The Witcher: Through the Worlds

Chapter 20: The Pyres of Novigrad

Narrator: After a hard journey through the harsh, swampy region of Velen, Dominik and Geralt finally discovered where Ciri had gone. The young woman had gone to the free City of Novigrad. However, finding one woman in the largest city in the world was no easy task. The two Witchers were going to need help. So, after entering the free city of Novigrad, Dominik and Geralt sought out an old friend… Triss Merigold.

"It's changed so much… and it's only been a month," He muttered to Geralt, narrowly avoiding a man running through the streets, his arms full with a chest.

The free city of Novigrad, wasn't only the largest city in the world. It also happened to be one of the most dangerous for anyone with an even slightly magical, or mutant tendency. Geralt walked next to him, a cloak over his head, despite the sun being out. The hot rays gleamed off his armor, and he continuously had to dodge people rushing in the streets. He had of course been in the city a few times during his traveling years, and as recently as a month ago. He had normally traveled there after going to visit Dandelion in Oxenfurt. The bard would always take him to the inn and buy him a drink, insisting to hear all about the new adventures he had been on.

The man was insistent that he could make Dominik as well known as Geralt, if only he gave him permission to write songs. However, he had no interest in fame, and until he either died, or found Ciri he didn't want any ballads written about him.

The city smelled of slush, sewage and salt, however it did have a certain beauty to it. It was a bit of a refreshing change for him to be surrounded by stone walls, and so many people after being in Velen, and small villages for so long. As much as he wished to stop and admire the scenery, he knew they needed to focus on the task at hand. Triss had apparently owned a shop and home in Hierarch Square, so that was where they were heading.

He sighed in disappointment as he passed another large group of Witch Hunters.

"Geralt… how the hell are we going to find Ciri in the middle of all this," He asked, as his boots sloshed through water passed the fish market.

Geralt carefully maneuvered around a man and looked over at him as they reached the cobblestone streets.

"More people means more eyes. We'll manage, even if Triss hasn't seen Ciri she'll help us find a way to someone who might have, or can help us more," He explained as he saw a road sign, telling him they were approaching Hierarch Square.

He felt himself biting his lip as they walked. Triss Merigold was very dear to him, however he knew that she had been that and then some to Geralt. He was consciously avoiding the topic, not wanting to bring up old wounds, but he knew as early as a few months prior, Triss and he had been together.

"Geralt…" he said carefully, making the older Witcher turn to him, "How… how are you feeling? You know, about seeing Triss again?"

Never in his life had he seen Geralt of Rivia flustered until that moment. The older Witcher sighed, and he could see the worry on the Witchers face. His adoptive father shook his head and looked back to him.

"Honestly, I don't know. We… parted on good terms but… I don't know what it'll be like. That's not important though, what is, is finding out what happened to Ciri here," Geralt said, his tone making it clear he didn't want to talk about it more.

Finally, the two Witchers approached Hierarch Square. He moved his feet a little but faster when he smelled smoke. Quickly he turned the corner when he saw the black smoke beginning to billow out from around the square. Geralt followed closely behind him, the hood of his cloak falling down to reveal his white hair. Clanking in his armor he saw the enormous group of people that had gathered and pushed his way through to see what the commotion was, trying to find the source of the smoke.

He felt his skin crawl, and his mouth fall agape when it all finally came into view.

In the middle of the square, were two large wooden pyres. Two people were tied to them, one a woman and the other a man. Witch Hunters and the Temple Guard surrounded them, braziers of burning fire between the two of them. People were everywhere to watch the spectacle, hanging off roofs, poking their heads out windows. Children, elves, dwarves the elderly all were there to witness the burning. The whole scene made his stomach begin to churn, knowing that if Triss had been discovered in the city, she would suffer the same fate.

He pushed his way through a crowd of people, Geralt following closely behind him, trying to get closer to the front, when he heard the loud booming voice, of the one man in the middle of the two pyres a torch in hand.

"No evil will survive the flame of the Holy Fire," He yelled, tossing the torch onto the bottom of one pyre.

Attached at the top of the pyre was a beaten, bloody blonde woman, who as soon as the flames reached her feet began to scream. The screams he knew were going to haunt his mind for some time to come. He managed to push past enough people to make it to the front of the crowd, as he looked on in horror, the flames engulfing the woman whole. It engulfed her clothes as she screamed and struggled against the bonds, but it was no use. Soon she screamed now more, as the wood around her quickly caught flame, and finally she was engulfed in the torrent of fire.

He saw Geralt come up next to him, his face contorted in rage.

The man in the middle, held his hands raised above the brazier of fire, as he lit another torch. He was a heavier, balding man with a scar running down past his right eye. He heard of the man before, Caleb Menge, captain of the Temple Guard of Novigrad. The man was in charge when he was last in the city, and he was hearing rumors of his madness then, but was finally seeing it on full display.

However, he wondered if it would be considered madness, because all the people of the square cheered.

"No evil shall survive the Holy Fire! The Holy Fire enlightens, burns and cleanses," Menge screamed as he walked his torch to the mans pyre.

"Holy Fire, enlighten, burn cleanse," The people of the crowd all yelled.

He had never been so horrified with a group of people in his entire life. The sight was too much for him to bare, he had to turn away as Menge tossed the flames onto the mans pyre. The man screamed for mercy, begging the good folk to come and untie him, screaming he only wanted to live amongst them. The words made him turn back around, and he saw that the man was indeed not a man. His skin began to melt off, as he slowly transformed back into what he truly was.

The man had been a doppler.

His hands balled into fists, and he went to go take a step forward. However, Geralt had caught his shoulder with a strong hand. He turned back and Geralt slowly shook his head, indicating there was nothing that he could do. Feeling his heart fall to the pit of his stomach he took a step backwards, next to Geralt, his hand still curled into fists. If he hadn't been wearing his gauntlets, his fingernails may have caused him to bleed. Eventually the doppler stopped screaming, and he noticed Menge look towards Geralt and he, before smirking and walking away from the burning pyres.

The crowd soon started to disperse, and he felt a cold draft penetrate his armor and run down his body. He knew that true evil existed in the world, he had seen it multiple times himself. During the massacre at Cintra, he had seen people burn, his neighbors, dogs, horses buildings, everything had been burned to the ground. However, nothing chilled his bones like he just saw.

He heard Geralt sigh behind him, "I sure hope Dudu didn't meet the same fate."

His head shot around to Geralt at the mention of their old doppler friend, "Dudu is here?"

Geralt nodded, "Last I heard he was setting up shop here… you seen him the last few years?"

Their old doppler merchant friend had indeed helped him on a few occasions throughout his travels. It had been about a few years since Dominik had last seen the doppler. It was always nice to see the merchant, Dominik always made it a point to ask about Geralt when he did see him, until Rivia occurred and he thought his adoptive father was dead. Ciri and he had both always been fond of him, and he wondered if perhaps Dudu could have been one of the people to help Ciri in Novigrad. However, after seeing what happened to the last doppler, it also wouldn't surprise him if Dudu had gone into hiding.

He nodded towards Geralt, "A few times, but not for a bit. Geralt… how… how did we end up like this?"

The older Witcher narrowed his eyes, "Like what?"

He scoffed and looked up to meet his yellow eyes, "The continent…. You have Radovid in the north, he's a madman who burns innocent people at the stake but… he's the only one holding back the other evil in the south, the Black Ones."

Geralt sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "The northern kingdoms weren't always this bad. Vizimir, Radovid's father was a good ruler. Foltest, when he was alive was a decent man. But… sometimes things change. Things that are out of our control, evil men may be on both sides of the continent, and there's nothing we can about it right now."

Sighing he looked down at the cobblestones, "It's not fair Geralt. The people, what do they have to choose between? An evil madman to the north, and another evil madman to the south… it's just not fair that people have to choose."

Geralt shook his head, crossing his arms now, "They don't have too. What have I always taught you? Evil is evil, lesser, greater, middling…"

"It's all the same…" he finished, "If you're forced to choose between one evil or another… then you don't have to choose at all."

"Good," Geralt said with a small smile on his face, "Come on, Triss's place is close. Let's forget about who rules where right now. We got a job to do remember?"

"I could never forget," he said with a nod, as the two Witchers turned to walk from the square.

Geralt's words about evil were something that he always carried with him. Evil in the world could take many forms, men, monsters, ideas, but in the end, an evil was an evil. The evil he was focused on now however, was the Wild Hunt. He would be able to put aside his anger, hatred for Radovid, monsters, even the Black Ones, if it meant getting closer to his main goal. Reuniting himself with Ciri was what was important, protecting her at all costs was what he was going to do.

