Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Roche struggles to rescue Foltest’s children. The future of Temeria depends on it.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth helps Vernon rescue the Temerian children.
As a treat for @useless-empty-brain, have the start of a fic wherein Iorveth has a minor crisis over being in love with a human.
Iorveth was in love with a human.
It had been bad enough when he’d fallen for Saskia and had to deal with the knowledge that everyone thoughtshe was a dh’oine. It had troubled him greatly, but at least with her, he could argue that she was unlike any other dh’oine – and it was wholly true. And not just because she wasn’t one.
But Vernon Roche? Not only was he 100% completely human, but he was one of the worst humans around! Elves literally used him as a boogeyman to scare their children with. Better be good, he’d heard a thousand times, or Vernon Roche will come get you.
And it was true. Vernon Roche was a notorious elf hunter. He had ‘pacified’ all the dwarves and elves in the Mahakaman foothills. He had destroyed numerous Scoia’tael units before Iorveth’s. He had the blood of elven children on his hands. He was, more than anything, a threat to everything elven.
So why did Iorveth love him? He definitely shouldn’t. Once, he would’ve thought it absolutely impossible. But now?
Now he lulled himself to sleep by pretending Vernon Roche was wrapped around his back, holding him close.
It was a problem.
The thing was, Vernon Roche had become Vernonin his head, and when that happened, he stopped registering as a threat. Which was absurd. Iorveth knew exactly how much damage Vernon was capable of doing.
But he’d… well, he’d come to trust that when they met up in the forest meadow amongst the flowering wildflowers, they would not kill each other. And once the looming spectre of death was absent, Iorveth found that Vernon was actually quite interesting.
Was that enough to justify his feelings? Was anythingenough to justify them?
So what if he found Vernon intriguing and challenging? He was sure that plenty of the humans he’d killed without a thought had been clever and complex too. It hadn’t stopped him from doing what needed to be done.
Why was Vernon so different? Why couldn’t Iorveth bring himself to kill the dh’oine? He had the perfect opportunity in front of him. Vernon was entirely unguarded, muscles relaxed as he sat against Iorveth’s tree stump, back warm against Iorveth’s legs as he smoked his pipe.
Iorveth could strike easily. It would take almost nothing to break Vernon’s neck – except the very idea made something sour squirm in Iorveth’s belly and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Iorveth, who was famous for his slaughter of humans, couldn’t kill this one human who deserved it more than most. All because he’d caught these ridiculous feelingsthat could never come to anything anyway.
Even on the off chance that Vernon would possibly be interested, they would still be enemies. They could never actually betogether. There was simply no way.
And there was no reason for that to make Iorveth’s heart ache with longing. He’d known for years that he would never get to live that kind of life – never get to build a life with a loved one away from the fight. There was simply too much blood on his hands to allow that.
But he wantedto. He wanted to rediscover what it meant to be a musician instead of a soldier. He wanted to build a life with someone – with Vernon– and experience what it meant to be part of a pair, to be so entwined with each other that they were inseparable. He wanted to look forward to each new day of a domestic existence where there were never any lives in the balance when he made decisions.
“You okay?” Vernon’s deep voice asked in a rumble.
Iorveth startled, slowly realizing that he’d stopped playing his flute without noticing.
At his silence, Vernon twisted around to look up at him. “Iorveth?”
“I – yeah,” Iorveth said.
Vernon’s eyebrow arched, face dubious.
Iorveth intended to bring the flute back to his lips and cut off any questions with music, but instead, he found himself asking, “do you think people like us ever get to have a happy ending?”
Vernon looked surprised, but he treated the question seriously, brow furrowing in thought. “Well, it depends where you stop the story, doesn’t it? If you get a happy ‘ending’. And… I mean, we’re still capable of being happy, even if it’s temporary.”
“Are we?” Iorveth asked even as he though back on moments spent with his Scoia’tael, moments when the fight seemed far away and they could be unashamedly elven. That feeling in those moments, that warmth in his chest like embers building into a fire – that was happiness, wasn’t it?
But even though he would never want to lose it, it wasn’t the happiness he craved.
Vernon rolled up onto his knees until he was of a height with Iorveth. Then his hands cupped Iorveth’s cheeks and forced their gazes to meet.
