The Earth felt cold; stone creased into the fine artesian leather boots and slashed through the holes. Air was thinned and created a thousand cuts down each lung. Gravity pressed down ten fold, it crushed bones and brought kings to their knees.
A dozen boys, not men, scattered without a limb attached to their frames. Their blood slithered to a single spot. The pool continued to be dripped into, numb and broken fingers created a tether to this Earth. Enough swords, maces, and axes scattered in bone, rock, and armor to defend a village.
More clatters of steel and silver echoed a mere mile away. The air only turned colder with each second that passed, and as the sounds turned louder. The embers that rose these weapons of war was long dispersed. Now all that remained for revenge was the devilish thoughts that conjured them.
The only boy without a sword impaled or a limb lobbed off dropped limp as a seizure eroded his body. His body went cold, a cold that the weather didn't inflict.
"But I wasn't a boy, was I?" The man murmured as he sat up. He warped the blanket to the side and twisted to the side of his bed.
Like every other day his body ached and felt heavy. His piercing muscles though slimmed out his figure still fat equivalent in blubber. The scars his body endured through the years still burned as if they were fresh. The chain patterned healed burn marks around his wrists and hands felt as though the hot metal has never left.
His blazed eyes stared blankly at his knight stand. A pair of swords rested against the finely etched wood. Short blades half the sides usually carried by his kind, but matched in the common material. Steel and silver.
The sounds of steel outside could be recognized as white noise to him. A medallion of a cat rested peacefully around the handle of the silver blade. The faint hallowed screams echoed through the charm, screams that couldn't leave.
A knock took over those screams, his daze left the steel and to the door across the room. "Come in." The man groaned as he got up, both of his knees cracked in the process.
"Master Witcher." A man's scared voice came behind the slit of the door. His eyes watched the floors as he stepped in the hut.
"I'm not going to kill you for disturbing me." The Witcher responded. He walked over to the armor on the dresser and started to slide on the unique designs.
"A-Another one of your kind washed ashore."
He tightened his gauntlet till the circulation of blood stopped. His eye twitched as he adjusted and latched the piece of leather. He looked down over to his blades.
"Did this one carry the same medallion as me?"
"Aye, this one carried it on their hip. Though they are unconscious. We did as we were told though! Left 'em right on the sand, we did!"
The Witcher grabbed his blades and slung them over his back. His legs stormed to the door; his veins floored blood throughout his skull, and sent volts down his neck. The man skirted aside for the beast to push through.
It was barely the crack of dawn I'm the sea side village. A small and remote colony inside Skellige. Snow covered the snow but left the beach and water alone. Still cold but a full fledged winter was months away.
He made a direct path to the water, and right there laid the body the man spoke of. Most of the other residents stayed in their homes. A few brave enough to peak out their windows. And less waited outside by their doors.
His motions slowed once his boot hit that frozen sand. His body started to deesculate and regulate to normal levels. He looked over to another resident close to the grounded Witcher.
"What the hell is this?" The Witcher asked the man with his sword still close to his side.
"A Witcher," He gulped down his fears and pointed at their hip. "See? She carries the same medallion as yours."
He stepped up to the fallen one's side and kicked her over on her back. Ashen hair and a large scar om her cheek. He knelt down to her side and pried open on of her eyes.
"There's only one girl with green eyes and white hair." He dropped his sword on the sand and reached for her belt.
"Woah there!" The man jerked forward only for the Witcher to grab his sword and hold it up to the man's neck. "That goes too far Master Witcher! I can't sit by and let you do that."
"Relax dumbass I'm not doing that."
He sheathed the sword this time and went back to her belt. He unclasped the metal and loosened her corset. His hesitation began at the waistband of her pants. His eyes closed and he pulled down one side.
"Don't let it be." He muttered to himself. His eyes opened to her bare thigh. "Fuck. Get a woman of the village to take her in and warm her up." He quickly redid the actions he undid.
"What's there? What'd you see there."
"A rose tattoo on her hip." He scooped under the girl's legs and head and stood with her. "She ain't no Witcher." He walked over to the man and dropped her in his arms. "She used to be my student."
"Right away Master Witcher." The man nearly slid right into the side with his twist.
But he couldn't waste any time to worry about the poor sap. He looked into that empty vast sea that this small island lived in. He knew his student and knew her well. If she's around and hurt there's trouble behind her.
He returned to the village where several of the residents waited for him, by a house Ciri was surely placed in. Their faces didn't show any remark of happiness. The anger they possessed, for once they might revolt against him. A weapon or two was poorly hidden behind the women.
