—Home, A Short Time Later—
Bringing Ciri straight back to my family home, she was surprised to see that I lived in such a humble place. Expecting me to live in some sort of luxury mansion or castle based on my demeanor, I admitted that I did have two castles as well.
“You suggesting something?”, I teased her, “I am really that bad?”
“Well, if you really want to know…”, Ciri laughed in response, “I am not complaining, I would much rather be in a place like this instead of a stuffy mansion or castle. It is nice to have wide open spaces with no prying eyes watching you like a hawk…or old men shouting at you that you are doing something wrong.”
“You are referring to Vesemir, right?”, I chuckled with a smile, “If I recall, he is a Sword Master and the one who initially taught you how to fight right?”
“Oh yes, he made me read all sorts of books about monsters and trained me every day to hone my swordplay. While back then I found it to be annoying and troublesome, looking back on it now, I miss those peaceful days.”, Ciri admitted with a sad expression, “Things were easier, I was not always on the run, and I was happy with Geralt and Yennefer.”
Sensing that we were headed down a depressing path, I decided to show her around the residence so she knew where everything was. Putting some water on to boil, for tea, I took her down to her bedroom which would be near Malty and Melty’s rooms. Opening the door for her, Ciri instinctively waved her hand over the light switches believing they were motion-activated. Taking a few steps forward before realizing they were not, she backstepped and flipped the switches for the fan and lights.
“This is certainly an improvement over the last few rooms I have been given.”, Ciri laughed tossing her gear on the bed, “Your world looks pretty peaceful compared to most places I have been. I assume you worked very hard to make it that way.”
“It is not only thanks to me, this world is full of empowered individuals many of whom are Professional Heroes.”, I stated as I motioned for her to follow me to the kitchen, “When I initially arrived here it through me for a loop too, but you will get used to it in a few weeks. Still though…you will probably find one aspect of Pro Heroes quite peculiar like I still do.”
Explaining how being a Professional Hero worked, her initial reaction was to laugh and ask why it had to be a full-time job and why you needed a license to do it. Telling me that she had visited several different worlds with Heroes in them, and almost all of them had full-time jobs that kept them quite busy. Confused as to why you needed a license to use abilities you were born with, Ciri felt it was overly cruel to tell people they could not be themselves and punish them for using the power they were born with. Admitting that performing criminal acts with them should still be punished, she refused to be told that she could not use her powers whenever she wanted.
“Believe me, I agree with you one hundred percent on that point. I believe people should be able to freely use their abilities so long as they do not harm others or themselves in the process.”, I agreed with her as I poured the tea into a coffee cup for her, “Anyways, we need to discuss the Eredin and the Wild Hunt. I am confused on a few points regarding them, and how they have been able to overwhelm deities and people that should have been able to repel them. Take the Sins and Commandments, for example, both of them should have been more than capable of repelling the Wild Hunt. Somehow Eredin’s forces overpowered them and managed to push them back enough to use the White Frost Bomb. Is there something I am missing here?”
“Honestly, I know as much about Eredin as you do. I have only seen him twice since I began running from the Hunt.”, Ciri admitted, “That said, they started becoming a lot more problematic after an encounter in a world similar to this one. Do you happen to know a group called the Justice League?”
“Yeah, I know who they are.”, I chuckled, “Batman, Superman, the busty Wonder Woman…I know all about them. Did something happen while you were there?”
Stifling a laugh as she heard my description of Wonder Woman, Ciri found my comment amusing. Warning me not to say that to her face if I met her, she informed me that she did not take kindly to men commenting on her body like that. Understanding the reason why, as she was an Amazonian Princess, the only two men I could see pulling it off would be Superman and Batman. The only reason they would get a free pass is, depending on the world, Wonder Woman and one of them potentially end up married with kids. Putting that aside for the moment, I asked her if something happened during her time there.
