Thank you for the reviews, not many people review lately but I see a lot of new followers and that makes me happy. I've been re-visiting the first chapters and I plan on making a remake of the first three since it's been so long and I've gotten better at writing, but we'll see what comes up.
Without further adieu let's get into it
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"Wrong. You are attacking with your right hand, so you put your left leg in front first"
"Use your bodyweight, not just the swing of your arm"
"Remember to always bring you guard right back up"
"Wrong, keep your form"
"Wrong, right step"
"Wrong, you'd be dead by now"
"Wrong"
Training had always been tough.
Since the time where his dad had attempted to train him with the sword, up to the point where his mom taught him how to use a bow, training had always been arduous and tiresome. Sometimes frustrating, but it was an essential part of becoming a master, something that Leon cherished a lot.
Training had never turned into the hell that he was going through right now.
Every morning, as soon as the sun would rise, Geralt was right with him. The auburn haired guy had no issues getting up early and starting the day with a good bit of exercise, but Geralt made it absolutely mandatory. Following Kelpie on foot for as long as he could feel his legs, everyday, right before breakfast.
Then, sword lessons. With one of his own swords, Geralt would lend Leon. The thing was heavy and hard to handle, and worst of all, you could feel the sharpness behind the blade. Leon hated swords, despised them with a passion, but after a long argument from which Ciri had taken no sides on, Geralt had convinced the archer to at least know how to use one. It was a whole task on its own, even if using a bow wasn't an easy thing either.
It was absolute madness, to move and swing and jump and dance with the sword at least until the sun started falling. And to top it off, Ciri enjoyed joining their training sessions, either as a student or as a co-teacher.
"Wrong, don't evade with your back, evade moving your whole body!"
It was one of those times in which Ciri had decided she'd personally teach him, while Geralt merely observed to make sure she did not allow him to make any mistakes. They were near the lake on an open space, with Ciri sitting down on a nearby boulder while Geralt watched next to her.
So far, neither of the two Witchers had praised him even once. Which was okay, because he was absolute garbage with the sword, but it was also frustrating. Two weeks on the road, and he hadn't quite really progressed.
"Man…" He exhaled, sweat dripping down his nose and onto the grass. The journey had been beautiful, since most of it was greenland and trees and some mountains and a huge river always at their disposal. But the training…it made it all a bit worse, "Maybe I'm not made to use a sword?" He asked up to the air, and swung one more time.
"It takes time," Geralt commented, if only to add a bit of motivation.
Ciri, as always, lacked common sense and empathy, and merely chuckled.
"Oh I was a professional sword stunt maker in no time, Leon!" She boasted, picking up her sword and lifting her bum off the rock she had chosen to sit on, just to perform a backflip with her sword dancing on her side.
Leon merely sweatdropped, because this wasn't the first time she had been boasting about her natural abilities as a sword dancer.
"Cirilla was raised by Witchers, and sword mastery is embedded in her bloodline and heritage. Don't listen to this kid, she's been a show off ever since we first started training her in Kaer Morhen" Ciri merely laughed awkwardly, not liking being told off but also not wanting Geralt to elaborate on her bloodline or heritage. She hadn't really touched that subject with Leon, but she was planning to put all her cards on the table for him to see, when the time was right.
"It's one of her charms" He joked, and evaded a pebble thrown his way from an angry Ciri.
"Get back to training, that sword is swinging you, and you're supposed to be the one swinging it!" And she was right, he barely had the strength to fully control the sword the way it was meant to, and he felt way too rigid with it.
In regards to Ciri, she had been cheerful ever since they left Jamurlak. Happy that Geralt was there with them, and even happier that he got along with Leon so well. They would be going over their first monster class today, and for once, she was sure Leon would outshine her as a student. Maybe he wasn't as good as her with a sword or physical prowess, but when it came to brain-stuff…He was the man, one hundred percent.
"Move number 3" Geralt announced without a warning, and Leon complied nonetheless, swinging the sword from the floor upwards in a curve. That was confusing to Ciri, because they had made up this system of moves on their own when they went out hunting, and left her out of the fun. Not that she thought it was fun, it seemed quite dorky, but both Geralt and Leon quite enjoyed it.
"That was better than the last four hundred times you've done that move, Leon" She finally praised him, and even though the joke was harmless fun, she was actually impressed he was managing to pull it off cleanly now.
"A little crooked on the way up, but good. I don't need to tell you how important this move is, we've gone through the theory already" Geralt also complimented him before walking close to Leon, who was sweating and breathing heavily, "Shirt off" The White Wolf demanded, and Ciri gulped. Not because it was hot (even though it was) but because this was a daily routine for Leon now too.
