Hello there! Welcome my friends to the next chapter of Light Bringer Stories: The Witcher.
Hope your going to enjoy it as much as I had writing it and now on to the reviews.
KingInTheSouth: Happy to hear it. And I'll to keep challenging myself to do that.
dragon rose 11: They tried to hurt Ciri, one of Luci's major berserk buttons. I like to keep it vague if the crones are dead or alive. I mean they could still be alive, having somehow escaped him, but then again, there was none to stop Lucifer and he was angry enough to go full Devil.
Now story time.
Under Temple Isle, in the dungeon right where the prisoners of the Eternal Fire were locked up. Most of them where sleeping on their stone beds until the sounds of reality itself being torn apart woke them up.
Out of the rift in reality stepped Lucifer, Paradise Lost in one hand the cane in another, and with Potato next to him.
"I told you. Is easy." Potato said with hands on her hips, "Just open portal into the Azkaban."
"Yes, it is." Lucifer said looking around, "Now let's commit the jailbreak of the century."
"But it's only 1272 here." Potato pointed out, "Big chance a bigger one one could happen."
Lucifer shook his head as his assistant was off doing her duties as their footsteps on the cold stone floor where drowned out by the humming of the still open portal.
It was only a few cells back, the prisoner giving them surprised and confused looks as their cell doors were being unlocked, until they stood in front of a cell where their real target should be.
"Dandelion?" Lucifer said looking through the bars to see a man in bright purple colors and having a certain 'pretty boy' quality about him that he would associate with a womanizing minstrel and poet.
"Who are you?" Dandelion said, "Are you one of the temple guards?"
Lucifer and the returned Potato exchanged a glance at each other, before he looked back as the blonde girl shook her head.
"Do I look like a very religues person!?" Lucifer said offended as he gestured to his outfit, "Now are you Dandelion? Yes or no?"
"Yes, yes I am." Dandelion said.
"Good." Lucifer said, with a gesture of his hand the cell door crumbled into itself before he threw it to the side.
As Dandelion stepped out of his cell, he saw the gathered prisoners which where about to be address by Lucifer, "This is your lucky day." he said as he walked through the crowd back to the portal, "Come with me, if you wish to live." From his finger tip sprang the spark which would soon burn Temple Isle to the ground.
A short time later, the trio of Lucifer, Potato and Dandelion walked into the Rosemary and Thyme, where Zoltan and Priscilla where waiting for them. The two turned around when they heard the door open and saw that Lucifer and his assistant had brought their friend back save and sound.
"Priscilla?" Dandelion said surprised, "What are you doing here?"
"Are you all right?" Priscilla said walking up to them, "You had me worried sick!"
"Dandelion, you rascal!" Zoltan said happy, "Got this lass to thank for Lucifer finding youse. She chivvied and chivvied."
"Shame you got to me so fast." Dandelion said hands on his hips and chest puffed out, "I had a plan all set to escape but..."
"Bard slav is very delusional." Potato said, holding a glass of vodka, which she was drinking out with a straw, "If not for Luci, he would still be prison suka."
"Yeah, he would be." Lucifer said, leaning against the bar, "Now Dandelion, there is a reason I broke you out of prison."
"Must have been." Dandelion said turning to the tall man, "But, who are you?"
"Lucifer Lux and this is Potato." he said gesturing to his assistant who waved at the bard with her free hand, "Now focus, Dandelion, because this is very important to me. Where is Cirilla." pushing himself off the bard as he locked his eyes on the bard.
"Ciri? I..." Dandelion said slightly alarmed, "Well I don't know where she is."
"Don't lie to me." Lucifer said as he approached the bard, "I know you tried to help her. When did you last see her?"
"We were on Temple Isle." Dandelion began, "Running from Whoreson's men..."
Ciri had defeated Whoreson and freed Dudu but then the real trouble started. Junior sounded the alarm and they had to flee as fast as their mounts could take them. Their only possible escape route lead to Temple Isle.
