Chapter 166 - Vesemir.
[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
Third Person POV
Northern kingdoms.
...
...
Vesemir was gazing at the castle courtyard with a somewhat distant look, observing what was left of Kaer Morhen. He had taken yet another day to restore and maintain the broken structures to prevent the castle from collapsing entirely.
Not that the castle was completely destroyed, but it certainly had its issues, with the entire structure damaged.
The marks of an intense battle on the walls and towers reminded Vesemir of the time when Kaer Morhen suffered a massive attack by common people and even angry mages. Known as the Massacre of Kaer Morhen, it had occurred over seventy years ago, and Vesemir remembered that day all too well...
A certain group of mages had convinced many influential people, including the King of Kaedwen at the time, that witchers were beings who should no longer exist. The attack on the castle began, leaving many places in ruins. Still, Kaer Morhen was reclaimed some time later, and once again, the witchers of the School of the Wolf continued to live in harmony... until now.
His thoughts, however, could not be limited to the destruction the castle had suffered during that war. Dark times had returned, and war was raging once again. Not in Kaer Morhen—it was far from this place—but the North was embroiled in conflict with an invasion from the South. Vesemir was aware of Nilfgaard's invasion and the fall of Cintra at this point, although he had no concrete news about what had happened or was happening in Sodden, where another battle was being fought with the support of Temeria. He imagined they were locked in a bloody fight at that moment.
Almost all the witchers were there in Kaer Morhen after Vesemir ordered them to return. He wanted to keep the School of the Wolf in a neutral position, refraining from interfering in the kingdoms' war and letting the kings resolve their issues on their own. And nearly everyone was present, except for Geralt. Vesemir was sure he had received his message, but knowing how deeply Geralt seemed attached to that girl from Cintra, he had probably gone to the kingdom during the invasion to rescue her. Vesemir could only hope this wouldn't bring trouble to the witchers' order. To be honest, he didn't approve of Geralt involving himself or bringing the girl here.
At that moment, he heard the sound of people quickly approaching the castle's open entrance. Vesemir immediately looked carefully, sensing something unusual. Since that morning, he had woken with an uneasy premonition that something quite out of the ordinary would happen that day, though he didn't know what.
A short while later, two people appeared through the gate, and he sighed when he saw who they were.
"What's with that face, Vesemir? Everything alright?" one of the men asked while carrying a large dead creature on his back, a clean shot through its head and dried blood staining it. He approached alongside another witcher. Both looked at Vesemir with a mixture of curiosity and concern over his behavior.
Vesemir seemed tense, almost reaching for the sword he always kept strapped to his back. He was an old witcher, and he had the habit of staying armed even there, in the castle courtyard that he called home, regardless of what he was doing. It was a lesson he also taught the younger ones: always be prepared for anything, no matter where you were.
"Apologies for that. For a moment, I was expecting something else. Take the food inside. At least we'll have a good meal today," Vesemir said in a weary tone.
"I think you need to rest, Vesemir. Your age is catching up with you," commented Lambert, the witcher carrying the dead creature, not hesitating to provoke the leader of the School.
"You shouldn't talk to Vesemir like that!" responded another witcher, Coën, standing beside him with a gentler tone.
"Come on, Coën. Can't you see? The old man nearly cast a sign on us just because we showed up! I don't want to walk into Kaer Morhen one of these days and suddenly get hit by a blast of fire," complained Lambert.
Vesemir, however, did not reply or seem offended. He realized he was in the wrong and simply let them pass. Both entered the castle, walking through the long courtyard until they reached the massive castle doors.
Kaer Morhen was enormous, with vast, silent spaces. Despite having many rooms, most were unoccupied. Even with all the witchers present, they didn't fill even a fraction of what the stronghold used to house in its glory days, when hundreds of people lived there. Now, it was far too large for just five witchers.
