Chapter 8
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon/Ciri
She woke up at the same time the sun is starting to rise, normally she wouldn't wake up this late in the morning, but being chased by the Wild Hunt forces her to stay alert at any given time, leaving her with a very limited time to rest as she needs to be one step ahead of them.
'How long has it been since I last slept comfortably…? Months? Maybe even years?'
She sighs as she gets up from her bed before doing some light stretches. While completing her routine she begins to think back on her conversation with Sasuke last night.
'Show my resolve huh…' she thought as a glint of determination can be seen in her eyes 'Very well then! I'll show you the lengths I'm going to take just to save this world!'
A grumble can be heard in the room as she glances at her stomach, she quietly laughs at herself, before opening her door and heading straight to the dining room.
The moment she arrives at the room, she notices the Sergeant already awake and almost done eating his breakfast, walking inside the man sees her arrival and calls her name grabbing her attention.
"Ciri, was it?" Sergeant Ardal asks.
She nods her head in response.
"The Baron told me that you and your companion will be needing horses, once you're done eating head outside to the stables and pick your horse there."
"Thank you,"
She looks around the room and notices that they are the only ones there, she glances back at the Sergeant and asks him a question.
"Have you seen my companion Sasuke? "
"Hmm… No, I haven't, perhaps he is still asleep in his room?"
"I see…" she replies while slowly nodding her head.
She watches as the Sergeant finishes his meal before standing up and heading straight to the door.
She glances at the room and notices the food that was prepared by the servants, she shrugs her shoulders as she sits down and begins to eat her breakfast.
After eating she heads outside to the stables to pick up her horse, she notices that Sergeant Ardal and a man who appears to be the stable master are talking to each other, as she gets close she can hear their conversation.
"-told me that they needed horses, so make sure they are properly fed. Don't want to hear any complaints once they choose a horse."
"Aye, worry not they all be healthy and ready to be ridden," the Stable Master replies.
The Sergeant notices her approach as he calls her name.
"Ah! Perfect timing! Both of you are already here!" Sergeant Ardal exclaims while looking at her.
She raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'both', she looks around her and realizes that Sasuke was already standing right next to her.
'What the-! I didn't even hear him!' she mentally exclaims.
No one should be able to move that quietly! Considering they are walking on a mudded road a soundless footstep should be impossible!
It appears that her shocked expression was visible as Sasuke begins talking to her.
"I wasn't always this silent when I was younger, you'll get used to it… eventually,"
She raised an eyebrow at what he said before replying.
"So what? You can read minds too?" she asks while pouting at him.
"No, I can read your facial expression as clear as day," Sasuke replies with a deadpan expression.
She smiles cheekily at him as they begin to get closer to the stables.
"Alright now that you're all here, go ahead and choose," Sergeant Ardal said while gesturing to the stables.
She watches each horse with a critical eye, taking note of their weight, muscles, and height. She notices a rather large Black Mare inside the stables, she smiles as she points at the horse.
"That one is mine, the Black Mare."
She glances at the stable master who was giving her nervous looks.
"Oh, that won't do at all…" the Stable Master replies.
"What? Why not?" she asks "Is there a problem with this horse?"
"No, it's just… the horse you see, it-"
"It belongs to me," A familiar voice greeted her, she looks behind her and notices the Baron walking towards them.
"Hmm…" Phillip mumbles as he suddenly smiles before nodding his head, "Tell you what how about a wager then?"
She raises an eyebrow at the Baron as a grin is slowly forming on her face.
"Oh, and what are the stakes?"
"Fancy your chances on a race? If you win you can have the horse," Phillip replies matching her grin with his own
She was about to accept the challenge when Sasuke enters their conversation.
"Aren't you in a hurry?" Sasuke suddenly interjects reminding her of what she needed to do.
She momentarily stops for a moment and mentally berates herself for nearly accepting the Baron's proposal. She was about to decline when the Baron begins to speak interrupting what she was about to say.
"Ha! Let the lass be! Novigrad is only half a day's ride once you crossed the Border, plenty of time if you ask me!" Phillip exclaims.
She watches as Sasuke begins to massage the bridge of his nose before sighing.
"Fine," Sasuke replies before looking at her.
