This is a non-commercial fanfic based on the universes of The Witcher and Disco Elysium. All rights to the original works, characters, names, and elements of their respective worlds belong to their respective copyright holders. The author of this fanfic does not claim ownership of any of them. Age rating: rated R (18+). The text contains profanity, alcohol, fictional drugs, violence, and other themes intended for an adult audience.
“Where there is no privation of the good, there is no evil.”
— Augustine of Hippo, Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love
NARRATOR – You return to the square with the fountain. It is every bit as dreary as it was half an hour ago. Jaskier — the bard whose lute you smashed to pieces the night before — has disappeared somewhere. In his place, at the far end of the square, stands a very young girl. She calls out to every passerby and gestures energetically toward the door behind her.
KEEN EYE [Easy: Success] – She can’t be more than thirteen. And there is Elder Blood in her veins. Elven blood.
YOU – So she’s a half-blood?
CODEX [Challenging: Success] – For many years now, there has been a ghetto in the Temple Quarter inhabited exclusively by nonhumans. And yes, most of its residents are elves, though you occasionally find dwarves there as well — usually the poorer sort. To call their lives happy or peaceful, however, would be a considerable stretch. Humans have always regarded the inhabitants of the ghetto with suspicion, but after several guerrilla raids carried out by the Scoia’tael, that suspicion hardened into open hostility. There were rumors — not entirely unfounded — that some nonhumans had dealings with the guerrillas and secretly provided them with temporary shelter in the city.
YOU – But where did all this hatred even come from? Why can’t humans simply live in peace with these half-elves?
CODEX – Good question. A detailed answer would take roughly three or four hours. In short, the elves arrived here — on this continent — first. Humans were the latecomers. In many respects, humans were inferior to elves, but they proved far less scrupulous and, moreover, bred like rabbits. In the end, it was they who took control of the lands most vital for survival. As the defeated side, the elves were left with two choices: eke out an existence on the fringes of the known world, or move into human cities, where they are treated abominably. Things are different for dwarves and gnomes. They managed to establish mutually beneficial relations with humans. Dwarves, for instance, are known for their thrift and run several major banks in Vizima. An elf here is barely allowed to own a shop, let alone a bank.
WHISPER [Medium: Success] – Put simply, humans have always been wary of those who are different. They don’t trust these outcomelings. These strangelings.
DIALECTIC [Easy: Success] – Not to mention that nonhumans make wonderfully convenient scapegoats for every misfortune. The present king does not particularly approve of such attitudes, but neither does he make much effort to suppress them. The citizenry needs some way to let off steam; far better that they point their fingers at the inhabitants of the ghetto than at those in power.
YOU – But where does that leave me? Am I one of those strangelings?
NARRATOR – Apparently, you said that last thought aloud. Vernon, once again absorbed in his notes, looks up distractedly.
VERNON ROCHE – I beg your pardon?.. What strangelings are you talking about?
YOU – Well… You know, this morning I noticed in the mirror that I look a little strange. That red-haired kid called me a “mutant.” And you mentioned mutations yourself. So I started wondering…
NARRATOR – He smirks.
VERNON ROCHE – Wondering whether you’re human? Curious that you only “noticed” today.
SENSIBILITY [Easy: Success] – He was about to brush the question aside, but then remembered that you collapsed unconscious five minutes ago.
VERNON ROCHE – In any case, I don’t know why this particular question has come up only now, but I’ll give you my opinion. You are human — or at least, you were born human. As for the mutations…
NARRATOR – He suddenly falls silent and looks up at the gray sky. The drizzle shows no sign of letting up.
FOREBODING [Impossible: Success] – The rain will fall for three days. And when the third day comes, it will be time to leave… this city.
YOU – What?
VERNON ROCHE – What?.. Oh, forgive me. Your mood seems to have rubbed off on me; I found myself lost in thought as well. Unfortunately, I don’t have a ready answer to that question, and this is hardly the time for a philosophical debate. The fact is, common folk generally have little love for witchers, but they tolerate them because someone has to protect them from the horrors prowling the night. Though to some, I suppose, the cure may seem worse than the disease… Personally, however, I harbor no prejudice against witchers.
NARRATOR – Roche gives you a light pat on the shoulder.