"Aye, who the hell is that woman?" one of the men snapped, his foot stopped forward.
"She'll be out of here by the time she wakes up." The Witcher eyed down the brave soul.
The untrained and barely labored man backed down. "And when will that be? One Witcher is bad enough but you keep the monsters away. Two Witchers, I can't fathom the horror."
"She ain't no Witcher. A Witcher hasn't been made in years. She's far too young."
"We'll see to it that she's awake without a fever and healthy." one of the older women stepped up, her stare was confident. Stronger than the man before her. "We don't need trouble from the gods for pushing a young lass as herself out."
"Good answer." The Witcher turned from the group and to his own cabin. "Alert me when she wakes."
"Will do Witcher. Will do."
He couldn't sleep for the night. His amulet pressed firmly in his hands with his sword in sight. Whatever she ran into that forced her here, no boat in sight, nor wreckage, or even a mage in her presence.
Luckily for him nothing came of the worries. His medallion remained limp and the weather didn't freeze over. The knock from the door came to be before any of that. The same older woman stepped through the doorframe before he could answer.
"She's awake." Was all she said then closed the door with her exit.
He looked over to the swords at the night stand. Ended up without the swords as he left the building himself. He followed behind the elder to what the people called a steam house.
"The lass doesn't appear to be all that hurt, a few bruises and cuts but nothing I couldn't handle myself." the woman said without a look back. She grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it open. "She's in there with a few of the other ladies."
He stepped through the entry way and down the small hall. It blazed hot and white steam obstructed view. But nothing that had the chance to blind him or a dog. He saw the three woman inside the sauna. Their chat was peaceful, something he didn't anticipate.
One or the woman finally looked up and screamed. She quickly realized who it was and caught her breath.
"Master Witcher! Please you know these are hours for the women before the men." She scoffed at the man and quickly grabbed the towel by her to cover her chest.
"Witcher?" The ashen hair woman turned with confusion. Her eyes widened at their lock with his. She sprung from her bench and jumped at the man. Her arms locked around his neck and her head planted into his chest.
He didn't embrace her back. His eyes remained up into the ceiling with his arms by his side. "Ciri please, some clothes."
"Oh yes." She quickly hopped off him and went back to the bench for her own towel. "I completely forgot about your intimacy thing." she slightly laughed.
"It's not that, you're a daughter to us Witchers." He sighed.
"A Witcher-s' having a daughter? Always heard they lacked the any emotional compacity to having anything like a child." The older woman side eyed the Witcher and grinned just out of his side.
"That's a common misconception. They can love, care for others, they're just really good at hiding their emotions." Ciri laughed, obviously poking at the bear right in front of her.
"Justing hiding their emotions? Wonder if my husband is a Witcher then." The younger one laughed.
"How are you feeling, Ciri? I'm told it's nothing serious physically. But none of the others saw a boat in their shores."
The girl stopped in her steps. Her head was slightly down as she turned back to him. "I'm sorry, Sebbi. I'm in, you guessed it, trouble."
He looked over to the woman and back at Ciri. He stepped to her and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. The Witcher began to force her movement.
"Come on, after a hot steam it's common to jump into the cold spring just outside."
He lured her to the spot, only to undo his grasp on her and lock the door behind their exit. He turn back at her and motioned at the water. She nodded in response, turned her back to him, and walked into the ice cold water.
"Damn that's freezing, but surprisingly really good." She sighed in relief and lower her body deeper into the water. "Been so long since I've experienced one of these."
"What the hell happened Cirilla?"
"Cirilla, been so long since I experienced you calling me that."
"Did something happen to Geralt? Or any other of the Wolf?"
"The Wild Hunt." Her eyes locked in with his, the fear and hatred seeped through her pupils. "They're following me. And I'm not sure how long till they discover me here. I need to find my friend, right now he's the only one that can help me. But we got seperated once we teleported to Skellige."
"Fuck." Sebbi moved to the close by bench and plopped down. His back rested along the wooden fence and threw his had back into it. "What's the average time that they usually find your last location. I have no doubt they're picking up on the path your power leaves behind."
"On a quick jump they could find me within a day or two. Long jumps usually a week."
"Alright worse case we have a few hours to at least get you out of her and onto a boat." He pushed up from his legs and walked over to the edge of the pond. "I can get you some coin for hopefully a boat. I'll lend you my horse to escape."
