The young witcher and the gorgeous sorceress were engaged in a delightful discussion under the magical light.
"Coral, I didn't just get the Cat's recipe. By a twist of fate, I also got my hands on the Manticore's recipe."
"Hm?" Lytta froze for a moment. She was receiving a lot of good news at once. Her eyes glossed over, and her jaw dropped a little. She even looked a little adorable. "You didn't tell me you went to Haakland. Where'd you get that recipe?"
Coral had never seen any Manticores, but ancient records said that they came from either Zerrikania or Haakland, which were lands in the east of Blue Mountain.
"I bought it off a mysterious merchant, and it was… pricey, to say the least." Roy held his laughter down. Coral would never lose her composure as she was right now, but Roy loved to see her like this. She felt more human. I guess I'll have to surprise her more.
He showed the recipe, and Coral made a record of it. "Ratio of green, blue, and red mutagens are at six to one to one. That's different from the Viper's Trial. Mother's Tears, Wildrye Juice… Even the ingredients are different."
She stared at the paper with fervent, almost fanatical, glee. Roy had no doubt she would have started experimenting if she could. Most sorcerers were addicted to doing experiments.
Two minutes later, Roy asked, "Now that you've seen the recipe, can you tell me something? Which trial is safer? The Cat's, Manticore's, or Viper's?"
"I can't be sure until I hold all of them at least once, get their real-time data, and compare them side by side. Up until now, I've only held your Trial, but according to the recipe and my personal opinion, the Cat's trial is more dangerous than the Manticore's."
So should I go with the Manticore's Trial for my next goal? Roy massaged his forehead and pursed his lips. In the end, he made the decision to throw out that shocking question. "Can a witcher who's already gone through one Trial take a second one, but with a different school's recipe this time?"
"Where'd you get that dangerous idea?" Lytta put the recipe down and crossed her arms as she huddled closer to the telescope. She said sternly, "You can't fuse two recipes together. Don't do anything stupid."
Roy's heart sank.
"Every recipe has gone through generations of research and has been improved hundreds of times. The improvements only stopped when the witchers became enemies of the sorcerers who researched their mutation. After that, the recipes were finally settled. They might overlap in some places, but they contradict one another as well. Take the Viper and Manticore's Trials for example. You can take them at the same time or at two different times, but the result remains the same. You can't stop these Trials from fighting in your body. It'll bring you to ruin and rain agony down on you. And with how fatal the recipes are to begin with…" Something glinted in her eyes. "You might possibly die."
"So you mean the second Trial is deadlier than the first?" A hint of fear flashed in Roy's eyes. He could still remember how agonizing those months were, all the way back in the temple. If it weren't for Full Recovery, he would have been long-dead by now.
Even so, he had to walk this path despite the dangers. That was the road he had to take to raise his witcher rank. Besides, the road to power is always paved with risks. "But logically speaking, once someone passes the first test, they should see exponential growth in their resistance to decoctions. That resistance should carry through their second Trial and raise their chances of surviving it."
***
"You have a point, but I don't have any data to support that, nor have I heard any witcher taking two different Trials. All I have is my experience. The Trials will go against each other and make it more dangerous than ever."
She took a closer look at Roy and said gently, "I can probably guess what you're thinking. You want to gain more power through a second Trial, but you'd better not. Compared to the elevated risk, the power gain is nothing. The Trials overlap. A second Trial's powerup isn't as big as you think it is. You're still young, Roy. There's much joy to be had in your long, long life. There's no need to risk a second Trial. Learn about the witcher's path from that baldie and take each step as they come. That's the way to go."
"If I have an absolutely crucial reason to go through a second Trial…" Roy looked into her eyes again, this time with an unspoken plea in his gaze. "Will you help me, Coral? You're the only sorceress I know."
Coral pursed her lips and turned around angrily, her chest heaving. She only calmed down after a while. "You mean now?"
"No. A few months down the line, after the Cat's Trial is done. I haven't gotten everything I need for it." I need to fill my EXP bar. It should be enough after we come back from Kaer Morhen.
"You're stubborn. Do you want to die that much? Fine. I'll help. Maybe I can improve the recipe, if even just a little." She sighed. Coral wondered why the young witcher was so eager to face death. She whispered, "If things don't go well, at least I'll be the one to send you off."
Roy's face turned red with embarrassment and fear. He patted his chest and took a deep breath. "So are we okay with the Trial?"
She harrumphed.
"And now for the third point… Do you have any powerful sorcerer friends? One of the top three in the brotherhood in terms of power, perhaps?" Roy asked. I can try asking Coral for a mage's blood essence. I need it to power my Elder Blood up.
"You keep asking and asking. I'm not some sort of magical wish-granter." Coral raised her chin and gave Roy a look of displeasure.
She clapped her hands, and the light screen faded.
Silence fell upon the room, and the young witcher was alone, with nobody but the night breeze as his companion. "Looks like I backed her into a corner. I haven't even given her the gift." Roy sighed. He felt a little guilty too.
