Toss a Coin ? THE WITCHER ONESHOTS

You moved briskly through the halls of the inn, searching for a man you had won a bet against. Your lucky gwent cards earned you one hundred gold pieces from the sorry sap. Unfortunately, he slipped away from the table as you gulped down a victory ale.

"Where did this bastard go?" You growled to yourself in annoyance. You were pissed that he didn't pay you, but you were also upset that you took your attention away from him long enough for him to escape.

You had scanned the mildly crowded tavern hall, sure that he wasn't lurking within it anymore. As you walked down the hall where the rent rooms were, you checked every nook and cranny for the man. You pushed open unlocked doors, peeking inside to see if he was hiding within. A commotion up ahead caught your attention. Behind the next door, you could hear the sound of shuffling feet and furniture.

He's going to escape! You thought to yourself, pressing firmly on the door. It swung open, flooding the dim hall with the golden light of a candle.

"Oh my..! Wrong room!" You shrieked, instinctively stepping back. Your vision was a blur as you saw a flash of bodies, one atop another. Upon a second glance, your eyes adjusted and you realized what you had actually walked in on.

A man with long, silver hair stood over the guy who owed you money. His muscles were flexed proudly as he towered over the cowering man, fist raised as though he were about to strike. Golden eyes bore into yours as you stood with your arms held up defensively. You let them drop shortly after, recognizing the smaller man in the room.

"Hey! You owe me money, I beat you fair!" You hissed, stepping towards the coward, who flinched away, though he was held in place.

"Who are you?" The silver attacker asked coldly.

"Who are you?" You retorted sassily. "I don't care what business you have with him, but that guy owes me coin. And I'm not leaving without it."

Orange eyes rolled as he turned his attention to the gwent player. "Well, give her the coin so we can get on with this."

You could see the color drain further from the player's face as he reached into his pocket with a shaky hand. He retrieved a large pouch that jangled as he tossed it into your arms. You poked through the coin purse, confidant that it was the full amount. You then stood there, observing the two men.

"Aherm. Do you mind?"

"Hm? Oh.. Well... I can't possibly leave now. This is quite the show." You teased. "Say, are you a witcher? What's your name?"

Once again, orange eyes rolled. "Geralt. Yes, I'm a witcher and I really don't have time for this. So run along."

"What's this fellow done?"

"Pissed off a very impatient man."

You quickly picked up Geralt's hint and decided it was time to excuse yourself. "Well, Mister Geralt. Pleasure meeting you, I'll be down at the gwent tables if you're interested in a game."

You gave a curt nod paired with a smile as you stepped out of the room and closed the door. Once the lock clicked, you heard the previous commotion continue.

You sat at a table off to the side, waiting for another opponent to bet against. The evening had slowed down considerably and you seemed to be out of competition. Until you saw a wall of black and silver present itself before you.

"Geralt! I almost thought you wouldn't come." You smirked, skillfully shuffling your deck of cards.

Geralt sighed, earning your attention. "I'm actually here for information. I'm sure you hear quite a bit."

"Oh, sure. But information doesn't pass along for free. Especially the kind that is so skillfully earned."

"Fine. Name your price."

Your smirk grew into a sly smile as you bridge your cards. "Play me in a game. Win and I'll tell you what you want to know."

"And if I lose?"

"Buy me a drink."

Geralt looked you over for a moment before he removed his own deck of cards from his traveling bag. "Very well. I'll warn you, I'm quite good."

"Heard it all before."

Your first game ended with you earning a flawless victory. You beat Geralt in the first round and he played into your hand in the second round, allowing you to finish the game before it even reached the third. As promised, he bought you an ale, though you lightly sipped it as you geared up for a second game.

Geralt picked up on your strategy fairly quick, a nice surprise for you. However, you had been playing this betting gig for some time. It was unwise to use one strategy for a lifetime. You made an adjustment to your play during the second round, forfeiting that round to save your strongest cards for last. Geralt seemed to have the same strategy, but your Leader card granted you an advantage that allowed you to squeak by with the victory.

By the third game, you could tell that Geralt was tired of fooling around. His focus was intense, his eyebrows knitted together and his eyes drilling a hole through his cards. You didn't want to throw the game, but you intended on giving him the information regardless of the results.

The game was intense. Geralt seemed to draw the perfect hand while you drew utter shit. He placed powerful cards one after another while you had to work with the 'sorry fucking infantry', a card that lived up to its name. You scowled as you realized there was no way you would win this game. Geralt won the first round with an aggressive strategy and you used several cards to secure victory over the second round. You only had three cards left by the time you reached the final round. You placed a level two, which Geralt countered with a level three. You then placed a four, which Geralt matched. Your last card was an eight, the card you saved for last. Once you placed it, Geralt placed a level ten hero card. Your final chance at victory was your leader card, which placed a torrential rain on the table. That card knocked Geralt down to twelve points, same as you. A tie.

Unfortunately, he had a clear weather card, his final card. It removed the rain from the table, restoring him to his full points of seventeen. He won the final round and the entire game. You congratulated him, toasting to his win with your ale from the previous game.

"Very well, ask and you shall receive." You announced, leaning forward to hear what information the witcher wanted.

"Well..." He paused, a smirk now donning his features. "Are you free for a proper drink tonight?"

You could feel your cheeks flush as you realized what he said before a laugh burst from you. "You played three games of gwent for that? You could've just asked!"

"I figured you couldn't resist a bet. Plus, I wanted to see how good you were if you could swindle one hundred coins from someone."

You rolled your eyes playfully, standing from the table with a small stretch. You collected your cards, flashing a smile at Geralt. "Well, to answer your question. Yes, I am free."