The Divine Hunter

The sorceress' face glinted from the flames' light. There were some lines on her face, which were the spices the vampire dabbed on her before Roy's intervention. Rather than a sorceress, Triss looked like a princess from Zerrikania.

She was captured by an evil beast and trapped on a stone bed. Eagerly, she waited for a prince to swoop in and rescue her.

"Who are—" To her surprise, she noticed the disappearance of the magic that was binding her. Triss sat up, but the prolonged lack of movement numbed her whole body.

Her legs gave out. She stepped on her right foot and fell straight into the witcher's arms. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could. She resembled a lady who was ecstatic to see her lover after a long hiatus, and she buried her face in his chest for a long, long time.

She looked up and met the witcher's gaze, but he had a weird look on his face. There was confusion and also feigned calmness in his eyes. For some reason, Triss eased up, and a desire welled within her. The desire to lean onto the witcher for a while longer.

"We meet again, Miss Triss Merigold." Roy helped her sit back down on the stone bed and smiled, though it was a weary smile. "I'm Roy of the Viper School. Do you remember me?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Triss quickly composed herself and whipped a handkerchief out to wipe the spices off her cheeks. And to hide the blush underneath. She said, "Roy, the Ender of Filth and the Sewer Butcher. Vizima's opera would put that show on from time to time. And you've changed a lot."

"Oh, alright. Sewer Butcher it is." Roy kissed the back of her hand and sighed. "And you're still as gorgeous as ever. But how did you end up in a dangerous place like this?" Roy feigned ignorance.

He stared at the sorceress. Her cheeks were unusually red, and there were tears in her eyes. If this were Coral, Roy would have quickly checked for a fever. "Are you alright? I have some potions if you need them. Sorry if they aren't really great though."

Triss shook her head and took a deep breath. The last bit of electricity coursed through her hand, and then it was gone. She felt great and was enjoying this moment.

She recounted her tale and stared at the witcher with gleaming eyes. "You killed that monster, didn't you? How did you do it? And what was that big squid?"

"Oh, it was already badly injured when I fought it. It was pure luck. I think the squid was an illusion it created to scare me." Roy lied as naturally as he breathed.

The look on her face did not escape Roy. He added, "There's another reason. A famous alchemist by the name of Kalkstein sponsored me. He wanted me to track the vamp down and kill it. Even decked me out with a lot of magical equipment. Like the latest bomb he invented. Can even kill a dragon. And that's how it was injured."

That explanation was believable. Triss knew about Kalkstein, and she wasn't surprised he would ask someone to hunt down a higher vampire. Most people would give those monsters a wide berth.

"Lady Triss, I have a request," Roy blurted, his gaze still on Triss.

"Huh?" Triss trembled, and her jaw dropped a little. She hung her head low like a disappointed child. "I-I swear to the goddess of magic, I will keep this fight a secret, or I shall be turned into a hideous hag."

"Thank you."

"No, I should be the one saying thank you, Roy." Triss held her talisman. Her face was still pale, and she shuddered. "You saved me from that man-eating monster. Had you not stepped in, I would be nothing but bones by now. I owe you my life." She stared straight into the witcher's eyes. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were glistening, and she was smiling. "How can I ever thank you?"

"You'd refuse a mage's gift? Even after you've saved her life?" There was discontent in Triss' voice. She pushed herself up and wobbled over to the witcher. Her strength had not fully returned just yet.

The scent of roses wafted in the air, but it wasn't as strong as Coral's. It was more… refreshing. Invigorating. "I didn't mean that." Roy shook his head in resignation. "Just… let me think about it, okay?"

"Sure, take your time. Money, items, anything. As long as I can do it." Slowly, she wobbled past the witcher and looked around the chamber, but all she saw was the rough aftermath of the battle. She blinked in confusion. "Where's the corpse?"

Roy stood by her side. Her hair was even more lustrous than Coral’s. "Turned into a puddle of blood and disappeared after it died."

No, he was lying again. Roy tucked the empty shell of a corpse into the coffin Kalkstein gave him and hid it in his inventory space. It was an important item for a request, after all.

And Roy had gotten the second item for his Elder Blood's power up—a higher vampire's essence. Now all he needed was the essence of a dragon, and he could make a potion to evolve his bloodline.

A frown furrowed Triss' forehead. Suspiciously, she turned around. "But higher vampires are immortal. Are you sure they can die—"

The sentence was never finished. Triss was standing too close to the witcher, and the moment she turned around, she found her chest pressing against him, and her forehead was touching his lips.

"Are you hurt, Triss?" the witcher asked softly.

He held her arm, and for some inexplicable reason, she fell into his embrace. The sorceress gave him an apologetic look, her eyes glistening with tears. With a weak voice, she said, "Sorry, I think I hurt my leg." She sniffed the air, taking in the scent of the witcher once more.

Roy shot her a look of suspicion.

'HP: Very healthy.'

The two of them were millimeters away from each other. Past the table of spices they went, and slowly, they arrived at the other end of the cave. There, they saw a few human skeletal remains, a grill, a cauldron, and a burlap sack. That was everything Gruffyd had.

It was but a short journey, but a weird feeling filled Triss' heart. As if she were affected by an overdose of anesthetic, she felt currents of electricity coursing through her body.

And she loved it. She couldn't help it. A feeling of love welled within her, and a desire to do something took over her mind. It was her wish to fill the void in her life. She wanted to do something to bring life to her dried-up heart.

But then Roy suddenly clapped his hands, ending her train of thought. He placed her on the table of spices and quickly untied the burlap sack in the chamber, and then he pulled out a leather book. "The guy kept a diary? Boy, was he unorthodox."

He turned around once more. "Are you sure you don't need anything, Triss? You're as red as an apple. You're probably down with a cold."

Triss hung her head low. Her hair covered her face, keeping Roy from seeing the look she was making. "No, it's alright. Read what's in that, okay?" She rubbed her burning cheeks. There was a hint of embarrassment and disappointment in her voice.

Roy cleared his throat and opened the brown leather book. The first line was written in Nilfgaardian.

Roy and Triss exchanged a look.

"And this journal alone talks of the central army and the third group. Judging from that alone, there are more troops we don't know of. We're facing an army of tens of thousands. And that's a conservative estimation. This is more than what His Majesty has planned for."

Triss did not look happy at all. She was clenching a lock of her hair tightly. "Can Cintra even hold them off?"

The concern in her eyes did not escape Roy. "You're going to sell that information to Foltest, aren't you?"

Roy tossed the journal to her, and she took it, albeit surprised. She didn't understand why Roy would give her something so valuable without any hesitation.

"I am a witcher. That thing is of no use to me. You may do as you please, but leave me out of this."

Roy wanted to try something. He wanted to see if Adda's dissuasion and the evidence Triss had could convince Foltest to change his mind and send some reinforcements to Cintra. He'd like to see if his actions could delay Cintra's annihilation for a bit longer or even alter the course of history. The chance was slim, but it was worth a try.

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