1270

A year later

With a new truce between the Empire of Nilfgaard and the Northern kingdom, a new set of negotiations were made. Demands and trade routes were given up by Nilfgaard as to pacify the kingdoms of northern to their so-called “loss” and “heartache”.

Emperor Emhyr looks at this with a sneer, but outside his façade, he was smiling politely and talking to the kings with gentle persona as if they were his brother and sisters.

The negotiation has come to an end with Nilfgaard losing some of its trading route as compensation to their loss and a large number of Nilfgaard main resources were given as a gift.

-

Two years later

Pontar river

Two large ships were leisurely making its voyage in nearby shores.

Atop of the ship deck, the different entertainer was doing tricks like on its own, two clowns doing foolish things, a fire breathing man, a clown throwing dagger in the air and two big fellas exchanging fist.

A man wearing a crown surrounded by guards was sipping on his gold chalice as he laughs at those fools. He was Demavend the third, the current king of Aedirn kingdom.

Beside him was a bald thin man wearing a royal court dress looking indifferent. He was Abelard, a court mage in Aedirn.

“Don’t you enjoy it?” the king looks at the mage beside him.

“I enjoy it sire” the mage smiles politely

“Want me to introduce you to our finest girls in our ship?”

“No sire, there’s no need to trouble you”

“Very well, as you hope”

Demavend then ignores the mage and focus on the entertainment in front.

Two guys were currently in a heated battle as they send punch in each other’s faces. As both determine to please the king, the two give a splendid performance as they became frantic on their blood fistfight.

Suddenly-

A blue crystal tube was thrown in the air, Abelard look at it and suddenly his heart began to beat and his eyes became huge. He suddenly stood up and immediately erects a magic barrier to cover the king and his men, but for the rest-

A frost was so strong that it covers the entire ship, every inch of the wood was touch by the frozen wind. Even the birds around and the tiny droplets of water around the ship was frozen in time.

The king looks at this with horror and trembles with fear as he looks around the frozen field.

“Wha-“

“Guard the king!”

The Aedirn soldiers surrounded the king and look around vigilantly.

They search around for possible assailants.

“Go search the area!” the mage orders the other knights

Three knights slowly approach and looking around. As they walk, the ice around them began to creak. Suddenly, behind them, a part of the ship was wreck open making them throw their attention behind.

Then a large man with two short swords approach the soldiers to fast, before they can react, the soldiers were already sliced in their necks one by one. The mage watches this in a grim expression. He starts to ready his spell looking at the assailant's face.

“Kill him!” Demavend shouted

Abelard, with a fireball in his hands, starts throwing them at the large man, but despite his size, he moves flexibly and dodges the fireball thrusting at him with ease. As he approaches fast, Abelard began to panic. He lunches magic fireballs hastily but the assailant grabs a soldier using it as a shield, making the guard became ashes instead.

Abelard retrocedes in horror as he saw the man approach him fast.

The man pierces his neck with a short sword making Abelard drops down on the wooden floor. He still has the looks of horror as he was killed in a gruesome manner.

“Hiii!!” seeing this Demavend panic and climb above the deck in an attempt to escape

With the mages gone, the man relaxes approach as he handles the remeining guards with ease, slicing their necks precisely. He pulls the King's coat making the King stumble back. Without giving him a chance, the man slices the King's neck repeatedly until the head was detached from its body.

He looks at the head and puts in the brown sack and attaches it to his side. He approaches the edge of the ship. He can see the other ship was starting to approach here. Without delay, he jumps into the ocean vanishing as the frozen ship starts to sink.

-

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

A man wearing black round glasses speaks as he looks at the foggy mountain.

He was called professor; no one knows his name except they call him that. He was an assassin for hired and one of the leaders of Salamandra

“Patience, my source never proves me wrong.”

“Right, how is it going for you? I mean your source?” the man name professor chuckles as he looks at his side.

The man whom he was speaking to was Azar Javed, a Zerrikanian sorcerer. He was a tan man with firm muscles despite being a sorcerer himself showing he was not only verse on magic, but also a warrior too base on the sword attach on his side.

