually been mere minutes after its last Psychic Scream.

‘It’s why we chose the Priest to be our Pawn, we wanted him to bring about the Apocalypse. Though, I think deep down, we all knew that was never going to happen, not unless both the Curses and the Counter Force are taken out of the equation…’ He trailed off, and I decided to continue in his place. ‘And that’s where you found me, I’m guessing?’

‘Yes indeed–‘ The Daemon King laughed maniacally, the touch of irony was quite audible  in his tone as I landed on Gabriel’s head, arm winding back to unleash a devastating punch on her. Her exoskeleton was too tough, too hard for my blades to pierce through, but blunt-force weapons– Or in this case, my fists should work. ‘We were quite surprised too, it’s not the first time we had thoughts of making someone else our fall-guy, but none had ever fit the requirements.’

My punch, enhanced by [Reinforcement] and [Mana Burst] crushed the Umbral Witch’s horns and subsequently, her skull. She howled madly, arms flailing around as she reached for me. ‘The truly psychopathic are not Martyrs, the Martyrs oftentimes can not take upon the burdens of the World’s Evils, and those who can handle the Spiritual Weight of the Curses are simply too physically weak to house the Curses. Their bodies would have burst from the seams.’

The Witch opened her mouth to release another Psychic Scream, but this time I was prepared. Quickly, I summoned a bubble of Space around her mouth. It’s the first step in order to use [Spatial Shrinking/Expand]. Hopefully, this should muffle the Spell, weakening it enough for me to withstand the effects. ‘You weren’t the perfect Vessel, mind you. But, you were pretty close. It’s like your Body’s made to house some… Greater Being–’

That stopped me in track as my flurry of blows ceased.

My hands were bleeding profusely, pretty sure there were hairlines fractures all over my bones too, but those alone couldn’t divert my attention from the topic at hands.

‘What?’ Angra replied teasingly. ‘I said your Body feels like it’s made to house something other than you. Something Ancient, powerful. Obviously, your Willpower left much to be desired, but we thought since you were ready to commit suicide with a brittle brick anyway, might as well?’

Gabriel screamed, causing ripples to rip through the bubble of condensed Space I had created. ‘What do you mean by that?!’

I gritted my teeth, fingers digging into the Witch’s brain to keep from falling off. The Daemon huffed. ‘… What? It’s not like people capable of housing the World’s Evils are easy to find, and we have suffered for a long, long time!’

“I didn’t mean that part, I meant the whole, ‘Made to house something Ancient’ thing!” I blurted angrily, my fist blowing chunks of Gabriel’s brain-matter into the ocean. The result was her blood and flesh corrupting a large area. It took less than a moment for the fish to float up, melted to the bones. ‘Ah, that.’

Angra said lamely. ‘No idea, when your Soul slipped into the Body, we were intrigued because we couldn’t sense your Evils, it’s why we don’t hate you actually. Unlike the rest of Humanity, you’re not responsible for our sufferings, even when you are actively murdering other Humans, we can only sense, not feel. We only noticed later on that your Body’s weirdly adaptable and susceptible for Possession, long before you ever gained Supernatural Traits.’

I could practically see the Daemon shrugging helplessly, picking his nose with a bored, uncaring expression plastered on his face. My mouth plopped open, yet the words remained stuck in my throat. Partly because I saw Gabriel’s hair-tendrils move to smash at me, but mostly because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know.

“Fuck.” I slapped the tendrils away, deflecting them with surgeon-like precision and timing. “Enough, I have to murk this annoying bitch first, but make no mistake. We are definitely going to revisit this topic later.”

‘Whatever floats your boat, Leo-tan.’

I scoffed, and seeing as I couldn’t direct my rage at the Daemon, at least not in any effective way, I thus decided to focus on the Umbral Witch instead. I flattened my hand to make a bladed-shape. It had been a while since I last used this Skill in my sparring session with Kirei, months if I wasn’t wrong.

I had almost forgotten about its existence, what with all the new Skills I had to practice and hone in recent days, it probably wasn’t going to be effective against the Umbral Witch, but it’s one of the few Skills I could actually use to bolster my weaponless hits… [Dimensional Slash] coated my straightened hands as I cleaved at Gabriel’s regenerating exoskeleton.

