4 Keeping It Real

Troy didn't continue, after stating this. He simply sat back and allowed Lorkin to absorb everything he had said.

     Lorkin had a troubled expression on his face. He wasn't sure what to make of this information. Normally, he would simply dismiss the kid out of hand and send him to bed.

     This kid, however, was simply too abnormal. From the way he comports himself to the language he uses and even the look in his eyes, they screamed "mature and knowledgeable adult." Everything about this child's demeanor told him he should take him seriously and he did.

     He wasn't exactly certain that he believed the boy but, at the very least, he believed that the boy believed what he was saying.

     "Ummm...so lemme get this straight. You think that some, as of yet, unnamed sorcerer organization is going to orchestrate an attack on Kaer Morhen and all of our secrets will be lost as a result of this attack?"

     "Indeed. This will most certainly come to pass. When exactly, I couldn't say for sure but I suspect that it would be sometime in the next five years. The problem is that I can't say that it won't be tomorrow, thus it is imperative that we take action immediately. The sooner we prepare the better our chances."

      Lorkin continued to stare silently at the young boy before him, unsure of how he should respond. This whole situation was just entirely too bizarre. 

     'Even if I were to take the kid's word for it, what could I possibly do about it. For that matter, what could even the entire school do about it. If we are going to be attacked by thousands of fanatics assisted by sorcerers, how would we even go about defending ourselves from such an event?'

     "Alright, well, let's say that I believe you. So what do you think we should do about it? If what you are describing were to happen, I'm not sure there would be much we could do about it. That being said, how is it that you came about such information?"

     "As to the actions that need to be taken, the first step would be to put everyone's normal training on hold for a year. Use every man and boy in Kaer Morhen to begin construction of a moat accompanied by a drawbridge. The mages, of course, wouldn't begin assisting in that matter, until they had committed all of the ways and means of creating witchers to paper and ensured that this information is locked away and secured in a secret location. 

     "Once the moat and bridge have been built and that secret knowledge replicated and secured, everyone not currently undergoing training would begin training on how to effectively combat mages. The trainees would, of course, return to their original work outs.

     "If it's at all possible, the trainee's work outs could be altered to accommodate the building of the moat and bridge. If not, well then the survival of Kaer Morhen and its residents would obviously take precedence over their training.

     "As for how I know these things, it's the result of what you might call the 'gift of prophecy.' I don't necessarily expect you to believe that bit but it's absolutely imperative that you act on this warning I'm giving you or else. 

     "Think me mad or delusional or what have you, so long as you act upon my warnings then all should be well or, at least, as well as it could be during such an attack. Although naturally, the hope would be that shoring up our defenses would manage to deter the attack all together."

     'What the...this freaking kid!? How the heck can a five year old even think like that? and 'gift of prophecy, what hell kinda shit is that? Dammit! I had already said I wasn't going to let this kid get to me but here I go again. That's it! This whole situation is entirely over my head, at this point. I'm going to see if the commander can figure out what to do here.' Lorkin decided, as he stood up and walked towards the door.

      "Stay here, Troy. I'll return in a moment."

      Lorkin left Troy alone for about ten minutes, before finally returning.

      Lorkin opened the door and addressed Troy. "Troy, come with me. We're going to see the commander."

      Following Lorkin across the keep's hallways, they arrived at the commander's office, walked in, and took their seats.

     Horace, watched as the boy Lorkin had spoken about walked into his office. He certainly did carry himself oddly for a five year old. That much was certain but he wasn't entirely sure that it was worth Lorkin disturbing him just as he was about to go to sleep. 'This had better be good.' He thought grumpily.

     "Alright then Lorkin, what's all this about?"

     "Well, perhaps it would be best, Troy, if you were to basically reenact everything that happened, since I first saw you tonight. Basically, tell the commander here everything you told me in exactly the same manner. I think that might help the commander to better understand the situation."

      "Indeed, Lorkin. I do believe your judgment to be spot on, in this matter. So be it, let's take it from the top, shall we?"

      Commander Horace's eyebrows rose slightly at the boy's response and they only continued to rise even further, as Troy, without a single trace of hesitation or doubt in his eyes, stared directly into the Commander's eyes and recounted all of the things he had conveyed to Lorkin.

