Ciri leapt over a decrepit wall as fire flounced through the air like a wave. Sorcerers were chasing her once again, hoping to gain what wasn't theirs. Her emerald-green eyes tracked a whistling to her right just as she landed, her shoulders throbbing with the impact of her roll. In moments she was running once again, her white hair billowing in the wind behind her.
Whispers crackled through the air once more as the bog that had surrounded the small farmstead began sizzling with heat. The magic users were boiling the very swamp itself to drive her out into the open. She cursed under her breath and continued leaping from solid ground to solid ground. Hope wasn't lost on her, she could see a way out and she'd been in much worse situations before.
"Come out, come out! Little bitch!" As the shout ended a loud explosion of air irrupted before her and launched her backwards, end over end. Desperation clawed at her mind with a ferocity that sung in her blood.
The wind whipped her hair and her body around, as if she were suddenly within a squall. Space was rent and the wind was soon quelled. A rift hung silently where she had been, closing just before the sorcerers ran into the open bog. The sudden tug of the rift yanked at her navel, twisting her through space, a feeling all too familiar to the woman.
For a moment, she felt weightless, the wind gone… and then chilling cold slammed into her body. All air left her lungs as the faint tingling of her extremities was quickly overshadowed by an intense sense of wrongness... For several moments all she could do was just lay there, on her back, taking deep breaths and recovering from her near constant movement for the last hour and a half. Her sword was still on her hip, resting below her ass, and her pack was squished under her left arm... She had survived, again, and at least this time she retained her possessions.
"Haaaaa, you, are not, meant for this, realm..." In an instant her right hand clasped onto the hilt of her sword and her eyes snapped to the source of the noise, her emerald irises capturing the spectre within her mind's eye.
Made of a blue and white material the man that hung before her, a rope clasped around his neck, hovered off to the side. Where one would expect eyes there were instead gaping voids of lightless abyss. Getting a better look of her surroundings she hastily noted the glowing neon-like grass around her, below her and cresting between tree roots of dark obsidian black. This realm, whatever it was, was off... disturbing in a way that left her blood boiling and crooning in despair.
"I am not meant for any realm, that is what it means to be me. Piss off so I can fuck off again." She could not help some minor amount of pain from leaking through her words, her shoulders and muscles smarting from their constant use.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaa... A warning, to give, if to stay, you are..." The figure's floating form slightly glitched and slithered at the same time, the visage of the man growing laureled wreaths from the rope around his neck.
"I just said I am not staying, are you fucking deaf?" The spectre ignored her words and continued onwards with whatever portent he wished to convey. His words were whispered and gasping, as if clawed from a throat that had long been filled with the dirt of a grave.
"In shadowed weald where time doth wane... Wraiths like lanterns drift in bane...Windless tides do tug and rend... Each footfall wends to naught, nor end...! " With a last rasping gasp of wording the man's form rent itself in hundreds of directions without order or reason, the rope being the only element to survive the ordeal before it slumped to the crimson patch of grass below where the spectre once hovered.
Ciri looked on unimpressed and simply sighed, pulling herself upwards into a low crouch, her pack hanging from a single arm and her sword held upwards as if to ward away danger. "I hate when fuckers ignore me and then just fade to dust... I wonder how many times that has happened to me so far...?" She shook off the thought and started exploring her surroundings with her sight, both of the blood and of her eyes.
The realm was a harbour for the newly departed and discarded, she could feel the cloying stench of decay and stagnation here. Licking her lips she could even taste the purpose of this realm, as if the dimension itself had a codified title that her mind or blood could understand.
"Time to ditch this place, I'm sick and tired of it already." She stood up defiantly and attempted to conjure the feeling that first got her here.
Minutes passed in silent effort before her eyes snapped open and she swore loudly. Her attempts had failed, her emotions were dulled here and there was seemingly little she could do about it. Even the anger she felt at failing was subdued by the ethereal nature of the dimension.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do!?" She attempted to draw her hatred and anger out into the open, to bring it to the forefront using her sword. Three slices of the air later and all she felt was exhausted, sleepy even.
Pacing she attempted all of the methods she knew of pulling herself from different realities and dimensions. Emotion was one of the strongest aspects of her ability, not the only answer. She tried to contact her blood, using her mind to will the connection... It ended in failure, her sword cutting into the ground with a sharpness that only a cosmic anomaly could achieve. That result was something but not what she needed nor wanted.
She remembered lessons with Triss and Yennefer about manipulating magic in an attempt to call upon her unique powers. Once more she made an attempt to do such a thing and once again failed spectacularly as her body was blasted back into the soft fleshy grass below.
"...This is typical... Only I could get stuck in a realm of dead people and have no way back..." A grimace stretched through her face as she considered the danger she could be in. The Wild Hunt was still after her and this realm would likely be a picnic destination for them, meanwhile, she was stuck here hopeless.
