chapter 10

"Welcome to Kaer Morhen, Andries." Eskel said.

"This place looks amazing." Andries replied, taking in the sight. "It needs a little work, but it could be a great place for… well, for everyone."

"Feel free to buy this hellish place from us." Eskel said with a laugh, riding forward.

"Is it on sale?" Andries asked, hopeful.

"No." Eskel responded.

"Shit." Andries muttered, disappointed.

As they got closer to the keep, Andries heard the sounds of blades clashing. When they entered, they saw two witchers engaged in a sparring match, overseen by a third, older witcher. This old man had a bit of a beer belly, but his muscular arms and neck suggested he was still very strong. His long hair had turned white and he sported a horseshoe mustache. He wore light green armor and had the two witcher swords on his back.

"Eskel, good to see you back. But who are your friends?" the old man said.

"Good to see you too, Vesemir." Eskel replied. "These are… well, do you remember the stories about two mutants fighting in the northern wars? These are them, Andries and Mathies."

"You forgot Felix." Andries added, holding the little cat in his hands.

"I am not going to introduce the fucking cat." Eskel said.

"I just did. This is Felix." Andries insisted.

"He is that mutant? I thought… the songs made you sound less menacing." Vesemir said.

"You think I'm menacing? Thank you, I appreciate that." Andries replied with a grin.

Vesemir looked up at Eskel, who shook his head. "This isn't the worst thing he's said."

The other two witchers walked toward them. One had long hair, the other short hair with a receding hairline. Both had black hair and the cat-like eyes of witchers. One sported a bushy beard, while the other had an unshaven face.

"Andries, these are Coen and Lambert." Eskel introduced them.

"Nice to meet you two." Andries said. "Is this all of you? I expected more of you around."

"We have Geralt." Eskel said.

"Oh yeah, I've heard of that guy," Andries said. "I saved a bard friend of his once. He talked about a sorceress and a daughter he had. I also met that sorceress, she didn't say much. I think she hated me. Is the girl real?"

"Yes." Eskel said.

"No." Vesemir contradicted.

"Which is it?" Andries asked.

"Andries is a good kid,. Eskel told Vesemir. "He's crazy and does some horrible shit, but I don't think he'll betray us."

"Yes, I prefer to stab people in the face rather than the back." Andries said.

"Okay, that was concerning." Lambert, the short-haired witcher, said.

"Yeah, he's like that." Eskel said. "The other day, he cut his left hand off. His hand regrew, something in his mutation that helps, but still, doing it was fucking crazy."

"Yeah, this one." Andries said, pulling out the jar with his hand in it and making it show the middle finger. "Just imagine one day someone tries to come to one of my places to steal things, then he sees hundreds of hands in jars and all suddenly show middle fingers. That would be amazing."

"I like him." Coen said with an approving nod.

"So, can we go back to that girl thing? Is it real or not? I really liked that song." Andries said. "I also heard about her mother being a source. Is she a source too? How does a source look? Are they uglier or prettier?"

"Yes, the girl is real." Vesemir said with a sigh.

"Okay, where is she? Will she bite me if I get too close?" Andries asked, trying to seem simply excited to see a source.

"She isn't an animal, she wouldn't bite people." Lambert said looking insulted.

"Usually." Coen added.

"She might be a source. She did have some interesting powers." Vesemir said.

"Okay, where is she?" Andries asked again, his curiosity piqued.

"She left," Vesemir said.

"Left? When did she leave?" Andries asked.

"Before Eskel even left." Lambert replied. "Geralt and Marigold wanted her to learn more magic, so they're taking her to Yennefer. They were supposed to meet in a temple, I don't know the details."

"Oh, that's a shame." Andries said. "Anyways, we managed to find a mutated Chort and thought you guys might be interested."

"Mutated? How?" Vesemir asked.

"Nilfgaardian spies, or so the rumor goes." Eskel said. "Andries has some ideas about what caused the mutation."

"Yeah, I do." Andries said, rummaging through his things. "There are multiple potions that have a similar aggression effect on creatures. And yes, this Chort was very aggressive. Out of all of them, Berserker's Blood is the closest to what was used. Berserker's Blood can create a battle trance, making the user feel like they are in a perpetual battle. It can also be transferred from the blood of one animal to the next, up to three times before losing its effect. The effect stays in the blood for hours."

"I've heard of Berserker's Blood but never about side effects." Vesemir said.