“When I explained my situation to their team, they put me into contact with two mages named Constantine and Zatanna.”, Ciri explained with a warm smile, “The two of them helped me improve my magic proficiency quite a lot, and I enjoyed living on their world. Unfortunately, my fun was short-lived, a few weeks after my arrival Eredin’s men found me and I was forced to flee. To buy me extra time, Constantine somehow relocated them somewhere in deep space. He did not tell me where, but ever since that encounter the Wild Hunt has grown increasingly stronger each time I see them.”
“Hmm…we will need to start our investigation there once we pick up Geralt, Yennefer, and Triss.”, I stated.
“Please do not bring them into this, all of them have suffered enough for my sake.”, Ciri pleaded with me, “I am sure the two of us can figure this out, right? We can bring anyone else you want here, just please spare them any further suffering.”
Agreeing to her request, I told her that we would head out tomorrow to investigate that universe for clues. Thanking me for accepting her request, Ciri switched to another topic.
“So you used to be a proper Medieval Hero?”, she pressed me with excitement, “Does that mean you know how to use a sword?”
“Of course, I can wield almost all medieval weapon types.”, I chuckled knowing where this was headed, “Let me guess, since I took you from the Hero Village you want me to train you now?”
“If you would not mind, I would love to learn from another World Traveller like myself!”, Ciri remarked with excitement, “You must have picked up all sorts of sword styles in your travels, I look forward to learning them. Once this is all over with, I want to go back to Vesemir and kick his butt! He deserves it after all the times he made me carry buckets of water around.”
“Since you put it that way, I guess I can help you there.”, I answered having similar sentiments toward many of my former mentors, “Alright, grab your blade and shield it for training. Once you are ready meet me out back in the Training Area.”
Finishing our tea, Ciri bolted down the stairs to grab her steel sword. Shooting back up the stairs, with the blade in hand, she bolted toward the backdoor and slammed into it. Watching her fall flat on her butt, I could not help but laugh at her. Realizing she thought the door would automatically open for her, Ciri turned bright red in embarrassment.
“Ciri…this is not the Cyberpunk World you visited…”, I laughed at her, “We have to manually open most doors in this world.”
“Stop laughing at me!”, she chuckled, “It’s not funny!!”
Placing my cup in the sink, I walked over and helped her back to her feet. Sliding the door open, like a normal person, I explained how a sliding door worked to her. Stomping on my foot, she called me an ass and stated she knew how to use a sliding door. Walking side by side out to the Training Area, we stood about ten feet apart and prepared for combat. Taking my shoes off for this, she asked me what I was doing. Telling her to do the same, I explained that this was where her training began.
“In combat, taking your eyes off your opponent can be fatal. My first Master had me train barefoot so I could learn how to use my feet as a second pair of eyes.”, I explained, “As your feet have far more nerve endings than anywhere else on your body, you can feel out where trip hazards are or where traps may be lying in wait. Give it a try for yourself, I will show you what I mean during this sparring match.”
“I understand, I will do that then.”, Ciri agreed.
Taking her boots off and rolling her pants up, we proceeded to shield our blades before jumping right into it. Telling her to come at me with everything she had, I wanted to see her skills in person. Wasting no time, Ciri rushed forward and began unleashing a torrent of half-baked attacks at me. Watching her try to blend several dozen different styles into one coherent form, I realized she had completely ruined what training Vesemir had given her. Understanding that she was doing the best she could with what she had, I knew things had to change if she wanted to help me defeat the Wild Hunt.
Studying her movements for a few more moments, I saw through the chaos and began chipping away at her. Throwing her timings off by shoulder-checking her or redirecting her blade, Ciri quickly began to falter and panic. After a few times of this, she began reckless and rushed me with abandonment. Launching herself forward with magic, I used Earth Flow to ever so slightly move the ground beneath her feet.
“What in the heck!?”, she shrieked as she tripped up and tumbled to the ground, “What did you do?!”
“I did not say stop!”, I chuckled swinging my wooden sword at her.
