The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Before the conflict in the Seat of Friendship scaled even more, a druid old man, dressed in a white layer, intervened in time. "My lords! Don't quarrel under the canopy of Bleobheris. This oak tree is older than all the disputes and quarrels in the world. We should learn the love of Dandelion ballads instead of fighting "

The Druid was very respected, so the two parts in dispute contained their insults momentarily.

"Hang on a minute." Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. "Dandelion has disappeared! His apprentice also took a lot of coins, and he has gone. Where did they go?"

"They escaped." An elf inexpressively said, he had been watching everything coldly. "While you argued, he left with his earnings to enjoy them."

...

"At that time, I was caught by Rience. That was our first meeting." Dandelion's face was solemn. "He was unreasonable and kidnapped me directly from under the giant oak tree Bleobheris. Otherwise, I would surely have had a pleasant talk with my fans."

Lann arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Of course." Dandelion said arrogance, raising his head. "You didn't see the scene. The baron's daughter and the elf girl were all in love with me. I needed to mediate with each other. After all, I am a singer, an artist. I should bring peace and love."

Dandelion sighed. "It's a pity that the abominable sorcerer who suddenly appeared destroyed everything!"

...

When the stranger knocked on Dandelion's door, two girls were sitting on the bard's knees. The money he just received under the giant oak tree was enough for him to indulge in a little luxury.

But the rough of the strange disturbed his mood. Dandelion smoothed his hair and got up from his great armchair. The two girls jumped out of his knees, embarrassed, hasty fixing their clothes to hide their nakedness.

Watching the girls leave with a sweet smile, the bard complained unhappily: "Strange guest, you seem to be very good at finding people, but you really don't know how to choose the right time."

"Please forgive my presumptuous visit, Master." The stranger walked to the table, and he was still polite at this time. "I know that it is not the best time to visit it, but it disappeared under the oak so fast that I could not follow him on the road or find him immediately in this town. I will not take away much time. "

The stranger continued before Dandelion could answer. "I am his admirer and I immerse myself deeply in the characters of his ballads. I want to know the true destinations of those protagonists in their ballads, I am sure that they are based on the real lives of people"

"I want to know." The stranger looked directly into Dandelion's eyes. "The whereabouts of Geralt and Cirilla."

"Strange sir ..." said the bard dry. "You have strange interests and equally strange questions. I wonder ..."

A huge bag of money fell in front of Dandelion. "I hope this makes you forget your curiosity."

Although Dandelion had just disappeared with the money under the oak, the bard barely looked at the bag in front of him. He said without emotion: "I'm very sorry, I really don't want to discuss the topics, inspirations and characters from my works, whether fictional or not."

"This would strip the poetry of his romanticism and wonder, making it common and mediocre, especially for strangers."

"Really? Even before such a big money bag? Is more money than you won at this afternoon's big concert. I think I'm quite generous."

"It's not a question of reward, stranger, but professional ethics. If I tell you, I will never be able to hold a concert again." Dandelion shook his head and began to talk nonsense.

The stranger sighed. "I wanted to treat artists in a more elegant way, but I'm sorry, I must know the answer to that question."

"Remember, my name is Rience. And you may have to suffer, dear bard."

Suddenly, a blue light flickered in front of the bard. Then his limbs began to numb and feel heavy and rigid. He wanted to shout to call the owner of the store, since this type of 'entertainment places' always had some thugs to maintain order.

But Rience seemed to have guessed Dandelion's thoughts. With a sinister smile, he said: "Don't think about anything else. There are only you and me in this house."

"We have all the time in the world to have fun."

...

"When I woke up, my shoulder and wrist were dislocated, almost preventing me from playing the lute. I tried to scream, but my mouth seemed to be sealed."

"That's when I knew that this guy, Rience, was a sorcerer." Dandelion muttered. "He didn't look like a sorcerer. He was dressed like a mercenary and used ropes and knives. What sorcerer does that?"

