Hi guys Azza here!
So just a few things before you all get into this first off this is just a short two shot that came to mind when I was replaying The Witcher 3 so I ended up writing it down. Yes its connected to my main series but it's not meant to be all that serious more just two chapters of Natsu interacting with several characters from the Witcherverse.
I hope you all enjoy it for what it is I know I found it amusing to write but for the more observant readers I've left in a bit of lore about a certain character from the main series so hopefully you guys pick up on that.
Anyway enjoy!
I do not own Fairy Tail or The Witcher.
To Summon Balance
/Natsu's POV/
"Good morning Master," Seilah chirped as she practically skipped into Natsu's living room.
"Morning Seilah," Natsu grumbled back. "How can you be so cheerful at this hour?"
"I'm happy because I just found out that I won best Attendant Award for the THIRD MONTH!"
"Oh," was Natsu's only reply as he returned his eyes to the paper in front of him. "I'm guessing it's in today's edition of the Equilibrius Newspaper of News?"
"Page six!"
"I'm on page four so give me a bit alright I just woke up after a four month lack of sleep."
"Oh my apologies Master I was unaware that you were so fatigued, would you like me to fetch you something?"
"No I doubt anything will get me going this early in the morning except for that meatloaf the cafeteria is cooking up for today," Natsu sighed with a smile. "Though if you could cancel anything the Council wanted me to do for the rest of the morning …"
"I'll get right on that Master and I'll even make sure Alucard isn't allowed anywhere near here just so you can wake up in peace," Seilah replied before charging out of the house and off toward the Council Chambers.
Shaking his head Natsu returned his attention toward the paper when he began to feel a distortion in the air around him. Frowning Natsu rose from his chair just as the world began to twist and distort and he found himself suddenly standing in a ritual looking room.
"So this is the guy who is supposed to bring back balance huh?"
/Kaer Morhen/
"I don't like this idea Yennefer what if you summon something with ill intent?"
"Everything will be fine Geralt," the woman known as Yennefer replied as she tossed a lock of black hair behind her back. "Honestly can you not have faith in me at least once?"
"No."
"Geralt!"
"You expect me to have faith in you after all the messes of yours I've had to clean up?"
"He's got a point Yennefer," another woman with medium length red hair said cheerfully only to receive a glare in response.
"If you believe in Geralt's claims so strongly Triss then why are you even helping me with this!"
"Because I want to save Ciri just as much as you two do, the Wild Hunt are a force that need to be stopped and honestly I can't see a conceivable way we can do it without help."
"Triss …"
"No Geralt you need to listen to us for once," Triss sighed. "Ciri is warping through dimensions ending up who knows where and the Wild Hunt are hot on her heels. If we want a chance of saving Ciri from her fate we need to bring in backup."
"So you think a summoning using an ancient ritual none of the Lodge even understands is a good idea," Geralt asked bluntly only to receive two somewhat unsure looks. "That's what I thought."
"Geralt I'm doing this, for Ciri's sake!"
"Fine," Geralt replied crossing his arms. "But don't go blaming me when you summon some sort of hostile being and it tries to murder you."
"Duly noted," Yennefer huffed as she stomped over to one side of the summoning circle they had set up in the centre of the courtyard. "Triss you take your position."
"Yeah I know just give me a second," Triss sighed as she wandered over to her spot and stood waiting.
"All right then let us begin the ritual, remember Triss we must be very precise in our incantation."
"I know the incantation Yennefer you only made me practice it from dawn till dusk for two weeks!"
"Good then let us begin," Yennefer replied ignoring Triss' comment as the two began to release their magical power.
We call upon the forces most Divine and Demonic
Deliver us a champion for balance
To right the wrongs of our world so slighted
To restore the balance to our hopeless cycle
Deliver unto us our blessed champion
A champion to push back the tide of Light and Darkness
We call upon the Elder Gods and Devils
We summon forth the Elder Hybrid
The summoning circle began to glow as the magic from the pair was forcibly drained from their cores leaving them completely dry, an act that nearly killed the pair on the spot as they collapsed to their knees.
