The Path: A witcher's tale

Chapter 6

The snows finally melted away at the mountain keep of Kaer Morhen. I decided it was time to stop getting sloshed and stewed with my brothers and got back on the Path. I bade my brethren farewell and wished them good luck on the Path, and set out to the Novigrad. If I was to get to Skellige, I had to find a ship that would take me there first. Not many ships sail to Skellige, on account of the raiders and pirates who sometimes prowl the treacherous waters in the archipelago.
I walked around the port district and checked at least 7 ships, they all turned me down, I can't blame them though. I went to rest at a nearby tavern, the Golden Sturgeon, where I found a ship captain. I told myself, "If this bastard can't take me to Skellige, I'm going to swim there," luckily he told me he was one of the few traders who actually travel to those islands. When I asked if he could take me with him, he said I was in luck, as he had some cargo for other merchants on the islands. I paid him a fee for my travel and, thankfully, got to the islands safely and speedily. Upon arrival at the main island, Ard Skellig, I was greeted by some prick who had said, "Another witcher! One other just arrived, I thought they hunted alone!" I went up to this man and asked him if he one where the other witcher went. He said they went towards the village of Fyresdal, along the southern coast of Ard Skellig. I thanked the man and told him that he better mind his words the next time he sees a witcher, they might not be as patient as I was.
I headed south to Fyresdal and saw no sight of the person I was searching for, so I approached the village elder and asked if there was any work here or in the area. The elder said that the witcher who just rode through here took care of a water hag, or Muire D'ayblen as they called it, that was causing trouble. I was also told that there was an alchemist nearby who does posses knowledge that could help witchers with their potions. I thanked him for his kindness and set off to hunt down this alchemist. I found him, but I was surprised to see that he lived in a hollowed out hill in the middle of nowhere. The alchemist himself was also quite the curious figure, putting that aside, I confronted the man. He had said that he did indeed know of where I could go if I wanted to find a person like this, but before he could tell me, I had to take care of a nearby harpy nest that kept taking his laboratory equipment. I agreed, as a happy nest is basic, I followed a convenient trail of feathers and found the nest. There were about 6 harpies roosting at the site. I dispatched each with finesse and precision, each monster fell with one blow of my silver sword. Afterwards, I tossed a dancing star bomb into the nest and watched it burn.
I returned to the alchemist and asked for a small fee for the nest along with the information. He obliged and told me to find this person that I sought, I have to go to a soothsayer who could supposedly see where other people were via potent drugs and hallucinogens. I went to him and saw that he was an old seer. Blind, but wise he offered to help me on my search for a fee. I had plenty of coin from the contracts I've done so I paid without hesitation. He asked me to step outside while he envisioned the location of whom I sought. I entered the hut again when I heard a thump, once I was inside, I saw the man on the floor, but with a pulse. I meditated until he came to, and once he did, he finally disclosed the location of the mystery witcher. He said they were in a temple just east of here and they were being cared for. I thanked him graciously and gave him a small bonus headed east.
I arrived at the temple, which was carved into a mountainside and met with the head priestess at the site. I greeted her and asked if she knew of any witchers in the area, she replied with a smirk that there were no witchers per se, but there was someone I might want to meet, all I had to do was follow her. I did so, but with a hand itching to grab my sword, expecting a trick. But to my surprise, there was no surprise, just a woman there speaking to a priestess. I was curious as to where this was going, so I relaxed, and when the head priestess called the woman, I finally got a good look at her.
She was raven haired with a fair complexion, but when my eyes meet hers, I almost jumped out of my skin. She had the same eyes as me, vertical slit pupils with an Amber iris. I looked at her with a kind of astonishment and said, "So you're a witcheress, nice to see you." She replied that it was nice to see me as well, she saw that I belonged to the school of the wolf, and said her name was Karadine. I realized that I hadn't looked at her medallion and observed that she belonged to the school of the cat and stated my name was Andrezej. The priestesses gave us some time to get aquatinted and we both discovered that we both were picked up from out houses and observed that we both liked life on the Path.
When I asked about her being a war criminal, she told me that she was was framed and that a Nilfgaardian assassin had killed a northern king and framed her. I told her that she could stay with me on the Path, at least until the heat dies down. She happily agreed, and we set off in search of a lucrative contract.