Chapter 16: Rumors of War
POV: Adam
The refugees appeared with the dawn, streaming through Cintra's gates like blood from a wound that wouldn't stop bleeding. Adam watched from the castle battlements as families carrying everything they owned in bundles and carts filled the city streets with desperation made manifest.
The border's collapsing. Nilfgaard is moving faster than anyone expected.
He counted the people below—dozens becoming hundreds, their faces bearing the hollow expression of those who'd seen their worlds burn and barely escaped with their lives. Children clung to parents who couldn't answer questions about when they'd go home, because home no longer existed.
Five days. Maybe less.
"Nilfgaardian scouts," a woman's voice drifted up from the courtyard, carrying words that made Adam's blood run cold. "Burned our village two days ago. Said more soldiers were coming. Thousands of them."
The timeline's accelerating. Everything's happening faster than in the show.
Adam descended from the battlements with urgency that bordered on panic, his mind racing through contingencies that felt increasingly inadequate. Five days to prepare for an invasion that would sweep away everything these people had known and replace it with conquest and ash.
Need to be in that war council. Need to understand what they're planning.
The castle's war room buzzed with the controlled tension of people making decisions that would determine whether a kingdom lived or died. Maps covered every surface, marked with troop positions and supply lines that spoke of careful planning based on incomplete information.
They think they can win. They have no idea what's coming.
Queen Calanthe presided over the gathering with the authority of someone who'd built a kingdom through violence and intended to keep it the same way. Military leaders clustered around the central table, their faces bearing the grim satisfaction of professionals preparing to practice their trade.
"Nilfgaard will come," Calanthe said, her voice cutting through the murmur of tactical discussions. "The question is when and how we respond."
Tonight. They'll come tonight, and you'll all be dead by morning.
"We fortify," Eist replied, his scarred hands tracing defensive positions on the map. "Make them bleed for every inch. Show them that Cintra doesn't fall easily."
It falls in one night. One battle. All of you die except Ciri.
Adam stood near the wall with other minor advisors, fighting the urge to scream warnings that would sound like madness or treason. The knowledge burning in his chest felt like swallowed fire, demanding release that he couldn't give without destroying everything he'd built.
Let them plan. Let them hope. But make sure the important things survive.
"What about evacuation?" a younger noble asked, earning sharp looks from veterans who understood that retreat wasn't in Calanthe's vocabulary.
"We don't abandon our people," the Queen replied, steel in her voice. "We stand. We fight. We win."
You die. All of you die, and the people you're trying to protect burn with you.
The meeting continued for another hour, plans layered upon plans that would amount to nothing when reality arrived wearing black armor and carrying Nilfgaardian banners. Adam absorbed the tactical discussions while his mind worked on problems that had nothing to do with defensive positioning.
Escape routes. Supply caches. Ways to get Ciri out when everything collapses.
The meeting's end provided Adam with the opportunity he'd been waiting for—a private moment with Eist while the other leaders dispersed to their various responsibilities.
How do I warn him without revealing too much?
"My lord," Adam said, approaching the Skellige warrior with careful steps. "When the battle comes... Ciri needs to survive. That's what matters most."
Eist's weathered features shifted to sharp attention, his eyes studying Adam with the intensity of someone reading truth in expressions and body language.
"You sound like you know something."
I know everything. I know you die defending the throne room. I know Calanthe throws herself from the window rather than be captured. I know Ciri escapes into the forest and spends months running from everything that wants to use her.
"I know Nilfgaard doesn't lose," Adam said, offering as much truth as he dared. "Not this battle."
The silence that followed felt heavy with implications that neither of them was ready to examine fully. Eist's expression cycled through calculation, acceptance, and something that might have been approval.
"Then we'll make our stand worth remembering," he said finally. "And you'll keep her safe."
I swear it. Whatever it costs.
"I swear it."
[Relationship +10]
Current Points: 45/75
Status: Respected Ally - Mutual understanding of priorities
Training had taken on desperate intensity over the past days, sessions that pushed both Adam and Ciri to their physical and emotional limits. Three times daily now, working combinations that flowed like dance choreographed by violence.
Getting stronger. Both of us. But is it enough?
"You're afraid," Ciri said during their afternoon session, her sword pausing mid-strike as she studied his expression.
Terrified. Absolutely terrified that I won't be strong enough to save you.
"Yes," Adam replied, lowering his hands and letting the air magic dissipate. "But fear keeps you alive."
"What are you afraid of?"
Losing you. Watching you die because I failed. Being the reason hope dies in this world.
"Failing when it matters most," he said, which was true enough without being the whole truth.
Ciri's expression softened with understanding that went deeper than words. She stepped closer, close enough that he could see the determination burning behind her green eyes.
"You won't fail. We won't fail. Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
Together. If I can keep you alive long enough for together to mean something.
The System's mission notification appeared while Adam was organizing supply caches in hidden locations throughout the castle—food, water, medical supplies, and weapons positioned where they'd be accessible if everything went wrong.
[MISSION: "Prepare for Battle"]
Objectives:
• Stockpile emergency supplies (Complete)
• Scout escape routes from castle (Complete)
• Cache weapons at strategic locations (Complete)
Reward: +Survival Instincts skill, 100 XP
[Mission Complete]
[Skill Gained: Survival Instincts - Enhanced awareness of danger and opportunity]
[Experience Gained: 100 XP]
Every little bit helps. But it still won't be enough.
The castle battlements at night provided sanctuary from the intensity of preparation and planning, their stone walls offering perspective on a kingdom that had no idea how little time it had left. Adam stood alone with his thoughts, feeling the weight of foreknowledge like lead in his chest.
I know they're going to die. Eist, Calanthe, maybe even Mousesack. And I can't stop it. Can I?
The question haunted every breath, every heartbeat, every moment of stolen peace before the storm arrived. He'd gained levels and allies and equipment, but none of it felt adequate against the scope of what was coming.
Maybe I can't save everyone. Maybe I can only save her.
"Whatever you're thinking, you don't have to carry it alone."
Ciri's voice cut through his despair like light through darkness, her presence beside him on the battlements feeling like the only solid thing in a world built on shifting sand.
She found me. Of course she found me.
"What if I can't save everyone?" Adam asked, giving voice to the fear that had been eating at him since the day he'd arrived in this world.
"Then save who you can," Ciri replied, her hand finding his with the certainty of someone offering anchor in a storm. "Save me, if it comes to that."
Adam looked at her—really looked—seeing past the royal bearing to the thirteen-year-old girl who trusted him with her life and her hope for the future.
Always. Whatever it costs, always.
"Always," he said, the word carrying the weight of promises that might require his life to keep.
[Relationship +5]
Current Points: 80/100
Status: Unshakeable Trust - Deep emotional bond confirmed
The night air carried sounds of a kingdom preparing for war—hammers on anvils, soldiers drilling, the distant murmur of people who didn't understand that they were counting down their final hours.
Four days left. The castle buzzed with preparation—soldiers drilling, weapons being sharpened, walls reinforced. Everyone preparing for a battle they thought they could win.
Adam knew better. But he went through the motions anyway, because sometimes hope mattered more than truth.
And sometimes truth was a burden that had to be carried alone.
Four days until the world burned. Time to make sure the important things survived the flames.