Once on Temple Isle, Whoreson's men stopped being the main problem when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by the Temple Guard. All possible escape routes were cut off and Ciri had no other option but to teleport herself away.
"What an adventure!" Dandelion said as he had finished recounting, "One minute we were pulling off the heist of the century, the next we were prey, a pack of hunters on our tail."
"Yes..." Lucifer said, standing near the window with his arms crossed, "Quite the story."
"Gave me enough material for a volume of ballads!" Dandelion said excited, "And this one'll sell like hotcakes!"
"That all you care about, suka!" Potato said loudly and hotly, "What about the Ciri, blyat!"
"Why would I worry about her? You have any idea how she fights!? The girl can take care of herself, believe me." Dandelion said turning to look at Potato before looking back up, "Anyway, she's got to come back for that little box. The trinket that started it all."
"You mean this, bard slav?" Potato said, moving around in her pocket pulling out and holding up the phylactery.
"Where did you get that?" Dandelion said surprised, "How did you get that from Whoreson!?"
"Luci went to pay the son of whores a visit." Potato said casually, "Taking shiny box with him."
"You did that?" Dandelion said turning from Potato to Lucifer, "You got some major balls, my friend. Ciri will be overjoyed."
"Thank you, but really they are quite average." Lucifer said his eyes lighting up when he heard her name, "But did she tell you what this is?"
"Her magic bauble was broken. Whoreson had access to the mages who could fix it." Dandelion said, "Besides she needed help deciphering a curse... its incantation?"
"So..." Lucifer muttered turning away from the group, "She rather went to a man like Whoreson than come to me..."
"So this curse?" Potato said from her chair, "Know anything about it?"
"Well... I know the words." Dandelion said, "They were elven. Ciri was constantly repeating them to herself, probably not to forget."
"Then tell them suka!" Potato said loudly, "Potato want's to know!"
"It went like this, 'Va fail, elaine, ceadmil folie! Glaeddyv dorne aep t'enaid, bunn'droh ithne i'yachus'."
"Good to know." Lucifer said with a nod.
"You actually understood that, lad?" Zoltan said surprised.
"Of course, I speak everything." Lucifer said casually before turning away from the group, "A dead end here as well. The Bitches of the Bog where no help... There is that incident at Skellige... But..."
He was getting lost in his own thought, the doubt he kept hidden so well was slowly creeping in as the question of why Ciri didn't come to him for help with the box.
"Lucifer, if you don't mind me asking." Dandelion said suddenly snapping him out of his thoughts, "Why are you looking for Ciri?"
"She's..." Lucifer said hesitantly, "I need to tell her something. Something very important."
"I recognize that look. How your eyes light up when her name is mentioned." Priscilla said with a happy smile, "Your in love, Lucifer. From what I have seen, you got it bad."
"W-What?" Lucifer said slightly taken aback, "Me and Cirilla?"
"It's obvious, Luci." Potato said shaking her head, "Everyone can see it."
Early in the morning the next, Lucifer left the Rosemary and Thyme after a night of drinking celebrating Dandelion's new found freedom. He had send Potato back to the Penthouse to study the phylactery and to look for any other signs of Ciri through out the Multiverse.
The search for Ciri was now leading him to the wind-swept Skellige Isles. It was on the isle of Ard Skellig where a magic cataclysm had devastated a large part of the isle, and Lucifer suspected that Ciri had had something to do with it.
Making his way out of Novigrad, Lucifer was lost in thought until he bumped into someone on the way out. The white haired man kept walking, seemingly not notice that he dropped his bag of Crowns. Picking it up, Lucifer turned around and called out to the man as he walked after him.
"Excuse me sir." Lucifer said, getting the attention of the white haired man, "I believe this is yours." throwing the bag to the man.
"What?" the man said, "Oh thanks."