“We are,” Vernon said firmly. “It’s not always easy, but we can still feel that joy. We – the things we’ve done, they’ve turned us into monsters. But even so, we can still feel happy. That–” he shrugged, clearing his throat, “I dunno, it gives me hope.”
Iorveth swallowed hard, staring into Vernon’s eyes. Hope. When had he last had that? There was a feeling almost like that that he got when Saskia talked about her vision for the future. But it was abstract, unreal in a strange sort of way. He was pretty sure that wasn’t how hope was supposed to feel.
“If people like us can still feel, can still be human– or, well, elven – then we can’t be totally irredeemable, right?” Vernon’s thumb stroked lightly over Iorveth’s cheek.
Iorveth nodded slowly, accepting the premise. And if they weren’t irredeemable, then perhaps they really couldhave a happy ending.
A thought occurred to him and his lips twisted. “If the ending depends on where you stop the story,” he said slowly, “then each happy moment should be lived as if it’s the last.”
Vernon’s head dipped in agreement. “Savour your happiness where you can.”
“Then even if something is doomed,” Iorveth pieced together, “it’s worth pursuing it if it can offer moments of happiness?”
“I’d say so,” Vernon hummed. “What is it that’s doomed?”
Us, Iorveth couldn’t say, throat clicking as he swallowed drily. Vernon’s hands still held his face, thumb moving distractingly across his cheekbone, and Iorveth let himself pretend for a moment that Vernon could actually want him.
With Vernon’s eyes staring into his, it was almost easy to push closer and answer Vernon’s question with the press of their lips together.
Vernon gasped, lips parting – but his hands stayed firm around Iorveth’s face, not pushing him away. And after a moment, Vernon actually kissed him back, lips moving hesitantly against his.
It was only then he realized he’d closed his eye and he forced it back open to see Vernon’s face, to see what Vernon might be thinking.
Vernon’s own eyes were shut and his face looked content, what Iorveth could see of it. Then Vernon sucked on his bottom lip and Iorveth’s eye slid shut once more. Instead, he focused on the sensation of Vernon against him, the heat of Vernon’s body, the gentleness of his hands, the openness of his mouth, as if Vernon were welcoming him in.
Logically, Roche is aware that when recruiting him to their side, Iorveth and Saskia made a tactical decision. He just never thought about how turning him could be used to help Iorveth.
Queen Meve and her retinue come across a group of common bandits and engage them in battle. Afterwards, they’re surprised to discover that one of their prisoners is actually the infamous Scoia’tael Commander, Iorveth.
Chapter Summary:
Meve is terrified of the threat Gascon unassumedly poses. She would do anything to keep him from harm, and that scares her.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Roche and the Blue Stripes arrive at Loc Muinne - only to discover that Temeria’s position is more tenuous than anyone realized.
Before Meve had even known who the Strays of Spalla were, they had negotiated a deal with Count Caldwell. Ultimately, Caldwell may have doublecrossed them, but Meve still wanted to know - what had the Strays asked for? What was the price of her people’s lives?
Chapter Summary:
Reynard reports back to Meve about what he overheard.
The first step towards working together is building trust. If Saskia and Iorveth truly want Vernon Roche to be part of their plans, then they have to be the ones to reach out, to offer that first hint of trust.
Roche has worked with Iorveth and Saskia to make their plan as good as they can get it. But soon it will be time to execute the plan, and there are just a few things Roche is nervous about.
Chapter Summary:
Eliza gets to know her son’s lovers and has some concerns about how he fits into their plan.
Before Meve had even known who the Strays of Spalla were, they had negotiated a deal with Count Caldwell. Ultimately, Caldwell may have doublecrossed them, but Meve still wanted to know - what had the Strays asked for? What was the price of her people’s lives?
Chapter Summary:
Gascon adores Meve and Reynard both. But just because he likes them doesn’t mean they understand.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth hurries to gather the Scoia'tael before the Battle of Vergen starts.
The first step towards working together is building trust. If Saskia and Iorveth truly want Vernon Roche to be part of their plans, then they have to be the ones to reach out, to offer that first hint of trust.
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth can’t stop thinking about the idea of turning Vernon Roche to his side. Surely it’s impossible. But he <i>wants</i> to, and that’s the truly scary thing.
Roche has worked with Iorveth and Saskia to make their plan as good as they can get it. But soon it will be time to execute the plan, and there are just a few things Roche is nervous about.