"That's because no one had tested it on a monster." Andries explained. "Here's the thing, it isn't possible to give a Chort the potion directly. An animal must have drunk the potion first, so there are many possibilities for what caused the mutation. Maybe the animal blood did it, or maybe Chort blood reacts differently. I can't tell without more tests."

Andries then found what he was looking for. He had sent most of the Chort's parts back home but had kept the third eye. Even now, looking at it made him feel sick.

"Look at this." Andries said, moving towards Vesemir and handing him the jar containing the eye.

Vesemir stared at the eye for a few moments, then seemed to feel its effect. He averted his gaze and rubbed his eyes.

"What the hell was that?" Vesemir asked.

"The third eye of the mutated Chort," Andries said.

"Are you sure it wasn't a Fiend?" Lambert asked.

"I'm sure. This was a Chort." Eskel said. "It wasn't normal. It was stronger, it shrugged off a lightning bolt Andries shot and silver seemed to burn it a lot more. Mathies over there wasn't as strong as this Chort and I've seen Mathies rip heads off with his hand."

"Wait, that guy can rip heads off with his hand?" Coen asked, pointing at Mathies.

"Yes, he can." Andries said and Mathies looked proud of himself.

"How did you kill this super Chort?" Lambert asked.

"Silver and a lot of brute force." Andries replied.

"So why did you bring the eye here?" Lambert asked.

"I was supposed to tell you guys about the mutation." Andries said. "I also want to use your labs to do more tests on the body parts."

"Well… about the labs." Vesemir said. "You see, this place was attacked many times. The labs aren't in great condition."

"You don't have to worry about me." Andries said. "I don't want to share the secrets of witchers with the world. I just want to see your lab. I love alchemy and mutating things."

"He isn't lying, that place is wrecked," Lambert said.

"What?! How did that happen?" Andries asked.

"It was a long time ago." Vesemir said. "First, we were attacked by a mob and some monsters. Then we were attacked for our secrets."

"And you didn't fix the damage?" Andries asked.

"Some secrets are better to be buried." Lambert said.

"Why, because we have such a nice world." Andries said. "Our world already saw an event that brought monsters and other races here. It would be stupid to think it would never happen. If monsters return to the world, the world will need more witchers."

"The future will think of something." Lambert said.

"Why don't we prepare the future for this?!" Andries said. "Why are you so against someone checking this process?"

"I don't want anyone else to go through that shit." Lambert said.

"So, fuck the future generation as long as you act like a nice guy?" Andries said. "Th future generation will have to start from the beginning, trying horrible mutations to reach what you are right now."

"I don't like your tone." Lambert said.

"I'm not going to cuddle you." Andries said. "I want to make sure the future has a way to defend itself. I also want to change the process, making the process easier."

"He is right." Vesemir said. "I personally don't know how to improve the process but a mutant alchemist might be able to. But we can't just give you the information for free."

"I'm an alchemist, I can help you with your potions." Andries said. "I am a quick learner, tell me how your potions and poisons are made and I will make more for you. I will help you with that you teach me your mutation."

"Sounds like you are getting too much out of us for very little." Lambert said.

"I accept." Vesemir said and Lambert looked at him with shocked expression. "I need a helping hand in the lab and none of you are helping so why not."

"Great now why don't you show me the lab." Andries said.

"Maybe after we had something to eat." Vesemir said.

"Sure, that sounds nice." Andries said.

Vesemir nodded and motioned for him to follow. The witchers led Andries and Mathies into the keep. Other than Lambert, the others seemed relatively comfortable with their presence.

The keep was disappointing. In the past, it had probably looked amazing but now it was as if someone had found an abandoned fortress and tried to make it a livable place.

The witchers offered some food to Andries and Mathies, which they accepted. The meal consisted of smoked meat, some roots, vegetables, and mushrooms.

Vesemir and Andries began discussing alchemy. Vesemir asked a few questions to gauge Andries's knowledge and was surprised to find that Andries's understanding of alchemy was very advanced. In the end they came to an agreement: Andries would help fix the lab under the keep and assist with the witcher's alchemical needs. In return, Vesemir would impart all his knowledge to Andries.

After finishing their meal, Andries immediately followed Vesemir to the labs. Seeing the state of the lab, Andries felt a deep pang of sorrow. There were many great tools buried under rubble. The roof seemed to have been repaired, but signs of past collapses were still evident. Some parts of the lab were operational, but they were only for basic tasks.

