"Now, a linnorm is a hard fight taken straight on, with the ridiculous bulk of them, and the fact you'll end up blinded as soon as you cut into them, and how they can't feel pain so you can't even get them to flinch, and it is absolutely right we be compensated extensively given that. But. That said, they're not that hard to kill if you know what you're doing and things line up right. It's easy to talk them into things and it only takes losing a couple skins to get one disoriented enough for an easy beheading. You don't need to try to get them to skin themselves all the way down."
"But wouldn't that, ah, kill the person?"
"It would. Which was what Geralt agreed to do, if he was paying attention."
"Right. But. Uh. That..."
"I'm not saying it's never worth trying to save somebody," Karon continues. "Some peasant's kid, that's one thing. That could be your brother. But this was a royal fucking snake, Geralt. Can you name one time - one! - that anything involving nobles has ended well for us?"
"Er, well -" Jaskier starts.
Karon thumps a fist on the table. "Exactly! Do you know what he said, Bard?" Karon demands. "How was he supposed to know! That's what he said to us. How was he supposed to know? It's the fucking nobility! You assume!"
"Karon, I really am sorry about the ponies," Geralt says.
"But no. So, and without even thinking to go back and get his armor first, this idiot brings out the children of the old queen who caused this mess, the now eldest children of the old queen, both of which he is still fucking married to."