Chapter 56: Witch Hunter Encounter
POV: Adam
The Novigrad market sprawled across cobblestones that had absorbed centuries of commerce and conflict, vendors hawking everything from legitimate goods to items whose legality depended on who was observing the transaction. Adam moved through crowds that carried the particular tension of people living under surveillance, conversations that died when strangers approached and resumed in whispers when they passed.
Separated. Got separated from the group while buying supplies.
The routine supply run had seemed safe enough—basic necessities that couldn't be obtained through underground networks, purchases that required surface interaction despite the risks such exposure created. But the crowd's flow had carried him away from Geralt and Ciri faster than careful navigation could prevent.
Test. This feels like a test.
The commotion that erupted near the fountain spoke of performance designed for public consumption rather than genuine law enforcement, witch hunters seizing young woman whose crime appeared to consist of existing in wrong place at wrong time.
Fabricated evidence. The accusations are clearly manufactured.
"Sorceress!" the lead hunter proclaimed, his voice carrying authority that made nearby vendors step backward while his subordinates displayed "evidence" that couldn't have convinced anyone genuinely interested in truth. "Caught practicing foul magic!"
Maintaining fear. They're manufacturing arrests to maintain atmospheric terror.
The woman's protests carried desperation that spoke of someone understanding exactly what public accusation meant in city where religious doctrine made magical abilities punishable by death through methods designed for entertainment rather than justice.
Torture and execution. She'll be tortured for confession, then executed publicly.
Adam's healing abilities could address whatever injuries the interrogation would inflict, waterbending working to restore damage that torture was designed to create. But using magic meant discovery by people trained to recognize supernatural phenomena, revealing his nature to authorities whose attention would prove fatal.
Moral crisis. Risk myself or let innocent die.
The choice crystallized with clarity that made temporal distortion feel like moments stretching toward eternity—individual survival versus stranger's life, tactical wisdom versus moral imperative that transcended strategic calculation.
Can't watch innocent person die. I can't watch innocent person die when I have power to prevent it.
The intervention required subtlety that made elemental magic appear like natural phenomenon rather than conscious manipulation, airbending creating atmospheric disturbances that could be attributed to wind rather than supernatural ability.
Subtle airbending. Make it look like coincidence.
Torches guttered simultaneously as invisible force redirected flame while pressure changes sent papers scattering in patterns that created visual chaos without obvious magical source. The distraction provided seconds of opportunity that careful timing could transform into escape route.
Free her in the chaos. Use confusion to break her restraints.
Adam moved through crowd using urban stealth techniques that winter training had developed, reaching the woman while hunters struggled to maintain control of situation that had shifted from controlled performance to unpredictable emergency.
Escape route. Guide her toward predetermined escape path.
But the pursuit that followed required more than clever maneuvering—hunters whose profession involved tracking supernatural threats through environments designed to conceal them, forcing retreat into alleys where sword work rather than subtlety would determine survival.
Pure combat. No magic, just blade work and tactics.
The fight that erupted tested everything Kaer Morhen had taught about violence applied without supernatural enhancement, steel meeting steel while lives balanced on edges that could cut either direction with equal finality.
Two dead, one escaped. Killed two church officials in self-defense.
The surviving hunter's retreat carried information that would transform routine patrol into citywide manhunt, official authority mobilizing resources that individual capability couldn't match through direct confrontation.
Wanted. Now I'm wanted for murdering holy soldiers.
[Experience Gained: 200 XP]
[LEVEL UP! 26 → 27]
[Free Stat Points: +5]
[Allocation: +1 STR, +2 STA, +2 AGI]
[New Stats: STR 43, STA 60, AGI 59, HP 430, MP 600]
[Status: WANTED by Eternal Fire - permanent enemy]
The return to safe house brought confirmation of strategic disaster that moral necessity had created, underground networks reporting witch hunter mobilization that spoke of resources far exceeding normal patrol operations.
Relentless pursuit. Church will hunt him relentlessly now.
"Killed holy soldiers," Triss said, her voice carrying assessment that balanced admiration for moral courage against practical terror about consequences. "They won't stop hunting you. Ever."
Furious. Geralt's furious about reckless exposure.
The witcher's anger carried complexity that went beyond simple tactical assessment—understanding that saving innocent life represented moral imperative while acknowledging that exposure endangered everyone they were trying to protect.
Moral choice. Ciri defending moral choice despite tactical disaster.
"He couldn't watch innocent person die," she said, her voice carrying authority that felt borrowed from royal training applied to circumstances that protocol couldn't address. "Some things matter more than safety."
Leave immediately. Must escape before full manhunt begins.
The underground network's assistance provided routes that official maps couldn't chart, passages through city infrastructure that religious authority didn't know existed despite controlling surface activities.
Arranging escape. Network arranging immediate evacuation.
[Relationship: Triss +5 (now 55/100)]
[Relationship: Ciri +5 (loves moral courage)]
[Reputation: +25 with persecuted communities]
Midnight escape through sewers carried weight that went beyond simple evasion—transition from sanctuary to fugitive status while city above mobilized resources for pursuit that wouldn't end until targets were captured or confirmed dead.
Searching. Entire city searching for us.
The passages beneath Novigrad revealed infrastructure that served needs official doctrine refused to acknowledge, hidden highways for people whose existence violated religious law while providing services that civilization required.
Heroic and liability. Adam's compassion makes him both hero and dangerous liability.
The recognition that moral consistency created tactical vulnerability felt like burden carved from certainty—understanding that some principles couldn't be compromised without losing essential identity, regardless of survival costs such consistency demanded.
Masked healer. Story of masked healer who chose right over safe.
Above them, the city continued evening routine while authorities searched for people whose crime consisted of preventing injustice through direct action rather than acceptable channels that led nowhere.
Right over safe. Sometimes right matters more than safe.
The woman they'd saved had vanished into underground networks that would preserve her life while spreading stories about strangers who risked everything for people they'd never met.
Worth it. Regardless of consequences, saving innocent life was worth it.
Some choices revealed character more clearly than extended self-reflection could achieve.
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