His wound had actually infected a few days after he obtained it, and it had been a few nights of utter terror for her and a lot of sweat and colds for Leon before the thing finally returned back to normal, thanks to Geralt and Leon's own knowledge.
"Mm, looks good, but it'll leave a nasty scar" Geralt deemed, happy with the results.
"I don't mind!" It wasn't Leon who said that, but Ciri. Leon merely nodded in return, relieved.
"That was scary…" Leon mentioned, remembering the pain and the cold feeling of sudden dread he was enveloped in when he realized his wound was actually wounded.
Good thing herbs were abundant around the place…otherwise, he was as good as dead.
"Let me check" Ciri, curious as ever, quickly ran closer to them and inspected Leon.
She grimaced. To her, the wound was still purple and still quite terribly looking. But if Geralt deemed it fine, then it was.
"You like men running scars this deep?" Leon asked her, with an amused tone on his voice.
"I like Leon on all his version" She retorted back before she walked away, towards Kelpie, "Come, we need you to rest and then move some more distance"
"Actually, today—"
"He's riding with me" Geralt interrupted, putting a hand on Leon's shoulder, "First day of monster learning, lesson one, necrophages" Ciri would be mad, or jealous, because it had been a while since she last got any Leon time for her own without Geralt poking his nose, but seeing Geralt put his hand on Leon's shoulder and have a day planned ahead for him made her feel happy. Her surrogate father was trying, so she'd try as well.
"Necromonsters!" Leon cheered, using the name he had designated for that certain race of creatures, before bolting away to retrieve the monster book. Ever since Ciri gifted him the thing, he had made it into his own book, filled with markers, different notes on top of the pages, and much more information and interaction than she had ever had with the book.
Ciri headed to the camp, ready to help Leon pack everything up before leaving. She planned on doing so immediately but something caught her eye.
Leon's bow, resting on a small boulder close to the camp, was flashing red and blue and green and all sorts of colours aggressively, and if she thought about it, it had been a long time since Leon used the bow.
Call her crazy, but it was quite apparent that the bow was angry.
Maybe jealous, just like her?
"Leon, your bow is mad" Ciri mentioned, not quite trying to sound funny anymore. The thing was…really aggressive, and almost vibrating.
"His bow is mad?" Quite confused, Geralt tried his best not to sound completely taken aback, and Ciri made a face. They'd forgotten to tell Geralt about Leon's special weapon, and since he hadn't used it and it didn't react strangely to their fight against the vampire, Geralt was truly none the wiser.
"Let me take a look" If anything, Ciri's doubts on their connection were cleared away if Leon's face was anything to go by. His eyes went from tired to worried, and he quickly rushed to the bow, picking it up and inspecting the thing.
Geralt looked cautiously, and Ciri wondered how long would it take until he—
"A spiritual weapon" The White Wolf concluded and his daughter could only cough in return, impressed. Damn, he was good, "And it's mad. You've been neglecting them"
"I…" Leon tried to retaliate, but on an emotional perspective, Geralt was right. He had been neglecting his weapon., "What should I…?"
"Don't know, every spirit is different. To be precise, this is the second time in my lifetime I've encountered one. But Vesemir had better luck…it's weird for a spirit to choose someone and link themselves to the chosen person, but if it did, then I guess you should apologize, to start" The White Wolf sighed, "Some spirits are understanding…others could demand a sacrifice in punishment"
"A-A sacrifice!?" Loud and surprised, Ciri couldn't believe her ears.
"A finger off, a toenail. Your ear…sometimes your most precious someone"
"And if you don't accept?"
"You die"
Ciri was so shocked, she couldn't even manage words to come out of her mouth. Leon would die? Not in this lifetime, she wouldn't allow it.
If she had to go back in time to stop it…then no matter the atrocious consequences, she would do it.
Even if it killed her or made it so they never met, she wouldn't let him die
"Hey…I'm very sorry" Leon instead, just like always, was far calmer about this. Geralt had noticed, in between the two of them, it was the Archer that had an emotional stability far superior to Ciri's. And in the long run, that could be more important than whatever skills the Lady of time harbored, "Look, you know me. If you chose me then you know me, and I'd never…it's just, we're so close to my sister. And so close to learning what really happened that night…I met my partner's dad, and he wants to train me not to die on the road with Ciri" He chuckled, and Ciri attempted to close in to him only to support, but Geralt stopped her.
In fact, Geralt dragged her away, away enough for her not to listen.
"Spirits like privacy more than anything else" He explained and she understood.
Leon on the other side, continued talking.
"And life's been so different, I haven't had the chance—I know we go hunt together, but Geralt wanted to show me how to hunt without a bow…stupid, I know" He sat down and placed the bow in front of him, before bowing his head so much it touched the grass, "You'll always be my weapon of choice, we've been together for years and years now. Would you forgive me, please?" He lifted his eyes up and waited.