And it didn't matter what evil was standing in his way.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"This is the place…" Geralt said carefully, as he slowly pushed open the gate.

Triss's shop was behind a large oaken gate. Carefully he followed behind Geralt, as the older Witcher pushed open the door, and he carefully followed inside. Upon seeing the outside of the building, he felt his gut boil up with anger. Outside of her store, Triss's belongings had been strewn about, multiple books, old trinkets and other items had been looted and tossed around her front yard. Two men stood, rummaging through boxes, with ragged clothes and masks over their faces.

He looked over to Geralt, whose face was similarly twisted with anger.

"HEY," He screamed, walking up towards the two men.

They both turned around right away. One was wearing a yellow top with a hood, while the other had stringy black hair, they both looked at him, and the one in yellow met his eyes as he approached.

"Hey! Sod off! We're looting here," he shouted at them, his voice deep and gravely.

He could feel his green eyes flaring up with anger, he crossed his arms and kept eye contact with both of them, "This place belongs to a good friend of mine. I suggest you leave… now."

His voice hadn't felt so angry since he spoke with the Crones a few days before. To the credit of the two men, the yellow one laughed and looked at him again, "HA, this is some sorceress bitches shop. We'll take what we want!"

"Bad choice of words…" he said, unfolding his arms, feeling his hands ball into fists.

Before he could lunge, he heard Geralt walk up behind him, his face in a similar look of anger, "Here's what's gonna happen, I'm going to count to three. By the time I get there, you had better be gone, or the two of us will beat the ever-living piss out of you. 1…2…"

"HA, you hear that, he thinks he can scare us off," The one in yellow said to his friend.

"Three," Dominik said slowly, before lunging forward and swinging his right hand across the face of the man wearing yellow.

The fight began as Geralt lunged out at the other man. He quickly moved his head back, as the man he fought tried to swing with his right. Taking his opportunity, he grabbed the mans arm and brought his knee up into his gut. The knee made the man keel over, and he took the opportunity again to punch across his face. He had put as much force into the punch as he could, his anger finally boiling over. Bringing his leg back, he kicked the man in the stomach, making him roll back over onto his back.

Turning to his left he could see that Geralt had knocked the other man down as well. The man swung wildly, and Geralt quickly grabbed the mas arm as well, and brought his other arms around to punch him in the side of the head, knocking him over with ease.

He made a gesture pretending to dust off his gloves, "If you're going to go looting, you should at least learn to protect yourselves better."

"Ah! Nah… please no more, please," The man in yellow begged as they both rose from the ground slowly, new bruises on their faces.

"Where's the sorceress who lived here," Geralt demanded, crossing over his arms.

Both looters seemed to sigh in relief, as the one in yellow spoke for them again, "Probably off hiding like the rest of them."

"Not the answer I wanted," Dominik said, taking a step closer to the man, making him recoil, "Tell me who may know more, unless you want a broken arm."

Quickly the man in yellow recoiled again, and his partner finally spoke up, "I'd look for her in the Putrid Grove! Please, no more!"

He smiled, slightly satisfied with himself as Geralt spoke up next, "Putrid Grove? Need more then a name, tell us where we can find it."

Anywhere that was named the Putrid Grove had to be a dangerous place he was sure. It wasn't exactly the first place he had hoped Triss would be forced to hide. After the display he had seen in the square, he was more and more anxious to find the sorceress again.

"I wouldn't know. Rumor has it, the place is for freaks and oddities," The one looter said again, his voice small, and meek.

Dominik sighed in annoyance and stepped forward between the two again, "That doesn't help me boys. Tell. Us. Where."

His tone seemed to sufficiently scared the two men, and the one with a yellow top spoke up again, "We don't know honest! But if I were you, I'd ask a beggar. Or, find yourself a thief and follow him. Thieves and beggars gotta pay tribute to the King of Beggars, and they do so in the Grove."

Geralt scoffed, "You mean to tell me the beggars got a king? Does he wear a robe, carry a scepter?"

The one looters eyes grew deathly afraid, even more so then when he had stepped forward, he shook his head, "I wouldn't scoff mate. King of Beggars is a moniker, for a man everyone in Novigrad, deeply respects."

"Aye, even Menge himself doesn't go to the Grove," The second man said with his voice just as meek.

He felt himself sigh again, any man who was a self-proclaimed 'King' he knew could be trouble. Also, it didn't give him any extra hope that the thieves of Novigrad respected the man. He knew that if Triss had really gone to this Putrid Grove, it would have been only out of desperation. It made him realize just how desperate the situation was getting for the mages in Novigrad. It was all too important for them to find Triss quickly now, not only to see if she can help them find Ciri, but to save their friend as well from any Witch Hunters who may be on her tail.

"Someone mention my name. Wonder why," A voice came from behind them.

He whirled around with Geralt, his hand going instinctively for his sword, but Geralt quickly moved his arm back upon seeing who it was. Menge and two of his Temple Guard had come into the courtyard of Triss's old shop. Clunking over in their armor, the two guards quickly flanked the two looters, while Menge stared at Geralt and he as he walked passed them.

He felt his hand itching to go to his blade again, but he saw Geralt slowly shake his head, as he pointed to himself. It was a clear indicator to him, that he wanted Dominik to sit back, and let himself do the talking. Quickly Menge had the two looters arrested, and he could almost hear the joy in the mans voice as he sentenced two more people to be executed. After his guards carried off the two looters, Menge gave a maniacal smile, and sat down on the large crate the two had almost looted.

"Did you know a bat can sniff out a moth a mile away," he said in a calm tone, looking up at the two of them.

He could see the deforming scar cut across Menge's eye and down his lip. As the man smiled, the scar only made him look like even more of a madman. In his eyes, Dominik could see fire, fire and screaming magical folk. It was a similar look that he saw in the eyes of the Emperor of Nilfgaard, and other evil men he had met over his life.

"What do you want from us," Geralt said to him, not even entertaining the mans question.

"I ask the questions Witchers…" he said, standing up from the crate, and meeting their eyes, "And as a bat sense a moth, I can sense freaks. And I start by warning them- Novigrad is no place for your kind."

"Geralt hasn't done anything wrong, you have nothing on him," He said, unable to keep himself quiet.

Menge turned to face him, and he could see the fire light up in the mans eyes again, "Aye… him and you both. Don't know how you got mixed up with this freak young man, but the both of you… you will slip up. Nothing I can do to you now, but when you do slip up… when you make a mistake… I will know it. And when I do, it will be the same standard procedure… same as every other magical oddity in the city… be seeing you both."

Menge kept eye contact with the both of them, before walking away from the courtyard, towards where his guards had gone. After the man was finally out of sight, he felt his hand ball up into a fist again. A horrible image ran through his head, of Menge and his guards discovering Triss, Yennefer, or even Ciri, an dragging them onto a pyre to be burned. Menge was a plague on the city, and more importantly, he threatened the ones he cared most about.

He wasn't going to let it go unforgotten.

"I'm going to kill that man before we leave…" He said darkly, as Geralt turned back to him.

Geralt nodded at him, "You may just get that chance… don't think we've seen the last of him."

He sighed and managed to uncurl his fists, running a hand through his messy brown hair, "Geralt, we need to find Triss. After what he just said, and what I saw in the square… I'll feel better when we do."

The older Witcher quickly nodded in agreement, "We do yeah… come on, let's go find this Putrid Grove."

He owed Triss Merigold his life. The moment she had come for him, blasting back the group of men that had been attacking him with a blast of fire was something that burned into his mind. He lay dying in the alley they had cornered him into, a massive sword wound running across his chest shoulder to hip was seeping his blood onto the cold stones. She had screamed his name and rushed to heal him as best she could. The last thing he remembered seeing when he had blacked out that day, was Triss's fiery red hair, as he muttered Geralt and Yennefer's name.

After he had finally awoke, she was still by his side, she had teleported them both away from the town as she applied medicine to his wounds. He hadn't been very grateful then, all he could do was cry, wail, completely crushed that he had now lost Geralt and Yennefer as well. He thought the two of them had died, thinking that he hated them, was still angry with them. During all of this, on top of the fact now, he had lost two more parents in his life that he felt he could've done more to save… he had never gotten the chance to properly thank Triss Merigold properly. He had parted ways with her a few days later, and not seen her since.

Now, she was in trouble in that city. And it was his turn to finally repay the favor.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"I can't believe that all actually worked…" He muttered as they approached the secret entrance.

