Chapter 419: Ritornello

The morning sun shone down upon an alder forest, covering the orphanage in a blanket of gold. Five boys who were naked from the waist up leaned against the stakes, smiling at the shimmering light in the air. Even the trees and crops started to dance in the wind.

The other fifteen children were working away in the lab, the classroom, the smithy, and the fields. A griffin glided across the blue, blue sky, and cicadas chirped as loudly as they could.

Ten witchers and a mage took their seats around a long table, welcoming a mousey, unkempt man in a blue robe.

"Allow me to do the introductions, brothers. This is Kalkstein, a master alchemist from Vizima. He's a figure of authority in the field of alchemy." Roy pointed at the guest and looked at everyone. "Kalkstein and I have reached an agreement. From now on, he shall be working with us for a year. He will be working on the Trial recipe."

"Welcome to the House of Gawain, friend." Lambert extended his hand, a grin curling his lips. He had a feeling Kalkstein would be an interesting man.

"It's an honor to meet you." Felix nodded, but there was doubt in his eyes. Kalkstein looked more like a maniac than an alchemist. Most alchemists took pride in how they presented themselves. The only thing he shared with them was the perpetually upset face.

"Hello, Kalkstein. I am Vesemir. I hope we'll get along for the year." Vesemir smiled. He extended his hand, and Kalkstein hesitated for a moment before he shook it.

Letho and Kiyan had delight on their faces. They could improve their skills if they had the chance to work with someone like Kalkstein.

Everyone else nodded as well. They needed some time to evaluate the new mage Roy brought, but they had confidence Roy wouldn't pick the wrong guy for the job.

"Don't tell me that kitchen is your lab. It really doesn't meet my expectations. I can't even do most of my experiments there. Barely any research can be done in these conditions," Kalkstein grumbled.

Roy smiled. "The real lab is in Novigrad. It's on par with your personal lab, if I do say so myself. I'll take you there in a minute, but now you should get to know your colleagues."

"Ah, I can introduce myself." Lytta let Roy's arm go and extended a hand to Kalkstein. A smile tugged on her lips. "Hello, Kalkstein. Your reputation precedes you. I am Lytta Neyd of Aretuza. I've heard about your stories back in the academy." She stared at his lackluster attire, unkempt goatee, and greasy, balding hair. "I can see you have a deep love for the industry. It's an honor to work with you."

Kalkstein shook his head. He didn't even hold back when it came to a woman like Coral. The alchemist pinched his beard and reminded her, "I wouldn't call working with me an honor. Just don't drag me down, Lytta. I expect you to keep up with me. If you can't, then you should leave. If you think of yourself as a true researcher, that is."

And the smile on Lytta's face froze.

Roy quickly grabbed her hand. "Don't mind him, Coral. He's a straightforward man."

"I'm fine. I've seen my fair share of talented people in my life. And this is his specialty we're talking about. Of course he feels proud about it." She shook her head, but then she turned around and pinched Roy's arm as hard as she could.

Roy's lips twitched. What did I do? Why is she doing this to me?

"I like your style!" Lambert stared at the alchemist with respect in his eyes. "I prefer guys like you. I don't work with snakes. But tell me something, kid. How did you do it? How did you manage to trick someone of his caliber into working with us?"

The witchers turned their attention to Roy, waiting for his explanation. It was a wonder how he managed to create so many miracles.

"I didn't trick him." Roy shot Lambert a glare. I risked my life for this.

"Oh, no. He didn't trick me." Kalkstein, for once, defended Roy. "I came willingly. Roy helped me out big time, you see. I don't think anyone else could have done what he did. Including you guys."

"And what did he do this time?" Even Letho's curiosity was piqued.

Roy's face froze. He was about to lie his way out, but Coral harrumphed.

She noticed what he was trying to do, and before he could say anything, the mage covered his mouth. She gave him a look that said, Shut up.

Kalkstein ignored the couple and answered, "Roy killed a higher vampire all by himself and gave me its corpse. Never have I seen a witcher with that level of capability."

***

And the temperature seemed to drop a dozen centigrades. It was summer outside, but the room felt like it had entered winter. Even the breeze that lingered in the air felt chilly. Someone shivered.

A long silence ensued.