I guess I shouldn't keep asking for favors when we just met after two months. And he learned something from this. I should always be nice to the ladies before I request anything. First I should lavish them with praise, then…
And then the lights came back on. The magical screen reconvened, and Coral was sitting right behind it. She could see the young witcher opening his jaw in shock and regret. The sorceress covered her mouth and laughed happily. Roy could see her cleavage through the robe.
"I just love seeing that look on your face. You're so dumb." She pointed at the screen as if trying to poke his head, but then she stopped laughing. "But you're cute when you're dumb. Now, tell me what you want before I change my mind. I know powerful sorcerers, of course, but why do you want to see them?"
"Um…" Roy massaged his burning cheeks. Are women that capricious no matter their age?
"Can you hook me up with them? I have a business proposition. I need some of their blood essence."
"What'd you say?"
"Their blood essence." Oh, she's not looking too happy. Roy quickly explained, "We can sign a contract for that. I won't use it to hurt them."
"Do you think it's that easy, Roy?" Lytta shook her head. "They won't even give you a drop of blood, let alone their essence. Sorcerers at their rank think a lot more than just the surface reason, but there is a way." Lytta stared down and hesitated for a moment.
"Forget it." Roy didn't want to force his friend to do something she didn't want to. There's always another way. He grinned. "And before we say goodbye, I have a present for you."
"What is it?" And then a strong gust of wind blew inside the room. The curtains flew out the window, and a square portal appeared in the air.
Lytta leapt out of the whirlpool. Just a moment ago, she was in a white robe, but now it was changed into a purple, low-cut dress. And she had light makeup on too. The sorceress was gleaming and ready to go.
She huddled closer to the witcher, and they could hear each other's breathing. Lytta was all smiles, looking forward to the present.
Roy's heart skipped a beat. Why do I feel like she's already prepared for this? "It's—"
"We can talk about that later," Lytta interrupted him and held his hand. She waved her hand and chanted something. The sheer amount of mana made Roy's pendant vibrate.
A second portal opened, and the two of them entered it. The air current blew everything in the room away.
They made a splash when they left, and Letho came in just a moment later. All he saw was an empty room and a warm telescope. The bald witcher sighed. That woman took Roy away. Again! "She's going to suck him dry sooner or later."
***
The silvery moon shone on a couple on a boat. They were sitting across from each other, their knees touching. A vast ocean slept around them. Gusts of sea breeze blew through the boat, billowing the sorceress' hair and kissing the witcher's cheeks.
Roy could taste the scent of rose coming from her, but he was a little confused. What's going on? Why the beach? And why are we on a boat? I thought she was going to have her beauty sleep.
"You didn't disappoint, Roy. So where's the present?" Lytta peered at the young witcher and extended her hand.
"Here. I hope you like it." Roy scratched his nose and took the pearl necklace out of his inventory space. He looted it from Alonso's chamber, of course. Kantilla took the zircon. She was going to embed it into her blades.
The pearls glinted under the moon, reflecting its silvery shimmer. Nobody could take their eyes off something so gorgeous.
Lytta stared at the necklace in delight. Her joy was almost palpable. No woman could resist the allure of jewelry, not even her. However, she didn't take it in a hurry. Instead, she turned around and pushed her hair aside, revealing her slender neck.
Wait. What is she trying to say? Roy looked at the necklace and her neck. Oh.
He carefully placed the necklace around her neck. As he brushed his finger against her supple skin, he could feel her life force bursting underneath.
She turned around and held his hand. Lytta stared at Roy, almost pursing her lips. "So, how do I look?"
Roy looked at the moon, the stars, and the twinkle in her eyes. Alright, Roy. Time for praise. You got this. Remember what Auckes always says.
"You shine like a beacon, like glittering stars on a cloudless night sky. Colors most vibrant glimmer in your eyes. As beautiful as the moon is, your smile proves more captivating."
"Someone has a glib tongue. Where'd you learn that from?"
"I can't remember. Auckes probably told me about it. You don't like it?"
"Not at all. Give me more."
Roy started reciting as the boat slowly swam into the coast, the waves propelling it ahead. The couple eventually started whispering closely.
"Is this your dream, Coral? A vacation on the sea?"
"What? You don't want to come with me?"
"No. I just heard that Ofir is a faraway kingdom. We might have to row for months."
"We'll get there eventually. All we have to do is progress."
"What if the storms and waves break our boat?"
"Then we'll get another boat. But I have a question for you. You've been reluctant to talk, but…" She asked, "Why did you tell me not to travel to Sodden Hill?"
"It’s complicated. And it's a long story. It's about a dream I had."
"It's alright. The night is still young. Tell me all about it. I'd love to hear." Lytta leaned against Roy's lap, and she stared at him gently.
Roy rowed the boat while he told Lytta about the entire story.
The couple was steadily heading in the direction of the moon that was hanging over the sea.
***
***
