MLTO C1, P5

This is the fifth Part of "MLIV:TO" 's first Chapter.
It was released on 07.10.2022.
== Plot ==
Left behind in the treacherous wastes near the train that he nearly perished in, Geralt is soon joined by his brother as they brave toward a source of light that seems to call them further, wondering if it is just an illusion or not.
But their current state is no illusion. They are on the verge of breakdown. If they don't find anywhere to stay, it might be bad for them.
== Story ==
As Geralt slowly approaches the source of the light, he feels a sharp pain in his mind.
"Ugh. My head hurts again."- He mutters- "When will this stop?"
With each step that he makes, he feels the fatigue set further into his body. Every move that he makes seems like a torture that he is forced to go through in order to survive.
To him, everything seems like a nightmare that seems far too real. He feels like everything would just go away in the blink of an eye. And yet, despite his best efforts, it is still there. Still standing tall. Thus, he is forced to continue withstanding it until he finds solace in his life.
"My body has never betrayed me before. And it seems like it will not betray me now, when I need it the most."- He says to himself- "All of this could just be another trap. Like a complex machination created by a brilliant madman, set to make me feel like a weakling. But that is not the case. I am feeling stronger than I've ever been. And I'm ready to show it, regardless of the time or the place."
At the edge of perception, he hears a familiar voice. It is as if Fate itself is trying to tempt him into giving in.
But that will not happen.
"I am getting closer to my goal."- He says- "Family or not, I will find my way home. And then, we shall be together again."
And then, he hears the same voice again.
"Geralt!"- Someone yells from a distance- "Geralt! Stop!"
Geralt turns around, as if he had just woken up from a bad dream.
"Wait. That seems familiar."- He says- "Could it be... ?"
He sees someone running toward him, adjusts his eyes and realizes that this is no mere illusion to his mind.
"Kai?"
Kaiden approaches his brother and falls on his knees. Apparently, he has walked a long way to get to him, and is now slightly exhausted.
"Geralt! I finally found you!"- He exclaims as he tries to regain his breath- "Where are you going? Why are you heading away from us?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"It's all just an illusion, Kai."- He says to him- "Our family. The train. It was all just a part of a plan."
Kaiden looks up.
"A plan?"- He says- "What do you mean? It's all real!"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Well, are you real?"
Kaiden stands up and pokes Geralt in the chest.
"Does this give you a proper answer?"
Geralt smiles and nods.
"I guess so."
He leans forward and pats his brother on the shoulder.
"I'm grateful that someone important to me actually exists in this place."- He says- "Thank you, Kai."
Kaiden smiles and pats him back.
"Welcome back, little bro."
Kaiden stares at the area ahead of them.
"So."- He says- "Where were you going, if you don't mind me asking?"
Geralt sighs.
"I was trying to find the source of a strange light."- He says- "It is in the distance, beckoning me to come closer. To illuminate me with its white tendrils."
Kaiden shrugs.
"It sounds like a fever dream to me."- He says- "I'd rather go back to the caravan and get a hot m-- "
He looks back and soon remembers the truth that Geralt was talking about."
"O-oh."- He says- "I see,"
He turns back to Geralt.
"But how do you know that it's just an illusion?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"Even a mirage is better than staying in this place any longer than we already have."
Kaiden chuckles.
"Well, I can't argue with your logic!"- He exclaims- "Let's go, then!"
The two brothers trudge toward the house in the distance, coming across fields of crops that make their mouths water.
"You know, I haven't felt this anxious for quite a while."- Kaiden says- "I don't know if it's all of the food that we could eat or the possibility for a warm place to stay in. However, I can feel that it's very strong. It's like a magnet and we're the pieces of metal that are being attracted to it. It's wonderful."
Geralt smiles.
"So, you finally see why I want to reach that place."- He says- "Ever since I was separated from you, I have been hoping to find a place where I could start off again and find those whom I had lost along the way. When I saw this opportunity, I snatched it almost immediately, like a hungry wolf hunting for tasty sheep."
Kaiden grins.
"Absolutely!"
As the two siblings look around, wondering what to do next, the barn doors near them open. A young man emerges and notices them.