It was then that Lucifer noticed the eyes of the man. "Hold on. Pale exterior, two swords on the back, fine armor, cat eyes." he said studying the man, "Your a witcher! A noble profession!"
"Good eye." Geralt said crossing his arms in front of his chest, "Not sure about the noble profession though."
"Why shouldn't it be? You preform a service that saves others! It's not noble because you get paid for it? What else should you work for? Exposure? If your good at something, never do it for free." Lucifer said cheerfully, "You know, you remind me of my brother in a way. Tall, light haired, annoyed by me."
"Do I now?" Geralt said annoyed as he turned around.
"Oh, flirt." Lucifer said with a smirk, "Be careful master witcher, Novigrad is going through a little Witch Hunt. They don't like anything interesting."
"Thanks for the warning." Geralt said as he began to walk.
"Your quite welcome." Lucifer said going his own way, towards a quiet place to cross into Skellige.
Geralt walked past the Hierarch Square, and towards the house of his once lover Triss Merigold. He passed the many trading posts and market stalls. It wasn't long before he found the place, just as two men where thrown out of it's garden.
"And stay out!" a female voice said.
Geralt walked through the gate as the looters scrambled to get away. In the garden he saw a young woman of average height with a very fair complexion. She has brown eyes and long, full, wavy, waist-length, burnt orange hair. Her most noticeable physical trait is her slender yet curvaceous figure, especially in terms of her large bust size.
Her bangs naturally frame her face and also hang over her ears. Her coat is red with silver patterns and long coattails. She wears a white zippered-turtleneck. She also wears black leather pants and dark boots covered by silver gaiters.
"Another looter? No." she said shaking her head as she studied Geralt, "Your armor is too fine to be a common thug... Medallion, two sword, cat eyes. Your a witcher."
"Seems everyone has good eye these days." Geralt said, "What are you doing here?"
"I noticed these looters." the woman said, "Gave them what they deserved. Now master witcher, what are you seeking?"
"I'm interested in the sorceress who lives here." he said.
"Probably hiding somewhere." the woman said turning to look at the building, "The Temple Guards have been cracking down with the recent break in at Temple Island and the burning of their headquarters. I guess your best bet to look for her would be the Putrid Grove."
"Putrid Grove." Geralt said, "Interesting as names go."
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." the woman said, "It's a pretty save place for a sorceress these days. Not even the guards go there, the King of Beggars rules it."
"The beggars have a king now?" Geralt scoffed, "Crown, scepter and all?"
"Doubt it, it's more of a moniker I wager." the woman said with a small smile, "I already have the location of Putrid Grove. I'll walk you to it."
"And what would you get out of it?" Geralt said crossing his arms.
"I remember witcher's being excellent trackers. Could be useful at a later date. Though maybe I won't be needing those services, I'm heading in that direction anyway." she said shrugging her shoulders, "What do you say? Do we have a deal... Now I'm starting to sound like him."
"Fine." Geralt said as he and the young woman began to walk.
"Oh, call me Uri." the woman named Uri said, "It's what everyone does... Well some people actually. Most people call me something else."
"Geralt of Rivia." he said as they went on their way.
"Whole town has it's panty twisted. First the Witch Hunter's headquarters is burned to the ground along with it's leader, then that mass breakout at Temple Isle and then that king was found decapitated." Uri said as the two walked through Novigrad, "So master witcher, here on important business?"
"Important doesn't do it justice." Geralt said, "I'm looking for someone."
"Aren't we all looking for that special someone?" Uri said with a knowing smile, "...Who are you looking for? If you don't mind me asking?"
"A young woman who is like a daughter to me." Geralt said, "Goes by the name Cirilla or Ciri for short."
"Ah, family is it?" Uri said, "I'm looking for my brother at the moment. He already left his finger prints all over the city... Ah, here we are."
She stopped at a door, giving it three knocks. Not long after a shutter opened to reveal the face of a man with slicked back black hair and a rather impressive moustache.
