Two days later, outside Vergen, Saskia the Dragonslayer, the Virgin of Aedirn, stood before the spectral mist to see them off. She wore a full suit of armor in interwoven shades of gray and blue.
She stepped forward and embraced Victor, firm as iron and wonderfully fragrant.
"Be careful. I'll wait for you to return, then we'll fight side by side and defeat Henselt!"
The witcher smiled and agreed. He then turned toward Angoulême, who was kicking stones to express her displeasure, and embraced her farewell.
Victor intended to complete today's battle with Geralt alone. Angoulême was no weak fighter, but weapons showed no mercy on a battlefield. Arrows and stones from trebuchets would rain down together, so Victor refused to allow the girl to risk joining the battle.
After parting from them, Victor entered the spectral mist.
The ancient battlefield had not changed. Rusted armor decorated the red grasslands, while shattered chevaux-de-frise and trenches filled with white bones remained its defining features.
After entering the mist from Vergen and walking northeast for roughly an hour, Victor reached a quiet corner that was shrouded in fog but contained no wraiths. This was where he had agreed to meet the White Wolf.
The Dragonborn sat down to wait.
He did not wait long before the white-haired witcher's figure emerged from the mist. Geralt waved to him and walked over to the blond witcher.
"Let me see... The symbol of hatred, Vandergrift's sword. The symbol of faith, Chrest's medallion. The symbol of courage, Seltkirk's armor. And the symbol of death, the Dun Banner standard."
Victor accepted the ritual objects from Geralt and examined them one by one. A haunting on such a massive scale was extremely rare, making this an excellent opportunity to learn.
The White Wolf's cat eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.
"How are Saskia's preparations going? Roche's campaign of slander has spread everywhere. Henselt is beside himself with rage and can barely wait to march into battle.
"On his orders, Dethmold is searching the entire camp for spies. He has even set aside the pursuit of Síle for the time being. With that kind of determination, if Vergen falls, the nonhumans will not meet a pleasant fate."
Witchers were theoretically neutral, but witchers still had their own likes and dislikes.
"Not bad. After Philippa cured Saskia two days ago, we spent the last two days preparing plenty of defensive traps. They should give the Lord of Ard Carraigh a pleasant surprise.
"Before I left this morning, Iorveth returned with Scoia'tael reinforcements. After resting tonight, they'll be ready to fight tomorrow. Our forces are now outnumbered roughly three to one. Combined with the defensive advantage provided by the walls, we finally have a chance of winning this battle!"
After identifying all four symbols, Victor fixed his blue Rinnegan on the White Wolf.
"There's nothing wrong with any of the ritual objects. Geralt, are you sure you want to do this yourself?"
Victor asked because the ritual that awakened the battlefield greatly tested a person's affinity with ghosts and their ability to coordinate with magical forces.
If Victor performed it himself, the task would be almost effortless. Geralt, on the other hand, was no longer young, and there was a chance he might be injured.
The White Wolf shook his head.
"I have to do it myself. Triss told me there's a strong possibility that my memory loss was caused by magic. Once the curse is lifted, a magical tide will sweep across the battlefield and create an anti-magic shock wave. It may be able to break the magical seal on my memories."
His reasoning was flawless.
"All right. Once you're ready, we can begin."
Victor took out several bottles of potion and handed them to Geralt. They contained Petri's Philter, Tawny Owl, and Full Moon.
After accepting the potions provided by the alchemist, the White Wolf said, "By the way, Vic, there's something else I want to ask of you. During this battle..."
His expression became solemn.
"If, and I mean if, I unfortunately die in battle..."
"There is no if. We will succeed."
The Dragonborn's gaze was resolute. He refused to accept the possibility of suffering an absurd defeat at the last moment.
A ghostly wind blew through the mist, causing Geralt's flowing ponytail to flutter. It looked white and glossy, as though it belonged in a shampoo commercial loaded with special effects.
"All right. What I actually wanted to say was... If you ever meet Yennefer and Triss, could you keep quiet about what happened between Miruna and me last time...?"
At such a serious moment, Geralt was still worrying about angering the sorceresses.
Victor rolled his blue Rinnegan and glared at the handsome older man Angoulême so admired.
"I've never fucking met any Madam Miruna!"
Victor had known since his previous life exactly how little restraint the swollen stallion of Rivia possessed below the belt. He had never expected anything better, so he could never be disappointed.
Geralt was the kind of witcher who forgot a woman existed the moment he pulled up his trousers.
Hearing Victor's answer, Geralt raised his thumb.
"That's my brother. You understand. There are some things women must never learn about."
The White Wolf's newly minted brother shrugged.
"I understand perfectly. It was just a casual fling, the sort of mistake any man might make."