That realisation was made all the more real for her when the neighing of horses in the distance blared out over the dead silence of the realm. She just had to be correct, just had to open her fucking mouth... Now they were coming for her and there was little she could do to stop them. 'Where's Geralt when you need him?' The thought echoed inside her mind as the clomping hooves of horses slowly came ever closer.
As she took a deep, although reluctant, breath in a resounding bell-sound boomed through her ears. Wincing in anger she looked around in panic. There were no bells previously, why had they appeared now? Was this the Wild Hunt fucking with her or was it someone else trying to capture her for their perverted dreams of power and destiny?
A robotic voice rumbled deep in her consciousness as a crimson-black panel of light emerged before her eyes, requesting her name. Confused she hesitated in interacting with something so foreign and obtuse to her senses. That hesitance was obliterated however when she heard the distinct huffing of a horse not but a hundred metres away.
"Fuck it what do I have to lose...? My name is Ciri."
The panel immediately spasmed before returning to what could be considered normal.
"Just fucking CIRI!"
The panel lit up with several different names and speech, the oddity momentarily distracting her from the sound of horses. Within moments her attention was back to the matter at hand and she was sprinting for a nearby copse of trees. No wind was present within this dimension, it seemed, for no movement could be seen apart from that which she forced. Everything was stagnant here and that was to be the case for the natural laws as well.
Drecarios Frost- Hey Tony, could you dig up some dirt on Selene Gallio?
Tony Stark- Sure Elsa, what's up...?
Drecarios Frost- 😡 The bitch witnessed my powers and is a rather powerful sorceress... Not to mention that I had to protect my sister from an associate of hers
Tony Stark- Jarvis is on it, I'll have everything about her within the hour, if there is anything to know
Drecarios Frost- Thanks Tony
Shiroe of Log Horizon- Sorceress?
Drecarios Frost- Yes, she used some defensive magic to protect herself from my matter manipulation... The runes were Egyptian and Babylonian.
Shiroe of Log Horizon- Is that all the magic she used?
Drecarios Frost- Mhm, she wasn't serious about confronting me. She was probably surprised that I was that powerful
Shiroe of Log Horizon- She sounds similar to me in the fact that she isn't brash or arrogant... She will most likely try to find weak points in your life and target them first.
Drecarios Frost- I had the idea that she would act like that, but thank you for the confirmation of my theory
Loki Odinson- Not that this conversation isn't intriguing, but could we perhaps discuss the fact that Jester has yet to show me her capabilities as a Seidr...?
Tony Stark- A woman gave you the cold shoulder, must be a common experience for you... 🥱
Ciri split her focus between the threat before her and the chat, her blood pumping in her veins as she considered the potential power of these people. If she were just another member, like it seemed she was, perhaps these others were just as capable as her? Something within her urged her to communicate with them, to tell them of her plight and seek aid. She did not know where that urge was coming from but she would take anything over the Wild Hunt.
Luke Skywalker- Enough... I sense a disturbance in the force...
Tony Stark- How theatrical Mr. Padawan 🤨
Luke Skywalker- Someone needs my help.
Drecarios Frost- Jester maybe?
Luke Skywalker- I, I'm not sure...
Ciri immediately crumbled to the urge and quickly sent through her first message, her eyes darting between the floating light panel and the approaching horsemen. They were coming into visual range now.
Just Ciri- I'm probably the one that needs help.
Luke Skywalker- Yes, I can sense it. Something powerful is hunting you and it is getting closer...
Tony Stark- The Force is bullshit
Drecarios Frost- I kind of agree, or maybe it's just Luke...
Loki Odinson- What aid do you require mortal?
Tony Stark- Makes sense Elsa.
Just Ciri- I'm getting hunted by a group called the Wild Hunt, they want to capture me... Long story... Look, I just need help in pulling myself out of this realm of death.
Tony Stark- I can't help you, magic 'realmy' stuff is just not in my wheel house. That's more reindeer games' schtick and Jester's game...
Drecarios Frost- Same boat really, my powers are semi-limited when it comes to magic for now.
Loki Odinson- I could perhaps aid but I do not know how to pull someone from another Universe out of a specific realm and have them still be whole and not kill myself or Asgard
Luke Skywalker- Give me a moment
The wild hunt emerged into the clearing in all of their magical dread. Gothic plate armour sporting spikes stood out stark against the bright environment. The five horsemen carried with them several spears and longswords, shaped in such a way to invoke fear in their prey. Each horse wore armoured mail and plate that protected from arrows and steel weaponry. The leader, with his skull masked helm, turned from side to side, his senses no doubt guiding him ever closer to her.
'I really fucking hope this guy pulls through for me or I may have to resort to instinct and luck again...' Her grip upon her hilt tightened as she readied herself for combat.