A massive pillar of black and white Aura burst from the sky and struck the summoning circle letting loose a resounding gong sound before fading away to reveal a man with pink hair that appeared to have Aqua Blue, Pitch Black and Pure White strands at the front.
"So this is the guy who is supposed to bring back the balance huh?"
/Natsu's POV/
Snapping his neck in the direction of the person who spoke Natsu's eyes narrowed for a moment before leaving him and observing his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of run down castle with the only occupants being the three before him and several others who appeared to be observing him from one of the windows nearby.
His eyes landed on the two women who appeared to be struggling to stand before him as they practically hobbled toward him looking somewhat excited yet also fearful. Inwardly sighing Natsu finally spoke.
"Are you two the ones responsible for this?"
"Y-yes we are," the black haired woman replied panting slightly. "We summoned you here you see using an ancient ritual."
"Did you now," Natsu replied slowly. "And what exactly was this ritual?"
"Well we aren't really sure what it all meant but we knew we'd be summoning a champion who would restore balance to our world," the red haired woman replied prompting him to raise an eyebrow.
"Excuse me but I must have misheard what you just said, did you just say you didn't even know what this ritual actually did yet you used it anyway?"
"Uh … yes."
Natsu sighed and shook his head prompting the man who had been standing on the outer edge of the summoning circle to chuckle ever so slightly.
"If it makes you feel any better I said pretty much the same thing before they attempted this."
"Well at least one of you had common sense," Natsu sighed as his eyes began to glow prompting all three to freeze in place. "You two are completely drained of your magic, had you lost more you'd be dead right now."
Placing his hand on their stomach's Natsu refilled their cores to their fullest shocking both as they stumbled backward with a warm feeling flowing through them.
"H-how did you do that!"
"You completely refilled our magic!"
"Do any of you have any idea what I actually am?"
"From what I gathered from the incantation you are some kind of ancient being aren't you," the black haired woman asked as Natsu nodded.
"True I'm nine hundred and ninety six years old but compared to the beings you had to surpass to drag me here I'm still but an infant."
"So an ancient being," the ashen haired man repeated earning a smirk from Natsu.
"I suppose by human standards yes I am rather ancient aren't I? Now since I've been dragged all the way here can I get your names please," Natsu asked as he summoned a notepad from seemingly nowhere along with a fancy looking pen.
"What's that and how did you conjure it from thin air so effortlessly?"
"I need to record your names because this is a Space-Time incident involving an Elder Class being so it needs to be logged with the Gods of Space, Time and the Council of Twenty Four."
"We aren't gonna get demolished by any Gods are we," the red haired woman asked prompting Natsu to shrug.
"Depends on why you summoned me here, now names please."
"Yennefer of Vengerberg," the black haired woman said first as the man stepped forward.
"Geralt of Rivia."
"And I'm Triss Merigold," the red head said last as Natsu jotted down their names.
"Alright so now I want an explanation as to why I was summoned here please."
"Yes," Yennefer replied slightly shocked at how odd the conversation had become. "Well you see we summoned you for multiple reasons the main one being is a girl by the name of Ciri who is mine and Geralt's adoptive Daughter."
"And why would you need someone like me for a family issue?"
"This issue is a bit more complicated than it being some family issue, the Wild Hunt is after her," Geralt said as Natsu ceased writing in his pad for a moment to look up at the man.
"The Wild Hunt you said?"
"Yes."
"As in the spectral filth that travels between worlds massacring and enslaving everything and everyone they come across?"
"The very same."
Natsu sighed as he scribbled something into his notepad before vanishing it along with his pen and summoned his usual militaristic coat with matching pants and combat boots.
"I am aware of the Wild Hunt however I've been informed not to interfere with what they are doing."
"What do you mean," Yennefer asked angrily. "So you would simply leave them to continue their rampage across our world!"
"It isn't just your world you know," Natsu shot back silencing the woman. "And if it were up to me I'd have gone after them a good half a century ago however I've been given direct orders not to interfere with them because their downfall is already set in stone."
"Well can you at least get Ciri back for us?"