"As expected of the Dragonborn Bard. You put it more elegantly than Dandelion would, and far more shamelessly."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Of course. It was a compliment."
...
After finishing their pre-battle banter, the witchers sat down, drank their potions, and began meditating.
Tawny Owl accelerated the recovery of Vigor, Petri's Philter strengthened their Signs, and Full Moon reduced the damage caused by magic.
Through a brief meditation, they could adjust their bodies and minds to their optimal condition.
Some time later, Victor's Undvik armor clanked as the blond witcher finished first and rose proudly to his feet. He took out a special amulet and placed it around his neck.
Philippa had made the amulet. Once activated, it could conceal the wearer's life force for a limited time, rendering them invisible to wraiths.
Victor took a deep breath and concentrated. Once the amulet was activated, he intended to begin dissecting its magical principles and see whether they could be incorporated into one of his Signs.
The white-haired witcher beside him soon completed his meditation as well.
The White Wolf, Geralt of Rivia, took out the first symbol, the Dun Banner standard, which represented death, and infused it with the Aard Sign.
Dark clouds abruptly gathered overhead as the battlefield filled with the howling of ghosts and the sounds of slaughter.
The moment the standard appeared, the curse's magical power reacted. The mist became thick, dark, and viscous.
The spirit of a Dun Banner soldier appeared before them. He wore a beaver cap and a distinctive cloak.
The spirit marched directly into Geralt's body and merged with him.
The dark mass slid inside him with a sharp sizzle.
The White Wolf shuddered violently. A thin layer of black mist covered his cat eyes, then he stepped onto the battlefield.
Wearing the amulet that concealed his presence, Victor followed Geralt while analyzing the way the amulet's magic operated.
The two witchers soon reached the position where the Dun Banner had once been stationed.
Under the influence of the mysterious magic, the possessed Geralt stood at the front holding the standard, while the fully awakened battlefield thundered with deafening war cries.
Guided by the Dun Banner standard, the wandering spirits around Victor became vivid and lifelike.
They were no longer confused, skeletal wraiths. They had become Dun Banner soldiers checking their equipment and waiting for the order to attack.
One soldier standing behind the chevaux-de-frise loosened his collar.
"It's warm."
"Lovely autumn weather. I'd wager the fruit harvest will be plentiful this year," replied his clean-shaven comrade cheerfully.
"I wonder whether we'll live long enough to go home and pick any."
A tall, powerfully built soldier approached them.
"You can harvest the heads of those bastards across the field. Today."
"Then what are we waiting for, Centurion Digod? The Aedirnian army can't stop us!"
"Quiet. We must wait for the right moment. Let the archers soften them up first."
"Sometimes I forget why we're fighting," the soldier behind the chevaux-de-frise muttered, scratching his neck.
Centurion Digod sneered.
"Baldy Kraska, it's perfectly normal not to know. Powerful kings don't need reasons to start wars."
"This is all about fighting over Lormark, isn't it? Why don't Demavend and Henselt settle everything with a duel? My brother-in-law is from Aedirn, and he's a decent fellow," the clean-shaven soldier said.
Kraska immediately agreed.
"You're right, Stahler. I visited the market in Vergen once. Their goods were high quality and cheaper than ours."
The moment he finished speaking, an angry curse came from behind them.
"You damned bastards! Stop babbling nonsense. Do you think you're philosophers?
"Now shut your mouths and remember only two things. Every Aedirnian is a bastard, and the fertile land of Lormark belongs to Kaedwen!
"We are the Dun Banner! Sleep whenever you get the chance and rise the moment you're called. Drink carefully and discreetly while on duty, and always leave a mouthful for your superior. Most importantly, only rape women when no one is watching!"
The man berating them wore the insignia of a lance corporal. His crude words filled the position with cheerful laughter.
Centurion Digod thumped his chest.
"Hahaha! Zyvik is right! Once we break into Vergen, I'll take ten of them myself!"
"Really? I don't believe you! I'll wager five hundred ducats that you can't."
Victor of Kaer Trolde could not resist interjecting.
The surrounding ghosts looked at one another in confusion.
"Who was that?"
"Who's talking?"
"Show yourself!"
Because of the amulet's concealment effect, the panicked spirits could not see the blond witcher.
At that exact moment, Geralt stood at the front and swept the standard through the air.
"Now! Vandergrift has given the order! For the king! Dun Banner, charge!"
After receiving the command, the ghostly soldiers immediately abandoned their search for the mysterious voice. They courageously emerged from cover and charged onto the battlefield.
Once the entire Dun Banner had deployed, Geralt shuddered again.
A strand of dark matter flowed out of his body with a sizzling hiss. The gloom receded from his cat eyes, restoring their clarity.