Vesemir only sighed, knowing Lambert enjoyed provoking others. It was normal behavior for him. Eskel, on the other hand, was calmer and friendlier, much like Coën. But the sarcastic witcher had a point: Vesemir shouldn't act as if he needed to kill anything that crossed his path.
There was one more witcher outside the castle—Eskel—who had gone out to gather weeds and other potion ingredients. Besides that, the castle housed only Vesemir and the other four residents—or rather, the last five members of the School of the Wolf. The order was practically extinct, as Vesemir hadn't trained anyone in years. The Trial of the Grasses had become a complete failure, with almost no one surviving it. For this reason, Vesemir decided to put an end to the ritual, which also meant the end of new witchers.
After all, witchers were no longer as necessary as they once were. Monsters had drastically decreased in number, giving way to wars between men over their kings. People now needed soldiers more than they needed monster hunters.
"Maybe I should get some rest... I'm tired, imagining things," Vesemir murmured to himself, glancing at the sun. The day was clear and peaceful, and he thought of taking the moment to admire the sky. However, his thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking at the castle entrance.
"What's this?" Vesemir asked, looking toward the entrance, which curved out of sight of the gate. That strange premonition returned, a feeling that something unusual was about to happen. He saw a figure approaching and, for a moment, thought he might be overreacting, questioning his instincts.
"Could it just be Eskel? Am I imagining things? Or is it my age?" Vesemir silently wondered, worried that his ability to sense danger might be weakening. If so, it would be dangerous to keep hunting monsters at his age.
Eskel arrived shortly after, making Vesemir realize his thoughts were exaggerated. However, something was different as soon as he saw the younger witcher's face. His expression was unusual. He seemed hesitant, which made Vesemir raise an eyebrow.
"Something wrong, Eskel?" Vesemir asked seriously.
"I think you'd better see this," Eskel murmured, asking Vesemir to follow him to the entrance.
Vesemir narrowed his eyes. Eskel wasn't one to hide things, but he remained silent. Curious, Vesemir followed to find out what he wanted to show. When they reached the curve of the entrance, they saw the drawbridge open, as they had left it to hunt and restock supplies outside.
But outside, there were two people. Vesemir immediately furrowed his brow.
Standing there were two teenagers: a boy and a girl. The girl looked nervous, studying them intently, while the boy remained calm, observing them with a calculated demeanor.
"What is this?" Vesemir murmured, unable to hide his surprise.
"I'd like to know that too," Eskel replied. "They just appeared... out of nowhere." Eskel explained, as Madara and Cirilla had been waiting for him as soon as they spotted him heading toward the castle. It was better to meet a witcher outside rather than simply invade the place.
But to Eskel, it was unusual. He had felt them appear out of nowhere, just 30 meters away from him, when a witcher should be aware of everything happening within 100 meters. For a moment, he almost thought they were assassins.
The boy had greeted him before Eskel could draw his sword, suspecting they might be enemies, and handed him a letter, stating they wouldn't answer any questions until they met Vesemir.
Now, here they were, with Eskel leading them to the castle.
Vesemir analyzed the two carefully, particularly surprised by the boy. At first, his demeanor was calm, but as an experienced witcher, Vesemir noticed something unsettling. Even Eskel must have been thinking the same thing—the boy's heartbeat was perfectly steady and calm. Even the strongest knights and generals, despite appearing composed, would show some nervousness when faced with two adult witchers.
Vesemir could sense that the boy was prepared for anything. If Vesemir drew his crossbow and aimed it at him, he had the impression the boy would already be ready to react long before the trigger was pulled—highly unusual for a teenager.
This only made Vesemir more curious about their identities and what they were doing there, in the middle of nowhere. The girl also stood out, with her striking platinum hair. Approaching with a friendly tone, Vesemir attempted to diffuse the tension.
"May I ask if you're lost or something?" Vesemir inquired.
The girl glanced at the boy, clearly seeking guidance. They didn't appear to be siblings, at least not to Vesemir's experienced eyes, who noticed an unusual glimmer in the girl's eyes when she looked at the boy.