"I'll let you decide if you want to race,"
Her eyes widen at what he said, and a smile appears on her face, before being replaced with excitement as she glances back at the Baron.
"Alright then Baron, If I win I'll get the horse, and if you win… I'll let you have my sword," She proposes with an excited look on her face.
"Now that's the spirit!" Phillip exclaims before continuing "I'll grab my horse, after that meet at the entrance of Crow's Perch, I'll tell you where we start the race."
She nods her head at the Baron, she then glances at Sasuke before flashing him a joyous smile, as she chooses a horse in the stable that she would use in the race.
Sasuke Uchiha
'This is a waste of time,' he thought to himself as he watches from the sidelines as the race was about to begin.
Currently, he along with the rest of the Baron's men are located near a village called Heatherton just northwest of Crow's Perch, according to the Baron whoever reaches the Abandoned Tower below the hill first, wins the race.
"Are you two ready!?" Sergeant Ardel shouts.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Cirilla exclaims, he could feel the excitement in her voice.
"Get on with it!" Phillip exclaims.
"Alright then! Mount up!"
He sighs as he watches Cirilla and the Baron mount their horses, he could hear the crowd chanting their names as the race was about to start.
"Come on, Ciri! Don't you embarrass us!"
"My Crowns is on you, Baron!"
"Ready! Go!" Sergeant Ardal exclaims starting the race.
He watches as Cirilla's horse gallops faster than the Baron as she takes the lead in the impromptu race, he could already see her slowly disappearing into the distance and the Baron not far behind her.
He once again sighs as he sat down on a tree stump that was right next to him. He glances at the Sargeant who was approaching him, he merely raised an eyebrow when the Sargeant sat right next to him and begins to strike up a conversation with him.
"Sasuke right?" Sergeant Ardal asks.
He nodded his head as a sign of confirmation.
"You know, you're very lucky to have a lass like that."
He looks at the Sergeant oddly, he was about to deny the man's assumption but decides that it would just be a waste of time explaining their relationship. Instead of answering he merely looks back in the direction where Cirilla and the Baron started their race.
"Ah! I take it you're worried about your lass, right?" Sergeant Ardal said while nodding his head, "I know the feeling well, you see before I was drafted to the army I was courting this young lass in…"
He stops paying attention to the Sergeant as he begins to spread his Chakra, he can already feel the people around him including the ones in the village, he could already sense that Cirilla was ahead of the Baron by a wide margin.
He narrows his eye when he felt something huge approaching Cirilla and the Baron, he was about to stand up when one of the Baron's guards start yelling at them.
"There was a flying monster in the Tower! We must go now! Both of them are fighting it as we speak!"
His lone eye narrows as he adds Chakra to his legs and feet before jumping into the nearest tree branch.
"What the-!"
"Whoa-!"
He could hear the guard's shocked voices but he paid them no mind as he begins to hop from tree branch to tree branch getting closer and closer to where the fight is happening.
Once he reaches the Abandoned Tower he could see the Baron and Cirilla facing what appears to be a green-colored reptilian-like creature with wings and a head of a bird. He took note of the creature's attack patterns using its wings as a swinging weapon and its long and sharp talons as it flies around them.
He was about to step in but stops as he watches Cirilla dodge, parry, and counter-attack the creature with well-executed precision, deciding to trust Cirilla with the flying creature he chooses to stay and observe instead.
'Show me what you can do, Cirilla,' he thought as he watched the fight, 'I'll step in should the need arises, but for now on I'll observe.'
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon/Ciri
She was ahead of the Baron already, her blood was pumping as she could feel the wind blowing past her face as she accelerates faster, she quickly glances behind her and notices the Baron was slowly but surely catching up to her.
"HYA!"
She urges her horse to go faster, the fences and the guards guarding the road are starting to get blurry as her speed is steadily increasing, she keeps her gaze fixed in front of her as she begins to see the outline of the Abandoned Tower already.
She slowly decreases her speed as she was getting closer to the Tower, she smiles as she glances behind her and notices that the Baron was just now catching up to her, with one final push she urges her horse to go forward and finish the race.
"Ha! Look's like I won!" she exclaims while dismounting on her horse.
"You're wind, not woman!" Phillip exclaims as he begins to walk towards her, "Worthy of the best horse! The mare is yours!"
