Castoff: Selflessness (ch. 16) (Patreon)

Her mother had died when she was just a baby, so Ciri held no memories of her. She knew what she looked like because of paintings, and she grew up hearing stories about her mother and the antics she got into. Before the Fall of Cintra, her marriage to her father -- a man cursed to be a porcupine until Geralt interfered -- was a popular tavern song. However, Ciri would be lying if she said that she felt any kind of connection to her mother. It felt like she should, but there wasn't anything there, and while that was sad in its own way, that role had been filled twice over.

First, with her grandmother, the Lioness of Cintra. She had raised her up during the early years of her childhood. A tough and strong woman that had moments of softness when you least expected it. She taught Ciri everything she knew about what it meant to be a ruler, even if it took more than a decade for those lessons to start to sink in or for Ciri to see the wisdom in them. Her spirit broke with her death -- throwing herself from the castle rather than letting herself be taken by Nilfgaard. By her father.

However, while her heart had wept for the loss, the void didn't remain empty for long. Yennefer became her mother in all but blood. It started out tense -- Yennefer had seemed so imposing and calculating. Ciri decided that she absolutely hated her even before they exchanged a single word. It also didn't help that she was demanding in lessons when she was absolutely rubbish when it came to magic. All the same, with a lot of patience from both sides, and some extenuating circumstances that forced Yennefer to show how much she cared, Ciri found herself proud to call Yennefer a mother to her.

Ciri knew she was one of the few people in this world that could claim that they knew the Witch of Vengerberg well. How driven she was was only matched by how much she cared. That as poised and composed as she could appear, at times, that only masked a woman that had no more idea what she was doing than Ciri did at generally any moment of her life. She was one of the few that truly knew Yennefer.

Which is why Ciri would forever remember this day as the day she saw Yennefer struck speechless.

"Is there something you would like to share, Guts? Maybe your feelings about monarchies?" Ciri questioned, looking at her father, who was unceremoniously being dragged by the scruff of his neck. The image was seared into her mind. Today really was a great day. It would be hard to top it, even if the Wild Hunt came crashing through the window.

"A crown isn't a shield for a glass jaw," Guts summarized. And that was a line she would be sure to feed to Dandelion. "Well? Let's go before the guards react."

"What- you-" Yennefer started to sputter, openly gaping at Guts with dumbfounded astonishment. Her violet gaze snapped to Ciri when she placed a hand on her shoulder. With the other, she placed it on Guts' prosthetic and she pulled up on the power that lurked in her veins. She had been using it more than she ever had in recent memory. It sang at her touch, begging to be used and eagerly obeyed her call upon it. The four of them were engulfed in a white flash, and a split second later, Ciri heard a clatter.

"Oh for- Ciri! And Yennefer… and Emhyr?" Dandelion started, a plate full of odds and ends falling to the floor as they appeared back in the heart of his tavern. Guts dropped her father on his face, his eyes searching the tavern but Ciri only looked at Yennefer.

"You've grown, Ciri," Yennefer said with a fierce but quiet pride in her voice, sweeping Ciri into another hug that Ciri melted into. "You've grown so much. You're a woman now. Geralt is going to be beside himself -- he's been chasing you across the North for more than a week now," Yennefer said, making Ciri stiffen.

"Geralt has been looking for me?" Ciri asked, and with the utmost reluctance, she stepped back, breaking the hug.

"We learned that you were back in this Sphere. Or, rather, your father did. He offered a place at his court, and I deigned to accept on account of the Wild Hunt pursuing me to become bait for you. I negotiated a better deal for myself than most mages manage," Yennefer remarked before glancing down at the unconscious Emperor. "He imagined you would come for me. Rightly so, but I imagine he thought things would go quite differently."

"And Geralt?" Ciri prompted.

"He agreed to track you. We had sightings of you -- and a mysterious Black Swordsman," she remarked and, surprisingly enough, Guts let out an amused grunt at the title. "A village where you got into an altercation with some soldiers before the entire place was haunted by spirits, then again at Oxenfurt. Geralt was hot on your heels, the last that I heard." The words were like a punch to the stomach. How close had she been to reuniting with Geralt? A day away? Less? More? Then she teleported right to Novigrad, so it would have been days more before there was word of a sighting of her again.

Guts, however, focused more on the practical issue. "Did he get out before the city was besieged?"

