Never Surrender

26

The bard now sat in the back with a bloodied nose, and his head tipped backwards. "We did warn you," Ciri chuckled.

"Yes, but when do I ever listen?" He asked.

"Never," I said.

"He'll learn one day," Ciri chuckled taking the handkerchief and throwing it into the fire.

"I think that's very unlikely," I took another sip of mead was only my third mug and my head was spinning. Geralt had been gone all night. 

"Do you often wait this long?" Jaskier asked. We both nodded.  My ears suddenly flicked I heard chains and metal rattling. 

"Ciri take Jaskier upstairs," I said and shifted. 

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked. 

"I should be, I have teeth and claws after all," I reminded her, she nodded and took the still bleeding bard upstairs. The haggard older men sauntered into the tavern. 

"Where are your friends?" one spat, his accent think probably a man from the north. 

"Not here," I replied quickly, I pinned my ears and wagged my tail which knocked a couple of ales off the table. The tavern had fallen silent, all that dared to make noise was the squeal of the log in the hearth as fire devoured its wooden bones. "Shall we take this outside gentlemen? I wouldn't want to spill your blood over the clean floor," I tried to walk outside, but with a firm push to my chest, the men forced me back into the middle of the tavern. 

"No. I want to beat you where there are witnesses," he said. 

"You mean, your wagging tongue is a liar?" I turned my head to the side, my eyes glowed brighter and I huffed a laugh from my small, lean frame. "Now fellars, we can do this..." before I could finish one punched me in the jaw, it sent it to the side and almost chipped my canines. "That's how we're playing it huh?" I swung back with ferocity and clawed the men's chest before splitting his jaw, it hung there his cheek muscles split and blood fell like a torrent from his torn flesh. The poor man wailed in pain, but I put him out of his misery after punching a hole through his fist. 

The two other men advanced toward me. They lifted their mirror-like blades they glinted as they caught the light of the fire. I smiled sinisterly, my canines on full view and they were ready to be bathed in the blood of the humans. One man caught my forearm with his blade, it sliced through my flesh like butter, my blood now joined his friends. I kicked the man back and broke his sword arm in my jaws, shattering his elbow, it hung there limply its purpose now futile. He wailed in pain like an injured dog. There was one left, he ran at me throwing his blade at me, it rattled on the chain, the sword sang as it flew through the room before it could dig its tip into my shoulder I leapt out of the way and onto a table, knocking candles and ale over. 

But before I could end him too Geralt returned, "Phoenix, what have you started?" he growled.