Lann laughed. "Perhaps you've only met high-level sorcerers like Yennefer. In this world, there are many mediocre sorcerers. I once killed several Nilfgaard sorcerers on the battlefield. They didn't even know how to open portals."

Dandelion looked at Lann, stunned. "You're an even bigger braggart than I am."

Lann smiled indifferently and took the initiative to continue the topic about Rience: "I guess you must have escaped later, otherwise I wouldn't have met you here."

The bard nodded. "Yes, under the sorcerer's torture I revealed nothing about Geralt, and insulted him for his vileness. This enraged him and he nearly killed me. Fortunately, Yennefer was nearby and saved me."

...

"For God's sake, have mercy on me! I don't know where Geralt is. The last time I saw him was a year ago. He abandoned me on a mountain, I rolled down the hill and almost lost my life. I haven't had any contact with him since."

"I swear, it's true! I hate him more than you do! He broke my shoes and ruined a perfect night! If I see him again, I'll hit him with my lute. We're on the same side, Mr. Sorcerer!"

Dandelion cried loudly. His voice had a special ability to unsettle people. Rience, annoyed, sealed his mouth with magic.

There were three people in the room. One of them was Rience, as well as two thugs, one holding a lamp and the other guarding the door.

Dandelion was kneeling on the ground, his wrists bound with a rope that ran along a beam, lifting his body up. He tried to relieve the pressure on his shoulders by standing up, but his legs were bound as well.

"Our conversation is not over, damn bard. Last time we met in a more civilized place, and I only asked you one question. Now, you must answer all my questions. Do you understand your situation?"

Dandelion felt like his throat was filled with mud, unable to speak, and could only nod hurriedly.

Rience smiled and gestured. Dandelion screamed helplessly as the rope tightened further, his arms twisting painfully behind him.

"I know, clever bard, you are confusing me. I know you have no contact with the White Wolf. But you should know where he could be after all this time. You guys must have a meeting place, right?

Rience lifted the silencing spell. "Think carefully before you speak. I want quick and clear answers, or your lips will end up in your throat, bard."

Dandelion's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth in anger. But even so, he continued to groan and tremble.

"I don't know... Gods, I'm just a bard! I heard part of the story, and the rest was made up by me... I'm just a bard..."

Rience laughed viciously, and his hand began to emit magic fluctuations again. Dandelion closed his eyes in despair.

At that moment, the thug at the door alerted: "Sir, someone is approaching."

In the stillness of the night, footsteps could be clearly heard splashing on the muddy path, followed by the sound of a wooden fence being opened.

Rience, already impatient, hadn't taken Dandelion to a secret interrogation room, opting to question him nearby. He was sure the bard would relent, but now someone was approaching.

Rience frowned. "Turn off the lights."

The room fell into darkness and silence.

The door creaked open, and a stench filled the room. Dandelion realized he was in a small room inside a pigsty.

A hooded, hatted figure appeared in the doorway. The door thug swung his knife at her, but tripped and fell, the knife passing through only smoke.

An illusion, she was a sorceress!

After the illusion disappeared, a figure rushed into the wooden house. She first waved her hands, letting an invisible barrier cover the entire wooden house. The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Then, lightning bolts shot out from her hands, striking the bully who had attacked the illusion and filling the air with the smell of burning flesh.

After killing one, lightning bolts leapt across the room. Dandelion closed his eyes, hearing screams and the sound of a body falling to the ground.

To his relief, he felt no pain.

Rience screamed in anger, a blue barrier appearing before him. He pulled out a short sword, but the lightning bolts broke through the barrier and struck his face and shoulders, throwing him against the wall.

The hooded sorceress advanced towards Rience, but she saw a circle of golden light suddenly appear beneath Rience's feet, and then he disappeared in a flash of fire.

The situation changed quickly, the hooded sorceress recited a spell that Dandelion did not understand, encapsulating the flames in a yellow oval that disappeared along with the fire.

Darkness fell again.

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