An Exchange

Chapter 410

Noon.

The sun hung high in the sky, scorching the air of Vizima. Gusts of dreary hot wind trudged through the streets and entered the temple area. The hot wind's kiss overwhelmed the people with a sense of drowsiness, excluding a certain someone in a moss-filled alleyway.

A muscular witcher with wild eyes appeared in the alley. What lay behind him was a pile of rotting garbage that filled the air with a rancid, nauseating scent. Flies buzzed in the air, and two men gobbled up all the rotten food from the dump, barking like dogs.

Roy tossed the orens into the air and wiped the disgusting water off his boots by scrubbing the soles against the ground.

Back when the church was still around, the knights would patrol these areas, scaring off any petty criminals from committing any crimes. The safety and hygiene of this place saw a huge boost, but now that the church was gone, the temple area once again became synonymous with squalor and street crime.

Roy was just passing by, and already two men tried to rob him. Lebioda's hospital and the church of Eternal Fire were just nearby. This was a transgression against what was holy. Roy, in all his magnanimity, purged a few of the pieces of scum from Vizima. He used Puppet and made them think they were dogs. And then he robbed them.

"Berengar's not here." Roy sighed, his eyes dim. Roy wanted to see Berengar, but he was nowhere to be found. After some digging around, he was told Berengar had left Vizima for two months. Nobody knew where he went. "Guess that mission will have to be put on hold."

Roy made some complex gesture with his left hand and tossed the coins into the air. He caught them with his right hand, but when he opened his hand once more, the coins were gone.

***

Roy stood in front of a villa in the trade quarter. Slowly, the oak door creaked open, and a shrill male voice spoke in delight. "Roy, my boy! Come in! Motherfucking Destiny brought you to me at the right time!"

Onto the blue rug the witcher stepped, and through the porch he crossed. The house blotted out most sunlight, and for a moment, darkness greeted him. But then the lights turned on, and the door swung shut all by itself.

Within the spacious lobby stood a man in a saffron robe. He strode over to Roy, the magical lamps shining on him. His greasy, dark brown hair was plastered to the back of his head, and dandruff covered his shoulders. An unkempt goatee hung from his chin, and his brow ridge jutted out. His nose was flat, and his face looked mousey. This man was like an anthropomorphic animal in a robe.

Roy held back his laughter. "Still as… unique as usual, Kalkstein."

The witcher and the alchemist shook hands. The witcher's arm was powerful, while the other was covered with black hair. If Roy didn't know better, he would have thought he was shaking hands with a baboon.

Kalkstein rolled his bloodshot eyes and his face broke into a bizarre grin. There was this weird excitement shining in his eyes. He led Roy to the sofa and poured him a cup of steaming black liquid that smelled like herbs.

"Been ten years since we last met, eh? So what brings you here? You wanna learn more about alchemy?" Kalkstein pinched his goatee and looked at the young witcher from head to toe. And then he nodded. "Heterochromatic eyes, body stronger than a bull's, and I can practically feel the magic coming from you. Did you go through a second Trial? Must have improved, then. And you came at the right time."

"Kalkstein, it hasn't even been two years since we last met." Roy cocked his eyebrow and pulled a squirrel out of his hood. He placed it on the table and told it to test out that liquid for him.

"Ah, pardon my poor memory. Researchers have a bad habit of losing track of time." He looked away for a moment and continued calmly. "But that's not the point. Point is, I ran into some trouble, and I need someone strong to help me out. But I can't be arsed to put up a formal request, so can you help me out here?" He scratched his head, and dandruff flew everywhere like snow. "I can teach you some advanced alchemy techniques in return."

"A minute, please. I didn't come here to learn. It's about something else." Time is money to him. Guess I don't have to beat around the bush. He cut to the chase. "I'd like you to improve the Trial of the Grasses for me. But you might have to move to Novigrad for that."

Kalkstein tilted his head and held his right hand beside his ear. He huddled closer to the witcher and asked, "What'd you say?"

"You might have to move to Novigrad."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"Improve the Trial of the Grasses."

The smile was wiped off Kalkstein's face. He put his hands on his hip, his beady eyes going as wide as they could. With wariness in his eyes, Kalkstein stared at Roy. It was a simple question, but Kalkstein made it look like it was a matter of life or death.

Roy too kept his silence. A smile curled his lips, and he stared back at the alchemist with a genuine plea in his eyes.

Thirty seconds later, Kalkstein shook his head. "Not interested. My request and yours are two different things entirely. If you help me out, you can have anything you want, but not that. I can't waste a year on this. That's twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty-five days." He spat a string of numbers, but his eyes did not leave the witcher. In the end, he raised his voice. "That's about a hundred thousand orens."

