The Witcher: Through the Worlds

Chapter 14: Wild at Heart

Narrator: In their long search for Ciri, Dominik and Geralt were tasked with finding the Bloody Baron's wife and daughter. To do so, they had to lift the curse of a botchling, a cursed creature who came from the miscarried child of the Baron and his wife. After performing the ritual, it would take 24 hours for the effects to set in, so Geralt told Dominik to go take the day to rest, and recover his wounds, but our young Witcher always had an inkling for contracts.

The dream that night, brought him back to the lake outside Cintra. He recognized his 11-year-old self again, clinging to a tree, as he attempted to climb the great pine tree. He looked around, and his breath caught up in his chest. He saw Bella, his younger sister, sitting on the edge of the lake, watching him in amusement as he tried to climb. She was the spitting image of him, long, curly brown hair, and bright emerald eyes like he had. He always wondered what would have became of her, had he been able to protect her. Would she have started training like him? Would she have gone on to become an herbalist, a shopkeeper, a powerful sorceress, or even a soldier like their parents?

He would never be able to figure out.

He watched his younger-self sigh deeply, and look up at the trees, the task of getting higher seeming impossible.

"How… how am I supposed to get up there," He whispered to himself, as he could hear his sister laugh at him from the ground.

He shot his sister an annoyed glance, before another voice rang.

"Come on Dominik, up you go. You never know, your life could depend on how fast you climb one day," The voice of his mother rang.

He felt his chest thump faster at the site of his mother. Despite being in her late thirties, his mother was extremely beautiful, and could pass for much younger. Her long curly blonde hair, and sparkling emerald eyes stared down at him, from her own position atop a branch above him. She smiled mischievously at him, as she leaned against the large trunk.

He struggled, and tried to pull himself up to the next branch, "I… I can't-. AHHHHHH!"

He screamed as he tumbled back down the tree and landed with a large thud onto the grass below. The laughter from his sister pounded in his ears, and he could even see his mother crack a smile from above.

He sighed in disappointment, and looked up at his mother, high in the tree.

"Dammit…" He muttered, as he watched his mother descend.

With great speed, perfect footwork, and amazing agility his other climbed back down the giant trunk. She climbed down, leaping from branch to branch, until she finally landed on both feet next to him, reaching down and helping him off the ground.

"No worries, we'll try again in a little while," She said to him assuredly.

He sighed and kicked the dirt below him, "Why do I even need to learn how to climb like this? When will I ever need to know how?"

His mother chuckled and shook her head, "You don't realize it now, but everything your father and I are teaching you and Bella, is to help prepare you for your future."

He rolled his eyes, not satisfied with the answer, "Yes, because as captain of the royal guard of Cintra, it'll be pivotal I know how to climb trees."

"You never know," his mother said with a smile, looking down at the ring dangling from his neck, "What if you and the princess are running from your enemies, and the only place to hide would be up in a tree? Or, what if you're hiking to a mission, and your destination is high on a cliff, or up mountains?"

He sighed again and looked up towards the castle. He remembered that day, he hadn't been allowed to go into the castle, since it was on high alert. Nilfgaard had been discovered to be camped out at the Amell Pass, and the armies of Cintra were getting restless. He was going to be allowed to go to the ball that night with his father, however, with the preparations for moving the army that day, his father said it would have been too much. He wouldn't have been able to keep an eye on both Ciri and he. So, his mother had taken him and Bella out to the lake.

"Ciri has spent a lot of time in Skellige, I bet she knows how to climb really well," He said to him mother.

His mother chuckled, "Here I am, trying to train you for the future… and all you can think about is the princess."

He turned back to her, feeling his face go red, as Bella laughed, walking up next to the two of them.

"Dom's in LOVE with the princess, isn't he mother," She said with a mischievous tone, hugging around her mothers legs.

"I am NOT, Ciri's my friend," He said quickly, his face turning bright red.

Bella shook her head and pointed at him, "Dom's in love with the princess, Dom's in love with the princess," She started singing, running back to the water.

"Shut up! I am NOT, in love with Ciri," he said to her, and his younger sister simply laughed, running back into the water, splashing happily.

He sighed in annoyance and turned back to his mother, who smiled at him, "You know, you do spend a lot of time with the princess…"

"But that doesn't mean I'm in love with her," He fired back quickly, causing his mother to laugh more.

The hot sun beat down on the two of them, and the bells tolled from the castle, signaling it was just about two in the afternoon. His mother looked up at the castle and sighed.

"You're right, besides you're still young, however, as I'm sure your father had told you, we live in dangerous time," She said, kneeling down to become eye level with him, "Dominik, tell me. Do you care about the princess? Do you truly care about Ciri?"

He scoffed, the question almost offended him, "Of course I do! She's the best friend I've ever had… the only really. And in the future, I'm going to protect her, just like father's done for Queen Calanthe," He said proudly.

His mother laughed and smiled at him, her sparkling green eyes the mirror image of his, "Good, that's good. I married into your fathers family, but I know their history."

She looked down to the ring around his neck, and gently held it up to him in her hands.

"Our family and Ciri's are linked. You and Ciri were meant to meet, meant to find each other. It was destiny that brought you two together," She explained to him.

His younger self had heard the words destiny thrown around far too much. His father had said something similar to what his mother was saying now, and he thought the same then as he did now. He didn't give a damn if some magical force, or the universe brought Ciri and he together. He was going to protect her, be there for her, and stop anyone from taking her.

He shook his head at his mother, "Father said the same thing… I don't even know what it means."

She smiled at him and looked back up at the castle herself.

"We all have a destiny Dominik. We all have the capacity to do great things and fulfill that destiny. You my son," She said, turning back to meet his eyes, "You and Ciri are both destined for great things… and you're destined to do them together."

It was his own turn to turn to the castle. He had begun to miss Ciri whenever he didn't get to spend the day there. That was beginning even back then to become his biggest worry. He tuned back to his mother.

"Mother… what… what if Ciri and I get separated? What if… what if I can't find her to protect her," He asked hesitantly.

His mother looked at him reassuringly, "Don't worry about that. People linked by destiny, will always find each other."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Within seconds after his mother had said that, the dream shifted. It all changed, his mother, sister and the castle of Cintra were gone. He was in a forest now, he saw his younger eleven-year-old self, wondering his eyes full of concern. His had dirt, ash, and other grime on his face. He wore torn boots and gloves, and a shirt far too big for him as he walked through the woods, his eyes darting back and forth, screaming.

