[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]Edge of the Blue- Limsa Lominscuttle Town[/center]
[center]Lvl 5 (68/50) -> Lvl 5 (70/50) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 864 words[/center]
[@DracoLunaris] [@Lugubrious]

While Geralt found himself somewhat hopeful that they'd actually be able to get through this little job without having to sacrifice a bunch of poor bastards, he wasn't quite convinced yet. Their options, as far as he could tell, were as such:

They could lead just shy of a dozen or so people to the slaughter on The Maw, which they [i]might[/i] be able to avert by hijacking the abominable vessel themselves. Either way, they'd need to people innocent people at risk to save the rest. Hardly conscionable, but it seemed like a damn good bet to get where they needed to go. 

They could earn the trust of the locals, get themselves some kind of raiding party, or at least a group of people who could hold their own, and, once more, take the Maw. Likely storming the vessel again in this case, but with more support, and thus a better chance of victory. All they had to do was [i]stop an immortal fleet of constantly-rebirthing evil[/i]. Geralt figured the odds of pulling that off were like his odds of beating the Wild Hunt. Possible, but not without careful planning, a great array of allies, luck, and raw determination on their side. Riskier, but if they could pull it off, it could very well guarantee their success.

And then there was the black sheep plan: Get an [i]Airship[/i] (the very thought of which threatened to send Geralt's stomach into a fit), cross the Bottomless Sea with likely minimal help, and deal with things themselves. Utterly insane. Suicidal, even.

There were some variations, the most attractive of which was to get themselves an Airship, deal with the Abyssal Fleet, and lead a naval force to their target, but that was just the second plan with a few extra steps. 

Geralt was, simply put, not happy with their options. Even the 'safe' options risked them being wiped out by their unknown foes. And each presented its own unique set of issues, killing people for their Spirits being one of them. 

As Peach (Boy was he glad to know he could get away without any formality around her, kowtowing even a bit to Emhyr had been hell) offhandedly mentioned the difficulties of water travel, with the underlying solution to the situation, Geralt met her gaze. "It'd be rather convenient if we could, true." A small sigh. "Sadly, we're not blessed with such wondrous powers. Dammit, if only I'd asked Yen to tag along, we could have her Portal somebody back there. Wouldn't help with getting back much, but it'd solve half the problem." Left unspoken was the reason he hadn't done so, but that was hardly their business. 

Still, they were dealing with quite the problem. It was then that Geralt realized their problem [i]might[/i] be solvable without bloodshed. At least, part of it.

"Hey, Junior." Geralt called to the Boss's Kid, somewhat respectfully, but also clearly not exactly sure how to address him. "Those...portal things you can put down. Would you be able to drop one here that links back up to the Princess's Castle, or Alcamoth? That'd get us closer to solving this money problem we've got, at least." Leaving the question, he turned back to Peach and thought out loud. 

"As for the Abyssal Fleet, this might actually be in my area of expertise. Breaking curses, spells, and other such nasty afflictions as endless resurrections is sort of my specialty. Witchers are trained to handle all sorts of magical and physical afflictions. The only problem is we'd need to learn more about the specifics. Things like how they resurrect, where they do so, when they attack, how they attack, what they look like, what kind of beings they are, what their weaknesses are, what made them this way in the first place. That sort of thing."

Sighing, he shook his head. "From there, you have to think about what the actual curse or spell did. Is it tying their soul, or Spirit in this case, to a place, an object, another being that's controlling them? Is it causing their Spirit to return to a central focus point? Is it simply using ambient energy to create more monsters?" He was on a roll now. "It could be a hundred different things, each with a dozen ways to stop or undo them. It's why most people just pay to kill the monster and be done with it. And why most Witchers just do that." The resentment in his voice was clearly audible at that part. "It's easier, and you don't end up sharing soup with a Wight." His jaw set for a moment. "Not fun, that."

"I think getting help's our best shot, though. I should talk to this Admiral of theirs, learn what I can about this Abyssal Fleet, see if I can't find a way to keep them from resurrecting. Won't be easy..." Under his breath, he continued. "Being a Witcher never is."

Looking back to Peach, he nodded quickly. "Anything else I should know before I go and get some info on our little beasties?"

If there was nothing, that was precisely what he was going to do.