It took some time, but the bow stopped changing colours, and now only shone a bright blue.
It was still vibrating, and it increased tenfold. So much that Ciri prepared a blink and a spell to stop time if needed, but again, it was Geralt that stopped her.
"You are about to witness an event no one in this century or the last one has seen, so pay respects" The White Wolf ordered Ciri, and it was with that Witcher tone that left no space for arguments.
Leon's bow started floating upwards, lifting itself in the air, and suddenly, light blinded all of them. Even Geralt and Ciri, who were further away, found themselves engulfed by the blue light the bow emanated.
When she was able to open her eyes again, she was left dumbfounded and awestruck.
Leon, in the arms of a…female spirit, with long brown hair and vines around it. Her skin was brown-ish and filled with runic tattoos, and she wore a tiara also made of vines and leaves.
Her attire…none existent, she was naked and free of clothings on its entirety, but around her feet and legs, she had shackles…shackles that were connected to the bow below her.
"I forgive you, my child" At no point did she open her mouth to speak, but words were still muttered. Leon heard them and nodded, too stunned to speak. Ciri quickly turned to look at Geralt, who was, for the first time since she met him, impressed.
"I…" Leon tried to say anything, but the spirit placed one finger on his mouth to keep him quiet.
"When the time comes, we shall speak…I'm just selfish, and decided to show myself to you" The spirit laughed, and the sound was so beautiful Ciri couldn't help but feel elated. This was really a spirit, and its aura alone was enough to make her realize how important this all was. The grass turned even greener, flowers sprouted from the floor. Even birds came by to visit, singing a song in unison.
Just who this spirit was, she wondered.
Leon merely nodded again, trying to return the hug to no avail, for you couldn't really touch a spirit. And as the seconds passed, the woman started fading away into the bow once again, but not before promising they'd see each other again soon.
Leon stood up with his eyes wide open, and turned to look at Ciri and smile. Apparently, everything was okay.
"That was no normal spirit" Geralt mentioned, killing the mood as he inspected the powerful traces of magic left behind by the woman, "The description fits…it was Abnoba, goddess of the forests and rivers"
"A goddess?" Leon's tone sounded shocked, but inside, he felt…unusually calm at what just occurred. As if he had known that woman for years…and in a way, he did.
"Should I be jealous?" Leon laughed at Ciri's witty comment and denied the question with his head.
He'd noticed… Ciri had turned far more humorous and comical once they met up with Geralt, maybe because she could let her guard down a little now. And he loved this new facet, jokes, boasting. She was a little bully, but it was all in good fun.
"The spirit of a goddess who chose your man as her designated weapon master…you'll need to up your game a little, Ciri" And Geralt too, the stories depicted him as a serious, monotone grey man, and he was, he really was. But when it came to Ciri, it was like an exception.
"Why would a goddess set her eyes one me…it makes no sense, I'm a—"
"Don't" Ciri interrupted Leon before he could auto denominate himself something derogatory and he sweat dropped in return, caught in the act.
"…I mean, I'm still human," Leon concluded, fixing his wording.
"No one knows, but also not many have ever met their weapon's spirit. They're usually distant and quiet, but yours seems to be the complete opposite" Geralt continued, explaining with a hand on his chin in a pensive position.
"Oh that bow has never been quiet, not for a second, no" Ciri added, remembering the multiple times that the bow had tried to communicate with them, and the one single time it actually did communicate with her in specific, "And it doesn't like me. Now I know why, it's a woman, she's obviously in love with Leon!" Of course, Ciri was merely joking, even though behind her jokes, she could see that as a valid reason why the spirit hated her.
"She's a goddess older than time itself, do you really think-"
"It's a joke, Geralt" She huffed, forgetting for a second Geralt's dry humor. The man merely grunted in agreement, before falling deep in thought again.
"This is something out of my hands…but maybe Yennefer could help. She interacted with a deity back when we were looking for Ciri…so she might be able to communicate, at the very least" The White Wolf frowned. When it came to fate, Ciri was always involved.
What made it so she connected with a guy who's chosen by a goddess of all things? Was it random, or a plan?
Only time would be able to tell.
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"And these are my notes on Necromonsters, aquatic session"
"Hmm…you have an interesting way of classifying these monsters, let me give you a few pointers, though"
Ciri couldn't help but be absolutely satisfied with the current situation. Riding Kepie right next to Geralt and Leon, it was great to see that, not only was she right with her assumptions, but Geralt had actually found himself engrossed with Leon's varying styles of either research, classification or experimentation.
