Chapter 2: Not in Remnant Anymore

Disclaimer: I do not own The Witcher or RWBY. The former belongs to Andrej Sapkowski and CD Projekt Red. The later belongs to the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.


[The Trotting Stallion Inn, White Orchard, Northern Kingdoms]

Ruby groaned as she slowly began to open her eyes. She was soon greeted by the site of an unfamiliar ceiling. She propped herself up onto her elbows, and looked around the room she was in. The room she was in was sparsely decorated. It only had a simple woodframe bed (which she was on), a nightstand, and a chair. The room had an open window nearby, and it was lit by candlelight.

Ruby's attention changed suddenly when she heard the sound of a door opening. She turned to the source, and saw a tired-looking, middle-aged woman enter the room. The woman gasped as she soon as she saw Ruby, and turned towards the entrance of the door.

"Mister Vesemir! She's woken up," the woman shouted. A few moments later, an old man entered the room.

"Thank you, Elsa," Vesemir said as the woman soon left the room. With that, he pulled up the chair and sat down next Ruby's bed.

"Hello there. My name is Vesemir, and I'm a friend of the man who found you," the old Witcher said, his voice containing a grandfatherly tone to it.

"Found me?"

"Yes. Do you have a name?"

"My name is Ruby Rose," Ruby replied as Vesemir chuckled to himself.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby. Now, can you tell me where your family is? They must be worried sick about you."

"I would, but I don't know where I am," Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head. "Can you tell me which of the four kingdoms are we in?"

The old witcher raised an eyebrow at Ruby's question.

"Four kingdoms? I don't know what you mean by that. But if you must know, we're in Temeria. We're specifically in a small village called White Orchard."

"White Orchard? I haven't heard of that."

Vesemir scratched his chin at that. She must have been from somewhere far off from White Orchard. He didn't know how she would have gotten here, due to the war going on between Redenia and Nilfgaard.

The old witcher shook these thoughts out of his head as he addressed Ruby.

"Well, you must be hungry. I can get you some supper, if you want."

Before Ruby could answer, her stomach did for her as it made a grumbling sound. She quickly got out of bed and followed Vesemir back into the inn. The two then found a table, and the old witcher went off to order some food.


[Nilfgaardian Military Outpost, White Orchard, Northern Kingdoms]

Meanwhile

The evening sun settled in the west as Geralt rode up to the garrison on Roach, passing by soldiers doing drills. Attached to Roach's saddle was the head of the Griffin, mounted to it by a hook through its eye socket and bounded with rope. Asides from his trophy, Geralt had managed to scavenge some parts for his alchemy from the beast's corpse.

The White Wolf soon arrived at the stairs that lead up to the fort that served as the Nilfgaardian's base. He dismounted and hitched Roach to a nearby post. With that, he grabbed his trophy and headed up the stairs. Two soldiers guarding the doorway noticed Geralt, and, more specifically, the head he was carrying. The first guard gave a nod of confirmation, and let the witcher in.

As soon as Geralt stepped into the fortress, he caught sight of Captain Gwynleve. The man appeared to be in his forties, with slicked back hair and a goatee. He wore the standard armor of the Nilfgaardian army, which was black with gold trimmings, and had an emblem of a sun on the chest. Red markings on the armor identified him as the rank of Captain.

Gwynleve was currently inspecting several bags that were full of grain. A farmer was nearby the bags, waiting for the captain to give his response.

"What the hell is this," Gwynleve said sharply as he got to his feet and addressed the farmer.

"R-rye," the farmer replied meekly.

"You take me for a blind man, or a fool? This grain is rotten!"

"I-I didn't know."

"So a fool. Damnit, you never learn," the captain sighed to himself. He shook his head before he began to recite something.

"Military codex, article two, section three: 'For the delivery of defective goods – fifteen lashes with a knout'. Make it so."

The farmer's widen as he heard his punishment.

"No, no! By the gods, no," he pleaded, dropping to his knees and hoping that Gwynleve would grant him mercy. However, the captain only stared back at him. Hanging his head low, the farmer got to his feet and followed two nearby soldiers to face his punishment.

