Ciri crossed her arms already burnt out from the trolls. "Seb, you deal with them." She looked back at the trolls.
One of them waved again, as if to emphasize their point.
"Noo go!" it repeated, sounding very pleased with itself.
Ciri exhaled sharply. "Brilliant."
Sebastian sighed under his breath, straightening slightly as he stepped forward.
"Let me try this again."
He raised a hand, not aggressively, just enough to get their attention, and spoke a bit louder this time.
"Can you move? we need to pass, we don't wish to harm you."
The trolls stared at him, then at each other.
Then back at him.
The first one squinted.
"Pass?" it echoed, almost uncertain of what that even means.
Sebastian nodded once. "Yes. We go through. You move."
A long pause followed.
The second troll scratched its side, dislodging a small rock that clattered to the ground.
Then it shook its head.
"Noo moove," it said firmly. "Trololo staay. Huumaans go… otherr waay."
It gestured vaguely behind them, nearly hitting its companion in the process.
Ciri leaned closer to Sebastian, lowering her voice. "I'm starting to think reasoning isn't going to work."
"Give it a moment."
Sebastian tried again, slower this time, choosing his words with care.
"We don't want trouble," he said. "We just need to get to the Circle of Elements, trolls can still stay here, and we will return and go back to our Keep."
The reaction was immediate.
Both trolls stiffened.
Their already limited expressions somehow managed to shift into something more serious.
"No!" the first one barked, louder now. "Noo witchherssy ciirrcle! Noo goo dere!"
"Baaad, baaad plaaace!" the second added quickly, nodding so hard its whole upper body shook. "Baad magiccs! Trolololo saay no!"
Ciri raised a brow. "Well that's... I don't even know what to say."
Sebastian studied them more closely now,
"You've been there," he said.
The trolls hesitated, then the first one puffed its chest out slightly.
"Trololos guarrd," it said, as if that explained everything. "Noo let huumaans go breakk prettyy roocks dere."
"Break rocks?" Ciri repeated, incredulous. "We're not going to..."
She stopped herself, exhaling through her nose.
"…Alright, maybe we do break things, but hey, we only need to do something there that won't disturb any rock."
Sebastian shot her a brief look.
She shrugged. "What?"
He looked back at the trolls, then stepped forward again, a bit more deliberately this time.
"We're not here to cause trouble," he said. "We deal with monsters, you don't seem like monsters, that's it."
The trolls stared at him.
One blinked, then the other.
Then,
"Huumaans saay that," the first one muttered.
"Huumaans saay something different," the second one said.
Then the first one tilted its head, peering at Sebastian with sudden, almost childlike curiosity.
"But waaait… trolololo is monsters?" it asked, the words coming out slow and uncertain, as if it had just discovered a contradiction.
Sebastian blinked once, caught off guard by that "…Right," he said after a brief pause, adjusting his stance slightly. "I meant, we hunt harmful monsters. The ones that kill, that prey on people, you clearly don't do any of that since you live up here in this mountain."
The trolls turned toward each other immediately, leaning in close as if sharing a great secret. Low rumbling murmurs passed between them, bits of gravel shifting with every movement.
Then both nodded in unison.
"Ohh…" the first one said, straightening. "Trololo understanded."
"Understanded," the second echoed proudly.
Ciri exhaled softly, almost relieved. "Well, that's something."
But the moment didn't last.
The first troll raised a thick finger,
"Okaay," it declared. "Trololos letet boy wiitcheresses and lassy go… to witcherssy circle of magics."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly, already sensing the turn.
"But," the second troll added quickly, lifting both hands. "Huumaans prove! Do somethings for trololos."
"And," the first continued, "leave shiny stab-stabs here."
Ciri's head snapped toward them.
"What?" she said flatly. Then sharper, "What?! We might as well just let you kill us here instead."
The trolls blinked, as if that had been a perfectly reasonable demand.
Sebastian didn't even consider it. "No," he said firmly. "We're not leaving our weapons behind."
The trolls' expressions shifted again, confusion giving way to stubbornness as their shoulders squared.
"Then no passes," the first one said.
"No passes," the second repeated, nodding.
Ciri let out a short, humorless laugh, turning slightly toward Sebastian.
"I knew it," she muttered. "I knew this was a waste of time."
Her hand brushed against the hilt of her sword as she glanced back at the trolls.
"Vesemir always said it.. trolls are simple, but that doesn't make them safe."
Sebastian stood still for a moment, eyes on the two creatures blocking the path.
"…I just wanted to do this differently for once," he said under his breath.
Then his hand moved, the silver sword slid free in a clean, smooth move.
The effect was immediate.
Both trolls stiffened, their bodies tensing as low, rumbling growls built in their chests.
"Witchesses…" one snarled, the word twisting in its mouth.
"Witchessres bad!" the other roared, lifting a massive arm as loose stones tumbled from its shoulder. "Now trololos stone yous to dead!"
The ground trembled slightly as they walked forward, aggression replacing whatever fragile cooperation had existed moments ago.
Sebastian angled himself just enough to shield Ciri without looking back at her.
"Go, I'll catch up in a minute." he said, voice firm.
Ciri didn't argue, she had already seen the shift, already understood where this was going.
With a sharp nod, she stepped back once, then moved, fast, she darted forward at an angle, slipping toward the narrow space between the trolls. And for creatures their size, the trolls reacted quickly.
One of them roared and bent down, scooping up a chunk of stone the size of a barrel before hurling it straight toward her path.
"NO GO!"
The rock tore through the air.
Ciri didn't stop.
Sebastian's hand ignited in an instant, flame roaring to life along his arm as he stepped into the throw's path. He struck forward with a sharp, controlled burst of flame,
The fire collided with the stone mid-air.
The impact shattered it.
Fragments exploded outward, scattering across the ground in a spray of broken rock and embers.
Ciri slipped through the opening without breaking her stride, already moving past them, her voice carrying back over her shoulder.
"Don't take too long Seb!"
Sebastian smiled but didn't look at her.
"…Yeah," he replied simply.
By the time the trolls turned back toward him, she was already gone, nothing more than a fading presence up the mountain path.
Both trolls faced him now, fully focused, their massive forms shifting as they prepared to charge.
Seb adjusted his grip on the silver sword, the faint glow of fire still dancing along his entire body now.
The brief moment of negotiation was gone. And all that remained was the inevitable.
"Witchersses…" one growled, dragging the word out as if it tasted foul. "Break trololo trust…"
The other slammed a fist into its palm,
"Now smash. Smash good."
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
For a brief moment, his grip on the sword loosened, this hadn't been how he'd wanted it to go. But the outcome had been decided the moment they refused.
His fingers tightened again around the hilt.
"Forgive me," he said, his voice was calmer than usual, "But you chose this."
/-\
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