It had been relatively easy for them to figure out the location of the Putrid Grove. As the two navigated Hierarch Square, the two happened upon a particularly curious beggar. The deranged and forgetful man had asked them for alms, and when Geralt asked him about the Putrid Grove, he said to come back and ask again later. So, out of curiosity to see if he was forgetful as he said, Geralt asked him the same question again a few minutes later. Together they learned the password, and the exact location to the entrance of the Grove itself. Navigating the streets of Novigrad was becoming more and more difficult however, as it seemed every minute, more and more Witch Hunters, and soldiers began to flood the city.

If they were only a few weeks behind Ciri, he had to hope she didn't get caught up in any business with the Witch Hunters.

Geralt nodded to him and knocked onto the door of the Grove. It was silent for a moment, until the small window at the top of the door slid open. A man, with a burly black mustache poked his head into view, taking in the sight of the two Witchers.

"Aye… who are you and what do you want," He asked the two of them quickly.

"Take a look, what do you see," Geralt asked the man.

He saw the balding man narrow his eyes, "Yellow eyes… pair of swords… mutated killer it seems. But you," He said, his eyes turning to Dominik, "You don't seem like anything out of the ordinary."

"Farthest thing from it… believe me. Done, and seen much more then you would ever be able to comprehend, and I bet I'm half the age. We heard this was a meeting spot for oddities," He said, his voice growing slightly dark.

The man seemed to respect his words, but still looked back to Geralt and he, "Heard right you did then… but only those who know the password get in for free. Anyone else… gotta pay for the Grove's upkeep."

He looked over and saw Geralt meet his eyes. The password the beggar had given them seemed so ridiculous, that it couldn't possibly work. However, he shrugged his shoulders at the older Witcher, knowing that if it didn't work, they did have the coin to pay, despite them not exactly wanting to spend it.

Geralt cleared his throat and met the mans eyes, "Old sow's farrowed… piglets."

He waited for the man to laugh in Geralt's face, however the opposite happened. The bushy mustached man nodded, "Ah… welcome then brothers."

The door swung open, and he followed Geralt inside. He didn't understand why they called it the Putrid Grove after he saw the inside. Multiple people, men in cloaks, elves, dwarves, halflings and all sorts of people were wondering about. Some people had set up shops, selling herbs, fish, weapons, he even saw one man giving a tattoo to a man in a chair. It seemed to be the most normal place in all of Novigrad to him. He assumed that whoever ran the operation, this 'King of Beggars', gave it the name on purpose to throw people off its trail.

Carefully he followed behind Geralt. As they walked further down the street, he saw people handing out food in a makeshift kitchen, and passed closer by the man giving tattoos, and realized it was a man using magic, and a bottle of ink. A small idea creeped into the back of his head, as Geralt and he approached a house at the end of the street. It stood above the rest and seemed to be the only real home in the Grove. It was safe to assume that if a 'King' amongst the beggars existed, this would be where he lived.

He climbed up the steps to the building, and Geralt turned around to him, "I'll go talk to this 'King of Beggars' you stay out here, keep an eye out for anyone who tries to follow."

"Got it, this place… doesn't seem half bad," he said optimistically.

Geralt grunted, "Never judge a place until you see the people inhabiting it… be back in a minute."

After Geralt entered the building, he leaned against the railing outside, keeping his eyes peeled on the street out before him. As he looked closer, he saw what Geralt had been talking about. He could see people, bumping into others, trying to grab at coin purses, people getting into small arguments over the price of goods. However, despite his best efforts to pay attention to everyone else, all he could focus on was the mage, that was sitting at his small stand, giving a man a tattoo.

He looked down at his inner forearm and lifted up the sleeve of his armor, before looking down at the swallow around his neck. Back when he was growing up in Cintra, his father had exactly three tattoos, and he could remember them vividly. They weren't large, they weren't flashy, not like the ones some people on the streets had got. It was only three simple words on his inner forearm. Sofia, Dominik, and Bella all in a row down his arm. The names of he, his mother, and his younger sister. A time came when he asked his father why he got the tattoos.

His father had smiled at him, "So when I'm away in battle, if I ever feel like giving up, losing hope, I will have a constant reminder of who I was fighting for."

He felt himself look down at his pendant again, before slowly running his hand over his forearm. A reminder. A reminder of who he was fighting for.

Pulling down his sleeve, he made his way over to the mage, who had just finished the man who was sitting on his chair. The mage himself was a small, petite man with long shoulder length blonde hair, wearing a feathered cap and elegant outfit. He looked like he belonged in anywhere except, the Putrid Grove. However, when he saw Dominik approach, he gestured welcomingly to him, speaking in a booming voice.

"Welcome, welcome young man! Saw you eyeing my services from a mile away! Now, what is it I can do for you? First time," He asked the young Witcher eagerly.

He almost chuckled, assuming that with being a mage, and working in the Putrid Grove, he was eager for business. Carefully he slid the sleeve of his armor up, to reveal his inner forearm.

"First time yeah… you sure these things last, known some people before who's faded after a while," he asked the man.

The man scoffed and gestured for him to sit in the stool he had next to a large chest of his. The chest was filled with different colored dyes, rags and other magical baubles that he would never know what they did. Carefully he sat down, and the man pulled another stool in front of him from behind his chest.

"Fear not my good man! My work can only be taken off with the strongest of magical spells. Now, what can I do for you? Something big, something small," he asked, clearly eager to get his business.

He felt himself laugh as he held up his hands, "Alright, first off how much is this going to cost me? And how quick will it be done? I'm a little pressed for time."

"Well my good man it all depends. If it's something smaller, my I dare say it will only take a minute or so. I charge a base rate of 30 crowns, plus any tip you'd like to give," he said, his face desperate, as he could see blue magic swirling from his hands.

Nodding he took in a deep breath, pulling a pouch of coins from his belt and dumping some into his hands. He took in a deep sigh and dropped them into the mans hand.

"Fifty since you have a good sales pitch. Something small, first time you see, right here," He said, holding out his inner forearm to the man.

The mage almost salivated at the sight of so many coins. Quickly, be dropped the money into his large open chest, and reached around behind where he was sitting. Carefully he set a small table next to his right side and pulled up Dominik's arms sleeve. He saw what the man was trying to do and held his now exposed inner forearm out over the table. The man looked, muttered some words in Elder speech and reached into his chest, pulling out different vials of ink, and dyes. He pulled his stool next to Dominik's chair where his arm was and met the young Witcher's eyes.

"You will NOT regret it good sir! Now, tell me what are you having done today? Remember, you must be extremely specific, I need a clear image of what I am implanting, if it's words please give me the correct spelling," he said, his hands looking eager to get to work.

He thought again for a moment, looking at his now bare inner forearm. His slightly tanned skin seemed barren, and he tried to imagine what he would want. However, after thinking back to his father, and feeling the swallow pendant against his chest, he knew the answer.

He pointed to the exact spots on his arms, "Here… going down, the names, Geralt, Yennefer, Triss… and Ciri. Below that… just a swallow, the names in black, the swallow in color."

After this he gave the man the exact spelling of the names, and eagerly the man nodded again, "Ahhh perfect! You shan't be disappointed. Now, brace yourself, you're going to feel a pinching for the duration, but as I said, it will only take me a minute or so."

He nodded to the man and leaned back in the chair. In the stories of old battles his father used to tell him, he would speak about how the tattoo he got on his inner forearm was a promise, as well as a reminder. A reminder of who he was fighting for back at home, and a promise that he would return to them. As he listened to the man speak words in elder speech, blue light balling in his hands, he made the silent promise to himself as well. He had let down his first family, his mother, his father, and Bella had all perished, and it haunted him to that day. Only a few weeks prior, he thought his second family, Geralt, and Yennefer dead, and Ciri, the one woman he had ever come to love, lost to him for good.

The tattoo now was more then just a piece of art on his skin. It was his new promise a new promise to reunite his new family… and protect them with everything he had.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The mage who had given him the tattoo had been right. The pinching he felt in his arm while the spell took effect had been irritating and he had a sore feeling running through his right arm, but the result had been worth it. He looked amazed at his arm as he walked back towards the house Geralt had entered. True to his word the mage had only taken around two minutes to complete the work of art. He looked as going downwards in a row, written in elegant letters, were the four names. Ciri, Geralt, Yennefer, and Triss. Below that, was a perfectly made, drawing of a swallow, a black body, with a white and red beak. It wasn't too large to overtake most of the space on his arm, but big enough for him to see the elegant details.

"Now I really won't forget… I'm coming for you…" He said with a smile crossing his face as he heard the doors of the building swing open.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the two people exit.

"Got some things I need to do around town…" He heard her voice say.