Geralt simply looked on as he watched this events happen before his eyes. He remembered seeing Gwynleve talking to the farmer when he first arrived to the outpost. When the farmer had called the Captain "his excellency", he had responded by showing him the calluses on his hands. He told him that his hands weren't that of excellency, but of "a hard working man like yourself". When the farmer had promised to bring forty bags of grain, Gwynleve had compromised and told him to bring thirty. Geralt had gained the impression that Gwynleve was a decent man, different from the rest of the Nilfgaardians. It looked like he was wrong.

Gwynleve turned to notice Geralt standing nearby.

"What," he snapped angrily. The witcher simply responded by tossing the griffin's head to his feet.

"There. Fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now it's your turn. Where'd Yennefer go?"

"To Vizima," the Captain replied. The witcher sighed in annoyance at his answer.

"She was a day's ride from here, right under my nose? You could of have just said so."

"Yes, I might have. But you would not have killed the griffin. Tit for tat."

Geralt internally seethed at Gwynleve's words. The Nilfgaardian thought he had to be tricked in order to get rid of the griffin. He was a witcher. It was his job to kill beasts and monsters. He hated the idea that he would not have gotten rid of the griffin unless he was complied to.

The witcher turned and left, heading for the exit. However, Gwynleve's voice was heard again.

"Halt."

Geralt stopped in his tracks and turned to see the captain approach him, a medium-sized leather pouch in his hand.

"We are not done. This gold is yours. I wouldn't want to say that you were inadequately compensated."

Geralt wordlessly took the gold and walked out of the exit. Money was tight, and he could use every crown he could get his hands on.

The witcher walked down the stairs, and went to where Roach was. He unhitched the mare, mounted her, and headed off towards White Orchard. Once he had dealt with the girl he had found, he and Vesemir would head off to Vizima.


[The Trotting Stallion Inn, White Orchard, Northern Kingdoms]

"So Vesemir, are you and your friend huntsmen?"

Vesemir looked up when he heard Ruby's question. The two of them were quietly having dinner. In front of Ruby was her half eaten meal. It consisted of roasted chicken, boiled potatoes, and three slices of bread on a wooden plate with a tall glass of milk. Vesemir, in the meanwhile, had decided to help himself to another draft of rye.

"Well, we're something of the sort," Vesemir answered as he took a sip of his drink. Ruby perked up as she heard his answer.

"Having you been having trouble with the Grimm in these parts?"

"Don't know what you mean by the Grimm, lass. However, there's been no shortage of monsters nowadays. They're thriving because of the war between Nilfgaard and Redenia, especially the necrophages."

"Necrophages?"

"Corpse eaters. Ghouls, alghouls, rotfiends, and the like. They're often in places where dead bodies are, and they eat the remains of them. A place like the remains of a battlefield would be a feast to them."

Ruby shoveled a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth as she pondered Vesemir's words. What took her by surprise was the fact that he had never encountered or even heard of the Grimm. And she in turn had never heard of these "necrophages" that he mentioned. Just where on Remnant was she?

Vesemir turned his head towards the window as he heard the sounds of hooves from outside. He quickly got up and spoke to Ruby.

"Well, it looks like Geralt is back from dealing with the Black Ones. Let's go and greet him, shall we?"

Ruby nodded as she took a sip of milk and followed the old witcher outside.

As soon as she stepped outside of the inn, she noticed a man hitching a horse to the stables. With his white hair and the scar running across his left eye, the man reminded Ruby of her teammate Weiss Schnee. Ruby then got a good look at her surroundings as Vesemir walked towards the man.

Her surroundings were completely different from what she was used to in Remnant. The roads were dirt paved and the houses were simple, being constructed out of wood. People walked around in strange and simple clothing.

"Maybe I'm somewhere outside the four kingdoms," Ruby thought to herself, still trying to remain optimistic about her situation. However, she then looked up into the night sky, and her worse fears were confirmed.

She remembered Remnant's moon. It was fractured and beautiful in the night sky. However, this moon wasn't her moon.

It was different. It was whole.

Ruby dropped to her knees in shock. She looked down at her hands as panic began to sweep through her mind.

