Chapter 6
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon/Ciri
'Well, look at that,' she thought while following Sasuke out of the village, still holding the fruits and vegetables the locals gave them 'It appears that he is not used to being in the center of attention,'
She glances behind her to check if there was anybody nearby who was following the, seeing nothing but trees and the local wildlife, she begins to ask questions about their plan for today and the excess food she is now carrying.
"So…" she began "Ser Knight what will we do about our food?" she asks him with a cheeky smile.
She heard him grumble something inaudible under his breath, before motioning her to sit down near the tree stump that they have stumbled upon, she watches as Sasuke opens his satchel and pulls out a scroll, the same scroll he stored her clothes a few days back, he opens the scroll to reveal some drawn-out shapes this time however she begins to see the similarities to the piece of paper that he gave her last night.
'So those are called sealing arrays' then?' she thought.
She watches as Sasuke began placing the food and supplies on top of the scroll before biting his thumb and drawing a small amount of blood and wiping it on the seal array, she couldn't help but watch in wonder as food and supplies vanishes within a cloud of smoke.
"Just, how do seals work anyway?" she asks him.
"It's… complicated" he replies while packing the scroll and putting it inside his satchel "Generally, anyone can draw a seal it's just a manner of making it work. Fuinjutsu which is what I showed you just now relies on both my power and blood as a form of connection to activate the said seal, a Master at Fuinjutsu can create layers upon layers of seal arrays with various effects from storing certain objects to creating a barrier to stop attacks" he finishes.
She had to blink a couple of times after the explanation, from what she can understand it seems that Fuinjutsu shares similarities with Alchemy that sorceresses and magic practitioners use. Alchemy requires different ingredients to create and brew a potion while Fuinjutsu requires different layers of seal arrays to create the desired effect the user wants.
'It's so different in application yet so similar in how they are created,' she thought to herself
Nodding her head as a response, the three of them continues to trek the road, she watches as the grass is slowly being replaced by barren land filled with puddles of mud and dirt, the greenery of the trees losing its vibrancy as it was being used as an executioner spot for deserters and traitors alike. The fresh earthly smell of the forest is being replaced by the stench of death and decaying bodies of soldiers.
She notices some four-legged creatures feasting on the decaying bodies that were pilled up in the middle of the land.
"This is where the Nilfgaardians first invade when they made it through Velen," she said to Sasuke, giving him more information as they passed by some burned houses and farmlands.
"See those creatures right there," she said while pointing at the four-legged creature, some with spikes protruding behind its back "They are called Ghouls, they don't usually come out into the open like this, I guess the war and the smell of flesh made them bolder, their diet mostly revolves around dead and decaying flesh. They often come in packs so fighting them tends to be overwhelming for a regular person," she finishes while glancing at Sasuke before continuing to move forward.
They stopped when they notice a poster that was nailed to a tree branch, inspecting it further reveals it to be a missing person's notice which states:
Missing
Anna Strenger, wife of the Bloody Baron!
Presumed kidnapped
Hearty reward for whoever finds her or brings her in!
While she's not surprised about the poster about Anna, what shocks her was the poster right next to it.
Missing
Tamara Strenger, daughter of the Bloody Baron!
Presumed kidnapped
Hearty reward for whoever finds her or brings her in!
'What?! She never mentions a missing daughter when I spoke to her!' she metally exclaimed.
She then glances at Sasuke who had an impassive face while reading the posted notice.
"Sasuke, did Anna ever mention having a daughter?" she asks him.
"No, she did not."
She glances in his direction and notices a small frown forming just a tad on his lips.
"Do you think she forgot? Or was her mind altered by the Crones?"
"No, if she can remember her husband then she can also remember her daughter," he said before continuing "I talked to the Innkeeper this morning, the locals there seem to think that the Baron is a warmonger that executes his enemies and throws them into the lake earning him the nickname that is written there 'Bloody Baron'. That may be the reason why he's got many enemies that would attack his family directly, but that still would not explain why Anna didn't tell us about her daughter."
She watches as Sasukes' lone eye narrows after his explanation.
"What do you think might have happened then?"
"This is all speculation on my part, as much as I want to believe in my intel I can't be certain since it is based on rumors and hearsays from the locals living in the Eastern part of Velen," Sasuke said before continuing, "I think Anna and her daughter weren't forcefully taken when leaving Crow's Perch," she watches as he looks at the other poster, "I think Anna is protecting her daughter from something or perhaps someone since I already dealt with the Crones." he finishes.