"Be happy to tag along, but first," he heard Geralt say, before the older Witcher met his eyes with a smile, "Think there's someone you'll want to see."

He watched as Triss Merigold turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw him. Her eyes were green, like his, only a lighter color, closer to the color of foliage and not emeralds like Ciri and he. A sob had escaped his mouth before he could stop it, as a giant smile formed on the sorceresses face.

In that moment he remembered when he had first met Triss Merigold. It had been back when Ciri and he were only twelve years old, their first year of training at Kaer Morhen. Ciri and he had been out running the gauntlet together, and the snows had been particularly bad that day. He was on Ciri's trail as he normally was when they went out, but he vividly remembered when she slipped on a patch of ice covering a branch and fell down onto the path below. He screamed her name and chased after where she had been. When he had finally caught up with her, Ciri had been on the road, talking with a traveler that had found her. That traveler was Triss Merigold.

At first, he rushed to Ciri's side, brandishing his smaller sword, demanding to know who the woman was. Triss had talked him down and told them both how she was a friend of Geralt's, and their adopted father had written to her, asking her to come to Kaer Morhen. The mention that Geralt had sent for her, calmed the Ciri and he right away, and all three of them returned to the keep.

That had been the start of a whirlwind of events. Triss had figured out that Ciri was a source, a very powerful one at that, not only a powerful source, but a child of the Elder Blood. He remembered how confused he had been, when for a few months afterwards, Triss had started to help Ciri with the more… womanly attributes of her growing up. On multiple occasions he had tried to help Ciri with problems like these, but always had to call on Triss.

He would never forget the morning, Ciri had come to the breakfast hall in a dress with Triss. She had told him and the other Witchers that she was 'indisposed' and couldn't train that day. He remembered almost choking on his breakfast. In a failing effort he tried to get Vesemir to let him stay in with Ciri that day, but it was a lost cause, and for the first time he had to train alone during the day. For the first month or so, he had started to resent Triss's presence, thinking that she had been taking away all of Ciri's time, and now he wasn't getting the chance to spend as much time with her.

However that changed, when one day Ciri had gotten angry with him. It had been a stupid fight, he had tried to tell Ciri something she had gotten wrong with her footwork when they were sparring. It had been just recently after they had turned thirteen, found their cave and told each other they loved one another for the first time. Ciri didn't talk to him for a full day, and despite his best efforts to apologize she wasn't budging. Finally Triss had come to him, asking him what was wrong. After he had explained the situation she laughed, and said that Ciri was just on edge, and claimed she would help him.

She did help him, she went with him to pick flowers in the woods outside Kaer Morhen, and he ended up giving them to Ciri as a gift. The younger girl had forgiven him and apologized as well. That had been the start of a long relationship with Triss Merigold for him, one he was grateful for to that day.

For the rest of her time in Kaer Morhen, and the trip to Ellander, she had been there for him. She comforted him at night when he had nightmares, casting protective charms over him to prevent him from having more. She had given him advice on how to be a good partner for Ciri. She was there to comfort him after Ciri had gone to the Temple of Melitele in Ellander.

And most importantly she had saved his life two years ago, so he didn't hesitate and ran into the sorceress with a hug.

"Hey Triss…" He said in a sob, trying not to let tears fall as he held his head over the sorceresses shoulder.

"Dominik…" She said breathlessly, pulling back and looking at him with a smile, "Look how much you've grown… you're finally as tall as me," She said in a joke.

He managed to laugh, as he finally pulled back, not letting go of her hands, "It's only been two years," he said with a smile.

Her red hair had loose strands over her face as she laughed, "Even in those two years… look how big you've gotten… how handsome. You're not the little boy I had to protect from nightmares in Kaer Morhen anymore."

Again he managed a laugh as he smiled widely at the sorceress. He knew that as a mage she wouldn't age, not for a long time. However, she seemed older to him, more mature. Still she was a beautiful young sorceress, her red hair tied back behind her head in two buns, wearing a yellow and green top with brown trousers and boots.

He sighed with content as he looked at her again, finally letting go of her hands, "It's so good to see you again Triss… after everything that's happened the last few weeks… it's so, so good to see you."

The sorceress took a moment to smile, and brush a hand along his cheek, before stepping back to look at Geralt and he, "And I'm glad to see the both of you… I really am."

He smiled and looked over to Geralt, who he could tell was pleased to hear the words. Looking over he met the sorceresses green eyes again.

"Triss we… we went to your house. What… what happened, why are you here, with the 'King of Beggars'," He asked her, being sure to keep his voice down.

Geralt nodded in agreement, "Yeah…what's your arrangement, he using you?"

Triss sighed with disappointment and met their eyes, "More like he's actually helping me survive…. As for what happened that… that's a long story."

He could see Geralt shift, as he looked into the woman's eyes, "Six months ago if you told me Triss Merigold was working for a Novigrad criminal… I wouldn't have believed you."

From Triss's reaction, he could tell Geralt picked his words wrong, "Six months ago Triss Merigold had to say goodbye too… someone very dear to her. And start anew… it hasn't exactly gone as planned."

He could feel the tension between the woman and Geralt. The two stared at each other, and he decided to cut in, trying to save them both from the conversation.

"Well, I hope you don't get mad Geralt but I… wasn't exactly watching the door when you were inside talking," He said, getting the attention of the two again.

Geralt and Triss both looked at him, with Geralt narrowing his eyes, "What were you doing?"

He felt himself smile, as he pulled up the sleeve of his armor, to reveal the tattoo that was now there on his skin. Triss sucked in a breath, and Geralt's head shot over to him, a small, amused smile on his lips.

"Dominik you… really put me there," Triss said, meeting his eyes.

Nodding he smiled at both Geralt and the sorceress, "Of course I did. It's my family… a reminder and a promise. A reminder of what I fight for everyday… and a promise…. A promise to reunite my family," he said, looking down at the swallow now on his skin.

The sorceress seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion for a moment before a sudden look of realization crossed her face. She turned around and met the two Witchers eyes.

"I… I assumed you were in Novigrad on important business… does… does that mean," She said, looking from his tattoo to the two of them again.

Slowly Dominik nodded his head, "Important doesn't do it justice."

"Ciri…" Geralt said in a low voice, "She's been sighted here, she's in danger."

Triss's eyes went wide again, "Here!? No… it has to be impossible."

Dominik shook his head at her, pulling back down the sleeve of his armor, "It's possible. Got witnesses saying she was heading here. We followed other leads, trail leads here. We… were hoping that you heard or saw something."

His hope was rising up inside his body, as Triss slowly nodded her head, "I'll do anything to help the both of you of course. I haven't seen her myself, but… I may know someway to find something out, just give me a little time."

He sighed in relief and nodded, and Geralt smiled at the sorceress.

"Thank you… so you said you had some errands to run around town? Mind if Dom and I tag along," Geralt asked the sorceress.

The idea made him smile, and he nodded in confirmation to the sorceress who's face became flushed. She sighed, a small smile coming to her face.

"I wouldn't mind at all. Come on, let me give you a taste of my new life," The sorceress said, gesturing for them to follow.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Triss now along with Geralt had been forced to wear their hoods up around their faces. People ignored the three of them as they walked, Dominik between both Geralt and Triss. Triss had explained little to them what was going on, only that first she needed to go and pick up a package from one of her contacts. He knew that the mages of course faced prosecution now, but, seeing Triss go from a royal advisor to a king, to scrounging in the Novigrad underworld, made his heart sink. When they finally found the house right off the side of the Fish Market, Triss looked backed behind them to make sure the three of them weren't being followed.

After that he followed closely behind her, with Geralt coming behind him. When they arrived inside it was obvious that the man who lived there was a trader of some kind. The walls were lined with shelves, chests and tables overflowing with all different kinds of goods. The man who looked worriedly at Geralt and he behind Triss, was a scrawny black-haired man, hunched over, and speaking in a meek voice.

"Hello Kluhg, manage to get those magic incense ingredients," Triss asked the man, her arms folded.

The scrawny man looked nervously and Geralt and he, before turning back to Triss, "Yes… uh somewhat, ran into some… difficulties. I was walking along the canal with a sack of goodies for you. Looked up and spotted a trio of Temple Guard coming that way!"

The man spoke with such fear of the Temple Guard he felt slightly bad. Triss sighed and met the mans eyes again, "Get to the point Kluhg, no time for your long stories today."

Kluhg took another frightened look at Dominik and Geralt, before hastily turning back to Triss.