"Who are you and what d'you want?" he said.
"Take a look." Geralt said spreading his arms, "Whaddaya see?"
"Yellow eyes... a pair o' swords... mutated killer, methinks." the man said turning to Uri, "Not sure what you are."
"Oh, I'm just leaving." Uri said tossing a small bag of coins towards the open shutter, "For your up keep. Now please be so kind as to let my friend here in."
"He may enter. Right after he leaves me his weapons." the man said turning back to Geralt, "They'll be safe in me locker, here."
"Make sure you don't lose them." Geralt said before turning to Uri, "Thanks."
"Your welcome." she said before turning around, "See you around master witcher."
It was during the late afternoon when Geralt was helping Triss with an odd job. To use her magic to drive a swarm of rats out of the warehouse. While they talked, the rats fled and the man who had hired Triss because she was a sorceress, Brandon, appeared with witch hunters in tow.
"My friends... begged me to notify them if I encountered a mage, sorceress, what have you." Brandon said smugly, "Didn't have the heart to refuse."
"It's a trap, Geralt." Triss said, conjuring a ball of flames in her hand.
"This stank from the start." Geralt said, "If these boys are here to help us kill rats, they're late. You paid up front and got what you paid for. Not half a rodent left in the granary."
"I paid in advance because I knew I'd recover my coin." Brandon said as he stepped forward, as the Witch Hunters barred the exit.
"Such is life for sorceresses in Novigrad these days." Triss said bitterly.
"I can see that and I don't like it." Geralt said stepping forward, "So here's what I think: the hunters have come, and now can they go."
"They'll do no such thing." one of the Witch Hunters said missing the sharp whistle, the sound of something shooting through the air.
The two others let out a pained gurgle as if chocking on something, he turned around only to be met with a dagger shooting into his throat. As he dropped to his knees, chocking on his own blood, the same fate dealt to his fellow Witch Hunters.
Geralt, Triss and Brandon looked to the three Witch Hunters who had been killed so quickly and silently. The ornate, with a gleaming blue blade shot out of the throat and into the open palm of Uri, who stood among the corpses.
"W-Who... Who are you?" Brandon said to the newcomer who had taken out his only defense against her, a witcher and a sorceress.
"All who live know my name." Uri said stepping forward making the dagger float above her open hand, "And all who oppose me will know Death."
"Don't kill me! They forced me... had I not told them, they'd set fire to my home, my warehouse... The mage hunters know no mercy." Brandon said dropping to his knees and turning to Geralt, "Spare me, good man... Be not like those murderers."
"Your call Geralt." Uri said, making the dagger float above her shoulder, the sharp end of the blade pointed at Brandon as she crossed her arms under her impressive bosom.
"I should kill you. Thing is, you'd be no good to anyone but the gulls as a corpse." Geralt said, "So you'll live and pay us double. Now."
"F-Fine..." Brandon said, dropping a large bag of coin from his person.
"Better be grateful." Uri said gesturing to the door, "Now get lost."
The man picked himself off the ground and as fast as his legs could carry him, he made way towards the door in sheer fear.
"Friend of yours?" Triss said, looking from her old friend to the orange haired stranger.
"No, but we met." Geralt said turning from Triss to Uri, "That was some quick work you did. Nice trick with the dagger. Are you a mage?"
"Me a mage? Please, no." Uri said amused, shaking her head as she stored her dagger in the holster on her hip, "A mage's power doesn't hold a candle compare to mine... No offense." she directed that last one to the sorceress in the room.
"None taken." Triss said with a raised eyebrow.
"Doesn't explain why your here." Geralt said.
"I found a lead, which concerns both our targets. I went looking for you then I overheard the Witch Hunters about a sorceress in a warehouse with a witcher." Uri said before going to her lead, "It seem someone has been going around town asking for a woman named Cirilla. He often visited the Rosemary and Thyme."