"I don't know I mean you three did drag me through some bullshit Space-Time summoning after I'd just woken up and I'm not at my best when I'm drowsy …"
"So you won't help us because you're tired," Geralt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh I'll help but remember any errors are all on you," was his reply as the three seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Now you all said she was running across dimensions didn't you?"
"Yes though she sometimes pops back into our own world, seen traces of her around a few times here and there," Geralt replied prompting Natsu to nod as he closed his eyes for a moment.
"Alright now let's see here … what the hell!"
"What is it, is Ciri alright," Yennefer asked in a worried tone only for Natsu to wave her off.
"No it's got nothing to do with her but another guy whose running around here," Natsu said with a frown. "Do any of you happen to know of a man who can do strange things not usually performed by others in your world?"
"No I've certainly never heard of anyone-."
"O'Dimm," Geralt replied instantly. "You're talking about Gaunter O'Dimm aren't you?"
"Tell me more about this Gaunter O'Dimm."
"He's a being who appears throughout history who loves, no relishes the opportunity to meddle in human affairs. From what I've learnt about him through my own dealings with him he appears before people and baits them into deals involving their souls, sowing misfortune wherever he goes."
"Anything else you can tell me about him?"
"Only that he appears to be something other than human, I'd argue that he's a God to be honest."
"You think O'Dimm is a God, why?"
"I was in a tavern looking for some information when suddenly time itself froze and O'Dimm appeared, walking around finding amusement in sticking a spoon into the eye of one of the men before vanishing and resuming time."
Natsu's frown deepened as he narrowed down this Gaunter O'Dimm Geralt described, his drowsiness being pushed away as he felt a sense of purpose filling the void within him instead.
"The reason why I stopped and asked you about this Gaunter O'Dimm is because his presence surrounds this realm like a mask which prevents me from seeking Ciri outside of it, basically if I want to find Ciri I must first deal with this O'Dimm person you speak of."
"You want to confront O'Dimm then?"
"That would be ideal yes."
"Then I'm going too," Geralt said firmly. "He's meddled in my life several times now both directly and indirectly and I think you'll be able to get answers where so many have failed. Plus it is kind of my job to confront beings such as O'Dimm so there's that too."
"Fine I suppose you can come but I'm telling you right now though your power is well above most mortal beings in this world O'Dimm's is on a whole other level."
"I won't get in the way if things come to blows, I may be stubborn but I'm no man's fool. Some fights simply cannot be fought no matter how strong you are."
Natsu grinned as he snapped his fingers summoning a portal, shocking the trio yet again as he began making his way toward it.
"By the way I have a job for the two of you whilst Geralt and I deal with O'Dimm," Natsu said nodding to Triss and Yennefer. "That ritual you two used to summon me, I want it erased from existence by the time I get back."
"And just how are we supposed to do that," Yennefer asked in disbelief. "Such knowledge is held in the Lodge of Sorceresses Archives; we can't simply walk in and destroy it!"
"If you don't have the information destroyed by the time I get back then I'll head on over to this Lodge and destroy it myself. You magic users have yet to fully grasp the powers at your disposal let alone mass enough to challenge my power when I decide something must be done."
"Oh great," Triss sighed. "The Lodge is gonna be pissed at us for this …"
"To be fair he's not wrong about wanting such information destroyed Yennefer," Geralt said earning a glare from the black haired Sorceress. "I'm getting the feeling that our friend here might know the origin of O'Dimm's power and if they are from the same origin point as I suspect then it's only more of a reason to remove the ability for others to access such power."
"You know you're a pretty smart guy Geralt of Rivia," Natsu said with a grin. "By the way I don't think I've told you lot my name so hi I'm Natsu Dragneel, Elder Hybrid and current High Arbiter serving the Council of Twenty Four Gods of Creation and Destruction."
"That's … quite the long title," Triss said slightly confused prompting Natsu to snort in amusement.
"I have many others such as King of Balance, Salamander, Hybrid King, Kingslayer, Dragon Slayer, Titan Slayer, E.N.D and that's just a few extra. I'm somewhat of a universal fix it man at this point going around solving problems wherever they crop up."