"Do you want me to alert Geralt right now? to find you and help you?"
"I can put Geralt or Vesimer or anyone else in danger." Her eyes faded from his. "I'm already risking your safety and everyone else's here."
He knelt down and grinned his right side wide open. "Oh little one, I've been running all my life. Trust me. Now, get dried up and dressed."
He made his way outside first and waited by the door. He saw the same beefed up youngster from the previous night. The boy was brushing the horses as well as restocked their hay.
"Boy!" The Witcher yelled out.
He jumped at the scream but recouped and jogged back to him. "What is it Master Witcher, how can I help."
"Gather my horse, make sure the saddle it perfect and she has a good snack before she trots out here." He poked his chest but didn't move his finger back. His eyes spoke through the soul of the kid. "Warn everyone to get ready to back and leave for a few days. I don't care where or what they leave behind. It won't be worth fighting over."
"What's going on Master Witcher? I can do the first thing no problem but, the others are going to see it as a threat than a warning."
"If they won't run, tell them to board up their windows and brace the doors. The first sent of a freeze they need to do so."
"Right away!" The man sprinted back to the stable, in the process nearly fell and tumbled into a snowbank.
The Witcher sighed and shook his head as he walked back to his house. His medallion started to hum, just ever so slightly. He froze in spot, his arms extended off his sides and palms toward the seas. The tingle of the cold brushed against his flesh.
His body took off, mad man's sprint to his home. He lowered his shoulder and charged clean through the door. The instincts he accumulated grabbed his swords and back out into action.
Sebbi saw the worse of what he could imagine. Within those seconds the grounds became frozen and ice shards formed everywhere. He held his silver sword like a javelin and hurled it at the newly formed portal.
The sword was paried and lodged into a snow bank. Giants compared to the average man stepped through. Ebony and bone designed heavy steel covered their human like bodies. They surveyed the area as their monstrous dogs set rampage to the area.
The people's screamed could still be heard as they all ran to their homes. Sebbi sprinted after the sweat lodge where the man, Ciri, and his horse waited. He grabbed Ciri's foot of her mounting body and hurled it over for her.
"Up the hill and never look back!" He shouted. He turned to the lad and handed him his sword. "Go with her or protect! There's no wrong answer!"
He grabbed the daggers from his gauntlets and swirled behind with them pointed out. The blades entered the exposed stomach of one of the creatures. He pushed the creature forward and turned back around.
"I'm not lea-" Ciri screamed but got interrupted as Sebastien smacked the horse's rear. It screamed and charged into the hills.
"I'll stay by your side Master Witcher!" The man nodded, his body shook in fear through every word.
"Just don't let a single one get her!"
He pushed up with the lad into the infestation of monster and man alike. All of them in that same black armor. An aard blast sent a shockwave back of a group. He jumped on one of the men and slit his throat.
Sebastien grabbed the man's dropped sword and looked back at the lad. He flipped his dagger around and chucked it through the neck gab in his opponent's armor. He returned to his own view and blocked another attacker.
He knocked the sword back with one dagger and sliced down and through the man's chest. One of the creatures managed to jump on his back and attempt for a chomp. Luckily he shoved the dagger inside its mouth and a igni blast right after.
Sebbi cocked his back foot and twirled in a circle. His hand gathered the snow and chucked it into the eye line of the men. A few stepped back for a clear kill shot to both of them. The Witcher pushed further in. He looked for his one partner but couldn't see him.
Now the obvious leader and Sebastien stood only mere feet from each other. One of the men stepped forward, club in one and and shield in the other. His leg locked forward and swung the club down.
In the same instance he charged the quen sign before the blast could connect. His shield shattered and sent him back. He couldn't react in time as two more of the creatures bit down on his shoulders.
The man walked forward as if the Witcher held nl threat to him. "Where's the girl?" The man's voice was deep, almost fake.
Sebbi dropped his head back to see the sky. "Girl? What she look like?"
The man knelt down to him and locked Sebbi's face back to him. A hard back hand across his jaw followed suit. "Your life means nothing. I can make your last minute painless or painful."
"Fuck you."
The man stood up and brought his weapon to his shoulder. "Humans are a mistake on the planet."
A wild shriek came from behind. A long silver blade came from behind Sebastien. Blood spurted into the snow and suddenly his right shoulder became free.
He casted an axi to free the second beast and recouped his dagger. The blade stabbed through the creature's head. Sebastien grabbed his partner's collar and heaped him back to his feet.
"To the manor!"