"Are you all right?" Victor asked.
Before Geralt could answer, the symbol of courage he carried, Seltkirk's armor, automatically released a black radiance and forced the White Wolf to rush toward the central battlefield.
Victor chuckled and followed the white-haired witcher into the meat grinder.
The scene unfolding before them starred Geralt in the role of Seltkirk, reenacting the legendary battle in which he had destroyed the Dun Banner.
Judging by the way his Pirouette Sword Dance swept across the field, the White Wolf had regained control of his body.
However, every Dun Banner soldier around him regarded Geralt as the commander of the Aedirnian army and rushed forward in wave after wave to overwhelm him.
Watching the entire process from the outside was actually rather comical.
Despite appearances, the situation remained under control.
Whatever Seltkirk of Gulet had once accomplished, Geralt of Rivia could do even better. Victor was also present under concealment, assisting from the outskirts and reducing the number of Dun Banner soldiers.
...
Attacking from both inside and outside, Victor and Geralt rapidly pushed the Dun Banner to the brink of collapse, just as it had been defeated in history.
The light radiating from Seltkirk's armor dimmed accordingly.
The next object to emit black light was the symbol of hatred, Vandergrift's sword.
This part of the reenactment depicted the moment when the Kaedweni general Vandergrift discovered that the Dun Banner had been defeated by Aedirn. Enraged, he personally entered the battle and slew Seltkirk in single combat.
The armor on Geralt's body disintegrated and reconstructed itself around a nearby battle spirit, creating a new Seltkirk.
Meanwhile, holding Vandergrift's sword, Geralt transformed into the Kaedweni general.
The Dun Banner soldiers who had been attacking Geralt immediately stopped. They reversed direction completely and charged at the newly created draug Seltkirk.
Once again, the process looked rather comical to an observer.
In reality, however, draug Seltkirk was not remotely comical.
Its body swelled and became solid as it released a piercing roar.
Terrified, the surviving Dun Banner soldiers abandoned their standard and fled in every direction, formally marking the destruction of their unit.
Armies gradually appeared around the battlefield to watch, some Kaedweni and others Aedirnian. With their sheer numbers, they could truly be described as legions.
They had all come to witness the single combat between Vandergrift, played by Geralt of Rivia, and draug Seltkirk.
Geralt surrounded himself with a Quen shield. His silver sword flowed through spinning arcs as he danced with Seltkirk.
Most of his other Signs were nearly useless against the draug.
It was immune to Igni's flames and Axii's mental influence. Its enormous body was also extremely difficult to affect with Aard's impact or Yrden's restraints.
This duel could not be avoided.
As previously explained, draugs were the physical embodiment of hatred and bloodlust. They were battlefield demons born from places where the fighting had been brutal and the casualties immense.
Those possessing the charisma of leaders could effectively command the deadly subordinates who had served them in life.
Were it not for the scenario forcing a duel at this moment, draug Seltkirk could simply wave its hand and order the surrounding Aedirnian wraith army to swarm the isolated witcher.
The two clashed violently, with the White Wolf gradually gaining the upper hand. Given a little more time, he should have been able to defeat his opponent.
However, Victor could feel the concealment amulet on his chest gradually dimming, so he hoped to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, this troublesome situation was not without a backdoor solution.
Remaining concealed, Victor circled behind Seltkirk. At the exact instant the draug revealed an opening, he launched a righteous backstab and drove his blade deep into the center of its backside.
Ignoring Seltkirk's outraged howl, Geralt thrust in from the front as well.
Trapped between two men in a merciless sandwich attack, the draug was completely destroyed.
Witnessing this scene, the surrounding Aedirnian soldiers lowered their heads in dejection, while the Kaedweni army erupted into thunderous cheers.
With the symbol of hatred successfully completed, the black energy surrounding Vandergrift's sword receded.
The sword flew from Geralt's hand toward the armored battle spirit nearby, reconstructing it into a newly born Vandergrift.
The newcomer was even larger than Seltkirk.
He raised his sword and roared in response to the Kaedweni army's cheers. This was his moment of triumphant revenge.
Without question, at that moment, Vandergrift was the undisputed star of the battlefield.
After enduring three consecutive possession battles, the white-haired witcher left standing in place had expended a great deal of strength. His steps had become unsteady.
Seeing this, the blond witcher was about to step forward and support him when a furious roar erupted.
Vandergrift glared savagely at the two witchers who had intruded upon the reenactment.
The concealment amulet on Victor's chest had failed.
Geralt's next part in the reenactment had not yet begun.
The draug swept one massive hand through the air.
The Kaedweni army surged toward the two witchers like a raging flood.
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