Using a wind spell to blow herself up off the ground, I used the updraft to my advantage as I chased her an upward arcing slash. Letting my blade use the wind to speed up, it slammed into her with a loud cracking sound. Watching her sail into the air, I realized I had overdone it as I accidentally knocked the wind out of her. Grabbing her with Telekinesis, I set her down gently on the grass with a sigh.
“I will admit, you have a lot of creativity when it comes to your fighting style.”, I praised her as she caught her breath, “Unfortunately though that is about all I can say, your blade lacks discipline and your use of multiple styles is hampering your ability. You need to have a solid base to build your unique style, you cannot just throw random moves together and hope they stick.”
“Ugh…that is what every Master keeps telling me.”, Ciri complained with a downcast expression, “I do not know how to do that!”
“Let us start with the basics then, what drives your blade?”, I asked her, “Is it a desire for revenge against your father and the Wild Hunt? Could it be your wish to protect those you love and care about?”
Opening her mouth to answer me, Ciri promptly closed it as she began to ponder that question herself. Having never stopped to think about that, she had no idea why she wielded a blade except for protection.
“All Masters have a singular purpose, it is what we base our unique style around. My original master honed his skills to become the People’s Knight.”, I told her, “He wanted to be the Knight that stood for the people when no one else would. Having witnessed the corruption of nobility and religious orders firsthand, he chose to resist it instead of surrendering and knuckling under. On countless occasions he threw himself into fights to protect the innocent populace…he was the man I aspired to be back then.”
“He sounds like a very honorable man.”, Ciri stated.
“That he was…”, I replied recalling the countless times he cut down nobles to save villages from starvation, “In the end, when he died, the funeral procession stretched for over twenty miles as people from all over came to mourn his death. It was because of him that so many people stood up to corruption and fought back against it.”
“So you think I should start there?”, she inquired.
Nodding my head, I told her to take some time and think about her answer. Depending on her answer, I would begin helping her build a solid base on which she could start adding techniques she picked up on her travels.
—Home, A Short Time Later—
Bringing Ciri straight back to my family home, she was surprised to see that I lived in such a humble place. Expecting me to live in some sort of luxury mansion or castle based on my demeanor, I admitted that I did have two castles as well.
“You suggesting something?”, I teased her, “I am really that bad?”
“Well, if you really want to know…”, Ciri laughed in response, “I am not complaining, I would much rather be in a place like this instead of a stuffy mansion or castle. It is nice to have wide open spaces with no prying eyes watching you like a hawk…or old men shouting at you that you are doing something wrong.”
“You are referring to Vesemir, right?”, I chuckled with a smile, “If I recall, he is a Sword Master and the one who initially taught you how to fight right?”
“Oh yes, he made me read all sorts of books about monsters and trained me every day to hone my swordplay. While back then I found it to be annoying and troublesome, looking back on it now, I miss those peaceful days.”, Ciri admitted with a sad expression, “Things were easier, I was not always on the run, and I was happy with Geralt and Yennefer.”
Sensing that we were headed down a depressing path, I decided to show her around the residence so she knew where everything was. Putting some water on to boil, for tea, I took her down to her bedroom which would be near Malty and Melty’s rooms. Opening the door for her, Ciri instinctively waved her hand over the light switches believing they were motion-activated. Taking a few steps forward before realizing they were not, she backstepped and flipped the switches for the fan and lights.
“This is certainly an improvement over the last few rooms I have been given.”, Ciri laughed tossing her gear on the bed, “Your world looks pretty peaceful compared to most places I have been. I assume you worked very hard to make it that way.”
“It is not only thanks to me, this world is full of empowered individuals many of whom are Professional Heroes.”, I stated as I motioned for her to follow me to the kitchen, “When I initially arrived here it through me for a loop too, but you will get used to it in a few weeks. Still though…you will probably find one aspect of Pro Heroes quite peculiar like I still do.”
