A gust of cold wind blew through the woods, and rain poured through the cracks between the canopy, washing the blood off the mulch.
The witchers were staring at the man thirty feet away from them. He, too, was a witcher. He stood in silence, facing the Viper School witchers. He was wearing black armor, and compared to his muscular peers, he was shorter and a bit slim, but his limbs were slender, and his muscles were lean. There were two blades behind him, and the silver sword was in its scabbard. He had just wiped his steel sword off, and he swung it around. The man was a left-hander.
He got some blood on his face, and the man was wearing sunglasses. They could not see his eyes and where he was looking. He had short black hair, and it was well-trimmed. The guy must take care of it every day. He had an aquiline nose, thin lips, pronounced chin, and chiseled features. His ears were pointy. This man was an elf.
Three-quarter elf, to be exact. All Cat School witchers had elven blood. It helped with dexterity. So… they’re glass cannons?
‘Felix
Age: Eighty-seven years old
Gender: Male
Status: Cat School witcher
HP: 150
Mana: 110
Strength: ? (Requires higher Perception)
Dexterity: ?
Constitution: 150
Perception: 14
Will: 10
Charisma: 6
Spirit: 11
Skills:
Witcher Signs Level 5, Meditation Level 9, Cat School Swordsmanship Level 10, Witcher Sense Level 10, Alchemy Level 8…
***
“You there! What’s your name?” Letho showed his hands, telling the witcher he meant no harm.
The witcher’s lips curled eerily, forming a cold, crazy smile. “You should introduce yourself first if you want to know someone’s name.”
The air froze, and tension rose. Silence enveloped everyone. Only the sounds of crackling flames and silent gulping were heard.
“I know our school is infamous.” Felix put the shank down, though it was nothing but bones now. He had a big appetite, but he ate slowly. Not even a sliver of food had gone to waste.
The Viper School witchers had heard about the Cat School before. They were the biggest witcher school at the moment. They put emphasis on speed, precision, and dexterity in their combat. Felix’s light armor was in line with that philosophy. Their armor was light by design to not hinder them in battle.
Unfortunately, their morality and political stance was as flexible as their combat was. A big part of this school’s witchers would accept unorthodox requests and work as killers and assassins just to make some coins.
These fallen witchers’ actions affected everyone in this trade. They were like rotten apples that would poison the whole crate if left unchecked.
“But we’re not all mad. We’re not made up of assassins or executioners. A large chunk of us still go with tradition and only kill monsters.” Felix looked frustrated. It looked like he was affected by his schoolmates’ actions as well. His school’s reputation turned into infamy because of them.
“I have a feeling you’re a man with his own creed.” Auckes tossed his prejudice behind and raised a rib toast to him.
Felix raised a shank in return.
“Mr. F—”
“Call me Vulture.”
“How’s the Cat School doing, Vulture? It’s better than the Viper School at least, right?”
Felix was silent for a while, then he said, “Probably not as good as you think. I have no idea what those fossils are thinking. They keep taking in violent brats and unleashing their darkest side with the trial. It’s been a long time since they started this, and all the important guys in the school are now made up of madmen and sadists.” He sighed. “I have no idea how to talk to them. It’s been more than ten years since I went back to the fortress. Everything I know, I know from another witcher’s mouth.”
Roy fell into his thoughts. Every school’s recipe for the trial is different. Maybe the Cat School’s recipe is flawed. Or maybe elven blood isn’t compatible with it. “So what will you do with Carl? He has to take the trial in the fortress eventually.”
“No. He doesn’t have to do it in the fortress,” Felix answered. “And I’m not in a hurry. He’ll probably need a year of training and adapt to his new life. I’m going to find a place for him to live in Novigrad.”
The Viper School witchers looked at one another, and Roy was delighted. So Felix takes the recipe with him everywhere he goes?
“Hey, the boy from Viper School. Roy, right? You don’t seem too old to me.”
“He just went through the trial about six months ago,” Letho answered. “He’s not even fifteen.”
Felix’s eyes shone up, and he looked at Letho and Roy. “Can you tell me all about his trial? I want to know every single detail.”
“Oh, that’s going to be a long story.”
“I can listen to it all day. Trust me.”
***
***
