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[ The bard didn't utter a word as she started walking towards the trail they wouldn't have to trek to get to the dragon, only looking back to make sure her companions followed her and all were still in one piece. ]
The Reavers were the ones in the front of the row while everyone was going up the mountain. The sun was shining on all of them, and not being able to go to the dragon's lair by horse was making Leanne tired. Even though she was in good form, she would have preferred not to waste her strength yet.
"Melitele preserve us." the bard behind her talked aloud to himself, "What happened here?"
When they reached the top, Leanne let out a small sigh as she looked down.
The girl looked down at the forest on the mountain below her, smoke still coming out of the remainings of the burned trees, "Shit."
"Ladies," the bard dropped his lute on the floor and walked right into the bushes, " you look famished. Allow me to wander aimlessly into this thicket and retrieve for you, uh... a tasty afternoon treat." he fell quiet for a bit, looking around.
"There's something back here." he spoke once again, slowly, "It sorta looks like a faun."
"Jaskier." the white-haired man scolded the bard. So that was his name, Jaskier.
"Geralt!" the bard, Jaskier, ran and almost tripped as he got behind everyone that formed his team, "It's one of your... friends, again."
The creature growled as it stepped closer and stood up on its two back legs. Leanne got up from the rock and walked forward, towards the creature but still far enough from it, reaching the side of one of the girls that were part of the witcher and the bard's team. The blonde girl didn't waste any time taking her blade out of her belt.
"It's a hirikka." the witcher spoke, "it's probably starving. Sheathe your weapons."
Leanne's hand wavered but she finally decided to listen to the witcher, who most likely knew more about the hirikka than anyone there, and sheathed her blade into her belt. A man bumped into her shoulder as he walked towards the creature, making her open her mouth to protest but closing it shortly after, trying to keep a low profile, not only for her but for the rest of her team.
On his way to the front, he also hit another man, his name might've been Yarpen if she remembered it well from hearing it at the tavern, making him fall to the ground on purpose.
Sword in hand, he sliced the creature's head in a swift movement, grunting as the head of the hirikka dropped with a thump. Leanne grimaced as the man repeatedly let his sword fall on the creature's body, unnecessarily stabbing it and slicing it open. When he was satisfied, he took a few steps backwards, panting and shouted, "For kingdom and glory!"
"Sir Eyck." a black-haired woman ran to him, bumping slightly into the witcher's shoulder. He was royalty, of course. "You could've been killed."
"If we'd fed it, it would've gone away." the white-haired man helped Yarpen up and stared straight at Leanne, who didn't let her serious expression flatter under the hard gaze of the witcher.
The blonde woman recognized that look, a lot of men looked at her like that, he was trying to read her. She took pride in being hard to read, his efforts didn't bother her.
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The hirikka's meat was being roasted next to some other meat they had hunted and Leanne couldn't be more disgusted by it. She walked behind Sir Eyck who picked up a piece of the creature's meat with his blade, a black goo dripping from it and the blonde had the urge to throw up as the king began to eat it.
She took a seat by Asger on the trunk of a cut-down tree and fell silent looking at the flames of the fire they had lit, barely listening to the conversation the rest of the teams were invested in.
"I'm Leanne." not looking at who she was talking to, she introduced herself and slowly stuck her hand out to her side.
Even though she wasn't looking at him, he knew it was for him to take, "Geralt."
She looked at him, finally, and shook her hand in his grasp.
"Oh, so you two have introduced yourselves to each other," the bard made himself fit in between the witcher and her in an uncomfortable manner, forcefully making them finish their handshake, "lovely."
Leanne looked up as Boholt made his way through to get to the campfire and spoke to the black-haired woman while taking a piece of meat out of one of the animals they had hunted, "How would you like to serve me tonight, witch?"
"Careful, Boholt." the witcher's low tone warned him.
"So, the Wicher wants to play knight too, hmm?" Leanne's hand slowly turned into a fist and she was sure that if looks could kill, the leader of the Reavers would've dropped dead at that moment.
"No," as the witcher spoke, the blonde woman felt the warmth of a hand on her forearm, urging her to loosen up her own, "She's plenty able of murdering you herself."
As Boholt's bitter laugh filled the air the blonde girl looked at Asger, his hand gradually letting loose of her arm now that her hand wasn't so tightly closed.
"I'm just wondering who I will kill first. The monster..." Leanne gritted her teeth, holding back the urge to say something when Boholt looked at the witcher and then straight at her, "or the monster hunter."
