Igris, Gilan, and Ciri had met up with the two new members who joined the group. It was soon understood that one of these individuals was Halt's former apprentice and Gilan's close friend, Will. Gilan was experiencing great joy at seeing his old friend before him; he was already wondering how Halt would react to this surprise. On the other hand, Ciri had experienced great astonishment when she realized that one of the two arrivals was a Witcher belonging to the School of the Wolf. Now dismounted, she was scrutinizing this familiar yet equally foreign figure with careful and curious eyes.
The Witcher stepped calmly, stopping in front of Igris, and spoke.
"So, you're the one who summoned me."
Igris nodded and asked,
"What is your name?"
Before answering, the Witcher turned his gaze to Ciri. Noticing the medallion around the young woman's neck, he spoke.
"Which one of our corpses did you steal this from?"
Ciri and Igris were startled by this unexpected question. Ciri instantly furrowed her brows, and bringing her hand to her medallion, she spoke.
"I didn't steal it, it's mine. My adoptive grandfather gave it to me; I am a Witcher trained in the School of the Wolf."
Hearing this, a mocking smile settled on the Witcher's face. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked Ciri up and down with a condescending glare.
"Heh, it's impossible for there to be a female Witcher. If you're going to lie, make it a good one."
As Ciri's brow furrowed even deeper, she angrily clenched her free hand into a fist and spoke harshly.
"I am an exception. You'd understand if you looked properly."
The Witcher continued to scrutinize the young woman with mocking eyes and clicked his tongue.
"Tch tch. Maybe you are. I mean, the school has really fallen low since it took in a woman like you who knows nothing about fighting and should be doing embroidery. What idiot admitted you to the school?"
As Ciri's eyes flared at the insult she heard, Igris watched with astonishment as events escalated to this point. He considered for a moment whether to intervene; ultimately, this was an internal conflict of the School of the Wolf, and he didn't want to wound Ciri's pride or fall out with the new Witcher from the very first minute. He internally assessed the situation.
'Let's observe for now. If things escalate, I'll take action...'
While Igris chose to remain silent, Ciri hissed in anger.
"The last master of Kaer Morhen, Vesemir."
The man's face filled with evident disdain.
"Ah~ that scrawny idiot. How low has the school sunk that they made that @#$@@£ bastard a master?"
Ciri's eyes narrowed with rage; her hand went to the hilt of her sword on reflex. Gripping her weapon tightly, she hissed fiercely.
"Take that back, you @#£$!"
The Witcher's eyebrows rose slightly, and he smirked provocatively.
"Ah~ and what if I don't? Little kitten? Will you hiss? Or will you scratch?"
These words were the last straw for Ciri. With immense fury, she drew her sword and swung it toward the man's neck without hesitation. With an incredible reflex, the man ducked, evading this sudden attack, and with equal speed, delivered a hard punch to Ciri's stomach. Caught off guard and bewildered by the man's agility, Ciri was left breathless as she took the blow. The man, on the other hand, backed away with utmost ease, opening up the distance between them. Doubled over and clutching her stomach, Ciri glared angrily at the man, gripping the hilt of her sword with her other hand. Igris let out a deep sigh and spoke as he took a few steps back.
"I won't interfere in your school's internal affairs, but just so you know, if things get serious, Gilan will stop you with his arrows."
Seeing the Ranger waiting with his bow at the ready nearby, the man nodded without losing his composure and spoke.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to teach this brat a little lesson."
Feeling a slight headache, Igris called out to the system internally.
'Who is this man? I know most Witchers are gruff, but this guy is causing trouble in the very first minute!'
System: [Do not worry, I am informing you right away...]
Igris carefully began to examine the message sent by the system, reading about who this newcomer was and what he had achieved. He was stunned by the information he saw. Meanwhile, Ciri recovered, raised her sword, and took a fighting stance. The Witcher also shifted his stance, making it clear he was ready to meet his opponent, and then spoke without dropping his mocking tone.
"Is that @#£$ Vesemir still alive? Or did he die a pathetic, pointless death?"