"We're not lost. We came here from the South to Kaer Morhen," the boy replied, causing Vesemir to raise an eyebrow. The boy hadn't directly answered any of Eskel's questions since they first met, only insisting he needed to speak with Vesemir first. Eskel, being his usual amicable self, had accepted this without suspicion.
"You came from the South? Who are you, and why have you come here?" Vesemir asked the boy directly.
"My name is Madara Uchiha, and this is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, the princess and heir of Cintra," he stated, leaving Eskel wide-eyed and Vesemir stunned. More than the revelation about the girl, it was the boy's name that struck Vesemir. He had heard it before. Geralt had mentioned it after a peculiar encounter with Yennefer and a vision they had shared about this name.
"You're Madara Uchiha?" Vesemir murmured, while Eskel eyed the boy with suspicion.
"Wait, is this the princess of Cintra? She survived after Nilfgaard invaded the kingdom?" Eskel muttered, astonished.
Madara didn't answer any questions. Instead, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Eskel before stepping closer to Vesemir, who now regarded him with greater caution.
"Here. It's written by Geralt. He asked me to give it to you. We'll wait here until he arrives. He's also coming from the South, but he's not as fast as I am. So, we'll have some time, maybe a month, before he gets here," Madara replied calmly as Vesemir took the paper.
Vesemir began reading it and immediately recognized Geralt's handwriting.
["I need you to keep these two safe until I arrive. I'm on my way to Kaer Morhen now. I'll explain everything when I get there. They are not a threat.
Signed,
Geralt."]
Vesemir read the letter, which was short and to the point—very much Geralt's style. He remained silent for a moment, processing the information.
"Do you think he'll accept us?" Ciri asked Madara in a somewhat low voice, but the witchers clearly heard her perfectly. The boy stayed quiet, watching Vesemir and Eskel, who were still scrutinizing the letter.
Eskel glanced at Vesemir, then at the two young people, still trying to process everything. He didn't know about the vision Geralt had mentioned, but Vesemir did. The old witcher seemed to be debating whether he could trust it. Geralt's vision had shaken him when he had come to Vesemir for guidance, and Vesemir also understood he would have to deal with this boy, who might pose a threat to all of them—and possibly to the entire world. Yet, Geralt had assured him that everything would be explained upon his arrival.
Finally, Vesemir lowered the letter and fixed his gaze on Madara, who met his stare unflinchingly.
"Before I decide anything... let me ask you two questions," Vesemir said, his eyes locked on the boy. "Do you eat human flesh? And do your eyes turn red? I've heard that they do... Are you some kind of vampire?" he asked directly.
Eskel looked taken aback by the question, but it was the girl who reacted.
"Hey, what kind of question is that?! Madara is just like me and you! He's not a monster!" she exclaimed, her anger overriding her nervousness around the two witchers.
But Ciri felt Madara's hand on her shoulder, shaking his head gently to indicate she didn't need to continue. He turned his attention back to the old witcher.
"Well," Madara said with a slightly sarcastic tone, "I've never eaten human flesh to know if I'd like it or not, but we'd certainly enjoy a piece of that deer you two witchers brought in before we arrived." He spoke calmly, causing Vesemir to raise an eyebrow.
Madara had seen the two witchers entering Kaer Morhen's gates from far away with his Sharingan—after all, that's how he had spotted Eskel earlier.
"And yes, my eyes do turn red, but I'm not a vampire. I'm more like someone... who kills vampires, if that answers your question," Madara added with a small smile, while Vesemir continued to scrutinize his response.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 171 - A complicated situation.
Chapter 176 - We must go to Ard Carraigh.
Chapter 186 - A second attack on Kaer Morhen?
Chapter 195 - The Chaos Between Humans and Non-Humans 03.
-----------------------------
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
🔮 Danmachi - Infinite Mana System!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