"Alright, alright. Ruby, don't panic. You're in a world that's clearly not Remnant. But there's clearly a door out. Like c'mon, how else can I be here. There has to be a way back somewhere."

"Are you alright," Geralt asked as he looked down at the huntress. Ruby broke out of her trance as she looked up at the witcher.

"Y-yeah. I think I have some explaining to do to you guys, but you'd probably wouldn't believe me."

"You'd be surprised on what we're willing to believe, lass," Vesemir said as he helped Ruby up to her feet. With that, two went back into the inn with Geralt following close behind them. The Witcher sighed to himself, as he had a feeling that he was in for quite the story.


15 Minutes Later…

"So you probably think I'm crazy," Ruby said as she finished her story. The three were currently sitting at a table, with Geralt and Vesemir on one side and Ruby on the other. Geralt had gone and gotten himself a tankard of beer.

The witcher brought his drink to his lips as he thought about the tale that the girl had just told. Ruby had talked of a world with transforming weapons, monstrous creatures known as the Grimm, and a miracle crystal simply known as Dust. It all sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Then again, so were magic and monsters, and those things were commonplace in his world. Geralt looked up at the young huntress and gave her his answer.

"We believe you."

Ruby perked up as she heard his answer.

"Really?"

Vesemir nodded as he explained things to Ruby.

"It's not commonly known, but travel between worlds is possible. We've even trained someone who had those abilities. Your story isn't too far-fetched."

Ruby sank back into her chair and let out a sigh of relief. Geralt put his tankard on the table and extended his hand to the girl.

"I don't think we've had the chance to be properly introduced to each other. My name is Geralt. Geralt of Rivia."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Ruby Rose," the young huntress replied as she shook Geralt's hand. She then straightened up and began to ask the two witchers some questions.

"So Vesemir, you said that you and Geralt were similar to huntman?"

"Yes. We're witchers. Professional beast slayers. Whenever someone has monster troubles, they come running to us. Provided if they have the coin.

"So who usually hires you?"

"It depends on the contract, but we're usually hired by villagers," Geralt said as he took a sip of his beer. "We rarely get hired by royalty. But if we do, we're to remain neutral in their matters. I could honestly care less about politics."

Ruby nodded before she then noticed the two swords on Geralt's back. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the blades.

"Are those your weapons? Can I see them," the girl asked animatedly, excitement in her voice. Vesemir chuckled at Ruby's behavior while Geralt responded by shaking his head.

"No. Showing them off here would attract unwanted attention."

Ruby quickly settled down, disappointed, before giving the swords another look over.

"Why do you carry around two of them? My first thought was that you duel wielded them, but the blades are too long for that to be done effectively. And the hilt size suggests that they're meant to be used with two hands."

"I'm surprised you were able to figure that out from a single look," Geralt commented as he took a long drink from his beer. Ruby smiled and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm… sort of into weapons."

Geralt chuckled at her response. Vesemir, meanwhile, cleared his throat and began to explain Witchers' swords to Ruby.

"The reason why we carry around two swords is simple. The steel sword is meant be use against humans and beasts such as wolves. The silver sword, on the other hand, is meant to be used against monsters."

"Correction," Geralt interrupted as Ruby's attention then focused on him. "Both swords are for monsters."

Ruby quietly went back to her meal as she contemplated Geralt's words. After a few minutes, she her meal was done, her finishing it off by drinking the last of her milk.

With that, she then asked the two witchers a very important question.

"Can I travel with you two?"

"Pardon?"

"I have nowhere else to go, and you're the only two people I know. So I thought it would make sense that I would go with you."

"Well, how about it, Geralt," Vesemir said as he turned to his fellow witcher. "From the sound of things, the lass can defend herself. Plus, it would be nice to have some company on the Path."

Geralt put his finger and thumb to his chin and thought things over. It made sense for her to travel with the two witchers. And the girl did remind him of Ciri was she was younger. After a few moments of silence, Geralt gave his answer.

"Fine. You can travel with us."

Ruby cheered before returning to talking to the two witchers.

"So where will we be going?"

"Currently looking for a woman named Yennefer," Geralt replied as he finished off the rest of his beer.

