Fracture | Assassin's Creed X The Witcher

Awake

Ciri's legs felt like lava was being poured over them. The only other time she had felt pain like this coursing through her body was during the initial training at Kaer Morhen, only difference was she wasn't running for her life then. The hounds of The Wild Hunt were hot on her trail, chasing her down the crater filled landscape of the foreign land, nipping at her heels for the past 20 minutes. She didn't have long before her body gave out and the hounds captured her for Eredin.

'Damn it, these assholes won't let up!' her mind screamed as one of the dogs leapt at her, missing her by a few inches. She tried to unleash a wave of energy at the beast, but she realized that trying it would only wear her down further. Last thing she wanted to do was make it easy for the bastards.

Her concentration was cut when a sharp pain flashed throughout her lower back, a loud groan escaping her lips as she turned back and brought her sword down, piercing through the hound's head cleanly, and pulling it back out in time for her to slash another one that swiped it claws at her. She saw three more of the monsters rushing straight towards her, she didn't have the energy to deal with them.

'I need an escape plan, quick.'

Using whatever willpower she had left, Ciri opened a portal and quickly threw herself into it, as long as she lost them, it didn't matter. The feeling of soft dirt on her back felt like a cloud, the sky slightly grey, although she didn't know if it was from smoke or the rain clouds. After a minute, she rolled over and pushed herself off the ground, wavering when pain flowed through her back once more. Her hand reached behind her and pulled it back to find it covered in her own blood, the dark red substance causing a wave of nausea to flood her senses.

"Hello! Ma'am, are you alright?!" Ciri looked up to find the voice that called her, landing on a figure in the distance, a young man standing at the door of a two story cottage. He was dressed in khaki colored fatigues, a vest over the top of it, designed with multiple pouches on it, and a dark green bowl shaped helmet sitting on his head. In his hands was a long, wooden and metal contraption. Perhaps it was this world version of a crossbow?

The man pulled down the thick, dark green scarf that covered his face, revealing his sun kissed skin and unkempt black hair falling slightly on his face. His breath was visible, and his hands shook very little, the heavy coat doing little to warm him. Ciri held her raised her hands up, showing him that she was not a threat.

"Yes, I'm very much fine." she lied through gritted teeth, attempting to leave the man be, though it did little to convince him.

"Like hell, you are battered like a bear victim." The man cocked back the wooden pump on his weapon, and kept it trained on her. He slowly inched forwards to her, not blinking for a second.

"I need to get out of here sir. I swear I can just walk away and not disturb you any further." Ciri wobbled when she stood up, making the man even more nervous.

"Are you a kraut?" He asked, eyeing the sword in her scabbard.

"What?"

"Are. You. A. Kraut?" he retorted, getting face to face with her so that she could see the projectile down the barrel of his weapon.

"No." she stood her ground, surprising him.

"Oi! Leave her alone doughboy!" They both jumped when a booming voice pierced through the tension. Ciri looked behind him to see another man standing at the fence that surrounded the cottage, a man dressed in the same fatigues, although his were a dark blue, with messy red hair, a thick beard and a paler complexion. The black haired man reluctantly holstered his weapon and awkwardly scratched the back of his head .