Polyanna: A Witcher's Mage

16 | The Battle of Kaer Morhen

There was a choking silence in the evening hall of the castle of Kaer Morhen. While Ciri's return was briefly celebrated, most of the group couldn't stomach the idea of celebrating in a time of grief.

Everyone looked up when Geralt walked in. While the rest sat at a long table, he remained standing at the head of the table, taking on the position of a commanding leader. He looked at all of them for a moment, acknowledging all the people present. The people whom he asked for help; Triss, Zoltan, and Ermion were all here. Yennefer, Eskel, Lambert, Keira and Vesemir were part of the remaining group.

"Thank you for coming," Geralt began, the weight on his shoulders becoming heavier and heavier. "The Wild Hunt'll be here soon. They're coming for Ciri, want to take her. We'll stop them."

"How do you even know the Hunt'll show?" Lambert questioned.

"They always know where I teleport to, and they move from place to place in an instant," Ciri instantly answered.

"So what's our plan?" Lambert asked again, his eyebrows furrowed at the prospect of the Wild Hunt infiltrating the witcher fortress.

"There aren't many of us, but I'd trust any of you with my life. Work together, and we'll defeat the Hunt," Geralt answered. "When they attack, Yen'll doom the fortress with a magic shield. Hunt'll be forced to land outside the walls." Yennefer nodded in confirmation at that.

At that, Lambert came up with an idea. "If they dispersed out in the woods, we could hunt down small groups of riders."

"Got out first volunteer for the hunting party. I'm the second," Geralt confirmed with a nod.

Yennefer spoke up, "The Hunt will try to penetrate into the fortress through navigator portals. I can do nothing against this kind of magic, so you'll need to find and close as many as you can while hunting in the woods."

"Lambert'll make us dimeritium bombs. Remember the formula?" Geralt asked.

"'Course,"

"Excellent." Yennefer said stonily. "Yrden should work on the portals as well. I shall also give you each an amulet. Snap them in half and you'll become invisible, at least whilst you remain still or move slowly. Move abruptly, engage any foes, clash with them, and they will see you," she warned. "Apart from that, they will be able to hear you and smell you. If you come across a large unit, do not attack. Signal Triss, and she will provide support."

"I'll look for your signal. Soon as I see it, I'll rain fire on the forest," Triss repeated.

"Good. To sum up: Yennefer'll create a magic barrier to repel the main assault. That should push the Hunt into the woods where Lambert and I'll be waiting. We'll use dimeritium to close the navigator's portals and stop as many as possible from entering the fortress. Triss'll be waiting for our signal and give the riders hell. All others will repel any foes who make it inside the fortress walls. If anything goes wrong, we abandon the outer courtyard, pull back to the keep," Geralt finished, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

A long silence ensued. Everyone suddenly felt the weight of the upcoming battle.

"Remember - Eredin can't get his hands on Ciri. That's most important," Geralt added before hunching over the map on the table. "Let's look over the fortress, figure out any details."

"And what of Euphemiya?" Keira interjected, her expression stern but her eyes holding deep sorrow. Ciri caught a slight flinch from Geralt at the name. 

Everyone turned to look at Geralt for an answer, or perhaps an outburst. He took a short moment to think before lifting his head.

"After the battle we hold a funeral, a witcher's funeral. No point in doing it now unless we want to lose more lives." He looked back down. "Now details."