I do not own Witcher or any of the characters.
Rescue
Renfri groaned as she stirred, her eyes fluttering for nearly a minute before she opened them, wincing as her pupils filled her irises for a moment before shrinking down to slits, exposing the gold irises. Her eyes rolled around just ahead of her head turning, as though there were a lag in her reactions, but after a moment, she blinked and turned her head to Eldin, then Aralyn.
"I'm alive?" Renfri asked.
Elddin smiled, equal parts relieved, exhausted, and extatic. "You're more than that. You're the first new Witcher in over a century, and you're the first ever female Witcher."
Renfri nodded. "Explains why I feel wierd, and why everything looks off somehow."
Eldin and Aralyn freed Renfri's arms and legs, and Renfri sat up, both of them kissing her. They each held each other for a long while before helping her stand. She left for the keep's only usable washroom and got cleaned up and changed before they all headed out to the main hall. All conversation stopped, and everyone stared in a stunned silence for nearly a minute before cheering and rushing to embrace the newest Witcher. As they did, Eldin handed the recipe and instructions to Vesemir.
"You'll need a mage," Eldin said. "I recommend Triss."
Vesemir nodded and hugged him. "I knew you could do it. But what of Renfri? Did she take to her mutation like you?"
Eldin hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. She might have."
Vesemir nodded. "Geralt should be at the monestery by now."
Eldin nodded. "Aralyn, Renfri, time to go."
Both nodded, walking over to him, and Triss raised a hand, only for Aralyn to extend her own arm and open a portal. Renfri groaned.
"I fucking hate portalling," Renfri complained.
"You'll survive," Eldin smirked, walking through, Renfri and Angel both following.
When they arrived, they stopped, Renfri immediately leaning against a wall. Within seconds, Neneke and several others from the monestery had arrived, and Eldin unstrapped his sword, Aralyn likewise unstapping her weapons. Renfri took another moment to steady herself before passing her own swords to a monk, and he walked away with his load.
"Long time no see, Neneke," Eldin smiled.
"Indeed," Neneke smiled. "Who's the new one?"
"Renfri," Eldin smiled.
Neneke smiled, nodding. "Geralt should be to the left."
"Thank you," Eldin smiled, leading Aralyn and Renfri from the room.
"Where are we?" Renfri asked.
"The Temple of Melitele in Ellander," Eldin said. "I came here as a child to learn to cast Signs, though I'll be teaching you that personally."
Renfri nodded, smiling. After a few minutes, however, they stopped, Eldin and Renfri both sniffing.
"You smell that?" Renfri asked.
"Lilac and Gooseberries," Eldin said. "Yennifer's perfume, according to Geralt."
"These Witcher senses are wierd," Renfri said, looking around. "I think they went this way."
"Lead on," Eldin smirked.
Renfri rolled her eyes and followed the smell, but after a few minutes, they stopped as Eldin caught her arm as his medallion twitched faintly.
"What?" Renfri asked.
"I'm not sure," Eldin said, looking around, listening carefully. "Someone's using magic."
"Yennifer?" Renfri asked.
Eldin closed his hand around the medallion, then shook his head. "I don't think so. My instincts say trouble. You probably feel it, too. A scratching at the back of your brain if you focus on your other senses."
Renfri focused, then nodded. "And here I am without my swords."
"This way," Eldin said, making his way through the halls quickly, his medallion twitching a little more as they neared whatever it was sensing.
Then, it jumped agitatedly just as the roar of flames came from a room a few doors away. He ran for the door, the others following.
"Ciri!" Geralt's voice yelled, just before Eldin heard the telltale whoosh of Aard, the roaring crackle of flames, and the sounds of several armed, armored bodies bouncing around a room.
A moment later, Eldin and the others arrived, finding the same Mage who had attacked them at Kaer Morhen was present, along with several thugs.
"Well, if I'd known to follow you from Oxenfurt, it would have spared me a spy mission to Kaer Morhen," the mage said.
"Nice scar, shithead," a woman with raven hair and a black dress greeted the mage, Eldin able to reason this was Yennifer.
"Fire Fucker?" Geralt asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Yennifer confirmed.
"Take Ciri," Geralt said. "I'll find you afterwards."
"One for each of us," Eldin said. "Plus my rematch with Fire Fucker."
"Yeah," Geralt nodded, casting Renfri only a passing glance and making no comment.
"Shall we?" Renfri asked.
"Let's," Eldin nodded.
As one, the brothers charged, only for Eldin to blast one with a sword with Aard, sending him exploding backward into a pillar and breaking his back, his sword clattering to the ground in front of Eldin before he slid it to Renfri, who was the least skilled of the group at un-armed combat. She dodged a slash and kicked the sword up to herself, catching it in time to deflect her opponent's, killing him easily before tossing the sword to Aralyn. Aralyn caught it and used it to deflect her opponent's Trident before stabbing her opponent. At the same time, Geralt slammed a chop into his opponent's throat, crushing it.
As the other three were easily killing their opponents, Eldin advanced on the mage, using a second blast of Aard directly down into his first opponent's head and killing him. The mage narrowed his eyes, watching as the other three all died within another couple of seconds.
