8 Chapter 8

Observing mankind and their bizzare ways had become somewhat of a hobby to me as I travelled closer to the pull of destiny.

I watched on from the treetops as mercenaries turned upon sworn brothers and sheltered nobles turned purple and green after being bitten by poisonous insects.

The forest protected its own, but it was cruel to outsiders.

I deemed it inane to show myself before the prejudiced and often stupid humans that trampled through the forest. Their presence was amusing but I disdained to interact with such meaningless characters.

I was uninterested in hunting the sweaty and unwashed humans. Their DNA was already known to me and I bore them no ill will.

I had noticed an interesting phenomen however.

In areas where human activity was prevalent, monsters greatly increased in number. They seemed to be drawn towards mankind by something more powerful than hunger.

I found it more effective to follow the footsteps of travelling convoys and hunt the monsters that stalked behind them; rather than seek out prey on my own.

'Nekkers.'

These nightmarish beings were spread seemingly everywhere through the forests. Despite my weeks of travel, I had yet to encounter any other monster species.

Nekkers were common beasts in the Witcher games, but their numbers in the forests were simply abundant beyond belief.

Their methods of reproduction were unknown. Despite the hundreds I had slaughtered, I had yet to find any evidence of mating behaviours or young Nekkers.

They simply seemed to appear out of thin air.

This discovery increased my wariness to towards the mysterious forces acting in this world.

Nekkers were supposedly trapped in this world by the connection of the spheres. In the memories of those I had consumed I found fragmented images of a dark and putrid smelling land that they once called home.

I theorised that the Nekkers reproduced by magic. It was the only explanation with any logic that could explain their explosive population growth.

The memories I had absorbed from the various beasts of the forest showed that the Nekker population was not always so endless.

Over the past few years their numbers had been growing at a frighteningly rapid rate.

I turned my head to the east.

The scent of decay emanating from the unknown ancient ruins weakened as I distanced myself. However I had suspicions that the secrets of the ruins were inexplicably linked to the explosive population growth of the Nekkers.

Supressing the swirling thoughts in my mind, I refocused my attention on the human convoy I had been stalking for the last few days.

The force of destiny lingered on this seemingly ordinary caravan. I had gathered all the information I could on the identities of the merchant and his guards, but there was nothing to suggest any reason for destiny's attachment to them.

The largest individual amongst the guards quietly approached the merchant's carriage. His shoulders were tight and his eyes reflected an anxiousness unusual for a seasoned warrior.

The guard knocked lightly on the carriage door and proceeded to enter even before he recieved a response.

This was incredibly unusual.

Merchants almost always had links to the noble classes and the relentless brainwashing of nobility had bred a mindless fear in the common people's hearts towards the ruling class.

The tall and strong guard was physically powerful, but his salary was paid by the merchant. Unless it was a matter of life and death, he ought to have displayed the utmost respect towards the merchant.

The carriage's thick wooden walls blocked my sight, but I was still able to listen to their conversation from a few hundred meters away.

"Sir I am sorry, I know I should not intrude but-"

"You need not apologise Gonel, I know what you intend to say."

There was a long pause.

Then the distinctly more regal voice continued, "That thing is beyond what our weapons can kill. We must double our speed and leave this cursed forest before it thinks to complete it's hunt."

The guard replied with a mixture of relief and anxiety, "Thank you for your kindness sir, your wisdom is unmatched. I only wonder...."

The merchants fingers tapped contemplatively against the carriage walls, "Speak freely Gonel."

I heard the guard's heartbeat quicken.

"Sir my men are frightened. That thing...it lifted an armoured man like he weighed nothing more than a feather. Can-can it even be killed?" The guard said shakily.

The merchant met the question with a heavy silence, but I heard the rapid thumping of his heart as hormonal reactions beyond his control secreted various chemicals into his bloodstream.

After a lengthy silence the merchant spoke once more, "I have enlisted a Witcher to slay the beast. I will pay for his services with my personal funds."

The guard let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you sir! My men and I will not forget your generosity, I will tell my brothers to gather any coin they can spare."

The conversation turned to more mundane matters such as where to rest for the night and what ingredients to add to the stew.

I exited my highly alert state and no longer paid their words significant attention.

'A Witcher.'

The image of a tall and burly man in black armor appeared in my mind. I couldn't help but wander whether a Witcher's sword would be able to penetrate my carapace.

I now understood why the force of destiny was adhered to the convoy.

Any Witcher, even an unknown one who did not feature in the stories, was a being who had survived torturous mutations and wielded powerful magic.

Late last night I had noticed the merchant release a strange white bird that shuttled through the treetops at a speed that rivaled my own.

I now understood that this bird likely carried the merchant's plea for assistance.

The confidence in the merchant's voice when speaking about the Witcher was genuine and deeply-rooted.

Although I had found no evidence to suggest that he had received a response to his plea, the merchant evidently held great trust in the Witcher who's services he had requested.

The guard was overjoyed by the merchant's swift and aggressive response. He left the carriages with a grateful smile on his face and happily informed his men that the monster who had devoured several brothers would soon be killed.

I looked forwards to meeting the Witcher.