Yennefer ran her gaze over the length of Guts, sizing him up. "He didn't," Yennefer informed them. "He was sidetracked by some creature called Puck and who knows what else."

Fuck.

"Er…" Ciri heard Puck pipe up from the rafters, swinging from a cobweb hammock, and looking sufficiently guilty. He had likely been waiting for their return. Yennefer narrowed her eyes at Puck, likely recognizing him by description.

"I suppose introductions are in order. Yennefer -- this is Guts and Puck. They're friends. Puck is a wind spirit. Or a fairy. I'm not entirely sure. They're from another Sphere," Ciri introduced them lamely. Yennefer closed her eyes and Ciri felt compelled to continue, "Erm… long story short -- Guts was a little cursed, and it caused spirits to attack the living, so Puck covered for him."

"By playing the role of the most dastardly villain Evil-Puck," Pick declared, anything but helpful.

Yennefer's expression pinched, "I see Geralt's been left chasing his own tail again." Ciri winced, feeling more than a little guilty for that. More so since their reunion had been so close at hand. "Don't feel guilty, Ciri. Believe me, he's quite used to it by now. Now, we really should address the issue at hand. Ciri. Guts. We've just kidnapped the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Are you intending to hand him over to Radovid?"

Ciri scratched at her cheek while Dandelion made a choking sound that earned him a mild look from Yennefer before she looked back at Ciri with a questioning gaze. "Er… well, Radovid… is kind of dead. Guts punched him," she was quick to throw him under the bus. Even better, he'd have no idea that she was because he didn't know what a bus was.

She could see Yennefer processing that, looking to Guts like she wanted to say something. But, for the first time since Ciri had met her, Yennefer decided to think better of it. "I see. That complicates things a great deal. What-" she began, looking to Ciri, only for Guts to interrupt.

"I'm not going to explain everything twice. Ciri -- Oxenfurt. Are we lifting the siege, or are we going in just to grab Geralt and the kids?" He asked, ignoring the sharp look that he got from Yennefer. He had cut right to the heart of the matter. A question that she was hoping that someone else would answer for her.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was saved by Yennefer. "Geralt has been in this situation more often than not. I imagine he has his own ways to ensure that he escapes the city. There is no action needed. Especially for something so dangerous -- the Wild Hunt won't hesitate to attack this city, regardless of the numbers, if they know you are here." Another thing that Ciri would have to bring her up to speed on.

For now, her thoughts were stuck on the two courses that she was set up on. A fork in the road.

On one path, she remained as she was. A Witcher. She would continue to follow the Path, a lifetime of adventure and monster slaying. And, probably, a ignoble death at the hands of some creature that she, hopefully, would take with her in death. It was the Path that Geralt walked. That all the Witchers walked. It would have its hardships, that was undeniable, but it was a rewarding path. The people she would meet, the people she would help… it would make the low moments worth it.

On the other path was the road to the crown. A path of a different kind of hardship. Of thousands of boring meetings. Of tedious decorum and handling arrogant nobles that imagined slights for the most minor discourtesy. Of years and years of frustration as she tried to make a better world for the people in it because the people with power would fight the change every step of the way. At the end of the road, the reforms she made probably would end up dying with her. The most she could hope for is that the innovation she brought from other worlds would catch on and become a fact of life.

One way was a path of immense hardship but personal satisfaction.

The other was a path of immense suffering… and a better world for it.

What was it that Guts said? Pick the option she would regret the least? It was good advice. Solid, really. However, she knew exactly which one she should pick. She knew the one that she would regret the least… and… she was stalling. She was waiting for someone to talk her out of it.

Which is why she jumped onto what Guts said. “Geralt can handle himself, but better safe than sorry. We… we can pop into the city first. See what's going on. Then we can talk about what comes next," Ciri said, knowing that she was putting off giving an answer. If Guts noticed, then he didn't call her out on it. Thankfully. Yennefer seemed confused, and Ciri reached out to squeeze her hand. "We can explain everything once we're back. Shouldn't take long… and maybe we can figure out what we're going to do with Emhyr."

Yennefer clearly had questions. Ciri could see them in her eyes. "I should be coming with you, in that case."