Ciri has always known that part of her duty involves marriage and producing an heir. She’s not delighted by the idea, but it’s not unexpected. She just wished she felt like she had a choice.
Chapter Summary:
Geralt asks Ciri about her tentative arranged marriage to Morvran Voorhis.
Queen Meve and her retinue come across a group of common bandits and engage them in battle. Afterwards, they’re surprised to discover that one of their prisoners is actually the infamous Scoia’tael Commander, Iorveth.
Chapter Summary:
Gascon has a brilliant plan to keep Iorveth from escaping. Or at least to make it more difficult for him.
Okay, so I was planning to hit 400 tomorrow, but I finished a fic today, so I figured, why the fuck not? End May on a high note. And to celebrate hitting 400, I’m uploading a ton of chapter updates (coming shortly), so I hope you enjoy!
The threat of Nilfgaard forces King Foltest to negotiate with the Scoia'tael. Going into the talks, Iorveth should have dominated the conversation - he had the most strategic and valuable land, and the most amount of it. Yet instead, Iorveth is oddly quiet while his compatriots meet Foltest shout for shout.
Vernon Roche is very suspicious. This must be a ploy of some sort, an attempt to catch them off guard. So he watches Iorveth closely, ready to be the ruination of the elf’s plans.
Iorveth has been fighting Vernon Roche for years and yes, it’s possible that he falls asleep dreaming of Vernon wrapped around him, but it doesn’t mean anything. They’re enemies and they always would be.
Except then Vernon gives him a gift that seems to indicate that he’s forgotten that they’re doomed to never be.
Every writer had their niche, something that identified the work as theirs. Vernon Roche’s niche happened to be writing human x elf romance. Which wouldn’t be so bad if his entire day job wasn’t to hunt elves.
So, I had a crack idea of Roche saving Iorveth’s life and Iorveth deciding that now that they weren’t direct enemies anymore, his honor demands he repay that life debt. By following Roche around and teaching his Witcher 3 recruits how to ACTUALLY be an insurgent. Roche is not amused.
Then I drew a dumb comic of it lmao. Just for Iorveth being annoying.
First panel: Roche: Good, now watch your footwork Iorveth: Your footwork is fine, it’s everything else that sucks.
Second panel: Iorveth: Also, Roche’s guard on his left is off, so you should stop copying him. Roche: You shut up!
Third panel: Roche: Stop interrupting me! Iorveth: Thought you wanted them to improve. Roche: Not with your help!
Fifth panel: Temerian loyalist 1: So… are we still fighting? Temerian loyalist 2: Nah, the Boss is busy
So I finally posted the fic inspired by this idea. In which Roche saves Iorveth’s life and Iorveth is doing bad enough that he can’t even be mad about it.
When someone saves your life, it is traditional to consider that a debt owed - a life debt. Because without their intervention, you would no longer be alive.
Iorveth has very mixed feelings about owing Vernon Roche a life debt.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Battle preparations continue and both Iorveth and Roche fret over their lack of numbers in different ways.
Iorveth is more than a little uncertain about facing Vernon Roche in battle again after all that’s happened between them. Fortunately, his second is on top of it.
Whoops, I was preparing the draft for tomorrow and accidentally hit post, so uh… have a chapter.
Fic Summary:
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth questions why Vernon even wants to give the baby up for adoption.
Now it’s time for Ves’ POV of the whole hanahaki business!
Fic Summary:
There are two fundamental truths about Ves: she hates Scoia'tael and she’s loyal to Vernon Roche. So what happens when Roche falls in love with the Scoia'tael Commander?
Okay, yeah, I totally forgot WiP Wednesday. But I’ve been reading over a lot of my old WiPs lately to try to get inspiration, so here, have one where Roche bets Iorveth he can make him scream. Before they are ever together.
Plastering an arrogant smirk on his face, Iorveth marched up to the table and plopped himself down right across from Vernon. The dh’oine jerked in surprise, but it was easy to tell the exact moment that Vernon recognized him. The scowl on Vernon’s face was truly impressive and Iorveth’s smirk widened in response.
“What’re you doing here?” Vernon slurred. Clearly the ale he’d just finished had not been his first.
“Drinking,” Iorveth replied.
“Ugh. You know what I mean. Why the fuck are you here?”
