The Witcher: My Own Path

I could see the shock on their faces, however if they expected all I wanted was a small shop in Vizima they were sorely mistaken.

''Coming back to you Gavorn, from the people who joined us today would you recommend anyone who could become a Councillor in any of the Sphere I have mentioned?''

''Hmm... honestly no, but if you were willing to train someone from them, I'm sure they wouldn't let you down. Mirim would be excellent in an enemy elimination squad, she is fast and agile to the point of being able to move extremely quietly, and her skill with the bow is not exaggerated, admittedly she is poor at close combat, but with your teachings, she would surely climb to new heights. Then there is Tomo, his archery skills are only slightly inferior to Mirim's, he is not leader material, however he would be a great replacement. Honestly, every elf who was with us today would be suitable for such a unit, sometimes I feel that they were even made for this type of action. Compared to them, we dwarves tend to be rather noisy, so we are not suited to stealth. However, what we make up for, is strength, and fighting spirit, and everyone knows this, so I would recommend if you recruit us into a policing, defensive force. It would be quite an effective deterrent to enemies.''

''Nightingale, do you know someone who could become my steward, and at the same time someone who could lead the Business Oversight and Management Sphere? Preferably someone who has experience in business management and is not racist.''

''I wouldn't say I know him personally; his name is Albert, I don't know if he is a racist or not and what exactly he did for a living, but I heard rumours that until a few years ago he was a successful businessman, he even lived in a magnificent house in the Trade Quarter however about two or three years ago he lost everything. His wife without his knowledge invested all their money in another man who she later left him with, he even had to leave his house as he supposedly bought it for her so she threw him out, since then he has been begging and drinking near the Temple of Lebioda if I remember correctly.''

Quite a familiar story, I thought.

''If it turns out to be, as you said, by helping him, we could gain someone really valuable, well I promised Mirim to take care of her brother anyway, so I'll talk to her about her possibly becoming a Councillor of the Realm of Elimination and Recognition. If she is willing, I will train her and let her take care of recruiting the other subordinates herself. I will also talk to Albert and, with the right winds, we would have four of the seven positions filled. For now, there is no point in thinking about the others as we don't have the manpower or funds to do it anyway, however, don't rest on your laurels, if you meet someone who meets our standards and can be trusted, let me know, have I made myself clear?''

''Yes, my Lord!''

''Nightingale, take only the evidence against Danko with you, I will take care of the rest and them someone of our people discreetly watch the entrances to the sewers, only watch for now. It is best to lie short and stay down for a while, but it is good if we know who to go to if we have the strength to pursue the matter.''

I reach into my dimensional pocket.

''Take the three thousand orens, add a thousand and give it to Mirim so she can pay the wages due to the others and return immediately to your duties. Oh, I almost forgot, how is Haren?''

''The boy is well my lord, gaining strength for now, for he was starved. I have given him work in the brothel as a "golden handyman".''

''If you can, teach him to read and write and try to do something about his stammering. Also show him how to use a gun. If we take good care of him, he will be of great use to us, his very loyalty to me gives him many advantages, and if he shows talent, he may even become a Councillor. Watch and teach him well.

''As you wish my Lord.''

''Gavorn, you too already return to your duties, and don't forget to keep an eye out for potential lumberjacks and craftsmen we can hire to make furniture.''

''Of course, my lord.''

Now that I'm left alone, I'll take another walk through all the chambers, checking that I haven't missed anything, and then I'll head home to rest, I'm exhausted and there's still so much work ahead of me.

(Two days later, Inhuman Quarter)

Finding Mirim's house wasn't difficult, especially as I'd been given many tips from Gavorn on where to go. Like him, she didn't have her own flat, and shared a large tenement with many other non-humans, but what could I expect, only a few had the luxury of owning or renting their own corner, but this only applied to craftsmen who did the work needed by humans, otherwise they too would have been packed like sardines in one place and probably had their properties seized. The whole situation, any way you looked at it, was appalling. All over the world, non-humans were being treated as second-class and even third-class races, Azar Javed saying that the non-human races would one day be completely wiped out and it was an inevitable process, was unfortunately completely right. Having lived in this world for almost thirteen years now, I can see it clearly, it may not yet be on the scale it will be since the rise of the Salamander, the Order of the Burning Rose and the Cult of Eternal Fire, but it is inevitably heading towards that. It would be like humans oppressing all other races, just waiting for them to revolt, only to carry out a large-scale pogrom, murdering women, children and men. I cannot allow this to happen, I may not be a good person, but I have lived in a rather civilised world, and watching genocide with my own eyes, is horrifying and I feel an inner need to counter it.

Every day I am more and more gripped by the fear that I won't have time to prepare before the events of the first game begin, on top of that there are two wars with Nilfgaard. The first 1263-1264 and the second 1267-1268 with the famous Battle of Brenna known to all. The first war is still ten years away, I will try to do as much as I can to support Temeria, for however it is my country now, but I doubt I can prevent it from breaking out, as almost all the kingdoms of the north will be involved. Three years later comes the second, and two years after that, the events of the first game begin. I will be supporting Temeria in the war, but I must also be ready for Salamander and other important groupings. Just how am I going to do this? If I was starting as a noble, with my own territory, I would have more room to manoeuvre, and so I'm starting from scratch, well at least I'm not an elf, because then I might have a really difficult start.

I walk up to the front door and start banging on it hard but not pushily, I don't want to make a bad first impression. After a while an old elf opens the door for me.

''What do you want here, man? He asks in a rude tone, I don't blame him, besides I'm not here to cause trouble.''

''Hello, his name is Tyr and he is friends with Mirim, is he perhaps at home?''

''Mirim?'' He asks, measuring me from top to bottom and back again.

''Mirim doesn't hang around with cursed dh'oine, especially after what you did to her brother, now fuck off...''

''Saarcel, who are you talking to? Come back or we'll start without you!''

''Some dh'oine wants to see Mirim.''

''Whaaat?! Show me that...''

''Capt... I mean Tyr, Mirim is waiting for you upstairs, come in, please!''

''Thank you Tomo, how are you? I smile at the frivolous elven archer I have recently met and cross the threshold of the door.''

''W...well, thank you.''

''Hey, Tomo, what's that human bastard?! why are you letting him in?''

''Shut up Saar, he's Tyr a disciple of Captain Ryzza, he's the reason our neighbourhood is a bit quieter!

''Ahhh... It's Tyr!'' 

''I don't give a fuck who it is, don't you already remember what they did to young Lundil?!''

''Agh... Shut up and let him pass, he's also my friend, he's not like that, trust me.''

''Alright… Tomo, but if this dh'oine does something, don't say I didn't warn you.''

''Sorry my lord, I...'' the young elf quietly whispered.

''Don't worry my friend, I understand and I don't hold it against him, on the contrary I am happy that he is so concerned about you, however you know what I have come for. We have no time to waste.''

''Yes, my lord. I am sorry.