"The Rosemary and Thyme?" Geralt said, "Where is that?"
"As you enter the city through the red light district, you come upon a bridge." Triss said, "The Rosemary is just past it."
"Oh, thank you. I hadn't know where it was yet. In my hurry I forgot to ask." Uri said a bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of her head, "But... I have a feeling you two need some time to talk. Meet you at the Rosemary and Thyme, Geralt."
Just outside the bustling Rosemary and Thyme, where the burnt orange haired woman was waiting for Geralt. Leaning against a wall opposite of the inn, where a group of men walked past singing and weaving. She rolled her eyes as the men on the other side of the road started wolf-whistling at her.
"All right, darling?" the drunkest of the men on the other side said, "Fancy a drink?"
"I'm sorry." Uri said as she spotted Geralt walk up to her, "I have to go."
"Come on, ditch the white one and come and have a pint!" he shouted but was ignored.
"Thank goodness your here." she said meeting Geralt half-way, "These people won't leave me alone."
"Kind of what happens when a rather attractive and busty woman comes into the red light district." Geralt said crossing his arms.
"Yeah... But if we can find some clues, it will be worth the harassment." Uri said turning towards the building, "I have been watching the inn. No sign of any man fitting the description."
The two walked into the crowded Rosemary and Thyme, were Uri was looking for the bard who was also the owner of the inn.
"Should be... There." Uri said gesturing through the crowd, "He looks like a bard."
"Dandelion?" Geralt said much to the young woman's surprise as they approached him.
"Geralt? Geralt!" Dandelion said happily once he saw that it was really his old friend, "It's good to see you! Who is this?"
"Call me Uri." she said, "I have something important to ask you, Master Dandelion. A man came looking for a woman. He specifically went to this inn.."
"You mean Lucifer?" Dandelion said, "Yeah, he is looking for Ciri."
"Tell me everything you told this... Lucifer." Geralt said, realizing this man might be the same monster capable of driving the Ladies of the Woods from their home.
And so Dandelion told Geralt and Uri what he had told Lucifer. How Ciri had defeated Whoreson and freed Dudu, how they had to flee as fast as their mounts could take them. How they were stopped on Temple Isle, were Whoreson's men stopped being the main problem when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by the Temple Guard.
How Ciri had no other option but to teleport herself away once all possible escape routes were cut off.
He told them how Lucifer had went through great lengths to find his location and how he was broken out of prison.
"You don't have to worry about her, Geralt. You have any idea how she fights? The girl can take care of herself, believe me." Dandelion said, "Besides she has someone like Lucifer looking for her as well, no one is crazy enough to take him down."
"Why did she went to someone as dangerous as Whoreson?" Geralt said.
"Her magic bauble was broken. Whoreson had access to the mages who could fix it." Dandelion said, "Besides she needed help deciphering a curse... its incantation?"
"Know any more about the curse?" Geralt said, "Something specific?"
"Well... I know the words. They were elven. Ciri was constantly repeating them to herself, probably not to forget." Dandelion said, "It went like this, 'Va fail, elaine, ceadmil folie! Glaeddyv dorne aep t'enaid, bunn'droh ithne i'yachus'."
"Master Dandelion, did this Lucifer Lux mentioned why he is looking for Ciri?" Uri said curiously, "Please, it could be a very important clue."
"Two reasons actually. For one, he claims he needs to tell her something important. As for the other reason." Dandelion said, shooting a nervous glance in the direction of Geralt not sure how his friend would react to the news, "It was visible every time her name was mentioned. He's in love with her. From what Priscilla noticed, he got it bad."
"What?" Uri said flatly but quickly recovering from this news, "Just to be on the save side. How did this Lucifer look like?"
"Tall, blonde, amber eyes, dressed in fancy clothing in the colors white, purple and black. Could easily be mistaken for some noble." Dandelion said doing his best to find the words to do Lucifer justice, "Just between you and me, he is rather handsome."
