Chapter 25: Farewell and Sacrifice

A/N: (Picture me smirking)

Chi-Chi warped the room and flashed as her hair stood on its edge. A blackened mass surged around her body and the offending talon embedded in her belly that sucked them both into a portal, the effect sending a shock wave outwards transporting all the other occupants in the room randomly together. The other golden dragon and two girls blasted to another location and Phillipa and Dijkstra elsewhere, she didn't care where she wanted them gone from her, though her white eyes settled tightly on the dragon that had stolen her baby girl.

The air shattered with the crackle of lightning blasting the leaves and wildlife that was not burrowed into the ground for almost a mile barren. The forest they landed in was completely blasted apart as she ripped the ground skyward. Branches torn bare from their trunks, grass ripped upwards with the force of a massive tornado that spiraled all around her. It was mirror of her emotions inside, except she had a focus of her power as a sorceress her latent and gained knowledge was being used by her own sheer emotion.

"You!" She roared the winds turning her voice into a blast of wind that blasted the dragon free from her body. She watched with grim satisfaction as he slammed through several trees as she hit the ground, the massive gaping wound making her unborn child slip from the wound and hit the ground the heavy slash across a thick fleshy mass. It was like she had been encased in an egg inside of Chi-Chi's body but had been shredded apart by the massive talon.

Chi-Chi felt it slip as she stumbled forwards. Hitting her knees on the ground as the blood ran from her wound, but her own blood was not what made her pause as she spied the remains of her unborn child. "No…" She cried reaching for the shape. She couldn't focus her thoughts were scattered like she was stuck in a dream or trance as she touched the bloody mess where she pulled open the soft egg like covering.

The sorceress's tears began to run from her face as she beheld the grim visage inside. A baby girl with a hole the size of her fist in its stomach, reaching inside she scooped up her girl. "Please… Please don't be real!" She sobbed as the egg shell gave way as she cradled the bloody mess against her clothes. It was a girl's face, her small hands only danged limp at her mother's sides. The images of holding hands with her daughter now erased as the small feet were just as limp as the rest of her body despite her mothers urgings.

"Please, wake up Nunnally… Please mommy wants you to be okay." She sobbed rubbing her face alongside the small child, the blood and mess covering her face and hair matting it together as she let her emotions roll out.

Flashes of nightmares tore through her mind as she remembered looking at the cut and bloody body of her father and how she had cried over him. Begging him as a young girl to wake back up, how she had sobbed over his corpse for hours hoping that in vain that he would wake back up to only watch him go stiff and remain just as lifeless as he had been.

What had she done to deserve this fate, she hadn't wronged anyone since becoming a sorceress. She had tried to desperately to do right, to bring happiness to others as she would have wanted. How she had tended and cared over others during her time in Aretuza and in Novigrad. Even so her unborn child… her baby hadn't even seen a day of life and she was taken from her. Not by her choice…

"You're a dragon, you're fine! You're my blood and body you're okay!" She anguished as she gently shook but got nothing, her mind seeking any small spark of her baby's life force that she knew for holding in her stomach for months. It was all blank, gone like the void of the night.

"Why!" She screamed as her hair rose into the air her body slowly floating into the air, her hand holding her baby girl tightly against her. There was only one person to blame for all of this, one monster that needed to be punished, he had ruined everything! All he had to do was trust her, let her do her job and then everything could have been fine. She would be a mother! She would be holding a bright baby girl but it was all thanks to him! The ungrateful, untrusting, conniving dragon that had held back the secrets of her bloodline, her legacy all too himself.

The life she had dreamed up had shattered like thin glass thrown from a building onto the stone ground below. It was all gone, she had been tricked and lied too by almost everyone in her entire life and the one man. No he wasn't even a man! A man would have a spine to tell someone he loved what she was, to be honest and truthful with her. That's what it meant to love someone, not just pretend from the sidelines that would ever be something between each other.

Her head slowly rose exposing the pure white glowing eyes that focused upon the symbol of her despair and betrayal.