"Surely not? You're suggesting they ran away from the Baron?" she asks, trying to clarify if he said is true, Sasuke then shook his head before replying.
"As I said, just speculation, the lack of credible information is doing us no favors," Sasuke replies, "Should the Baron ask we will just tell him that his daughter is not there and might have escaped the Crones, we can't tell him that Anna neglects to mention her daughter that might complicate the situation."
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly nodded her head, while she may not like withholding information she can however understand what might happen if Sasuke was proven right with his speculation, if Anna was willing to hide her daughter's existence then it might be for the best that they should stay quiet first until they gather enough information on the Baron's family.
The trio continues their journey towards Crow's Perch, they pass some abandoned houses and farms, while there was some trouble in a form of mad dogs that attacks them from time to time it was easily dealt with considering the dogs were just starving because of the war forcing them to attack random people walking the road.
They stopped when a diverging path emerges, one was heading straight towards a forest area while the other was heading to the right cutting across the side of a small hill.
"If my geography of this place is right," she said "Crow's Perch should be in this direction right beside this hill," she continued while pointing at the road heading to the right.
She watches as Sasuke nods his head while at the same time gesturing his hand forward so she can take the lead, she smiles a bit before going in front and navigating the group towards the road. Just as they were about to walk to the right road they were 'ambushed' by a man wearing a green tunic with a sword at his hip.
"Halt stranger! I challenge thee to a duel!" the man exclaimed while pointing at Sasuke.
She watches as Sasuke casually ignores the man and continues to move forward.
The man didn't seem to take this kindly, as he dashes forward cutting Sasuke off, and decides to stand right in front of him.
"I said halt! You curr! I am talking to you!" the man exclaimed this time blocking the road "I am Ronvid of the Small Marsh! Bound by a sacred oath, to honor Maid Bilberry by dueling a hundred knights to the death! So I challenge-!"
"No,"
She watches Ronvid's dumbfounded expression as Sasuke cuts him off mid-speech, she couldn't help but giggle at the knight whose face is already turning red from anger at being humiliated, she glances at Gretka who was already laughing at the sight before them.
"How dare you! You peasant! You curr!" Ronvid yells at Sasuke, who simply ignored the knight altogether "I will not be mocked by someone of your stature-!" Ronvid continues to yell while at the same time blocking the road forcing them to hear his rant.
An idea suddenly came to her, she subtly glances at Sasuke whose expression remains neutral, and then glances at the knight who was still yelling insults and profanities, she adopted a shocked expression as she yells at the knight in front of them.
"Good Ser! I heard this man!" she exclaimed while pointing at Sasuke "He whispered insults towards Maid Bilberry about her beauty!" she adopts an aghast expression while looking at the knight before them, whose expression turned from shock to livid as his face keeps on getting redder from anger.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVE INSULTED ME FOR THE LAST TIME-!"
She couldn't help herself, her small giggles turned into a burst of full-on laughter as she watch the knight get angrier and angrier, she glances at Gretka who was also laughing with her.
Sasuke Uchiha
His eye begins to twitch uncontrollably, he glares at Cirilla who was laughing at his expense before glaring at Gretka who was also enjoying the show in front of her. He fixed his gaze on the knight in front of him whose name he had already forgotten due to his irritation, the knight still keeps on yelling at him for the 'insults' that he 'said'.
He closes his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves he slowly opens them and made his decision.
"Fine, I accept your challenge," he said lamely while massaging the bridge of his nose.
"-I AM A MAN OF HONOR- W-what did you say?" the knight asks
"I said," he replies slowly this time "I accept your challenge." he finishes
"I see! Very well then! You will rue the day you insulted Maid Bilberry and my honor! You scoundrel! For Ronvid of Small Marsh formally challenge-!"
He begins to massage his temple as a migraine is starting to form, deciding that they need to hurry he yells at the knight whose name he now knows as Ronvid.
"Enough! Let's start already!" he yells at Ronvid whose face turns to shock and then irritation.
"Tsk! Have at it then!" Ronvid yells before drawing his sword out.
He watches as Ronvid performs a two-handed grip with his sword before charging toward him with reckless abandon. Ronvid raises his sword above his head, performing what appears to be a downward slash, he couldn't help but rolls his eyes at the knight at his recklessness and lack of self-control.