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"You could say that."

"Speaking of which, did you get any information from the Black Ones, Geralt," Vesemir asked as the White Wolf gave his answer.

"Yennefer's in Vizima. I have a few friends there so…"

Geralt stopped explaining when he saw that the old Witcher's attention was focused elsewhere.

"Something wrong?"

"Look around. There's trouble brewing," Vesemir said as he motioned to a nearby table. Geralt and Ruby turned to the table. At the table were three men. Two of them wore what appeared to be soldier helms. The another wore a fur vest, which showed off his tattooed body. The last one wore a simple white shirt and was bald.

Geralt recognized them instantly. It was the locals that confronted him when he first arrived in White Orchard. They had confronted him when he first left the Trotting Stallion. They had told him that they wanted him to leave. Geralt had tried to reassure them they he and Vesemir would only be there for a few days at the least. However, they didn't like the answer and tried to attack him. The witcher had manage to beat them all down with his fists. After that, they had stopped bothering the two witchers. From the looks of things, they hadn't gotten over it.

"It's time we were on our way," Geralt concluded as Vesemir nodded.

"I'll buy some provisions for the journey, and then we'll go," Vesemir said as he got up from the table. However, he turned back to Geralt to give him a warning.

"Geralt, we should stay out of it, just this once."

Geralt nodded as Vesemir went off to buy goods. Ruby blinked at this exchange before talking to Geralt.

"What's their problem with you?"

"Let's just say that they don't like my kind."

Vesemir, meanwhile, approached the bar. At the bar was the innkeep Elsa, and a woman tending to a glass of vodka. Elsa, meanwhile, was busy stirring a pot of stew. The old witcher quietly placed a cloth sack and jug on the countertop. Elsa, seeing the two things, quickly placed the pot down and tended to Vesemir.

"What would you like?"

"Just some food for the road, Elsa."

The innkeep nodded and quickly filled the sack. Soon, it was filled bread, salt pork, dried fruit and nuts, and smoked meat. These were foods that would last long on the road. After that, she quickly filled the jug with water.

The woman at the bar the noticed something. A shield that bore the emblem of Temeria (silver lilies on a black background) had hung at the bar, serving as a decoration. It was now gone.

"What happened to the lilies," the woman questioned as Elsa handed Vesemir back his supplies.

"Took 'em down."

"Took 'em down? Why? To hang a golden sun there now," the woman replied bitterly as she took another sip of her drink.

"I cannot show Temerian colors. If I do, the Black Ones will come and burn the tavern down," Elsa reasoned as she turned back to her work. However, her response only seemed to anger the woman more.

"Maybe it's true what they say? You fond of the Imperials? You Nilfgaard's whore?"

"I'll let that pass. I know that grief eats at your heart," Elsa said as she offered to pour the woman another drink. Suddenly stood up and got into the innkeep's face.

"You know shit! They hanged my sister. Dragged her out o' the cloister like a dog. Said Nilfgaard's no place for superstition. That they don't fear the wrath of the gods. And you, do you fear it?"

This confrontation had now gotten the attention of the entire tavern. Ruby looked on, surprised, while Geralt remained impassive. Elsa attempted to leave, but the woman grabbed her by the arm and forced her down.

"If it was not for Annie, your child woulda choke on its navel-string. You owe your son to my sister attending to the birth. And you don't fear the gods' wrath?! YOU DON'T FEAR IT, YOU CUNT?!"

With that, the woman slammed Elsa's head down onto the countertop. She followed it by grabbing the innkeep's head down with both hands and repeatedly slamming her face on the countertop. Vesemir quickly interfered by forcing the woman off Elsa.

"Leave me be," the woman shrieked as she escaped Vesemir's grasp. However, one of the soldier helmed men got and quickly shoved Vesemir back. Geralt quickly got and went to his teacher's aide.

"Stay here," the witcher told Ruby before she could say a word. The two other men from the table quickly got up and followed Geralt. Vesemir, meanwhile, showed his medallion to the helmed man.

"Recognize this medallion? You know what it means. So back off."

Geralt quickly walked past Vesemir to check on Elsa.