     'This...what is happening, here? This boy is abnormal in the extreme! What...wait...did some dopey witcher go and nab some nobles kid and bring him here?! ...no...no, even that wouldn't account for this level of abnormality. Sure, a noble's kid would at least be literate but to have such a fully fleshed out vocabulary, at his age, is unheard of and then to wield it so fluently and naturally, as if he had been speaking that way for years!

      'Then, of course, there's those damned eyes of his! Those body movements and his posture completely lacking any of the normal awkwardness of a young child! Standing there as brazen as the sun, barely taller than my kneecaps, and yet giving off an air of man full grown, filled with confidence and certainty! Abnormal! Absolutely abnormal!

       'Men, I understand. Monsters, I understand even better. But this? This just makes no sense at all! And 'gift of prophecy?' If anyone else had said such a stupid thing to me, I would have laughed them out of my office and made them run a hundred laps around the entire keep! Now, however... I have no idea what to think.

     'Not only that but I'm starting to understand why Lorkin felt he was in over his head. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think I might just be in the same boat. I'd almost feel irresponsible, at this point, if I didn't take this to the mages.'

     "*cough* *cough* Well...uhhh...Troy, was it?"

     "Correct, Commander."

     "Well, Troy, as interesting and, indeed, urgent as all of this seems to be, certainly you understand that this a rather hard concoction to swallow? Not to mention your rather, uhh… unusual circumstances."

     "Absolutely, Commander! I'm well aware of not only the incredulous nature of my claims but also the abnormal combination of my age, intelligence, demeanor, and stature. That being said, I'll readily admit that I was counting on all of these assets to assist me in getting you all to take me seriously.

     "I normally don't display my true nature, in order to avoid unwanted attention. In this matter, however, I thought it of the utmost importance to, at the very least, make my concerns heard. If in the end you end up disregarding everything else I've claimed, there are still two objective facts that are still left unresolved.

     "One is the inadequate defensive capabilities of Kaer Morhen, as it pertains to a large land force. A keep, that can't be sealed up in preparation for a siege, is hardly worthy of the name.

     "Two is that the secrets that the mages hold, concerning the witcher trial potions, will continue to be at risk of being lost, so long as they do not take precautions. Making detailed records of their knowledge and securing those in a well guarded location will go a long way towards that end.

     "In the end, so long as you see the sensibility in these propositions and act accordingly, I'll consider this endeavor to have been a success." Troy responded.

     "Ah, well, in regards to 'acting accordingly' as you say, I certainly can't make such decisions on my own, as you seem to already be aware. The mages that reside here hold much more influence than myself. 

     "They usually run their decisions past me but it's not like I have the authority to overrule them, if I wanted to. That being said, I'd have you wait here a bit longer, while I gather them." Horace stated, as he began walking towards the door.

     "No problem at all, Commander! I patiently await your return."

     Nearly fifteen minutes later, every single member of the witcher's upper echelons and every mage was present inside the Commander's office. 

     For nearly thirty minutes after that, the Commander had Troy, once again, rehearse all of the dialogue he had with himself and Lorkin.

     Everyone present displayed reactions very similar to Horace and Lorkin. They were all inwardly stunned at this abnormal display.

     Eventually the hubbub died down and one of the Mages spoke up.

     "The boy claims to have some type of prophetic ability. I say we put the boy to a test. Surely, such a thing couldn't possibly manifest without him having some connection to Chaos. If the boy is so bold as to claim such nonsense, then let's be objective about it and dismiss this folly, once he's been proven a fraud."

     Troy immediately interjected, "That would be where you're wrong! Had you listened closely to what I've said so far, you'd know that I've never claimed such a thing.

     "In fact, I was very careful to word it as, 'what you might call the gift of prophecy.' I chose these words specifically, because I knew that, from an outsider's perspective, it may seem to be such a thing.

     "Although, despite this being knowledge that I'm certain that I alone possess, I'm not at all familiar with how I came by such knowledge. All I know at the moment are three things, I have knowledge of this future event, this knowledge was not obtained via any magic or prophetic ability that I'm aware of, and that even if I were to tell you other things that I know concerning this abnormal knowledge, it would be of no benefit to you or anyone else as this knowledge pertains to me and me alone.

     "So, if it's a test that you wish to conduct, then by all means do so but do so honestly, with the acknowledgment that there is no such fraud being committed here. As I've already stated, I have no desire to convince you all of such things. I only wish to protect the interests of the witchers and its mage friends."