He even wrote down his own level below her own. Ciri was at least thirty, and Geralt placed himself at fifty. Not bad, she could get behind that, and after that Vampire fight, it was clear she still had ground to cover.
A lot of ground to cover, yikes.
"Water Hags don't dive into the ground, they use magic to blend themselves into their given element. Not all Hags do this, Mud Hags and Water hags are the only ones I've witnessed to do it so far"
"Necrophages of any kind, it's not their prowess or strength that should intimidate you, but their putrid traits. Their claws have so much bacteria in them, a single slash will infect no matter what you do. I've seen people losing limbs over mere scratches"
"Hmm, you've made a good shortened version of my description of Ghosts and Widows. I see Ciri didn't mention anything about Spectre Oil, so let me write something down for future references…"
Not only intrigued, but actually quite invested, this was a facet of Geralt Cirilla had never quite witnessed before. When she was a student, things were strict and, since she wasn't always quite cooperative, at times they were harsh. With Leon, Geralt was lenient, calm and intrigued about the archer's inherent desire and love for knowledge. In this case, Witcher knowledge.
If Ciri had to guess, she'd say Geralt was happy with having an audience as smart and capable as Leon himself.
They were quite engrossed in conversation, and the lesson was one Ciri had heard almost a million times over in her time back in Kaer Morhen, but it was quite refreshing to hear the basics of Necrophages from Geralt's mouth instead of Vesemir. It took her into a loop of nostalgia and a tight feeling in her chest. Regardless, it was also endearing to see Leon turn around and look her way to make sure everything was okay every now and then. Almost letting her know he had not forgotten about her.
Of course, he'd never forget. They were partners, after all.
The view in front of them, albeit ignored by the two nerds on her side, was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was orange, almost hiding behind the mountains they were getting closer to each day and the sky, it was an almost slight pink-isk colour. The clouds, flat and conveniently distributed, and the air…fresh and refreshing.
It was a beautiful scenery, and one she had missed after all these years away from Kaer Morhen. Half of her wanted to spend it with Leon, but he was so happily into the lesson with Geralt, she just didn't have the heart and it was not right to interrupt his Witcher lessons. This would be important for the future…their future.
…Heh, their future. Cheesy, but she couldn't help but feel happy about it.
Whatever it meant, she was sure it would be an adventure with Leon.
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Night Time routine, ever since Geralt started traveling with Ciri and her partner, had been turned to shambles for the Witcher. Before, night time was merely another time for traveling. A peaceful time to think and go through the journey without the sun bothering one's eyes. And one Geralt appreciated a lot.
Now, it meant camping up, it meant having physical dinner, it meant sleeping. And for Geralt, it was a waste of time. Ciri ditched meditating in order to spend time with Leon, which was okay but still not optimal in his eyes, and Leon himself turned into a hunter and a wilderness guy, spending his time learning about the flora of the country in question. Not quite as useless, but still, not efficient.
Normal humans were not efficient.
"Geralt, no fish?" Out of the corner of his eye, Ciri and Leon sat down in front of a campfire, enjoying each other's company and bickering. It was obvious this was tradition to them now, with how fast they set everything up and how relaxed Ciri acted.
Leon was holding a stick with fish impaled on it, cooked and ready. Apparently, this kid was also some type of wilderness chef. No wonder Ciri was infatuated with him.
And really, it was clear she was absolutely infatuated with Leon.
"Witchers don't need much food, Leon" Ciri tried to take the Archer's eyes back to her, basking in the attention she lacked for the entire day, "Let him meditate. You were talking about the time you caught a black rabbit?" And then she continued, returning the conversation back to what they were talking about before Leon offered the fish. Clearly, Ciri didn't mind Geralt's tendency to isolate himself. She just hoped Leon would get used to it in time.
Geralt merely hummed in return before finally deciding to search around the area. Ciri was getting cozier by the second with Leon and he didn't feel the need to watch them get all cuddly before going to sleep…again.
Apparently Leon was all against it, not wanting to get the least bit intimate with Ciri while her literal caretaker was in front of them, but it was Ciri that would initiate, and as always, she wouldn't take no for an answer without a fight first. It was unfortunately a fight she often won.
And so he took his leave, searching around the area for points of interest or places of power he could draw magic from. If he was lucky, he'd be able to distract himself until morning.
20 MINUTES LATER
A mom bear, a Nekker nest and no places of power. This place was a barren of interesting things. Which, probably, was a good thing for most people involved, but not for Witchers. Fact as it was, this place was void of dangers, and he didn't take the Nekkers out only so he could bring Leon here and have him kill them tomorrow. Good points for practice.
