[Chapter Size: 2900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Novigrad.
...
...
"My lord, take a look at the body," murmured the soldier in a low voice in one of the corners of Novigrad, approaching the corpse. "It's a priest. Dead."
Tellico Lunngrevink Letorte, or rather Dudu, looked at the body and began to study it. The throat was slit, and it had not been done by a human blade, but by a rather large claw.
"A monster, for sure." Dudu murmured.
"A monster, sir," said one soldier, very afraid, while they examined the body.
"Yes. And this is only the first murder. There are other reports, aren't there?" the commander said to his companions.
They nodded in silence.
Dudu continued observing the body, while he had his own thoughts.
"My lord, it seems you'll have to hunt another monster," said a soldier with a certain pride and with less fear than his colleagues beside him.
Dudu was more than a common soldier or even a commander now; he even dealt with monsters and investigated murders. It was no wonder he was there in that position. Everyone respected him.
He simply nodded his head and went back to analyzing the body. Certainly there was a monster killing priests of the religion of the Eternal Fire as bodies... and, by coincidence, that one was a priest who had been spreading ideas that should not be promoted in the city. Dudu knew that this was one of those his soldiers had listed for him and that he had passed on to Madara, and now he was mysteriously dead, overnight, lying in an alley among one of the murder reports they had received as soon as they woke up that morning.
As the investigation went on, they went to the other bodies. There were civilians and other priests dead. Dudu did not stop frowning as he continued the investigation. Madara was acting differently this time. Usually, he made people disappear, but this time there was a bloodbath against those on the list.
"Stay alert. I want patrols throughout the entire day and doubled during the night. Check for any trouble during your shifts. If you report anything suspicious, inform me. And spread posters informing that there is a monster loose in the city," Dudu said, as his men nodded and began to follow his orders.
Meanwhile, Zoltan was somewhat dazed as he looked at the place full of prostitutes chatting with each other through the windows. He was standing in front of a brothel.
That was the place Madara had told him to go. He swallowed hard before starting to go in, with the women looking at him as soon as he entered the place. Most showed a certain disgust, until a well-dressed woman approached and stared at him.
"What are you doing here, dwarf?" she asked.
Zoltan tried to speak despite the disrespect, but was soon interrupted.
"I don't think you can request our services. We don't sleep with non-humans. Nothing against it, but this is a decent brothel, for whores with principles!" she began to prattle on.
He already knew that there were some brothels that did not allow dwarves and elves to enter in the city, but he did not expect it to be so irritating. Cursing Madara for having sent him there, he lost his patience.
"Stop talking," he said with a certain anger.
The woman immediately narrowed her eyes, clearly not liking his tone. "Listen, I was sent here. My name is Zoltan, and I was informed that I am the new owner of this place," he said, making the woman's eyes widen.
"You… Zoltan?" she took a step back, somewhat shocked. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I had no idea it was you. You were the one who had bought it… I didn't know you were a…" she hesitated a little before saying the next word, "dwarf."
"Spare me," he sighed. "Anyway, now I'm the owner." His tone sounded more like a question than a confirmation, while the woman nodded.
"Then show me this place." He said, and she nodded quickly.
"Follow me, my lord," she said, turning around.
As they walked, the other women looked at him with narrowed eyes, gossiping that he was a dwarf and the new owner.
Zoltan did not like that place and continued cursing Madara for having put him in that situation.
Elsewhere in the city, Madara personally went to the bathhouse. He easily entered the office where Dijkstra was.
That never ceased to surprise him. He looked at Madara standing there, wondering how he had entered without making the slightest sound, especially in a place that he was certain was closed and protected by guards.
'This guy can kill anyone on the continent.' It was not a pleasant thought for Dijkstra, as Madara crossed his arms.
"Well, it seems we meet here again," Madara said.
"Yes. And, from what I can see, you are quite busy. One month staying in this city, and things seem to have changed quite a lot. Important changes in positions, leaders acting strangely, gangs being more cautious, less crime. Murders and robberies have decreased considerably throughout the city. The gangs are afraid of something... But I also heard today that there is a series of bodies scattered around the city this morning... Two priests of the Eternal Fire and some civilians. From what my men investigated, they held the same ideas as the priests who were speaking openly yesterday throughout the city," he said, casting a peculiar look at Madara.
"You could say that," Madara shrugged. "Sometimes, trying to negotiate is not the most effective way. It's better to pull the rotten weeds out of the pasture..."
"Tell me… are you controlling the religion of the Eternal Fire?" he asked carefully, after a brief silence between them.
"If you mean the main priest in the city, yes. That calmed things down," Madara replied, while Dijkstra looked thoughtful.