Serrit shook his head. "Is that a joke, Kalkstein? I've sparred with Roy, and he's the weakest swordsman out of all of us. There is no way he could have killed a higher vampire."

Geralt stared at Kalkstein. "Are you sure he killed a higher vampire? Perhaps it was a katakan, an ekimmara, a fleder, or even a bruxa."

Kalkstein refused to explain. Instead, he waved his hand and produced a coffin on the table. It was covered in complex runes, and the lid was made of crystal. "See for yourself, then. You should know what this is."

The witchers gathered around the coffin, staring at what was lying within: a pale, seemingly unconscious man.

A while later, Eskel said, "Either this is a human…"

"Or a higher vampire," Kiyan added quietly.

"Or a doppler. But I can't be sure unless I can be more hands-on." Felix pushed his sunglasses down. "But judging from how Roy's acting, I'd say Kalkstein isn't lying. This is a higher vampire."

"Which begs the question." Letho grabbed Roy's nape like a mother cat holding her kitten up. "Did you intend on keeping this a secret from us forever? How did you kill this thing?"

"This isn't the first time you hid something from us. We're members of the brotherhood, but you never tell us anything." There was disappointment and fury in Serrit's eyes. "You just had to face this alone. You could have asked us to work with you."

Geralt's hair billowed, and with a solemn voice, he spoke. "Do you even think of yourself as one of us? Higher vampires are nigh immortal. Not once in my lifetime has any witcher managed to bring one down. Not even the first ones." Vesemir asked, "How did you do it, Roy?"

"Mmmh, mmmh!"

"Lytta, you might want to let him go. He's going to suffocate from all the love you're showing him," Lambert jealously interjected.

"Oh, sorry. He can be a bit annoying sometimes." Awkwardly, she let him go, but not before she stomped on his foot and shot him a nasty glare.

Roy heaved a sigh of relief, but then he felt a chill run down his spine from all the looks he was getting. He sighed. "I wasn't going to keep this a secret forever, but Coral—"

"Coral what?" she asked.

"No, it's my fault. I should have come clean." Roy gave Kalkstein a look. He was sure the alchemist could understand why he needed to involve him in this explanation. "I didn't do it alone. Kalkstein helped. I snuck up on the thing with his cape and heavily injured it with the bombs he gave me."

Coral nodded. Kalkstein was a great inventor, no doubt about that. She wasn't surprised he could come up with something that could threaten a higher vampire.

"I had a great advantage. The win was pure luck." He pursed his lips and stared at everyone, especially Letho and Coral. "And I possess an ability that can heal my wounds quickly. It's like having a second life. I had to use that in the battle, and even then, I only barely won." He shuddered. "If it were a head-on battle, I would have died."

Coral frowned, while Letho seemed like he believed Roy's explanation.

The next part was a bit of a lie, but Roy continued. "There was a reason I had to fight alone. That thing kidnapped an innocent bystander, and it was going to kill her. I just happened to run into it, and my conscience wouldn't let me ignore it, so…"

Letho shook his head in disapproval.

"I couldn't contact you guys in time, so…" He paused for a moment. "It's possible to defeat a higher vampire, but killing it is something else entirely. I managed it thanks to another ability I have."

"You'd better come clean, kid." Lambert put his hands on his hips and cocked his eyebrow. "Don't lie to us. How did you manage it?"

"To be honest, anything I kill loses their soul. Entirely. Reduced to atoms. That's what happened to this guy. Nothing but a shell." Roy half-joked, "So don't get on my nerves, Lambert."

***

"Is that so?" The witchers fell silent for a moment. They were reminded of all the feats Roy showed them since they met. He had Elder Blood flowing within his veins, he had the power of clairvoyance, and he could bounce back from the brink of death itself. His powers were too numerous to list, and killing a higher vampire didn't seem too surprising now.

Having a powerful ally was a good thing, and they accepted Roy's explanation. Still, they gave him weird looks. Roy might be trying to stay humble, but the fact remained that he was already stronger than the weaker members of the brotherhood like Aiden and Lambert.

They were happy for Roy, but at the same time, a sense of pressure weighed down on their shoulders. They too had to improve and keep up with everyone.

Roy felt Letho's grip loosen, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He changed the subject. "Besides the Trial, Kalkstein will be researching this body with us and creating a potion or decoction that will grant us a part of a higher vampire's abilities. I'm sure you're interested." He looked at Letho and Kiyan.