"Like O'Dimm?"
"Exactly like O'Dimm," Natsu replied with a nod. "Anyway come on Geralt we've got work to do, the sooner I deal with O'Dimm the sooner I can find Ciri!"
"So this portal will take us to O'Dimm?"
"Yep, not directly in front of him mind you but near where he is."
"Makes sense," Geralt replied as the pair walked through and appeared in an alleyway between several tall buildings.
"So do you have any idea where this is because I'm not a hundred percent sure?"
"Judging by the architecture I'd say we're in Novigrad, a free city run by the Hierarch."
"A free city eh, perfect place to cause trouble for someone with O'Dimm's capabilities," Natsu sighed.
"Indeed."
"Follow me I'm positive I know where he is," Natsu said as he lead Geralt out onto the main street and down the road until they reached an inn called The Spearhead.
"The Spearhead Inn. Never stayed at this one before. Not that hard to do though when there are around thirty five inns in Novigrad."
"Well I guess you'll have a chance to check it out now won't you Geralt," Natsu replied with a grin as he walked inside with Geralt following close behind.
Upon entering they were hit with the smell of some kind of vegetable based broth combined with cheap mead accompanied by the sound of merriment all around as everyone appeared to be having a good time.
Looking around Natsu tried to identify Gaunter O'Dimm but it was Geralt who spotted him first, tapping Natsu on the shoulder and pointing to a bald man sitting in the corner of the room seemingly avoiding contact with everyone else simply observing events.
Narrowing his eyes Natsu walked over to the man who didn't even seem to register his presence until Natsu snapped his fingers in front of the man's face, shock clearly registering in his features before settling on a look of amusement.
"Why hello there good sir and who might you be- Geralt my old friend how wonderful to see you again!"
"Trust me O'Dimm I'd be happier if we never met again however my friend here wants a word with you."
"Oh really and who might you be," O'Dimm asked as he rose from his seat to his full height clearly sensing something amiss.
"Don't play games O'Dimm I know what you really are and I know you sensed me the moment I entered this world, ironic since your little suppression shield is what led me right to you."
Geralt found himself taking a step back as O'Dimm's face contorted into one of the most horrific scowls he'd ever witnessed as O'Dimm's face began to seemingly peel away revealing glowing red cracks with Blood Red eyes boring straight into Natsu's own.
"I had hoped we could let bygones be bygones however it appears that you are insistent on coming after me," O'Dimm growled in a Demonic voice. "I left the life of the Gods and Devils behind millennia ago and have taken up residence in this world, content to stay away from the affairs of those fools!"
"That's not how it works Gaunter O'Dimm, assuming that even is your real name," Natsu replied coldly as his eyes began to glow Pitch Black and Pure White causing O'Dimm's Aura to flicker slightly in response. "You don't get to pick and choose when you hold such power, it is up to the Council and your peers to decide if you may leave and retire, especially a former Archon like yourself."
"Who are you and what do you want," O'Dimm growled eventually letting his power recede and took a seat offering one to Natsu who in turn let his own power recede and took the offered seat.
"I originally would have left you alone since I'm not feeling like dragging back old relics to be tried however you have raised a barrier to suppress your Arch Devil's Aura from leaking out of this world."
"So that I could be left in peace!"
"Yes well you see I was asked to find a girl by the name of Ciri who is being chased around by the Wild Hunt however your barrier is preventing me from finding her."
"You want the girl with Elder Blood, what for?"
"Her adoptive parents invoked some kind of summoning ritual to bring me here to defeat the Wild Hunt and return Ciri here, the former I cannot do due to the Council's orders but the latter I can since it only partially relates."
"So you want me to lower my barrier exposing myself to the Gods and Devils just so you can find a girl?"
"I'm giving you a chance to do things peacefully or else I simply tear it down in the most obvious sign of Aura use possible, drawing the full brunt of attention your way and exposing you and your heinous acts on the mortals."
"You honestly think that I'll simply let a runt like you dictate what I can and cannot do?"
