671 Putting the Meddle in Medal

The duo yet again make their way to the damaged Chapel, the only reason for it still being in use was due to long tradition.

Both already have their weapons strapped to their backs, prepared for anything that might happen ... They even walked the long way around to check the surrounding area, but didn't see anything apart from guards patrolling the palace.

Ciri shrugs, "Maybe we're just being paranoid?"

Geralt shakes his head, "Better paranoid than dead." he states bluntly.

Eventually, they reach the Chapel, many guards already present with Henrietta standing their diligently with a neutral expression, Damien de la Tour holding a box which presumably contained their reward.

There weren't as many aristocrats as there was yesterday, but that is probably because their rewards didn't involve the Duchess sister, and subsequently the lineage of Toussaint itself.

Obviously, those that were there gave them glares, some commenting that their attire was hardly appropriate for such a ceremony.

Henrietta steps forwards, "You... You have arrived, come... Stand proudly as you have done Toussaint the great service of destroying the Beast of Beauclair, the vampire that hunted our streets and killed innocent knights." she says.

Ciri almost can't contain her snort, the knights were targeted specifically for their misdeeds, obviously specifying that detail wouldn't go down well with the nobles or the people.

Henrietta "It is... My pleasure, to present you both of you with the Vitis Vinifera, the highest possible honour I can grant as the Duchess of Toussaint. Your actions of saving our city have made us all incredibly grateful to you..." she says, her expression looking conflicted for a moment.

Damien "Geralt of Rivia, step forth... Cirilla... Step forth." he says, the duo stepping forward, though Ciri was confused at why they used her full name?... How did they even know it anyway?

The Duchess opens the box and reveals tow medals hung by gold and silver chains, she reaches in and grabs the first, walking over to Geralt and getting on her tiptoes to put it around his neck.

Geralt looks down at it and mentally remarks that he'd never seen any of the nobility wear one of these before...

The Duchess then turns to Ciri, glancing at the Ephemeral Gleam Cloak shifting on her shoulders before refocussing her attention. She steps forward and lowers the chain over Ciri's head... And as soon as it rests on her shoulders the chain shortens, causing it to fit snugly around her neck.

Ciri's eyes widen as she realises what this is... "Hurgh!" she groans, pushing the Duchess away while grasping at the chain. One of the nobility in the Chapel casting a large fireball into the sky.

Geralt growls and dashes over to Ciri, throwing the medallion off as he draws his blade, "What have you done?!?" he demands.

The Guards begins to surround the duo as Geralt looks at Ciri's neck, a blue bruise which seemed to travel up her veins was present where the chain was. Through his vast experience with Sorceresses, he knew what this was... Dimeritium.

Geralt "Fucking bitch!" he shouts, casting Igni as the nobles in an attempt to stop any more mages from making this more difficult than it had to be. The group screamed, their fine clothing igniting as if it were oil, making clear that there were no more mages present.

He then looks to the single mage closeby that'd cast the fireball, the man backing away with a spell on his lips... Geralt doesn't waste any time, casting a strong Aard at him which launches the man from the Chapel to his doom.

Geralt "Ciri! Are you ok!?!" he quickly asks.

Ciri groans in pain, the experience of having her magic torn and unusable to her makes her almost unable to stand. She could still feel her Elder Blood Magic bubbling inside her, it apparently not being affected in the least by the Dimeritium, though if she tried to teleport like this they'd likely end up underground.

The guards slowly approach as Henrietta is evacuated by Damien after seeing Geralt kill the nobility present. They both knew this was an absolute betrayal, but under the circumstances, there was nothing else they could do.

Geralt, not hearing any answer from Ciri stands protectively in-front of her as the guards enter the Chapel. He reaches into his pouch and retrieves a bomb, tossing it at the groups feet and casting a Quen around him and his adoptive daughter.

The guards aren't able to react as the bomb explodes, releasing a dark green gas that they all subconsciously breath in... Almost immediately their skin turns green, they cough and splutter as their lungs liquify. The small amount that was absorbed by their lungs was already at work destroying the rest of their internal organs, and after a few moments, they all drop dead. The poison bomb designed for monsters proving to be incredibly effective against human foes.

Geralt is about to grab Ciri and flee, but is confronted by a sea of black and gold... On the only exit from the Chapel was many heavily armoured Nilfgaardian soldiers, Emhyr standing with his arms crossed in-front of them with a neutral expression.

Geralt glares at him, "Emhyr..."

The soldiers around him clammer at their emperor being addressed in such a disrespectful way, but a wave of his hand has them silent again. "Witcher, why am I not surprised to see my traitorous offspring with you?"

Garen grips his sword tighter, "Because I've been a better father to her than you ever have?" he mocks, Emhyr's brow twitching at his words.

Emhyr "If she won't consider me her father, perhaps I should return to one of my previous plans... My lineage must live on after all, something you cannot understand, Witcher."