Chapter 2: History and the Path

Upon reaching the inn, Ciri went to the bar to get food and drink while Jon secured an empty table in the back for the two of them to talk in private. Jon settled down on the side of the table closest to the wall and waited. As he waited, he watched the interaction between Ciri and the innkeeper, making sure she didn't try to leave. After a few minutes, Ciri approached the table carrying a serving of stew and ale for each of them. Jon removed his hat and the cloth covering his face, revealing it for the first time to Ciri. He accepted the offered food and drink and began to dig in for it was his first true meal in a long time.

Ciri was slightly taken aback by his appearance but did not show it outwardly. Jon had an appearance that Ciri would label as attractive, with a pale white face, hazel eyes and dark brown hair. Tearing her eyes away from him, Ciri too began to eat her meal, pleasantly surprised by how good it was. And so, the two sat in silence, each eating their meal, waiting for the other to break the silence, letting the tension in the air grow.

Jon finished his meal an put his spoon down, finally deciding to break the tension. "So. You said that you would tell me about your powers after we ate."

Ciri nodded. "I did, but it is a complicated and long tale."

"We have all night."

Ciri smiled. "I suppose we do." Ciri paused and looked away from Jon, gathering her thoughts. "My powers come from my Elder Blood, which comes from my distant relation to the Aen Elle Elves. It grants me the power to travel through time and space, which includes traveling to other worlds. Awhile back, when I was fleeing from my enemies, I traveled to many different worlds, which allowed me to tell if something was not from the world. It's a feeling of something being out of place, where the place is the world itself. It goes away if the person or thing spends a significant amount of time there."

Jon was silent, listening and contemplative, especially about the apparent part about blood. "It seems that I cannot get away from powerful blood. Since you have returned, I take it your enemies no longer pursue you?"

Ciri filed away that comment about powerful blood for later. "Yes, about a year ago I confronted them on the islands of Skellige, where me and my friends were able to kill them."

"I sense that is not all there is to the story."

"No, but it is my turn to ask a few questions. Don't give me that look, you will get your chance to ask. Now tell me, where are you from?"

Jon was silent for a moment as he gathered his thought. "The world where I come from doesn't really matter, except of the last city I was in: Yharnam. To know the full tale, I must first tell you of the background of Yharnam, or rather what I know of it. That damned city was built upon a large labyrinth built by an ancient civilization, which would be later known as either the Chalice Dungeons, or the more dramatic Tomb of the Gods as the church would come to call it. The Dungeons were first explored by the scholars of Byrgenwerth, who in them found chalices filled with blood that they should have left well enough alone. But they didn't, and brought the blood to the surface, where it was discovered that the blood had the power of healing. And so, the Healing Church was born, dedicated to the gods who left their blood in the chalices. They were able to use this blood to heal any wound and any illness, it was 'miraculous'."

Ciri was intrigued by the tale and listened intently. "I take it that there were problems with this 'blood of the gods' then?"

Jon nodded. "Not long after the blood was found, the Scourge of the Beasts began to spread throughout Yharnam. It struck seemingly randomly and with little warning. Old Yharnam was overrun and had to be abandoned to the beasts. A solution was found in the form of the Hunter's Workshop. They were individuals who would strengthen themselves with the blood of the Church and go out to hunt the beasts, culling their population. After the Workshop Hunters died out, the Healing Church founded its own branch under the command of Ludwig, whom brought the Yharnamites in to the hunts for additional manpower."

"So, these hunts were going on constantly then?"

"No. They hunts would only happen during a major outbreak of the Scourge. During such time the Church would wall themselves off and Yharnamites would barricade themselves indoors. Anyone caught outside during the night of the hunt would be killed along with the beasts. The nights of the hunt only ended with the end of the hunt. They could be a few days, a few weeks, or a few months. Day would not break until the hunt was ended, that was universal for all hunts."

Ciri was silent as she thought about the information given, especially the never-ending nights. It sounded like very powerful magic to keep a city in constant night, but none she had ever heard of. "And where do you fit into this story?"

