The Divine Hunter

if he should treat Geralt to some liquor. I have some dwarven liquor in my inventory.
I’ll get close to him, and once he’s drunk, we’ll play some Gwent, and I’ll win all his money.
Once he gets in debt with me, I’ll ask him where Kaer Morhen is, and I can find out about their trial potion’s recipe too.

But before he could do anything, he heard someone on the right stirring. Someone’s waking up.
Ciri. Ciri finally woke up after sleeping for so long, but she didn’t wake up because she had ample rest.
She was just suffocating from Braenn’s hug, and the lack of oxygen woke her up.

The girl freed her head from the dryad’s arms, but Braenn was still hugging the girl tightly.
Ciri’s face was red, and when she looked up, she saw a face filled with war paint.
Under the silvery moonlight, the paint on Braenn’s face made her look like a terrifying barbarian who lived in a jungle.

The asphyxiation and shock petrified Ciri for a long moment. I am sorry? Who is this? Where am I?

Roy turned Ciri around and put his finger to his lips.
Ciri finally snapped out of it, and she stammered, “Wh-What is th-this?” She crawled over to Roy and tried to hide behind him, but then she was met with a pair of golden eyes.

And she screamed.

The silent forest under the moonlight was disturbed by Ciri’s screams.
Wolves started howling, and weird voices were heard throughout the forest.
They came from the mysterious entities that were hiding in the darkest depths of the ancient forest.

Roy quickly cast Axii to dispel the girl’s fear, and Ciri finally stopped shouting.

How bizarre. Ciri could feel all her fear melting away in the presence of a special power, and it calmed her down.
It was then she realized that the beastly eyes and weird face belonged to two different people.
“Roy, who are they?”

Geralt stared at Ciri and tried to crack a joke, “You have a loud voice, girl.
Almost made me deaf.
You’ll have a bright career in the northern opera scene.
But first things first, opera star.
Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before you demand someone’s name?”

“Who are you?” Ciri stomped her foot and looked at the strange people around her carefully.
Eventually, realization struck her.
“A white-haired witcher.
I know you! You’re Geralt! Roy s—”

“Oh, she’s just a cheeky girl who ran away from home.” Roy pinched her cheeks and gave her a look.

Ciri understood what he was saying instantly. Alright.
I’m keeping it a secret.

“A girl? A princess, more like.” Geralt tried his best to smile, but it was an ugly one, and his face froze for a moment.
“You do know that there are other people out there who are looking for you, right?”

Ciri snorted scornfully and nudged closer to Roy.

“Don’t worry.
We’ll send you home.”

“I just got out.
I don’t want to go home!” Ciri glared at the witcher, and sparks flew between them.

Roy said nothing.
Instead, he watched the event unfold with interest.
He never expected the ‘father and child’ who were destined to meet through the Law of Surprise to get into an argument the very first time they met.

Interesting.
So Geralt is a softie.
He’s just concerned about Ciri.
He doesn’t have to be so stubborn about it.

Since Roy was keeping quiet, Geralt pressured, “Child, isn’t that centipede lesson enough for you? You cannot survive in this forest.
Where else can you go but Verden?”

“I can go with Roy.
He’ll keep me safe!”

“You aren’t going anywhere, girl,” Braenn said quietly, and her voice surprised Ciri.

“Oh, so you’re a lady.
Fine, I’ll let the earlier action slide, even though you did almost kill me.”

Braenn ignored her complaints.
She said seriously, “You are so frail, yet you managed to run for so long.
And you even evaded all the sentries, swamps, forests, and traps on your way.
You are strong, healthy, and brave.
You are useful to us.”

“See?” Ciri said haughty.
“Even this lady doesn’t want me to go back!”

Ciri did not realize what Braenn was talking about.

“Very well then, child.
At least tell me your name.”

“Ciri!”

“Hello, Ciri.
I am Geralt of the Wolf School,” Geralt introduced himself seriously.

“Don’t come near me, weird white-haired man! Just stay there! I wanna sleep with Roy!” Ciri mumbled in annoyance, and she turned to Roy.
“I’m hungry, Roy.
Get me something to eat! And tell me a bedtime story! You have no idea how dull the days are without you around!”

“What kind of stories do you want to hear this time?” Roy whipped out a bunch of dried fruits and smoked meat from his bag.

“Certainly not Rapunzel.
You scared me back then.
Coria had nightmares for two days straight.
I want something interesting tonight.” Ciri lay down beside Roy and wolfed her food down.
She wouldn’t have eaten anything like this in the past, but she was already starving.

“Very well, then.
I shall tell you the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.” Roy looked up at the dark sky.
“Once upon a time, there was a boy in Toussaint who bought five magical beans with his cow.”

Braenn licked her lips and squinted at Roy.
She was also interested in the new and magical stories Roy was telling.

Eventually, a peaceful silence returned to the campsite, and not a soul made a sound, save for the young man who was telling a story.