"Tell me exactly what you foresee for the future to act like this. You told me about some things like this in our last conversation," the bald man murmured.
"Of course. By the way, I appreciate the tip about Cahir being in Skellige. Well, he's no longer a problem," Madara said. The Nilfgaardian spy whose sole mission was to track Ciri was blown up along with his ship while heading to Ard Skellige, after learning that Madara would marry Ciri. He got rid of that nuisance, one of Emhyr's spies.
"Well, less competition," Dijkstra said ironically.
"He wasn't the only one we eliminated. You must have heard something about Vilgefortz. He was in Skellige and was eliminated by me and others," Madara said.
The bald man raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked with some caution.
"Yes," Madara nodded, while the other seemed thoughtful.
"I think Philippa mentioned something. We found one of his hideouts."
"And now you must suspect Philippa, don't you?" Madara said, making the man frown, wondering how he had come to that conclusion. The worst part was that he wasn't wrong.
Dijkstra had become quite cautious with sorcerers now. What he had seen about the markings, the blood, and the bodies—all of young women connected to Vilgefortz years ago—had left a mark on him after seeing so many destroyed bodies rotting in his laboratory for years.
"You're not mistaken. Philippa is a greedy woman, and so are most sorcerers," Madara concluded.
"Well, that's surprising, hearing that from someone like you," Dijkstra said ironically.
"Then tell me: what do you think sorcerers would do if they had half the power that I have?" Madara challenged.
Dijkstra could not deny that he was right. That would be chaos; any sorcerer would already try to dominate the world with that power... But Madara was not driven mad by his own power, that... Dijkstra had to give him credit for that.
"Anyway, Vilgefortz has already been eliminated. And I would be careful with Philippa and other sorcerers. I myself do not trust them," Madara said, shrugging.
The bald man took a deep breath before continuing. "Tell me more about your reason for assassinating priests in red and trying to censor the religion."
Madara began to explain what he knew of the future, using excuses such as predictions from a powerful seer, without stating that it was Ciri. After all, he did not want that information to spread, with Ciri becoming an even bigger target for greedy people. She would always have Madara's protection, and Ciri could very well take care of herself, but it was better not to have unnecessary trouble.
"In the future, you yourself will turn against Radovid because of his decisions allowing anyone with a sword in hand to go around killing all non-humans throughout Redania. Hunting sorcerers, alchemists, dwarves, and elves across the country... It will be an era of terror. I know you love this country more than the one who wears the crown on his head. I admire that in you, Lord Dijkstra," Madara said.
Dijkstra stood there, thinking about everything he had heard.
"Who will kill the current king?" he asked carefully.
"You know very well who will do that," Madara replied.
Before Radovid the Cruel ascended to power, his father was murdered by the sorceress. And it would not take long for that to happen.
"Philippa... It can only be her, can't it?" Dijkstra asked, angrily.
Madara shrugged. It was true. Philippa wanted more than the peace the current king was trying to maintain. It was no coincidence that there had been a mass murder at Aretuza, with the two groups of mages turning against each other. In that clash of sorceresses, there were those who fought for the North and those who were seduced by Nilfgaard's proposals. It had never been a place for both groups to negotiate peacefully; it was a trap, and the only person who did not know that was Tissaia herself, who had organized the gathering.
Later, she herself committed suicide in the original timeline, unable to endure the massacre that happened at the school for girls.
Madara did not know how they would react to his interference in that world. After all, he had devastated Nilfgaard's army years earlier, and they were still struggling to recover. The meaning of Nilfgaard no longer carried the same weight as before. The North, for now, was at peace, despite the shadow of Emhyr still being there, ready to grow even further.
How would the sorcerers react? Vilgefortz, one of the main minds behind the attack, was also dead... Madara was far too powerful a variable on the board for anyone to ignore him.
In any case, he would let things follow their natural course. He could not control the entire world.
Dijkstra seemed thoughtful. Madara discussed his plans with him, knowing that, in the future, he would go against everything that Madara also wanted to fight. He would let Dijkstra handle matters with the religion while he was not there.
Madara left the bathhouse shortly afterward. His contacts began to disperse, passing along all the information while they kept watch over the city. He went to the guard headquarters and found Dudu.
"You're here... And seriously? You put a monster in the city, and what if innocent people are hurt?" Dudu asked immediately upon seeing him enter his office, filled with documents.
"Don't worry. The monster is under my control. A distraction, after all," Madara replied. "It's nothing more than a katakan, a type of powerful vampire monster that can disappear and reappear. I caught it easily in the sewers and controlled it with the Sharingan."
