Golden sunshine pierced the window, shining on a scar-filled face. Kiyan opened his eyes and looked at the yellowish-brown ceiling over his head.
He turned around on his bed. The walls were yellow and cracked, and the room was small but clean. His bed was made of nothing but hay and hemp cloth. Even so, he mustered an ugly, genuine smile.
So it's true. I'm not trapped anymore. I'm back. For the first time in thirty years, he had a good night's sleep as a regular human should. And he even had a dream.
He dreamt that his body was healed, and he had also retired from the world of monster hunting. Kiyan dreamed that he was running a business in Novigrad and bought a house with the profit he made. In that dream, he married a woman with generous buttocks, and they adopted a pair of ankle-biters.
His family lived a simple, happy life of working as small merchants. But alas, it was nothing but a dream. I still have to face this cruel, cruel reality in the end.
Kiyan touched his gaunt body and shook his head. He changed into a grey shirt, a pair of tight leather pants, a cloak, and a hood. Of course, he couldn't forget about the most important things: the mask and sunglasses to hide his face.
If I reveal any part of my body, everyone in Novigrad is going to think I'm a ghoul.
The door cracked open. Kiyan enjoyed the sunlight and breeze that was coming from the canal. He narrowed his eyes.
It was early dawn, and the young Viper was in the yard. He was humming as he brushed the fur of that unneutered stallion called Wilt.
Wilt was clearly enjoying this. It flipped its lip up, revealing a row of teeth as it spewed saliva everywhere. The stallion rubbed its teeth against Roy's neck and cheek affectionately.
A petite blue-gray finch with a maroon beak stood on the star-shaped mark on Wilt's forehead. It craned its neck and trilled happily before hopping into the witcher's hair and making a little nest there.
The little creature kept on singing as if it were cheering for the young witcher. Roy kept on moving his brown brush across Wilt's body with the bird perched on his head. There was a gentle smile on his face.
Kiyan felt his frustration relieved a little just from seeing this. I think I needed something more for my dream. That's right. Animals. A cat and a dog would work fine.
***
Kiyan was about to say hi, but then a well-built lady with a Mohican hairstyle came barging in and approached Roy just to happily grab his arm. She then took his brush and helped him with Wilt's grooming. The lady would keep touching Roy with her shoulder and back.
Kiyan's smile froze, and his hand hung in midair. I can't believe they're flirting right in front of me! He shook his head and sighed. Things aren't looking good for me.
Even back when he was on the Flying Stag, Kiyan was already planning to save up enough money to retire and find someone to marry, but his plan was ruined. Even drowners would find his looks deplorable, let alone women.
"Hey, Kiyan." Roy gently pushed the laughing Kantilla away and smiled at Kiyan. "So, how are you feeling? Getting used to the place yet?"
"Compared to that hard-as-rocks operating theater? This place is heaven."
"Then you should get some sleep. Thirty years of being awake must have taken a toll on you."
"No. On the contrary. I've been sleeping for thirty years and two days. I've had more than enough sleep." Kiyan shook his head, smiling bitterly.
His raspy voice and mysterious past caught Kantilla's attention, but she didn't ask him any questions. Roy told her it would be rude if she did.
Kiyan was starting to look forward to the new day. "I just wanna stroll around Novigrad and see what the years have done to the world. Where's everyone else?"
"Probably at the apothecary shop right now. They'll come back at noon. Let's go, Kiyan. I'll take you on a tour around this place."
Roy led his horse back to the stables and told the little bird to keep an eye on things before stuffing it into the saddlebag.
They left the house and went through the winding alleyways before passing an ancient stone bridge that led into the bustling business district.
Kiyan stared around him curiously. The free city changed faster than anyone could keep up with. It had been this way forever. The Novigradians were a lot more stylish than they were thirty years ago. Back then, people were wearing nothing but black, grey, and white shirts. Now they were in purple, red, blue, and all kinds of colors. The clothes looked different, and they even paired them up with accessories like rings, belts, earrings, necklaces, and head accessories.