As the knight was getting nearer and the blade was about to be swung down, he merely sides steps to the left exposing the knight's unguarded side before giving the knight a low-powered neck chop, knocking the knight out immediately, he watches as the knight fall face-first into the mud beneath his feet.
He sighs before glancing at Cirillia who alongside Gretka was laughing uncontrollably at the knight.
"We-well fought S-ser Knight," Cirilla said in between breaths of laughter, while at the same time wiping the tears from her eye.
"Are we done here?" he asks Cirilla while gazing at her with his deadpan expression.
"Yes, we are done here," Cirilla smiles at him before glancing at Gretka "Let's go now, fun time is over." she finishes before going in front to guide them towards Crow's Perch. A small smile appeared on his face before disappearing immediately, unbeknownst to him, however, a certain ashen-haired woman saw that in her peripheral vision and she too begins to smile broadly.
After some time of walking they are already out of the woods and are into open land, he took note of the fences and the sown land that was on the side of the road.
'A farmland then,' he thought 'Which means that a village or a town is nearby, we must be getting closer to Crow's Perch already'
He was proven right when Cirilla began pointing at the distance and yelling excitedly at him.
"Look! I can already see it from here!" Cirilla exclaimed while pointing her fingers at what appeared to be a large settlement that was situated on top of a small hill in the middle of a lake, as they are getting closer so does the details of the place Cirilla was pointing at.
It has large wooden poles that were strung together to resemble a wall that is covering the entire settlement, one inside that protects the 'castle' and he uses that term loosely, the other protects the outer perimeter of the small area inside it. There is only one entrance for the drawbridge the rest seems to be decommissioned to provide a single entry point for going in and outside of the place, all in all, it looks more like a Fort than a village granted it's a large Fort compared to the rest that he saw before getting here. As they are getting closer to the gate bridge entrance, they saw two guards standing there and it seems like they are talking to some refugees who are about to enter Crow's Perch.
"-told you, you can't stay inside, the Bloody Baron is already hesitant when it comes to strangers since his wife and daughter have been kidnapped." one of the guards says while the other nods his head.
"We mean no one harm, we just want a safe place to stay just-" one of the refugees said before they are cut off by the guard.
"Look, there are many abandoned houses near this place, aight just look around." the guard replies while pointing in some random direction.
The refugees look saddened by this as they picked up their remaining things to go look for a place to stay, the guards' eyes are now on them, he watches as the guards' tense while gazing at his height.
"If you're looking to stay here, you can't the Baron forbade any strangers from entering the premises," the guard said, he shook his head before replying.
"We have information with regards to the Baron's Wife," he replies while keeping his lone eye on the guards, "Should the Baron wishes to meet us, we have proof of our claims."
Both of the guards' eyes widen at what he said before replying.
"Alright, but if your caught lying by the Bloody Baron, well let's just say you'll know how he got his moniker from,"
They are then escorted inside the Fort, once they are inside he took note of their surroundings, it seems Crow's Perch has a small residential area within the walls, he estimated that there are at least forty to fifty people living in the land, his gaze fixed on the supposed 'castle' that was at the upper portion of the hill, it doesn't resemble a 'castle' at all it's more like an estate with a barn and some other structures with it.
Once they reached the top of the hill they are greeted by a large iron gate and two guards flanking it.
"Why'd you bring foreigners here?" one of the men guarding the gate asks.
"According to him," their escort said while pointing at him, "They have information with regards to the Baron's wife, they have proof he said."
"Hmm, very well then. Sergeant Ardal! Some folk here wants to speak to the Baron, said it's urgent!"
"I see! Open the gate! I'll take it from here," the man named Ardal replies from the other side of the gate.
As the gate slowly begins to open, they were greeted by an aging man wearing what appears to be a red tunic with steel plate armor on top of it.
"Come along then," Sergeant Ardal motions them to come forward, "So, why'd you lot want to speak to the Baron?"
"I have information about his wife that he needs to hear," he replies.
He watches the Sergeant widen his eyes before nodding his head and proceeds to take them to the Baron.
They stepped inside the inner section of Crow's Perch, he took note of all the guard stations within the area at the same time he is also looking for possible entry points that Anna's 'kidnapper' might go through. He began mentally cataloging everyone he passed by, he saw some guards lashing out at some townsfolk for stealing, a few builders who are fixing some run-down infrastructures, and lastly he glances at the smith station that two individuals were running, one was a female with braided blonde hair and the other was a man with a long beard, what caught his attention however was the man's height who was shorter than any of the children's he saved from the Crones.