"...Sounds like the demon that terrorized the Witches of the Bog. Crap." Geralt said and his companion suddenly turned to him, "I think I saw someone like that."
"Where!?" Uri said a bit louder than she intended as she drew attention from a few people.
"When I arrived into the city." Geralt said, "He was on his way out."
"Then he is long gone by now..." Uri said a bit disappointed, hands on her hips, "Shit."
It was later that day when Geralt still accompanied by Uri, walked through one of the poorer districts in Novigrad. The red head seemed to be deep in thought by the conversation they had back at the Rosemary and Thyme.
"Everything alright, Uri?" Geralt said after a while.
"What? Yeah... just thinking." Uri said looking up from her pondering, "Can't believe what I just heard."
"About the high class demon falling in love with a human?" Geralt said with a shrug, "Seems unusual but..."
"Okay, first off. Lucifer is not a high class demon, he's so far above beings like Scanty and Kneesocks that it's not even funny." she said, "Secondly, his kind doesn't fall in love..."
"Why not?" he said, "Are you familiar with what he is?"
"In a sense... An Archangel, even a fallen one, doesn't fall in love. It just... It just doesn't happen." Uri said with a hint of sadness in her voice, "So what's up next for our master witcher?"
"Got a friend who need helps." Geralt said, "Before I leave to Skellige."
"The attractive red headed sorceress?" Uri said with a smile and a nod, "I like her."
But before Geralt could give her an anwser, a scream came out of a nearby building. One which the witcher knew was the current hideout of his red headed sorceress.
Geralt and Uri stormed into the room to find Triss and a young man completly soaked in water.
The young man is a tall, slender with pale skin and dark green eyes. He has chin-length, black hair with long bangs swept to left, which sometimes obscures his eye.
He wears a long, open sleeveless grey leather coat with the sides tied together by strings, inside pockets, and a sewn-in, corset-like vest in the front. He also wears black pants with a silver chain and he wears black boots.
"What are you?" Triss said with her hands raised a ball of fire in them.
"I'm pissed off, is what I am!" the young man said annoyed, "Do you go around drenching everybody that comes into your home with water? No wonder you're single."
"Meta..." Uri said cover her face with her hand in embarrassment.
"You know him?" Geralt said.
"He is my brother." Uri said, "He likes appearing to people in a ball of fire."
"The same brother you were looking for?" Geralt said.
"No, we are looking for a different one." Uri said before stepping forward, "Meta what are doing? Bothering madame Triss like that?"
"Bothering her?" Meta said offended but his tone of voice kept remarkable calm, "She is the one that threw water on me when I appeared."
"In a ball for fire." Triss pointed out.
"That is what I do. It's my thing as it were." Meta said turning to his sister, "Anyways sister, I followed the scent and this woman came across our missing brother."
"Much good it won't do, he's gone." Uri said dismissively before turning to Triss, "Please accept my humblest apologies on my brothers behalf, madame Triss."
"It's alright, no harm done. Please just call me, Triss." Triss said, turning away from the younger looking girl, "Madame makes me feel old."
"Glad it was Uri's weird brother." Geralt said, "I was worried about you. City's crawling with hunters."
"I know. We had everything in place, we were ready to sail... but the hunters moved faster." Triss said worried, "With their headquarters burned down and their leader killed, they are out for blood. They locked the gates, placed guards at every corner. They started searching the city. Street by street, house by house."
"How can we be of assistance." Uri said immediately getting the attention.
"You don't have to do that." Geralt said.
"Your right, but I want to. You helped me, so it's only fair I help you." Uri said before throwing an arm around her brother, "Besides, Meta here has something to make up for."
"Why are you offering?... Fine." Meta said with his usual dry tone, "I hope you a plan? At least have a decent one?"
