CHAPTER 44

"Are you crazy?" The dwarf stared at me and circled a short, fat finger around his temple. "He's an NPC!"

"He's a good guy, and he saved my life yesterday. Well, and he helped us today, too."

"Really, boys. One of you is probably a healer." Kro piped up in support as she rummaged through the witcher's corpse. "Gunther's cute, and he promised to give me a ride on his horse."

"Oh, come on. He'll die and come right back to life. Maybe not here, of course, but still..." The dwarf stood his ground.

"This one won't. His kind just leaves amulets behind," I answered gloomily. "Fine, if no one wants to heal him out of the goodness of their heart, I'll be happy to pay."

"Relax," the gray-bearded Petronius said calmly. "I'll do it."

He walked over to Gunther, reached out his hand, and whispered a spell.

A blue ray of light flashed into Gunther's chest, and the knight quivered slightly.

"Done. Healthy as an ox," the mage said.

I turned to him happily. "How much do I owe you?"

"Kids these days are all about the money. That isn't all there is, not even in this world." The mage shook his head reproachfully. "Some things don't come with a price tag."

Gunther pulled himself up on his elbows, lowered his head, and studied the gaping hole 1 his chest.

"I've heard of mages healing wounds so well you can't even see where they were, but I never thought I'd see it happen. And certainly not to me. Thank you!" He hopped up and bowed to Petronius.

"No problem." An obviously touched Petronius smiled. "That's what we mages are here for."

"Can you fix the hole in my breastplate?" the knight asked shyly. "It's just that my dad gave it to me, and if he finds out that I didn't take good care of it..."

"Don't get cocky, knight!" Petronius' tone was sharp, but I could tell from his face that he was enjoying Gunther's naivety.

"I would like to thank you, wise one, on behalf of myself and our order, for saving this blockhead's life." Hugo von Shlippenshtain walked over. "Know that you will always be a welcome guest at the Tearful Goddess Order."

"I'm flattered and grateful." The mage bowed his head. "But with that, I must take my leave."

Petronius nodded to us all, as the rest of our witcher-hunting band had come up to join Hugo, Gunther, and me, and turned toward Fladridge. The rest of the crowd was already moving in that direction, and the dwarf was still going on about how if you heal NPCs, then you'll stop killing goblins, too. Soon we'd all be nothing more than farmers growing turnips and tobacco.

Dwarves will be dwarves.

"I'd like to invite you all to the order mission," Master Hugo said. "We'll celebrate our victory and tie up some loose ends."

"One second, let me untie Duke." Gunther ran over to the oak, where his stallion was already tired of waiting.

"Hey! You promised to take me for a ride!" Kro ran after him incensed. "It would have been fine if you died. But you didn't, so a man's got to keep his word! Well, okay, not a man. Yes, I get it, you're not a man; you're a knight."

"This is ridiculous." Reineke shook his head. "Master, do you have any drinks at the mission?"

"Tsimiskhy!" Von Shlippenshtain bellowed out to the little brother as soon as he walked through the door.

"Bring our best wine to my office for my friends and me."

The scribe, who had apparently observed the entire battle, was somehow sitting at his desk. He stoically sighed, though he went off to get the wine without argument. The wine looked to be somewhere in the basement.

"After you, my friends."

Less than an hour after leaving for the battle, we once again found ourselves in the cozy room. A fire was again crackling in the fireplace. We had chalices of wine in our hands, though it still felt like the battle never actually happened.

Also, Kro and Gunther weren't there. Kro was off riding the horse and driving Gunther crazy with her questions. "Do you have a girlfriend? Have you ever?" She had plenty of stories for him, too. "So he came at me, and I smacked him in the mug with my sword—bam! Oh, sorry, you're blushing. You're so adorable!"

"That was quite the witcher. Level 107 is no joke." Romuil jumped in suddenly. "When he knocked us off to the sides and smacked Kro with a fireball, I thought we were goners. If it hadn't been for your guy..."