"CIRI!? CIRI WHERE HAVE YOU GONE," He yelled, cupping his mouth for maximum effect.

The echo of the woods only responded with his voice. He sighed in disappointment and continued jogging through the woods. He remembered this day as well. After Ciri and he had been taken in by a kind family, after being on the run for almost a month. The two had fallen asleep huddled next to each other on the same bed in the woman's guest room, and when he awoke Ciri had been gone. He followed her tracks out to the woods and was doing so now.

He couldn't lose her, not after all they had gone through. She was too precious to him, he had lost everyone else, he couldn't lose her as well.

Finally, the trail had led him to a large boulder, and he heard footsteps. He ducked behind the boulder and looked around, trying to find its source. His eyes widened and he felt himself sigh with relief when he saw Ciri, her blue cloak wrapped tightly around her body, as she stood there staring across from her. He was about to leap out, run to her but he stopped when he saw her dart away.

"Ciri," He said, standing up from behind the boulder.

He looked and the next time he saw her, Ciri was picked up, in the arms of a larger man. He had long flowing, silver hair, and eyes that were yellow, the color of a cats. He had a knife strapped to his belt and wrapped his arms around Ciri, pulling her up off the ground.

Every single alarm bell in his body went off at once, he looked down below him, grabbing a large rock and rushing forward.

"LET HER GO," He yelled, determined not to let anyone else try and take her.

To many people had tried to take her away, and he wasn't going to let them. It was his duty, his destiny to protect his friend, the one he had come to care for in that moment above all others. He ran forward, the rock in his hand, right for the man, intent on smashing his knees.

His scream had given him away however, both Ciri and the man looked back at him. Ciri's eyes went wide.

"Wait, Dominik no! It's okay," She yelled, but he didn't hear her.

"I WON'T let you take her," He yelled swinging the rock towards the mans knees.

"Woah there, easy," He heard the large man say, as he stepped back, before grabbing Dom's arms and taking the rock from him.

He kicked and struggled, but the mans grip was far too strong. He didn't stop until Ciri came back into his view, those large green eyes looking at him with concern. After he saw her, he felt his worry subside, his fears go away.

"Dominik, it's okay, this is him! Geralt," She said, looking up at the man.

Upon hearing the name, he shot his head up to the man. He had heard the name from Ciri, that had been their mission the last month. To somehow find Geralt of Rivia, it was the last mission his father had given him. Find Ciri, and then find Geralt of Rivia. The two of them were originally going to try and make it to Skellige first, before they had been taken in by the older woman.

Geralt looked down at him, and gently let go of his arm.

"Y… you're Geralt?"

The Witcher nodded, looking between the two of them, "I am… and who might you be?"

"Dominik… I'm here to protect Ciri," He said quickly, taking a step closer to her.

He saw Ciri smile at him, gently reaching down to grab his hand, before looking back up at Geralt, "It's true. He saved my life. He's my best-friend…" She said.

He smiled at her, before looking back up at Geralt, "Yeah… where she goes, I go."

Geralt chuckled and knelt down to the two of them, meeting their emerald eyes, "Won't argue with that."

He nodded, keeping eye contact with the Witcher, "H… how did you find us?"

The Witcher looked over and met Ciri's eyes now, before looking back to him, "Well… people linked by destiny will always find each other."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

He shot his head up, his brow dripping in a cold sweat. He reached around his neck and gripped tightly around the swallow. He examined his surroundings and forgot that he was at the inn, near Crow's Perch. He let out a deep sigh and ran his hands over his face, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He looked and saw his sword leaning in its sheath against the dresser and saw the picture of Ciri sitting there. With a sore body, he reached over grabbing the piece of paper and unfolding it. He examined the drawing, the beautiful face of the woman he loved. He imagined her hair colored in with her ashen locks, the eyes shining emerald green, and the spot of freckles that ran across her nose, which she'd always try to hide.

He looked at the scar under her eye that he had drawn, and the entire picture only made him somehow yearn for her even more.

The swallow pendant dangled near the paper, and he grabbed the silver charm, looking at it and the paper.

"People linked by destiny will always find each other… I'll find you, soon," He said, before sighing and placing the paper back onto his dresser.

He looked out the window and felt slightly odd that the sun was already up in the air. Normally Geralt and he would awake as the sun was still rising, in an effort to train before they set out. However, he had taken the Witcher's advice to heart, and slept as long as his body could. He was feeling rejuvenated, if a little sore. Certainly, better than he had the day before.

He sighed, and tossed the blankets off himself, before pulling his legs around and leaving his bed. He stretched out his arms and looked out over Crow's Perch from his window.

"Hope Geralt's okay… well, I guess I have the day off," he said to himself.

It had been awhile since he had. The last few weeks had been consumed by the search for Ciri, and before that he had been working most days. He would either be traveling, or taking on a contract, either way he was always on the move. He decided as he dressed into his armor, he would take Geralt's advice. First, he would eat what he could, before going to have his sword sharpened, and restocking on the ingredients he needed for more oils, and bombs.

It would certainly be an interesting day, as it always was for him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Someone willing to trade a cow for a goat, help find my missing cat, need a man to accompany me to an ex-lovers wedding… who the hell writes these notices," He muttered, as he closely examined all the notes on the board.

True to his word, he had taken Geralt advice. He had eaten his fill at the inn, much to the delight of the barmaid, who was all too happy he was still there. After this, he had gone and used the grindstone at the local smithy, to make sure his old, yet trusty sword was sharpened. Finally, he had visited the herbalist, and gotten the proper ingredients for more bombs, and oils. He had restocked on food, water and other supplies, and made more bombs, having himself a productive day.

And all of that had only taken him a matter of a few hours, with plenty of time still left till he was due to meet Geralt again.

He realized if he returned to the inn, he would do nothing but spend hours drinking, wasting his money playing Gwent, and thinking about Ciri, so he decided to keep moving. He went to the notice board near the inn, intent on finding a contract that he could hopefully complete within a few hours, until he was due to meet Geralt at midnight. Most of them had been nonsense, nothing worth his time, or something where the pay hadn't been very good. The sun was out for once in Velen, so he knew it was a perfect day for going to find a contract. His armor had finally dried, but after it had been, he could see the scrapes and new deformities starting to show. A large cut was across his abdomen, where the axe of Nithral had struck him could be seen in his armor.