Andries set to work, first setting up his megascope. He used it to open a portal. As a power source, he used a a crystal that had a good connection to Ether and would slowly regenerate energy as long as it wasn't completely drained.

Through the portal, Andries traveled to his mansion, returning with some items and two of his golems. He ordered the golems to stay close to the portal, allowing the energy lost in the air to feed them. Then, he began cleaning the lab. Sitting on a chair with Felix on his lap, Andries read the witchers' notes while Mathies and the golems cleaned the lab. Vesemir was pleased, as he had been frustrated with the other witcher's refusal to clean the place.

The golems and Mathies worked quickly and efficiently, cleaning the lab in no time. This allowed Andries to set up his tools and salvage what could be saved.

Once the lab was clean, Vesemir began explaining the witcher trials. Andries listened carefully and reviewed the notes. It quickly became clear to him that the Trial of the Grasses was the most challenging, not just for the subject but also for anyone trying to modify it. It had too many interconnected parts and a single change could be lethal. The Trial of Dreams was different, it was possible to modify it and administer it to others, but without the trial of the Grasses, it could be lethal to normal humans.

Vesemir soon left Andries with the notes. Andries studied them until nightfall, trying to find anything that could help. He was startled when Vesemir tapped him on the shoulder.

"What happened? Are we under attack?" Andries asked.

"No, everything is fine." Vesemir said. "Your friend, Mathies, has already eaten and gone to sleep. I think you should do the same, it's getting late."

"Don't worry, I can go for three days without sleep." Andries said.

"Yeah, but you've been traveling for a while, so you might be tired." Vesemir said.

"You're probably right." Andries said.

"Kaer Morhen used to house many witchers, but not anymore." Vesemir said. "We still have a lot of empty but clean rooms. If you want it to be cleaner, just call your golems to clean the place up. We already gave a room with the biggest bed to your friend Mathies, he was fast asleep."

"Thank you for that." Andries said.

Vesemir offered some more food to Andries, then showed him to one of the mostly clean rooms. Andries placed a few protection spells on the door and went to sleep with Felix beside him. The next morning, Andries woke up a little late.

Going out to the courtyard, he saw that Mathies was helping the witchers with some practice. He was throwing large rocks toward them and they were dodging them. Mathies seemed to enjoy this, it was like playing for him.

"Andries, good morning." Vesemir said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind but I got your friend Mathies to help with reflex training for the others."

"Morning." Andries replied. "I don't mind Mathies helping, but you know he can kill your witchers with those stones, right?"

"If they can't dodge that, then they can't dodge a monster. They'll be dead anyway." Vesemir said. "Besides, these aren't some young witchers that just started to train, they are used to situations like this."

"As long as you don't make Mathies sad for killing one of them, I'm fine with it." Andries said.

Vesemir just shrugged. The two watched Mathies try to kill the witchers and enjoy it. It turned out the witchers were fast enough, so by the time Vesemir stopped the training, they were all fine but out of breath.

"Okay, that was fun watching a bunch of witchers fear for their lives while Mathies plays around." Andries said with a laugh.

The other witchers glared while Vesemir laughed.

"All right, that's enough for now." Vesemir said. "It's good to find new ways to keep them sharp. Now, let's go to the labs and continue our work there."

"Maybe after breakfast." Andries suggested and Vesemir nodded in agreement.

They went to the main hall and had some breakfast with the rest of the witchers, like before, they had dried meat and some herbs. After that, Vesemir and Andries went to the labs and started making some potions for the witchers. Apparently, a courier had come with news of a monster attack, meaning Lambert was about to leave soon.

With Andries's help, the process of mixing and preparing the potions went very quickly. Vesemir gave the potions to Lambert and decided to make some more for emergencies now that he had help. Andries was so excited about making these potions that Vesemir didn't have to do much after a while.

Once the potions were ready, Andries studied as much as he could under Vesemir. Andries already had knowledge of mutating creatures, so learning from the witcher was not that hard.

When Vesemir was gone, Andries decided to cut his right hand and start the process of growing the bones and carving spells on them. Like before it was the most painful thing he had done to himself. He then used some earth spells to regrow some of the flesh on it and bandaged it. As before, he put the hand in a jar and wrote the blood runes on it but this time he had another idea for this hand.

He grabbed some of the items he had brought with him and made a megascope for himself. He didn't have any good energy sources to leave behind other than a small Ether crystal. It needed a lot of time to regenerate enough energy for Andries to create a safe portal that could stay open for a while.