     The mage, who despite everything he had witnessed, clearly thought he could take advantage of Troy's naivety only to discover that he had no such naivety. Under the stern glares of his peers, he quickly thought better of this decision and recanted his position.

     It was then that Horace had a strange look on his face and spoke up, "Ever since you first broached this subject, there's one thing that's been bothering me, although I was a bit too distracted at first to give it my full attention. Why is it, that with your clearly superior intelligence, you seem so sure of your stance on protecting us witchers and our school?

     "Even today, there are those amongst our order, hell perhaps some in this very room, who would gladly see this entire institution destroyed and say good riddance to it. Some claim that the experiments and trials that we perform here are deeply immoral and that we are birthing abominations.

     "So, how is it that you can be so certain that protecting us is the right course of action? Why not keep this information to yourself and simply let the order fade into obscurity?" Once Horace had finished his question, all of the faces in the room,  especially the mages, turned expectantly towards Troy.

     "Ahh, you see, Commander, this is actually a rather simple matter. As a child born into a peasant family, like many others here, my prospects in life were always dim. I have, for quite some time, been aware of the fact that only the strong and the sheltered survive for too long in this world.

     "For someone like me, who never had the luxury of being sheltered by the strong nor being strong myself, I knew full well that it was just as likely that I die at the hands of some freakishly strong and stealthily monster as it would be for me to live past forty.

     "Of course, this was all assuming that my parents decided to keep me fed and clothed and not kick me out on my own. You all are smart people, surely you must have some idea of the chances a five year old has of surviving in this world all by himself. What? Three days, maybe? If we factor in my abnormal circumstances, perhaps we could stretch it out to a week?

     "So, it's fairly obvious that, if it weren't for the witcher schools all of these abandoned children would surely die. Now how many of you can look at me in the eye and say that you despise life so much that, given the option between certain death and probable death, you would actually choose certain death?" At these words, Troy paused for a moment to look around the room and into each individual's eyes.

     Once he was certain there would be no objections he continued, "Those who say these things about our order are merely speaking out of fear and ignorance. Unless the stories about children being kidnapped and brought here are true, then I fail to see how offering doomed individuals a chance at a longer and more fulfilling life is any kind of sin. 

     "Strength is justice and weakness is sin. I would never choose to live as a weakling no matter how perilous the road to power. If perhaps there are those here today who think they've been wronged by this organization and that perhaps they would have been better off as normal, pitiful, weak, and helpless person. Perhaps you should ponder such things the next time you are tracking down an Ekimmara and you're staring down at the corpse of his recent victim. Or perhaps when you see a Griffon in the distance swoop down onto a merchant's convoy have a nice meal and then fly away with a full stomach knowing that you couldn't have gotten to them in time and even if you did they might've still died.

     "Why? Because they were weak. Sure they might have obeyed whichever king's law or been really good husbands or wives but they neglected the only thing that could have saved them and that is personal power.

     "Of course, I know it's not quite as simple as all that seeing as how not everyone has what it takes to become a witcher or a wizard but my point still stands. If any of you have any doubts about your position or the work that the Wolf School does, just remember that no matter how much you charge them and no matter how many you can't save, you are the only thing that stands between the weak and their inevitable ends. When you're there there's at least a chance they'll survive but when you're not there...well, we already know what happens when you're not there.

     "Now, in the event that those rumors, from earlier, are true," he once again glanced around the room, "then I would highly recommend that those participating in such dastardly activities cease doing so immediately, so as not to add actual dishonor on top of all of this false dishonor to our noble profession. 

     "If the witchers hope to continue living alongside the rest of humanity, without being slaughtered by angry mobs, then it would behoove you all to raise the standards of your conduct both in public and in private. If you perhaps do not perceive being a witcher as a noble profession, then perhaps you should start."

     With those words, Troy ended his speech. Nearly every person in attendance had complicated expressions on their faces, as if they had just been chastised by an elder and they had no response to the scolding they'd received.

     One of the mages, however, was grinning quite gleefully and decided to voice his opinion, "Very well spoken, young Troy. I do believe that, should you survive your trials, you'll make an outstanding witcher.

     "That, however, is secondary considering the weight of the current discussion. I, for one, would like it to be known that I fully agree with Troy's assessment. It matters very little whether he has any type of prophetic ability. What matters are the facts and, after considering the facts, I concur that Troy's recommendations are the most suitable path forward. All in favor, by show of hands?"