Fashion was alive in all Novigradians, regardless of their status.
"As long as you don't slack off, you can always find a job and survive in Novigrad." Roy was looking around as well.
It was the early hours of the morning, but Novigrad's streets were already packed with people. Coolies pushing carts filled with cargo, merchants with pot bellies that were resplendently dressed, as well as regular people who were there to sweat off. All of them looked lively and ready to face the day.
"But if you don't try to keep up, you'll be eliminated soon enough, and people like that live worse lives than sewer rats."
***
The trio went past a store selling vegetables and dried fruit and entered the center of the district. Surprisingly, the Eternal Fire guards nearby were alerted to their arrival.
The sun was shining bright, and Kiyan's outfit looked out of place in this situation. Even in a city that gathered every kind of person imaginable, Kiyan still stood out. On top of that, he was accompanied by a witcher and an obviously exotic woman. This group stood out among the people.
Two guards in chain mail quickly approached them.
"Halt! Mandatory checkpoint. Please remain silent."
The guard was looking at them suspiciously, especially when it came to Kiyan.
Kiyan's heart sank. An overzealous look of judgment didn't sit well with someone who just broke out of his prison of thirty years. He instinctively tensed up and got ready to battle, but Roy gave him a look that said, 'It'll be fine.'
***
The young guard with green stubble took a step ahead and was about to search them, but his companion grabbed his arm. He noticed Roy's pendant and his feline eyes. Just a while ago, his superior told him to give the witchers a wide berth, and that fact alone made him wary.
"He's a new guy, witcher. He needs more training, so don't take it to heart. We're very sorry we interrupted you and your friends." He nodded apologetically and dragged his confused colleague away.
Kiyan was astounded. He thought those guards would try to bully him. From what he knew, aside from the kingdoms of Kovir and Poviss, which were inhabited by scientists, madmen, and adventurers, everyone in every other kingdom and city bore nothing but scorn against witchers.
Did something big change in the thirty years I wasn't around? Did someone turn our reputation around? "What was that, Roy? Did the guards of Novigrad just bow to us? They bowed to witchers?"
"We were in dire straits when we first came to this place." Roy grinned. "But Cats and Vipers worked together and flexed on the gang lords of this city. Novigrad upholds the creed of 'might makes right.' The more powerful you are, the more respect you gain. After that, we went our own ways and never interfered with their business. United we stand."
Roy gave Kiyan a knowing look, and the Cat mused on it. Over all the decades of working in this line of work, this was his first time witnessing witchers moving as a group. All witchers used to be lone wolves, and there were no exceptions.
"Is teamwork the trend now?"
"We're here."
Kiyan heard dwarves hammering away at something. The trio saw their companions outside the shops. Auckes, Serrit, Letho, Felix, and Carl were there.
Felix waved his hand and led Carl to his friend.
The boy had dark circles under his eyes. He greeted Felix carefully.
"Good morning, Kiyan." And then he was reminded of Kiyan's horrifying face.
"Had another nightmare, did you?" Kiyan joked. He patted the boy's head, and Carl started shivering in fear. All the color was drained from his face. "I think you should train him more, Felix. Courage training, that is. If he's this timid, he won’t pass the trial."
"What training?" Felix cocked his eyebrow and remarked, "Looking at your face every day is already training for him."
The Cats laughed heartily and bumped their fists.
Kiyan was a lot more resilient than Felix thought. Even after being transformed into a monster because of the hell a bastard put him through, he still faced the challenge of having to disguise himself bravely.
The Vipers respected that.
***
"What's the deal with this apothecary shop?" Kiyan looked into the shop curiously and saw a few dwarves hammering away at the walls. "Are you guys going to retire and start a business?"
"The Vipers bought this place, and I invested some money into it," Felix said. "Just some insurance just in case we lose our jobs down the line. And this isn't the only shop we have. The ballroom next door belongs to them too."