"I came to Yharnam seeking treatment for a wasting illness. When I arrived, I was so frail from my illness that I could barely move. I was taken to one of the many clinics in Yharnam and there I signed a contract. In exchange for a blood transfusion, I would serve as a Hunter. Having no alternative, I signed it." Jon paused, took a shaky breath and continued. "I do not know how long the night was, but many Yharnamites I spoke to said it was the longest in living memory. I slew many beasts during the hunt and met many hunters in various states of insanity. I sought the source of the hunt, but there are patches in my memory. I know I achieved victory and found the source of the hunt, but I do not remember what I fought or what I learned about its nature. It feels like something is blocking my memories."

Ciri took in the tale that was told to her and one missing fact stood out to her. "How did you survive? You imply that you had no skill prior to coming to Yharnam and yet you said you became one of the most successful Hunters of the most recent hunt. How did you gain this knowledge so quickly? Or did the night go on for that long?"

Jon was silent as he contemplated Ciri's question, hesitant to answer. "It's not that I am against answering your question, it's that I am unsure if you would believe me."

"I faced down a multi-world ending threat and won, as well as face invaders from another world, and traveled to see many unique ones. I'm not against believing in some crazy shit."

Jon silently considered her answer and sighed. "I survived the night because I couldn't die."

"That's… not as out there as I expected. Explain."

Jon, surprised by Ciri's lack of disbelief, continued. "The contract I signed tied me to the Hunter's Dream. Upon death, hunters who dream return to the Hunter's dream, healed of the wounds that killed them besides a scar. I died many times during the hunt, more times than I could count. For every death, I got a little faster, a little stronger, and a little smarter, learning how my prey fought through shear trial and error. Hunters rarely receive training; it is do or die. And I died many times."

Ciri was silent as she contemplated this information. She had heard of immortal beings before, higher vampires and her father's recent adventures dealing with an immortal man coming to mind. "Not the most conventional immortality that I have heard of. Most of your fellow immortals just never die, with only higher vampires doing the whole 'come back to life' thing."

"I am not immortal anymore."

"What?"

"My contract has ended, so I no longer dream. I am no longer immortal."

"I see, so part of the contract was immortality then. How have you survived in this world then?"

"Correct. Through the skills, tricks, and tools I picked up in Yharnam. I didn't become too reliant on my ability to dream. I believe it is my turn to ask."

Ciri, annoyed that she didn't get all her questions answered, nodded. "Ask away."

"What is this multi-world ending threat that you spoke of?"

"It was known as the White Frost. It was an ever growing cold that spread across multiple worlds, destroying everything on them. With the help of an elven sage, I was able to travel to the source of the White Frost and destroy it. On the plus side, pretty much all my enemies and pursuers believed that I died during the destruction of the Frost, so that's something I no longer have to deal with."

"And who were these enemies and pursuers?"

"Well, the main ones where the Nilfgaardian Empire, the Wild Hunt, and the Aen Elle Elves. The Emperor of Nilfgaard wanted to marry me to secure the lands that I have claim to, the Wild Hunt wanted to use me to be able to travel to more worlds for conquest, and the Aen Elle want to breed me to produce elven children with the Elder Blood."

Jon chuckled darkly. "It seems that I am not the only one who has to deal with problems caused by blood."

Ciri smiled at the, admittingly poor, attempt at humor. She lifted her cup of ale. "A toast then. To blood cause more problems than it ever should."

Jon too lifted his mug. "Indeed." With that, both drank deeply from their cups.

Ciri put down her emptied cup. "I take it you are leaving tomorrow?"

Jon nodded. "Yes. I take it you are leaving as well?"

"Yes, I plan to make for Alverton to see if they have any contracts on offer. Are you heading that direction?"

Jon shrugged. "In truth I was planning on following the road to see where I end up. I have no map and no knowledge of the land."

"In that case, might I suggest that we travel together?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Shall we leave at dawn?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea." With that, both got up from the table and made their way to their adjacent rooms. "Good night Jon."

"Good night Ciri. May your dreams foretell a pleasant awakening." With that, Jon entered his room and made ready for bed.

Ciri, with Jon's odd phrase on her mind, entered her room and made ready for bed. Soon she climbed into bed and fell asleep shortly after, dreaming soundly of a pale red moon hanging low in the sky.

