MLTO C3, P10

This is the tenth Part of "MLIV:TO" 's third Chapter.
It was released on 14.01.2023.
== Plot ==
After taking care of a major problem in one of the region's many forests, Geralt and his allies come face to face with one of the mysterious creatures that have been watching their planet for many decades. Although it seemed to be completely hostile, it managed to prevent itself from attacking them for the time being and gave them an ominous warning that might prove to be significant in the future.
For the time being, however, they have to continue helping the woodlands fight back against the rebellious creatures that are trying to destroy them. The situation is not looking good and even the smallest spark can cause the largest of flames.
On their way toward their next destination, the four of them will be faced by a new threat. A powerful group of enemies that is unlike anything they have ever seen before.
Will they survive their first encounter with those fierce woodland beasts?
== Story ==
Geralt and his allies walk forward, still dumbfounded from their fateful encounter with the mysterious creature.
"You know, that... thing that we met really seemed like a villain. A really powerful one."- Aaron says- "When I was with Redmark's people, I overheard them talking about their new, powerful ally. Some kind of powerful being from outer space that's capable of immolating everything in its path. Of course, I never had the chance to see it myself, but the ones who did were just... infatuated with it. They treated it as if it were some kind of god."
He sighs.
"I don't know how they managed to convince it to stand by their side, but that just means that there will be more trouble for us to take care of."- He continues- "I tried to ignore the fact that the whole world may have to face this, but I'm afraid that this might be necessary, after all. So, it's best for us to never let our guard down, for the sake of all those people who believe in us."
Geralt nods.
"Alien or not, I am led to believe that no creature is undefeatable. Even the worst of them have a weakness, and that is a fact."- He says- "In the years since I lost my sister, I came face to face with many villains. Some of them, I faced as a hero. Others- as a normal person. Even though they always pretend that they are special in their own way, there is one thing that they all have- a giant ego. And that ego is like a balloon- inflated to the maximum and getting larger and larger as it gains more air. Of course, the greatest weakness in this situation is the fact that this balloon can be popped with nothing more than a few needles."
Jett raises his eyebrow.
"And I assume that those 'needles' are us?"
Geralt nods.
"Precisely."- He says- "It might take a while to make it happen, but it will happen. Eventually."
Aurelia sighs.
"Well, let's hope that it happens soon."- He says- "I miss the peaceful times."
Geralt sighs.
"And so do we, Aurelia."
He stares at something in the distance, noticing what seems to be some kind of a flame.
"But first, we must take care of another fresh disaster."- He says- "Come on, everyone. Let us keep moving."
The four of them move forward, still disturbed by the destroyed woodlands all around them. Apparently, those sacred bits of forest were destroyed before they had the chance to save them, and that makes them feel guilty.
But their hopes of saving the entire woodlands have not faded away. They are aware that a much greater power is pulling the strings of this operation, but they are not intending to give up anytime soon. The next disaster is not far away and they must stay strong if they want to put it out.
After a long walk toward the source of the disturbance, our heroes discover what seems to be a small encampment. Whoever was here seems to have fled recently, leaving most of their belongings behind.
"Hmm. This seems to be recent construction."- Geralt says as he inspects the backpacks- "Humans or not, those creatures surely know how to survive in the wilderness."
Aurelia looks around alongside Geralt.
"Those creatures seem to possess a certain amount of magic."- She says- "Even though they're not here anymore, I can still feel it all."
Geralt nods.
"And that is why we must never let our guard down."- He says- "For all we know, this could all be a clever trap that was set for the unwary adventurer. Any wrong move that we make could cost us everything."
Jett kneels and inspects the remaining embers of the campfire. He picks up one of them and sniffs it. Then he watches as it slowly dissolves in the lam of his hand, seemingly amused by something.
"Well, it seems like we've arrived at the scene of a fresh disaster."- He says- "The remains of this campfire are fairly fresh, so this means that the campers have not gone far away from here."
Aaron raises his eyebrow.
"Come to think of it, do you guys have the same strange feeling?"- He asks- "Like we're being watched or something?"
Jett looks at him.
"Being watched?"- He asks- "By whom?"
Aaron sighs.
"I'm not quite sure just yet. It all seems like a fog that's looming over my mind."- He says- "But this shadow is always so persistent. Like it's trying to devour me and taunt me at the same time. It's quite terrifying, to be honest."
Jett shakes his head.
"It sounds like you're experiencing some sort of hallucination."- He says- "Come on, everyone. Let's gather what we can and escape from this place before some kind of wildlife arrives."
Aaron's eyes widen.
"B-but I'm telling the truth!"- He exclaims- "They're watching us!"