"You'll find that there is a reason why both the Gods of Creation and Destruction value my opinion and grant me my own unique role as the Lord of Balance," Natsu replied as the inn began to fade away into a strange realm full of mirrors, black void and white smoke.
"Oh I can sense the power within you boy but I have several millennia of experience and skill behind me, so let us make a wager shall we?"
"A wager?"
"Indeed," O'Dimm replied as his form became much more Demonic again as he faded into one of the mirrors only to suddenly appear in all of them. "You and I shall have a battle, should you win I shall recede my barrier and take the consequences from my actions as they come."
"And if you win?"
O'Dimm's bloody grin slightly unnerved Natsu as he cocked his head to the right.
"If I win then all of your power … falls to me!"
"Of course you'd want my power," Natsu sighed as he activated his Elder Hybrid's Aura again as the void began to warp and distort into a hellish landscape with flames and eldritch abominations which began rising from the pitch black floor.
"Oh yes indeed, my power might vary but the endless potential of the Hybrid … yes such an opportunity cannot go to waste!"
"Well if this is what it takes to get you to stop messing around with the mortals then I guess I don't really have a choice," Natsu sighed as the first of the abominations attacked only to be blown apart into tiny cubes.
"You were a fool to come here Hybrid and now your power shall be mine!"
Several more abominations charged forward only to meet the same fate with Natsu not even lifting so much as a finger in response to their attacks instead looking into the mirror before him.
"Is this all you can do O'Dimm?"
"Oh I can do much worse than that Hybrid," O'Dimm sneered as a veritable army began to form before him.
"You do realize common fodder won't do anything to me don't you?"
O'Dimm didn't seem to hear him over the cacophony of screeches and roars from the beings charging toward Natsu who acted like a living blender as the beasts were ripped apart without so much as a single ounce of effort as they ran to their deaths.
'I wonder if they're even real?'
Shaking his head Natsu discarded the thought as he slowly rose from his spot in the void as the flames in the area began to turn on the creatures spawning them, roasting them alive with the rest condensing into a large sphere that Natsu soon held in front of his extended left hand.
"Elder Hybrid's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Supernova."
Natsu fired the attack at the massive gathering of beasts which just so happened to be swarming beneath him, the very same area O'Dimm's mirrors had been located with it smashing into the ground moments later shattering them all and incinerating anything flesh based instantly.
Spinning around Natsu was struck across the face as O'Dimm appeared behind him and punched him in the face sending him flying through the void with more copies appearing to land weaker blows to him as he flew.
"This is my domain Hybrid, this entire world is MINE to play with and to manipulate to my own desires! The Gods and Devils lost the right to dictate what people like me could and could not do when they went to war against the wishes of the many!"
"The scars of the war between the Gods and Devils will always be felt by many O'Dimm but we have moved beyond the horrors of the past," Natsu countered as he vanished before being impaled by void based spikes that shot out from the ground below.
"Some of us can't afford to forget the past," O'Dimm snarled as he appeared before Natsu coating his fist in a Time based substance.
Coating his body with Aura Natsu blocked several attacks before countering with a roundhouse kick that sent O'Dimm flying off into the darkness and followed up with firing a small Fire Dragon's Roar after him only to miss.
"Tell me what you suffered O'Dimm, tell me and I might be able to help you!"
"Do you have Lady Death's Authority Hybrid," O'Dimm snapped as a massive Demonic entity began to rise in the distance with the void beginning to vanish as a result. "Unless you possess her Authority to bring back the dead then we have nothing to discuss!"
'He must have lost someone during the war and fled the higher realms bitter at our kind,' Natsu mused inwardly as the towering form of a Devil Gaunter O'Dimm stretched its wings which were easily larger than a modern sized town with strange glowing cracks littering his form.
"I was content to never deal with the higher realms ever again and yet you meddling bastards follow me even here, a backward world with fledgling civilizations! I will not let you lot force me to do anything ever again!"
'This isn't what I was expecting when I first confronted this man,' Natsu thought in shock as the warped and twisted O'Dimm snarled at him from above.