"Thank you-" she stops when a loud screeching is heard from inside the Tower, she raises her hand to stop the Baron from talking.
"What?" Phillip asks.
"Hear that?"
A large green-scaled creature emerges from within the Tower, flying above them as it landed in front of them.
"It's a Basilisk!" she exclaimed while grabbing the sword on her back, she watches as the Baron does the same.
"Heh! If I don't survive this you can take whatever you want from the Fortress." Phillip exclaims with a small grin etched on his face.
"You'll survive!" she replies while readying her stance as the Basilisk is starting to approach them.
"Very well! Then let's show this bastard what we're worth!" Phillip exclaims as he charges into the Basilisk.
The Basilisk flew into the air momentarily stunning them both as the beast flew over their head, she watches in anticipation as the beast circles around them.
Seeing as she can't hit it in midair she decides to grab a rock before aiming it at the beast, she threw the rock into the beast hitting it on the head and gaining its attention.
She rolls to the left as the beast uses its long talons to try and grab her, she watches as the Basilisk flew higher into the air, and her eyes widen at what the creature was about to do.
"Be ready! The beast is about to land!" she exclaims at the Baron and the few guards who made it in time.
She watches with bated breath as the creature keeps on circling above them, her eyes hardened as she predicts that the beast will land on top of her, she prepares to jump as the creature was about to land, and she rolls to the left before engaging the now ground level Basilisk.
She swipes her sword down onto the beast's left-wing injuring it momentarily, she kept her head low as the creature swipes its right wing across her, recovering quickly she dashes forward and tries to poke one of its eyes out.
The Basilisk screeches as it once again flew into the air, this time however its flight pattern became more erratic with its injured left wing.
"Pick up some rocks and throw them at the beast!" she exclaims.
She watches as the Baron and his guards begin throwing rocks at the Basilisk, while she knew this wouldn't do much because of its hardened scales, it does however provide a distraction for the creature, irritating it and forcing it to engage them.
The Basilisk screeches as it dives in front of her, she dodges to the right just in time as the creature tries to grab her.
She watches as the Basilisk land right in front of the Baron, who in turn swung his sword on the beast's head, the now enraged Basilisk slashes its wing at the Baron knocking him down, and the beast then jumps on top of the Baron trying to bite his face off.
Seeing the creature distracted she ran to its blindspot attacking it from behind, she grabs her sword with both hands performing a diagonal slash severing its tail.
The Basilisk cries in agony as it now focuses its attention on her, seeing the creature about to slash her once again, she positions the flat side of her blade in front of the creature while her left-hand pushes the other end of the blade creating a make-shift shield.
Flesh meets silver as the Basilisk swings its wing on her, a loud clang can be heard as she was forced back from the blow, thinking quickly she twisted her body so that she can perform a back roll minimizing the damage at the same time keeping her upright.
Her eyes narrow at the beast and her grip on the hilt tightens in anticipation. To her surprise, the creature decides to retreat from the Tower while dragging the Baron with it.
"AHH! FUCK!" Phillip screams as he flew higher into the air.
Sasuke Uchiha
'She doing very well,' he thought to himself as he watches the fight atop the tree branch.
He took note of Cirilla's strategy, distracting the creature and forcing it to fight on land, disabling it by attacking its wings first, and keeping her eyes on the creature anticipating its attack patterns while it is flying.
What caught his attention however was her skills in leadership, which she seems to channel unconsciously as the fight progresses.
'Would you look at that, the men are following her lead without them even realizing it.' he lightly smiles as Cirilla took charge of the situation and quickly develops a strategy in the middle of the fight.
As the battle continues, he internally debated whether or not he should help them. Cirilla seems to be doing great at the moment, and the Baron despite his size is surprisingly fast and agile enough to dodge the creatures' attacks.
His lone eye narrows as the creature took the Baron and flies him on top of the Tower. Taking this as his cue to help he adds Chakra to his legs he jumps down from the tree and runs straight into the Tower, just as he was about to call Cirilla's name she disappears in a flash of green light.
'Is that how her powers work? Some kind of instant teleportation?' he thought to himself.
As he was getting closer to the Tower, he could hear at the top of the tower what appears to be the sound of flesh getting sliced and then silence as the creature's screeching finally stopped.
He decides to wait for Cirilla and the Baron to get down on the Tower.