Geralt approaches Aaron and places his hand on his shoulder.
"Stay calm, Aaron. I believe you."- He whispers to him- "I am hearing thise voices, too. And I think that we can draw them out."
Aaron looks at him.
"But how?"- He whispers back- "How can we draw out what we can't see?"
Geralt smiles.
"Leave this to me, my friend."
After a few minutes of hard work, Geralt manages to set up a small trap. In the middle of it, he places a pile of gold coins, as if he is hunting for some kind of magpie.
"Evil creatures like those always have a weakness that plagues them for as long as they live- greed."- He explains to his allies- "Everything that they have been doing, they have been doing it for the money. They care about nothing else than getting paid for their dirty work."
He nods.
"And this is the weakness that will contribute to their eventual downfall.
Aurelia raises her eyebrow.
"I'm not an expert in this matter, but aren't we supposed to place a bigger amount?"- She asks- "I mean, we could at least make the 'reward' a little bit bigger!"
Geralt shakes his head.
"I am afraid that this is the best that we can do, especially with what we have right now."- He says to her- "But that is not a problem for us. Those creatures are always charmed by their own greed, so it will not take a lot to lure them toward this location."
Hearing something in the distance, Geralt signals for the others to hide and joins them as soon as he gets a good look at the approaching victims.
A group of evil-looking centaurs approaches the location, seemingly attracted by the sight of precious money. They are undisturbed by the fact that this could be some sort of trap and don't even attempt to look around for any secrets.
"I can't help it, man!"- One of them says- "I don't want it, but I still need it!"
One of the centaurs nods.
"Yeah, man. I know how it feels."- He says- "Money's a very cool thing. We've got to have it."
As the group approaches the pile of coins, one of the centaurs bends down to pick some of them up. When he notices that they are genuine, he looks up and starts to laugh. The fact that this whole situation is not a mirage seems to be quite amusing to him.
"Hah! I knew it!"- He exclaims- "My sharp senses never fail me! I'm really good at this!"
Geralt looks back at his allies.
"I think that this is the right time for us to make our move."- He says- "Come on, everyone. Get moving."
As the centaurs prepare to walk away with their newly acquired loot, Geralt sneaks behind them and cuts the rope that seems to be holding something in place. Suddenly, a giant tree comes crashing down, prompting the young hero to flee before he is crushed alongside his enemies.
Too late, the creatures look up and see the falling tree. Soon, they are crushed by it, dropping the coins that they picked up on the ground.
"And so, the creatures' greed proved to be their greatest enemy."- Geralt says- "Even though they gained a lot, it eventually caused their downfall."
Aaron smiles.
"Well, that was a smart plan, my friend!"- He exclaims- "I never knew that centaurs could be so... greedy!"
Aurelia looks at the fresh corpses and sighs.
"I'm really surprised that those centaurs actually exist."- She says- "In the past, my parents told me stores of creatures like those. However, I never thought that those stories could turn out to be real. It's really amazing."
Jett looks around.
"Keep your guard up."- He says- "I don't think we're alone in here.'
Aaron raises his eyebrow.
"There's more of them?"- He asks.
Jett sighs.
"I'm not quite sure yet. There haven't been any traces, physical or otherwise, that might prove my claim,"- He says- "But the strange feeling that you guys felt, I can feel it now. And it seems to be stronger than ever."
Jett's hand gets closer to his weapon.
"Get ready, guys."- He says- "The source of evil is close. Don't lose sight of it, no matter what happens next."
As the heroes prepare for the inevitable, they hear laughter coming from nearby. When they turn around, they see nothing but woodlands. Something is definitely playing around with them, but they cannot identify it just yet.
And then, just as they wonder how they can draw this new enemy out, Aurelia feels the touch of cold steel on the back of her neck. She turns around and comes face to face with one of the creatures that she saw only in fairytales.
"Geralt? Everyone?"- She says- "H-help!"
The centaur blocks her mouth with his hand, preventing her from speaking more than she already has.
"That's enough, young one."- He says to her- "I've had enough of your pleas."
He looks up and sees that everyone else is staring at him. Their blades are drawn and they are prepared to strike.
"Is this how you treat the people of the forest, children?"- He asks them and chuckles- "Well, it seems like you've got quite bad manners. We'll have to correct them."
Geralt glares at him.
"Let Aurelia go. She has done nothing to your kind."- He says- "I am the one you are looking for."
The centaur chuckles.
"You are speaking the truth."- He says- "But that doesn't mean that I can't torture the rest of your friends, as well."
As Geralt prepares to respond, three more centaurs appear from the bushes and apprehend them. The young heroes are unable to defend themselves and end up in a very precarious situation, trapped between the hammer and the anvil.