"A sack, full of magicalities, and Temple Guard coming my way! I don't easily frighten, but, uh, I felt a cold sweat up my back I did," he said in a nervous, rushed tone looking terrified that Geralt and he would beat him, "I… tossed the package in the water I did. When the Guard asked me what it was, told them it was a dead cat. You shan't believe this, but they believed me!"

Part of him couldn't blame the man, but he heard Triss sigh, "I have a job Kluhg, I need those ingredients."

The man shrugged apprehensively, "Well… should still be along the canal bed. Lucky enough it was heavy to sink, should still be there."

"You expect me to pay you, then jump into that ice-cold filth to get my own goods," Triss asked the man, slight irritation in her tone.

He was about to offer up his own services, when Geralt suddenly spoke up himself. He met the scrawny mans eyes, "I can do that, where'd you drop the package," He asked the shaking man.

"Near the crane. Second bridge from the harbor," Kluhg told them, his hands still shaking.

A smile came across his face when he saw Triss smile herself.

"I didn't expect such devotion," She said to Geralt with a please tone.

Geralt chuckled and gestured his thumb over to him, "Needed to freshen up anyway. Besides should've seen this one, didn't shut up about getting wet all the time in Velen."

He scoffed and turned to face him when Triss laughed, "Hey I'm sorry I didn't like sloshing through bogs in wet armor!"

Geralt and Triss both had a good laugh at his expense, which made him roll his eyes, but on the inside, he was glad to see the two laughing together again. He was enjoying the moment, before Kluhg waved his arms at them.

"Shhhh! Hear that… they've come for us," he said, frantically gesturing for us to be quiet.

The three of them obeyed, and his hand twitched up to the hilt of his blade. He looked outside the man's window and spotted a duo of Temple Guards coming towards his house. The two men stopped outside his window and proceeded to speak about the mages they captured and tortured. He could feel his skin crawl, as one man described how he smashed in one man's toes and hands in an attempt to make him break.

Quickly Kluhg turned back to the three of them, "You must flee, this way, I'll open the secret passage for ye. Follow it and you'll come out along the riverbed!"

Triss nodded to the man, "Thanks, take care of yourself Kluhg."

The shaking man proceeded to come up to a hatch on his floor, right near Dominik's feet. With his hands still trembling he took a key from his belt and unlocked it. He gave the man a quick nod, and hopped on the ladder first, going downwards into the dank smelling sewers below. The smell hit his nose first, the smell of sewage and waste. His boots sloshed through the narrow tunnel, as Geralt and Triss followed closely behind him.

It was a long narrow tunnel that they had come out too, and Triss took a step ahead of him, her hand igniting in a ball of intense flames that lit the way forwards. Crawling through dark sewers like these, would be a person just asking to be attacked by drowners and other necrophages, but the three were lucky enough to encounter none. Being careful to stay on one side of Triss, he felt his skin crawling. Triss, along with every other magical person in the city, wasn't even allowed to poke their heads out their houses without a disguise. He had hoped like Geralt did, that their friend Dudu was safe, and that hopefully the Temple Guard wouldn't turn to non-humans next and capture the likes of Zoltan.

Ciri would have had no way of knowing what was happening in the city, but he wondered what she wanted there. Geralt and he knew that she had been looking for the two of them, and Yennefer, and possibly had been trying to lift a curse. The curse, whatever it was or how it had been cast could be the key to finding her. Another question also arose, who was she trying to lift a curse from? Was it from herself? Or from the 'friend' that young Gretka had mentioned? No matter what the purpose of it was, Ciri would have been in danger in Novigrad, and they would have to find her trail as quickly as possible.

The three of them finally emerged from the darkness of the sewers, and the hot sun hit his face. A slow cold breeze blew through his hair as Geralt and Triss emerged behind him. Triss took the lead ahead of them, bringing the two of them back under a bridge. It looked like the position the man had described, near a large crane in the first harbor.

Triss stopped and the two of them followed suit, "This should be where Kluhg dropped the package. Unless the poor man was mistaken, he's been forgetful ever since Menge interrogated him. Seems to suffer a bit of a persecution complex as well."

He looked into the cold frothy water and felt his body shiver. It was surely amuck with sludge, oils, sewage and other things that would surely make him sick. He turned to Geralt and the older Witcher nodded.

"Current probably took the package seaward, should still be there," he said, turning to Dominik, "Sure you don't wanna come with?"

He quickly shook his head, "Yeah I'll pass. You have fun though, water's thick with oils… should do wonders for your wrinkles."

Triss let out a laugh and Geralt narrowed his eyes at him, "Should I tell Triss about your last little escapade in Velen with-."

"No, no need, better get going before the package floats away," He said nervously, feeling his face get hot.

Geralt smirked at him before turning to the water with a sigh, "Shouldn't be long, be right back."

The older Witcher dove head-first into the murky waters and paddled forward out towards the sea at a quick pace. He sighed in relief and leaned up closely against the bricks of the bridge. Triss looked over at him, finally pulling her hood down with a sigh, leaning up against the wall next to him.

"So, how did the two of you finally find each other again," The sorceress asked him, turning to face him.

He scoffed and smiled over at her, "Long story. One minute I went from thinking… they were all gone, Yen, Geralt… Ciri. And within one day, I learn they're all alive."

For the next few minutes he told the sorceress everything that had happened so far. He began with his contract on the Alp in Claywitch and being saved from death by Yennefer. Continuing he told her how he felt, meeting with the Emperor of Nilfgaard, learning he was Ciri's true father, and how the man set them on the path to Velen. He went on to tell her all about the Crones, and their deal with the Baron, and all they had learned about Ciri so far, how the trail led them to Novigrad.

He sighed and looked out into the setting sun over the water, "It… it's been so, so long Triss. She's a fully grown woman now, and I… I haven't seen her since we were both children. I… hope everything can at least try to go back to being the same."

The sorceress looked over at him, a small smile on her face, "I wouldn't worry about that. The two of you… I remember how inseparable you were when you were younger. A bond like that? Not easily broken."

The thought made him smile, as he looked to meet her eyes with a smile, "You know she… she used to tease me, make fun of me… get kind of jealous, because she thought that I was in love with you when we were younger."

She looked over at him, and the two both managed a laugh. It was the first time in a while he had a genuine laugh that made his gut hurt. In such a tumultuous time, he was glad to have Triss there, someone he grew up with, considered a part of his family to laugh with. It was one of the rare moments when he thought that everything would be alright. Nothing would happen, he would find Ciri, and soon they would all be together again.

Triss finished laughing and looked at him with a smile, "Well as handsome as you've gotten, you're… not exactly my type. Besides, I know you've only ever had eyes for one."

He felt his face get hot, as he looked back out across the water, seeing Geralt coming up for air in the distance, looking quite annoyed. After laughing he turned back to Triss again.

"Was it really that obvious? Geralt, Yen, both said it was written all over my face," He asked her, crossing over his arms with a smile.

Triss tossed her head back and laughed, "Ha, that is an understatement. I could see it when you pulled a sword out on me when I found the two of you on the road."

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Haha… yeah sorry about that."

She shook her head with a small laugh, "No worries. I also knew when a few weeks into my stay, Ciri was having… cramps, and I found you next to her bed, trying to help by feeding her pieces of an apple."

He shuddered at the memory, "Oh man she was NOT happy that day."

Again the sorceress laughed and shook her head, "No she wasn't… but she told me later on how much she appreciated it. And it was the same with her, remember the time you were running pendulums and you broke your ankle?"

Again he scoffed, feeling his foot throb at the mention, "You know I've been cut and sliced by every kind of monster but that… that may have been the worse pain ever."

Triss smiled and nodded, "And after that, whenever she wasn't training Ciri was with you… by your side, talking your ear off, or bringing you food."

"I'd give anything to have her talk my ear off…" he said, looking out over the sun.

The sorceress smiled and they both looked out over the sun. Finally she turned back to face him, her face growing more serious.

"Dominik… I wanted to say I was sorry. I wanted to tell you after Rivia that we had seen Ciri, but…. I didn't know what happened after I split off to go find you," She said, her voice full of desperation.

He shook his head right away, "Triss you don't have too-."

The sorceress cut him off, "No, I do…. And six months ago when Geralt came back. I… wanted to go and find you with him, I thought maybe seeing you would jar his memory back, but then everything with Foltest happened and-."

"Triss," he said, cutting the sorceress off in return, getting her to look at him, "You don't need to apologize… I should be the one who's sorry."

"No, Dominik I-."

"No," he said, sternly cutting her off again with a sigh, "I… I've never even properly thanked you for saving my life in Rivia…. I was so worried about everything else, complaining, whining how life wasn't fair that I… I didn't thank the person who had actually pulled me out so… thank you Triss, for saving my life."