Guess that meant this wasn’t all a ruse. “That should be my question,” Iorveth crossed his arms on top of the table. “You following me or something? Awfully coincidental, you being here the one day I decide to stop in.”
Vernon blinked slowly at him. “‘m here every day,” was all the dh’oine said, eyes downcast as he waved at a barmaid for a refill.
“Haven’t you had enough?” Iorveth found himself asking. It wasn’t like he cared if Vernon got absolutely plastered. He just didn’t want to have to clean up the mess if the dh’oine got sick. That was obviously the only reason for his concern.
“Absolutely not,” Vernon said softly, and when the barmaid returned with a full glass, he grabbed it immediately, eagerly swallowing half the fucking pint.
Not that Iorveth cared. Obviously. “If you get sick, you’re on your own for the clean up.”
There. Now there was no reason he should be concerned about Vernon’s drinking habits. None at all.
“I never get sick,” Vernon said with all the confidence of a habitual drunkard, wiping foam from his upper lip as he did so.
Iorveth rolled his eye. “Whatever. So why is your sorry ass getting drunk in this tavern at 5 in the afternoon?”
“What do you care?”
“I don’t. Just wouldn’t have expected you to be the drunken type.”
Vernon’s snort sounded like it was painful. “What the fuck else do I have to do? My king is dead, my country has fallen apart and my men are gone. Everything I’ve ever had is lost, so why shouldn’tI just get drunk all day? ‘s better than thinking.” So saying, Vernon took another large swallow of ale.
“Ah,” Iorveth replied eloquently. He should probably feel bad that he’d personally had a hand in taking all of those things from Vernon, but frankly, one kingdom’s fate held up against the treatment of all elvenkind? That was a sacrifice he would willingly make again.
“Anyway,” Vernon continued, voice slurred, “what are youdoing here? Shouldn’t you be off in Vergen playing the hero?”
Now Iorveth was the one to let out a painful laugh. “Hero? Really Vernon, you of all people should know I’ve never been that.”
Vernon shrugged. “Heard you saved their asses in the Kaedweni war.”
Iorveth hummed, “and now my Scoia’tael are disbanded and there’s no longer any use for me.”
“Ooof. They kick you out?”
Scowling, Iorveth kicked Vernon’s shin. “It was implied. Besides, it’s been over a century since I’ve lived in a city. Makes more sense to start over somewhere I’m less… notorious, shall we say?”
Vernon took another swig of beer and chuckled. “That’s one word for it. So how does a former terrorist–”
“Freedom fighter,” Iorveth corrected.
“– start over?”
“Eh,” Iorveth debated whether or not to answer honestly. On the one hand, giving information to Vernon for free was just wrong. On the other hand, it wasn’t like there was anything Vernon could do about it. Hell, it wasn’t even interesting enough to do anything about. “I play music.”
“Oh?” Vernon actually perked up, as if that was actually notable. “What, like at a concert hall or something?”
Iorveth snorted. “Try on street corners.”
“You’re kidding.”
Shrugging, he busied himself with drinking his own beer in the hopes that they could stop talking about this.
“Soooooo,” Vernon drawled, dragging out the word, but before he had the chance to elaborate, a loud shout from outside had them both tensing. The shout was followed by high pitched keening and half the tavern stared awkwardly at the door.
“Ugh, you dh’oine are always so horny,” Iorveth made a face.
“You don’t know that they’re humans,” Roche pointed out. As if that mattered.
“They’re human in spirit – loud, inconsiderate, and horny.”
Vernon’s snort quickly turned into full bellied laughter that made Iorveth smile in turn.
“I feel like I should defend humanity here,” Vernon eventually said, “but you’re not wrong.”
“Of course I’m not,” Iorveth sniffed haughtily. “Really though, you’d think they’d be a little courteous.”
Vernon shrugged, “maybe they want to be heard.”
“In that case, they should get consent from their audience first,” Iorveth made a face again. “An elf would never be so gauche.”
Laughing quietly, Vernon shook his head. “Maybe they just don’t care. Sometimes you get into it enough, you’re not even aware of what’s coming out of your mouth.”
“Hmph,” Iorveth sniffed again. “Fine, but at least learn volume moderation.”
The smirk that grew on Vernon’s face was mischievous and Iorveth straightened immediately, alarmed.