Kiyan's eyes sparkled. He might have lived in seclusion for the last three decades, but he knew how valuable Novigrad's land was. "Did you rob a whole treasury?"
"Well, not technically." Auckes wiggled his eyebrows. "But we did strike a bit of gold together."
"So, you wanna work with us, Kiyan?" Roy half-joked. "We'll call you the next time something like this shows up."
Kiyan leaned against the wall and deliberated over it. "You might have to wait. Once I find that missing diagram on the Flying Stag, I'll hand it over to you, and then I'll make that bastard pay for what he did to me."
"But first, you need to rest," Serrit said. "We'll try and see if we can heal you. There are healers, druids, and priests of Melitele who can help."
"He's right, Kiyan. The blueprint and that bastard can wait," Felix said. "We need to get you healed."
"Thank you for your concern, my friends." Kiyan shook his head bitterly. "But nobody knows my situation better than I do. I was skinned alive, and the wounds formed scabs. They healed up in an abnormal way, and there's no way to heal this. Magic's not omnipotent, or at least that's what my experience tells me. Not even sorcerers, priests, or druids can wave the scars away and regrow my skin. Nobody can."
Roy was reminded of something else. During the Battle of Sodden Hill, Triss lost her hair and sustained multiple burns on her body. Even after using incantations, healing liquid, holy items, and herbs, there were still a few scars left. Because of that, she seldom wore her beloved low-cut dresses after the battle.
It was the same thing with Filippa. She couldn't have her eyes regrown. Magic's not omnipotent.
"There's no way out of this. Unless I make a wish to a djinn. Either that or I live with this face my whole life," Kiyan said surely.
"Sorcerers might be unable to heal you, but I won't put a certain something else beyond that." Felix then stopped talking.
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the holy acorns we took away from the crones in No Man's Land, people?"
"What kind of acorn is that?" Kiyans' voice was starting to tremble with hope.
"It's a magical fruit that possesses powerful healing abilities," Roy explained. He still had three acorns and the Brewess' arm and ladle sitting in his inventory space.
"The acorn contains the oak's essence. It can heal anything, even broken limbs. A dying man can get a new life just by eating it."
Kiyan was starting to tremble.
Roy didn't want to dash his hope, but he said, "But there's a little side effect. You lose most of your memories if you eat it."
Kiyan stopped trembling. He stared at the ground and started engaging in an internal struggle. His fingers were shivering, and a moment later, he shook his head. "That's a shame. I'm not me if I lose my memories, and just when I regained control of my body after three decades too. I don't want to lose myself a second time, so I'll pass. By the way, do you need anyone to work in the apothecary shop? I'd like to make some crowns while I search for the diagram and the bastard, but nobody's going to hire me when I look like… you know, a monster. I'd have to meet up with the employer for any requests I take, and they won't hire me if they see my face." He pleaded. "I'm a decent alchemist. I might have been locked away for decades, but I still have my experience. All I need is some practice, and I'll be good as new."
This was a new life, and he couldn't possibly rely on his friends forever. He needed a source of income.
Roy looked at his companions and extended his hand. "We'd love for an alchemist to join us."
The young witcher had his own plans, of course. From what he knew, Kiyan was a cruel man even before he was locked up. He took a lot of assassination requests, and a lot of the victims were innocent people. But after he talked to Kiyan, the Cat surprisingly wasn't loud or insufferable. He had a line he would never cross, but that wasn't enough to deem him passable for the job.
Since the Vipers would set off for Kaer Morhen, they needed some capable men to look after their business premises in Novigrad. Felix and Kiyan were the best they had, and as a cherry on top, they could also guard the ballroom.
"Happy to be on board." Kiyan laughed raspily. He felt a weight getting lifted off his shoulders.
"As long as you don't mind the lower rates. And there aren't many witchers left. We should band together."
The witchers put their hands together.
Kiyan felt like roaring in delight. This was the best day in his life after being freed of that demon. He never felt this level of trust and selfless help before from anyone. Perhaps I should stay after I get my revenge?
***
***