"I didn't anticipate four of you," the mage said.
"Your problem, not mine," Eldon said, snapping his arm up.
His Aard crashed into the mage's flames, failing to breach the barrier, but just as the flames cleared, Geralt's Aard exploded into him, hurling him away. He flipped, narrowing his eyes, then formed a portal. As he moved to step into it, however, Eldin formed the Yrden sign and a barrier appeared around it. The mage snarled in annoyance, turning and unleashing a stream of flames, only for Eldin to fire an Aard from both hands. This time, it passed through the flames easily and slammed into the mage, sending him crashing through the Yrden barrier and into the portal less than a second before it closed.
"Shit," Eldin sighed.
"Ciri!" Geralt growled.
They ran to the door Yennifer had taken Ciri through, Geralt blasting it open with Aard, and arrived just in time to see Yennifer disappear into a portal. Eldin looked around, spotting the mage stirring, but before he could finish him, the mage dropped into a portal on the floor and was gone. Eldin sighed, looking around, and within a minute, Nenneke had arrived and was talking to Geralt.
"What's the plan?" Renfri asked Eldin quietly.
"We're going after Ciri," Eldin said. "We just need our weapons."
"This way," Nenneke said, turning and walking them through the temple quickly to the storage room where their weapons awaited.
Once they'd gathered their things, everyone turnes to Geralt.
"Where to?" Eldin asked.
"Jaskier will no where to go," Geralt said.
Eldin nodded, and Nenneke opened a portal to Oxenfurt for them, allowing them all to pass through before closing it. After a few minutes of asking around, they'd found out that Jaskier was in the prison. Geralt entered alone so that he could avoid detection, and Eldin and the others settled in to wait. A few minutes later, he returned with Jaskier. They all left quickly, finding a stream where Jaskier quickly began to bathe.
"You could hang portraits off of my nipples right now," Jaskier said, inspecting his shirt and seeing blood on it. "You're the expert, how do I get blood out of my shirt?"
"Why was Yennefer in Oxenfurt?" Geralt asked flatly.
"Easier to get a new shirt," Eldin informed Jaskier. "If it's dried."
Jaskier sighed, nodding. "She was saving my life."
"What?" Geralt asked.
"Yeah, I know," Jaskier said, soaking and wringing out his shirt. "I'm as surprised as you are, seeing as I trust her about as far as I could wring her stringy, weird neck, but it's true. She risked her life for me. I always knew there was some deepee feeling for me beneath all that rage and...hair. She's got a lot of hair, that woman."
"What was her angle?" Geralt asked, ignoring Jaskier's commentary.
"Not an attractive one," Jaskier said. "She was on the run. She'd lost hee magic. She was almost tolerable."
"She lost her magic?" Geralt asked.
"Yeah, I know!" Jaskier laughed. "It was great!" He stopped. "Unless she was lying." His expression became exasperated. "Only just realizing now she might have been lying. Fuck!" He turned away as he yelled, walking along a line of stones out into the river, toward a cave. "Oh, Jaskier, you mororn!" He turned back toward them. "Because if she wasn't lying, then how did she magically disappear into thin air when she was imprisoned in the whorehouse?"
"Another mage could have portalled her," Aralyn offered.
"Tell me exactly what happened in Oxenfurt," Geralt said.
"Look, when the Redanian guards grabbed her, she muttered something about forests, and mothers, and huts, and then she just disappeared, so-"
"Turn your back to the forest, hut, hut?" Geralt asked suddenly, urgently.
"Turn your front to me, hut, hut," Jaskier finished. "Yeah, that's what she said."
"Voleth Meir!" Eldin snarled, then spat. "We need to go, now!"
"She's in league with the Deathless Mother," Geralt said.
"Well, she sounds like a hoot," Jaskier said as Eldin and Geralt began to run away from the river, Aralyn and Renfri at Eldin's side, Jaskier following as he pulled his jacket on. "Who is the Deathless Mother, Geralt?"
"A demon!" Eldin called back to him just before Jaskier caught up.
"The first Witchers were hired to imprison her," Geralt explained. "They entombed her in her hut."
"But someone's gone and opened the door," Jaskier said.
"Not yet," Eldin said. "We'd know if she was loose, but whatever her deal with Yennefer is, it'll end with Voleth Meir's escape, if Yennefer sees it..."
"What?" Geralt asked.
"Voleth Meir wants Ciri, just like all of the recent monsters," Eldin guessed. "And she promised to return Yennefer's magic if she brings Ciri to her."
Geralt shook his head. "She wouldn't."
"She would," Jaskier said. "You bet your bloated biceps she would."
"Voleth Meir is a demon that feeds on pain," Eldin reminded Geralt and informed the others. "What would hurt Yennefer more than sacrificing the Child Surprise of the man she loves, and then getting nothing in return?"
"We need to get to Cintra," Geralt said.
"Why?" Jaskier asked. "What's in Cintra?"
Just then, a sword spun out of the trees, barely missing Jaskier just before multiple dwarves stepped out around them, the one in the lead being a bald one with a ginger beard.