Maybe, but… "Triss and Philippa are here," Ciri informed, making Yennefer's eyes narrow into slits. "Triss has an underground mage syndicate going on. And with Radovid dead along with the Witch Hunters-" Yennefer's eyebrows climbed high, glancing at Guts. "You're better off staying here. It's only going to take a moment. The Wild Hunt… well, I'll just say we don't have to worry about them for now."

Yennefer closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a sharp breath before letting it out. "Very well. If you're certain. Triss and I… have matters to discuss regardless," she said, a cold tone in her voice that brought Ciri up short. "It's nothing to concern yourself with Ciri. Go pull Geralt out of whatever trouble he's managed to land himself in." With how she said that, it sounded like something that Ciri should be concerning herself with, but when Dandelion caught her eye with a dramatic shake of his head…

"Right," Ciri responded lamely. "We'll be back in a flash," Ciri informed, reaching out to Guts' prosthetic, and then with another pull of her power, the run down tavern vanished in a flash of light.

As soon as they entered Oxenfurt, Ciri heard it. The sounds of combat. They appeared in a back alley that was, thankfully, empty. Echoing through the air were the sounds of screams and flashings of metal. A split second after they arrived, Ciri looked up to see a massive rock flying through the air that smashed right through a building across from them, sending up splinters and dust.

The Nilfgaardians were assaulting the city. Without letting go of Gut’s arm, Ciri made them appear at the top of a building to get a better view and her stomach clenched at what she saw. The main gate was currently being assaulted, as well as the dock area. The Nilfgaardians were bombarding the walls with trebuchets, heavy stones slamming into the walls of the city but more than once, the stone slipped over them to tear through the city itself.

The streets were completely devoid of citizens, the only people out at the moment were soldiers. Everyone was either in their homes or by the temple and college by the looks of things. Her heart clenched at the sight-

“They’re not going to get in,” Guts voiced, making it sound like a fact. Her attention snapped to him, and she found him gazing out at the battle with a clinical gaze. “Even if they take down a wall, they’re going to have to cross the river, march up the beaches, and then force their way through the defenders that would have had plenty of time to block it off. Their only hope is to force their way through the gate, or finding an alternate entrance into the city.” It was a rather stark reminder that Guts was a mercenary.

She wondered if he had ever taken a city like this- no, that wasn’t important. His words took the edge off of her nerves, but it was still daunting.

“Then why attack at all?” Ciri wondered, gazing out at the city and wondering where Geralt was. He wouldn’t be on the walls. That wasn’t like him. No, he would be looking for an alternative exit. A dangerous thing because any exit meant it could be used as an entrance into the city.

“Could be a bunch of reasons. They didn’t have any luck finding another entrance, the general is a cocky shit that wants prestige because taking Oxenfurt means the war goes to Nilfgaard, regardless of anything we do. Or it could be a distraction because they found another entrance and they don’t want the defenders to notice until it’s too late,” Guts ventured, offering a small uncaring shrug when she shot him a sharp look. That last one wasn’t what she wanted to hear at all.

Was there anything that they could do?

The answer was yes.

Ciri bit her lip and looked away from it. “We- We should grab the kids and find Geralt before we do anything,” Ciri decided. The kids would be back with the Witch Hunters. That sounded like it might be an awkward conversation. Though, considering their track record, Ciri harbored doubts that there would be a conversation at all.

"Easier said than done," Guts voiced, and that was probably true.

"Well… if you were going to escape a city under siege, how would you do it?" She asked, figuring that this was a time to leave it to the experts. Then she felt compelled to add on, "If you weren't going to leave through the front door, of course."

"Does the city have a sewer?" He asked, making Ciri tilt her head. "Most cities didn't in my Sphere, but the few that did, it was a pretty obvious weakness. Both sides knew it, so most attackers didn't try -- cramped spaces, easy to block up, and the enemy would be prepared for it. But, if you're trying to get out of a siege? It's a good place to start," he voiced, and that made enough sense to her.

She nodded. A trip through the sewers. Lovely. Descending to the ground, they walked the deserted streets. More than once, they saw people peeking out at them. Though, thankfully, none seemed to recognize them. They had made quite a scene when they last left. Though, because of that visit, Ciri knew where to find an entrance to the sewers since it was a possible location where Gael could have been hiding. Following the back paths, the sounds of combat still echoing in the air-

"Guts," Ciri began, catching the eye of an urchin that was hiding out in a back alley, completely filthy. He took off running the moment that he saw them and she watched him go, her stomach churning at his retreating back before he vanished around a corner. "Do you think they'll get in?"

