The Divine Hunter

The sun rose the next morning as usual. Sparrows chirped and hopped on the branches, and the sun shone down on three men lying on the ground like corpses. A bald, burly man was hanging upside down from the hammock, Serrit was lying spread-eagled on the ground, and Auckes rested his chin on the bucket, his rear raised. Their snores and alcohol-filled breath permeated the room.

A loud boom woke them up. The witchers tensed and unsheathed their blades, getting ready for battle. The very next moment, a colorful portal opened before them. It howled like the wind, and then someone tiptoed out of it.

"You let me down, kid," Letho said coldly, and Roy froze. "You spent the whole night with the sorceress?" He clicked his tongue.

Auckes was happy to see the drama unfold.

"It's not what you think." Roy explained calmly, "We were just talking about business."

The witchers heard Coral snort from behind the portal, and it closed.

"That old witch!" Letho's veins popped. "I should never have asked her to help with the trial. Why won't you listen to me, kid? Never get in a relationship with any sorceress!"

"Why'd she have to take my young, little friend?" Auckes muttered to himself, looking frustrated. "Why didn't she choose me? I can handle all her conspiracies."

"Alright, that's enough." Serrit cleared his throat and saved Roy from the awkward situation. "None of us are in any position to call him out. We partied hard at the House of the Queen of the Night too." He looked at Auckes' neck, especially at the hickeys on it.

The argument came to a stop. At the same time, a black cat stuck its head out of the hood. It looked around and climbed up to Roy's head, meowing at everyone. It looked as if Roy had a big frog sitting on his head. The young witcher hesitated for a moment, and he said, "Gryphon hasn't had anything to eat since last night. I'll get him something to eat."

"Let's put this behind us. The sorceress and those ladies are not important." Letho still looked upset, but he brought the topic to a close. "Now that everyone's here, it's time to talk business."

Roy heaved a sigh of relief.

The witchers recovered from their hangover easily thanks to their powerful constitution. They talked about the Manticore School's equipment and came to a conclusion a while later. Berengar and Letho would work on renting a shop and researching the blueprints, while Serrit and Auckes would take the last three hundred crowns from Roy to purchase the necessary materials.

The Hakland-style equipment needed materials that were rarer and more expensive than the Viper School's twin blades. The cheaper ones included iron and steel ingots, and the pricier ones included cured draconid leather, dimeritium plate, zircon, and more. The draconid leather was not something that came from real dragons. Draconids like dracolizards, forktails, and basilisks could produce draconid leather as well.

Even so, that was still a rare and expensive material. Most merchants usually did not have them in stock. Serrit and Auckes would have to try their luck in the marketplace and auction houses. If they were out of luck, they would have to hunt one and get their hide. Most of the materials could be bought, though they would cost a lot.

Roy did not get involved with the blacksmithing process. He washed the marks left by Coral and went to the temple area. He was going to ask Adda for help. The Church of Virtue was holding a morning mass when he came, but unlike the last time Roy was here, there were only a few people wandering around the area. They looked lost, as if the faith in their heart was gone. A dozen or so believers were wandering around the plaza's center, where Vivienne's statue used to be.

The statue was not there anymore.

A group of unfamiliar knights were gathered nearby. Instead of giving away free food, they were chasing away the stragglers. Some were crying and shouting, but the knights took them away regardless. Most people gave up and left or chose to serve Lebioda instead. After all, they had only started believing in Vivienne for a couple of months. Their faith had not been established yet.

Roy did not see Adda around, though he did see two ladies and a man among the knights. "Fercart?" The sorcerer from Cidaris was wearing exquisite clothes. He was gaunt, and he had an immaculately-kept mustache. The man looked arrogant, as if he were the leader of the knights.

If anyone were to see a beautiful lady on the streets with her hair down, they would guess she was a sorceress.

Triss was a different woman compared to Keira. She tied her maroon hair up behind her head. Her eyes were light blue, and her nose was crooked a little. Freckles dotted her cheeks, anda beauty mark adorned the corner of her lips. She looked refreshing and sexy at the same time.

Triss looked like a young lady who was just striking out on her own. She had a spring in her step, and her smile was innocent, as if she had been sheltered by the walls of Aretuza for a long time. She was not even forty years old yet, making her the youngest among the three. A pendant with a sapphire embedded in it hung before her chest. She would look around, smiling and staring at everything with interest.

***

"I see Foltest has started his plan." Roy looked away and left the plaza, but he realized someone was looking at him. It was a boy in a hemp shirt. He came to the young witcher and handed a slip of paper to him.

"Someone wants to see you." The boy looked away carefully. The beastly eyes were scaring him.

Roy tossed him a bronze coin and read the slip. He went to the trade quarter and weaved past the villas there until he came to a big building. The knights standing sentry around the place were familiar faces. They were the ones who swore loyalty to the princess.

As expected, Princess Adda was waiting for him in the house. "You're here, knight of Lake Vizima." Adda had changed out of her priestess attire and wore her palace dress instead. Her hair was tied in a bun, and her face was as white as a sheet of paper.

"I saw what happened to the plaza." Roy sat beside her.

"The new sorcerers only listen to his orders. They're getting rid of the church as we speak." She held her chair's armrest, her knuckles turning white. "It's like he's a different man. He wouldn't listen to me. Not only does he think the goddess is an evil demon, he demands that I stop my work and disband the church." She gritted her teeth, lamenting, "He took most of my authority away, and now the knights outside are the only ones I can use. I had no choice but to cancel the morning mass and told the believers that all activities are suspended indefinitely."

Roy was silent for a moment, but he did not think Adda would give in that easily. "So what will you do?"

"I will never give up the church. I spent a lot of time and effort to build it up from the ground, and I would never let the goddess' gifts go to waste." Adda pursed her lips, her eyes filled with resolve. "If Vizima will not accept the church, we will move our base." She was not that crazy to fight her own father yet. He was the real ruler of Vizima.

"So where are you moving it to?" Roy asked. "To the villages?"

"I've contacted a wealthy merchant in the trade area. He has passed the goddess' test." Adda looked at him seriously, her eyes shining. "He's going to spread the gift and gospel of the goddess in a remote village far, far away from Vizima. We'll start over from a small place. It's far enough from Vizima, and Foltest's administration can't govern that place yet. The church will have time to grow. Once it does, we can slowly reenter Vizima."

"It's not as simple as you think." Roy said, "The more remote the place is, the stronger the locals' beliefs are. They've had their faith in Melitele for decades. They won't change that easily. Besides, once you leave Vizima, there won't be free food every day. It'll be hard to attract new believers without that."

"I have no choice. I can't let the goddess' church fall into ruin. I need to keep some part of it alive." Adda took a deep breath. "And I'm not giving up on Vizima," she said, determination gleaming in her eyes. "The most ardent believers must stay. I have to find a place for them to pray."

"But the king has banned the goddess' church from ever appearing in Vizima."

"The surface, maybe. But what about the underground?" Adda looked Roy in the eye. "And that's why you're here."

Adda noticed the change in his expression. "I see you realize what I'm talking about."

"The sewers of Vizima, I presume?"

Adda nodded and stood up. She walked inside the room, explaining, "I've read through the records. Vizima's sewers were built on the ruins of an ancient elven city, and the sewers only took up a part of the ruins. There's a large part of it untouched and functional. These parts are connected to the trade quarter and temple area. It's a natural and perfect place to hide." A pause later, Adda said, "I'll move the headquarters underground."

"But we have a problem," Adda confessed. "The sewers have been abandoned for ages, and lots of dangerous monsters have taken up residence there. We need someone to get rid of these creatures so the believers can pray in safety."