He adjusted the sword on his back and sighed, before looking at the final notice on the board.

"Mhmm, what do we got here," He said, pulling the notice closer to his face, "Missing wife, last seen in forests near Blackbough, generous reward if found, see Niellen in Blackbough. Huh… sounds easy enough, and Blackbough isn't far at all."

He managed a smiled, and ripped the notice from the board, stuffing it back into his pockets. He turned back around, to where Clop had been tied to a nearby post. He had brushed his loyal companion himself, seeing as he spent the night out in the rain the day before. A missing woman in Velen could be looking for a needle in a haystack, however he had to assume that it wouldn't be anything like trying to find the Barons wife and daughter. If it was a peasant posting the notice, the woman more than likely, simply did get lost in the woods, The pay the Hunter listed say at 200 crowns, which would certainly be good enough to at least get his armor patched up, perhaps even upgraded.

"Come on Clop, back to Blackbough," he said, snapping the horses reins and setting off.

The ride through the countryside of Velen had actually be pleasant for once. No rain, thunder, or freezing cold winds were coming through, it was finally a hot crisp day. As he calmly rode, he felt the dreams he had the night before cropping back up into his brain. He remembered what had happened that night, after he trained at the lake with his mother and Bella. His mother had stuffed him into a fancy doublet, and he had managed to get himself to the royal ball that night, where he met up with his father and Ciri. He was able to talk to her for only a few moments however, seeing as he had to sit at the low tables while she was at the top, with her grandmother and other members of royalty.

He did however get to dance with her for the first time that night. The first time at a ball that was, they of course had danced together plenty of times while they saw each other. He remembered the elegant brown dress she wore, the way her hair curled and cascaded down her back, and the way she looked at him, into his own shining emerald eyes with hers. He remembered how she kissed his cheek after that, saying how she wouldn't be able to see him for a few days.

That was because the next morning his father had left. He had left with Queen Calanthe and the royal army to go and fight the Nilfgaardeans. He remembered being in his house, nearly day and night for almost a week after that, wondering what was happening to his father, the queen and Ciri in the castle, all by herself. He had tried to sneak out a few times, but his mother had caught him each time, and strictly forbade him from going.

A few days later they had come, his family was killed, all three in-front of him. And he had only Ciri left as the two of them fled.

For the month afterwards, the two clung to each other, the only reminder the other had of what happened, the only one who knew what the other had gone through. Soon after they had found Geralt, and he heard the words his mother and father both had said to him.

People linked by destiny will always find each other.

He looked down at the swallow, as the sun beat down on his neck and in less than an hour, he had entered the village of Blackbough. It was small hamlet, and he remembered it from the day before when Geralt and he went to see the pellar. He passed by on Clop, and saw that out front of the inn, another massive horse was tied to the stables. He knew no villager could afford a horse here particularly one that big, and the stables were mostly used to coral cattle, and hold the horses of other travelers. He gently pulled Clop up next to the massive beast and tied his reins to the post.

The horse was massive, even larger then Clop, it's brown coat silky and clean, the saddle bag filled to the brim. He had the knocking feeling he had seen the beast before, but couldn't quite place it, as he tied Clop to the stables, and set off into the town. It had been bustling with activity, so it was easy enough to ask the local smith that had been set up next to the inn, if he knew the location of Niellen.

The gruff older man nodded, and gestured down another street, "Aye, he's the local hunter, lives right down there. Someone else was asking about him earlier."

He narrowed his eyes, "What did he look like?"

The smith's eyes went large, "Tall man, bigger then any I've ever seen. Pair of swords on his back, think he was a Witcher."

He scoffed and felt his stomach begin to turn. He nodded to the man and set off down the street. He remembered now where he had seen the large horse. The description from the smith was all he needed to confirm. Another Witcher had indeed come before him to accept the contract. A Witcher that he knew all too well, seeing as he was the only one, he had ever encountered in his travels.

He made his way down the street, a smile forming on his face. He got towards the house to the edge of the village, and he saw him. The man was impossible to miss. Like the smith had said, he was a tall man, taller and larger then any he had seen before. He had a beard of bushy black hair, and a ponytail tied tightly behind his head. His yellow Witcher eyes filled with playfulness as he looked at the smaller hunter, his arms crossed. A medallion like his own hung from the mans head, in the shape of a bear.

He of course had two longswords strapped to his back, one of steel, one of silver, the pommel of them carved in the shape of a bears head. His armor was masterfully crafted, he had learned from him it was the armor of the school of the bear, and just because it seemed clunky, didn't mean he wasn't able to move quickly in it, he had seen the Witcher go toe to toe with vampires, and some of the fastest creatures you could think of. While not nearly as fast as Dominik himself, he was also the strongest man you would ever meet, even for a Witcher.

"Faram!? You tall, beefy bastard, what the hell are you doing here," He said, his excitement rising as he approached the man.

Both Faram and the hunter Niellen turned to him. It looked like Niellen was about to say something else, but Faram's booming voice cut him off.

"HAHAHA! Dominik of Cintra, gods above its felt like ages," He said in a joyous tone, coming over towards him.

With a large smile on his face he gripped the mans gauntleted hand tightly, before bringing him in for a tight hug. The Witcher was so happy to see him, he even lifted him off the ground, before plopping him back into the dirt with a happy laugh.

He didn't care however, the excitement he felt was through the rood. He had not seen his close friend in almost a year when they had traveled together. It had been almost a year and a half ago to that day. He had been traveling, completing contracts, becoming ever the more careless with his own life after what had happened in Rivia. He was beginning to believe that none of it was worth it, he wasn't going to find Ciri, so what was the point of completing anymore contracts.

He had been in northern Redania, trying to avoid Nilfgaardean lands, when he accepted a contract on what turned out to be a Leshen, from a local village. He had gone out to try and slay the beast, however he was sloppy, careless and almost found himself dead. The beast had countered every move he made, as he half-heartedly tried to defend himself. Finally, the Leshen had him cornered, would have killed him if not for a powerful Aard blast, fired from a new combatant.

That was the first time he met Faram, one of the last surviving members of the Witcher school of the bear. He fired signs at the beast, and lashed out with his blade, and shouted to Dominik that if he wanted to live, he better get up. The Leshen had almost killed Faram after it recovered, but Dominik was able to save him in return, and the two Witchers killed the beast. After introducing themselves that day, he learned Faram had also accepted a contract on the Leshen, from a village to the south, while he had accepted it from the village to the north. So, the two did what anyone would have naturally did, and cut of the Leshen's head before going to collect both rewards.