The Next Day:

Ciri woke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day. As she dressed, she vaguely remembered her odd dream of a pale red moon hanging low in the sky. Thinking nothing of it, for it was just a dream, she left her room to see if Jon had already awoken. Not seeing him, Ciri grabbed an ale and breakfast from the innkeeper and sat down, wait for Jon to appear. After a few minutes, Jon appeared from his room dressed in all but his hat and face covering. Jon soon made his way over to Ciri after grabbing breakfast and ale for himself, he sat down across from her and began to eat quickly and quietly. Ciri quickly return to her food, eating in silence as the village slowly began to wake up outside.

Finishing their meals, both Ciri and Jon stopped by the innkeeper to buy supplies for the road, and then left the inn without fanfare and made their way to the stables. Upon arriving, Ciri saw Kelpie exactly where she left her and next to her was a brown mare that Jon made his way towards. "I didn't think you had a horse considering that you arrived only a few weeks ago."

"She belonged to a group of bandits that thought it would be a good idea to try to rob me. I showed them the error of their ways."

"I am sure they learned quite well then." The two traveling companions then led their horses out of the stable where they mounted up, and rode out of the town.

After riding for several miles and Redwater had disappeared behind them, Jon turned to face Ciri as they rode. "You mentioned yesterday that you were a witcher, and that they are similar to the Hunters. What exactly makes someone a witcher?"

Ciri took a moment to gather her thoughts before replying. "A witcher is a professional monster hunter. Taken in as children, potential witchers are given intense physical and mental training, as well as consuming mutagenic and alchemical compounds to alter their bodies to be able to fight monsters on an even playing field."

Jon tensed at the mention of transformations. "I see. How much did this process modify you?"

"I did go through the entire process, largely because the process and formulas were lost by the time I was taken in. Also, the process was never intended to be used on girls, so even if it wasn't lost, the process would not have been used on me."

Jon relaxed. "I see. Is that why you still look human then?"

Ciri's expression hardened. "All witchers still look human after the transformation. They biggest noticeable change is their eyes look like that of a cat. Witchers are NOT inhuman mutants."

"I see. Forgive me if I caused offence. After my time in Yharnam, I am… uncomfortable with transformations."

Ciri's expression softened. "Sorry, I shouldn't have been short with you. Most of the peasantry hate witchers instinctively due to the mutations. They see us as greedy, inhuman monsters who would take their children away in the night." Looking to change the subject of the conversation, Ciri's gaze turned to the sword on Jon's back. "Your sword, does it have a name?"

Jon turned his head back towards the road. "Not really, it was known as the Holy Moonlight Sword. It belonged to Ludwig, the founder of the Church Hunters. He had transformed into a beast and was blocking my path, so I put him out of his misery. In his last breaths, he gifted his sword to me."

"An interesting tale. What's it made of?"

"I am unsure, but considering its origins, I believe that it is made of siderite, a material that fell from the heavens."

"And what are its origins?"

"Well it's… it's from. I.. I am unsure. I remember that I did learn of its origins, but not what the origins are. Just like the rest of my missing memories."

Ciri looked at Jon with sympathy. "It's okay. I'm sure your memories can be recovered. My adoptive father lost his memories many years ago and he was able to recover them."

"That's good to know." Jon looked to the sky and saw that it was nearly noon. "Shall we stop for lunch? It is nearly noon."

"Sure." Ciri then pulled her horse over to the side of the road and dismounted next to the meadow they had been riding past, with Jon quickly following suite. The two quickly worked together to start a fire, with Jon gathering wood and Ciri gathering food. Once Jon started the fire, using the lighter he normally reserved for his molotovs, Ciri set a pan over the fire and started to cook the sausages. As they cooked, Jon pulled out their reserves of water, setting on waterskin down besides Ciri and keeping one for himself. As Ciri cooked, she asked "So how good are you with your sword?"

Jon shrugged. "It's hard to say. I lost count of the amount of times I died while using it, but I think I got decent at using it. Why do you ask?"

Ciri, having finished the sausages, served them on two plates, giving on to Jon. "I was thinking, a friendly duel after lunch could be fun. Even experts need practice."

"I suppose that could be fun. It has been awhile since I used my blade, although dueling is not something Hunters typically do. Shall we do this 'duel' with only blade? No powers or other tools?"