"And what are we going to do? Are you going to use that again?" Dudu asked cautiously.
"Put on that usual armor. I will take your place when the monster confronts you. You must go to this point in the city," Madara said, pointing at the map.
At that exact moment, a roar came from afar, precisely from that same point.
"Now do your job," Madara concluded, disappearing in front of Dudu.
Dudu sighed. He would certainly have trouble if he faced that monster, but Madara had switched places with him. All he had to do now was command his troops there quickly.
Messengers came galloping in on horseback, informing them about the bestial roar that was frightening the entire city.
Dudu looked confident as he gathered a squad and advanced, sword in hand, mounted on his horse. His men followed him proudly.
Dudu had always been someone ordinary among them. He always appeared as a kinder soldier toward the people of the city, even seeking justice in an honest way. But now, there was a certain fascination in the eyes of everyone around him. Ever since he had hunted his first monsters and led groups to uncover mysteries, he had stood out, and his colleagues began to admire him.
When he arrived at the location, he found an alley surrounded by soldiers, while some people trembled, sitting and speaking with the other soldiers.
"I saw a giant monster settled at the back of the alley," the witnesses said.
"All right. I'll deal with it," Dudu said confidently, while everyone nodded, impressed.
"Be careful, my lord. It was a terrible monster. No one could face that, it's gigantic!" one of the men said.
Dudu puffed out his chest. "That's why I deal with these things."
He entered the alley, approaching slowly, while looking at the rooftops in search of Madara. His men shouted behind him with pride, a scene that was not happening for the first time.
Suddenly, a creature began to emerge at the end of the alley, making the air seem to freeze, and some soldiers began to tremble as screams of terror came from behind Dudu.
"Come on, Dudu. You can do it. Just approach it heroically. The people behind will see this and applaud. Then he'll switch places with you, believe in that."
That was the mantra he repeated to himself as he put himself in danger. The creature snarled at him.
Dudu frowned, but kept moving forward, until he came to about ten meters from it, with the monster baring its teeth.
Dudu stood there, staring at the creature while trembling with fear.
"Come on, hurry. Switch places with me, please," he murmured, almost in desperation, looking at the rooftops in search of Madara.
Suddenly, the creature lunged at him. Startled, Dudu jumped backward as if his life depended on it, falling to the ground. The monster's claw came down toward him, about to pierce his chest. He curled up, expecting death as soon as he saw the monster over him.
But, at the last instant, Dudu leaped backward without warning, performing a somersault with ease. Everyone outside the alley looked on in admiration.
The creature roared and advanced again, trying to slash him while Dudu dodged with grace. At least, that was how it looked.
The real Dudu was now crouched on top of a building, his heart racing, pounding as if it were about to burst out of his chest after having awaited his death. But now, he was alive and well...
He quickly moved to the edge of the rooftop from where the snarls were coming and began to observe the fight. He saw another person wearing the same armor as his, easily evading the monster's blows. Madara had switched places with him at the last second.
Dudu did not find that funny in the slightest, but he kept watching the fight, trying to calm his breathing after the earlier shock.
Madara continued dodging until he drew his sword and, at the moment the claw came close, cut the monster's arm clean off. The creature roared in pain as it was dismembered and quickly turned invisible.
In the next instant, the monster attacked from behind Madara, but Madara moved far faster than it ever could. His superhuman speed moved the sword like a lightning bolt and sliced through the creature's abdomen, making it roar even louder and stumble backward. That was a silver blade, and not even the monster could regenerate.
It looked at its own severed arm and torn chest, feeling its strength drain away due to the loss of blood and the overwhelming power of that human—one whose fear it could sense just moments ago, and who had suddenly changed completely.
A primal fear took hold in the fierce eyes of the katakan. It knew it could not deal with the human before it. Not anymore.
Immediately, it tried to flee, turning invisible once more as it ran. Madara was faster. He grabbed the sword and hurled it, spinning through the air like a shuriken, flying straight toward the direction the creature was running. The blade severed both of the monster's legs with a clean cut, and it collapsed to the ground, roaring in pain.
Madara walked up to it, retrieved the fallen sword, and drove it straight into its brain. The creature still tried to move, but it could no longer even turn invisible after losing three limbs. It died there, without resistance.
The people in the street began to applaud, shouting for Commander Tellico at the entrance of the alley. Dudu did not even notice when Madara once again activated the power of his eyes and switched places with him.
Dudu blinked a few times, confused by the sudden change of scenery. Now he was there, sword in hand, facing a dead creature, while his soldiers ran toward him, filled with joy and pride.
That was something he would never get used to.
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