The result was as I expected, most of the damages done to Gabriel the crazy Witch-Bitch was from brute-force, [Dimensional Slash] barely scratched her exoskeleton, but the wounds, however small, seemed to have a little trouble closing up. It’s not exactly noticeable for the untrained eyes, the delay was merely four to five seconds more needed for her to heal a relatively small wound. Still, notice it I doubtlessly did.

I wondered why that was, then I realized something crucial.

There were three essential factors in a battle between Nasu’s Mages:

• First were the Spells, or the Mages’ repertoires and how much one countered the other.
• Second, the Mysteries involved and how much Conceptual Weight they held, not necessarily how much Mana they consumed.
• Lastly, the Mages themselves. For humans with limited lifespans, this factor wasn’t very prominent, but Gabriel had been alive for five centuries, give or take a few years. Her Innate Mysteries and Magic Resistance must be through the fucking roofs.

Therein lied the problem with fighting her, problems beyond just the naturally destructive Traits of Cursed/Demonic Mana. Her Magic Resistance was ridiculously high. From what I had seen, it must reach Rank: C at the very least. All of my repertoire focused on Spatial-Temporal Manipulations, plus a little Curses from [Finn Cannon]. The only effective tool I had against the Witch was [Ansuz], but it did not actually channel the Gods.

There was no inherent Divinity in it, hence why it wasn’t as potent of a tool as I had wanted it to be against Demonic Beings. The Runic-Based Spell also had a frankly absurd amount of Mana requirement for me to keep spamming it over and over again.

[Dimensional Slash], on the other hand, was the perfect Anti-Reality weapon. It did not manipulate, nor did it interact with the Laws of Physics and Reality so much as it aimed to tear Space-Time apart like a soaking piece of toilet-paper to reveal the Truth, or the Void existing all around us. Demonic Mana was destructive because it imposed its own Laws, its Corruption upon everything it touched, even the Space it inhabited.

But, [Dimensional Slash] did not differentiate.

As long as it occupied Space and/or Time, it’s fair-game as far as the Spell was concerned.

Even the Magic Resistance born from her Innate Mysteries was rendered far less effective than it would have been against any other Spell I had.

‘Really wish I had tried this before she decided to turn into a Kaiju of all things.’ Oh-well, I doubted it would have changed anything. Yes, it had proven somewhat useful in slowing down her regeneration, but a few seconds delay wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. Even now, with the knowledge [Dimensional Slash] was capable of harming Gabriel, its range was simply too… Small to inflict the sort of damages needed to bring her down.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t or shouldn’t try though.” I grinned, judging by the pained scream she let slip seconds prior, Gabriel wasn’t a fan of [Dimensional Slash], and since I was one petty motherfucker, this also meant I must use it as often as I could. My arm winded back as I prepared for another flurry, yet just when I was about to unleash an unhealthy amount of repressed rage unto the unsuspecting Witch, I was met with Ciri’s echoing call.

“Leonis, be careful!” Suddenly, I felt Space and Time twist around us. It’s like I was in the center of a raging storm, or a whirlwind to be precise. The Umbral Witch must have sensed it too, since she quickly moved to change location. Well, as quick as a giant, hundreds feet tall Kaiju-Lady could with her lower-half submerged under the sea anyway. “So I was right.”

I smirked, launching myself off the Witch’s horned head.

The level of Mystical Might the Witcheress was utilizing was simply… Incomprehensible. I had little doubt if Ciri were to cover the entire planet in this, she could have– Would have caused a catastrophe on unprecedented level. One not even the famous Conjunction of the Spheres could ever hope to match. I did not doubt she would have torn open Space-Time, allowing not just mere Monsters to descend on the planet, but the indescribable Cosmic Entities.

Those, those things that laid beyond Reality itself, Beings who resided in the deepest depth of the Void, of whom I had mere gotten the slightest glimpse of.

“Oh-shit…!”

I couldn’t blink. Reality itself had become, for a lack of a better term, a complete and utter mess. Even running or jogging forwards, it did not feel like I was making any progress whatsoever. Then, swift as it came, the pressures subsided, just long enough for me to escape the Grand Blink’s horrifying grasp. I tore myself into Reality, falling like a comet into the vast ocean amidst Gabriel’s screams of terror.

The Witch’s form began to blink rapidly, as though it couldn’t quite decide in which Plane of Existence it wished to inhabit. A slash, a cut in Space-Time was shredded. It reminded me so much of [Dimensional Slash], but not quite. Soon, I realized why. Ciri had fucked up majorly, she had done exactly what I had imagined and ripped open a hole for the Things that existed outside of all Universes and Dimensions.