That had been the start of a long, very lucrative partnership for them both. For months, the two traveled together, fighting monsters, completing contracts. Faram had become the first real friend Dom had ever had, outside of Ciri, and the Witcher's of Kaer Morhen. The two had gotten to be so close, that he eventually even told him about his past, Geralt, Yennefer, Cintra, and his search for Ciri.

He realized at that moment, if not for him meeting Faram, he more then likely would be dead, killed by his own carelessness and heartbreak.

He smiled up at the large man and scoffed, "Gods Faram, after the last few weeks I've had, am I glad to see you."

The bear school Witcher laughed and nodded at him, "HA, same goes for you my friend! What the hell are you doing in Velen though? This if Nilfgaardean territory now, thought you'd do your best to avoid it?"

He laughed and little and nodded his head, "Yeah… on normal occasions you'd be right… but these aren't normal circumstances. What about you? I thought you were heading back to Skellige, to take that Giants head?"

Faram and he finally separated about a year prior. Faram had learned that an ice giant had taken over in Skellige, on his original home island of Undviik. The man was quite young for Witcher standards, only being about 40 years of age, despite looking obviously much younger. He had bid Dominik a farewell, determined to go and kill the beast.

The tall man bit his lip, and ran his hands through his curly black beard, "That well… that's a story for later. Seems like we both got some stories to tell, catching up to do."

He nodded and laughed, "Ha… you bet we do. I'm guessing you came for the contract?"

Faram nodded, "Aye, I've been staying in Novigrad the last few weeks. Ventured out to see if I could find anything out here. Saw the notice and came to-. Oh shit, yes, Niellen!"

The large Witcher turned back to Niellen the hunter. The man was much smaller then then both of them, but well built. A black beard stretched around his chin, up to his head of slicked back hair. He looked between the two of them, before his eyes landed on Dom.

"You're… another Witcher then," He asked him.

He nodded to the man, giving him a small bow, "Dominik of Cintra, the notice mentions that your wife has been missing?"

The man nodded, before looking between the two of them, "Aye… my Hannah. Been missing a few days now, most seem to think she got lost out in the woods. If… it means finding her, I've enough gold to pay you both… if you're good," he said, looking towards Dom.

He was about to respond when Faram beat him to the punch. He dropped his large armored arm around Dom's shoulder, "Let me tell you my good man. Dominik of Cintra is one of the most talented Witcher's you'll ever meet. The two of us have killed Leshens, Bruxa, Zeugal's, wraiths, nekkers you name it, we've killed it together. You're investment will NOT go to waste."

He felt himself smile again he had now smiled more than he had in a long time. It felt good being with his friend again. He was thankful for the other Witcher's words. He looked over at Niellen and nodded in agreement with Faram.

"He's right. I can't promise your wife is alive, but I can promise that we'll do everything to bring her back, safe and sound," He promised the man.

Niellen looked at them hesitantly for a few moments before he held his hand out to the two of them.

"Alright, I'll put my faith in the two of you. I've already told Witcher Faram all the information I have, come to me the moment you find anything, I don't care the hour," The man said, his voice full of desperation.

He reached out and shook the man's hand, sealing the contract, before Faram did the same.

He nodded to the man assuredly, "Don't worry, I… know what it's like to lose the woman you love, we'll do what we can to find her."

Faram quickly looked at him, before nodding to the man as well, "Aye, we'll get your woman. Come on Dom, we got some questions to ask a few folks and a few things to catch up on!"

He scoffed and laughed at the mans antics, as he followed Faram back into the town of Blackbough.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So, give me the short version. What the hell are you doing here in Velen," Faram asked, the two of them wondering through the woods, their blades drawn.

The sun was slowly starting its descent, and the two had made great progress. The leads they had followed in the town suggested that Hannah, Niellen's wife, had been led into the woods by another woman. They had also learned the wolves of the forest nearby had been acting even more savage and howling at odd hours. Faram and he had deduced that if the woman had been left alone in the woods at night, she would have more than likely died, however it was their duty to at least find the body if so and slay whatever killed her.

He knew he could trust Faram, he did with his life. So, he wasn't hesitant to tell him why he was there in Velen.

He pushed some tall grass from his path with his blade, and looked over at the bear school Witcher, "Well… remember how I told you what happened in Rivia two years ago? How I thought Geralt and Yennefer had died?"

"Course I do, the legendary White Wolf and the Lady of Vengerberg both dead, a sad time," he said, examining a broken tree branch.

He sighed and stopped walking, meeting his eyes from across the grass, "Well, it turns out they both survived. I'm traveling through Velen with Geralt now, we… we've found leads… leads on Ciri."

Faram stopped and turned to him. He scoffed a laugh when he saw his friends eyes go wide, a smile forming on his face.

He laughed heartily and smacked his hand against his leg, "HAHA! You've finally found the trail of your woman! Gods I remember how you talk about her, never seen a man more in love with a woman before in my life. How long did you tell me it had been? It was seven a year ago, gods I'm happy for you my friend. You're finally going to find her."

He felt himself smiled and laugh, the idea of seeing Ciri had often been on his mind the last few weeks, but this time made his heart thump again. It was every single day the last eight years he imagined what he'd say to her. He smiled with a sigh, and looked up at the beautiful trees, the sun shining through the branches.

"Thanks…" He said looking over to his friend, "I went from thinking Geralt, Yennefer… and probably Ciri were all gone for good. I wouldn't see them again, but now… I'm close to having them all back."

Faram laughed again and walked over, clapping him on the shoulder, meeting his eyes, "Haha, I'm so happy for you my friend. Can't wait to meet her once you do find her, gonna be nice to meet the woman you never shut up about!"

He scoffed and shoved his arm, before they walked further into the forest. They continued onward, the sun slowly starting to set.

"I can't wait for you to meet her. So… same question to you. Give me the short version, what're you doing in Velen, I thought you'd stay in Skellige after you killed the giant," He asked the larger man.

He saw Faram stop in his tracks and looked down at the ground. He saw his friends eyes fall, a look of sadness, disappointment and shame appearing in his yellow eyes. He sighed, turning back around and meeting his eyes.

"Truth is Dom I… I didn't kill the giant. Damn beast… nearly killed me, I was arrogant, full of myself," He said, his voice laced with shame, as he looked back to the ground, "Couldn't save anyone. Thankfully Clan an Craite has been taking in the people of Undviik…. After that I came back here, gonna train, ready myself more, and then I'll head back… and kill the bastard."