"Oh, how unfortunate."- The lead centaur says and chuckles- "The mythical Geralt Kaos and his band of do-gooders, captured so easily."
He smiles.
"Tell me, hero. Doesn't that make you sad?"- He asks him- "Don't you feel bad about being humiliated in such an unfair way?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"I have nothing to say to you, monster."
He looks up.
"Although I am still curious about something."- He says- "Who are you and what do you want from us?"
The centaur continues to smile.
"I am the one who is known as Calus. The one who brings mischief wherever he goes."- He says- "I am the walking proof of a man who's been through a lot. I've seen a lot of warriors fall, and some of them fell because of me."
Jett raises his eyebrow.
"Wait, I've heard of you!"- He exclaims- "You're Calus, the centaur that caused the destruction of an entire forest in the region of Silverdale! I thought that you might have gone into hiding, but it seems like I was wrong!"
Calus chuckles.
"Ah, but you were right. I have been hiding from the wretched humans that tried to hunt me down."- He says to him- "But the opportunity to eliminate some of the world's greatest heroes was just too tempting. I couldn't resist it."
Aurelia raises her eyebrow.
"Heroes?"- She asks- "But we're just adventurers! We're not heroes, at all!"
Calus shakes his head.
"You see yourselves as a humble band of adventurers, but the world sees you as much more than that."- He says- "Your blissful ignorance has been saving you for so long, but it shall soon be a part of your downfall."
Geralt shakes his head.
"You cannot defeat the four of us with just this small team of warriors."- He says- "We might look helpless right now, but we are stronger than you think."
Calus laughs.
"Of course I am aware of that, you fool! You think that I couldn't calculate the results of my own plan?"- He says- "Besides, those centaurs were far too worthless for me. Their greed was slowly dragging us down and our location was close to being revealed. Some sacrifices had to be made, to ensure our safety."
Geralt gasps.
"You sacrificed the lives of your own people, just to save your own skin?!"
Calus smiles.
"If that's how you see it, then that's how it is."- He says- "Yes. I did throw them all away. But what do you care about it? They're not your allies."
Geralt shakes his head.
"Allies or not, treating people like this is unacceptable."- He says- "You only care about money and power. The lives of others are insignificant to you. That's the reason why you murdered all of those innocent creatures, right? Because you are the greatest villain of them all! Because there is nobody better than you!"
Calus shakes his head.
"Be quiet!"- He yells- "Your rambling's making me very angry!"
He points his spear at the back of Aurelia's neck.
"I was thinking about sending you all to our boss, but I think that won't be necessary."- He says- "We'll finish you off here and now. And then, we'll bring proof of your defeat to the Firestarter."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"The Firestarter?"- He asks- "Is this some kind of supreme being that we have met before?"
Calus smiles.
"It is."- He responds- "And you won't live to see it again."
As the centaurs brandish their spears and attempt to stab our heroes, Aurelia looks back and bites the centaur's nose. The creature yells out in pain and lets her go, allowing her to grab the spear and throw it at the centaur who is holding Geralt in place, piercing its chest and setting him free.
"Geralt! Leave this place now!"- She yells- "It's not safe for you here! Get help as soon as possible!"
Geralt gasps.
"But Aurelia! I can't do that!"- He yells- "I cannot leave you here! Not like this!"
Aurelia shakes her head.
"There's no time for explanations. The gears of time must move on, even though we may not be a part of it."- She says- "Don't make me repeat myself, Geralt! Go and don't look back! We'll be fine!"
Having no other choice, Geralt grabs his weapon and flees the area in a matter of seconds.
"What are you waiting for, you useless imbeciles?!"- Calus yells at someone in the bushes- "Get the hero! He's the one that I need!"
Much to our heroes' surprise, a small group of centaurs emerges from the bushes and runs after Geralt, spears drawn.
As Geralt swiftly escapes from the clutches of danger, Calus grabs Aurelia and glares at her.
"You! You were the one who motivated him to escape from me!"- He yells at her- "Where is he going? What is he up to?"
Aurelia smiles.
"That's none of your business, rogue."- She says defiantly- "Now, it's just you and us."
Calus shakes his head.
"No. I won't fail my mission."- He says- "My people will capture that kid, sooner or later. Just you wait."
Aaron sighs.
"I don't think that you're aware of how powerful Geralt is."- He says- "Although he managed to escape and leave us alone, he's not a coward. And when he comes back, you'll pay the price for humiliating us like this."
He looks up at the sky.
"Geralt, we put a lot of faith in you today."- He says to himself- "Don't let us down, okay?"