"I should get all the mages to the docks as soon as possible, get them on board the ship." Triss said, "But Berthold and Anisse have yet to show up at the meeting point."
"Berthold and Anisse, who are they." Geralt said.
"A young couple. He's an alchemist, had a practice in Gildorf. She studied at Aretuza." Triss explained, "I'm worried the people who hid them might've turned them in."
"In case of trouble, we were all to meet at the Kingfisher. There's a passage into the sewers from, the cellar, and apparently those can get you all the way to the docks." Triss said, "I need to find the way to the docks, clear the path for the others. And do it quickly. The hunters could figure out our plan any minute."
"Help two and put all the others at risk..." Geralt said, "Or go straight to the Kingfisher, abandon the two to certain death."
"Luckily there is four of us." Uri said holding up a hand with four fingers, "Me and Meta will clear out the sewers while you two go help Anisse and Berthold."
"Good idea." Geralt said with a nod,
"If we are going to do this." Meta said, raising his arm in a dramatic flourish and all the water he was doused in moved off him and into a empty jug, "Let's get going already."
When the clock was about to strike midnight, rain began to pour down from the sky as Geralt, Triss led the two mage fugetives through the streets and towards the Kingfisher. When they opened the door, they saw the dead bodies of witch hunters laying across the Kingfisher, the bartender nowhere to be found.
Uri was sitting on the bar, her legs crossed as she telekinetic twirls her dagger on the tip of her index finger.
"Ah, there you are." she said jumping off the bar as the dagger flowed back into it's holster, "Meta went into the sewers to clear them out, while I went to check on the Kingfisher only to find these buggers about to kill the bartender. Made quick work of them."
"Where is Olivier?" Triss said looking around.
"Closed up shop and went to secure his alibi." Uri said.
Walking down the stairs in the hideout, where Mages and the like have gathered here, ready to go to the port through the sewers.
"Geralt, Uri, wait a minute." Triss said, "I need to see who made it." before walking off.
"I'm going to look if I can help someone." Uri said before she walked off as well, leaving Geralt standing alone.
Geralt turned to the steps leading to the sewers, just as he saw Meta appear from it, holding a open book in his hand. "I curse my stars in bitter grief and woe, That made my love so high and me so low." he said, reading from the book.
"Everything alright?" Geralt said.
"Ah, Geralt. Pardon my delay." Meta said casually, looking up from his book as he closed it, "When I was done clearing out the sewer, I was catching up on some reading." he indicted his book.
"Yeah... " Geralt said, crossing his arms, "Looks like a real page-turner."
"On our way here, Uri told me something you said Geralt and I feel it's my responsibility to correct you on it." Meta said, giving a side ways glance at the white haired witcher, "Lucifer is no mere demon... He's something far more powerful."
"Then what is he? What can you tell me about this Lucifer?" Geralt said, "He's hunting someone I care about, any information could prove useful."
"Let me tell you a story, master witcher." Meta said before clearing his throat, "Once there was a noble family, consisting of a father, a set of twins and four younger siblings. The family was happy until the father becomes distant and spend all his time in the shed with a new project. Then the father wanted the eldest son to play a roll he was unwilling to play. So the eldest began a rebellion against his fathers rule. Two of his siblings considered joining him, but eventually did not. The twin defeated the eldest and he was banished from their home for all eternity."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Geralt said.
"The eldest son, the father's favorite." Meta said, "Now goes by the name of Lucifer Lux, the actual Devil, Satan himself."
It was then that Geralt's sharped hearing picked up a unexpected but familiar voice.
"Why the tears, my dear lady?" Sigismund Dijkstra said, approaching one of the mages, "You shouldn't worry yourself. It tarnishes your beauty."
"Guess you must've worried quite a bit." Geralt said walking towards the man with Meta trailing behind.
"No." Dijkstra said casually, "I was born ugly."
"How's the ankle, Dijkstra." Geralt said crossing his arms.