His eye narrows as he notices the look of fear and worries written all over Cirillas' face, he withdrew from saying anything as he walks toward her.
He watches as her eyes widen when she notices his approach.
"We need to leave this place now," Cirilla said with a hint of urgency in her voice.
"Fine, we will talk once we're back in Crow's Perch."
Cirilla nods her head as she begins to mount her horse.
"What?" he asks Cirilla with a hint of frustration in his voice.
They were back in Crow's Perch, the moment they dismount their horses Cirilla ran straight to the Baron's Estate. Sensing a problem he decides to follow Cirilla as she enters her room, he gently opens her door and watches as Cirilla began packing her things in a hurry.
He silently places a seal on her door for privacy, one thing led to another and now they are having an argument about withholding information pertaining to her powers.
"I… the Wild Hunt can track me every time I use my powers," Cirilla mumbles quietly to herself.
"Why am I being informed of this now? I could have stepped in if I knew that a single use of your powers could be tracked."
"What?! You were there the entire time! You should have help!"
He narrows his eye at her.
"That's it then? You expect me to save you every time you're in trouble? Was everything really handed to you on a silver platter as I suspected?" he asks while narrowing his eye at her, Cirilla glances at the floor averting her gaze from his eye, "I was watching you, seeing how you will react under pressure. If you can't even trust me with simple information like this, how can you expect me to help you?"
"Trust…" Cirilla mumbles the word before looking up and staring straight into his lone eye, an angry expression can be seen on her face, "Trust?! You speak of trust when I don't know anything about you!"
Cirilla began walking straight towards him, her eyes never leaving his.
"I am practically an open book right now! Hell, I'm willing to wager that you know more about what is happening to me, compared to my closest friends!"
He watches as Cirilla began pacing back and forth. She stops as she took a deep breath before exhaling trying to calm her nerves.
"Yes, you came from a different world, and yes I need your help." Cirilla stops pacing as she looks directly into his eye again, "But you know what, trust is not a one-way street Sasuke. You can't just expect everyone to put their faith in you just because you demand it."
Silence reigns as Cirilla turn her back on him, the only sound that can be heard in the room is her shallow breath.
He internally sighs as he digests what Cirilla just said and in all honesty, he can't blame her.
He was raised in a world where deception is as common as breathing. Wars and territorial disputes occur on a regular basis, and in a way, it shapes his beliefs to become more guarded when it comes to his secrets.
He mentally weighs his options, revealing some information about himself would not really harm him in the slightest, in fact since he will be traveling with her having someone you can trust will be beneficial.
On the other hand, choosing to not say anything and let Cirilla guess wouldn't necessarily harm him now, it might however create a negative impact in the long run.
'If that is the case then choosing the former would be more beneficial,' his inner musing was cut off when he heard Cirilla sigh.
He watches as she turns around to face him, a heavy look can be seen on her face.
"Look, I'm sorry-"
"My name-"
They both stare at each other as they both speak at the same time, seeing this he raises his hand signaling for Cirilla to wait as he begins to speak.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I am what is called a Shinobi, trained in the arts of assassination, espionage, and stealth. I have a power that is called Chakra which grants me the abilities you see me do…" he stops as he glances at the window before continuing, "That is all that I'm willing to share with you…" he then glances back at Cirilla, "For now."
Cirilla's eyes widen at the amount of information he gives, slowly her lips began to curl upwards and a small smile can be seen on her face.
"My name is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon the daughter of…" she stops as she took a deep breath before continuing "The daughter of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis of Nilfgaard. I was trained by a witcher named Geralt in a place called Kaer Mohren. I have the Elder Blood which grants me the ability over time and space, which includes dimension travel and as you saw earlier instantaneous teleportation."
While he already knew about the Elder Blood and Witchers with the help of the book that he read, what surprises him however was Cirilla's parentage.
He raised an eyebrow before speaking.
"Does this mean I'll be referring to you as Princess now?" he asks with an amused expression.
"You may do so peasant," Cirilla quips back, before smiling and giggling at what she said.
A comfortable silence enters the room as Cirilla's emotional outbursts start to dwindle. Cirilla lightly coughs getting his attention.
"As I was saying earlier I would like to apologize for not telling you how the Wild Hunt can keep track of me…" Cirilla began, "Truth be told, it has been a long time since I manage to relax and unwind like this, that I… forgot to tell you about it."