"You alright," he questioned, and the innkeep replied by giving a nod, still clutching her bloodied face. Geralt turned to see that the helmed man's companions had joined him. The helmed man then began to spout off accusations.

"They say witchers steal young'uns. That true? You plan on taking away that girl from her family? What'd the emperor promise you two? Your own land? Like he did to the elves once?"

"Get out, all of you," Vesemir warned, but the helmed man only smirked in response.

"We ain't going nowhere, and neither are you," he said as he and his companions drew blackjacks and swords kept on their belts. The witchers drew their swords in response.

"It looks like there's no way out now," Vesemir commented as he tightened his grip on his blade.

"I can see that," Geralt muttered as he waited for someone to make the first move. The man in the fur vest did so as darted forward and attempted to club Geralt. However, the White Wolf countered by quickly shoving into him and then stabbed him in the stomach. The fur vest man then dropped to the ground. The helmed man quickly rushed Vesemir, but the old witcher hit him with the flat of his blade. The helmed man was knocked back and crashed into a nearby table.

The other helmed man, armed with a blackjack, swung his weapon down at Geralt. The witcher countered with an upperward slash, and chopped off the man's arm at the elbow. The man screamed in pain before Geralt kicked him down to the ground. The bald man with sword ran up and tried to bring his blade down on Geralt's head. Geralt quickly parried the sword with his own, and then sliced into the man's side. The man dropped to his knees, and Geralt decapitated him with one swift stroke. The man's head landed near the woman who had assaulted Elsa, who was now on the ground. Geralt quickly sheathed his sword and approached the woman.

"It's alright. It's over," Geralt said as he extended his hand, offering her help up. The woman responded by quickly scrambling back.

"Leave me be! Get away," she shouted, fear evident in her voice. She then got up and made a beeline towards the exit. The two witchers then looked around the tavern at the destruction the fight had cause.

"See his face? Gods save us," a bar patron shouted. Another one vomited at the sight of the carnage and the smell of blood in the air.

"Be gone! And never return," Elsa shouted as she cowered behind her counter. Geralt sighed as he quickly realized how the patrons saw them. To them, they weren't heroes coming to the aid of a poor, defenseless woman. They were just two strangers who had butchered their friends and neighbors, people who they had known for years. Vesemir put a hand on his student's shoulder.

"So much for not getting involved. Let's get Ruby and head out."

The White Wolf nodded as they headed back to where Ruby was. The young huntress was currently in shock by what she just saw. She quickly turned to the two witchers as they approached her.

"Y-you were just trying to help. Why would they get mad at you for trying to help," Ruby mumbled as she followed them out of the inn. Vesemir put his hand on her shoulder as he reassured her.

"Things use to be much simpler, lass. Back in the past, it use to be that humans were good and monsters were bad."

"You must be getting senile in your old age, Vesemir," Geralt said as he turned to his teacher. "Things were always this way."

The three stepped outside of the inn, only to be confronted four Nilfgaardian soldiers. They were armed with halberds and had swords sheathed on their sides. Their horses, which were black stallions, were nearby.

"That bar brawl in there? We didn't start," Geralt said, trying to defend himself before the troop. The sound of someone chuckling was then heard.

"Excuses, excuses… you've not changed one bit," a familiar voice said as the Nilfgaardian soldiers parted for the newcomer. Geralt's eyes widened as he saw the person.

It was a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. She had curly, raven black hair that reached to her shoulders, and violet eyes. Her black hair contrasted her pale skin tone. She wore a black leather outfit with a white undershirt, along with black gloves and high heeled boots. Around her neck was a pendant featuring a pentagram. Lastly, the woman possessed the distinct scent of lilac and gooseberries. This woman was Yennefer of Vengerberg. The woman that Geralt was searching for.

"Y-yen? How," Geralt said, still surprised by her appearance. Yennefer then walked towards him.

"I received a report about a witcher who had appeared in White Orchard. It knew it was you, looking for me. I might've waited until you found me, but… you know me. Patience was never my strong suit."

A few moments of awkward silence passed as both the witcher and the sorceress thought to say next. Yennefer was the one to break the silence.