Explaining how being a Professional Hero worked, her initial reaction was to laugh and ask why it had to be a full-time job and why you needed a license to do it. Telling me that she had visited several different worlds with Heroes in them, and almost all of them had full-time jobs that kept them quite busy. Confused as to why you needed a license to use abilities you were born with, Ciri felt it was overly cruel to tell people they could not be themselves and punish them for using the power they were born with. Admitting that performing criminal acts with them should still be punished, she refused to be told that she could not use her powers whenever she wanted.
“Believe me, I agree with you one hundred percent on that point. I believe people should be able to freely use their abilities so long as they do not harm others or themselves in the process.”, I agreed with her as I poured the tea into a coffee cup for her, “Anyways, we need to discuss the Eredin and the Wild Hunt. I am confused on a few points regarding them, and how they have been able to overwhelm deities and people that should have been able to repel them. Take the Sins and Commandments, for example, both of them should have been more than capable of repelling the Wild Hunt. Somehow Eredin’s forces overpowered them and managed to push them back enough to use the White Frost Bomb. Is there something I am missing here?”
“Honestly, I know as much about Eredin as you do. I have only seen him twice since I began running from the Hunt.”, Ciri admitted, “That said, they started becoming a lot more problematic after an encounter in a world similar to this one. Do you happen to know a group called the Justice League?”
“Yeah, I know who they are.”, I chuckled, “Batman, Superman, the busty Wonder Woman…I know all about them. Did something happen while you were there?”
Stifling a laugh as she heard my description of Wonder Woman, Ciri found my comment amusing. Warning me not to say that to her face if I met her, she informed me that she did not take kindly to men commenting on her body like that. Understanding the reason why, as she was an Amazonian Princess, the only two men I could see pulling it off would be Superman and Batman. The only reason they would get a free pass is, depending on the world, Wonder Woman and one of them potentially end up married with kids. Putting that aside for the moment, I asked her if something happened during her time there.
“When I explained my situation to their team, they put me into contact with two mages named Constantine and Zatanna.”, Ciri explained with a warm smile, “The two of them helped me improve my magic proficiency quite a lot, and I enjoyed living on their world. Unfortunately, my fun was short-lived, a few weeks after my arrival Eredin’s men found me and I was forced to flee. To buy me extra time, Constantine somehow relocated them somewhere in deep space. He did not tell me where, but ever since that encounter the Wild Hunt has grown increasingly stronger each time I see them.”
“Hmm…we will need to start our investigation there once we pick up Geralt, Yennefer, and Triss.”, I stated.
“Please do not bring them into this, all of them have suffered enough for my sake.”, Ciri pleaded with me, “I am sure the two of us can figure this out, right? We can bring anyone else you want here, just please spare them any further suffering.”
Agreeing to her request, I told her that we would head out tomorrow to investigate that universe for clues. Thanking me for accepting her request, Ciri switched to another topic.
“So you used to be a proper Medieval Hero?”, she pressed me with excitement, “Does that mean you know how to use a sword?”
“Of course, I can wield almost all medieval weapon types.”, I chuckled knowing where this was headed, “Let me guess, since I took you from the Hero Village you want me to train you now?”
“If you would not mind, I would love to learn from another World Traveller like myself!”, Ciri remarked with excitement, “You must have picked up all sorts of sword styles in your travels, I look forward to learning them. Once this is all over with, I want to go back to Vesemir and kick his butt! He deserves it after all the times he made me carry buckets of water around.”
“Since you put it that way, I guess I can help you there.”, I answered having similar sentiments toward many of my former mentors, “Alright, grab your blade and shield it for training. Once you are ready meet me out back in the Training Area.”
Finishing our tea, Ciri bolted down the stairs to grab her steel sword. Shooting back up the stairs, with the blade in hand, she bolted toward the backdoor and slammed into it. Watching her fall flat on her butt, I could not help but laugh at her. Realizing she thought the door would automatically open for her, Ciri turned bright red in embarrassment.