He was wearing a brown leather covering the left side of his head, he has a scarf on his neck with red stripes on it. He has a small brown necklace with four small pointed spikes below it and wearing a brown vest.

He was the current leader of the expedition, so even he hates his guts, he chooses to obey his command.

Since three years ago, they still don’t know who was the mastermind behind the attack in Salamandra leading all their force in Vizima to reduce to few. Due to this, they need to relocate some of their force from other places to forcefully run their operations in Vizima.

They have a hunch that some non-human was behind this since the elves start attacking their secret trade route leading to their large loss in cargo. Although they tried to strike back, the elves as if have an eye on them, avoided their ambush and strike them back, making them lose more of their men.

With their control in Vizima was barely manage to exist, they need another method to improve their forces, and they thought of the mutagens in Kaer Morhen that can create Witcher.

By using mutagens, they can increase their troop's power drastically and maybe, just maybe able to change the players in Vizima circle with their own hands.

With this, the remaining leaders of Salamandra pool all its remaining forces to attack together with the Kaer Morhen.

“We need to succeed no matter what,” Azar said firmly while looking around him

There were currently 50 members of Salamandra and 70 bandits they hire for this expedition. Although he felt dealing with Witchers was overdoing it, it never hurts to be careful.

He heard that the famous White wolf disappear suddenly three years ago.

With his disappearance, the slayer of the monster became few and some village vanishes without others knowing because it became a monster’s nest.

Although there were remaining Witchers, they were only remaining few, and a loss of a Witcher was a reduction of safety in a nearby country.

The soldiers were forced to take up arms to handle the job they don’t know-how, resulting in a heavy loss in troops.

Right now, the various kingdom was posting bounty with high reward to slay monsters in the infested area but no one dared to take up a request for fear becoming monster’s breakfast.

Thinking of this, he became, even more, determined to steal the secrets of mutagen

If they create an army of Witcher, then those kingdoms will bow down to them and will beg for their services. Just thinking of it makes him exhilarated.

“Hurry, no time to rest!” Azar shout

Professor just snorts but quicken his horse pace.

“Whish”

Suddenly they look up and their eyes contracted as rains of arrows block the sky.

“Ambush!”

Azar hurriedly emits a barrier around him, he watches helplessly as the arrows hit the Salamandra and bandits group.

“Ahh!” Help!”

They watch helplessly as the bandits and other Salamandra was killed by arrows.

Azar grit his teeth

“Retreat!”

The remaining members run back but before they could, they were blocked on the road by four individuals.

A middle-aged man with long silver hair, a cropped hair with a scar on the right side of his face, a man wearing a red stripe shirt has a three long gash in his right face, and a young woman with wheat hair color.

“A trap” professor said bitterly

Azar look at the four with hatred

“You ruined my plan!” he has a crazed look on his face as he stares at them

“Well, sorry to pop your bubbles, but you’re not welcome here,” the man with cropped hair said with a sneer

He looks at the remaining Salamandra at his side.

“Buy me time!”

Then he starts to use magic

“They are attempting to escape!”

“Heh, not if I can help it!”

The woman with wheat hair pull something from the sack and threw it at them.

“Hmph!” the professor grabs his crossbow and took aim, and shot the bomb coming at them

Azar suddenly a bad premonition.

“Stop-!”

But it’s already too late, when the bolt hit the bomb, instead of exploding in flames, it exploded with powder scattering in the air.

Suddenly, Azar felt his magic draining. He looks at the powder in horror.

“We got five minutes,” the young woman said while all of them were pulling out their silver sword

“It’s enough” the middle-age man nod

“Although it sounds cheating but whatever, might as well finish this quickly.”

Without delay, they attack them

“Block them!”

Without magic, Azar can’t use teleport, making them in a dire state, he turns the horse around.

“Whish!”

Azar suddenly jumps out of the horse as the horse stumble forward. He looks at the hidden rope connected to some large stone. He grits his teeth and runs into the forest.

“No, you don’t!”

Azar moves his head sideways as a bolt swiftly passes his cheek.

He didn’t turn back and continue running to the forest without delay.