Truth be told, Leon was learning at a faster rate than what Geralt had expected. The last person he had taught had been Ciri, and needless to say, she was a natural. Talented to extreme levels of both magic and physical prowess, she was a force to be reckoned from a very young age. Her growth was only stunted thanks to her past and the fact that they lost sight of her for so many years.
Had that not been the case..Ciri would've probably been the strongest individual to ever touch the earth.
But Leon was definitely not a dead beat. Ciri often made fun of him, but in reality Geralt could see the pride behind her eyes. Leon went from not being able to hold a sword to swinging it decently enough to damage a monster, and his stamina was growing by the day. Which was an indication of good health after suffering such a tremendous infection.
If they didn't get so lovey dovey when night came on, Geralt would even say he was enjoying himself. But he had long ago gone away from such a type of relationship, and now he could only find it annoying.
Maybe it wasn't an annoyance, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the feeling just yet.
So now he was walking back, dead night settling in with only the stars and the moon showing light upon the grass and bushes. Reaching the camp, the fire was out, and snores could be heard from the inside of the tent. He had to hold in a chuckle, because he couldn't believe that Ciri actually snored this loud.
Geralt decided to pick up the bow resting outside the tent and examine it closely. He had some knowledge over his extended life time, but of course nothing got close to this, unreadable runes carved down the carefully crafted wood. It had small vines surrounding it, with leaves and small petals adorning everything.
Leon never actually found this bow, it was really the other way around. This bow must've found him instead…
Running his gloves fingers through the wood, nothing really happened. The bow was deep asleep like it had been all this time, and if his medallion wasn't humming in the presence of powerful magic, it would just be a normal, albeit precious looking bow.
Just like he had guessed, he'd need Yennefer's help to understand more about this weapon.
For now, he'd meditate.
That's all he's been doing this past few days.
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"Ogroids like to jump one after the other, it'll be a while before you can attack back yourself!"
Leon found himself in a situation. Surrounded by hyperactive Nekkers, he was unable to retaliate. Unlike Drowners, nekkers were small, vicious and unrelenting. And worst of all, his worst enemy, because it was absurdly hard to hit one of them with a single arrow.
So he had to use his damned sword instead, Geralt's silver bane. It was effective for blocking and threatening, but too heavy for him to use comfortably. And the Nekkers were also pretty loud, so it was a hard challenge to concentrate on the battle itself.
But Ciri was right behind him, her fist glowing a bright green light of power and he knew she was ready to jump in if things ever got out of hand. So he wouldn't let panic win over him.
With one step forward, he swung and cursed the sweat falling from his forehead onto his eyes for blinding him, for he missed by only an inch and the Nekker ran free. Immediately, they repeated their barrage of attacks, so it meant he'd have to roll on his back for a while before could attack.
A particularly witty Nekker with bones as accessories jumped at him and head butted Leon hard, forcing his nose to leak some blood. Nekker's for heads were extremely hard.
"Leon!" Ciri, as always, was the one panicking for the two of them. Leon was hurt, sure, but it wasn't anything drastic.
"Calm down, let him handle this. Getting hit was exactly what he needed" Geralt interrupted anything her mind started planning and forced Ciri to look at Leon.
The archer was starting to retaliate continuously between jumps, and his eyes seemed to be focused once again. Perhaps getting smacked on the face by a monster was exactly what he needed.
With newfound strength Leon stomped his right leg in front of him and he swung his sword from the ground up to the air, and finally, he hit one of the three damned Nekker. The thing went flying, with both of its hands missing from their rightful place and with a deep slash on their chest.
The Nekker fell and remained squirming on the floor for a little bit before finally dying.
"Hmm, move number 3. Not bad" Geralt commended, and Ciri felt weird for identifying the move he was talking about. The dork side of them was sticking on her..
With their natural formation breaking, the Nekkers started falling out of sync. Crashing against each other and fighting between themselves.
One stumbled and Leon took his chance, killing the Ogroid with a slash on his neck.
The other attempted to run away at the sight of his comrades dead on the floor, and after seeing Leon barely able to chase it, Ciri flashed in and killed the Ogroid for him. Ciri nodded
After the fight ended, Leon sat down on a nearby boulder and started checking his nose. Of course, less than a second later, Ciri joined him to check on his health.
"How are you?" She crouched to get a better look and Leon lifted his nose for her to see. It was red and bruised, not to mention a little bloody, but at least it wasn't out of place.
"I'm fine…" Leon listed a hand to rub his nose gently, and watched his hand stained with blood, "Shit, I shouldn't get hit by Nekkers like that…"
"That's the right mentality, but it would be unrealistic…not getting hit by anything fast like a Nekker. The correct way of thinking about it would be, to never get significantly harmed by them. Alas, it is a bit early for you to start identifying which attacks will deal lasting damage and which are merely desperate" Geralt was all business mode, knowing full well that Leon's nose was in absolutely no danger, "You could trade a weak punch for their arm, that's a good exchange"
"Yeah, you could've taken its head off after he smacked you in the face" Ciri added, as she inspected his nose closely.