Roy gasped. Wow, he's demanding. "Ten thousand orens," Roy haggled curtly.

"What'd you say?"

"If you help us, I'll pay you ten thousand orens?" I can feel the savings. It's even less than what I proposed to Coral.

Kalkstein froze for a moment, but his hand trembled. Shock and humiliation welled in his heart, and he hissed, "You think this is a market, boy? What are you, a merchant? A ninety percent cut is ridiculous. Do you have any idea how much I can make in one minute?"

"Well, if you can't do it, then you'll have to find someone else to do your request." Roy shook his head regrettably. He picked Gryphon up, but he noticed something wrong with it. "Oi, wake up!"

The squirrel stood on his palm, holding his index finger with its two little paws. It was wobbling and shuffling around, and Roy saw it burp.

"Don't worry. I put some dwarven liquor in that. It's probably drunk." Kalkstein snapped his fingers, and a soft meow came from the shadows of the second floor. Down came a fat, black cat. It attempted its best catwalk and leapt onto the table before the fireplace. The cat raised its tail high up into the air and meowed once more.

"Hey, Sandru. You got fat. Life has been well for you, I see." Roy rubbed Sandru's belly, and the cat kept stretching its paw at the drunk Gryphon. Apparently, it could recognize its old friend.

"Leave your pet in Sandru's care, Roy. I guarantee no harm will come to it, or I'll be your slave. Now let's talk about my request. You'll love the reward."

***

"Not interested. Do you have any idea how much I can make in a minute? I am not going to waste my time here. Novigrad calls," Roy mocked. He stood up and rubbed Sandru's whiskers, holding Gryphon by its bushy tail and swaying it before the cat.

Kalkstein winced, his golden tooth shining under the lamp. He held his fists together and contemplated his options. Finally, he said, "Fine, you little tyke. If you can finish this job, I'll help you out with the Trial. Free of charge. But only for a year. Once it's up, I'm leaving. I have other fish to fry."

***

It was Roy's turn to be surprised. Never did he expect the mad alchemist to relent without much resistance. "I take it this is a difficult mission?" He placed Gryphon on Sandru's back, and the cat darted off to the second floor. "So, what kind of bird are you turning me into this time?"

"It is slightly more difficult than your last mission." Kalkstein rubbed his fingers together. "But your magic feels so powerful. More powerful than most witchers. I'd wager you possess unusual strength. With my exquisite equipment and potions, I'm sure you can get me a living sample."

"No. I am but a regular witcher who does not charge into imminent danger." I have a bad feeling about this. "So tell me, what's the target this time?"

"A higher vampire."

Silence fell upon the room. The only sound was the alchemist's heartbeats. Roy stared into his beady eyes, trying to see if he was joking.

"I am not joking. Your target this time is a noble of the bloodsuckers. A higher vampire that possesses the appearance of a regular human."

Roy kept quiet and tried to leave.

"Hey, wait! Wait, you bloodsucker!" Sweat poured forth from Kalkstein's head, but he managed to pull Roy back down.

The young witcher rubbed his cheeks and heaved a sigh. Be it as it may, his recent powerup still might not be enough for him to wage battle against a higher vampire. Their stats were ridiculously high. At least thirty points in Dexterity alone. That was double what Roy had.

But he was tempted. He needed the blood of a higher vampire to strengthen his own Elder Blood. And yet he faked a sigh of resignation. "So tell me, you brilliant alchemist. What kind of research are you doing this time? And where did you find this higher vampire?"

"Hah! I knew you weren't a coward like the others." Kalkstein scratched his balding hair and put his hands behind his back. Slowly, he circled the sofa. "Not too long ago, the House of the Queen of the Night's owner contacted me."

Shocked, Roy asked, "You expect me to take her down in battle?"

"No. You misunderstand me." Kalkstein shot Roy a look of surprise. "I see you know who she really is."

"I am a monster hunter. Of course I know what she is." Roy said, "She's a higher vampire."

"Yes, and a powerful one at that." Kalkstein nodded. "To cross her would mean my death. So I kept an amicable relationship with her. She's a regular. Buys a lot of aphrodisiacs from me and sells them to her customers."

"But I thought she was a pacifist?" Roy asked.

"Technically, yes. She hides well, and she never breaks any law. Never kills any innocents. She employs a more peaceful way to get her food. A way that's fun, so to speak. And she never oversteps her boundaries. And so, she has lived among us safely for decades."

