Chapter 3: The Ash-Blonde Hurricane
POV: Adam
The Golden Sturgeon's ale still tasted like disappointment, but at least Adam had learned to drink it without making faces that advertised his otherworldly origins.
He sat at a corner table, picking at bread that could double as a weapon, while translucent blue text floated in his peripheral vision. The System interface had become his constant companion—a reminder that this medieval nightmare was real and that he was playing by rules he barely understood.
[CURRENT STATUS]
Level: 2
STR: 11
STA: 13
AGI: 11
HP: 110/110
MP: 130/130
XP: 265/360 (to Level 3)
Reputation: Castle Staff +5
Titles: Rat Catcher (+10% XP from creatures Level 5 and below)
Active Abilities:
Air Gust (5 MP) Air Jump (8 MP) Breath Control (Passive)
The numbers were pathetic by any reasonable standard, but they represented progress. Power earned through rat blood and determination. In thirty days, when the black banners appeared on the horizon, these stats might mean the difference between—
The tavern door slammed open with enough force to rattle the windows.
Every conversation died as a figure stormed inside—ash-blonde hair whipping around a face flushed with fury, green eyes that could melt steel, and a posture that screamed royal breeding and adolescent rage in equal measure.
Ciri.
Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Child Surprise, the girl whose scream would announce the end of the world. She moved through the tavern like a hurricane given human form, her riding boots clicking against worn floorboards with staccato violence.
"I can do it!" she snarled at no one and everyone. "I don't need supervision!"
The words carried the particular venom of a teenager who'd been told 'no' one too many times. She scanned the room with predatory intensity, looking for somewhere to unleash the storm building behind her eyes.
Her gaze landed on Adam's table.
Oh, shit.
Without invitation, without acknowledgment, without even a glance at his face, Ciri dropped into the chair across from him. Her fury filled the space between them like heat from a forge, making the air itself seem to vibrate.
Adam studied her over his ale mug, noting the way her hands clenched and unclenched, how her breathing came too fast and shallow. This wasn't just anger—this was the rage of someone who felt powerless in a world that demanded she be anything but.
I know how this story goes. I know what she becomes. But right now, she's just a scared kid pretending to be brave.
"Professional rat assassin and part-time person who minds his own business," Adam said, his voice carrying the dry amusement of someone who'd given up expecting normal days. "You seem like you're having a great day."
Ciri's scowl deepened, carving lines in her face that shouldn't exist on someone so young. "Are you making fun of me?"
The question carried edges that could cut. This was someone used to deference, to bowing and scraping and careful words. Someone who'd learned that mockery often came disguised as politeness.
"Would I do that?" Adam spread his hands in mock innocence. "I'm just a humble nobody who happens to be eating lunch. You're the one who invaded my table, Your... Highness?"
He let the title hang in the air, sarcasm coating it like honey on poison.
Something shifted in Ciri's expression. Surprise flickered across her features—not offense at his lack of proper deference, but genuine confusion. As if no one had ever treated her like just another person before.
Then, impossibly, she laughed.
It started as a snort, quickly suppressed, but the sound escaped anyway. Her whole posture changed, shoulders loosening, the rigid line of her spine softening.
"You're weird," she said, but the venom had drained from her voice.
[RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon]
Status: Acquaintance (Intrigued)
Points: 5/25
And so it begins.
"Weird's better than boring," Adam replied. "What's got you ready to burn down the kingdom? Bad day at princess school?"
Ciri's laugh turned bitter. "Training. Always training. 'Princess, you must be more careful.' 'Princess, you can't do that alone.' 'Princess, let the adults handle it.'" She spat the words like curses. "I'm not made of glass. I can fight. I can handle myself. But they treat me like I'm going to shatter if someone looks at me wrong."
The pain underneath her anger was raw, bleeding. Adam recognized it—the frustration of someone who knew they were capable of more but was held back by others' fears. The rage of potential caged by protection.
She has no idea what's coming. What she'll need to survive.
"Stop arguing about it," Adam said, leaning back in his chair. "Just... be undeniable. Get so good they can't ignore you."
Ciri blinked, her rant cutting off mid-breath. "What?"