Ciri's eyes turned red with anger. She dashed forward swiftly, swinging her sword with all her might. The man nimbly stepped aside, dodging this vertical strike. Without pausing mid-strike, Ciri twisted her sword and continued to attack relentlessly. The man expertly ducked and weaved, evading the successive blows; immediately after, he reached for his own sword, drawing it swiftly to launch a vertical counterattack. Ciri reacted instantly, twisting her weapon to block this heavy blow. Then, by slightly angling her blade, she tried to slide the man's weapon off and throw him off balance. The fine sparks that scattered with the shrill sound of the swords scraping against each other illuminated Ciri's furrowed, furious face.
Seizing the opportunity of this close range, the young woman threw a hard elbow strike at the man's face. The man quickly leaned his head and torso backward, escaping this move as well; then, pivoting on his heel, he used the momentum from the spin to swing his sword diagonally toward Ciri. Ciri regained her balance at the last second and met the blow with her sword. Steel clashed against steel repeatedly and with tremendous speed. Gilan and Will had completely dropped their conversation and were attentively watching this extraordinary fight. Gilan whistled in admiration.
"Now this is a fight you don't see every day. This woman could outshine many swordsmen in our world. And the other man... frankly, I don't think I could beat him. I've never seen such agile and flawless swordsmanship; it has a wild, predatory aspect to it."
Igris agreed with Gilan's analysis by giving a relaxed nod. Will, however, looked at them with somewhat worried eyes.
"Do you think we should stop them?"
Igris spoke in a calm tone.
"No need, they are both from the same school; they won't kill each other. It's just a little internal friction."
Looking at Ciri, who appeared blinded by rage but was slowly trying to regain her composure, Will murmured dryly.
"Uh... I think this woman is fighting to kill."
Igris chuckled softly. Taking into account that Ciri had only arrived in this world yesterday and had supported him during the ambush, he figured that the Elder Blood hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Don't worry, the way she is right now, that woman can't defeat this man."
Gilan and Will looked curiously at Igris's confident demeanor. Gilan asked,
"Do you know the man?"
Igris nodded calmly.
"More or less. I can say that a weight has been lifted off my shoulders ever since I found out who he is."
While they were talking among themselves, a sharp metallic clank was heard.
CLANK!
Igris smiled and continued in a relaxed manner.
"There, it's over. It ended just as I expected."
When they turned to look, they saw the furious Ciri lying on the ground, panting, while the tip of the man's sword was pressed against the young woman's throat. Ciri's sword had been knocked from her hand and lay a few paces away. On the man's face, however, rather than any sign of victory, there was a displeased expression. Watching the events unfold with amusement, Igris chuckled.
"Tch tch. Not only did she lose, but she's also about to get scolded."
Although the two Rangers looked at Igris's reaction strangely, Igris ignored them and continued to watch the show. Without lowering his sword, the man spoke calmly but in an extremely cold, reprimanding tone.
"You still haven't let go of your anger and impulsiveness!"
The furious Ciri, lying on the ground, was suddenly startled by this sentence.
'Still??'
Before withdrawing his sword and sheathing it, the man extended his free hand. In bewilderment, Ciri took the offered hand. The man pulled her up roughly to her feet and continued to scold her.
"You allowed your opponent to provoke you; you let your emotions take over and let them steer you. Furthermore, although your footwork has improved, you still haven't caught your rhythm! How many times have I told you to pay attention to your opponent and gauge them before swinging your sword in anger! If you still think you're going to be a Witcher with this mindset, pah! In your dreams!"
Ciri was dumbfounded by this scolding she received. Though she tensed up instinctively, she listened carefully to the man's words. As the gears in her mind started turning, she asked hesitantly.
"Do we know each other?"
Hearing these words, the man sheathed his sword with an unhappy expression and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You still don't recognize me? Little lady."
Ciri carefully examined the man's face. There was an obvious familiarity in his features, but she just couldn't place who he was. Seeing her like this, the man's face fell even further, while Igris's chuckle was heard from the back.
"Don't blame her too much; there is a vast difference between the version of you she saw and how you look now."
The man and Ciri turned their heads at the same time and looked at Igris. Ciri furrowed her brows and asked.
"Do you know him?"
Igris shrugged casually.
"I just found out who he is. Now that he's here, you are his responsibility. My mind is at ease since I've been relieved of a burden."
