"You are right, it's very hard to believe your words," Geralt said, though he didn't elaborate further. One could easily understand his skepticism. This didn't matter to the team, though.
"Since you know who the Wild Hunt is, I believe you have an idea of how powerful the Aen Elle are," Yennefer said. Their trust could take a back seat at the moment.
"Yes, we do. We don't want to face them right now and build ourselves here, as we have some time," Liam said.
"Good. I have to leave now, as my own work awaits. I'll meet you soon, travelers. And Geralt, in this wartime, try not to be a hero and come back to me in one piece," Yennefer said as she got up and kissed Geralt, which earned a whistle from Barton. Geralt just rolled his eyes at that and watched Yennefer as she walked away. One could bet that, while walking away, Yennefer was giving Geralt quite the show of her ass, and that included the others too.
Steve moved his head away, as did Natasha and Vesemir. While Tony and Barton didn't shy away at all, Liam just took a peek and decided to stop himself from idolizing her more. He had also seen her naked, though it was in animation. But here, it was reality, so he also felt a bit guilty.
But Liam could also tell that there was some tension between him and Yen. After all, he had messed up a bit with Triss, though it wasn't his fault. Liam actually wanted to ask if she could help him with books related to magic, but she seemed quite in a hurry, and he was sure she would have refused.
The group eventually made their way from Vizima to the Crossroads Inn. Vizima was a huge place and had its luxuries, so leaving this place made Tony and Barton a bit sad, but they soon accepted it. The travel was kind of an arduous journey too, as it took them three days to reach Velen. They slept under the open skies, and for the first time, Geralt and Vesemir were starting to believe that these humans might have come from a different plane altogether.
The gears, the tents, the utensils, and their way of cooking were much different than theirs. On the way, Geralt caught some birds and even a boar to eat. Natasha, Liam, and Barton helped with cooking, and both of the witchers swore they had never eaten something so delicious in their lives. Not even in the best inns of Novigrad or Oxenfurt.
"These are the spices we use. If you want, you can take some recipes from us. The food we're making now is barely palatable since we don't have everything with us," Barton spoke with pride in his voice as he showed them his spices. Barton even allowed Geralt to use his bow, and Geralt could swear this bow could even take down a tree with a single hit from a normal arrow.
And then came the whole tent ritual. The bedding they carried too was great, and Geralt could easily say that it rivaled his beloved bed in Kaer Morhen.
The more they interacted, the more Geralt and Vesemir believed them. Vesemir was actually curious about Tony's armor, and Tony explained as much as possible. Though Vesemir could hardly understand what his armors or guns were, he could see how advanced these humans were.
Soon, they reached a modest establishment that bore the marks of a land torn by war. The innkeeper, a grizzled man with a scar running down his cheek, greeted them cautiously.
"What can I do for you lot?" the innkeeper asked. His accent seemed much better than the rest of the people, and he was certainly a literate person.
"We're looking for Hendrik," Geralt said directly. "We were told he might have some useful information."
"Hendrik, eh? You'll find him in Heatherton, about half a day's ride north. Though, I warn you, the place has seen better days."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"Strange things happening up there. People say the skies froze over for a time, and the ground... it cracked like a dead man's skin. And the cold—it ain't natural. If Hendrik's alive, I'd be surprised."
The group immediately knew what the innkeeper meant.
Geralt had also elaborated about the Wild Hunt since Liam had given them a description. Steve and the others felt bad for the elves of the Continent for sure, but for the Aen Elle, they felt disgust and hate.
"Why is it that I encounter Nazis everywhere? First it was in Europe, then came Hydra, and now with another dimension altogether. Am I cursed to fight them all my life?" Steve asked.
"Cap, you can always bail out, you know. It's not our fight," Tony said.
"That might be true, but if I come across them, I can't just turn a blind eye. That's not how I see myself," Steve said. "Besides, if Liam here goes for their knowledge, I doubt we'll be far away from them."
"We'll see when we have to face them, which we might not even have to," Liam said. If it was preferable, he would rather not face the Wild Hunt at all. He could get the knowledge of their magic through other ways too, and he could already think of a couple of ways.
"Thanks for the information," Geralt said, tossing the innkeeper a few coins.
When they arrived at Hendrik's village, it was as though the very life had been drained from the place. The air was unnaturally cold, the houses damaged and covered in frost, and the once-thriving fields were reduced to patches of frozen dirt. Even the trees bore a thin layer of ice, their branches snapping under the weight.
It didn't take long before they heard the familiar, guttural sounds of ghouls feasting, which they had been hearing occasionally on the road to Velen.
Rounding the corner of a dilapidated house, they saw a man pinned against a wagon, fending off three ghouls with nothing but a broken pitchfork.