Saying the words to the sorceress, felt like a large stone had finally been lifted off his chest. For years he had been holding it in, regretting that he had never even thanked the woman who was responsible for him being alive at the moment. The last person he needed to apologize too however was still out there, and after he did, the entire weight of the world would finally be lifted off of him.

Triss sighed and looked back up to meet his eyes, a small smile coming to her face, "You're welcome…. I have a lot going on right now but… I'm going to do everything I can to help you find Ciri."

A smile came across his face as he hugged the sorceress again, "Thank you… it won't be easy but… you know me. I inherited Geralt's stubbornness."

She pulled back and laughed again, "That I'm sure you have."

"Speaking of," he said pointing towards the water, where Geralt had finally emerged, carrying a leather pouch in his hands.

Triss smiled and turned to him again, "Let's get moving. Sooner I get this job done, the sooner we can start looking again."

He smiled and felt the inside of his forearm begin to flare. Gently he pulled up the sleeve and read the names to himself again. Ciri, Geralt, Yennefer and Triss. His family. Three of them were back with him.

And soon he would find the fourth.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The warehouse Triss ended up bringing them to was just off the fish market square. Carefully, with both of their hoods still up Geralt and Triss stepped forward. The building was more massive then any warehouse he had seen in the city so far, and Triss had explained how her contact for the job would be waiting outside. The sun was slowly setting out over the sea, and it would soon descend below the plane, bringing about the night. He remembered back to when he saw Faram in Velen. The bear school Witcher had told the two of them he would be in Novigrad, at the Golden Sturgeon tavern, and he wanted to make a point to see his close friend again.

"This the place," Geralt asked as they approached the warehouse.

His attention was turned back to the two in-front of him, as Triss nodded her head, "Yeah… that's our guy over there."

Triss pointed forward, and he saw the fat man waiting outside the warehouse entrance. He had the look of a wealthy man, a long blue robe and hat, obviously made of silks. Geralt and he followed Triss, weaving around groups of people passing by. The fatter man looked smugly at Dominik and Geralt, before turning his attention to Triss when they approached.

"Greeting sorceress," The man said quietly, before turning his eye to he and Geralt.

"Greetings Brandon," Triss said carefully, as the fat man looked between the three of them stood there.

He raised his eyebrows at the sight of the two Witchers, "I thought you'd come alone, I didn't expect you to bring company."

"That wouldn't be a problem, now would it," Dom said, taking a step forward with his arms crossed.

The man was not deterred and scoffed, "By the Eternal Fire no! Just surprised is all. With three of you, I'll expect the job to be done twice as fast. You've the look of true experts…. Though I prefer you not dally and begin."

"Triss," Geralt said, making both Dominik and the sorceress turn to him, "You and Brandon agree on a price?"

His ears pricked up with interest, sharply keeping his eyes on the merchant. Triss looked over to Brandon first, and then back to Dominik and Geralt. She narrowed her eyes at the fatter man.

"We agreed on a full coin purse…" She said carefully.

"Brandon and Co. is a serious outfit! We've the largest granary in all Novigrad," The fat man said, a dash of arrogance to his words.

He looked over and Geralt and could swear he saw the Witcher smirk before he turned back to Brandon.

"You're a merchant, familiar with how commerce works," Geralt asked the man, his arms crossing.

Brandon scoffed and nodded, "Of course. Honest pay for honest work."

Geralt met the fat merchants eyes, "Half up front, half when the job is done."

The man scoffed again, posher the second time, "You're asking me a great deal."

Dominik took the opportunity to step in front of the man, "Look Brandon, Geralt and I… we're Witchers. Had way too many cases of people saying one thing first, and then another once the jobs done."

With a sigh of annoyance, Brandon reached behind himself, onto his belt and turned, placing a coin pouch into Triss's hand, "Fine… your first installment, I expect the job to be done twice as fast."

The fat man walked off around the corner of the market and something stirred in his gut. Brandon was clearly a frugal merchant, who had years of experience as a tradesman. The deal had gone off far to easily, even the meekest of merchants would have tried to haggle the price, it was how they made their living. The sinking feeling in his gut continued as the three of them all went to enter the warehouse.

The storehouse kept out the cold breezes that emanated from the sea outside. Torches lined the wall, and he realized when the man claimed to have the largest granary in Novigrad, he was certainly telling the truth. Sacks, barrels, shelves were all stacked in rows across the large building. The problem became evident when he saw rats running across his feet. The whole entire storehouse had seemed to become infected with the smaller creatures. He had flashbacks to the tower on Fyke Isle the day before, and shuddered praying there wouldn't be any Plague Maidens to almost kill him that time.

"Look for evidence of rat activity, I'll take half the space, the two of you take the other," Triss instructed, handing them the incense crystals that had been in the package Geralt retrieved from the river.

He took the pleasant-smelling crystals in his hand and heard Geralt scoff.

"Thing is, I know what evidence of manticore activity looks like but… rodents," Geralt said, with a tone of slight amusement.

Triss rolled her eyes at the older Witcher, "All three of us would rather be doing something else. I'd rather be sitting in on a royal council meeting, but they killed my King…"

The nagging feeling in the back of his head came to the forefront as he walked next to Triss towards the other side of the granary.

"Triss… I don't like that guy," He said referring to Brandon.

The sorceress scoffed and looked at him with amusement, "Neither do I… much too fat for me."

"He's got a point," Geralt said from a corner, standing up from a pile of rat droppings, "Notice how he didn't try to haggle?"

"Must really want the rats out," Triss said, as she discovered a pile of droppings near a small entrance from the sewers.

He heard Geralt scoff, "Triss he's a merchant, he makes a living by haggling."

The sorceress sighed, "If I worried about that, I'd starve to death in this city."

He frowned as he broke off from the two of them, looking for more evidence of where the rats were coming in. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he kicked his foot out, sending a rat that had been biting at his boot flying. The whole situation was making his stomach swirl. He knew that a man like Brandon would normally do everything he could for the best deal. Enough shady merchants had tried to swindle him when he was younger, and a few succeeded. With how desperate a situation Triss was in, he didn't want a paying job to go wrong for her.

Carefully he stepped over more clusters of rats before he finally found another entrance that led down towards the sewers. He covered his nose as he knelt down, finding what he was sure was rat droppings. With slight annoyance he sighed and pulled out the incense that Triss had handed him. Igniting his hand with Igni, the crystal caught fire and he placed it down towards the pile of droppings.

"What's that Ciri, what did I have to do to find you? Well, I had to fight fiends, the wild hunt, bandits, save a goat… and look for rat shit," He muttered to himself, the swallow pendant trembling around his neck.

"Think we plugged every hole," He heard Geralt yell, as he walked away from the incense, back towards the both of them.

He came up to find Geralt, as Triss was standing near the entrance a ball of beautiful flames erupting in her hands. The sorceress sighed, and muttered some words in Elder Speech, before the balls of flames flared up even higher, before disappearing in a puff of pleasant-smelling smoke. After going out of his way a moment before to kneel down next to rat droppings, it was a good thing to smell. Sighing he leaned back against the wooden railing, as Triss looked back at Geralt and he.

"Good, now we just have to give it a few moments and they'll scurry away… come on, we can talk more," She said as she let out a relaxing sigh, sitting on the railing opposite him.

He watched with a small smile as Geralt took the seat next to her, before a look of amusement crossed his face.

"Interesting method. Never had much luck with rats myself but…" he said, his head turning over to Dominik, "I remember the first time that Dom and Ciri caught some back at Kaer Morhen, remember that?"

Triss smiled and looked over at him as well. He of course remembered the moment vividly and it made a smile come to his face.

"I do," he said, looking down at the swallow dangling from his neck, "We technically weren't supposed to be up. Found the two things in the kitchen. Both of us had the skin as trophies on our walls for weeks…. I let Ciri kill the bigger one."

Triss laughed, and looked between the two Witchers, "Of course you did… anything to help her out."

He and Geralt both managed a smile, and Dominik looked between the two of them. After a while he had learned about the relationship the two of them shared before Triss came to Kaer Morhen. He also of course heard from Yennefer about the more recent one the two had when Geralt returned to Kaer Morhen with no memories. It didn't make him love Triss any less, or Yennefer any less. It did however make him feel like at the moment he was intruding on a private conversation.

Triss sighed and looked over at them both, "So, rat catcher. A long way to fall from being advisor to Temaria's king."