He could feel his friends anger, the disappointment. He remembered how angry, determined, and confident he had been before he left. The confidence Faram usually exhumed had been infectious, he had laughed, had more fun, and gotten done more contracts then he ever had. He was upset when he left but understood that it was his duty.

He sighed and met his friends eyes, "I'm sure you did what you could. One of the leads we have on Ciri… it'll lead Geralt and met to Skellige. You know if you need me… I'll fight by your side any day."

Faram looked up and met his eyes with a smile, slapping his shoulder again, "Thanks mate. Same to you, if you need help finding your Ciri, you know you can always count on my steel and silver."

He felt himself smile again. The sun beamed through the trees to beat down on his neck, and he met the bear school Witcher's eyes.

"Thanks, my friend… there's a lot more to tell, we got a job to do first though," He said, looking further into the woods.

Faram laughed and looked with him, "Haha, you're right! We'll knock back a few after we're done here. I wanna hear all about this search for your woman."

He laughed back and smiled, "Sounds like a plan, I'm due to meet Geralt at midnight over at Crow's Perch, long story short we changed a botchling into a lubberkin, he's there watching the grave."

Faram rubbed his chin and nodded, "Hmm, I'd love to meet the famous White Wolf. I heard stories about him growing up in Skellige. Let's get this job done, to be honest, don't feel too good about this woman's chances… getting lost in Velen is dangerous."

He nodded and looked down at the crumpled ground. He saw broken twigs, clawed earth, and the smell of blood was attacking his nose. He looked back over to Faram and nodded, "Aye… there's definitely been signs of a struggle nearby. See anything with those 'Witcher Senses' of yours?"

Faram smirked and knelt down to where he was. He sifted through the dirt, gently rubbing his fingers through the earth. He held the hand up to his nose and smelt the mud. He looked up, and he noticed what his friend was looking at. A low tree, with broken branches, and splotches of blood on the ground. Faram stood to his feet and looked over to him.

"Blood… and some footprints, doesn't look like whoever it was ended up well," He said, before they heard the crunch of leaves and twigs behind them.

Both Witchers hands went to their blades as they whirled around. He expected to be ambushed by wolves, but it wasn't. The blonde-haired woman he had seen with Niellen, he remembered her name was Margrit. She held her hands up in defense, and he breathed a sigh of relief, sheathing his blade back down the sheath. Faram did the same and groaned at the woman.

"Ughhh, gods woman we nearly sliced you to bits," he said, his steel going back into its sheath.

He sighed, and met the woman's eyes, "You're Margrit right? Faram's right what the hell are you doing out here? It's dangerous, your sister just went missing here."

The woman Margrit was slender, with long blonde hair, big brown eyes. He had become good at reading people over the years, and he could tell the woman was frantic. She met their eyes, her arms crossed tightly across her body. She sighed and met his eyes.

"Look Witcher's, I think we both know the hard truth. My sister is dead, and it's not good for Niellen," She said indignantly.

Faram grunted next to him, "Bah, you don't want closure for your sister? Know what happened to her?"

The woman huffed, "I already know what happened, it's obvious she died. I want Niellen to finally be put at peace. I'll pay you double what he's paying you each, just tell him she's gone."

He looked over and met Faram's eyes. A lesson that every Witcher at Kaer Morhen, from his Uncle Vesemir, to Geralt had always told him, that a good Witcher never left a job undone. A Witcher's word was their bond, and when you took on a contract, it was your duty to complete it. Faram turned to the woman and shook his head.

"Sorry lass, we never leave a contract unfinished. A Witcher's word is their bond, not about to break out word," he said to the woman, with Dominik nodding in agreement.

The woman scoffed and stomped her foot, "It's true what they say about you Witcher's. No emotions, only out for yourselves," She said, before retreating back towards the village.

The two Witcher's watched the woman walk out of their site, back towards Blackbough. Faram scoffed and looked over at him, "Ba, not the worst thing I've ever heard."

He laughed and nodded in agreement, "You can say that again… come on, let's see what happened here."

"Right," Faram said, both of them turning back to the tree, and rock they had found, "Bloody hell… doesn't look like anything good happened here."

The scene they turned onto was bloody. Pieces of a body had been torn apart. Blood was spattered over all parts of the stones, and grass near the tree. The main piece of the body was leaned up against the tree, the torso torn open, a woman's head attached to the body, it's eyes closed. She had mangled blonde hair, ripped out, her face scarred, black and blue. He almost felt himself get sick, her limbs had been ripped apart, legs and arms in pieces around her. The woman looked exactly like Margrit, the same woman who had just come to chew them out.

The woman had been right about one thing.

"Must be Hannah…" He said, kneeling down next to Faram.

Faram nodded in agreement, "Aye… poor lass, never stood a chance."

He examined the body closer and saw the torn open ribcage. The blood was still relatively fresh, the attack had happened recently, and the body was torn apart afterwards by more wolves. He looked at where the limbs had been severed and could see the teeth marks from the arms and legs being ripped apart.

Faram sighed, reaching his gloved hand down toward her ripped open stomach, "Check it out, liver is missing."

He nodded, gently touching where the limbs had been ripped, "Yeah… and check this out, limbs were gnawed off. That, and the footprints I see around… well, good thing I found you and your silver sword."

Faram scoffed as the two stood to their feet, "You're telling me you still haven't found yourself a silver sword?"

He rolled his eyes at his friend, "You know how expensive a silver sword is? And how rare it is to find someone who can work it? I got silver dagger, and some grapeshot all I need."

Faram laughed and looked around the scene again, "Well that's good. Definitely a werewolf attack. Sun's getting low, if we find its lair, we can deal with it tonight, before midnight when you're due to meet Geralt… gotta find a trail first."

He sighed, looking down at the poor woman torn apart, and stood up to his feet. It wouldn't be hard to find a werewolf trail. He had no Witcher senses, but his eyes had become keen through the years of training. He looked at the mass of jumbled footprints, he could see those of a woman, those of wolves, and finally, those of a much larger beast. He knelt down and saw that the footprint was easily three times the size of his own. He pulled the silver dagger from his belt, and looked over to Faram, pointing out the trail.

"Found the trail here, come on," He said to his friend, getting a nod from the bear school Witcher, who drew his silver.