"Ah! Greetings, strangers!"- He says- "What brings you all the way into our little farm?"
Geralt looks at him and shrugs.
"Well, we are two simple travelers. We have been walking through the wastes for days and have been hoping to find a safe place to stay in."- He says- "Do you have any free rooms left in your place?"
The man smiles.
"Of course!"- He exclaims- "We love having people like you stay at our farm. Visitors come often, so you're not the first ones who receive our hospitality."
He turns back at looks at the nearby house.
"Toby! Are you there?"- He says- "We've got visitors!"
A tall and handsome man emerges from the farmhouse. His teeth are pearl white and his posture is perfect. It is as if he was made to be a model, not a farmer.
"Well, what a surprise!"- He says and smiles- "Well met, good people! I'm glad that you made it all the way here!"
Geralt smiles back.
"The pleasure is ours, sir."- He says- "You have a wonderful place."
The first man approaches Geralt and shakes his hand.
"With all the pleasantries, we forgot to introduce each other."- He says- "My name is Tyler. Tyler Goodman. And the man over there is my brother- Toby."
Geralt nods.
"My name is Geralt Kaos. And this is my brother- Kaiden."- He says- "We have been trying to get to a university far away from here, but the train was hijacked by a bunch of filthy train robbers. We did not make it very far."
Tyler shakes his head.
"That's a big shame."- He says- "Education's a key component to one's hard work. I feel bad that those miscreants made your lives turn upside down."
He smiles.
"But it's okay!"- He continues- "Once we get you back up, you'll be goin' back to that place in no time!"
Kaiden looks around.
"So."- He says- "Have you heard of the train robbers who attacked us? Do you have any idea where they came from?"
Tyler and Toby stare at each other for a few moments.
"We've heard about 'em. They're a bunch of no-good civilians who thought that the life of banditry's the best thing that could ever happen to them."- Toby says- "They've left us alone, but others were not as lucky as us."
Tyler nods.
"Although their main focus was the trains on the countryside, they weren't afraid to strike on land, as well."- He adds- "They weren't picky, so they made a lot out of those rich, innocent souls who only wanted to live their lives normally."
Toby looks at the siblings.
"But tell us, strangers."- He says to them- "What happened to those freaks? Did they make it far from here? Or did something else shake them to the core?"
Geralt smiles.
"Well, I think that it all falls further toward the second theory."- He says- "Yes. Those scuffed outlaws attacked us. Killed many passengers on the train. Tried to rob our hard-earned supplies. And yet, they were no match for us and our family."
Tyler raises his eyebrow.
"Family, huh?"- He asks- "So, you're tellin' us that you still have one?"
Kaiden sighs.
"Well, it's a small one."- He says- "But we make with what we do. The recent times have been quite cruel to us and we've been trying not to think about them. Too much."
Tyler smiles.
"Well, we won't pry any further."- He says and takes a step back- "Welcome to our beautiful farm. Make yourselves at home."
Toby nods.
"Excuse us."- He says politely- "We have to get back to work. Today, we're collecting the corn that's growing in our place. Can't let it spoil, so we have to do it fast."
Having said that, the two farmers go the corn fields and prepare to work. Or pretend to do so, at the very least.
While Geralt and Kaiden enter the house and look around, Kaiden leans closer to his brother.
"Umm, Geralt?"- He says- "May I have your attention for a second?"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Is something wrong, Kai?"
Kaiden shakes his head.
"Well, not really."- He replies- "I was just wondering if you wonder the same thing that I do right now."
Geralt looks at him.
"I am listening."
Kaiden looks around, a little bit concerned about something.
"I know that it's hard to explain, but I think that I've got a bad feeling. Like, a really bad one."- He says- "Have you ever had this sense of Deja Vu? Like it's all happening again and again? Well, I think that it's happening to me right now. It's very strange, but... "
Geralt sighs.
"Just spill it out already."- He says- "Do not be afraid. I will not scold you."
Kaiden looks up.
"Well, I... "- He mutters- "... I think that we're in danger. We're not safe here."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Do you fear that the train robbers will find and try to kill us again?"- He asks him- "If so, you should stop being worried. The people in this place are kind. They will help us escape, if needed. And I think that they would never try to hurt us. You do not need to be concerned."