“I told her to aim for the Sun!”

Gaunt fingers, seemingly falling inwards and spilling outwards at the same time, reached for the shrieking Witch. Their featureless faces, utterly lacking in any and all traits that could be associated with Humanity, lacking even the notion of emotions, Good and Evil poked out from the hole.

You are reading story Fate: Dead Man’s Lament at novel35.com

“Good Gods, what have you done, Ciri? What have you brought upon us?!” My eyes prickled with pain as my Mind, my Brain struggled to register, to comprehend what I was seeing, only to be met with naught but failure, for I knew, to gaze upon these Beings’ true forms was to forsake all rationality and Humanity. “Fuck, fucking-fuck! What the fuck are we supposed to do now?”

The Umbral Witch was like a plaything in their hands, a chew-toy thrown to a pack of hungry, ferocious dogs. She could not even resist as they tore her to bits, scattering her flesh to the timeless, spaceless Void. “Night-Gaunts, interesting Creatures, are they not? They are the Creation of the Blind Fool, one the many disturbing things it dreams up.”

I jumped as Gaunter’s voice entered my ears. He was calm, calmer than he had any right to be, an ever-present, playful smirk danced on his lips. “Aren’t you gonna do something about them? They’re stealing your prey.”

“You should know better than to incite me to violence, Traveler.” The Man of Glass smiled at me. It was a hollow smile, one that I would not hesitate to admit, sent a shiver down my spine. Then, he continued, turning to face the horror that was happening right in front of our eyes. “But I suppose you’re right, D’Leoncourt’s Soul belongs to me, it will not look good if I allow these ScaVEngeRs to take it.”

I wasn’t sure if he noticed, but at the end of his sentence, O’Dimm’s voice had taken a slight… Change. It’s no longer the slimy tone I’d expect from a Merchant, especially one dealing in the trading of Souls, but a Demonic growl that caused even Angra to quiet down, shimmering down as if he was trying to remain undetected. Though, I was fairly certain it was for naught, given the knowing gaze the Devil just threw us.

One moment, he was next to me.

The next, Gaunter O’Dimm stood before the hole, uncaring of the Night-Gaunts’ menacing presences.

It's like someone had cut frames from a clip, that’s how fast he moved, that’s how clunky it felt.

“Boys, boys…” He spoke to address the ravenous Night-Gaunts as they continuously shoved Gabriel’s flesh and bones into their mouthless face. The Lovecraftian Creatures’ heads snapped towards the smirking Devil. There were no features, no lips, nor eyes, nor nose for me to ascertain their emotions, yet I could somehow tell they were irritated all the same. “Would you mind backing off, this mortal’s mine.”

Gaunter did not even allow them to respond before he clapped, and one of the Night-Gants instantly vomited out Gabriel from its gaping… Face.

Another clap expelled them from the hole, sending them tumbling violently back into the Void.

A third, and the hole in Existence itself was shut and closed. Reality automatically mending itself as the Night-Gaunts were removed.

I watched him carefully pinch Gabriel’s Soul between his fingers, as though the Merchant was afraid he would hurt the Witch. The act alone made my instincts scream with terror, for I knew all too-well he did not, in fact, care for the D’Leoncourt’s last Heiress at all. O’Dimm glanced at me from where he stood, the signature smirk still plastered on his face, yet even here, I could see the inherent Inhumanity in his form.

“Thus, our contract hereby ends.” Hearing his words, I couldn’t help releasing a sigh of relief. “Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to work together again, Traveler.”

‘I’d rather not, thank you very much.’ The thought remained unvoiced, yet Gaunter must have listened in on my head, or I must have shown discontent on my face, for his smile widened like the Cheshire Cat. “Don’t be so quick to decide, Traveler. Perhaps one day, you might need my aid once more. Goodbye, Leonis Magnum, I wish you safe travel.”

If Gaunter wore a fedora, I imagined he’d be tipping it towards me.

I blinked, not [Blink]-Blinked, but blinked normally, and he was gone. Every trace of the battle that had taken place seemingly gone, erased, even the tainted water and the floating bones caused by Gabriel’s blood cursing the sea were all gone. I wiped my face as the Witcheress blinked and dove into the sea next to me, suddenly feeling a sense of exhaustion taking hold.

“Leonis, are you alright?”

“Nope, but I’ll be in a few hours.” I answered.