VERNON ROCHE – Those doubts are understandable. You stand on the boundary, unsure which world you belong to. I should point out, however, that your sympathies seem to lie more with nonhumans. You’ve visited the dryads of Brokilon Forest from time to time, kept company with dwarves… And, apparently, were closely acquainted with certain members of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
UMBRA [Challenging: Failure] – Why do those last words hurt so much? That tremor is coming back, that ringing in your ears…
VERNON ROCHE – In short, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You have friends in high places, and one need look no further than His Majesty himself. He holds you in considerable regard — many years ago, you saved his daughter. I was still serving with the regular army then, far from the capital, so I know little about what actually happened…
BOND OF STEEL [Challenging: Success] – Yes. Roche was still serving in the ranks back then. A hard camp life, full of danger. It was during those years that he proved himself a responsible, level-headed officer.
VERNON ROCHE – From what I can tell, this is a difficult period in your life, considering the drinking, the lost belongings, and the obvious peculiarities in your behavior… But at least you were once a good witcher. Let that thought give you some strength.
NARRATOR – You nod gratefully, but soon find yourself thinking again about the pithy local slogans — things like “NONHUMANS OUT.” Why, after all, do people here hate elves and half-bloods so much? Where does all that malice come from?
CODEX [Challenging: Success] – A certain blessed man once claimed that evil is nothing more than the absence of good.
YOU – Interesting. Do explain.
CODEX – In short, the world was created by benevolent gods who never intended to put any principle of evil into it. Evil is not created; it arises when good is corrupted. In other words, whenever you encounter evil, something has gone wrong or something is missing. In this case, perhaps what is missing is love, and hatred has taken root in its place.
YOU – What do you think, Vernon? Could all this hostility simply mean that there is no goodness left in this quarter?
NARRATOR – Your partner looks surprised.
VERNON ROCHE – You’re echoing the teachings of Saint Lebioda’s followers.
CODEX [Medium: Success] – Saint Lebioda was a renowned preacher and ascetic who taught love for one’s fellow man and compassion. Evidently, not everyone cared to listen: he was arrested on false accusations and tortured to death.
YOU – Like that wandering goliard?..
CODEX – No. The goliard was probably never tortured at all — for all we know, he may even have been released later. And let’s be frank, the two are hardly comparable in stature. Have you ever heard of a “cult of the goliard”? Exactly. You’re the only one who still remembers him, wearing that grimace on your face like a mourning veil. The “cult of Saint Lebioda,” on the other hand, survives to this day.
VERNON ROCHE – I understand the logic behind this “absence of good,” but it’s rather strange to hear such ideas from you of all people. In effect, you’re denying evil any independent existence — claiming that it exists only where good does not. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a great deal of evil in my life that simply doesn’t fit into that framework.
VICE [Challenging: Success] – Oh yes. Roche has seen plenty. But he has no intention of going into detail; those are not the sort of memories one cares to stir up.
VERNON ROCHE – You see, witcher, an “absence” doesn’t pick up a knife and attack defenseless townsfolk. It doesn’t pillage villages or commit slaughter. No, evil undoubtedly has a will of its own, and often a very powerful one.
DIALECTIC [Medium: Success] – He isn’t exactly refuting your point. You’re talking about two different things: the nature of evil, and the personal responsibility of the one who commits it.
VERNON ROCHE – Besides, it is a matter of choice. The locals chose to treat nonhumans this way when they could have chosen otherwise.
WHISPER [Impossible: Success] – He’s right. If evil isn’t a choice, then all the good you do is ultimately worth nothing. Good has meaning only in the presence of evil. Or, rather, in the presence of its possibility — the potential for evil that can become reality at any moment. And besides… without knowing evil, how could anyone even define good? Can good exist at all if there is no evil?
YOU – Vernon… How do you know all this?
BOND OF STEEL [Easy: Success] – He knows perfectly well what you mean: “Vernon, you’re a fighting man who’s known little besides army life. Where did you learn all this?” But he takes no offense.
VERNON ROCHE – Actually, I could ask you the same question, witcher. But I do come from a noble family. Until I was sixteen, I received a decent education, including philosophy and theology. Apparently, not everything my tutors said went in one ear and out the other, though at times I seemed determined to learn as little as possible purely out of contrariness. After that, I entered the royal corps of pages, and there was little time left for such lofty matters… What about you? Do you remember anything from your boyhood?
UMBRA [Challenging: Failure] – No. Still nothing. Not even a flicker. Did you even have a childhood? A youth?
YOU – I don’t think I remember any of it… Probably because it was a very long time ago.
NARRATOR – He gives an almost imperceptible nod.
NARRATOR – Still deep in conversation, you pass the fountain. The half-blood girl you noticed from afar comes hurrying over. She’s short, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and seems to radiate energy. Looking at her makes you want to smile. You don’t, though.
GIRL BY THE FOUNTAIN – Good day, honored pans! Come visit our bookshop! We have a wide selection of books for every taste.