"Father what's going on?"
"Discovered a rogue former Archon from the warring period between the Gods and Devils and he wants to kill me and take my power, though he mainly wants to kill me because he thinks I'm forcing him to do something he doesn't believe in which apparently killed someone close to him during the war."
"Um … okay?"
"Watch my memories for the last twenty minutes and you'll understand, I've got to stop O'Dimm now and try to figure out what the story is here."
Bringing his full attention back to the Devil before him Natsu narrowly avoided an attack that held the Aura of Destruction and widened his eyes in shock before shaking his head realizing that naturally an Archon could wield the Aura of Destruction, unfortunately this meant he would need to take drastic measures if he wanted to survive.
"O'Dimm I'm gonna give you one chance to calm down or else I'm gonna have to use a power on you that could very well kill you!"
"You don't get to dictate my fate anymore, none of you worthless Gods or Devil's do," O'Dimm roared in response as he formed a large purple sphere of Destructive Aura in his right hand. "This is for meddling with my self imposed exile, Arch Devil's Aura: Devil Of Destruction's Edict!"
Firing the attack directly at Natsu O'Dimm grinned manically only to find himself stunned as the attack froze mere inches from his form. Blue light began to erupt from Natsu's form as his hair became Aqua Blue with black and white strands at the front as he entered his Demiurge form.
"Elder Hybrid's Aura: Anti Empyrean!"
Punching the attack Natsu bounced it away as it smashed into the nearby void floor blowing a hole right through it revealing a part of the tavern that they had been sitting in before the fight started. Vanishing from where he had been sitting Natsu appeared in front of the shocked O'Dimm and landed one punch directly where his heart would be blowing a hole clean through his chest as the rest of the area shattered.
The moment the broken pieces fell away the sound of merriment returned, the smell of mead and broth returned to Natsu's senses revealing that the whole fight was either a figment of his imagination or O'Dimm had done some advanced Space-Time manipulation so that their fight would go unnoticed.
Looking directly at O'Dimm it was clear the man was stunned and also somewhat shaken however he still met Natsu's gaze regardless, something Natsu couldn't help but commend since the man did get caught majorly off guard.
"Th-that power … was Anti, wasn't it!"
"Yes it was."
"And that Hybrid's Aura of yours, that power was just like …"
"Ahnkseram's, trust me I should know."
At the mention of Ahnkseram O'Dimm froze, his face running through a myriad of emotions that shocked Geralt who wasn't privy to the exchange that had gone through the pair in the void area earlier.
"Tell me … is Ahnkseram still alive?"
"Ahnkseram is …"
/The Lodge – Triss And Yennefer's POV/
"You two did WHAT!"
"We summoned the being of balance and he wants the knowledge on how to summon him and anyone like him completely destroyed from our archives, if we don't he will come here himself and destroy it for us," Yennefer replied calmly as the gathered Sorceresses broke out into frantic whispers.
"If it makes you feel any better he doesn't want to kill any of us so that's good right," Triss added only to receive a glare in response.
"What you two have done … I should have the pair of you executed for this!"
"You wouldn't dare," Yennefer replied sharply prompting the Sorceress before her to scowl in response.
"And just why is that Yennefer, tell me why you two should be spared for performing such a reckless action?"
"Because Natsu is our friend now and if you touch us he'll come after you," Triss said confidently as all the Sorceresses gasped in shock with even Yennefer herself spinning around to openly gape at Triss' words before quickly adapting to the situation.
"Exactly he's our friend and I doubt he would take kindly to you lot trying to execute us for doing as he requests!"
"You …"
"Enough Sheala!"
"But surely you understand the gravity of what these fools have done Francesca!"
"Although the actions of Triss and Yennefer are indeed serious you must not become blinded by your rage, else who will govern all matters of magic in our world should this God come and wipe us from its very surface?"
"Francesca speaks true Sheala, to defy a being of such power is foolishness."
"So even you have decided to side with this foolishness Philippa?"
"Foolish their actions may have been did they not pursue a field of magic as we all do? Do not deny that you yourself dabble in what we officially ordain as the more forbidden and taboo arts Sheala."