He slowly walked forward, following the trial the beast had left. It was easy enough to see when he got the sight of it, but he kept his silver at the ready. With the dead body, and a swamp not too far by, it would soon become a ground for necrophages. It would disappoint him to come this far, only to have his quest for Ciri cut short by a rotfiend, so he kept at the ready, with Faram walking closely behind him.

Hunting the werewolf together with his friend, reminded him of when he and Ciri found the werewolf victim in Ellander when they were young. He had almost tripped over a severed arm when they were coming back from a walk through the woods. Quickly the two young aspiring Witcher's were able to determined it was a werewolf attack, gathering ingredients for the proper oil on their way back. In the end Geralt hadn't let them go with him to slay the beast, but he still considered it his first contract with her.

He stopped when the trail of footprints led to the base of a large tree, and he cursed when he realized it didn't lead anywhere else.

"Damn, must have scurried up the tree here," He said, turning back to Faram.

Faram nodded and walked up to the tree, looking at the higher branches with his height, "Yeah… need something else to follow, one second…. AH here we are, take a whiff of this mate."

He reached his long arms up higher into the tree and pulled down what seemed to be a large tuft of brown fur. He took a quick smell, and coughed as the rancid smell attacked his nose, nearly making him keel over.

"Fucking hell… almost rather go smell the corpse. Must be a tuff of fur, could you track the smell," He asked the bear school Witcher.

Faram laughed and took another whiff of the smell, gagging himself before turning around to looked deeper into the woods.

"Aye, not the most pleasant thing I've ever smelt. Should be able to track the smell though, can already smell it more heading this way, come on," His friend said, waving for him to follow.

So, he did, following Faram's keen nose. The sun had almost set, so if they were going to fight a werewolf, it would be soon. The trees of Velen reminded him of the ones that used to grow outside Cintra. Large pines, covering the sun, its rays only shining through parts of them. It reminded him of the dream he had the night before, and the one he had the day before when he had passed out. The lake outside Cintra, training with his mother and father. Of course, he had only been 11 at the time, so he hadn't become very good, but it was still precious moments he had cherished. He remembered his father's last words to him. Find Ciri, find her, and protect her.

He was going to fulfill the promise he ignored to so many people for eight years soon.

The trail he and Faram followed, soon led them into the view of a large hut. It looked to be a hunters shack, and he wondered if Niellen knew the building was there. Either way, as the sun was still slightly peeking over the trees. Faram walked the two of them around the house, and behind the building, leading down into a small cave, was a wooden door covering the entrance. He had no idea how long the cave could possibly lead, but the smears of blood, and carcasses of smaller animal gave away that this had to be a monster lair.

Faram stopped and turned to him with a smirk, "This would be the place, just screams 'a monster lives here' don't it?"

He scoffed, "Ha, this is nothing. Remember that Bruxa in Aedirn?"

Faram laughed heartily, "Bahaha, of course I do. Bitch should've worn a sign on her chest that said, 'I am a vampire'. Was very interested in you my friend. Sunset's almost here got some time to prepare. You know the werewolf oil formula?"

"Dog tallow, wolfsbane, fools parsley, and wolf liver, know it like the back of my hand," He said, remembering that day gathering ingredients for the same oil with Ciri.

Faram nodded, and looked back down towards the lair, "I'll go make sure the caves clear, get a fire going. It'd be nice to have an oil; this fucker looks big from the tracks."

Dom nodded in agreement, "Good point. I'll go get what we need and meet you back here."

"Aye, good luck don't let the wolves get you, we got drinks later," Faram said with a hearty laugh, before walking down towards the lair.

He laughed and turned back towards the forest. He knew the ingredients were common and finding some wolves around the area shouldn't be hard. He never go to hunt the werewolf with Ciri, but that memory with her always made sure he remembered the cursed oil, the werewolf oil.

He sighed and looked down at the swallow, "People linked by destiny always find each other… guess this is a sign, a sign I'm on the right path. Let's go get what we need."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It hadn't been hard to find the ingredients like he expected. The herbs had been right near the cave, and surprisingly enough, the hut itself above them had old wolf carcasses. He was able to find the liver, and dog tallow there, and brought the ingredient to Faram, who already had a fire going. The oil had been boiled, and he held out his blade, next to Faram's and gently poured the simmer liquid onto their swords. It made a pleasant hissing sound, as the oil became imbued into the silver and steel.

Faram whistled approvingly, "Damn, still a master at oils I see. Still got the same old sword though?"

He laughed and picked up his blade, sitting on the rock by the fire, examining down the steel, "Of course. Been through hell with me, as long as it kills monsters it's going to stay."

Faram laughed and picked up his silver sword, "Ha, that's one of things I admire about you my friend."

"What's that?"

Faram met his eyes over the fire, "You're not mutated. Don't have a normal Witcher's speed and strength, however you don't let that stop you. Not from looking for your woman, not from completing contracts, helping people."

He managed a smile while looking down into the fire, "You know… it's all to find and save Ciri in the end."

Faram shook his head, "Nah, not all just to save her. Never met the lass obviously, but I think that the both of you, in the end just want to help people. You're a hero, that's what we Witcher's are, the unsung heroes of the continent, and you're one of them."

"Thanks, my friend," He said sheepishly, meeting his eyes over the fire, "You're right about her… that's all we ever wanted to do. Just wish people would leave her alone… all this, just because of her damn blood."

Faram shrugged, and tossed another stick onto the fire, "Aye you're right. It's not fair, lass gets hunted for something she couldn't control, and it affects you in the process. Sometimes though… life isn't fair. The past is the past, no use getting caught up in it. The best thing we can do is learn from it."

He scoffed and smiled over at his friend, "Faram of Undviik, when did you become so fucking wise?"

The bear school Witcher snorted and leaned forward on his knees, looking over at him, "Fuck you, you hardass," He said, getting a laugh from Dominik, before he smiled, "To be honest, after that giant nearly killed me, couldn't bear it. Felt like I failed. Got caught up in the past, thinking about my failure, running from it."

He felt his head dip down, looking at the swallow as well, before looking up at Faram again, "Getting caught up in the past… in your failure…. I know how that feels."

Faram nodded, and the two Witcher's looked up to meet each other's eyes, "Aye, I know you do. Which is why you need to take my advice. The past can hurt sometimes, the failures you made can hurt. The way I see it though… we can either run from it… or we can learn from it. You can't change the things that happened to your woman mate, just like I can never change what happened with the giant. What the two of us can do however… instead of running from it, being afraid of the past… we can learn from it!"