"Don't change the subject, kid." Letho thumped his chest and solemnly said, "We'll let you off the hook this time, but I'm giving you an ultimatum. Next time you charge into danger, you tell us, or else I'm going to kick you out of the brotherhood."

"That's right. Next time you do this, you're doing guard duty at Kaer Morhen and Gorthur Gaved." Serrit patted the back of his head.

Everyone else ruffled his hair and cheeks.

"Next time you do this, you're gonna be homeless."

"Yeah, and you can open up a stall and be a fortune teller."

"Or you can just live in a shithole."

"Or trick someone else into joining your new organization."

Geralt pinched Roy's chin and thought about what he should say. "Or fuck your sorceress?"

"And here's a warning from me." Lytta yanked his collar and pulled Roy over. Her chest pressed against his, and their noses touched. She stared into his eyes, her hair brushing his cheeks. "Next time you run straight into death without telling me, I'm dumping you."

And then she kissed him.

"Ahem, get a room, you two."

The witchers coughed, but Coral ignored them, and Roy couldn't break free.

Geralt was reminded of his past, and he turned around just in time to see the kids quickly hide underneath the windowsill. "You kids wanna get turned into girls again?"

Only Kalkstein was unperturbed by the show of affection. He was caressing the coffin, his eyes filled with affection like he was staring at the woman he loved.

"I don't know how to improve the Trial, but I can make potions and decoctions." Letho and Kiyan huddled closer to the alchemist. "I think we should concentrate on hyper regeneration."

"No. Flight and intangibility are imperative for battles," Kiyan argued hoarsely.

Kalkstein joined in the debate. "I say we combine the three. This body is perfect, and we have enough components to find the perfect balance for the decoction."

Five minutes later, Coral let go of Roy, satisfied with the kiss. And she wiped his lips. "Wipe it off, you. You smeared my lipstick all over me." She produced a small mirror and lipstick out of thin air and turned around to reapply her makeup. At the same time, she started humming.

"So, learnt your lesson yet?" Serrit raised his head.

"Fine, I'm sorry." Roy turned to the witchers. The flippant look on his face was replaced by a look of solemnity. Everyone stopped talking, and Roy said, "Brothers, Coral, I promise to tell you guys if something like this ever happens again."

Everyone nodded.

"That's right, lad." Vesemir patted his back. "Don't do everything yourself. It might come from a good place, but you're still running away. You need to accept the fact that not all outcomes will be perfect."

"Yes." I can't keep them out of my operations just because I'm worried they might die.

A momentary pause later, Vesemir frowned. "Did you see him?"

The Wolves turned their attention to Roy, anxiety written all over their faces.

"Sorry." Roy shook his head. "He was already gone when I arrived. For two months, to be exact. Adventuring somewhere else."

Vesemir nodded, though the disappointment in his eyes was palpable.

"I'll seek him out when I have the chance next time. Some day, I'm going to bring him back."

Roy then tossed a fat burlap sack onto the table. "And I got us something good. Remember the Church of Virtue and their patron goddess? I made an agreement with them. They're now our allies."

"You managed something big without telling us again." Serrit shook the sack around. The clink of the coins within made him smile.

Lambert grinned sycophantically at him. "Say, minister of finance, care to give me some coins for drinks?"

"Shut up. You aren't getting even one copper. You're not in charge of finances. You have no idea how hard it is to run this place. The food, shelter, and research cost more than you think. And coins don't grow on trees like leaves."

***

"That's all for today." Letho said, "Lytta, take Kalkstein to the lab. Everyone else, we're going back to the children. Some of them need some walloping."

Coral hugged Roy and whispered something into his ear before she led Kalkstein away from the conference hall.

Everyone left, and only three remained in the conference room.

"I don't see Auckes and Dandelion anywhere," Roy said.

Geralt shook his head. "They're still having fun in Toussaint."

"I don't see Coen either," Roy added.

Vesemir looked at the sunset outside and shook his head. "Affairs of the heart. Common problems among pups. Coen and Igsena's relationship is in trouble. It's been days since we saw him. You're about his age, Roy. You should counsel that little Griffin when you have time."

"There's still a year from Cintra's fall. I have time," Geralt agreed. "Counsel the guy. Teach him your moves."

***

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