Of Monsters and Men

Chapter 4 - See Past Fear

Summery: New beasts on the Continent? More mystery about Ciri's strange powers? Sounds like a perfect time for a little one on one, princess to princess talk away from all the boys.

——
Ciri's vision had drawn her to the woodland in the forest near Kaer Morhen, away from the rocky mountains, away from the safety of the fortress' walls. But you know this must be done, whatever it is that's pulled her to this place must be found out and brought to submission. This strangeness from the beyond, whatever it is truly. Hopefully nothing too catastrophic, or better yet nothing but a little bunny with telepathic powers due to some mages experiment gone wrong.

That seems an unlikely possibility. So here you are in the woodland, seeking to know more as something is not right about any of this. You walk behind the two of them as the sort of guard dog in the rear, past tall half bare pine trees reaching high above the forest floor as they stretch for the clouds. Across a land dusted in snow and mostly covered in ferns with black monoliths scattered in a line here and there, more weird stuff as usual. Fortunately rocks don't have a tendency to just wake up and start screaming, which is good thing in your book.

"What do you think we'll find here?" Asks Ciri while stepping over a root, "Why does it want me? Why me?"

Geralt stops walking as he thinks this over, he turns around to face the concerned girl, "I was at your parents' wedding feast." He glances at you, "We both were. I saw your mother exhibit uncontrolled magical power. She destroyed an entire throne room. Given that you're her blood, Y/N...and I now, think you've inherited that power. Or something like that."

He turns around and keep walking as Ciri's dark brows furrow in thought, she follows after though a glance is given over her shoulder to you. Her eyes then find the back of Geralt's wintery head, "Why didn't you tell me? Either of you?"

You step to her side as she turns her attention to you, "I didn't want to scare you if I was wrong."

She gets a thoughtful expression upon her dirt smudged face as she takes this time to think it over, you knew something was up and didn't say anything? This troubles her only slightly as she understands how you wish to protect her, even if that's from herself, "You  both said you'd never let anything happen to me. And I trust you, both of you." Admits an honest Ciri much to your relief.

Geralt smiles, "Good. It's about time."

Suddenly she stops dead, nerves rising as her enchanted eyes stare on up ahead, "I think we're close." You see nothing particularly interesting except more trees and bushes, however you can feel the magic flowing through the air. Something stirs in the woods, something big and angry as a pissed off hornet.

The three of you trek onward for a short ways until your eyes scan the surrounding woods to your left filled with nothing too fascinating just as Ciri gasps. Your head whips around to find what causes her alarm.....There, a couple yards away stands the leshy tall and mighty in the large woodland. A protector of the forest, a being of tree and earth unmoving and strong as oak. Her brows furrow at this as this creature neglects from moving a single limb, her gaze drifts from the leshy to you, "It's missing a hand."

Geralt reaches to his back for the sword, "It's Eskel's leshy."

The bark faced leshy snaps her head towards the sounds spoken in the quiet of the woodland, you instinctively unsheathe your dagger as it growls, side eyeing Geralt, "No please say that louder." You jest as the creature screams a high pitched call while throwing a root laced arm in your direction causing the roots underneath her to dance and twist for you three. The earth below from the leshy to you all cracks and lifts with the force of the creatures strong roots pushing fast under the cold earth.