Wild Hunt First Appearance (Part 2)

They raced through the night forest, not minding horses. It was a ride against time, amidst thunderous noise and the approaching tempest.

Forward, to the Gors Velen, to where it will all begin, the chaos of northern lands, the new page in the history of wars.

"Alan, this is bad. This entire thing can get us killed, so give me a reason."

"Ciri." - replied the young man in a grave voice.

Geralt stayed silent after that. Only reined his horse to move faster.

"Where to?"

"Follow me. I never get lost. I can't. Part of the bloodline. We are the same, me and Ciri. She can never get lost too. She will always know where to go. And now she is going to you. We will meet."

"You are talking riddles to me."

"I'm talking riddles to myself too. It is a gut feeling, nothing else. I can't express it. I simply know. Know where she is and where to go to find her. To get to her. The same for you. I noticed it only recently. I can find you, Ciri, Triss, Coen... everyone."

"And if you can't?"

Alan didn't give the answer. Sometimes silence is the one. Geralt changed the topic. He didn't want to know for certain.

"Why is she here?"

"To meet you. Or me. But I vouch for both. Mile. She is there. Go now and prepare to fight. Don't think, Geralt, they are not ghosts, believe me. You see one, you cut it down like you would with a human. Find weak points in armor, in magic shields. The way you trained me. And the way Vesemir trained you."

"Known ceases to be a nightmare, but a target you know how to kill with no fear." - said Geralt in copying Vesemir's voice. - "You owe me an explanation."

"Later. Everything for later. Now, old man, swords!"

They both unsheathed silver swords simultaneously. But the one Alan was holding glared at the world with the crimson luster of its blood-colored edge. It shone in the turquoise aura that made Geralt glance at it.

It showed sharpness that cut through space itself. The relentless force of nature only strongest magic can try to fight.

They rode like mad through the forest and found a crossroad. There, a girl stopped for a moment in panic. Then, she turned around as if magically enchanted, her pale hair flew with the wind, outlining perfect countenance.

She felt it too. Connection through the wings. She knew he was near. He was here to get her from this nightmare.

Ciri pulled her horse forward, kicking it with her boots. Behind her, a trail of winter came crashing down with a wave of snow and lightning.

They came down, surrounded by an eerie light, with illusions covering all. They appeared like surreal ghosts, dead, decaying, and dreadful.

"Come with us... you belong to us... you are one of."

"Oh, thaess aep, Aen Elle!" - shouted Alan.

"Jump."

They didn't stop the gallop, on the contrary, they nudged stallion on ramming course and did just that. Both standing on saddles and jumping at the approaching a row of ghosts.

Silver blades flashed in the air. Clanging sound spread.

Alan took Geralt by the shoulder before they were drowned by the cavalry charge and teleported with him forward. They were in the middle of the ghost tide, right under their hooves.

"Legs. They are not ghosts, remember!" - the duo went down in a low stance that witchers used against nekkers.

Swords flashed in whirlwind motions. Legs with hooves flew in the air, leaving a trail of rubies.

A normal, crimson, warm blood.

It splashed everywhere and painted ground red.

Illusion faded.

Painful cries of the horses were heard and heavily armored riders crashed into the muddy ground, sliding to the sides of the uneven road. Thunder roared again and Tor Lara suffered another bout of lightning bolts coming from the enraged sky.

"Bloede d'hoine!" - cursed someone.

"So, Wild Hunt can curse on Elder Speech with the voice of a juvenile elven prick. Charming, isn't it?" - said Alan poisonously and smirked at Geralt. The latter narrowed his eyes and took the surroundings in calmly.

They were revealed.

When powerful illusion magic broke a heavy cavalry appeared around the duo. Clad in black armor with masks like skulls, each one of them reeked of magic. Witcher medallions were going insane.

Every part of their black armor was enchanted by layers upon layers of protective spells. Even their swords were forged from unknown metal. Runes glowed on them.

"Good equipment." - said Geralt calmly.

"Geralt! Alan!" - Ciri screamed and as if it was a command, Wild Hunt attacked.

Alan created a Vibe with the three... no, four. He smiled slightly.

'Our magical juggernaut is coming soon. Geralt, we will jump together.'

'I hate portals.'

'I don't use ones, I will just drag you directly through chaotic space as I do with a rag.'

"I will remember this..." - Geralt ground his teeth and paled if a witcher can go paler than how he normally is.

He wasn't able to finish, because his perspective suddenly shifted and they appeared in front of a rider. Alan went for the top, chopping at his neckline and Geralt with his superhuman reaction easily oriented himself in space, thrusting from below to get the gut through the leg joint.

The elf was quick like lightning. His standard as a warrior was superior. He slanted his head to the side while raising a shoulder plate. Alan's sword glided by the surface of the pauldron. Space power on his edge caused the protective spells to go wild and created a magical disturbance that resulted in a breach of defenses.

Geralt miscalculated because of the armor itself. It didn't have a weakness in the place he was aiming for.

'No weakness in leg joints. Noted.' - said Geralt through the vibe.

'They are masters at wielding armor. He shifts to let attacks glide through the surface of their slick plating. Troublesome.'

'And they are very fast. Magically enhanced senses and body strength. Alan, we can actually think we are facing a crowd of witchers.'

'Shift. Good. One down. The armpit is still vulnerable.'

Shift, another one. They were like a turquoise hurricane dancing on the battlefield. Riders of Wild Hunt who terrorized worlds have finally met resistance that made their squad lose members.

'I am here. Get down.'

At that moment a commanding voice of a woman came through the vibe and Alan was smart enough not to disobey her.

She appeared from the cloud of trembling might, littered with lightning. Descending from the sky, a woman clad in black with wavy hair dancing on the gale of wind, she raised her hand.

A star shone on her neck, and lightning gathered in a buzzing column of power above her. The ground trembled under her might.

Storm stood still, to give way for a real tempest.

And then the entire world lost all sound in a single world-shattering thunderclap.

She slammed the ground with the speed of light using one hand. The column opened into a tree and went down, covering everything in front of her like a blanket.

Horses, elves... everything was gone. But they didn't die. They were fast enough to shift into a sphere of light and disappeared in a spacial tear.

Yen stood up unhurriedly and slightly fixed her clothes, looking as usual.

Perfect and beautiful, as if this world can't touch her by the mundane.

"So, boys and girls. Care to explain what the hell I just swatted like flies?"