Andries connected his right hand in the jar and the smaller crystal to the megascope. He then went to the main hall, where he saw Vesemir working on the runes on a sword. Reaching his mind to the hand in the jar, he activated the megascope. It wasn't as fast as reaching a short distance with his mind, but it worked. He managed to open a portal to the area where he was standing. Andries smiled at his success, walking in and out of the portal a couple of times. He returned to the main hall through the portal and reached his mind again to close it. This time, he felt two directions leading to his hand and chose the longer distance, safely closing the portal.

"What the hell was that?!" Vesemir exclaimed.

"A portal." Andries replied.

"Don't get smart with me, boy." Vesemir said. "I've seen portals in my time, and that is not how someone casts one. Tell me how you did it."

"Well, I cut my other hand and it's regrowing." Andries said, showing Vesemir his bandaged hand.

"You did what?!" Vesemir said.

"That isn't important now." Andries continued. "You see, I put my hand in a jar and put some sigils on it with my blood. The sigils protect my hand from rotting and allow me better control of it with my mind powers. I then attached it to a megascope and now I can activate it from afar by reaching my mind to the hand. Amplifying my mind powers is a lot easier than normal teleport spells, so I cheated."

"So, what? You can teleport everywhere you want without actually training?" Vesemir asked.

"Not really." Andries explained. "This is more of a 'go back home' portal than a portal to everywhere. The crystal that feeds it is very weak and needs more than a week to recharge. I have a bigger crystal but that is attached to another device."

"Can anyone use that device?" Vesemir asked.

"No, you hav…" Andries began but stopped, thinking. "Well, sorcerers say you need someone with magical knowledge to activate it, but that isn't exactly true. Maybe I can use my hand and a few extra parts to create a connection a mage has for someone else, then… yes, that might work."

"Would it work or not?" Vesemir asked again.

"Probably, but I need more tests and better materials." Andries said.

"Tell me what you need, and we'll take care of it." Vesemir said. "If this thing actually works, I would consider it as the payment for all of the knowledge we have."

"I wouldn't mind helping you guys out even after making this." Andries said. "In return for my help, you guys can always give me more monster parts. I will be needing them soon."

"Yeah, that is a good arrangement." Vesemir said. "Now tell me what you need so I can get the others to get them for you."

"The things I need might sound weird." Andries said, then explained the materials he needed. The materials included some tubes, copper parts and an energy source.

"I think we can get these." Vesemir said. "That energy source, I don't think that one would be an easy thing to get, right?"

"Nope, it is expensive and hard to find." Andries said. "But don't worry, we can do with the current energy source. Get your guys to find me these things and I will see if I can make something for you."

"I'll get you your things." Vesemir said.

"I'll be in the lab working more on the megascope then." Andries replied.

Vesemir went to gather the witchers, and Andries headed back to the lab. On his way, he saw Eskel returning with a deer slung over his shoulder, clearly enjoying the hunt. It seemed like Andries had an effect on this witcher.

Entering the courtyard, Andries noticed Mathies napping on the grass with Felix comfortably sprawled on his stomach. Andries checked on them, reminding Mathies to talk to Vesemir when he got hungry, then proceeded to his carriage to fetch a few more supplies. He quickly realized he didn't have enough parts to carve all the necessary sigils and connect them effectively.

Undeterred, Andries began carving runes on the parts he had, visualizing the components he requested and how the sigils would connect seamlessly, like water flowing through them. He worked diligently until nightfall when Vesemir returned with the requested items and some food.

"Hey, you didn't come out for lunch, so I brought you something." Vesemir said.

"Oh, I didn't realize time had passed like that." Andries replied, accepting the food and items. "These are good. I really don't need as much sleep as others, so I'll finish by morning."

"You seem very excited about doing this for us." Vesemir observed.

"I'm mostly excited about the possibilities." Andries said. "Now, this might sound a little evil but I think I might be able to use a sorcerer's body parts to make more devices like this, if I get to kill one and test it."

"It does sound evil." Vesemir noted.

"Hey, if you guys ever have to kill a sorcerer, please let me know." Andries said.

"You made that teleportation device, so I don't think you plan on staying. How do you expect us to tell you?" Vesemir asked.

"The megascope can help with both teleporting and contacting people." Andries explained. "When I finish my job, I'll tell you how to use it, but remember the crystal attached to it is limited. You either get a better crystal or this thing won't be that effective."