"Agreed, no powers or your tools." With that, both Jon and Ciri dug into their food, eating the simple meal quickly. After finishing his meal, Jon put away his plate and started to pack away the cooking supplies. Finishing soon after, Ciri put out the fire and the rest of the cooking supplies. Once the cooking supplies were put away, Jon drew his Holy Moonlight Sword and made his way into the meadow, waiting for Ciri to join him.

Ciri soon drew her steel sword and made her way into the field, eventually standing across from Jon with several feet between them. As she approached she raised an eyebrow at Jon's stance: he rested the sword over his shoulder, leaving himself unguarded, and his feet were position like he was walking. On top of that, on hand was dangling by his side, holding nothing but looking like it should be holding something. Shrugging of the admittingly amateurish stance, thinking that Jon was trying to lull her into a false sense of security, Ciri assumed a proper dueling stance and waited for Jon to make the first move.

Jon, seeing that Ciri was ready to begin the duel, began to analyze his options. He considered waiting for her to attack, but ultimately decided against it. He did not equip his Evelyn, as he did not wish to hurt Ciri, so parrying was impossible. In the end, Jon realized that his only option was to attack, so he began to slowly walk forward toward Ciri, wanting to both get into range and to see how she would react.

Ciri was confused by Jon's decision to walk towards her but did not outwardly show it. Ultimately, she decided to let Jon make the first strike, as she believed that Jon was trying to lure her into striking first, which would not have been good.

Jon, feeling that he was close enough, quickly and suddenly thrust his sword forward, hoping to surprise Ciri. However, Ciri had been expecting such a move and Jon was surprised when she easily deflected the blade to the side, putting him off balance.

Seeing the sudden opening, Ciri slashed with her sword, aiming toward her off balanced opponent's neck. It was her turn to be surprised when Jon rolled out of the way of the strike and end up a few feet away from her. Deciding not to give up the initiative, Ciri launched herself towards Jon, sending a flurry of blows his way. Jon for his part backed up quickly, trying desperately to avoid the savage and quick blows while clumsily blocking those that he could not avoid. This state of affairs could not last forever, and Jon stepped into a hole in the ground, knocking him completely off balance and onto the ground. Ciri, capitalizing on the state of her opponent, brought her sword to his neck. "It appears that I win the round Jon."

Jon looked down at the sword next to his neck. "I suppose you do. It's a good thing you don't want me dead."

Ciri laughed at Jon's poor attempt at a joke, and removed her sword from his neck while offering a hand. "Don't get your hopes up. If you keep up that attitude you will find yourself with many new cuts."

Jon accepted the hand offered to him, and was pulled up by Ciri. "What attitude? I have been nothing but polite."

The two companions made their way to the horses, and Ciri turned to Jon to continue the conversation. "That's exactly it. You act too stiff, like a nobleman. You need to relax more."

"I will take it under consideration Madam Ciri, The Witcheress" was Jon's playful response.

Ciri playfully shoved Jon to the side playfully, smiling and amused by his antics. "Very funny." The two companions soon reached their horses and mounted up, continuing their journey. "I hope you don't get offended by me saying this, but you are not very good with that sword of yours."

Jon nodded in agreement. "I concur and I supposed it was to be expected. I wasn't fighting skilled swordsmen in Yharnam, just beasts and as I said last night, I never received formal training. And when I did encounter maddened Hunters or those who actually had skill, I mainly fought with my saw cleaver and other Hunter tools."

Ciri was silent for a few moments, thinking. "If you want, I could teach you how to use your sword properly."

Jon turn to her, surprised. "Truly? I would happily accept, but do we have enough time before we arrive in Alverton?"

"We can keep traveling together after Alverton. That way we would have all the time in the world for you to learn."

"In that case, I accept. I look forward to learning under you, Master Ciri."

"Call me that again and I will teleport you into the ocean."

Jon sat up straight, instinctively fearing the ocean. "Understood. Threat heard and acknowledged."

Ciri smiled at the suddenly fearful Hunter. "Good boy." She then rode ahead slightly. Leading the way towards Alverton.

Authors Note:

Hello, here is the second chapter. I probably would have written more but I just had 3 tests last week and I am still feeling dead from them.

As always, constructive criticism is a huge help, and if you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. Also, there were some formatting errors in Chapter 1 that I have gone back and fixed.