Chapter 69: The Assassination Attempt
POV: Adam
Blood Sensing detected the ambush before conscious thought could process what ten heartbeats arranging themselves in coordinated formation around their forest camp meant, circulatory patterns revealing professional positioning that spoke of killers who'd studied their movements with tactical precision rather than simple opportunism. Adam's hand found Geralt's shoulder with pressure that communicated danger without revealing their awareness to observers whose capabilities remained unknown.
Ten assassins. Professional formation in the darkness.
The attack erupted from shadows with coordination that made previous combat encounters feel like amateur exercises, silver weapons gleaming in starlight while magic-dampening equipment created atmospheric disturbance that made elemental manipulation feel sluggish and uncertain.
Professional killers. Silver weapons, magic dampening gear.
Adam rolled away from his sleeping position as crossbow bolt punched through space where his chest had been moments before, understanding that their enemies possessed equipment specifically designed to counter supernatural abilities.
Geralt engages five. Adam and Ciri handle the other five.
The witcher's response was instantaneous, silver steel creating deadly arcs that spoke of someone whose profession had prepared him for exactly this type of coordinated assault. But five attackers remained focused on Adam and Ciri, their formation suggesting specific intelligence about capabilities and limitations.
Magic dampening makes elemental control difficult. Equipment designed to counter supernatural abilities.
The waterbending that should have responded with fluid precision instead felt constrained by atmospheric interference, ice formation proceeding slowly while airbending required additional concentration to achieve normal effectiveness.
Ciri phases through killing blow. Dimensional training proves lifesaving.
The assassination attempt that should have ended with poisoned blade penetrating her heart instead passed through space where her body had existed microseconds before, dimensional phasing allowing counterattack from angle that tactical planning couldn't predict.
Devastating combined attacks. Waterbending and airbending integration.
Adam's response employed techniques that winter training had developed, ice barriers disrupting enemy positioning while air pressure created instability that turned professional coordination into desperate individual survival efforts.
Eight dead, two flee. Decisive victory despite equipment disadvantage.
The combat concluded with efficiency that demonstrated how much their capabilities had evolved, understanding that assassins who should have succeeded against normal targets had encountered opponents whose training exceeded their intelligence preparation.
[Experience Gained: 400 XP - coordinated assault survival]
[Level Progress: 30 (85% toward 31)]
The interrogation that followed employed combination of psychological pressure and medical assistance, Geralt's intimidation creating environment where cooperation felt preferable to continued resistance while Adam's healing demonstrated that mercy remained possible despite circumstances.
Carrot and stick. Intimidation combined with healing assistance.
The captured assassin's revelation painted picture of political complexity that made their situation feel exponentially more dangerous, understanding that multiple factions possessed resources sufficient to fund systematic elimination efforts.
Nilfgaardian factions divided. Cahir wants capture, others want elimination.
The intelligence that emerged through careful questioning revealed competing agendas within empire that viewed Ciri as resource requiring different approaches—some understanding her value as political tool while others prioritizing threat elimination over potential utility.
Contract by nobles in black sun. Nilfgaardian conspiracy faction.
The specific attribution that named responsible parties created understanding that their enemies operated through organized political network rather than simple military authority, resources that could sustain extended operations regardless of individual failure.
Price so high assassination attempts will be constant. Economic incentive ensuring persistent threat.
The bounty that current circumstances had created meant that professional killers throughout multiple kingdoms would view them as prize worth pursuing, understanding that financial motivation could overcome tactical caution.
Hunt's interest making her too dangerous to possess. Political calculus shifting.
The Wild Hunt's dimensional pursuit had transformed Ciri from valuable asset into liability that some factions preferred to eliminate rather than attempt controlling, understanding that interdimensional consequences exceeded local political benefits.
[Experience Gained: 50 XP - intelligence gathering]
The strategic assessment that emergency planning session produced painted picture of multiple-front conflict that defensive measures couldn't sustain indefinitely, understanding that reactive tactics provided temporary survival rather than permanent solutions.
Multiple threats simultaneously. Wild Hunt, Nilfgaard, assassins for gold.
The enumeration of forces arrayed against their continued existence created pressure that conventional planning couldn't address through improved execution of existing strategies.
Can't fight everyone at once. Need to eliminate at least one threat.
The tactical reality that emerged through honest evaluation demanded strategic pivot from pure defense toward offensive action that could reduce pressure by eliminating specific threats entirely.
Confront Cahir directly. Risky plan to reduce Nilfgaardian pressure.
Geralt's proposal represented calculated gamble that diplomatic solution might prove more effective than continued evasion, understanding that convincing primary pursuer about costs versus benefits could reshape empire's approach.
More dangerous as target than ally. Political argument for cooperation over capture.
The negotiation that such confrontation would require emphasized practical consequences rather than emotional appeals, demonstrating that Ciri's capture would create problems exceeding any benefits that possession might provide.
Doing nothing guarantees death. Offensive action despite risks.
The recognition that passive defense ensured eventual defeat transformed risk calculation toward accepting immediate danger in exchange for possibility of long-term survival.
[Experience Gained: 50 XP - strategic planning]
[Relationship: Party Cohesion +5]
Dawn brought cremation of assassin corpses while understanding settled over their group that fundamental change in approach had become necessary for survival, passive resistance proving insufficient against forces whose capabilities exceeded defensive preparation.
Burning bodies. Eliminating evidence of encounter.
The smoke that rose from improvised funeral pyre carried with it acknowledgment that their circumstances had evolved beyond simple evasion toward active engagement with forces that commanded resources exceeding individual capability.
Passive defense no longer sustainable. Must transition to offensive strategy.
Looking at Ciri's determined expression as morning light painted her features with resolve that months of training had developed, Adam understood that some survival required confronting threats rather than avoiding them.
Offense may be only path to survival. Sometimes you have to fight.
The road ahead stretched toward confrontation that would test everything they'd learned about diplomacy and violence, leading toward meeting that could reshape their circumstances or confirm that elimination remained their enemies' preferred solution.
Cahir receives report about failed assassination. Perhaps cooperation worth more than possession.
Somewhere in distance that geography couldn't measure, their primary pursuer processed intelligence about assassination failure while calculating whether negotiation might prove more effective than continued pursuit.
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