Today had been a long, long day. ‘At least I have something to look forwards to after this.’

My thoughts wandered towards a certain curvy, redheaded Sorceress. “Let’s- Let’s just go home, and don’t use the Elder Blood until morning, there are things I need to tell you.”

For example, the existences of Outer Gods beyond the confines of the Multiverse and the dangers unrestricted usage of the Elder Blood posed. “C’mon, I’ll get us home.”

I grabbed onto Ciri’s hands, and together, we both disappeared in a flash of colorful lights. ‘Time to prepare for my date with Triss…’

What? Did you think I’d forget about that? Hell-No. If I could forget about that, I might as well cut off my balls and willingly become an eunuch.

—— [Fate: DML] ——

After returning to Novigrad, Ciri and I parted ways quickly. We were both exhausted, the Witcheress from channeling enough Elder Blood to bring about the Servants of the Outer Gods and the Apocalypse, and I from… Well, basically everything that had taken place. Of course, seeing as I had a date with Triss, I barely got an hour of sleep in, before having to get off my ass and prepare.

A bath later, I was inside Triss’ bedroom with a grey suit, a black button-up shirt on and a crimson tie around my neck.

“Are you sure you can do this? You look tired.”

Ah, Triss. My dearest Sorceress, you’re caring as ever I see. But as a man with a functional penis, there was no way in Hell I’d give this chance up. Patting my projected suit, I silently took the seat opposite to hers.

Triss had done a pretty decent job at cooking and preparing for our… Date?

There were candles, clean tablecloth, wines and culinary masterpieces. As it would turn out, being an Alchemy Mistress made you an incredible cook, who would have thought, right? Truly, it’s everything someone could ever hope for in a date! Triss Merigold really knew how to make a man feel special.

“I’m fine, Triss. How can I bail on our date when you’ve put in so much effort?” Put in the effort, she did. The Sorceress had pulled her hair up, but not in the usual way she kept it tied, but there’s a certain, gentle feminine touch to it. For once, her bang dropped down to frame her face, her lips were more colorful, but not to the point it looked… Redundant. “If you’re sure.”

She waved her hand, and the candles burst to life.

Triss was beautiful, even with torn clothes and marred mascaras and lipstick, but tonight, the Sorceress was beyond gorgeous. The flickering candlelight only served to further highlight her features, even the flaws such as the freckles scattered on her cheeks and nose.

The Sorceress did not bother to hide her burn-scar, her shapely and tight dress revealing all of Triss to me, and she’s like a gentle fire, soothing, comforting, yet ferocious and fiery, as though a single mistake, a single spark could turn this small flame into a raging storm of fire. And, from memories of my past life, I knew all too well how capable of this Triss was. “Come to think of it, I don’t know much about you, Leonis.”

“There isn’t much to say, I’m an orphan who stumbled into the Craft of Magic. My hometown was… Burnt down in an Ancient Ritual a few months back, I’ve been living with the resurrected Spirit since.” I kept my voice light, trying my best to project a sense of humor. I succeeded, Triss chuckled. She likely thought I was joking, but after seeing my expression, the Sorceress paused. “Wait, you’re being serious?”

“Quite.” I replied, putting a piece of steak into my awaiting mouth. I was ravenous, I hadn’t touched a lick of foods since Ciri and I came back, hoping to leave my stomach empty for the date. “Oh… My apology, I didn’t mean to–“

I waves her concerns away. It’s not like I remembered what the real Leonis’ life was before I took over, I didn’t even know how his parents look like, there was no reason to be sensitive about the whole ordeal. “Don’t worry, I have supernaturally-induced amnesia, I don’t really care. As people always say, ‘Ignorance is bliss’.”

“Yes, I suppose not having any memory prior to the accident does help you move on…” Triss trailed off as silence descended upon us. It’s not really discomforting, I’d say it’s pretty nice. Dates weren’t just about conversations and small-talks, sometimes remaining silent was the better option, especially after touching on a potentially hazardous topics. “Do you know how to dance?”

Suddenly, Triss asked, an excited smile on her lips. I did, in fact, know the basics of European dances or he did, having been forced to take a class during his days in University, but the memories back then were a blurry mess at best and a fragmented scenes in my mind at worst. Still, since the Lady had voiced her interest, how could I reject her?

“I know a tiny-teeny bits. Although, I’m afraid you’ll have to endure being stepped on once or twice.” I said jokingly. Triss, having heard that, jumped to her feet, offering her hands to me. “C’mon Milady, I’ll teach you.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, standing to my full-height. “Oh– It. Is. On!”

