Hello, Gwynbleidd...

Chapter Ten: Well informed...

Jordan gagged as she surface from the bottom of the river with Buckthorn in hand. The smell was more pungent than she had anticipated...

***

Upon arriving back at the tavern, Jordon found Vezemir and he had already picked an ambush spot, as expected. Jordan filled him in on all the details of the Griffin as well...

"I take your last legendary card, and demolish your foot soldiers. I believe this game is mine," Jordan smirked, laying her last move in a game of gwent.

"Not fair! What is your tell?!" the scholar snapped, slamming his deck on the table.

"A lady has no tells, serrah. My poker face is just better than yours. Being that I'm stripped of emotions and all," Jordan stated plainly and the man was furious...but handed over his best cards nonetheless.

"Thank you," Jordan smirked as he left, walking off drunk and angry. She sat looking through the new additions to her deck.

Vezemir sat down across from her, "Are you sure you weren't a con artist before becoming a Witcheress?" he chuckled at her.

"Hey, when you live like I have- spending days on end in the middle of the desert with only men and booze for company- you learn a thing or two about drinking and card games," Jordan said simply and the old Witcher nodded.

He hummed, about to speak when Geralt entered the tavern, "Geralt, where have you been? We were just planning the ambush. This hunt should be a piece of cake with three Witchers," Vezemir laughed.

The Witcher stood next to Jordan, "Well, that's good news. Let's not waste any time," Geralt urged them and the two nodded...

***

They headed out to the meadow where the ambush was to take place, "This is a shame, really," Jordan sighed, "A Royal Griffin. Male. Twelve or thirteen years old," she described the hybrid creature, "That Commander sent out men to kill the beast, but they only succeeded in burning a nest full of eggs and killing the mate while she slept...guarding her unhatched children," Jordan sighed, sitting on the ground.

Geralt and Vezimir stood by and listened to her, "They did what...?" Vezimir asked in outrage.

"Yup," Jordan sighed, "Now, they're bringing us in, because they couldn't handle the problem themselves and that Griffin is out for human blood," she explained and stood up when she saw the Griffin come over the trees, "I still want that money and the horse though. So, I'm not really gonna feel bad about killing this thing," Jordan smirked, drawing her iron sword, grinning at the thought of a real hunt...

***

They engaged the Griffin and Jordan ran with Vezimir while Geralt circled around the beast's other flank...

Jordan watched as the Griffin was about to take off, "Geralt, crossbow!" she shouted, rushing directly at the creature, sword held tight.

Geralt listened, taking the shot and striking the Griffin, just before Jordan ducked under it, slashing under the creature's left wing at the shoulder. Jordan shouted as she circled back around, jamming her blade through the Griffin's throat before ripping it out, spinning and using the momentum to chop down upon the back of its neck.

It died instantly...

As Jordan pulled her blade free, she noticed Geralt and Vezimir watching with wide eyes, "That was the quickest Griffin kill I've ever seen..." Vezimir said in awe and Jordan raised a grey brow. Though her hair was white, her eyebrows had always been darker than the rest of her hair, per her Celtic blood.

"Seriously? At level fifty a Griffin​ is a piece 'a-" Jordan stopped herself, realizing that they wouldn't understand, "Whatever..." she sighed, "Can one of you gentlemen help me decapitate this thing so we can go get paid? The head would make a good trophy...maybe mount it on a mahogany plaque with gold- no...platnium," Jordan smiled to herself, cleaning the blood from her sword with a cloth from her satchel before sheathing it on her back.

Vezimir rolled his eyes, chuckling, "Well, Geralt, it seems you've met your doppelganger," the old wolf joked and Geralt grunted.

"She doesn't have the balls to be my copy," Geralt smirked and Jordan just grinned to herself.

"More balls than you, I'd say. Considering I can actually control my libido, unlike you with some people-" she faked a cough, "*cough-cough* Merigold in the rose pool! *cough*" she faked a coughing fit and Geralt glared at her.

"How could you possibly-" Jordan cut him off, smirking up at him like the devil.

"White.unicorn," she said in monotone and Geralt was silent...as she was very well informed...