As Geralt walks away, Kaiden tries to say something else.
"But I... "- He mutters- "Wait... wait... "
He looks down and shakes his head.
"Argh. Who am I kidding?"- He says to himself- "It's not worth worrying about something if it's just mere Deja Vu, anyway."
Geralt walks outside and looks at the fields of crops all around him. Being a city boy, he was never used to living like this and finds the farmer's life to be quite fascinating.
"Amazing, isn't it?"- Tyler says and smiles- "It's lifetime's worth of work."
Geralt looks at him.
"Have you stayed at this farm for a long time?"
Tyler nods.
"As long as we could remember."- He replies- "Our farm was passed down from generation to generation. Our grandpa used to own this place a long time ago. It was a small, peaceful place where you could stay away from the bustling city ahead. And then, our mama and papa moved in and made it larger than usual. Grew a lot of produce that made them famous. Everyone liked them because they worked so hard. And we were there to help them out."
He sighs.
"But then, the bandits moved in the area. Extorted us and tried to take our produce."- He adds solemnly- "Mama and papa were unhappy with this sudden change of pace. They grabbed their pitchforks and tried to fight back against the oppressors. And then, well, it all went down too fast for me and my little brother."
He looks at the fields.
"Those fools reigned supreme. They took what they wanted, whenever they wanted."- He continues- "It wasn't until we grew tired of their cruelty that they were driven back. One day, we hired a large group of mercenaries. Armed them with our family's finest weapons and went alongside them to battle those vagabonds. It was a tough fight, I have to admit. But we won in the end. The farm was free, at least until another gang of 'em decides to move in."
Geralt shakes his head.
"It must be a pretty lonely life out here."
Tyler nods.
"We aren't proud of being lonely, but we can't help it."- He says- "All that we have left are our animals. They're the ones who help us keep our farm running. With their produce, that is."
He points at a large pig in the distance.
"See that big girl over there? That's Beatrice, our breadwinning pig."- He says- "Mama and papa have had her only for a few years before they perished, but she's been quite a good one. We fed her further when we took over and she's been doing very well. She's the pride of our humble farm- in good health, has very good manners and is never picky about the food she eats. However, the best thing is that she finds the best truffles out of every pig in the region. Me and my brother make delicious pies out of 'em and every visitor who comes by is astonished by them."
He smiles.
"Actually, we've been planning to bake one for you and your brother tonight."- He says- "You'll stick around to give it a try, right?"
Geralt smiles and nods.
"Of course!"- He exclaims- "My brother loves truffle pie! He would love to hear that you have it on your farm!"
Tyler smiles.
"Then the stage is set."- He says- "Thank you for sticking around."
Geralt nods.
"And thank you for welcoming us in our time of need."
As Geralt and Tyler continue to talk, Toby approaches them. He has a rifle in his hand.
"So."- He says- "Which one of you is the greatest hunter?"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"You need a hunter?"- He asks- "Well, we are simple adventurers. However, I have a wider range of knowledge when it comes to the arts of battle. Maybe I could be able to help you out."
He looks at Toby.
"What do you need to be done?"
Toby shakes his head.
"Well, it's quite hard to explain."- He says- "You see. In the past few months, we were being stalked by a... phantom. Some kind of a strange creature that devours souls. I don't believe a word of that, of course, but our farmhands said that it could be a dangerous person who's trying to hunt us down."
He hands him the rifle.
"So, I want you to come with me."- He continues- "Make sure that it's nothing that would tear us apart at night."
Geralt turns to Tyler.
"Have you always had problems like those?"
Tyler sighs and nods.
"Ever since those freaks took mama and papa away from us, we've been besieged by others like them. There's a never a moment of rest when they're around."- He says- "I fear that my brother may be right. When there are signs of a problem, everything might soon go against us. So, my advice would be to go out there and make that problem disappear before it becomes bigger than it already is."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Well, that seems very simple and straightforward."- He says- "Very well. Let's find that person and eliminate them."
Toby smiles.
"I like the way you think, kid."- He says- "Alright. Let's get moving."