Dom sighed and looked over at Geralt, and for the first time ever he saw his adoptive father at a loss for words. Eventually he sighed himself and met Triss's eyes.

The older Witcher spoke in a softer tone, "I'm just glad to see you safe and sound and…"

"Reconciled," Triss said, looking to Geralt now.

"Yeah…" Geralt said slowly, looking down at the floor, "Reconciled."

Dominik looked between the sorceress and the Witcher, feeling as if he could say something, but feeling the words escape him. He wanted to say something funny at first, to try and break the tension, but was silent, unable to think of anything appropriate. Seeing Geralt at that moment, clearly struggling with his emotions, reminded him of back when he was seventeen, hurt and nursing his wounds in Ellander, Freya, the nurses assistant tending to him.

For the almost three months he stayed in Ellander, with her, he had felt a tearing in his heart. It had been so many years since he saw Ciri at that point, held her in his arms, kissed her, or just laid his head on her shoulder as they stared into a fire. The loneliness, the longing, longing for someone, anyone to be there for him. At the time he still hadn't been happy with Geralt and Yennefer, angry with them for reasons he now knew were irrational. Multiple women had taken an interest in him, but Freya had been the only one to ever make him lose faith.

For those months he spent with the woman, holding her, kissing her, being able to have someone at his side, it was some of the most conflicting he had ever felt. He would fall asleep next to Freya, but then dream of Ciri. He would be there, Freya resting her head on his shoulder as they looked into a fire at night, and he would imagine it was Ciri next to him. When he kissed her, he couldn't stop wishing that it was Ciri. The feelings he kept saying he had for Freya he soon realized, were just his way of covering the gaping wound that had been left by Ciri's disappearance.

Ever since those three months however, he had known, and he had been sure that he would never be able to love someone like he loved her.

"So…" Triss said, bringing his attention back to she and Geralt.

She smiled when he met her eyes, "Since I last saw you… how've you felt? The wound on your chest heal alright?"

He slowly nodded, "It did yeah… biggest scar of the collection, and it wasn't even from a monster."

This got a laugh from both Triss and Geralt, which made him smile. He sighed and met their eyes again, "To be honest… after Rivia, a lot of things went downhill for me. I thought Geralt and Yen were dead… Ciri dead or out of my reach… damn near got myself killed a lot of times. I… was almost trying too… to get myself killed," he said looking down at the ground.

The two across from him were silent, as he remembered the time vividly. Feeling his heart begin to beat faster in his chest he looked back up to meet their eyes again.

"I… had lost basically everything. My first family was gone, my second all but gone… didn't really see a point in taking contracts anymore… not really any point in being around," He said, getting up from against the wall and looking at them both again, "Started drinking too much… took on more and more dangerous contracts… it was a Leshen that turned it all around… I'll never forget it."

"What made it all turn around," Triss asked, her tone light, and wondering.

He sighed, and a small smile formed on his face, suddenly feeling optimism run through himself again.

"Leshen was a big one, bigger then any I'd seen before. Damn thing nearly had me killed, pinned me up against a rock… but someone saved me… guess who it was," he said, looking over at Geralt with a smile.

A look of realization dawned on the older Witchers face and he smiled as well, "Faram."

Smiling, he nodded at the older Witcher, "Faram of fucking Undviik. Bastard came charging in, blasted the Leshen and damn nearly cleaved its arm off. He looked down at me and says, 'better look alive mate, this is one tough fucker we got here!', the two of us managed to kill it… he saved my life," he said, doing his best Faram impression.

Geralt smiled and he got a laugh from Triss, "Haha, I'd love to meet this Faram of Undviik."

Dominik managed a smile and nodded to her, "I'm sure you will, he's actually in Novigrad. But… after that we traveled together for a while. It was… nice to be on the path with someone. Had someone to talk to, air my grievances, my sadness… my failure. Like I said… bastard saved my life in… more ways then one. When I met up with him last… gave me some advice that really stuck with me."

"Oh yeah…" Triss said, sitting upwards as she and Geralt both looked at him, "What was it?"

He sighed and felt himself smile, "That the past can hurt sometimes, failure can hurt. However the way he sees it… we can either run from it, or… learn from it. I… can't change what happened to Ciri, I failed her I know but… I can't change that. What I CAN do, is learn from it."

Triss Merigold beamed up at him with pride, and next to her, Geralt smiled up at him.

"Wow… never knew you could be so wise…" Geralt said to him, in a joking tone.

Triss and he both laughed, and Dominik sighed with content, "Had some good teachers…. Seeing the two of you together again… gives me hope. Hope things can go back to the way they were."

For the first time the whole conversation, the three of them all smiled. It was the perfect time as well, because all of the rats began to scurry out of the granary. In a perfect line, all the rodents ran out the door of the granary, and he couldn't help the satisfied smile that ended up crossing his face. He looked over and saw both Triss and Geralt smiling as well but felt his stomach crawl when he heard the voice.

"Well, well, look at you three, a tidy little family. Chatting it up instead of working," Brandon said, coming into the building.

He turned and took a place next to Triss. His hand starting to slowly curl towards his back, as the smirk on Brandon's face made his stomach churn.

"Job's done," Triss said crossing her arms.

He heard the clanking of armor, and his hand went to his back, to the hilt of his blade as the four Witch Hunters walked through the door. One carried a crossbow, while the others all flanked behind Brandon, eyeing Triss and them as if they were fresh prey just fallen into a trap.

"Geralt, Dom… those are-."

"We know who they are, Temple Guard," Geralt growled, standing up from the railing.

"This was bad from the start," Dominik said, slowly pulling his blade from its sheath.

Brandon looked at the three of them with a shit-eating smirk on his face, "My… friends. They begged me to report to them should I ever encounter a mage, or other… freak. I just didn't have the heart to refuse them."

"Dom, Geralt it's a trap," Triss hissed, a large ball of fire erupting into her hand.

"Dom was right… this stank from the start," Geralt said, stepping in front of Triss with him.

Geralt looked like he was about to say something else, but he stepped in-front of the Witcher first, pointing his sword out with one hand.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen here," Dominik said, his voice growing deathly low, he met the eyes of Brandon and every Witch Hunter, "Fat man here's going to give Triss the rest of her coin. And then we'll all walk out of here peacefully, that's option A. Or… you can pick option B. Option B is, you stay here, and then Geralt, Triss and I will slaughter you like swine so… what's it going to be, option A, or option B?"

The words hung over the room like a shadow. One of the Witch Hunters almost seemed to faulter at his words, but Brandon to his credit didn't seem as fazed. He scoffed and folded his arms underneath his robes

"You don't set the terms, boy," He spat out, his tone full of venom and spite.

"Only here for the Witch, two of you stay out of it," One of the Witch Hunters growled, his blade coming from his hip.

Geralt, with arms still crossed stepped forward next to him, as Triss's fire heated up the room.

"Three of us are inseparable you see, you want her, you're going to have to kill us too, so I suggest you take option A," Geralt said, his tone low and gravely, a voice that had scared off many bandits before in the past.

"Dom, Geralt no," Triss said quickly behind them.

For the first time he paid no mind to the sorceresses words. He leveled his blade towards the four Hunters, and the one next to Brandon scoffed again.

"Heard enough of these whoresons," He shouted as the reaming hunters all drew their blades, and the one with the crossbow knocked a bolt.

Brandon scoffed one more time, "As have I… deal with them. None of them are to leave alive."

The merchant turned to walk from the warehouse, as Geralt drew his steel sword.

"Looks like they're picking option B, why do they always pick option B Geralt," He said, twirling his blade in his hand.

Geralt did the same with his blade and he could see a small smirk appear on the Witcher's face, "Because people are idiots."

He heard the click of a crossbow being fired. Right away he looked to the left, and his well-trained eyes saw the bolt heading right for Triss. He waved his blade upwards, and the bolt from the crossbow deflected off his sword into the wall, just before it could reach the sorceress. He saw the befuddled look on the Witch Hunters eyes, right before Triss let loose her fire. The ball of flame exploded in between all the Witch Hunters before Geralt and he both lashed out.

Fighting back to back with Geralt, The first Hunter recovered and charged at him, his clothes still smoking. He deflected a flurry of blows, before locking swords with his attacker. The man's dark black eyes were straining with concentration, using all his momentum to try and bring his blade down across Dominik's shoulder. Gracefully, the younger Witcher stepped to the left and spun around the man, slashing across his back, and kicking him to the ground. The click of the crossbow fired again, but just before the bolt could get to him, a flash of steel flew in front of his face, as Geralt deflected the bolt, before charging and leaping forward, the older Witcher spun and slashed the mans crossbow in half, before swiftly slicing his neck.

