[center][h2]Geralt of Rivia [/h2]
Frozen Highlands
Lvl 15 Geralt (204/140) +3 Collab XP -12 Friend Heart XP -> (198/140) 170% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Word count: 2,155 words [/center]


The conversation with Sandalphon and Edward had Geralt’s thoughts a bit scattered. A lifetime of hunts and murders weighed him down at the worst of times, but being reminded of the scenarios he often found himself in was never fun. 

He sighed, dispelling the melancholy from his mind as he walked away from the cart. “Gonna clear the area we came from, make sure none of those things we might have missed decide to come check the cart out while we wait for that door to get opened.” He announced to the other Seekers before setting out, fiery katana drawn. 

As he wandered, he came across a trio of mutated wolves, and took a slow, deep breath before approaching, making sure to maintain eye contact even as the wolves began to split up and flank him. “Not gonna work.” He muttered, hopping backwards as the two on the flanks leapt forward. They were careful not to crash into each other, but a blast from Aard knocked them over all the same. The third rushed in to cover their rise, and Geralt pirouetted to the side, lashing out with his katana to draw a line across its flank, what little fur remained singed by the blade’s fire.

The wolf yelped in pain, but did not relent, especially not now that Galeem’s curse held it in thrall. Geralt might have felt bad, were it not for the fact that these things were already dead, or damn enough near. His hand crossbow flashed out as he drew the weapon, a bolt deftly lodging itself into the beast’s skull before it could react. As expected, it did not die, but instead growled deeply before barking angrily.

All three wolves exploded forward, and Geralt broke right as they did. They quickly corrected course, but the change in angle meant that one arrived before the others. Geralt kicked as the wolf closed the distance, knocking its head aside as he stabbed his katana into its side and ripped it out, carving a burning gouge through its body. Undaunted, it rejoined its fellows in their charge, forcing Geralt on the proverbial backfoot. He cursed, unleashing another burst of energy from Aard to get some breathing room. 

“Enough!” He yelled, calling down the Orphan’s eldritch lightning, which spread from him and coursed through the monsters, shocking them and buying him yet another moment. He used that moment to transform into his Ardor Blossom Identity, draconic wings of flame bursting from his back as his armor transformed into street clothes. He raised one hand, a ball of fire coming into existence and growing in size before he hurled a wave of fireballs at the approaching wolves. Each hit caused the monsters to burn, but their undead vigor kept them from succumbing to the flames. 

Vaguely resembling Edward’s hellhounds, the three wolves charged again, now with flames licking away at their bodies. Geralt leapt to the side to dodge two, closing the distance with the third and grabbing its throat in his great hand, lifting the beast and slamming his horns into its chest, tearing them out to the side and dealing a grievous wound. Still, the beast thrashed in his grasp, desperate to clench its jaws around his flesh. His grip tightened until he heard bones snapping, and hearing the other wolves fast approaching, he whipped around to toss the paralyzed wolf into its kin, forcing them to split their charge again. 

Geralt charged at the one that went left, closing the distance in a pair of long strides, and slammed a huge fist into its skull as it bit at him. The wolf yelped in pain as the blow connected, and Geralt felt a weight on his back as the other wolf reached him, biting into his jacket and trying to sink its teeth into his scaly skin. Between his coat and the draconic scales, its teeth could not find purchase, and Geralt reached over his shoulders to grab the monster, slamming it over his head and onto the wolf he had attacked. 

Their bodies crashed together with a violent cracking of one of the wolves’ legs, but Geralt did not let go. He kicked the wolf that was not in his hands in the jaw to keep it disoriented as he lifted the one he was holding again. Like the other before, it thrashed in his grip, desperately trying to escape and bite at him, but Geralt adjusted his grip to hold it by the hind legs and use it as a club to bludgeon the other. Bones crunched and broke both in his grip and with each impact, and when the wolf he was beating finally succumbed and dissolved into ash, Geralt gave its kin mercy with his claws. 

This left only the paralyzed wolf, which was somehow still walking his way, though its movements were disjointed and uncoordinated, as if each leg was acting independently of the others. Its head dragged along the snowy ground, growling in what might otherwise be a menacing manner. As he transformed back to his natural Identity, Geralt drew his silver sword and finally finished the beast. 

He returned to the cart with their Spirits for Edward to crush with that strange hat. The actual fight took less than a minute, with him having spent more time walking out to find them and walking back. “Killed a few more wolves out back.” He advised the others. “Don’t think they’d have bothered us, but didn’t hurt to make sure. Undead, infected, whatever they are, they’re better off gone anyway.” 

Edward was quick to use the Symbol of Avarice to destroy the Spirits for him, quickly returning the spoils.

[center][hider=Items Obtained][b]Shadowpierce Fang[/b] x2
The necrotic, hyper-developed fang of a predator, useful for crafting wickedly sharp serrated slicing weapons. Draconic or poisonous properties can be coaxed from them depending on the final product

[url=https://i.imgur.com/xUp5xt7.png][b]Wolf Mask[/b][/url]
A piece of primarily cosmetic headgear

[url=https://i.imgur.com/JFI58Xh.png][b]Bone Arrows[/b][/url] x9
A number of bones whittled from animal bones. Their heads are sharp indeed, but they don't fly particularly true. These bestial projectiles are best used at close to mid range[/hider][/center]

“Thanks.” Geralt offered simply, pocketing the fangs and sending the arrows and masks to the armory via the spell Edward had taught the group. He had enough of his own crossbow bolts and arrows as it was, especially with Blazermate’s Striker engineer making dispensers here and there. 