NARRATOR – She points a small finger toward the door behind her, looking at you with curiosity rather than fear or disgust.
SENSIBILITY [Medium: Success] – This girl doesn’t look at you the way the adults do at all. Perhaps no one has taught her to be wary of people like you yet. To her, you’re just some gray-haired old man with a ridiculous grin.
UMBRA [Challenging: Success] – Give it a couple of years… There’s still plenty of time for that to change for the worse.
GIRL BY THE FOUNTAIN – For example, a seasoned warrior like you would surely be interested in a book about the hundred most famous battles in history! It even covers the Battle of Brenna! And if you have children, we also sell picture books for younger readers — like the new Who Stole Mother Goose’s Golden Egg? Little ones adore that story, especially the chapter where the crafty jackal tricks the hard-of-hearing bear judge!
REFLEX [Easy: Success] – A seasoned warrior? What gave her that idea? A fine warrior you are — you’ve managed to lose your swords. Right now, you look more like a sack of shit.
MASQUE [Challenging: Failure] – No, no. You look like the protagonist of some… hmm… tragedy. A very famous and very sad one. Full of endlessly long monologues and violins sobbing softly in the background.
REFLEX – More like a very sad sack of shit. Just don’t use that phrase when you answer the girl. Really. Don’t.
YOU – Good day… Forgive me, what’s your name? And why do you think I’m a warrior rather than… ahem… an ordinary townsman?
NARRATOR – The girl keeps smiling brightly, but there is a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
WHISPER [Challenging: Failure] – Looks like you said something stupid. It’s not entirely clear what, exactly, but feel guilty about it anyway. Just in case.
GIRL BY THE FOUNTAIN – My name is Enna, pan. And I… well, I remember you, and I know you’re a real witcher!
DIALECTIC [Trivial: Success] – The answer is obvious: the two of you have already spoken sometime in the past few days. You just don’t remember it, you filthy gutter drunk.
YOU – Wait, we’ve met before? Then why didn’t you say anything?
ENNA – Forgive me, pan witcher. I didn’t know I was supposed to remind you…
NARRATOR – She shifts guiltily from one foot to the other.
CODEX [Challenging: Success] – In chess, there is a concept called zugzwang. Heard of it?
YOU – No.
CODEX – I didn’t think so. It means that every possible move only makes the position worse.
YOU – All right… What does that have to do with me?
CODEX – Your entire life is one long zugzwang. And now, so to speak, you’ve reached a local one. The more nonsense you say, the more foolish you look.
ENNA – We spoke the evening before last. You told me that you hunt monsters, and that you’re now investigating an extremely important crime on His Majesty’s orders! Then you said it was an elementary case and that you’d solve it all by yourself in a couple of hours. By the way, have you caught the criminal yet?
NARRATOR – She looks at you with the kind of sincere admiration found only in children, dogs, and the mentally ill. Vernon, standing a little way off, slowly rubs the bridge of his nose. Nothing surprises him anymore.
YOU – Um… The case turned out to be a little more complicated than I expected… But don’t worry. My partner and I will get to the bottom of it very soon. Tell me, Enna, when we spoke last time, did you see my swords? Two of them?
ELOQUENCE [Easy: Failure] – You want to describe the weapons in a little more detail, but all that comes to mind is something stupid like, “You know, long, sharp swords?”
CODEX [Trivial: Success] – Strictly speaking, they are indeed quite long and exceedingly sharp.
ELOQUENCE – Thank you. That was very helpful.
ENNA – Oh yes! I remember them very well! I even wanted to ask if I could take a closer look, but I was too shy… Did you leave them at home today?
DIALECTIC [Trivial: Success] – So the swords only disappeared yesterday. The same day as that unfortunate incident with the lute. The chronology of your disgrace is gradually taking shape.
ENNA – To be honest, I thought you were acting a little strange.
NARRATOR – Her voice grows quieter now, more cautious.
ENNA – I think you’re sober today, pan witcher. But the day before yesterday, your eyes looked completely wild. And you kept insisting that you could handle every problem on your own — that you didn’t need anyone at all.
RESOLVE [Challenging: Failure] – Doubtful. If that’s true, why are you asking a child about your swords now and hoping Vernon will bring you around again if you have another attack?
VERNON ROCHE – Ah. Of course. Wild eyes. Just as I suspected. So you’d been drinking for at least two days.
VICE [Medium: Success] – And that’s the bare minimum! More likely you went on a bender the very day — maybe the very hour — you checked into this miserable fleabag!