"Kakarot!" She roared as her free arm reared back, a green mass of energy coalesced around her fist as she looked at the dragon which had braced itself up on the ground. A bloody face covered in cuts and jagged rips all over his back and wings with crippled eyes looked back at her. That golden monster had done all of this! He wasn't a man that loved her, no he couldn't he was just using her just like before and then had taken her child away from her! He would pay for all of this!

Kakarot coughed as he struggled to lift his head up. He couldn't believe all of this was happening, his mate was beyond enraged. "Chi-Chi… please-"He was blasted in the face another twenty yards slamming through the trunks of trees as he rolled to another heap in the ground as dirt caked his vision as he coughed and tried to right himself as a being phased in front of him. His yellow eyes went wide as he was blasted skywards fifty feet by a glowing woman.

"Please… I did-" He was cut off as he was sent rocketing back down to the ground with another blow he felt his ribs crack and his scales break off from the blow as he bounced off the ground with a resounding thud.

Chi-Chi floated in the air, her baby clutched in her one hand the other one glowing with unkempt fury, that twisted surged and pulsed all around her. The wind carried her up here as she broke through the barriers of space to phase herself in a blink to where she wanted by mere thought. This dragon would pay, a liar, betrayer, and monster! Her eyes shifting to her dead daughter as she watched the small head roll to one side making her scream in anger, the clouds swirling above her head.

The gale of winds churned and came down as if the sky was being brought towards the ground making a verbal roar as small funnels descended rapidly from the sky and aimed for the dragon on the ground. Like tendrils of Chi-Chi's will a spear shot downwards. Drilling into his back the golden dragon scream in agony as the four drilled into his back before merging into a massive tornado that dragged him into the air spinning round and around inside as Chi-Chi floated just outside of the edge.

"You are going to pay! Do you hear me! You are getting what you deserve!" She exploded inside the tornado blasting Kakarot, once, twice, three, four times! She wasn't even breathing or panting as she snapped from spot to spot hitting him over and over again. In anyway possible.

"Sor…sor-" He tried but she just pummeled him over and over again. Her fists hitting him again and again, so fast and so numerous he couldn't count, each other blow was like a club that broke over him.

This was it… Chi-Chi wanted him dead. His recklessness and unwillingness to bare the truth to her had backfired wholly in his face and there would be no one to save him this time. Chi-Chi blasted him in the stomach making even the stomach gag as she hit him with the force of lightning with sparked outwards knocking him free from the swirling tornado which faded away as he floated in the air for a moment before he stopped and dropped back to the ground landing in a small crater that only grew as he landed inside of it.

He hacked and coughed up roots and dirt for a moment forgetting about the blazing streaks across his back as he bled all over himself. She's running on pure emotion. I don't have a chance unless she actually thinks she kills me. Gods why did this have to happen, I never wanted any of this and I never wanted to kill my own daughter. He bit back his tears, all of this was his fault, his mate was suffering horribly. It was the cost of his work, there were things one needed to do and he had failed in his gamble.

He joked out a laugh as he felt his crystal tears run down the side of his cheek. He moved to raise his head as a figure blasted him again, he rolled backwards twice slamming into a tree with splintered like kindling as he smelt the blood running from Chi-Chi's wounds. She was close to passing out from blood loss, his now only good eye cracked looking at the gaping gash across her stomach as he saw the limp body of his daughter still clutched tightly to Chi-Chi's chest. It's alright I guess. Borch can take care of her… His eyes looked to the side spying one tree that had a massive jagged edge, he gave himself a finale cough as he knew there would be only one to save Chi-Chi's life.

A male dragon would do anything for his mate, he would defend her to the death and right now there was only one option as he knew there would be only one to save Chi-Chi. To defend her life, he would have to give up his own. It was a sacrifice but one that was needed. He took in a final breath steeling himself for his final act as a dragon no… as a male. "Words… are not enough…" He gasped as Chi-Chi stopped her green aura flaring all around her as she crackled energy around her knuckles. "Know that I-" He wheezed as he managed to right himself on his legs feeling himself barely able to stand. "I always love you." He said watching no change in expression in Chi-Chi even flicker as she phased again and blasted him backwards.

