System of the Beast Slayer [litrpg Adventure]
Copyright© 1999 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 187
At daybreak, the long night of harvest came to an end.
The young Witcher led the Sorceress past heaps of bonfires burned down to ash along the streets and returned to the Witcher’s hut.
Letho and the brothers Orin had already shaken off the revelry of the night before. Not a trace of it showed on their faces. Their simple gear was packed, and they stood ready to depart.
The moment the Witcher and the Sorceress stepped inside, three pairs of sharp eyes snapped toward them.
“By the gods, am I seeing things? Impossible...” Orin covered his mouth and burst into exaggerated cries. “What do we have here? A fledgling of the Viper School actually managed to take a Sorceress out.”
“Shut your mouth, idiot. The jealousy in your eyes is drowning the room.” Kael roared at his brother, then clapped the young man on the shoulder with a look of approval. “Congratulations, Roy. You’ve finally become a man...”
“You’ve got the wrong idea.” Roy remained calm, smoothing his wrinkled, slightly damp shirt. “Coral and I talked the whole night, about the plan I mentioned before. Now that the Harvest Festival is over, let’s get down to business.”
“You’re sure you’re ready for business and not heading back to the bedroom for more ... comfort?” Letho’s gaze moved between the Sorceress and his apprentice. She looked as though she had just bathed, cheeks flushed, skin gleaming with moisture. Her full figure leaned, almost deliberately, against the young man.
“Was the lipstick to your taste?” he added, rare mockery in his voice.
“Letho ... I told you, it’s not like that!”
At his side, the beautiful Sorceress sensed the hostility in the bald man’s stare. She smiled faintly, almost indulgently, and with casual intimacy reached up to fasten the top button of Roy’s shirt for him.
“Rita...” Letho’s pupils narrowed to slits, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm, like the stillness before a storm. “If I remember correctly, the Trial of the Grasses ended long ago at the Temple of Melitele. So why are you lingering around my apprentice?”
Lytta Neyd let out a sharp snort, irritation flickering in her eyes. But the young man beside her patted the back of her hand, calming her.
“Barbarian. In the old days, with that tone, I would have frozen you into an ice sculpture and set you out in the yard. For Roy’s sake, I’ll let it pass.”
“Coral, don’t be angry...” Roy stepped forward, placing himself between the two. “Sorry, Letho. I should have told you first. I invited Coral here to help us. This journey is long. Traveling on horseback alone would take too much time. Coral can save us a great deal of it.”
Many Sorcerers mastered the art of Portals, and Lytta Neyd was no exception. She maintained hidden bases across the northern kingdoms and moved swiftly between them through those fixed coordinates.
According to Roy’s earlier plan, the four Witchers of the Viper School would split into two groups to search for Kolgrim and Mordun’s treasure. Kael and Orin, the twin brothers from Nilfgaard, worked in perfect sync and would head to Toussaint together. Roy would go with Letho to White Orchard.
“White Orchard in Temeria...” The Sorceress stroked her delicate chin. “Roy, I can only send you and the Barbarian as far as Vizima. I have a house in the Trade Quarter.”
“As for Kael and Orin, I’m afraid...” she added softly, “Toussaint lies within Nilfgaardian territory. I have no coordinates there. How about Marnadal? But you’ll have to cross the Amell Mountains to the south. I hear that area hasn’t been safe of late. A royal griffin has been sighted.”
The Witcher brothers exchanged a glance. In each other’s eyes they saw the same spark of excitement.
“It’s been a while since we stretched our limbs. Suits us just fine.”
...
“That’s more than enough. Thank you, Coral.” Roy spoke sincerely.
The Sorceress smiled gently. “When you’re done, come find me. Last night’s dancing was far too brief...”
Her blue eyes blinked playfully. “That style of yours, I’d like to learn it. Something to show off before the other girls.”
“I’ll get in touch.”
“Um ... Lady Rita...” Orin suddenly drew himself up, inhaled deeply, and stepped forward, interrupting them.
“Yes, Witcher?”
“Lady Rita ... do you happen to have any close Sorceress friends? Could you ... introduce me to one?”
“...”
Lytta Neyd’s fingers, painted with violet polish, traced patterns in the air. Her wrist turned in steady motion, and with a clear, ringing Incantation, a gust of wind sprang into being within the Witcher’s hut. It howled through the room, whipping her robes into a sharp flutter. A vertical tear split the space before them, taller than a man.
As the Incantation deepened, the rift widened rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it became a rectangular doorway.
The Sorceress pressed a hand against it, and the slicing wind stilled at once. The Portal fully formed, like a mirror set upright, reflecting the gathered figures.
“Take care of Vyrt for me,” Roy said, patting the brown horse’s neck. Because of the long journey to Toussaint, Kael and his brother would take it with them. “If anything happens to him...”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.