"It's fine, if you don't see an opening, don't try to take one by force. Retreat as much as you like, at the end, it's better than dying to a wrong move on your part" Geralt frowned, apparently the kid's bow could just…shine out of a sudden. A mind of its own, and it was red.
It was probably mad, because he had prohibited Leon from using his bow this time, no matter the circumstances. Ciri had been happy about this, but Leon was adamant on fighting real monsters without his bow. Needless to say, albeit sloppy, it had been the correct decision.
It's not like Geralt wanted Leon to forsake archery, not at all. He actually considered it a good skill to support Ciri if they were going to partner up. But he wanted to make sure Leon could use a sword, for when the situation got dire and there was no other option. Not all monsters could be taken down by an arrow, and for those, he'd need the sword. He could take some spirit's anger if it meant the safety of both his daughter and this civilian boy.
"His nose is fine, let it be" Ciri was still occupied with checking on Leon, who felt a bit embarrassed at the situation. It was quite endearing to see how obsessive Ciri was when it came to his health, but also a bit…too much at times.
"I'll be the one determining that, don't you have corpses to judge?" Ever the witty brat, Ciri paid it no mind and continued her administration. Geralt merely grumbled before turning around to check on the monster corpses.
The one Ciri killed was clearly cut in half. Which wasn't a hard task when it came to Nekkers. They were ogroids, but did not have the defensive traits other ogroids had.
Leon's kills were…less accurate. One Ogroid died of shock and blood loss, and the other one had its throat slashed open. Both deaths took time to settle in, and that could cost him greatly against more resilient enemies.
But! That being said, this was definitely progress. The monsters were dead, and he was alive. His technique needed polishing, but at least he could swing a sword and not die in the process.
By the time they made it to Kaer Morhen, shit, he could start taking lessons with Ciri herself.
"You used move number three, good idea. Still wobbly on the way up, but your swing did the trick…we'll go over evading techniques tomorrow, so you can optimize your rolls and side jumps correctly. And no, you can't take the lead on this training, Cirilla. You are actually participating in it"
"What!?" Ciri, done with her inspection, jumped back and placed herself in front of Geralt, "Evade training? That's for literal idiots!" She couldn't stop herself and blurted out her words, regretting them immediately. The Ashen Haired Witcher crouched in front of Leon, who merely laughed awkwardly at her words, "Sorry! You are no idiot, I was just-"
"Being stupid" Geralt continued, "Neglectful. You failed to evade your first drowner attack, and what happened then?" She grimaced. That incident was decades ago, "That's right, you were left incapacitated for the rest of the year. Cirilla, you can't pretend to be a master, when you use your gift to evade. In this training, you are prohibited from blinking away"
"I can evade, even without my magic!" She retorted back, angry.
"Then prove it to me tomorrow morning. For now, rest is well overdue, Leon looks ready to pass out" Ciri growled, grinding her teeth. She could evade, no problem. She wasn't a master, but to be+set up to train…she felt a bit higher level than that.
"Ain't it fine? We'll be training together…" Then Leon kicked her out of the anger loop and she turned around to see him, exhausted while sitting on top of a boulder, hand on his nose to stop the bleeding.
He was right, this could only benefit the two of them.
"You just want to spend time with me, don't ya'?" She jested while taking a piece of fabric from her pocket and handing it to Leon.
"Oh I could tell you the same thing. You were eyeing Geralt as if he was a young lady trying to court me" Ciri made a face at his retort and gently kicked his shin, pouting as she did so. So what if she felt a bit jealous? It wasn't a strange thing, "Thank you" Leon still took the fabric and used it to help with his bleeding nose.
"You're lucky you're cute" She threatened and Leon laughed. Attempting to stand up and head towards Kelpie, it was the archer's hand that stopped her in place.
"I'm lucky you are cute" He pulled slightly hard, forcing Ciri down to his level before planting a kiss on her cheek, "And alluring and beautiful and absolutely breathtaking and-"
"Okay, okay!" Ciri quickly freed herself from his hold and laughed awkwardly, "Stop it!" She walked away, leaving Leon to his own devices. Geralt seemed to have bolted away as well, who knows where, so she reached Kelpie and reached inside one of the saddle bags.
From it, she retrieved her trusty world map.
