NovelEnglish"You're smart men, witchers." Bogut pushed his chair back and stood up. He shook the witchers' hands. "You know what's best for you. Made the right choice. And now, let's enjoy the show."
The witchers took their leave a moment later. Before they made their way to Wiley Manor, they had to get the answer they wanted from Dandelion. Back in Cintra, Geralt said he would tell Dandelion about the Wolf School's answer, and he would tell Roy about it.
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"Hello, friends. Priscilla told me you were looking for me?" Dandelion came over to them with Vespula. He was holding a glass of wine.
"Let me guess, Dandelion the bard? The one whose name is known throughout the land?" Auckes raised a toast and shook the bard's hand with glee.
"Dandelion, they're witchers of the Viper School. This is Auckes." Priscilla stepped forward and pointed at the witchers. "And this is Serrit. This is Roy."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Your reputation precedes you, Master Dandelion. I'm Auckes. I was privileged enough to be a drop in at Oxenfurt Academy's Faculty of Poetry. And I've read your works. Time of the Moon and The Adversities of Loving. The lyrics and imagery are superb. They're timeless works." Auckes' eyes shone with worship. "I've always wondered how long I would have to work on my poetry to reach your level. It's amazing that I got to see you in person."
"Ah, so you're a lover of poetry as well. What's your favorite poem?" Dandelion nodded. It was his first time encountering a witcher who liked poems.
"Love, I'd say. It's so gorgeous, so lifelike. I could feel myself in the world of the poem itself. Honestly, I'm just a casual fan of poetry. I'm not studying poetry for the love of it." Auckes cleared his throat and whispered, "Master Dandelion, can you tell me how to become a poet that's loved by the rich ladies?"
Dandelion's eyes went wide with surprise, and he spewed his wine all over Auckes' face. "Oh, I'm sorry. So sorry."
"It's alright." Auckes wiped the wine away. "I've smelled Kikimore urine before. Everything else is the same to me, aside from alcohol and blood."
"Alright, stop it. Let's talk business." Roy pushed Auckes down to his seat, and Serrit covered his brother's mouth. "Dandelion, we've only met today, but a friend of mine has told me about your… past." Roy said earnestly, "And we asked Priscilla to contact you exactly because we want to talk about this friend."
"You and I know the White Wolf is a kind person at heart. He's a man of few words, but he's impressed by your talents." Roy held back the urge to puke and downed some juice to clear his throat.
"So what did he say about me?" Dandelion asked curiously.
"He said you once caught a flying arrow with your bare hands."
"Hah!" Dandelion looked smug. "So he finally believes me."
"So, did it jog your memory, Dandelion?" Roy quickly continued, "Did Geralt give you any message you wanna tell us? It's supposed to be for the Viper School witchers."
"The Vipers… Roy… Oh yeah, he did say that." Dandelion looked at the viper pendant hanging from Roy's neck. He said, "You guys came early. Geralt told me the appointed time is about the end of the year. You're about a month early."
Yule was one of the months in the elven calendar. It ran from 21st of December to 1st of February in Gregorian.
Roy was visibly delighted. Alright. The wait wasn't for nothing."So does that mean Geralt's mentor agrees to see us? Vesemir, the leader of the Wolf School, agrees to this?" Auckes rubbed his chin.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"This is a good start. We need to meet up with them and get down to the negotiations." Serrit was excited too, but he was also a little confused. He thought the talks between the Vipers and Wolves was a joke, but they actually pulled it off. He didn't hold onto any hope to begin with.
"How should we get to the fortress though?" Roy's smile froze. The Wolf School's fortress was located in Kaedwen, hidden in the Blue Mountain. Barely anyone knew it, and Blue Mountain was a big place. Going around without a direction would take them years just to locate the place.
"What did you not tell us, Dandelion?" The witchers set their sights on the bard.
He shivered. "Ca-Calm down. Now don't do anything rash…" Dandelion hid behind Priscilla.
She had no idea what they were talking about. The conversation confused her. "Calm down, witchers. I'll ask him. Mate, stop hiding any secrets. Just tell them what happened, and I'll tell them to go easy on you."
Dandelion rolled his eyes and shrugged. He said awkwardly, "Actually, that message was written on a map, but… I lost the map."
The witchers looked murderous. Dandelion had a feeling that if he said he didn’t know, the witchers would dismember him. He felt that these witchers were not like Geralt. They wouldn't engage in any friendly banter with him. He smacked the back of his head and pretended he just remembered where he left the map. "Oh, I remember! I left the map in my lover's place."
"And where is your lover?"
"I'm not sure…" Dandelion puffed his chest proudly, but he shrunk back when the witchers shot him a withering glare. "I have six lovers, and all of them live in different places."
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