[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2] [center]Eryth Sea-> Edge of the Blue[/center] [center]Lvl 5 (60/50) -> Lvl 5 (63/50) [/center] [center]Word Count: 1291 words[/center] Yennefer was here. She was safe. Letting out a breath through his nose, Geralt nodded. It felt like he'd been hit with an emotional sledgehammer. "Thank you." He said, turning towards the residential area he'd been pointed to before pausing. He almost scoffed thinking about how Isabelle said that Yen wasn't a fighter, but he supposed she did carry herself that way. Sorceresses were a prideful bunch, after all. They were about to leave. He had a job to do. But he'd joined with this group to [i]find[/i] Yennefer and Ciri in the first place! If he ran off now, there was no telling if she'd wait around forever. She'd likely have her own search going for Ciri, if not himself as well. Shaking his head, Geralt stalked up the stairway he'd been directed to. He could spare a minute. And if it came down to it, Yennefer could probably track him down with portals and the plans the group was making. She could chase him for once, couldn't she? Looking around, Geralt found that the apartments were helpfully labelled with small plaques stating who lived where. Upon reaching one that said "Yennefer of Vengerberg", the Witcher knocked. A voice he'd been waiting so long to hear responded. "Isabelle, dear, is that you? Rather odd to be calling on me at this time, you ought to be-" Swinging the door open, Geralt was greeted with the beloved sight of his "wife", and a fond smile crossed his features. "Geralt? Oh, thank goodness." A quick look up and down, and she grabbed his arm, carefully yet forcefully pulling the Witcher inside and slamming her door, pulling Geralt into an embrace. "No blood this time. I'm almost impressed," She teased, "but I've a feeling you have bad news." Nodding, Geralt put an inch of distance between the two, not willing to break the hug, but needing to make some space so he could deliver his unfortunate news. "There's...a lot going on. I've found myself tangled up in yet another misadventure." Yennefer could only sigh. "You [i]have[/i] developed quite the unpleasant habit of doing so lately, that is true. Might I ask what you've done this time?" She wasn't pouting, Sorceresses didn't pout, but there was a displeased look on her face all the same. "To put it shortly, Galeem, a malevolent entity of untold power has ripped us from our world and thrown us here, in some...sick playground, with beings from hundreds if not thousands of other worlds. And I was hoping I'd finished this particular brand of nonsense." He let out a quick huff. "I've joined with a group of...adventurers...trying to set things right." "You're playing hero again," Yennefer accused, and Geralt frowned. "Yen, after everything we went through, I'm not...I can't just overgrown firefly undo all the work we did! Eredin was dead, Ciri was...Ciri went into the White Frost..." Geralt blanched. "You're...there [i]was[/i] another Conjuction of the Spheres after you killed Eredin. Do you think this was the result?" Yennfer seemed to understand what he was thinking, but Geralt shook his head, without confidence. "No. I know Ciri. She would have stopped it. Galeem must have stopped her. Or waited until just the right moment to rip us free of our world and drop us here." As he spoke, the Witcher's confidence in what he was saying rallied. "If we stop him...we can undo what he's done. Magic that powerful would be tied into his very existence. Killing him-" "Might very well destroy this world we've found ourselves in and kill us all, Geralt." Yennefer chided, a pensive look on this face. "But it might not. It might merely leave us here, in this...amalgamation of worlds. There's no telling what would happen, Geralt. But you're right. I [i]refuse[/i] to live under the heel of yet another tyrant." Geralt smiled at the remark, kissing her rather chastely. "I wish I could stay, but we're leaving. I'll be going with the Blue team, if you need to find me-or us." Geralt broke the embrace, feeling a little empty for having done so. "Go save the world, hero..." Yennefer teased, knowing it would get under his skin. "I'm not a hero, Yen. I'm a professional." Geralt grunted. "Yes, yes, whatever you say dear." She replied with a roll of the eyes. "I'll be here. I'll see if I can't find out more about this place from the others. My memories are...rather foggy." Giving a resolute nod, Yennefer took a slow breath. "I'll see you later, Geralt." "I love you, Yennefer." "I know, Geralt. I know." She didn't need to say the words back. [i]Especially[/i] not that Geralt had opened the door and was already making his way off to handle yet another mess that shouldn't be his problem. [i]That man is such a bother sometimes...but I do love him.[/i] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Isabelle caught up to the group as Geralt was rejoining, he gave the dog-woman a nod. "Isabelle. I found Yennefer. Thank you." His piece said, the Witcher nodded at the others. "We're headed to the Edge of the Blue, as they called it. This is the rest of the team." Quickly making introductions, Geralt went off with the others, frowning at the necessity of using teleportation of all things to continue their journey. At least he'd been able to meditate before this, get himself centered better. It only helped somewhat, and his stomach was practically in his mouth by the time they stepped out of the Devil's Casino. While the locals explained what they'd have to do, Geralt remained silent. [i]Bloated bodies sounds like necrophages. Might be under some kind of trance or spell to make them docile...hmm.[/i] Thoughts about how to handle the situation raced through his mind. They needed the favor of the locals to get help, or...sacrifices, more likely, from what these people were saying. While he might be able to use Axii to get somebody along, he wouldn't be able to keep the sign active against ten different people, not without killing himself for even trying. The mental strain alone would be deadly, not even counting the sheer amount of energy he'd need to maintain such a thing. As usual, Axii wasn't the best course of action. Damn sign was almost more trouble than it was worth, sometimes, it seemed. But something Sakura said ticked him off. "It rarely is, in my experience." His voice was a bit more gruff, the Witcher purposefully playing up his age and experience, trying to emulate Vesemir. "I can't tell you how much money I've declined doing the 'right thing', kid. Or how many people I've killed who didn't need to die, just because they refused to [i]listen[/i]. I don't know what your experiences have been, but where I'm from...this is a bloody line of work. People die every day, by the dozens and sometimes hundreds. Sacrifices have to be made, sometimes directly, sometimes...just as the cost of trying." Shaking his head, he continued. "But we never [i]stopped[/i] trying to find a better way. We've got plenty of people among us, maybe between here and there we'll figure out a better way. Maybe we won't. But don't push away help just because it makes your stomach turn. We're fighting for our lives, and for this world, aren't we? People are gonna die no matter what we do. It's our job to make the best use of those sacrifices, or their deaths would just be for nothing." Thinking of Vesemir, and Djikstra, and all the other friends he'd lost along the way, Geralt frowned. "They'd hate you for not at least trying." Well, Djikstra certainly hated him whatever he decided to do, now. Power-hungry bastard.