Kalkstein

On the afternoon of the second day after entering the mist, Wayne and his companions ventured deep into the fog's heart, selecting a previously destroyed village in Kaedwen as a resting point based on an old map. 

Along the way, they had encountered and defeated over a thousand monsters. While the monsters only came in waves, the physical endurance of the Witchers allowed them to continue, though the sorceresses were beginning to feel the strain from casting spells continuously. Fortunately, the structures in the village could serve as defensive outposts, so after clearing the monsters, they decided to stay the night and recover from the relentless battles.

Among the group, Wayne had unsurprisingly become the de facto chef, with the two sorceresses assisting in food preparation while the three Witchers from the Viper School took turns guarding the village perimeter against possible attacks.

Once dinner was ready, they gathered to discuss their next moves, relishing a rare moment to sit together and strategize.

"There are so many monsters here. I bet I've encountered more in these two days than I have in the past year," Auckes from the Viper School remarked, breaking the silence.

He continued, "And compared to zombies resurrected from humans, dealing with the resurrected specters and drowners has been much harder. Most of their physical weaknesses are gone. They're slower, but their lethality has increased. I nearly got hit in the last attack."

Auckes, unlike the usually reserved Letho, was younger and more outspoken, much like Serrit, the other Witcher in the group. Serrit, hearing Auckes, nodded with a worried look and added:

"It seems the sorcerers were right to be concerned. If creatures capable of resurrecting the dead roam unchecked across the continent, no human kingdom would stand a chance. Those kingdoms would be reduced to rubble, and we'd face an army of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of undead."

"With so many humans, there's an even greater potential for an endless wave of the undead," Serrit finished, his voice tinged with dread at the grim possibility.

Hearing this, Letho fell silent, seemingly pondering the possibility of such an event.

Wayne, seated nearby and listening to their discussion, finally spoke up, sounding somewhat exasperated. "You're overthinking it. If things get that bad, everyone would just need to be cremated after death, which would solve a large part of the problem."

"And don't underestimate the sorcerers," he continued. "These monsters are slow-moving and mainly dangerous in large numbers. Once their weaknesses are identified, the sorcerers will be able to handle them easily."

Margarita, sitting beside Wayne, smiled at his words and added confidently, "Exactly, there's no need to worry excessively."

"Our Brotherhood of Sorcerers is actively studying these creatures' weaknesses. I'm confident that it won't be long before we develop magic specifically designed to combat them."

"Just in the past few days, we've discovered that extreme cold is especially effective against these undead."

"If it becomes necessary, three sorcerers working together could cast a blizzard over several kilometers," she explained. "At that point, even tens of thousands of zombies would be frozen solid, rendering them completely ineffective."

"We also have large-scale dispersal spells and terrain-altering magic that the Brotherhood can deploy as long as we have the preparation time," she continued. "In fact, each sorcerer participating in this bounty mission has a secondary, unspoken task: to gather data on the monsters we encounter."

"I believe that by the end of this commission, with all the battle data gathered by the sorcerers involved, we'll have a much deeper understanding of these otherworldly creatures and be able to develop effective strategies."

"As long as we can find a way to seal the rift torn open by the foreign powers, clearing out the monsters in the mists won't be an issue."

Keira nodded in agreement. "Most of the power held by sorcerers is closely regulated by the Brotherhood, but in situations like this, the Brotherhood is more than capable of acting decisively."

If necessary, a skilled sorceress like Keira, who has the credentials to serve as a royal advisor, can wield powerful spells—potentially even ones capable of leveling an entire city—given the proper materials and casting time.

While discussing their plans for the next day, Wayne's heightened senses suddenly picked up on sounds of desperate cries for help, curses, and shouts filled with despair. He paused, surprised for a moment, then quickly realized it was likely another group of sorcerers under attack.

For a brief moment, he considered ignoring the commotion. After all, this was a competitive mission; while killing other participants was forbidden, there was no requirement to rescue those in distress. However, he quickly reconsidered. The bounty competition had drawn young sorcerers from across the North, including a few familiar faces from the lore. Knowing who was in trouble could prove advantageous, and deciding to either lend a hand or stand by would give him an opportunity to choose his next move wisely.