Red mist and the sparking of magic softly billowed from the horsemen, the ancient magics of the hunters calling out the tracks of their prey. The mist swept into the dirt below and clung to the mimicry of life that made up the forest she hid within, slowly extending over everything. Her blood at this point was screaming for action, for a change in her circumstances, some direction for her powers.
A minute passed sluggishly, each second seemingly extending out for hours. Sweat marred her forehead as her armour eased with small microscopic movements in her posture. She was nearing the end of her fuse. If no chance was presented opposite of fighting, soon, she would take her chances against the bastards and merely attempt to flee.
Creaking steel from the horsemen resounded once again. They were slowly cantering around in larger circles, searching the underbrush and trees for any sign of her. One got mightily close before it moved on, her heart beating with each step it had made towards her. Licking her lips after the horseman left her area she looked at the panel once again.
Luke Skywalker- I sense your powers, I can almost... Touch them... You need to get away from your enemies, they are blocking my ability to call you to my universe.
'Fucking typical!' She wanted to punch something but resisted the urge seeing as how the leader was looking in her vague direction.
Just Ciri- Got it, I'll try
Luke Skywalker- I will monitor the connection I have felt and pull you to me as soon as I can. May the force be with you.
She ignored the following messages and slightly turned, her boots straining under her held crouch. The horses were making a pass once more and she was only waiting for a small lull in their pattern before she would take off at a sprint. Escaping them was her main goal but that would only be accomplished by getting as far away from them as possible...
One horse passed by.
A second...
A third...
The fourth horse snorted and neighed loudly, the rider staring directly at her. She grit her teeth and legged it as fast as she could. Her powers responded to her desperation but failed several times as the dulling took effect once more. One moment she was running, the next she was leaping from the top of a large root onto another root. The power would flare at other moments and then fizzle as she dropped and rolled across stretches of open woodland.
Her pursuers weren't lazy however and were instantly chasing after her. They could not directly chase her through the woods on their horses, the terrain far too rough and rugged for their horses, but they stuck to open stretches of land and spread out over a wide area.
The chase itself was chaos. At moments she could not find any sign of her would-be capturers and then their image would emerge from between two trees in her periphery. Neighing of horse and the huffing of her own breath served to bring her blood to a boil as she, the prey, attempted to dodge the clutches of the predators surrounding her.
"Shit!" She stumbled down into a small trench and collapsed into the creek that ran through it. Her boots were entirely wet and water was draining down onto her feet. Nothing was broken but the fall had stolen some of her lead.
With an unnatural haste she climbed out of the trench and continued running, her sword slapping the side of her thigh as her lower back was smacked by her pack. Her heartbeat was in her ears and danger clung to her every sense.
Luke Skywalker- Stay still for a minute, let them pass by you.
The message emerged from the panel off to her left, her legs halting despite the acrid sting of her blood pushing her forwards. Two parts of her were in conflict as of this moment and yet she listened to the stranger's advice.
Luke Skywalker- Run to your right, now!
She had waited a minute and took off as soon as he told her to, her blood and mind once again united in purpose. The neighing was distant now and almost desperate. Murmurs of anger and hatred slipped through her senses, as if they were a natural wind in a place of no nature. Deep satisfaction sung within her soul as the sound of hooves beating upon earth receded into the background and all but vanished after several kilometres of running.
Luke Skywalker- Hide somewhere, I am beginning the process... I will not promise you anything but I have a feeling this will work.
Just Ciri- I've trusted you so far, just go ahead and finish it
Ciri quickly scanned her environs and found a small cliff that she could climb down. In a scramble of nerves and paranoia she decided to skip the climb and simply leap down, hoping the fall would not be too steep.
Luckily her gamble payed off and she stumbled into a very small cave that may have served as the den of a recently passed bear or wolf. In moments she was able to settle and the wait began. She grabbed some water from her pack and gulped it down greedily as an intense feeling of pins and needles submerged the better part of her torso and legs, slowly spreading to encompass the entirety of her body.
"Holy-" Space and time twisted and folded as her senses were dragged through hundreds, possibly thousands, even more likely hundreds of thousands of dimensions and barriers. By the end of it there was only light in her vision, all colours scoured and scourged from her perception. "Shit..."
"Hah, I've been there before. Think this is the worst? Try training with master Yoda on Dagobah and understanding his messages." Ciri fell backwards as she fell asleep, her mind and body twitching as she recovered from her ordeal.
Luke Skywalker- She has made it to me, do not worry
Drecarios Frost- Nice save Luke, you may want to add some more guards to her though. The Wild Hunt, from what I know, is likely to be knocking on a lot of doors until they find her and when they do... Well, it could turn out rather poorly.
Luke Skywalker- I'll take that under advisement
He looked down at the white-haired woman and sighed painfully, he would have to explain Ciri to his wife and he couldn't even fathom how to begin that conversation...
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