ENNA – Still, you should come inside! We really do have all kinds of books, including books about crimes. Maybe you’ll find something useful for the investigation?
DISCERNMENT [Challenging: Failure] – Vernon mutters something under his breath, but the only words you can make out are “modus operandi.”
YOU – But why would anyone want to read about crimes? Aren’t there more interesting things to read about?
NARRATOR – The girl seems completely unsurprised by the question and readily explains.
ENNA – Readers like playing detective themselves. They try to guess who the real culprit is, then compare their reasoning with the characters’ deductions. Very often, it turns out that the villain was the most inconspicuous character all along! And sometimes the murderer even turns out to be the detective!
UMBRA [Challenging: Failure] – What did she just say? Is this girl hinting at something?..
YOU – Wait. Are you saying I could have committed the crime?!
NARRATOR – Vernon, who was hardly thrilled with the conversation to begin with, cuts you off sharply.
VERNON ROCHE – Enough. Please don’t tell me that you killed the man yourself, then got rid of the swords and drank yourself unconscious to forget the crime. Let’s stick to the facts we actually have instead of inventing baseless theories, for once.
SENSIBILITY [Medium: Success] – Even Vernon’s seemingly endless patience is beginning to wear thin. He’s clearly starting to seethe, though he’s doing his best not to show it.
VERNON ROCHE – King Foltest — may the gods grant him many years — cannot see the future. Which means you arrived here after the murder, not before it.
NARRATOR – He holds up one finger.
VERNON ROCHE – Furthermore, I saw no stab or slash wounds on the victim’s body that could have been inflicted with a sword.
NARRATOR – A second finger joins the first. Apparently, there won’t be a third. Vernon seems to think two facts are quite enough for you.
VERNON ROCHE – In short, we’re not characters in some pulp novel. Someone else was obviously the killer.
MASQUE [Impossible: Failure] – And yet, a detective who turns out to be the murderer… so elegant, so thrilling… Alas, there is no persuading him. The facts are merciless.
VERNON ROCHE – I think we’re done here.
NARRATOR – He casts a quick glance at the bookshop door.
VERNON ROCHE – Unless, of course, you wish to buy the book and find out who stole Mother Goose’s golden egg?..
ENNA – Forgive me, pan, but it really does have a very exciting plot! And some unexpected twists!
NARRATOR – The commander of the Blue Stripes gives the half-elf a faint smile.
VERNON ROCHE – I don’t doubt it. But we really should be going. We have a visit to pay to the captain of the guard.
NARRATOR – He pauses. Not for long, but long enough to give the silence some weight.
VERNON ROCHE – And please, try not to voice any such wild ideas in his presence. Understand, witcher: we are uninvited guests in this district, and we cannot afford a single misstep. If things go wrong, no royal writ will be enough to protect us.
UMBRA [Challenging: Success] – By the way, about Mother Goose… Did Enna seriously think you might have children?.. That’s ridiculous… isn’t it?.. How old are you, anyway?
REFLEX [Impossible: Failure] – Thirty-nine and a bit. A very small bit. So small you could practically round it down.
DIALECTIC [Challenging: Success] – Vernon mentioned that you saved the king’s daughter back when he was still serving in the regular army and hadn’t even dreamed of commanding the Blue Stripes. From the little information available, that must have been at least sixteen or seventeen years ago. And you were already actively witchering by then — His Majesty would hardly have hired some green youngster. So “thirty-nine and a bit” is plausible enough, provided that little bit is roughly the size of a horse.
CODEX [Easy: Success] – That’s not even the most interesting part. But here’s something that should cheer you up. Ready?
YOU – No.
CODEX – I didn’t think so. Well, somehow you know what faces a long-forgotten goliard used to pull. And he, mind you, was rotting in prison back in the days of the current ruler’s father.
UMBRA [Challenging: Failure] – Gods… What does all this mean?..
YOU – Vernon, how old do you think I am?
NARRATOR – Roche, walking steadily beside you, answers without turning his head. There is a weary note in his voice.
VERNON ROCHE – I have no idea. In any case, I suspect you’re considerably older than I am, and I’ll be thirty-seven in two months.
YOU – Considerably?
VERNON ROCHE – Yes.
NARRATOR – The answer is sharp and dry, like a shot from an arquebus.
REFLEX – So that makes you forty-one and a bit?
DOMINANCE [Trivial: Success] – Stop it.
VERNON ROCHE – I don’t know by how much, exactly. There was nothing on the subject in the documents Bernard Ducat provided me with. I believe the details of your biography would be better obtained from people who knew you before you began losing your swords, your boots, and your memory.