Sometimes, she wished Guts was willing to lie to her.

"It's only a matter of time," Guts told her. "They're assaulting instead of just laying siege. They're confident. If they were desperate, then they'd move on or look for another way across the river. Assaults are costly."

Her lips thinned as she stalked through the streets. "It'll be a sack, won't it?"

"It always is," Guts answered, his tone flat. Damn it. Damn it all.

Ciri knew what she had to do. She resigned herself to it. Not for the future and everything this world could be. She knew what she had to do simply because she couldn't stand by and do nothing as this city was raised, it's citizens raped and murdered for no grander reason they happened to be behind the walls when the Nilfgaardians entered.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she bumped into Guts when he came to an abrupt stop. Rubbing her nose, she peeked around him as he said, "Looks like we weren't the only ones to have the idea." The entrance to the sewers was under guard, but it wasn't by soldiers. A good half dozen Witch Hunters were guarding the entrance -- only they were positioned to make sure nothing came out rather than preventing anyone from coming in. That was the only reason their approach wasn't noticed.

A few of them were familiar faces, Ciri having seen them when they dropped the kids off here. However, they seemed agitated. Annoyed. Luckily enough, they were willing to complain about it to each other. "We should be down there instead of sitting up here with our thumbs up our arses."

"Orders are orders," another one replied, sounding disinterested.

"Our names being drug through the muck -- first a vampire, then those ghosts? A fucking monster in the sewers and a Witcher? We've been doing a bad job of protecting the people," one groused, a foot tapping impatiently as he gazed down the entrance like he was tempted to enter the sewer. Ciri zeroed in on one thing -- Witcher. Was he really down there?

"A squad is already down there to smoke the bastards out," the same Witch Hunter replied, seated at a table while he and a few others played Gwent or dice. He was older and scarred. Comparatively, the agitated one was young. Idealistic. Green. The kind that joined the Witch Hunters not out of hate of magic and all those different, but because he was genuinely misguided enough to think that by burning people at the stake, he was protecting people. "Leave it to them."

"The Witcher took hostages! Kids!" The young man blurted, making Ciri's eyebrows climb high. Slowly, she reached out to Guts, hearing enough. Geralt was down there. With kids? That sounded like a story worth hearing. "He's probably working with those damn Nilfgaardians. What if he's leading them into the city, right now? While we're up here doing nothing??"

The old man sighed, "Then feel free to head down there yourself. We was given orders to guard the entrance, so we're guarding the entrance." He said, gesturing for the young man to go for it. And, for a brief second, it looked like he might. But courage and valor was so much easier to muster when there were others at your back. He looked away, his expression shamed, and Ciri pulled up on the power in her veins. They teleported again, this time appearing in the tunnel that the Witch Hunters had been guarding, and quickly rounding a corner to vanish out of sight.

The sewer was well lit, likely because of the siege. Torches lined the walls in even spacing, casting away the shadows. It would be damn near impossible to sneak through the tunnels. They both strode forward, while Ciri closed her eyes. She didn't have a Witcher's enhanced senses, but she had spent years honing them and she knew how to focus on her hearing. In tunnels like these, sounds bounced around, and if you paid attention, you could hear it even as it became the faintest of echoes.

And she heard it. The sounds of combat. Following the sounds, they slowly got louder as they rapidly approached until they weren't echoes any longer. Ciri found herself speeding up into a dead sprint, rounding a last corner to see a large cavern that had some natural light filtering through it. Speeding forward she dropped down into the cavern, the ground covered by a wet slick material, but she paid it no mind as she found the source of the sounds of combat. There was so much going on that she didn't even know what to look at first.

The first thing that caught her attention was the utterly massive bullfrog that was covered in massive pustules that covered its back. It stood more than twice her height, and four times as wide, more akin to a small house in terms of size. Its three part jaw opened and a massive tongue lashed out, slamming into a Witch Hunter with bone shattering force, every rib that he had breaking like glass. With a heave, the tongue receded, pulling the screaming Witch Hunter into its mouth before the beast started chewing messily.

That wasn't a monster she recognized. And it was living under Oxenfurt? For how long?