He watches as Cirilla lowers her gaze to the floor. He sighs as he begins to massage the bridge of his nose.
"Just… try not to forget any important information like this next time,"
Cirilla nods her head and smiles lightly as she begins to pack her things. He removes the seal and opens the door as he heads to his room to get his satchel.
It was already midday when Cirilla finishes packing her things.
Currently, he was waiting for her near the stable as he was just done picking his horse. He then glances at the sky checking the weather and estimating the time of their arrival in Novigrad.
'If what the Baron said is true, then we should make it to Novigrad before nighttime approaches,' he mussed 'Assuming that we will have no delays going there that is.'
He hears multiple footsteps approaching the stables. He glances to the side and saw Cirilla along with the Baron walking toward him.
"I nearly forgot to give you this," Phillip said as he handed him a piece of paper, "It's a border pass with my name on it, the guards there should let you through."
He nods his head while taking the paper and putting it inside his satchel.
"Wait," Phillip continues as he handed him another piece of paper, "I found this in Tamara's room. This is the only clue that I got should you… decide to look for my daughter."
He opens the note and reads the contents inside.
Eternal Fire, which lighteth our hearts and giveth us light, Heat us with Thy warmth, Dry our tears, Burn our foes, Embraces our friends in Thy care. Give my mother health, Punish my father, Help me fulfill my destiny.
He raised an eyebrow at what is written inside.
'Some sort of ritual? Or maybe a prayer?' he thought to himself as he glances at the Baron before asking him what he knows about the note.
"Eternal Fire? What's that?" he asks while glancing at the Baron and Cirilla.
"I think it's the Church of the Eternal Fire, it's a popular religion in Novigrad," Cirilla replies.
"So what? She decides to become a priestess of this… church?" he asks while looking at the Baron.
"Ha! Knowing Tamara she would rather fight me than stay inside a church and pray for the rest of her life," Phillip exclaims with amusement in his voice, "Oh right! Your rewards as promised!"
The Baron handed him a large pouch, he grasp the pouch and felt that it was filled with coins.
"That's 3000 Crowns right there!" Phillip exclaims "I added a little extra for saving my arse when that monster attacked us." Phillip said while glancing at Cirilla, "What you did back there, I shall never forget it."
"You let us stay in your quarters, gave us food, and supplies. I say we're even now." Cirilla replies with a smile on her face.
Phillip smiles and nods his head before continuing.
"Another thing, don't worry about the orphans they are safe here. My wife likes to take care of them so I'm planning to build another house here."
He nods his head to the Baron before glancing at Cirilla.
"Here," he gave the pouch to her, "Keep it safe for now, well be splitting it in half later."
He watches her eyes widen before taking the pouch and putting it inside her bag.
"I guess this is goodbye now," Cirilla said while looking at the Baron.
"Seems so, good luck on your journey," Phillip replies while looking at the both of them.
He nodded his head in response as he mounted his horse, he watches as Cirilla does the same on her Black Mare. Once they are near the second gate of Crow's Perch Cirilla began asking him questions.
"So, you promise to help the Baron find his daughter?" Cirilla asks with a grin on her face.
He narrows his eye at her.
"I said no such thing," he replies while fixing a glare at her.
"Sure you don't, I bet that you found something in the Baron that made you want to help him, right?"
He didn't answer as he fix his gaze on the road in front of him.
"Ha! I knew it! Deep down underneath that impassive and cold face was a kind-hearted soul willing to help those in need!" Cirilla exclaims with a teasing tone.
He merely grunted in response as he urges his horse to go faster, all the while he could hear Cirilla's laughter as she slowly catches up to him.
AN: Sorry for the late update guys, my job forces me to do overtime. I tried finishing this within the week but my body just collapse as soon as I hit the bed. For now, I will have to change my update schedule from once a week to once every two weeks. Again sorry about that...
Alright, now let's talk about Sasuke's character development as he is slowly revealing information about himself to Ciri! Well... Sasuke being Sasuke, he reveals the bare minimum about himself lol.
Lastly, I keep forgetting that I create pat-re-on. If you want, you can visit it at /Supbro06
With that out of the way have a nice day and enjoy reading!