Roy heaved a sigh of relief. This part was exactly like how he remembered, but the Queen of the Night's underlings were humans, not bruxa. At least that was what he knew. If she had employed bruxa, the officials would have sniffed her out immediately.

"I am curious about them. I'd like to dissect one and see what they're made of. A nigh invincible body is something worth researching, but never would I make a move against them." Kalkstein said warily. "She has an equally powerful lover residing in Fen Carn. Not to mention she's a generous customer. Unless absolutely necessary, I'd like to stay on good terms with her.

Huh. So her lover is Regis the barber, I guess.

"But I really want a specimen to examine. It's an even more tempting subject than the Lady of the Lake." He stared at the corner of the room, muttering to himself. "But making a move against the lady is equally foolhardy. Not too long ago, the Queen of the Night purchased top-quality black blood. Blood witchers use against vampires. Oh, don't look so surprised. I'm more than two-hundred years old. Of course I'd have picked up a trick or two. But then it begs the question: Who would she be poisoning with that?"

It sounded like a question for Roy, but the young witcher thought Kalkstein was also talking to himself.

"And so I conducted some investigations of my own. And I found out about some murders. Murders that took place in rural Vizima. The victims were torn apart like they were eaten by feral beasts. And the Queen of the Night would make her appearance at the crime scenes with the black blood she bought from me."

"So another higher vampire has made its appearance in Vizima?" Roy blurted. "Some uninvited guest came and broke all the laws, killed innocents, and sucked their blood without a care in the world. And its actions angered her."

Kalkstein clapped loudly. "I expected no less from a monster hunter. That was the conclusion I had arrived at as well. A new higher vampire has made its appearance, and it has crossed a local. This is my chance."

"It is possible that a lower vampire might be the criminal. Or perhaps it was a werewolf."

"None of those would draw her eyes to them," Kalkstein argued adamantly. "Trust me, Roy. My instincts are never wrong. The killer must be a higher vampire, and I want to capture the intruder, imprison it, and make it my perpetual test subject." Bright lights shone within the mad alchemist's eyes. He looked like a starving man who just saw a feast unfurling right in front of him. He was trembling uncontrollably, his voice filled with near-fanaticism.

"A higher vampire can last me for half a century. I, the great Kalkstein, shall leave my peers in the dust and become the first mage to research the magical creature called higher vampire."

***

"Full marks for bravery, Kalkstein. But think long and hard. There's a reason why your peers wouldn't attack a higher vampire." Roy crossed his arms and destroyed Kalkstein's fanaticism without a shred of hesitation. "You can't kill a higher vampire with any regular methods we know. Imprisoning one is playing with fire at close range while you have kerosene smeared all over yourself. If it escapes, the results will not be pretty, and I'm talking about a Vizima-level threat."

"You have heard of this near-immortal species as well. Aren't you the least bit curious about their secrets? If you can imbibe the Trial with some of their powers…"

Roy made that assumption and ran some tests in his head, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Risk is part and parcel of research." The goading went on. "This might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I'm not about to give up. If you find out where it is and manage to capture it, I'll share some of the research results and work for you for a year."

"Why don't you ask the Queen of the Night for help, then? You're both interested in the intruder."

"I did, but regrettably, she wouldn't let me take it. My guess? Some powerful restriction of their race is prohibiting them from doing so."

"And that's understandable. No matter how brutal or unreasonable that higher vampire is, she would not let anyone dissect her kind. Only a traitor would do that."

Kalkstein shook his head again. "And that's why I need your help."

Silence took over for a moment. Roy still had his concerns. "I'm no match for a higher vampire in battle. Especially a one-on-one fight."

"Don't worry. I'll be helping you." Kalkstein took a deep breath. With confidence in his heart, he said, "My items and your prowess are top-notch even by themselves. But combined? Combined, we will be unstoppable. And no need to hold back for my sake. Just go all in and incapacitate it. Cut its head off, pull its heart out, what do I care? Turn it into mincemeat, and I'll still take it."

So the mad alchemist will be helping me on this dangerous hunt. A hunt for a higher vampire that has killed innocents. A raging urge welled within Roy's heart, telling him to test the limits of his abilities with this battle.

Once again, he turned his sights on Kalkstein, a deep frown furrowing his forehead. "I make no guarantees. I will do this to the best of my abilities, but if anything happens, my safety comes first. And we'll have to sign a contract. A fair contract. The items you provide for the hunt must be a part of the reward we agreed upon. And no refunds on that part."

Kalkstein looked reluctant, but he gritted his teeth, and his face contorted with greed. "You have a deal."