“Prove me wrong then, Leonis.” The cheeky, redheaded minx winked at me and clapped. I hadn’t even noticed before, but apparently, there were several musical instruments left scattered around the room. All it took was a clap from her for the instruments to rise, as though being grabbed and played by an invisible group of musicians. “… You’ve got to teach me that sometimes.”

“So you can use it to impress more girls?” Triss taunted, her pearly-white teeth shinning as she put on a saucy, mischievous smile.

“I’d never!” That’s a white lie by the way, I indeed planned on using the Spell to impress girls, but only fools would admit to their real intentions. “Yes, yes. Keep lying to me, see if I’ll teach you then.”

I pouted, internally cringing as we began to waltz.

Left hand must grab her right,

Right hand on her shoulder-blade.

Right foot forwards, spin.

Left foot backwards, spin again.

“And you say you only know a little, filthy liar?” The Sorceress snorted as she fell backwards, trusting me to grab her waist. Obviously, I did not disappoint. Truth was, I was only able to keep up with her by virtues of my Supernatural reflexes and agility, reading her body language to predict when and where I’d have to place my feet and hands next, but that counted, right?

‘Good to know dancing’s still a pain in my ass, even with Stats bordering on the limits of Humanity.’ I thought spitefully, internally cursing at the bastard who invented this… Sport? ‘Is dancing a sport? It is, isn’t it?’

Eventually, our movements slowed to a crawl as we shook to the melodies, enjoying each other’s embrace.

The Sorceress rested her head on my shoulder, and I on her head. Like always, her scent was heavenly, a mixture of cherries, marigolds, but today there was something else added, I think? Something sweet, light.

Honey, I realized.

“Ciri told me all about your adventures together.” Sadness crossed Triss’ face, the expression was so brief, I’d have failed to catch it had I not been so focused on her expression. “She seemed really happy.”

Triss said suddenly as an unreadable expression crossed her face. “She really likes you, you know?”

… I did not like where this was going, not one bit.

In my experience, or his, every time a woman started a conversation using another girl, it’s never good. Nervous, I took the wrong step, hastily correcting my mistake before her mind could even properly register it. Phew, catastrophe averted! “I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think I can give you what you want, I can’t give you my heart–”

‘Gods-fucking-Dammit! I knew it!’

“You’ve been good to both Ciri and I, I know you care not for the Mages of Novigrad, you only helped because I wanted to… But, I can’t do it to Ciri, I don’t want to just be the add-on either. Not now, not so soon after… Geralt.” She continued as my heart sank more and more, until I felt it drop into my stomach. “Perhaps in the future, my heart might open up again, but until then...”

All of a sudden, the front of Triss’ dress dropped to reveal her breasts and small, pink buds. “Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.”

The Sorceress smiled as she slipped out of her dress, sitting with crossed legs in her birthday suit. “What do you say, Leonis?”

I released my grasp on her, walking over to our table to down a cup of wine and wash the aftertaste of foods lingering in my mouth. So basically, what she’s saying was, she did not want to get into a relationship, yet. But she was more than willing to be my friend-with-benefits? That’s- That’s fine, I supposed? The situation was salvageable.

The fact that the Sorceress still wanted to sleep with me meant she did find me attractive, and I had a chance to enter her heart, and that’s all I needed.

But, in order to do so, I’d have to return to the Witcher-Verse regularly, more than I had initially planned…

Getting to my feet, I slowly stalked towards the Sorceress like a wild animal, which to be fair, after weeks without any sexual release and the constant bombardment of my new hormones, I was. My lips captured hers in one swift motion, my hands– The left lingered on her breasts, before sliding down her creak. The right scratching her back lightly as I thoroughly enjoyed feeling a shiver spread on her body.

Next, I made for her hair, pulling her head back with a gentleness that logically shouldn’t even be associated with the act. “Does this answer your question?”

The Sorceress hummed, letting breathless moans escape her soft lips as my fingers dug roughly into her folds. “Why– Uhmm, ah! Why did you stop?”

I smirked, sweeping her into my arms and practically racing towards the bed. “Let’s do this properly.”

You can find story with these keywords: Fate: Dead Man’s Lament, Read Fate: Dead Man’s Lament, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament novel, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament book, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament story, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament full, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament Latest Chapter