"You're fighting the wrong battle. You're arguing for permission when you should be proving capability. Don't tell them you can handle it—show them. Be so competent, so skilled, so obviously ready that saying no becomes stupid."
The words hung between them, settling into the sudden quiet. Ciri stared at him, her green eyes searching his face for something—mockery, dismissal, the patronizing tone she was used to hearing.
She found none of it.
"That's..." She paused, thinking. "That's actually not terrible advice."
[Relationship +5]
Current Points: 10/25
Good. She's listening.
Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out a copper coin, holding it up between his fingers. "Want to see something interesting?"
Ciri nodded, curiosity replacing the last traces of her earlier fury.
Adam focused on the coin, feeling the familiar warmth build in his chest. The power flowed through him more easily now than it had in the rat-infested storage room—practice and levels making the impossible feel almost natural.
The coin began to spin.
Not the clumsy tumbling of a flipped coin, but a perfect, controlled rotation that defied gravity and physics in equal measure. The copper disc hung in the air between them, turning slowly, caught in an invisible current that Adam shaped with will and growing skill.
Ciri's jaw dropped. "How did you—are you a mage?"
The wonder in her voice was genuine, unmarked by fear or suspicion. Just pure fascination with the impossible made real.
Adam let the coin settle into his palm, grinning at her expression. "Something like that."
He stood, tossing the coin back into his pocket. The movement felt natural, casual, like he'd been performing minor miracles his entire life instead of learning them three days ago.
"See you around, Princess. Try not to terrorize any more taverns."
He walked toward the door, leaving Ciri staring after him in confusion and curiosity and something that might have been admiration.
[Relationship +5]
Current Points: 15/25]
Status: Intrigued
The afternoon air outside tasted cleaner than the tavern's stale atmosphere, but Adam barely noticed. His mind was already racing ahead, calculating possibilities and consequences.
She's interested. That's the first step.
A familiar blue shimmer materialized in his vision.
[MISSION ALERT - Choose One:]
Option A (BLUE): "The Princess's Training Partner"
Objective: Spar with Ciri regularly
Rewards: 300 XP, +3 AGI, relationship boost, castle access
WARNING: Attracts attention from nobility and potential enemies
Option B (YELLOW): "Keep Your Distance"
Objective: Avoid Ciri to minimize timeline interference
Rewards: 50 XP, +1 all stats, Mysterious Loner title
WARNING: Miss crucial story opportunities
Option C (YELLOW): "The Middle Path"
Objective: Help occasionally but stay independent
Rewards: 200 XP, balanced reputation
No special warnings or bonuses
Adam stared at the options, weighing the devil he knew against the devils he didn't. Option B was the safe choice—stay out of the story, let events unfold as they were meant to, survive on the margins.
Option C was reasonable—help when he could, maintain distance when he couldn't.
But Option A...
Option A tied him to the plot. To her. To a girl who would lose everything in thirty days and emerge from that loss as something unprecedented and dangerous.
If I'm going to survive the Fall of Cintra, I need to be stronger. Much stronger. And if training with a princess gets me there...
He selected Option A.
[MISSION ACCEPTED: "The Princess's Training Partner"]
[New questline unlocked: "The Path of Protection"]
[Warning: High-risk, high-reward path selected]
[System Note: Destiny appreciates bold choices]
The interface faded, leaving Adam alone with his decision and its implications. He'd chosen the dangerous path. The one that tied him to the plot, to her, to a future he'd only seen through a television screen.
But if he was going to survive what was coming—if he was going to save her from what was coming—he needed power. Real power. The kind that came from pushing boundaries and taking risks.
Thirty days until everything goes to hell. Time to see what a princess can teach a rat killer about fighting.
He looked back at the Golden Sturgeon, where Ciri still sat at his abandoned table, probably wondering what had just happened to her afternoon.
And time to see what a rat killer can teach a princess about survival.
The castle loomed ahead, all stone and secrets and sleeping power. Somewhere in there, the future of the world was learning to hold a sword.
Tomorrow, they'd see if she could learn to hold her own against someone who didn't give a damn about her royal blood.
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ] with exclusive access to 28+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!