Furrowing her brows even deeper, Ciri hissed in anger.
"I don't need anyone's protection!"
Both the man and Igris rolled their eyes in unison. Igris maintained his composure and spoke.
"Alright. Have it your way. Now, look at the man."
With a displeased and furrowed brow, Ciri turned back to the man. As she tried to remember who he was, Igris continued speaking.
"Now, imagine wrinkles on his face, picture him older than he looks, dye his hair white and make it longer, and imagine he's a bit bulkier with a belly."
Hearing this, the Witcher's face instantly darkened; he glared at Igris.
"I never grew a belly, kid! It was just the armor making me look fat!"
The moment this sentence ended, realizing the truth, Ciri lunged at the man and hugged him tightly. The man sighed softly and reciprocated, wrapping his arms around the young woman.
"Well... you've grown since I last saw you, young lady... though you still have your shortcomings."
With her eyes welling up with tears, Ciri whispered in a trembling voice.
"Uncle Vesemir..."
Watching this emotional scene, Igris sighed softly. He turned around, threw his arms around the necks of the two Rangers standing on the sidelines, and tugged them away.
"Let's go, old men! These two need to be alone!"
The duo, already surprised by Igris suddenly throwing his arms around their necks, flared up like cats whose tails had been stepped on upon hearing the address "old men."
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING OLD?!" x2
Completely ignoring their objections, Igris continued walking toward the horses and called out without even looking back.
"Ciri! You know the way; come along when you're done talking."
Although Ciri heard the words, she didn't answer; she was currently experiencing one of her most emotionally vulnerable moments. Aware of this, Igris chose to give her and Vesemir the space they needed. After mounting his horse, he gave a slight nod to Vesemir, who was looking at him, and spoke.
"It's a great honor and pleasure to meet you, the last master of Kaer Morhen. Your joining us has put me at ease. For now, catch up with your last student; we will talk in private later."
Vesemir contented himself with just a nod without saying anything, for his only priority at the moment was Ciri in his arms. Igris turned his horse and started moving down the road. Gilan and Will quickly hopped onto their horses and aligned themselves with Igris. As Gilan looked with curious eyes, Igris decided to give them a little explanation.
"That man's name is Vesemir. He comes from the same world as Ciri and the dwarves. He is Ciri's teacher and adoptive grandfather, and he happens to be the last commander of a very unique organization similar to the Rangers. Ciri was being hunted by an organization for special reasons, and this organization inflicted irreparable wounds on her... When Ciri was a bit younger, Vesemir was killed by this organization right before her eyes while trying to protect her."
A deep understanding settled on the faces of the two Rangers as they listened to this tragic story. Their own master and father figure, Halt, had also once returned from the brink of death after being poisoned, and passed away from old age years later. For this reason, Will felt happy thinking about the moment he would reunite with his grumpy master. Igris turned to Will curiously.
"What have you learned about me?"
Will thought for a moment and shrugged.
"Many things... it was a bizarre event."
Igris chuckled in amusement.
"I'm sure it was. I'm curious about Halt's reaction; I hope I'll get to see a reaction like when Gilan first arrived. Hahahaha!"
Gilan's face darkened instantly at what he heard. Will looked curiously at his friend's reaction.
"What happened?"
Igris slightly suppressed his smile and began to explain.
"Oh~ When Gilan first arrived, he quietly approached Halt from behind. Thanks to a little mischief on my part, Halt thought his wife had arrived, quickly turned around, and without looking at his face, hugged Gilan tightly and fawned over him."
While Will was dumbfounded by what he heard, Igris continued with a laugh.
"Of course, the first thing he did upon realizing it was Gilan was try to strangle him. Hahahaha!"
Gilan let out a deep sigh.
"Igris barely pulled him off me..."
Will murmured, chuckling helplessly.
"Hahahaha... You guys had quite a lot of fun while I was gone."
Pouting, Gilan reminisced about the old days.
"More or less..."
Will turned his gaze back to Igris and asked.
"So, what are we doing now?"
Igris filled his lungs with the fresh air and looked at his new companion. Following a deep breath, he began to quietly explain the plans they would follow throughout their upcoming journey...