A blast of fire erupted behind him again and turned to see Triss roast one of the Hunters before two more came charging at him. He parried one blow, and ducked down under another, before leaping off his feet and spinning mid-air. His strike cleaved clean through one of the Hunters arms, sending him screaming to the ground. To the right of him, Geralt side-stepped one more Hunters stab, before spinning around the man, and cleanly slicing his blade across his neck.

In his effort to admire Geralt's swordplay, his own blade was knocked from his hand. He recoiled and turned to see the last hunter swing at him. Without a weapon in his hands, he ducked his head back, narrowly avoiding the top of the man's blade racking across his face. Swiftly he grabbed the man's arm with all his strength, he spun behind his back and yanked downwards with all he could, hearing a snap. The Witch Hunter screamed, dropping his blade, and as soon as he did Dominik reached down, and scooped the man's blade off the floor, before executing a perfect pirouette, and jabbing the man's blade through his abdomen, ending him in an instant.

With a deep breath he looked around to see, that all the Witch Hunters now lay dead, scorch marks, along with stab and slash wounds on their bodies. He heard a whistle and looked over to see Geralt with Dominik's blade in his hand.

He smiled and caught the blade when Geralt threw it back to him and sheathed it back behind his back. The older Witcher gave him an approving nod as Triss stepped between the two of them, her head shaking.

"That bastard hired me on the assumption he wouldn't have to pay me! Dupped and trapped like a child… if not for the both of you," She said looking up to meet their eyes.

Quickly he shook his head, "It was nothing. I'm just glad we're all alright. We weren't going to let them get you."

Geralt nodded with him in agreement, "He's right. Weren't about to just stand aside."

Triss sighed again and managed to smile at them first, before her face contorted with anger, "We need to find Brandon."

He scoffed and turned towards the door to the warehouse, "Yes… let's go visit the good merchant."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Hello Brandon," he said, seeing the man as soon as they emerged, then proceeding to punch the fat man in the gut as soon as he turned, "I gave you the chance to pick option A," he said, as the fat man wheezed.

Geralt and Triss followed behind him, in the now darkened streets of Novigrad. The sun was just going down, and only a small bit of light remained, but he could see the merchants face clearly. The tough exterior he had been putting on since he had met him earlier was now completely gone. Upon seeing both Geralt and he, their swords red with the blood of Witch Hunters, and a now very pissed off Triss Merigold, had him behind over, begging them both.

"Please don't kill me good sirs! They... they forced me, had I not told them, they would have set fire to my home, my warehouse…. The Witch Hunters show no mercy," he pleaded, bowing his head to them lower than ever.

"Stop sniveling," Dominik hissed, and the man recoiled once again.

Geralt crossed his arms and the man looked up to meet the older Witcher's yellow eyes.

"We SHOULD kill you, but you'd be no use to anyone except the gulls as a corpse," The older Witcher threatened.

"So now," he said, getting the man's attention again, "You're going to give Triss double."

"And you'll forget you ever saw any of us, now," Geralt said in a deep menacing tone.

Triss looked between the two of them appreciatively, as quickly Brandon reached behind his back to his belt again. Slowly the fat merchant stood up, and carefully placed the hefty coin purse in Triss's palm.

"F… Fine…. Your coin," he said, trying to fill his voice with venom.

"Now go," Geralt said, not taking his eyes off the merchant.

Without uttering another word, the man turned and ran off on his stubby legs. Dom felt himself laugh when the man almost tripped on his robes as he fled. He never did like threatening people, however, when it came to those he truly cared about he tended to show no mercy. It had been too long for him since he had them back, Geralt, Triss, Yennefer. He knew of course that they could all more than plentifully take care of themselves, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing everything he could to protect them all.

He sighed with a slight smirk, "They're never going to learn."

"Nope," Geralt said, looking down at him with an amused smile, "They never will."

"Thank you both, I owe you one… another one," Triss said, making the two Witchers turn to her.

The sorceress sighed, but Geralt quickly shook his head, speaking for them both, "No need. We're glad that we could help you."

He quickly nodded in agreement, and it brought a smile to the sorceresses face. Carefully she looked around to make sure no onlookers were near, before taking a step closer to them.

"Look… I've been thinking about who could tell you something about Ciri... I just got the idea," She said, and the quick change on his face made her smile and laugh softly.

He felt his chest begin to pump even faster, and a small smile begin to form as Triss smiled at him.

"There's an oneiromancer in town- Corinne Tilly. Very capable supposedly," She told the both of them.

He tilted his head at the woman, "A dreamer? Never encountered one before."

Geralt nodded, "Yeah… never really believed in dreamers abilities myself."

Triss gave them a reassuring look, "Corinne is very effective-you should at least try. She's taken a job close by. Follow the canal, away from the fish market. The house near the fishing bridge. It's owner De Jonkheer, is a rich banker."

"Not coming with us," Geralt said after the sorceress had finished.

Reluctantly she shook her head, "As much as I'd love to stay and catch up, I got some business to take care of in town."

"More rat-infested warehouses," Geralt asked her with a laugh.

He felt himself smile, and Triss did as well.

"Not nearly as exciting… such are the times," She said, a small smirk on her face.

He nodded and looked at Geralt, who seemed to be flushed for words again. Finally the older Witcher stuttered for a moment but nodded to the sorceress, "It was… good to see you again."

Triss smiled, and Dom quickly smiled back at her as well, "It really was… I missed you Triss."

He went forward and the sorceress wrapped him in one last hug, cupping his cheek with a smile for a moment, before taking a step back to look at them both.

"You too… the both of you. Now, you better both get going before Corinne goes into hiding again," She started before turning to face Geralt, "Good luck Geralt, and Dominik."

The sorceress turned to him, and gave him a small smile, "You listen to Geralt, and don't give up hope… you're going to find Ciri, and then Geralt, Yen and I will have to chase after you both just like the old days," She said with a bit of a smirk.

He felt his chest pump faster and a huge smiled come across his face, as he laughed, "Ha… thanks Triss."

"What if we want to find you…" Geralt said slowly, as the sorceress looked at them both again,

"I got a place in the bits, just off the fish market. Stop by, both of you… it'd be nice," The sorceress said with a smile.

Geralt and he both smiled at the sorceress one last time. The older Witcher nodded in his direction, "We will… see you later Triss," Geralt said to her.

With one last smile, Triss nodded to them both. She shot Dominik a wink of her left eye before she quickly scanned the streets and jogged down an alley. He could see the black and yellow swirling lights, and he knew the sorceress had teleported away.

He knew it wouldn't be the last he saw of Triss in the next few days in Novigrad, however he was sad to see her go. The sadness was quickly replaced by a rush of excitement, upon remembering what she had told them. He had never encountered a dreamer before in his travels, but he heard stories of what they could do. They had the power to see events of the past, possibly even the future, and could find people from the memories of those close to them. There was possibly nobody in the world that was closer to Ciri then Geralt and he, and between them both he was hoping that the woman would be able to point them in the right direction.

With a smile crossing his face, he turned to Geralt, "So, we're going to head there now right!?"

A smile crossed the older Witchers face again as he looked down at his adopted son, "I see no reason to wait, come on, let's get going."

Eagerly he and Geralt both started down the canal which was close by in the direction that Triss told them the dreamer had been. He could feel his heart pumping even faster in his chest, with every step he took and every quest he completed, it brought him one step closer. As they walked, he rolled up the sleeve of his right forearm, and saw the swallow elegantly drawn on his arm, and the names atop it.

A reminder of what he was fighting for, and a promise he would keep them all safe.

A/N: So we have finally made it to the free city of Novigrad! Now first off, yes, I know that is not how tattoos were obviously done in the time period, however no matter how much I google searched I couldn't seem to find an answer of how they were actually done, and Dom was pressed for time xD Either way I thought it would be a good scene to add, and add something extra to the character.

I loved writing this chapter. Other than obviously Geralt and Ciri, Triss Merigold was always one of my favorite characters, she was the reason my 13-year-old self bought the Witcher 2 when it was released, my first Witcher game. I knew from the start that she and Dominik would have a close bond, and you will see that more as we go through the Novigrad arc.

We will also soon get to see some of our favorites, like Zoltan, Priscilla, Dandelion and Dijkstra, and I just can't wait to get working on Novigrad. I hope you are all as excited as I am!

Please, tell me in a review what did you think of the chapter? What about Dom's tattoo? What about his words about not fearing the past? What in Novigrad are you looking forward too? Have any questions, ask them and I'll try to answer! Thank you all for reading, see you all next time.