He watched the world spin slowly as he bounced backwards, rotating his stomach just enough as he welcomed he just reward for his failure. It would've been nice. Being a father, but I just was never cut out for it.

Tea, Vea you grew into women and I still saw you as girls. You are right to be with Borch, I was just too blind to know what had to be done instead of what I wanted done.

He felt the tip pierce his soft under scales.

Chi-Chi, I'll be waiting on the other side with our daughter… His final thought slipped away as his roar came out in a massive burst. The massive tree stump impaling through his chest, he felt his blood gush outwards as his head slammed into the side of the tree and remained there. His golden eye watching with a slow fall as his mate stopped, her aura flashing and fading.

She stood there silent as the life force of her dragon ebbed away, his heart beat slowed to all but a faint thrum of fingers and then his breathing stopped. Then just as the revenge she had demanded stopped, she collapsed to the ground her desire fading away along with her power as she had gotten what she wanted as a wave of tears ran down her face. "Why? Why?" She mumbled as the blood loss made her thoughts and words a jumble. The dark twisted skies returning to normal as a chill of the nighttime air slowly came.

[***]

"this can't be good." A dull voice said as he stopped his horse feeling the drastic shift in temperature. The brown stallion neighed adamantly as the rider atop remained stationary. Reaching up his hand grasped around his rapidly vibrating wolf necklace. Magic was everywhere at a measure like Pavaetta had the night he had saved Duny. "Shit." He muttered as he pulled on the horse and went into a full gallop urging his horse Roach onwards.

The rapid breathing and snorts of his horse came in bursts as he made his way through the broken debris, his cat like eyes scanning all over as his nose picked up massive amounts of blood, several different types. I'm not even going to get paid for this. He thought bitterly as his horse jumped a skewered log. He had seen the burst of green light and the rapidly shifting weather and screams it was not at all what should be happening here in Derdem but it was.

"Woah! Woah Roach!" The rider yelled as the fog began to roll in but even in this mist he spied the litter of bodies. His eyes first catching the massive dragon impaled on a tree, a yellow one too. "It's not Borch." He noted jumping down from the saddle. His leather and chain mail armor jingled slightly but not as much as his medallion which vibrated madly underneath his neck. Impaled completely through a tree, dead. Taking note of the blood that drenched the entire tree as he saw the sagging head down alongside, tongue hanging in the dirt. He shook his head, but then turned to the next body.

A woman on her side back facing him, no a sorceress. No woman ever looked that good or wore that type of clothing or had that type of scent. Raven black hair was matted in blood and skin. "Nothing good, never can be." He told himself as he walked towards her, his hand reaching up to his back grabbing his sword. Clearly she had slain the dragon but why?

Even with all of the blood he could smell fresh bathing salts and all the underlying perfumes that were covering her. It was obvious, not because he had been with several sorceresses in his time but it was just the very atmosphere and world spoke to him. After nearly fifty years of this shit he knew what was going on… most of the time. He couldn't really call her age with a sorceress but she was roughly forty or so, her blood had that smell and as he brought small taste to his mouth. Yes defiantly tasted the part. He stopped as he rolled her onto her back and he looked away with a cough. A dead child was in her arms. "Damnit… too late for you sweetheart." He muttered under his breath as he pulled the limp body from the woman and set it down on the ground and set about looking at the woman's wounds.

She was still alive, somehow despite the gaping hole in her stomach, he pulled free a needle and thread from his back and went about the grizzly business of sowing her up as best he could. Watching her face shift in and out of pain filled expressions. "Stay strong." He said stoically as he pulled her skin back together as best he could. He then moved to cauterize the wound. Flipping his front finger, he drew upon the Igni symbol and watched the woman cry out in her sleep as he burned her. "It has to be done." Not enjoying her pain in away but pain was something he lived with.

Finally, he sealed the wound, a jagged line of burnt but sealed flesh now remained across the side of her stomach. "Should do fine for now, I'll have to find someplace for you." He whistled over roach who trotted over as the rider pulled up the woman in his arms and draped her over the saddle.