"It healed poorly, can you believe it?" Dijkstra said with some bitter anger in his voice, "If it wasn't for my very powerful friend, I would still be soaking it in hot water six times a day."
"What are you doing here, Dijkstra?" Geralt said, "You fleeing to Kovir, too?"
"No, but I am helpin' the others set off." the large man said, "You know me... bleedin' heart and all."
"It only start bleeding now?" Geralt said, "they've been burning mages for months around here."
"But only since recently on this scale. Besides..." Dijkstra said, "I look forward to having friends in Kovir. especially among King Tancred's entourage."
"If you two are done catching up." Meta intervened between the two, "I believe the red headed sorceress is about to make a speech."
The trio turned with the others to Triss, who was speaking from atop a barrel, addressing the gathered people.
"We've waited long to escape. Till we could make sure Kovir will take us, till we could acquire enough coin to hire a ship, till we could find a captain we could trust." Triss said, "We 've waited too long. There's no more time for hesitation. We must leave Novigrad today."
"This is madness." one of the woman in the crowd said, "There are hunters on every corner."
"That's why we will get to the port through the sewers." Triss continued, "Meta has cleared a safe path for us."
"Oh, only a path was needed." Meta said as if he just now realized that.
"And if the need arises." Geralt spoke up, "I'll defend you."
"Count on me and my brother as well." Uri said.
Once they made their way through the cleared out sewers, the mages wer getting on board the ship that would sail them to Kovir. As Uri and Triss were helping the refugees on board, Meta stayed back with Geralt who was talking with Dijkstra.
"Need any help?" the large man said, "Can I play the violin for you, fetch some flowers or bonbons."
"What the hell's that mean?" Geralt said.
"What?" Dijkstra said, "Don't tell me you don't plan to beg her to stay?"
"Didn't peg you for a man that cares about someone else love lives." Meta said dryly.
"Why I adore love stories." Dijkstra said, "Especially the ones that end happily ever after."
"Stories never end happily ever after." Meta said with a dry scoff, "They just stop at the right time."
"Thank you, Uri." Triss said as she stepped back on the docks, "For everything you and your brother did."
"Eh, it's no big deal." Uri said casually, "Just happy to help."
"No it is a big deal." Triss said as the two shook hands, "Your an angel, Uri."
Uri gave an appreciative smile before she noticed that Geralt wanted a word with her. So giving one last goodbye, she walked back to give the two time alone and she rejoined her brother as well as Dijkstra.
Though much had bound Geralt and Triss in the past, on this black day, on the blood-slicked planks of the Novigrad harbor, their paths parted. Witcher and sorceress would, true enough, meet again on several occasions, but only ever as friends.
Their flight from the Eternal Fire had been the last flicker of the fires of their mutual affection.
"Your an ass."
Geralt turned around as Uri and Meta did as well, to look at Dijkstra. "An ass. An oaf. A twit." he continued, "Didn't even try to stop her."
"I had my reasons." Geralt said.
"Course you did." Dijkstra said turning around and he walked away, "You're an ass, an oaf, a twit."
"...Someone likes repeating himself." Uri said turning to her brother, "Think they will make it?"
"They will, because it is written." Meta said, closing his book after writing something in his book, "So what is next for our master Witcher."
"Skellige." Geralt said, "Yen is there looking into traces she thinks Ciri left behind there."
"As for us... Our brother could be anywhere at this point." Uri said rubbing the back of her head, "What do we do now?"
"I say we get drunk." Meta said with a shrug, "Because I'm all out of ideas."
Wait, where was Lucifer, he was barely in this chapter.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed.
So voice actor list thingy:
Uri - Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow from the MCU)
Meta - the late Alan Rickman (Professor Snape from Harry Potter)
Anyways many thanks to everyone who read, reviews, favorites or follows this, you beauties.
I hope you will join me next time, when we head for Skellige. Still need to think of a sign of quote.