"It's… good to see you, Geralt. I'd… even embrace you, if you weren't covered in blood."

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you. To be honest, this isn't how I'd imagine we'd meet."

"How did you imagine it?"

"For starters, he didn't imagine you would have a Nilfgaardian escort," Vesemir said as he approached Yennefer. He extended his hand to her, and she shook it. The old witcher continued his explanation.

"Now don't get me wrong Yennefer. It's good to see you, but I do think you owe us an explanation."

Yennefer's gaze turned as she noticed Ruby, who was currently standing behind the two men. She cocked her head at the young girl.

"I don't think we've ever meet. Who are you suppose to be?"

"M-my name is Ruby Rose," Ruby explained nervously as she dug her heel into the ground. "You could say that I'm currently Geralt's traveling partner."

"Interesting," Yennefer said as she turned her attention back to the two witchers. "As for that explanation, I shall provide you one… in Vizima. Ready your horses."

Geralt crossed his arms as he replied to the sorceress, his voice now dripping with sarcasm.

"We can talk here. There's some charming orchards nearby. They're even in bloom, so you almost can't smell the corpses."

"Tempting proposition," Yennefer mused, before her tone changed into a rather authorial one.

"Sadly, I must decline. You see, someone is waiting for you in Vizima. Someone who doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Who?"

"Emperor Emhyr van Emreis… or, for those who are on more intimate terms with him, the White Flame Dancing on the Graves of His Foes."

Geralt raised an eyebrow at Yennefer's response.

"I doubt I number among that group. Far as I remember, the last time we meet, he wanted to kill me."

"Well, now he wants to make an offer to you."

"The kind you can't refuse," Vesemir questioned as he scratched his chin.

"I certainly didn't. Although I could have," Yennefer replied as she put her hands on her hips. Geralt sighed before he gave her his answer.

"Fine, I guess I'm willing to hear him out."

"The Emperor of Nilfgaard, Lord of Metina, Ebbing and Gemmra, and Sovereign of Nazair and Vicovaro, will feel honored, I'm sure," Yennefer said dryly as she headed towards her horse. Geralt then turned towards his teacher.

"What about you?"

"I'm going in the opposite direction. I somehow doubt that the emperor's 'invitation' mentioned me. Besides, I've got things to do back at Kaer Morhen, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Thanks for your help, Vesemir. See you soon," Geralt replied as the two witchers shook hands. Geralt then turned towards Ruby, who walked towards him.

"So are you still keen on traveling with me?"

"I am," Ruby replied cheerily as she followed Geralt to where Roach was. The witcher mounted the mare, and then helped the young girl up onto the horse. Geralt directed Roach to where Yennefer and the Nilfgaardians were. The entire group were now on their horses. Yennefer then looked over to Geralt.

"How's your horse? Swift?"

"I can't complain. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to be back behind some thick city walls as soon as possible."

Geralt then waved goodbye to Vesemir. With that, the group then rode off towards Vizima.

"I've never rode a horse before," Ruby stated as she clutched Geralt's sides for support.

"Well, there's a first for everything," the White Wolf said as the group soon exited the village, and headed off onto the roads.

Next Time - Riders On the Storm


A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of White Wolf and Red Hood! I'm surprised on the time between updates for this one, considering that my last time between updating fics was about eight months long.

Anyway, I was a bit nervous about writing this chapter, since I was afraid of screwing up Ruby's character. I'm actually confident on my grasp of Geralt's character, although I heard a lot of people say that he's kind of a hard character to write.

And I will admit that I stole the idea of Ruby figuring out she's not in Remnant by looking up at the moon from DovahCourier's The Tale of Dust and Sand: A RWBY-Fallout: New Vegas Crossover. It's a pretty good read, and I suggest that you all give it a look.

Anyway, don't expect another update soon, because for the time being, I'll be busy with college work. I plan to start writing chapter three once I'm done reading The Last Wish (a collection of short stories that was the first of the Witcher books published). I own a copy of Blood of Elves (the first book in the Witcher saga), and I plan to order a copy of Sword of Destiny (which is another short story collection and the second Witcher book published).

Anyway, please leave a review or fave and follow if you want to. I'll see you all next update.