"Yes, von Richter performed admirably. In another year or so, I'll recommend him for the order's Chapter. That's why I'm so hard on him—things will be tougher there. The supreme master is a tyrant, and the Secret Keeper is no slouch either. He'll be smashed right up there in the armpit of power. I hope he'll be ready."

"That's for sure?" Reineke exhaled. "I'm just afraid even you will be a piece of cake after he finishes dealing with Kro."

"She's a nice girl and a good warrior," the master said. "I saw how she got up after she got hit by that fireball. She was smiling."

"I don't think that was just bravery. She isn't the brightest tool in the box." Reineke chuckled. "Though, to be fair, we all underestimated that guy. Good thing Leyton convinced me to bring another tank, otherwise who knows what would have happened. He'd probably have killed us all and gotten away."

"No, he wouldn't have gotten away," I said. "Everyone there would have jumped in and killed him just to see what would happen."

"Agreed." Reineke nodded. "Players have a policy of their own, regardless of what they write in the papers. It's just that their policy differs from the government's policy. Well, put it this way: it's in a different dimension."

Romuil laughed. "You're high as a kite! I have two questions for you. First, where do you get weed that strong? Second, how do you find the time to smoke it?"

Reineke and I laughed with him. Von Shlippenshtain diplomatically smiled, obviously not understanding the joke.

"Boys, that horsey is incredible!" Kro whirled into the room like a little hurricane. Behind her was Gunther, and I could see that it was all over with him.

Kro turned to Master Hugo. "And your Gunther is a peach! By the way, can he name me the lady of his heart? You know, do feats of valor in my honor, praise me in different countries, tell everyone that I'm the most beautiful in all the land, that type of thing? Like a normal knight?"

"That is not forbidden." Von Shlippenshtain's answer was somewhat evasive. "So long as he himself wants it."

"What say does he have in the matter? Kro got an idea in her head, and she's not going to let it go. Gunther, just be done with it and do what she says," Reineke said.

Gunther, who was less embarrassed than scared of the actually frightening expression on Kro's face, hurriedly addressed the group. "Yes, I am proud to announce that, from this moment on, Lady Krolina is the lady of my heart. I will cherish her devotion and, if need be, die for her honor and for her smile."

"That's so sweet!" The lady of his heart was touched and clasped her hands to her chest. "Dear von Richter, I give you my kiss and, to remember me by…" Kro dug in her pockets, coming up with a bunch of little knick-knacks: feathers, an earring, part of a chicken bone, a small diamond, and some sticky candies. "To remember me by...Oh! My hairpin!"

She thrust a hand into her long mane and dug out a shiny hairpin bedecked with a jewel.

"Tie it to some string and wear it on your chest. That way you'll remember me when you feel it or see it." Kro let out an emotional sob.

"Of course, fair lady." Richter got down on one knee and accepted the hairpin from her.

When he stood up, Kro kissed him on the cheek and wiped a dutiful tear from her eye-for some reason, from her right one.

"And with that, let's move on to business!" Reineke clapped his hands and pointed toward us. "Krolina, please tell everyone here what you got from the witcher's body. I saw you stripping him!"

"I didn't strip him—I gathered the fruit of my victory?" She sniffed with dignity.

Romuil jumped in to correct her. "Our victory."

"Our victory?" Kro wasn't about to argue, and instead began counting on her fingers. "Okay, let's see. There was a magic book, 5,000 gold, two rings, and that's it."

Von Shlippenshtain jumped. "Speaking of gold, I just remembered my promise to reimburse your mages for sending you to Fladridge."

"Please, don't mention it," Lis said firmly. "We're now friends in arms, so... Plus, the gold we got from the witcher will more than compensate us, and there'll still be 500 left over. We can't forget to split that, by the way."

"Well, now that the gold's out of the way, let's discuss the book," continued Kro briskly.

"I'd like to ask you to give the book to me. Neither I nor von Richter nor our order asks or will ask for any other part of the loot." Von Shlippenshtain's voice was quiet, if very distinct.

"You need it that much?" Kro looked at him with a seriousness in her eyes that I did not expect.

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