Once Blazermate had cleared the way to open the heavy doors blocking their way, Geralt joined the others in helping to open them, transforming into his Ardor Blossom Identity for the added size it offered. He wasn’t sure it actually improved his pushing strength, but it certainly didn’t hurt. 

Thankfully, the obstacles on the other side of the door were easily managed: the broken bridge by a crystalline platform courtesy of Sectonia, and the zombified animals by Blazermate controlling a disgusting amalgamation of monsters to absorb the mutated animals in a truly sickening display of her control over the undead. “Ugh.” Geralt groaned, averting his eyes. He’d seen some horrible things, but unlife was too far, even for him. It reminded him of the way Skjall had agonized over every word he and Yen had forced out of his corpse. 

Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Sectonia blasting open the door to a hidden office, which Geralt gladly pounced on. Upon entering, the first thing he found was the business end of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/GiCk4Hb.png]Hexabarrel Repeater[/url], the ornate gothic firearm leveled at him by a shaking hand. Against the back wall of the inner chamber slumped a dark-haired, broad-shouldered [url=https://i.imgur.com/lXMQxKn.png]man in heavy clothes[/url], his eyes veiled in shadow and his skin pock-marked by stony scales and crystalline protrusions. The blood seeping from his wounds was blue, and there was an odd quality to his ragged breathing. Nevertheless, when he realized that he was looking at a sane human, he allowed his arm to fall. His six-barreled gun fell from his nerveless grip and clattered across the floor.

"Ah...sorry. I thought...you were one of [i]them[/i]..."

Looking around, this staff center seemed to specialize in medicine and veterinary care. Thanks to its hidden door and ID scanner, it was mostly intact, with a number of surgical tools and drugs scattered around despite heavy use during the onset of the zoo's sickness. One such bottle, labeled [i]Clark Shore's Miracle Cure[/i], lay empty near the suffering man. It was plain to see, though, that the drug had failed to live up to its name.

"Woah." Geralt said when he realized his situation, raising his hands and taking a step back. He [i]could[/i] just disarm the man and be done with it, but the state he was as well as Galeem's curse could have left that with an ending he'd prefer to avoid. Instead, the other man simply lowered the weapon when he realized that Geralt was still alive, earning a nod from the Witcher.

Looking around the room, Geralt sighed. "One of them got you, I assume. Don't worry, I can heal your wounds, though if you've been infected with something, that may prove trickier to manage." Nonetheless, he stepped closer to the man, making sure to step on the revolver and kick it to the wall of the room as he took a deep breath and reached within himself to grab a Friend Heart, gently pressing it into the other man. "Take a minute to sort your head out. Name's Geralt. You?" 

The sudden and unexpected restoration, just when certain words had been on the tip of the drifter's tongue, threw him for a total loop. His eyes, though still weary and tormented, widened as he realized that he could breathe and move without pain. "I...how?" When he pulled back his sleeve to check the skin of his forearm in disbelief, he found no trace of the new disease that had ravaged him. "Unbelievable. My thanks, stranger."

Gingerly, the drifter rose to his feet. "I am Eryk. My mind is swirling with strange memories...I can only say that I came to this place to wipe out the monsters. I've seen far worse than their like, after all. I did not anticipate contracting the Petrification Disease myself. And after I took such care to avoid contaminants..." He shook his head, baffled. "When I found this place, and the Miracle Cure, I dosed myself and locked myself in to await relief. At first, it seemed to do the job...but it was too good to be true." He clutched his heart. "I began changing, from the inside out. Into one of [i]them[/i]. Too late, I realized that the zookeepers must have used the same drug on the animals when the Petrification Disease overtook them. It is no cure...Clark Shore, you devil..."

Eryk bent to retrieve the repeater, grasping it by the barrels. He then offered it to Geralt, grip-first. "Here. I'll be making myself scarce, so it's better off in your hands."

[center][hider=Items obtained][b][url=https://i.imgur.com/XtFDzES.png]Medical Supplies[/url][/b] x3
Strange Medical Supplies that are effective at treating Ulcer and Fracture. They don't heal Health.

[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/EMQVcSh.png]High Grade Medical Supplies[/url][/b] x2
High Grade Medical Supplies that are effective at treating Weakened and Depressed. They do not heal health.

[b]Ergo Bag[/b]
A small satchel containing 12823 ergo in crystals of various sizes, collected from the bodies of slain carcasses before disintegration. To those in the know, ergo is not just a precious currency, but a power source for special machines

[b]Curative Dart[/b]
A specially-customized tranquilizer dart containing a curative serum tailored for the disease being mimicked by certain parasites to avoid detection. Correct administration to a mutant parasitized animal will return it to normal and cause it to vomit up the parasite.

[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/GiCk4Hb.png]Hexabarrel Repeater[/url][/b]
An advanced artifact restored after its recovery from the seabed. This very bulky automatic handgun can fire six shots in quick succession, its stopping power respectable, but it takes a long time to reload and has low durability. It requires demioxide bullets, which can be refilled by universal or secondary/handgun ammo pickups [/hider][/center]

“Thank you.” Geralt offered, taking the firearm as Eryk made his exit. “And good luck out there.” He bade the mysterious man as he left. “Well, plenty still left. Just avoid the miracle cure.” He muttered to himself, looking around the staff center and pocketing a few of the most useful-looking medicines, as well as a bag containing what appeared to be a multitude of various gems. It was a hell of a haul, all things told, and so he returned to the stagecoach with it in tow. 

“Found a hunter who was infected with some kind of disease, and fixed him up with a heart. He’s off on his own, though. Also found some medicines in there, along with one that looks different from all the rest.” He offered the curative dart to Sandalphon to see if she or any of the others could make heads or tails of it.