“What, you’re claiming you can keep full control over your volume when having really, really good sex?”
Iorveth scoffed. “Of course.”
Vernon clicked his tongue in disbelief. “Prove it.”
Iorveth blinked several times in bewilderment, then looked around the room. “What? With who?”
That smirk widened and Iorveth felt a sense of foreboding as Vernon casually shrugged, “I give great head.”
Iorveth’s eye went wide and he inhaled sharply, then managed to choke on his own spit. Coughing, eye watering slightly, he stared at Vernon. “Did you just offer me a blowjob?”
“Well, not if you’re gonna be a pussy about it.” Vernon finished off his beer, then stood with surprising grace, given his state of intoxication. “Bet you I could make you scream.”
Iorveth stood too, because he was absolutely not going to be left here like an idiot. Were they really going to do this? Really!?
“You’re drunk,” Iorveth pointed out. “Verydrunk.”
“What, you’ve never had drunken sex before? That’s like the prime human experience.”
“Alcohol typically makes people worseat sex, actually,” he said, even as he followed Vernon out of the inn and down a back alleyway.
“Pfft, when you’re amazing, ‘worse’ isn’t even a downgrade.”
“Awfully confident.” Iorveth licked his lips, anticipation shivering in his belly.
“As you’ll soon find out,” Vernon winked, “I have every reason to be.” Then he dropped to his knees and stared up at Iorveth with a clear demand in his eyes.
Iorveth swallowed, mouth dry, and unlaced his trousers.
In the aftermath of having cured Roche, Iorveth tries to figure out what he feels. His confusion is not helped by the odd new behavior amongst the Blue Stripes.
Chapter Summary:
The Stripes have the brilliant idea to grab Iorveth and wrap him up with a bow for their boss.
Remember this fic? From the Petals and Stripes ‘verse? Yeah, finally got some inspiration to continue it, so have a chapter!
Fic Summary:
In the aftermath of having cured Roche, Iorveth tries to figure out what he feels. His confusion is not helped by the odd new behavior amongst the Blue Stripes.
Chapter Summary:
The Stripes and the Scoia'tael face off for the first time since Roche’s hanahaki. Only Roche isn’t actually there and Iorveth is absolutely not disappointed.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary:
Roche doesn’t want to give up the baby, or the other two children. But all of this is temporary, he knows that.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
Chapter Summary
In the aftermath of the Summit at Loc Muinne, Iorveth, Saskia, and Philippa Eilhart return to Vergen.
Before, Vernon Roche’s special forces were funded by the crown. But since Temeria has fallen and only a scarce few still cared about saving her, Roche was forced to find other avenues of funding.
Really, being Temeria’s whore was nothing new, but some Johns made it much more unpleasant than others.
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow, which left Roche awkwardly sharing the bed and trying not to think about the space between them.
Roche could understand why Moril didn’t want the baby she’d been forced to carry. But surely someone has to be willing to take the half-elf baby. It’s not like he can raise it!
I toooootally didn’t forget that today was Wednesday! But it’s STILL Weds for another 2 hours where I am, which means you get a snip! I started rereading (Im)Perfect Strangers today so have a snip from the Don’t Cry for Me, Temeria ‘verse.
“Mr. Zoltan,” Boussy tugged on the dwarf’s clothing one evening in the public dining hall. Roche was busy bullying Fenn into letting Imadia look at his broken wrist, because the idiot kept trying to useit, but he saw the way everyone in the area turned at least partial attention towards the boy. It was, after all, less common for Boussy to initiate conversations, especially in public.
“What can I do for you, Wee Lad?” Zoltan asked, smiling behind his bushy beard.
“How come dwarves hate elves?” Boussy asked innocently, probably unaware of the immediate tension that spread across the room. There were the dwarves within hearing distance, of course – Zoltan, Yarpen, and Skalen, most notably – but there were alsoseveral elves, because Iorveth had followed Imadia and Rinn was sitting next to Anais. In other words, this could end badly.
“Ah,” Zoltan coughed. “Well, the easiest answer is because elves hate dwarves.”
“They do?” Boussy tilted his head.
“Magda said,” Anais interrupted loudly, “that it’s cause elves were like humans before humans were here.”
Thatcertainly didn’t go over well with the elves present, though Zoltan nodded.
“She’s not wrong, though I wouldn’t, uh, use those words, exactly.”
