Reincarnation ➵ The Witcher

xxv.

GERALT had offered Edith a ride on Roach, noticing her exhaustion visibly. She refused his offer, but that didn't stop a blush from his thoughtfulness spreading across her cheeks.

"Do you think theres snakes up here?" Edith questioned, looking around at all the yellow plants that contrasted from the living greenery they saw earlier at the valley.

Geralt gazed down at her, "Really? Snakes are the least we have to worry about, Edith."

"No it's not! Snakes are ten times more scary than the, uh, 'Devil'," She began, looking up at his own gaze with a brief smile, "besides, the 'Devil' will have no chance."

The bard rolled his eyes, the tension tangible between the two, "Will you two just kiss already? I can turn around if you want me to. No promises I won't peak, though."

Her blush intensified, "Maybe we should feed you to the Devil before Geralt kills it."

"What if its vegetarian?"

"Then that's too bad. We'll feed you to the snakes instead."

Geralt smirked, "Doubt they would even want him."

Edith let out a laugh, and she knew it was probably true. The bard frowned at the both at them, but couldn't help feeling the littlest bit amused at their words.

"Reading between the lines and the gut punches, chum, I'd say you have got a bit of a.. an image problem."

Edith snorted at the truth, "Image problem? Really, Geralt with an image problem?"

"Were I to join you on this.. feat to defeat the devil of Posada, I could relieve you of that title." The bard looked at Edith for guidance, but was offered none, "All the North would be too busy singing the tales of.. Geralt of Rivia, the-the White Wolf or-or something."

Geralt remained indifferent, "Butcher is right."

The bard pointed to Roach's back, "Mind if I hop up there with you? Its just- I'm not really wearing the right kind of footwear."

"Don't touch Roach." Geralt snapped.

"Yeah, right, yeah."

"Solid try though." Edith smirked, watching Geralt dismount with ease and begin to tie Roach's rein to one of the few trees branches.

"The elves called this Dol Blathanna before bequeathing it to the humans and retreating into their golden palaces in the mountains."

"..elves?" Edith questioned in wonder, and Geralt turned to watch her eyes lighten. He would often forget she didn't contain the same knowledge of the world from being sheltered the majority of her life.

The bard continued, "There I go again, just.. delivering exposition."

Edith attempted to raise a hand to Roach's mane, smiling in surprise as the horse didn't pull away from her and happily munched on the long grass instead.

"Geralt?" The bard questioned, and Edith tried to hold in a laugh, "Geralt? Wh- Where are you going? Geralt, don't leave me."

"You're such a baby, bard."

"He's leaving us, Edith!"

Edith watched as Geralt leant over a boulder, eyes surveying ahead of him as the bard couldn't help but open his mouth.

"Hello? What are we looking for again?"

"Blessed silence." Geralt snapped, and a momentarily silence was greeted with the sound of grasshoppers chirping in the grass.

"..Yeah, I don't really go in for that. Have you, uh, have you ever hunted a devil before?"

Edith sighed, "You're worse than me."

"Devil's don't exist."

"Obviously. Then, uh.. then what are we doing here?" The bard questioned in slight confusion. Edith stayed behind the pair, smiling at their attitudes towards one another.

Geralt approached the patch of long grass cautiously, golden eyes surveying between the greenery, "Sometimes there's monsters, sometimes there's money. Rarely both. That's the life."

The sound of whoosing air was all Edith heard before Geralt had tackled her down with him.

"Shit!" Geralt hissed.

"What the fuck was that?" Edith hissed, heartbeat drumming in her ears.

"Act two begins!.. Looks like a tiny cannonball from a.. Oh, my gosh." The bard froze, gaze locked onto the creature before him. Edith followed his gaze, seeing the shadow behind the brush rise as Geralt's fingers tapped the miniature wound on his head.

"That is definitely not a snake.." Edith whispered, unconsciously moving closer to Geralt.

"Geralt.. it is a devil. Ohh. I have to see this magical, this mythi--" The sound of the projectile hitting was all Edith heard before the bard collapsed onto the floor. She held back a yelp.

"Edith. Get down." She listened without argument, watching as Geralt attempted to gain sight of the creature.