[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]Riotous River [/center]
[center]Lvl 9 (103/90) -> Lvl 9 (104/90) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 711 words[/center]

As the Seekers embarked down the rapids on their white-water rafting expedition, Geralt found a spot at the rear of the pack, taking his time and enjoying the adrenaline-pumping ride. It was nice to get this kind of feeling without your life being on the line. A few salmon found their way into his face, though he was protected from much of the force of the impact by the shield Quen gave him, which itself barely took any strain from a high-velocity fish. The spell could shield him from a swing of a Fiend's arm, so this was nothing to it. Still, he guarded his face with raised arms, fish bouncing off them to either side of his boat as he bounced and was carried downstream. Part of him was tempted to try and catch one for food, but they couldn't be sure of when they'd get the chance to actually stop and deal with the damned thing, so he decided against it. 

Nadia's own experiences with the fish managed to rouse the massive sleeping bear, which roared so loudly that it [i]displaced the water near it[/i], before chasing after the Feral Feline. Geralt watched with a raised eyebrow as the utterly titanic beast barreled through the obstacles in its path, destroying some entirely and knocking others over with its bulk. Geralt, for once having managed to avoid this kind of nonsense, did absolutely nothing. With some effort, yes, he [i]might[/i] be able to make chase and engage the creature, but he'd prefer not to for at least half a dozen reasons. Were they on solid land or in open water he could possibly manage, with his normal combat skills and the Breaching Bastion, respectively, but they most certainly we not in either of those scenarios. Even then, he'd prefer to have had time to prepare to fight something this powerful and dangerous. No, he was going to avoid getting himself caught up in this, dodging the perils of the river was annoying enough as it was. Besides, Nadia and the others, despite appearances, were able to take even more punishment than he could, and he was a veteran warrior in extremely high-quality armor. 

Eventually, his intuition proved fruitful, as Nadia managed to trick the Runebear and send it hurtling down a fork in the river that Geralt very consciously avoided. He even ended up shooting down a solid half-dozen of the pots along the way, scoring himself a good smattering of Rupees without wasting any of his arrows, each shot having been a solid hit. It was a pain to catch the Rupees that fell, though, and a good few landed in the river to be swept away by the current. 

Soon enough, the Seekers began to drift back together, Nadia sans her boat, but Geralt chose not to antagonize her and left it alone. She was probably miserable enough as is without adding salt to the wound. After quite a drop, they found themselves in a large lake filled with massive trees whose roots went directly down into the water. 

Geralt agreed with Nadia, that the ride was, overall, not a terribly negative experience, and he nodded along with her positivity. He was remarkably dry for the journey, though that was because Quen had actually deflected some of the higher-velocity water sprays from him in a fortunate display of magical utility. 

Soon enough, Blazermate and Susie rejoined the group, alongside those members of the Troop whom had gone after the pair and helped them bring Cortez around. Geralt was actually somewhat surprised that they ended up doing that right now, though with Kamek's magical utility, he supposed it made sense. It even gave him an idea for if they found themselves attacked on the water between here and their destination. 

Part of him was skeptical about the wisdom of unleashing Cortez, a self-described Pirate King, on the ocean large, but given that he was more along the lines of Bowser and his cohort than Eredin or Skelliger Raiders, he wasn't overly worried about it. They could always just deal with him later if it came down to it. He'd cleaned up his fair share of messes he was responsible for in the first place in his day.

[hider=Item Changes] Arrows: -6 [44/50] Rupees: +20[/hider]