As they are getting near the center of the Fort, they were interrupted by a loud voice of a man who was sitting near a bare tree.
"-then I said, Fuck off before I kill you! Then the man ran faster than any horse I see! Ha!" the man laughs along with the guards who are surrounding him.
His lone eye narrows slightly as he fixed his gaze on the man, judging by his commanding voice and the fact that he was the center of attention from the people around him, he can safely assume that the man is the Baron of this place.
"Baron! These folk here wants to talk to you," the Sergeant gestures towards them "It's important for your ears only."
"Fine, all of you bugger off!" the Baron said as the guardsman surrounding him disperse, before standing up and walking towards them "So, what do you want to say that requires my utmost attention?"
The Baron was a mountain of a man, while he can confidently say his height alone towers most of the people in this world, the Baron however was an exception it seems, from what he can see the Baron is an inch or two taller than him, the Baron was wearing a steel plate armor that was covered by a red robe, steel plate gauntlets on both of his arms, and a large knife that has a strap attached to his chest for easy access, completing the Baron's looks were his facial hair that complements his body size making him look broader than anyone in the vicinity.
"We found your missing wife" he replies while opening his satchel and picking up the ring Anna gave him "As for the proof, I think this will suffice." giving the ring to the Baron.
"This ring… my Anna," the Baron mumbles before glancing back at them "Very well, we will talk inside." gesturing towards the large house behind them.
Once they are inside the Baron gestures to one of the servants, who escorted them to the dining room, he watches as Cirilla took a seat on one of the empty chairs, Gretka follows after her, and he does the same sitting next to Ciriila as they waited on the Baron, after a few minutes the Baron shows up along with the servants with food and other beverages.
"Good, now that the food is here make yourself at home," the Baron said while pouring a hefty amount of wine into his cup, "My name is Phillip Strenger the Bloody Baron of Crow's Perch."
He glances at Cirilla who nodded her head before removing her hood.
"You can call me Ciri,"
He does the same.
"Sasuke," he replies.
"My name's Gretka!" the child exclaims, her excitement is palpable as the smell of the food reaches her nose.
"Now that's out of the way," Phillip said "Where did you find her? And what about my daughter was she there as well?"
"Negotiations first," he replies while keeping his eye on the Baron, he watches as the man narrows his eyes slightly toward him.
"All right what do you want then?".
He glances at Cirilla before nodding his head indicating that she should answer the question.
"A place to stay for a few days and some food would suffice," Cirilla replies "And horses, when it is our time to leave."
"Done," Philip replies "What else?"
"We want to hear what happened from your side of the story," he replies taking over the conversation, he watches as the Baron raises an eyebrow at him.
"She didn't tell you?"
"She did, however all she can remember was waking up from that place, not how she got there." he said before continuing "As for your daughter, she wasn't there so it's safe to assume that she is still out somewhere in Velen."
He keeps his face neutral as he finishes lying to the Baron, in truth Anna was pretty tight-lipped when it comes to how she ended up with the Crowns and the fact that she also neglects to mention having a daughter.
"I see…" Phillip hums in thought before replying "Truth be told, I… I don't know what happened after that night," he watches as the Baron averts his eyes and gazes at the wine, "all I can remember was that I drank too much wine and vodka, passed out, and the next thing I know both of them are missing."
"How about your men? Or your servants? Did they tell you anything?" he asks
"Nothing, I already ask every single one of them. They didn't see or hear anything unusual around here."
"Alright," he sighs before giving the direction where he found Anna "Your wife I saw her in the Swamp of Crookback Bog it's located near the village of Downwarren just ask the locals there for directions."
"What? What the hell is she doing there? You know what it doesn't matter so long as she is found" Philip replies before continuing "If we go now we can reach the next village before the sun sets. Thank you for telling me this information, I will give you your rewards once I'm back here with my Anna. As for your rooms, it just so happens that I have a few vacant here, I will have my servants prepare them so you can rest for the day."
He watches as the Baron left to prepare for his expedition to retrieve his wife, he estimates that the Baron will leave this place post-haste and is headed to the nearest village, he glances at Cirilla who was also watching the Baron leave.
"So… what do you think?" Cirilla asks him.