"Well…seems like we're crossing the mountain pass tomorrow…and then a week or two before we reach Kaer Morhen" Munching her inner cheek, she tried calculating if it would be best to head directly to the castle or to stay following the river…
Given the fact that both Leon and herself needed food, staying by the river resonated as the best idea.
Geralt hadn't eaten anything for the last few days either, so probably he'd take some food sooner than later.
If she took in consideration the distance between Kaer Morhen and the River's end, then maybe they could even-
The sound of an arrow traveling her way interrupted Ciri's train of thought, and thanks to her reflexes she managed to dodge the arrow. Unfortunately, it did hit Kelpie, and the horse instantly screeched, running away from the pain and the scare.
"Shit! Who the fuck-" She sensed an attack heading towards her, and Ciri flashed away from it, appearing right behind the attacker. A man in full black armor, with horns on his helmet and clear experience on attacking silently. A nilfgaardian soldier, no doubt.
"Shit, almost caught you, little bitch" The man spat on the floor before turning around. Ciri frowned, scanning her surroundings. How did he manage to sneak on her with little to no vegetation around?
Still, this was alarming. So Ciri blinked away once again, this time far away from the attacker.
Only to find Leon already fighting against another two soldiers.
"Get the bow first, it might sell for a lot!" Make it three soldiers, Leon was surrounded by people. Burly or outright fat, the soldiers were up to the teeth with weapons and armour, making them higher standard soldiers rather than usual Nilfgaardian infantry.
Leon tried evading and shooting arrows, but it was all just too blurry. He was also exhausted from earlier, and the loudness of the soldiers did not help.
Ciri blinked in time to stop one of the soldier's axes from reaching Leon, parrying it away with her trusty sword. The soldiers all screamed in surprise, not expecting Ciri to magically transport herself in between Leon and the blade.
"It's the lady of time!" One of them yelled with gusto and the others clapped.
"Oh we're getting paid big time once the lord learns his daughter is still alive!" Ciri cursed under her breath. They knew her.
"What the fuck do you want?" She spat words at the soldiers.
"With ya? Nothing personal, kid. Geralt…, he's supposed to be searching for Emhyr's new heir! I'd say, he found even better, the heir herself!"
"Then why attack us?"
"Cuz we want yer things!" One of the shorter soldiers proclaimed with a laugh before he charged at her and Leon, "Let me take a swing at the boy, I'll let you life though, princess" Rushing through, the soldier lifted his long halberd axe and attempted to swing, only for it to be stopped midways by Ciri's sword.
None of the soldiers expected that level of strength from Ciri's apparently slim arms.
"Over my fucking dead body" Ciri cursed out, and turned to look at Leon. Her stern face turned into a smile when she realized Leon was ready, hand in bow and with an arrow already tensed. He nodded her way once before she finally disappeared from sight.
Leon…felt like himself for once, finally. With his bow in hand, he was far more comfortable than only using a sword. The battlefield made more sense like this, and his bow vibrated soothingly in his hand, as if it was also happy to be back in action.
Ciri fought fiercely and swiftly, like she usually did. It mattered little if these were trained soldiers, Ciri was far above them as a Witcher. If this was the troop sent to hunt Geralt down, they served merely as a reminder.
Admittedly, it was good to finally fight with Leon by her side once again. The bandits were strong, they took a lot of swings from Ciri to start stumbling, and some could predict her blink usage better than what she had expected.
But Leon's arrows were…somehow faster. Somehow stronger. The impact of their steel upon their own was harsh, so much that some of the soldiers cowered out from the arrows, even though they were fully covered in armour.
Leon's training had actually…made him a better archer. Far deadlier, more accurate.
One soldier's sword got too close to Ciri's arm for comfort and it was an arrow that intercepted the attack, parrying it away.
"Shit, you are suddenly an archer god, Leon?" Ciri asked, incredulous. She spared a second to look at him, and evidently, Leon was in that certain mode he hadn't entered in the last few weeks. With his eyes shining bright blue and the aura around him clearly magical and expressive. His bow was also filled with green light.
"I…don't know, but I feel lighter, and these guys are too slow now" He confessed as he kept shooting arrows left and right.
Ciri followed through, finally getting rid of the first soldier, and then continuing with the next one. Leon didn't…try to kill them, just leave them with their guard down so Ciri could finish the job, and in a way it was a noble, yet a little stupid act.
These guys were here to kill them, and Kidnap Ciri back to her father (which, for her, was worse than death). That Leon could hold mercy against them was…his usual thing, to be fair.
In the end though, she didn't mind much, being the butcher in the relationship. Leon could stay pure as much as he wanted to, she liked that about him.
Well, she liked all things about him, really.
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"You kids look like you ran a marathon…I'm not saying anything, but you should probably keep that type of action for when there's a real bed available"
Geralt had arrived half an hour later with a few rabbits in hand and a whole refilled jug of water, he had apparently left to catch them and make the day easier for Leon after his fight with the Nekkers.