"We'll think of something." Vesemir said. "Having something like that will be very helpful for us. We can be much more effective in hunting monsters, so we'll probably get enough money to buy something for it."

"Yeah, that's right." Andries agreed. "Also, contact me when you get the crystal. I still want monster parts in exchange for helping you guys or I can just buy those parts from you."

"I can already see that working together is good for both of us, so don't worry, we'll contact you." Vesemir assured him.

"Great, thanks." Andries said.

Vesemir and Andries talked a bit more about their business partnership. They agreed on what they would offer each other, Andries wanted materials and Vesemir wanted things that would make life easier for the witchers.

After a while, Vesemir left Andries to his work. Andries returned to carving the rest of the sigils and attaching them to the megascope. The device transformed from a small, portable contraption into a larger apparatus with a place to hold the hand jar, a grip for the witchers and two sigils, one for teleportation and the other for communication.

The next morning, Vesemir returned to find Andries had completed his work.

"Hey, Andries." Vesemir greeted. "Eskel seems to really enjoy hunting, so he caught a few bucks in the area. He's been using the Axii sign to stun them and then kill them. He said it's great fun, so we decided to roast a couple of them."

"Well, good timing because I'm almost done here." Andries replied. "I'm going to use another crystal for testing, but I'll change it later because I need that one."

"Oh great, I'll call the others." Vesemir said.

"I'll be back in a minute." Andries said.

Andries ran to the courtyard to his carriage. He carefully detached the bigger crystal from his undead device and ran back. When he returned, he saw Mathies, Vesemir, Felix, Lambert, and Coen standing in the lab. Coen and Lambert were eyeing the device as if it had fallen from the sky, while Vesemir paced around.

"All right, this crystal is stronger." Andries said as he started to replace the crystal. "This one will work better than the other one, but don't get used to it. I'll put the other crystal in the device for you, but I'll take it back after you guys find a better one."

"How does it work?" Vesemir asked.

"I'll tell you in a moment." Andries said and then explained how to operate the device.

Andries allowed Vesemir to attach the extra parts himself to get used to it. Vesemir attached the mental contact part and prepared himself.

"Now, do you feel the energy of the crystal?" Andries asked, and Vesemir nodded. "Good, I want you to completely ignore it. Imagine it isn't here. Look at my hand in that jar and try to feel its presence."

"I feel something when I look at it." Vesemir said.

"Great, that means you're connected. Keep your eyes on it." Andries instructed. "Now, I want you to think of the person you want to contact and try to find their mind in the world."

"How do I do that?" Vesemir asked.

"Just think of the guy." Andries said.

Vesemir grumbled a bit and started to concentrate. Andries found it amusing to watch Vesemir's facial expressions, which changed as he concentrated. He looked as if he was under pressure, then as if he had just relieved himself after finding the person.

"Geralt, can you hear me?" Vesemir said aloud. "Don't panic, it's me, Vesemir. Yeah, it's telepathic, we're talking telepathically. I can't explain much, some young sorcerer made a device for us so we can teleport and contact others. I don't know, it was very weird. He could regrow his hand, so he cut one off, attached it to this weird device and now we're talking."

"You know you can just project your thoughts toward the guy instead of talking out loud, right?" Andries said.

"I don't want him to see my thoughts." Vesemir said. "No, I wasn't talking to you, Geralt. I was talking to the sorcerer… Yes, he's here. Do you want to meet him? I know you're far, but now we can open portals. Just give me a minute and I'll open one to your location… Wait, how do I open a portal to his location?"

"You know where he is now since you contacted him, so just think of that place and do what you did right now." Andries explained.

"Okay, hold on, Geralt. We'll open a portal in a moment." Vesemir said. "What do you mean you don't want to? Don't be childish, this is an important moment. Okay, if the portal is unstable, then don't walk through it. I don't know what an unstable portal looks like, but the sorcerer does, so he'll know. You have work to do there? We'll just send you back through the portal. Okay, I am opening a portal and that's that." He then turned to Andries, "How do I end the connection?"

"You just did." Andries said.

Andries helped Vesemir switch the parts on the device so it could open a portal. Vesemir focused on the task, but then paused, realizing they needed more space since Geralt was with his horse.

"Mathies, can you move the device to the courtyard?" Vesemir requested.