"Yarpen Zigrin," Geralt greeted him. "Your aim's gone to shit."
"And if it isn't the White fuckin' Wolf and the big fuckin' mouth," Yarpen greeted them in return, clasping Geralt's forearm, then looking around at the other dwarves. "Put your weapons down, numpty arseholes. This is an old friend."
"Uh, friends," Jaskier spoke up. "Plural."
"Aye," Yarpen nodded. "Friends. Good to see ya, Eldin the Unkillable Twat. Who're these lovely lasses?"
"Aralyn," Aralyn introduced herself, hand on her father's sword.
"Renfri," Renfri nodded, sword in-hand. "We belong to Eldin, so hands off."
"Lucky bastard," Yarpen grinned, then turned, leading them through the woods. "So, what are ya doin' out here in the middle o' east bloodg nowhere, you warlocks?"
"I could ask you the same question," Geralt responded. "Aren't you supposed to be the lord of a vassal state in Caingorn."
"Lording's for peacocks and pissants," Yarpen said. "We run the roads for Henselt now. Protect his convoys. Pays better. You remember my men." He gestured around the camp he'd led them to.
"Of course," Jaskier said. "Good to see you all again." He leaned over to whisper to Geralt. "I have absolutely no recollection of any of these people."
"Wanker," one of the dwarvs muttered.
"Where's Lucas Corto?" Geralt asked. "He owes me money."
"You've a good memory," Yarpen smirked. "Lucas Corto got married. Settled down in Mahakaman and dropped out of the company, the stupid oaf." He glanced at Eldin and Geralt. "You ain't lookin' to join a crew yourself, are you? Be happy to have you two onboard. Even if you do smell like shite."
"I can't rigjt now, Yarpen," Geralt said. "And we need horses. I'll, uh...pay you double with interest once I find some coin."
"Normally, I'd tell you to shit twice and die," Yarpen began, "but we're on the Trail, and you never refuse help on the Trail." He gestured to a horse. "This mount's too big for us, anyway. Only have the one, though."
"Aralyn," Eldin said. "Let's go home for a minute."
Aralyn nodded, opening a portal back to Kaer Morhen, and both went through, stealing Lambert and Coen's horses, heading back through the portal and finding the dwarves getting ready to travel. Eldin and Aralyn didn't question it, simply mounting their stolen horse, Renfri taking the other as Geralt and Jaskier both mounted a horse, Jaskier on a dwarf-sized one, and the dwarves piled into a cart drawn by two more miniature horses. All of them spurred their horses into motion, heading for Cintra. They rode quickly, conversation remaining nearly nonexistant, other than a short one between Jaskier and Geralt. Finally, the shattered remains of Cintra's monolith came into view, and Eldin, Geralt, Aralyn, and Renfri all spurred their horses into a sprint upon seeing six Nilfgaard soldiers trying to capture Yennefer and Ciri.
Geralt sped toward Yennefer, so Eldin and Renfri rode toward Ciri. Two Nilfgaardians were holding Ciri, but the third was still on his horse. He turned to charge Eldin and Renfri, but Aralyn drew her sword in as beautiful a stroke of her blade as Eldin could, removing the soldier's head and arm at the same time. Then, Renfri and Eldin passed the soldiers that were holding Ciri just as they realized there was a threat, as Ciri had a dagger and was still struggling. A moment later, Eldin and Renfri both removed a guard's head, allowing Ciri to stand. As Eldin and Renfri looked over to Geralt and Yennefer, however, they saw Geralt standing with his sword to Yennefer's throat.
"Eldin and the others will get you out of here," Geralt told Ciri. "Eldin, Jaskier, take her to Kaer Morhen."
"No," Ciri refused. "No, I'm staying with you."
"You can't," Geralt sighed.
"Why?" Ciri asked. "Where are you going?"
"To slay a monster," Geralt said. "I'll be with you soon, I promise."
"Alright," Ciri said, turning and walking toward Renfri.
"Ah, the Child Surprise," Jaskier began. "I've heard so much about..." He trailed off as Ciri passed him without so much as a glance, climbing up behind Renfri. "Like father, like daughter."
Jaskier returned to his horse, and Eldin held Geralt's gaze for a long moment before nodding once and flicking his reins.
"The girl," Yarpen spoke up. "Yours?"
"Mine," Geralt snarled possessively in Yennefer's face, then turned his gaze to the dwarf as his voice turned calm again. "Mine, Zigrin."
Yarpen nodded and returned to the dwarves' cart. Together, everyone but Geralt and Yennefer rode toward Kaer Morhen. The sun began to set quickly, and just as the night was nearly pitch black, before the moon rose above the trees, Eldin's medallion jerked and thrashed, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. His head whipped around, taking in the world around them, but there was nothing. He looked back at Renfri, seeing she was also on edge, despite not having a medallion to warn her about something's presence. She nodded, also looking around, but neither saw anything. They both drew their swords, Aralyn and the dwarves taking the hint and following suit, and all rode in silence, speeding up to try and outpace whatever was stalking them.
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