There were a good thirty Witch Hunters scattered about, but more than half of them were dead. Crushed underneath the weight of the creature, which it proved by landing on another. It was like seeing a tomato being crushed by a brick. Her stomach clenched at the sight, but she was focused, taking it all in. Off in the corner, she saw familiar faces. Anne and the children. What were they- no. Not the time for questions. They were here, and they had to deal with the threat first and foremost.

And then she saw him. The purple glow of Yarden alerted Ciri to his presence first -- the rune circle placed on the ground activated when the toad moved into it, freezing it in place. He appeared on the creature's back, stabbing into a glowing pustule, spilling the contents before sending a blast of Igni into the wound that caused the creature to scream. His white hair pulled back, his golden eyes shining while dark veins stood out against his pale skin. He wielded a silver blade, his Wolf School armor standing out, and…

Geralt. It was Geralt. He looked a lot better than the last time she saw him -- having rescued him from the Wild Hunt. Healthier. And in his element.

A fierce smile found its way onto her face as she acted without care. In a blur of movement, she appeared at the monster's side, her weapon at the ready and thrusting it into its eye. It threw its head back and roared in agony, throwing them both away, but they landed on their feet.

"Ciri?" Geralt questioned, looking at her with faint surprise. Most wouldn't be able to see it, but she knew his microexpressions. Then his expression tightened. "It shoots bile globs -- it's poisonous. The tongue can reach anywhere in the cavern, and it uses it like a club. Yarden locks it down for five seconds. Hide is thick, but the pustules are vulnerable," he rattled off the useful information.

"Got it," Ciri said, feeling right at home. Fighting monsters with Geralt -- that's what she knew best. When she laid her head down and dreamed at night -- this is the future she wanted.

"Get right. I'll get left. And watch out for the Witch Hunters, they'll attack us as much as the toad." He added before a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, "It's good to see you again, Ciri."

It felt like she was coming home, "I'm telling Yennefer that all I had to do was find some trouble in the city and you were in the middle of it," she teased.

"Hm. It's less good to see you."

With a joyous laugh, Ciri threw herself forward, going right while Geralt went left. The monster swung out its tongue, bashing a Witch Hunter with enough force that he was ripped in two, while Ciri leaned underneath the offending appendage. She slashed at it, carving a deep groove, but the toad was unbothered. With a heave, it lept up into the air, determined to crush her, but flashing back a dozen feet, she easily dodged the toad when it landed. The entire cavern seemed to shake at the weight of the impact.

Yarden runes appeared underneath it, locking it down and Ciri appeared on top of it. She jabbed her sword into its remaining eye while Geralt slashed at the pustules and burned them with another Ignis. The creature roared in agony, now blinded, and lashed out the moment it was freed from the Yarden. It spat a massive blob of bile that splashed over the stone, some of it splashing onto a corpse of a Witch Hunter, and Ciri noticed how it sizzled. Already, the monster was in its death throes. It was blinded and in pain.

Meaning now, it was the most dangerous. Desperation made it impossible to predict.

Ciri backed off, taking a deep breath that became caught in her throat when the toad lashed out blindly with its tongue. It tore through a Witch Hunter, and onward to Anne, who was covering the children with her body. She started to move, intending to appear before then and teleport them out of harms way, but there wasn't a need. Guts seemed to just appear between them, using Dragonslayer as a shield to catch the blow.

Guts was knocked back a good half dozen feet, but incredibly, neither Dragonslayer nor he broke under the force. Guts' expression twisted, lashing out with a hand and grabbing hold of the offending tongue and with a heave, he yanked it back. The tongue, already weakened by the slash she had made, gave out. He ripped the tongue in half, making the monster scream in agony, the other half of the tongue lashing out and sending sprays of dark blood everywhere.

Guts moved forward, dashing directly to the monster, while she and Geralt moved as well, the two of them coming at its sides while Guts approached from the front. Ciri's blade pierced its already ruined eye, continuing forward until her wrist was enveloped in a slimy material, skewering its brain while Guts brought his sword down on its head, cleaving it in half. As if it wasn't dead enough already, Geralt slashed it's throat so deeply it was nearly beheaded.

With a crash, the toad collapsed in on itself, falling in a heap.

"Gross," Ciri noted, ripping her hand free and taking a step back. No sooner than she did, she found herself enveloped in a hug, Geralt holding her close.

She leaned into it and swallowed a breath of relief.

It would be nice while it lasted.