Don't get involved Geralt, you always stick your nose where you know you shouldn't.

The words of his teacher Vessimir rang in his mind but this wasn't getting involved it was saving a woman's life. Even as a witcher he knew he had a basic set of principles, leaving a woman to bleed to death out in the woods was not one of them. There was nothing for the dragon or child that he could do but as he looked upwards he felt a chill and a drop of snow over his white hair. "Just my fucking luck. The Wild Hunt." Geralt growled hopping atop his horse Roach.

"Come on you dumb animal we have to go." He grumbled snapping the reigns, the woman set just in front his saddle as he placed one knee atop her back and the other leg pressed hard into the stirrups to balance her weight and keep on the lookout for elements of the wild hunt. The air grew colder and he could feel his breath, his horse's hooves pounded the ground in a frantic pace as the witcher pushed his steed faster. His cat eyes spying the trail he had been on in no time as he continued to navigate the winding debris.

As he rode the heavy beating of wings came from behind him, on instinct his hand switched to his back grabbing one of two swords placed securely across his back. One made of steel for men, and another made for silver for monsters, and as the wings came closer and faster he knew it was no human. Slipping his hand down he grabbed a grenade as well, having only two left they would be a necessary distraction for sure.

The heavy flaps grew closer as Geralt felt the creature go over him and land hard into the ground. His horse stopped in a dust cloud as Geralt leapt from the back his grenade ready in on hand his silver sword in the other. He couldn't see what was ahead of him even with his cat eyes, he needed a tawny owl potion to see in near full darkness. Only shapes movement and basic outlines as good as he got.

Clacking the end of his grenade the seasoned witcher needed to take the initiative, he needed to know just what landed in front of him.

"Heyah!" He yelled jumping backwards as he flung his grenade forwards, the clicked end igniting and exploding in a brilliant ball of fire as he quickly flashed Quen around himself creating a barrier of energy around him to deflect the counter attack as his eyes caught sight of brilliant gold and he stopped…

[***]

A heavy steel and bone covered boot slammed into the ground. "Too late Immlerith. Too late…" The King of the wild hunt grumbled. They had finally found a child of the elder blood once again and yet here they were now completely lost without it. Only the corpse of a golden dragon just remained behind as their navigators had done their best to locate her precisely. The massive plated warrior, stood at the head of numerous other warriors but he was by far the tallest and most fearsome with his skull crown wrapped his face. The cold air and skeletal horses cried out in dismay. There would be no gathering or good news to bring home again.

"What should we do with it?" The massive behemoth of a general said, his mace bigger than any human which he carried without much encumbrance even in his heavy armor. The fully encased metal general looked around knowing that this was the work of elder blood much like his King had thought.

The King of the Hunt mulled over his options, "Take it. Could be a nice change of pace. If Avallach told us the truth that is. Though I have my doubts about that coward." The King walked around the bloody mess kicking over the fleshy shell.

Not knowing that it was in fact Chi-Chi's egg casing for her baby dragon, it was merely a piece of flesh to him. They had been beaten here by someone… A body had been laying across the ground as he noted everything wrong with this picture. A dead dragon and what else? There had been something else. Just what had it been and where did it go? He spat in anger, there was little he could do but return with a consolation prize. Perhaps some good would come of it.

"Navigators take us home." The King ordered as he jumped atop his skeletal warhorse, his body taking on an ethereal look as his men mounted up as three Navigators holding up large white crystal staffs that allowed to transportation from worlds. Their staves flashing brightly as they focused on their return to their world. They had failed tonight but they would come back, such was how things always worked. They were the Wild Hunt, unstoppable spectral riders. A black and white rift tore open as the riders of the Wild Hunt marched through, only the dragging noise from behind their group was the only sound made as they moved like wraiths, or spirits of the dead.

The snow falling from the sky nearly blanketed the entire area as they all entered inside leaving only bloody footprints behind that were soon covered by a sheet of white snow.

The End

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Naaahhh there's still more.

Did you all miss me? I sure did. (Smirks)

R&R MB