He had come back to find Ciri panting on the ground in front of their tent, and Leon…passed out next to her, snoring and exhausted.
He did smell the scent of blood, but he wanted to make a joke before getting serious about it.
"Oh shut up, we've never done that with you in the near vicinity" Ciri dismissed his joke, waving away at him.
"So you have been doing that in other situations?" Geralt questioned back, and Ciri glared at him.
"I'm not a child anymore, Geralt" Was all she answered. Satisfied, Geralt hummed in return and let his eyes travel around the place. Leon and Ciri had that usual stench of battle, and they changed clothes…their other garments all…hmmm, according to the scent, they were at the river nearby. Cleaning, probably. It was blood, but not theirs.
"You got attacked," Geralt concluded, "Kid's okay?" He scanned the sleeping archer on the ground. Other than drained from energy, he seemed to be completely fine.
"Of course he is, I'm right here to guard him. Emhyr's men…they were looking for you. When they saw me well, you can imagine how it got"
"So they are all dead?"
"I couldn't let them go, they would've let Emhyr know…" She sighed. Leon also knew they wouldn't be able to let anyone live, but he wasn't really happy about it.
"I know, but maybe having one alive would let us know where did they come from, and if Emhyr himself sent them…regardless, it's good to see you're both okay"
"Yeah…it's good you caught dinner, Leon's out of service right now" Said archer was so deep in morpheus arms that there was drool on his cheek and he was snoring. Usually, the one snoring loudly was Ciri, not him.
"He did good work with Nekkers, and I assume he assisted well in the fight against those soldiers?" He asked and Ciri nodded.
"You don't need to assume, we've been fighting together for a long time. He's great…or rather, he's doing even better with the bow now. Gods, you should've seen the strength behind those arrows! He was up in his game today, Leon" Ciri started praising, eyes starry and absorbed.
"Yup, caught a raw diamond. Make sure you invite me and Jen to the wedding, okay?" Geralt tried to make it as a joke, but it was also quite serious. Ciri seemed absolutely satisfied with this relationship she had with Leon, and something told him this was going to be running for a long, long time.
"Oh…er, sure" Caught off guard, Ciri blushed and looked away, "I haven't thought about that, don't you think it's a little soon or-"
"Ciri, you are asking the wrong person about this" Geralt interrupted any complicated question Ciri could ask, mainly because indeed, he was not the right one for these types of matters.
"Yeah, I forget…You and Yen have the weirdest relationship ever" She giggled to herself, and Geralt hummed in return. Maybe she was right.
"And you two are quite strange yourselves. A Witcher with a village boy" She laughed and nodded. True enough, "I never thought I'd see you…like this"
"Like what?"
"Mellow" He found a word for it, "You've always been that quirky kid, eager, drastic, dramatic. Pretty much numb when it came to…I guess, being more delicate or something within those lines. Seeing you now, I guess things change once you are really free, huh?" Ciri nodded in return, thinking for a bit.
At the beginning she had felt strange about it. Being open about shit, feeling…this way. But now, she guarded that feeling with her life. Things were starting to feel real about her decisions in this world. Leon gave it more meaning, and this thing they had going on for them was so precious, she could no longer see herself without it in the long run.
"I know, I felt that way too. Leon never cared, he's very patient with me" Geralt understood, Leon was patient with Ciri even now, when her mouth spoke too fast, when she said things she didn't mean, he understood. Sometimes he spoke up and berated her, but he was always calm…so far, "One day he asked to confirm what we have and it took me so much to confirm it for him…damn, I should've just came out with it. Why are emotions so problematic? They have always been the source of all my problems…" Geralt smiled. For once, Ciri was asking the right questions.
"Seems like he's a good match for you" Ciri scoffed and nodded again.
"Obviously, he is" Absently, she reached a hand to Leon's hair and started running her fingers on his scalp, "we've been together for some time now, I wanna see our mission to the very end just like that, too. Together"
"Hmm, Kaer Morhen is still a couple weeks away. But his sister should be right where we left here, Yennefer promised to look out for her until we came back" Standing up once again, Geralt looked around the place before spotting the campfire made by Leon a day ago, "We've stayed here for too long already. I'd say you two should sleep, I'll prepare the food, and once you wake up and eat, we start riding, even if it's nighttime" Casting a quick igni, he started working on the fire.
It would be sometime before Leon travel, so Geralt had the chance to start working on his new idea.
A new brewery, a new potion. A simple one, CAT. To see under the night light. To see in the dark.
A potion, for Witchers.
And now, the first potion…
For humans.