Mathies agreed and under Andries's guidance, carefully moved the device without damaging it. Once in the courtyard, Vesemir resumed his work. This time, he successfully opened a stable portal. On the other side, Andries saw a man hesitate before riding his horse through the portal.

The man was clearly a witcher, with striking yellow, cat-like eyes. Despite his white hair, he looked youthful and fit, wearing black leather armor reinforced with metal parts and carrying two swords on his back.

"I hate portals." the white-haired man muttered.

"Well, I'll be, it worked." Eskel said, impressed.

"Thank the gods." Coen added. "I was getting tired of traveling for days only to find my contracts taken."

"How do I close it?" Vesemir asked.

"Gently." Andries instructed, then explained further how to properly close the portal.

"So, this is the sorcerer you mentioned?" the white-haired witcher asked as he dismounted. "When you said a young sorcerer, I didn't expect a child. Or are you a child? This isn't some weird alchemy trick to look like a child, is it?"

"I'm Andries, and I am fifteen." Andries replied. "Alchemy is part of it, but not the way you think. If you look into my eyes, you'll see I'm a mutant."

"I'm Geralt." the white-haired man introduced himself, then looked more carefully at Mathies and Andries. "Wait, are you two the ones from the stories? The kid sorcerer and his giant friend? I've heard a few songs about you two."

"Yeah, that's us." Andries confirmed.

"Wait, where's Ciri?" Coen asked.

|I left her with Yennefer in the temple of Melitele." Geralt said. "She's teaching her the basics but thinks Ciri would fit better at Aretuza."

"That's a shame, I'll miss that little she-devil." Coen said.

"Aretuza? On Thanedd Island? Near Gors Velen?" Andries inquired.

"Yeah, that's the place." Geralt replied. "Yennefer also told me about you, how you threatened to kill her and wanted to meet Ciri like she was some sort of oddity."

"First, I didn't threaten her." Andries clarified. "I only said that Mathies would rip her head off if she tried to hurt me. That's a reasonable thing to say. Secondly, yes, I would love to see a girl with source powers because it's an oddity. They are very rare. That part is also normal."

"You consider those two things normal?" Geralt asked.

"He cut his hands off, twice. I think those aren't as extreme when you consider that." Eskel interjected.

"You did what?!" Geralt exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it's regrowing." Andries said, showing his bandaged hand. "Also, look at that jar. That's my hand in it. It's what allows Vesemir to use the device and open the portal."

When Geralt looked, Andries made the hand in the jar show the middle finger, causing Geralt to sigh while the others laughed.

"Why did you bring me here, Vesemir?" Geralt asked.

"To show you the new device we have." Vesemir replied. "Andries is giving this to us, but with a weaker crystal than the one attached right now. In return, we've agreed to help him with his mutation research by bringing him monster parts. We should also be on the lookout for more crystals like this."

"You couldn't have said that telepathically?" Geralt asked, his voice tinged with irritation.

"I could have, but I wanted to test the teleportation." Vesemir admitted.

Geralt gave Vesemir a long, scrutinizing look, but Vesemir merely smiled.

"You should contact the other witcher, Lambert." Andries suggested. "Maybe he can find crystals like that in his travel. I don't need the crystal right now since I plan on sticking around, but don't overuse it. It still has its limits. Also, I want to check out the mountains around here, if you guys don't mind."

"The mountains around here? What do you want there?" Eskel asked, curious.

"Anything I can find." Andries replied. "I'm looking for herbs, crystals with connections to the earth element, monsters, animals, or any other useful things. I also want to explore the area."

"You think you can find energy crystals here?" Vesemir asked.

"Earth energy, not Ether." Andries explained. "Ether crystal is what we need for the device. Others would work, but Ether is better. I need Earth crystals for some other things."

"Sure, you can search the area." Vesemir agreed, then turned to Geralt. "Now that you're here, do you want to stick around a bit? Eskel hunted a couple of animals and we were going to roast them."

"I wouldn't say no to that, as long as you can send me back." Geralt said.

"I thought you hated portals?" Eskel teased.

"I also hate the taste of potions but I take them because I have to." Geralt retorted.

"Don't worry, you'll love portals when you realize how great they are." Andries said.

The mutants continued their conversation as they walked. They were all content with the day, except for Andries. He couldn't believe that staying put had brought his target so close. He hated the feeling of always being one step behind her. He also knew he had to be careful. While he was friends with these witchers, killing the girl would turn them into his enemies. He had to act smartly.