“Ciri…this is not the Cyberpunk World you visited…”, I laughed at her, “We have to manually open most doors in this world.”
“Stop laughing at me!”, she chuckled, “It’s not funny!!”
Placing my cup in the sink, I walked over and helped her back to her feet. Sliding the door open, like a normal person, I explained how a sliding door worked to her. Stomping on my foot, she called me an ass and stated she knew how to use a sliding door. Walking side by side out to the Training Area, we stood about ten feet apart and prepared for combat. Taking my shoes off for this, she asked me what I was doing. Telling her to do the same, I explained that this was where her training began.
“In combat, taking your eyes off your opponent can be fatal. My first Master had me train barefoot so I could learn how to use my feet as a second pair of eyes.”, I explained, “As your feet have far more nerve endings than anywhere else on your body, you can feel out where trip hazards are or where traps may be lying in wait. Give it a try for yourself, I will show you what I mean during this sparring match.”
“I understand, I will do that then.”, Ciri agreed.
Taking her boots off and rolling her pants up, we proceeded to shield our blades before jumping right into it. Telling her to come at me with everything she had, I wanted to see her skills in person. Wasting no time, Ciri rushed forward and began unleashing a torrent of half-baked attacks at me. Watching her try to blend several dozen different styles into one coherent form, I realized she had completely ruined what training Vesemir had given her. Understanding that she was doing the best she could with what she had, I knew things had to change if she wanted to help me defeat the Wild Hunt.
Studying her movements for a few more moments, I saw through the chaos and began chipping away at her. Throwing her timings off by shoulder-checking her or redirecting her blade, Ciri quickly began to falter and panic. After a few times of this, she began reckless and rushed me with abandonment. Launching herself forward with magic, I used Earth Flow to ever so slightly move the ground beneath her feet.
“What in the heck!?”, she shrieked as she tripped up and tumbled to the ground, “What did you do?!”
“I did not say stop!”, I chuckled swinging my wooden sword at her.
Using a wind spell to blow herself up off the ground, I used the updraft to my advantage as I chased her an upward arcing slash. Letting my blade use the wind to speed up, it slammed into her with a loud cracking sound. Watching her sail into the air, I realized I had overdone it as I accidentally knocked the wind out of her. Grabbing her with Telekinesis, I set her down gently on the grass with a sigh.
“I will admit, you have a lot of creativity when it comes to your fighting style.”, I praised her as she caught her breath, “Unfortunately though that is about all I can say, your blade lacks discipline and your use of multiple styles is hampering your ability. You need to have a solid base to build your unique style, you cannot just throw random moves together and hope they stick.”
“Ugh…that is what every Master keeps telling me.”, Ciri complained with a downcast expression, “I do not know how to do that!”
“Let us start with the basics then, what drives your blade?”, I asked her, “Is it a desire for revenge against your father and the Wild Hunt? Could it be your wish to protect those you love and care about?”
Opening her mouth to answer me, Ciri promptly closed it as she began to ponder that question herself. Having never stopped to think about that, she had no idea why she wielded a blade except for protection.
“All Masters have a singular purpose, it is what we base our unique style around. My original master honed his skills to become the People’s Knight.”, I told her, “He wanted to be the Knight that stood for the people when no one else would. Having witnessed the corruption of nobility and religious orders firsthand, he chose to resist it instead of surrendering and knuckling under. On countless occasions he threw himself into fights to protect the innocent populace…he was the man I aspired to be back then.”
“He sounds like a very honorable man.”, Ciri stated.
“That he was…”, I replied recalling the countless times he cut down nobles to save villages from starvation, “In the end, when he died, the funeral procession stretched for over twenty miles as people from all over came to mourn his death. It was because of him that so many people stood up to corruption and fought back against it.”
“So you think I should start there?”, she inquired.
Nodding my head, I told her to take some time and think about her answer. Depending on her answer, I would begin helping her build a solid base on which she could start adding techniques she picked up on her travels.