With this in mind, Wayne turned to the others and said, "I heard voices nearby. Stay alert—I'm going to take a look."

Letho and the others nodded in agreement, but Keira spoke up, wanting to join him. "Let me come with you, Wayne. We can look out for each other."

Wayne glanced back at Keira, noting her earnest expression, and felt an unexpected surge of respect for her. Margarita's words rang true; young sorceresses like Triss and Keira seemed to retain qualities that were rare among those more seasoned in the Brotherhood's power dynamics.

Still, he declined her offer and reassured her, "Stay here. I can move more quietly on my own. Besides, there might not be a need to engage in a fight."

"Remain on guard, though," he added, "and don't rush in. There's no sense in getting caught up in a pointless battle."

After leaving the campsite, Wayne donned his invisibility cloak. Though he wasn't afraid of confrontation, he preferred to minimize unnecessary risks. If those in trouble weren't worth assisting, he'd simply observe from a distance and decide his next steps accordingly.

After covering a distance of over two hundred meters, Wayne arrived at the edge of a slope outside the village, where a brutal ambush was unfolding.

About twenty archers, clad in leather armor, with greenish-black skin and devilish tattoos etched across their faces, were mercilessly pursuing a group of mercenaries. These archers moved with incredible speed and precision, firing arrows that struck with deadly accuracy. Whenever a desperate mercenary attempted a counterattack, the archers would swiftly evade, often retaliating with an arrow to the eye socket or neck, leaving their targets to a grim fate.

Initially, there had been thirty or forty mercenaries, but within minutes, the archers' relentless assault had reduced their numbers drastically. Despite their tragic losses, the mercenaries' sacrifice wasn't in vain. Their resistance bought time for a middle-aged man dressed in robes, who was sprinting desperately at the front of the group, aiming for the shelter of the village.

He looked worn and disheveled. Thin, with a rather haggard face, he had a mustache just under his nose. His expression was one of pure terror, his face slick with sweat as he pushed himself to flee.

Wayne observed the man for a few moments before recognition dawned on him—it was Kalkstein, the renowned alchemist, chemist, inventor, scientist.

Wayne's familiarity with Kalkstein wasn't only due to the man's fame in Vizima; Wayne had once tried to recruit him for his own order of witchers, recognizing the value of his research abilities. However, Kalkstein had been away conducting other studies at the time, and their paths hadn't crossed since—until now.

Seeing him in such peril stirred a sense of urgency in Wayne. Saving Kalkstein, with his unparalleled talents, seemed like a choice worth making.

Wayne's mind only considered the situation for a moment, but his body reacted instantly.

From a few hundred meters away, he retrieved his bow from his bracelet, cast an enhanced version of the Quen Sign to shield himself, and relied on his archery skills to engage the demonic archers.

With his powerful arm strength, the arrows he fired flew at tremendous speed, slicing through the air to pierce the heads of the demon archers, killing them instantly. 

Wayne's firing rate was also impressive—taking just three to four seconds per shot, even with precise aiming. Before the demon archers could respond, he had already taken down three or four of them.

Seeing this, the struggling mercenaries recognized the arrival of an ally and immediately took advantage of the distraction, huddling together and holding their position to survive rather than attempting a reckless charge.

Realizing Wayne was a lethal opponent, the demon archers regrouped and tried to overwhelm him with their numbers, hoping to suppress his long-range assault.

But Wayne's Quen shield held strong, absorbing a dozen arrows without faltering, allowing him to stand his ground and dispatch several more of his foes. When the shield showed signs of breaking, he quickly ducked behind cover, restoring a fresh layer of protection within seconds and denying the archers any chance to retaliate effectively.

Thanks to Wayne's skill and his positioning, he was able to eliminate more than half of the 20 or so demon archers in just a few minutes.

Seeing their numbers drastically reduced, the remaining archers chose to retreat, quickly disappearing into the mist.