"Later, once my room is ready talk to me there," he replies "For now let's enjoy the food." he finishes before grabbing a piece of chicken and putting it on his plate.
Cirilla nods her head and began eating as well.
It was already late in the afternoon by the time they finish eating, he decides to stay on the balcony while he watches as the Baron and his men prepared for their journey to the swamp, he momentarily debated whether or not he should investigate what the Baron is hiding from them.
'This isn't my problem, I already told him the location,' he mused to himself 'Then again… I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit to being curious about it.'
Investigating the matter wouldn't really affect him that much other than to satisfy his curiosity, additionally he already scouted the area and knows that there are only two guards on the upper floor, which he assumes to be the Baron and his family's room.
His inner mussing was interrupted when a servant approached him, telling him that the room is ready, he nods his head before following the servant and once they made it to his door the servant gave him the key to his room, he watches as the servant bowed her head before leaving.
He opens the door and was greeted with a modest size room and bed, a window that has a view of the courtyard and the sky, a table that has a lit candle on it that illuminates the room, a chest with a lock, and a key that was placed on top of it, he glances at the bookshelf that has an assortment of books, stepping closer to the bookshelf he began skimming through the listed titles and found the topics vary from the geographical location of the world to the different races populating the land,
'Hmm, looks like luck is on my side today,' he thought, fully intending to read everything he can about this world.
A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought, he places his satchel on the table before opening the door, revealing it to be Cirilla, and he gestures to her to come inside, Cirilla decides to sit on his bed before she began speaking.
"So, do you plan on investigating the Baron?" Cirilla said.
"Wait," he replies, before grabbing his satchel, opening it he retrieves some ink and brushes along with a piece of paper, he began drawing a sealing array on the paper, and once that was done he places it on his door, before biting his thumb and running it across the seal, and a translucent light began to glow around them.
"It's a variation of a Barrier Seal," he began explaining, "It prevents inside noises to spread outside, with this, we can talk normally without anyone trying to eavesdrop on us."
He watches as Cirilla raised an eyebrow while looking at the seal array he just created.
"Are you sure you're not a master of this… Fuinjutsu?" Cirilla asks.
"As I said before, no, I am not," he replies "Now, let's talk about the Baron, from the way his eyes averted when he began recalling what happened before his wife and daughter disappeared already indicates he is withholding information from us, he must have done something that forces both of them to disappear, and he doesn't want anyone to know."
"I know, I got the same feeling as well," Cirilla replies "How about his men? Do you think any of them might have done something?"
"Hard to say, anyone can be bought to silence with enough coins,"
He watches as Cirilla suddenly gets a look of epiphany on her face.
"The bedroom! Why don't we investigate their bedroom, maybe we can find some clues on what might have happened."
"What do you mean 'we'? As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to do anything at all," he replies with a raised eyebrow "I already told the Baron where to find Anna."
"Really now? Aren't you a bit curious about what is happening around here?" Cirilla replies with a grin on her face, "What are you going to lose if you decided to know the truth?"
And that is the crux of the matter, as much as he hates to admit it, he was already invested the moment he saw the missing posters. He was also confident in his abilities that he would not get caught, a simple Genjutsu can solve that problem, he then glances at Cirilla who still has that knowing grin etched on her face.
He sighs before massaging his temple, she already knew what his answer is going to be.
"Fine," he watches as Cirilla's smile brightens, "Meet me here again at midnight, we will head up the stairs once everybody is asleep."
"What about the guards?"
"Don't worry about that, the majority of the Baron's men will be going with him to the swamp," he replies "The rest would be staying here, which means they would be too tired to actively watch the place, however, if they do still remain vigilant then let me handle them, I'll personally put them to sleep with none being the wiser."
Cirilla nods her head, the smile never leaving her face as she got up from the bed and proceeds to open the door and headed straight to her room.
AN: Sorry if it took too long for me to update, work has been hectic lately.
I also have news for you guys, I now have Pat-re-on! A friend of mine convinced me to create one, as of now nothing is posted there other than the link to this site and Ao3. To be honest, I'm not really sure if I am going to put some exclusive content there yet, so for now it will be like a tip jar should any of you guys wish to donate and support my work. You can find it at pat re on / Supbro06
Another thing, I would like to ask is can the Sharingan be used as a photographic memory tool? Like if Sasuke wants to read a book can he memorize the entire book word for word if he has the Sharingan active?
With that out of the way, enjoy your day and have fun reading!