"I …"
"Let this Natsu come to us, a man he may be but he is also a higher being which means he is to be afforded the respect of his station. Did Yennefer not tell you moments ago that he went after Gaunter O'Dimm as if he were nothing more than a nuisance who had annoyed him, what right do you have to challenge such a being?"
"I understand Philippa I was merely-!"
"Seeking an opportunity yes I am well aware," Philippa sighed. "We shall meet with this deity and make our own judgement upon him when he arrives. Anyone who can finally put a stop to Gaunter O'Dimm's madness cannot be all bad can they Sisters?"
"But surely some punishment must be handed down to these two Philippa they've summoned a being that could kill us all!"
"The decision is final Sheala I'll hear no more on the subject!"
"Just drop it Sheala, besides if Geralt is with this God then surely things won't be too bad."
"Do you even hear the absurdity of your statement Keira, Geralt causes trouble wherever he goes!"
"I thought I told you to drop this matter Sheala," Philippa sighed. "If you cannot control yourself then kindly remove yourself from these halls."
Sheala huffed but didn't make any motion to leave as Philippa expertly shifted the topic onto other matters to ensure that enough time was bought until Natsu's inevitable arrival.
To Yennefer's annoyance however Philippa did keep shooting glances at her, disapproving glances eerily similar to the time she had escaped The Lodge the last time to go and find Ciri however this time she would not back down from the stare, not when she held more of the cards.
/Elsewhere/
"Cease your resistance girl and submit!"
"Honestly I'd rather not," a girl with ashen gray hair snarled as she crossed blades with a hulking figure fully clad in black armor which was covered in ice in some spots. "Never been one to give up, call me stubborn but I kind of like being free so go kindly piss off!"
"Foolish girl," the figure snarled as he brought down his massive bastard sword in a vertical slash meeting the flat of the girl's blade giving her a moment to break away and clear some distance between them. "Resistance is futile, our victory is inevitable!"
A cold wind blew from behind the armoured figure which made the girl shudder for a moment before shaking her head and readying herself for the attack to come.
"Your blood will be ours soon enough girl, willing or not you will help us!"
"Help you die more like," the girl snapped back as the armoured figure charged forward only to find the girl had vanished, reappearing behind him as she ran her sword through a small gap in his armor.
"GAHH!"
"Now do kindly fuck off," the girl snarled as she twisted the blade whilst yanking it out of the figures back and taking off in a sprint in the opposite direction.
"Foolish girl … the Elder Blood will be ours soon enough, to delay the Wild Hunt never fails to catch its prey …"
And with that the figure collapsed in the snow leaving the girl free to run until several more flashes signalled more of the armoured figures arriving as a moment of panic began to hit her.
'Come on Ciri you've dealt with this all before, just gotta hold out until you have enough strength to move to a different world …'
Unfortunately for Ciri the Wild Hunt had other plans as over a dozen appeared before her blocking her path with several more appearing behind her as they quickly formed a circle around her.
"Finally hit a dead end have you girl?"
"Imlerith," Ciri snarled as she gripped her sword tighter. "I'd rather die than go with you!"
"Your death will come however the King's orders shall be fulfilled before that," Imlerith replied as he took several steps forward. "This is the end of your futile resistance, drop the blade."
"Never," Ciri snarled as she tried to slash the hulking figure only for several arrows to pierce her legs from behind.
"Fool, you stand no chance here."
"Then I'll die," Ciri snarled as she brought her own blade to her neck much to the shock of the Wild Hunt present who were quickly moving to stop her when a ring of crimson flames burst to life around her pushing back the Wild Hunt.
"WHAT-!"
"Well now it looks like you lot just ran out of luck because this girl's time hasn't come just yet."
Ciri watched on as a man emerged from the flames with a savage grin on his face as he watched several of the armoured Wild Hunt burn to death around him before looking directly at her.
"Hello there Ciri, you've been quite a pain to track down across the dimensions but I'm glad I finally found you! I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'll be your saviour this evening!"
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you for the second half!