He digested the words his friend said to him. For years he had been doing just that, stewing in his own failure, digesting the fact that Ciri was lost because he didn't do enough. After he began to learn some of the things that happened to her, he blamed himself, he failed to protect her. Why he still thought that all was true, he found truth in Faram's words.

He couldn't change what had happened, but he could learn from it, and make sure it never happened again. And to do that, first he needed to find his Ciri.

The two Witcher's eyes met again, and Dominik nodded over to his friend, "Thank you Faram… you're going to go kill that giant and save your home. And if you need me, you'll have my blade."

The bear school Witcher smiled over at him behind his bushy brown beard, "Thanks mate… and you, you're a hardass, cynical, sarcastic… but you're the toughest fucker I've ever met, and I grew up in Skellige," he said, getting a scoff and laugh from him, "But you're also one of the most determined, most resilient people on the continent. You're going to find your Cirilla, And just like you would for me, I'll be by your side if you should need my swords."

He very rarely got praise like that over the years. Not many Witcher's were well liked, he knew this. He got of luckier than most, he didn't have the mutations, the yellow eyes or two swords. However, being viewed as a true Witcher, was something he always wanted. Hearing his friend say all of it, made him feel better. Having someone who was by your side, in your corner 100% was a rare thing. He looked over and smiled when he met Faram's eyes.

He nodded to the large man, "Thank you… it means a lot hearing that. I can't wait for you to meet her, I'm sure you'll-."

He was cut off when Faram shot up from the rock her was sitting on. Soon after he heard the noise too, and quickly kicked dust over the small fire, smothering what was left. The were wolf had finally arrived. He drew his blade, while Faram drew his silver, and the two Witcher's nodded to each other. Quickly he ducked behind one larger rock, while Faram scurried to the other side. There were some torches down in the cave on the walls, just barely enough for him to see the beast.

It was truly the largest werewolf he had ever seen, even rivaling Faram's own massive size. Its brown fur was mangled, and it was flanked by a multitude of smaller wolves. Those beasts just as the villagers had described were ravenous, snapping their jaws, and waiting at their masters feet. He leaned against the wall and took in a deep breath. He raised his blade and readied his attack in his mind. He looked up, and could see Faram, readying his silver across the room, so he knew it was time to spring their attack.

He took in one last breath, and emerged, charging with all he had towards the beast. It wasn't long before the beast spotted him, and the wolf minions charged. He spun and slashed through one of them, keeping his focus on the werewolf. He leaped, and shot his hand forward, firing an Aard sign, that knocked him off balance. He swung his blade from the right, racking across his arm. The oil had done its job, a hissing could be heard, and the beast wailed.

While the strike was effective, the beast was far from dead, it reared back and swung down it its massive left hand, and he narrowly ducked under it, rolling to safety. The werewolf turned on him again, intent on attacking again, but Faram interjected.

"COME ON YOU SMELLY FUCK," The bear school Witcher yelled, slashing his silver towards the beast.

He barely had time to laugh, watching his friend go toe to toe with the massive beast. Moving extremely quickly for a man his size, in his masterful Ursine, bear school armor. The other wolves quickly advance on him, three in total, and he twirled his blade into a reverse grip. One came lunging at him first, and he side-stepped, slashing his blade through the beast, spilling its guts. He transitioned into a spin and knocked another lunging wolf aside, before slicing across the giant maw of another. The last one lunged with such speed, it knocked him backwards onto his back. He held out his arms, keeping the wolfs snarling jaws away from his throat. Just before it could severe his jugular, he reached down to his belt, pulling out the silver dagger, and shoving it into the wolves neck, before kicking the corpse off him.

He sprung to his feet, just in time for Faram gaining ground on the larger beast. He lunged out with his silver sword, and Dominik saw his opportunity. He charged forward, and slid low on the wet stones, and sliced the back of the beasts legs, coming back to his feet next to Faram, who cut across the beasts chest as it wailed, bringing it down to its knees.

Faram laughed and smiled, "HAHA, when the bloody hell did you learn how to use signs?"

The beast was stuck on its knees, its breathing heavy, at the mercy of their blades. He breathed heavy and looked over to meet his friends gaze.

"Geralt… Geralt started showing me recently, takes more out of me then a normal Witcher, but a sign is better then no sign," He rationalized, between his heavy breathing.

Faram breathed a heavy sigh and whistled at their work, "Well, one tough fucker he was, bigger then any werewolf I've ever seen. I hate this part… let's get it over with," he said, raising his silver sword.

He nodded in agreement. As was the case for most Witchers, killing a defenseless cursed creature was always hard, however it had to be done for the safety of others. He gave Faram another nod, and the Witcher went to swing his blade.

"NO, STOP," A screeching voice yelled from behind them.

Faram nearly stumbled, his sword early missing Dom's arm, as Margrit, the woman from earlier ran past them, putting herself between them and the werewolf. Faram regained his composure and looked furiously at the woman.

"Blood hell woman are you barmy!? What the fuck are you doing," He said angrily, he silver sword dipping.

Dom went to reach for her, "Are you mad, get the hell away from it, it's dangerous!"

The woman smacked his hands away and shook her head, "It's not an it, it's Niellen!"

Upon hearing the words, he sighed deeply, and Faram's sword dipped, as he looked over at his friend.

"Bloody hell… right mess this turned out to be," Faram muttered to him, before turning back to the woman, "I'm sorry lass, but no matter what he's dangerous, he's killed, gotta put him down."

Dominik nodded in agreement, before Margrit screeched again, shaking her head, "Not to me he's not!"

He nearly leaped out of his skin, and his blade raised again, when Niellen's deep raspy voice, the voice of a werewolf spoke.

"You… you knew," He said, his breathing heavy, he clawed hand over his sword wound.

He sighed in disappointment. He hated it when a cursed creature began to speak, more importantly when it was someone who had already suffered so much. He looked at the woman Margrit, then back to Niellen, the puzzle finally clicking together in his head.

Margrit nodded, "I… I did, but you Witcher's ruined it! I love him, I always have! But he only ever had eyes for my sister… but I knew his secret and she didn't! I… was finally beginning to get him to come around, until you two came!"