“What does that mean?” Boussy asked, frowning down at his hands.
“Well, uh…” Zoltan cleared his throat, glancing around quickly to search for either support or an escape.
Roche would love to help, but honestly, he knew nothing about the history between elves and dwarves. And he was kind of curious, though very on edge. There were an awful lot of people around who might have personalopinions about that history, and that tended to get messy.
Skalen Burdon, the alderman’s nephew, ducked his head, pointedly not making eye contact with Zoltan, but Yarpen Zigrin seemed to take pity on him.
“Elves were the conquerors of the continent before humans came along and did it better,” Yarpen said bluntly, and Roche winced, practically able to feelthe offense coming from Iorveth.
“Excuse you,” Iorveth’s voice was snippy. “We spread culture across the continent.”
“Yeah, by conquering people,” Yarpen glared at him. “Bah, are you even old enough to remember?”
Now Roche was the one frowning. Wasn’t Iorveth like… really old?
“Not many are,” Imadia said gravely, somehow spreading a sense of calm. “The times Yarpen speaks of started long before the Conjunction of the Spheres. And yes,” she held up a hand in Iorveth’s face, “you aretoo young. When you were born, elves already ruled the continent, though not without conflict.”
Zoltan snorted, “that’s one way to put it. Elves tried – and failed– to conquer Mahakam.”
“Wait, really?” Thirteen blurted out, blinking in surprise. “But like – even Foltest didn’t reallyconquer Mahakam. And everyone said he was mad to even try!”
“No, he didn’t.” Yarpen and Zoltan both looked smug.
Roche decidedly kept his mouth shut. There was no need to remind people that he’d been part of that campaign.
“Plenty o’ other places they didsucceed in conquering, though. Just look at Loc Muinne!”
Iorveth stiffened. The matter of the extinction of the Vrans was a complicated one, and Iorveth had personal connections to Loc Muinne’s history. It was probably best to move on from this quickly.
“So what about dwarves?” Roche asked.
“What about us?” Zoltan asked, eyeing Iorveth in a way that meant he too was aware of why Roche was changing the subject.
“Well, humans came and conquered. Elves came and conquered. Did dwarves ever? Or uh, other species before the Conjunction?”
“Not really,” Zoltan shrugged. “Not to say that there weren’t some who tried – I’ve no doubt every species has at least some of those. But as a species, we dwarves live in the mountains, which many other species find… inhospitable. Not all of them, though! Dwarves and gnomes have always gotten along well enough.”
“Wait, but welive in a mountain,” Anais pouted.
“Ah, but remember,” Pillow Tits smiled kindly at her, “humans can’t live without sunlight. So we can live in mountains, but we need to return to the surface fairly regularly or our health will start to decay.”
“But dwarves don’t?” Boussy asked.
Zoltan shook his head. “Not really. I mean, there are effects on vision if you don’t experience sunlight fairly regularly. But I think maybe that came later – that we adjusted to sunlight later, and that’s why we can lose that, if we stay under the mountains for too long. Sunlight hurts if you’ve been out of it for too long.”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting theory,” Imadia tapped her finger against her chin and Iorveth rolled his eye. “Dwarves came from stone, yes? I’ve heard some say that you’re eternal like stone as well, but – well, I think that was more poetic than accurate.”
“Mmm, sort of,” Skalen grunted. “I dunno anything about the pre-Conjunction stuff, but when dwarves die, we return to the stone. You can visit our catacombs here, in fact. They’re quite something, I must say.”
“Full of wraiths,” Geralt grumbled under his breath. “Every fucking body had a wraith, pretty much.”
Roche blinked. What had Geralt been doing with the bodies in the Vergen Catacombs and why?
Before, Vernon Roche’s special forces were funded by the crown. But since Temeria has fallen and only a scarce few still cared about saving her, Roche was forced to find other avenues of funding.
Really, being Temeria’s whore was nothing new, but some Johns made it much more unpleasant than others.
Chapter Summary:
Iorveth hadn’t intended to walk in on anybody. But the moment he recognized Vernon…
Before, Vernon Roche’s special forces were funded by the crown. But since Temeria has fallen and only a scarce few still cared about saving her, Roche was forced to find other avenues of funding.
Really, being Temeria’s whore was nothing new, but some Johns made it much more unpleasant than others.