The puzzle of what had happened finally filled in his mind at the woman's words. He felt his anger rise, as he narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"And suddenly, a woman was seen leading your sister into the woods when she disappeared. The kid said they looked similar… and just a few hours ago you tried to pay us to leave the investigation alone… before we found your sisters body, torn apart by a werewolf," He said, his words slow, full of venom.

Faram's eyes went wide as he listened to Dom's words, before he turned back to the woman, his head shaking, "Bloody hell woman… your own sister, this whole thing just gets even more fucked."

Margrit's eyes went wide, as Niellen's beastly head finally rose, "You… you were the one who led her here. I… I tasted blood in my mouth that next morning… you told me it was nothing."

He could see the werewolf's anger rise, and the grip on his blade tightened, as Margrit pleaded, "I swear, I didn't want her to die! I only wanted her to see you, be frightened by you, that way we could be together!"

He heard the werewolf snarl, and somehow, he managed to get up to his feet, He raised his blade, and he could see Faram next to him level his silver.

"I will kill you, kill you for this," The beast snarled, and Margrit screamed.

Quickly, he stepped between the two, raising his blade towards the werewolf, "I can't let you do that. I'm sorry, but you won't be killing anyone else."

Faram got next to him raising his blade as well, "Aye… I'm sorry it has to end like this mate, truly I am."

Margrit ran, and Niellen lunged. The fight didn't last very long, not with the werewolf already half dead. He rolled out of the way of his strike, as did Faram and he brought his blade upwards. It slashed through the side of the werewolf's abdomen, and he looked to see Faram deliver a decisive blow across his chest, and Niellen fell, slumping to the ground, bleeding from his wounds. He let out a deep breath, and stood up, sheathing his blade, as Faram did the same.

He walked over next to his friend, as they both looked over the corpse of the poor cursed man. Faram sighed, crossing his massive arms.

"Hate it when they have to end like this… poor man," He said sadly.

Dominik sighed and nodded in agreement, "You're right… fucking hell."

Faram clapped a hand on his shoulder however, and the two Witcher's turned to each other, "Got to admit though, you're as sharp as ever."

He scoffed and nodded to his friend, "Same to you. Come on, really want to get out of here."

The bear school Witcher nodded in agreement, "Right on that account. Let's go see if the rewards in the hut above, then we can ride to Crow's Perch, got a few hours before midnight, and I bet we could both use a drink."

He nodded whole-heartedly in agreement, "That couldn't more be truer…"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So… Dominik of Cintra, working for the Emperor of Nilfgaard… I'd sooner believe that the Korath desert froze over," Faram said, taking a long drink of his ale.

He rolled his eyes, the fire from the inn warming his bones, "Would've run the bastard through if I could, but…"

"He was your only lead on Ciri," Faram said, wiping the ale from his black beard, "Bloody hell… can't believe she's his daughter, I'm sorry you had to figure that out mate."

He shook his head, his hands tightening around the mug of beer he had, "I don't give a damn to be honest. Her father may be that man, but she's the farthest thing from him, besides, unless for some reason she says to me she wants to go see him, I'll be damned if I bring her to that man."

They had arrived back at the inn at Crow's Perch within the next hour. He still had some time before he was due to meet Geralt at midnight, so he decided to drink with his friend, and explain his tale so far. He told Faram the whole story, from fighting the Alp in Claywitch, Yennefer saving him, what he learned happened in Rivia, his meeting with the emperor, his adventure into the elven ruins with Kiera Metz, and his encounter with the Crones, what he learned about Ciri from them. He finished by explaining the situation with the Baron, how he knew where Ciri had gone, but first he and Geralt must find his wife and daughter.

They had found Margrit in Niellen's hut. After some harsh words to say to two people who saved your life, they got their coin and headed back. He took down a swig of beer, as Faram rubbed his long beard.

"Aye… from what you tell me, he hasn't exactly been father of the year," He said, leaning his arms forward on the table.

The bards music filled the inn, and the drinks were still on the house courtesy of the innkeep. He nodded, and took another large drink, the alcohol burning on its way down.

He met Faram's yellow Witcher eyes, "He hasn't. Ciri didn't even know until two years ago. Geralt is our father, he took us in, raised us both, trained us… and now we're going to find her. When we do, after the Wild Hunt is dealt with, she'll finally be able to do whatever SHE wants to do, not what someone else wants."

Faram whistled, before biting into an apple on the table, "The Wild Hunt… heard horror stories about them on Skellige growing up. Can't believe the fuckers are real… and they want your woman."

The beer in his mug was gone after his next drink. The scar along his stomach, from the axe of Nithral panged at the mention of the Wild Hunt again.

"They're real yeah… fought them myself, killed one of the generals," he said, his hand covering his stomach, "Finding Ciri… it's only the beginning, the beginning of a bigger fight."

The bear school Witcher tossed the apple back onto the table and belched, "Ba, fuckers won't stand a chance at getting to your Ciri. Not with you, Geralt, and now me standing in the way. You know mate, that you can count on my silver to fight them when the time comes."

The positive words made him smile, and he nodded, meeting his friends eyes, "Thank you. You're right. They want Ciri, they'll have to kill me first, and as you know I'm pretty tough to kill."

Faram laughed and down the rest of his ale, before slamming it onto the table. He laughed and looked out the window. If it wasn't midnight, it was starting to get close. He looked over at Faram and smiled.

"Midnight's getting close, I should be getting back to Geralt at the castle," He said, standing up, meeting his friends eyes, "You can come if you'd like. No coin in it, but it's always nice to have some backup."

The larger man laughed and shot up to his feet, his armor clanking, "HA, you don't have to ask me twice! You know I'm always willing to help you out mate. Besides, meeting Geralt of Rivia… the White Wolf, it'd be an honor."

He rolled his eyes but smiled, "Geralt's just like any other man, he'll tell you that. Alright, let's get moving."

Faram laughed again, stepping out from around the table, "Haha let's! It'll be just like old times!"

A/N: So, we get to meet Dom's close friend, Faram of Undviik, Witcher from the school of the bear. We're going to see Faram appear a lot for the rest of the story, so I hope that you all have enjoyed his debut. Dominik and he both traveled, completing contracts together, and now he's going to help her find Ciri. Next chapter Dominik, Geralt and Faram will finally learn what happened to the Baron's family. How will they react? What will their next move be? How are you liking Faram, excited to see more? Let me know in a review, see you all next time.

Note, Faram is wearing a full set of Master Ursine Armor and swords, that will be what he wears for the whole story whenever we see him. Thanks again!