Roy got a lot of materials in his inventory space after the battles in Smiack. There were hundreds of nekker eyes, tongues, ears, innards, and all sorts of organs. They were going to sell everything off aside from the green mutagens, the fangs, and the claws. They had to make the potion for the trial and some bolts for Roy.

The parts would net them some money and free up some space. As Temeria’s duchy, Ellander was filled with all kinds of merchants selling every item under the sun. Of course, there were also those who’d buy monster parts, though the price could vary. If the merchant knew the seller was an amateur, they’d lowball them, but Letho was no amateur. He had lived for eighty years and knew much about the market.

His strategy was simple: name his price to the buyer and stare at them in silence for a few moments. Some of the buyers would make a better offer after getting stared at for a short while, and about thirty seconds later, they’d give him the offer he wanted.

Letho’s sharp gaze, intimidating build, and scary look were enough to scare the buyers into submission. After selling the parts to three buyers, they managed to make two hundred crowns, but then they spent the money on their alchemy supplies.

The duo had a hard time after consuming all their items in the tunnels, so the first order of business after getting out was to restock, and it was a big restock. They got a lot of items, including belisse fruits, arenaria, celandine, and a lot of herbs. They also got sulfur, phosphorus, and saltpeter to make bombs. There was also Mahakaman liquor, Kirsch, and Fiorano in Roy’s inventory space. Then they went to an established blacksmith in the city to make bolts for Roy. Each cost twenty coppers, and Roy made a hundred of them.

The bolts had more penetrative power than normal ones, and they were also heavier. The tip had some nekker venom on it so it could kill better. Letho needed to sharpen his sword and short sword, which also cost them. Gwyhyr didn’t dull —  even though it had gone through a few battles —  thanks to the gnomes’ craftsmanship. It could still slice even the thinnest hair easily, and all Letho had to do was maintain it with grease.

Also, the duo wouldn’t let a stranger get a hold on the sword. Finally, Letho went to a clothes shop to make two sets of grey leather armor and pairs of long boots. Wearing shabby clothes made it hard for him to move, and they offered no protection. The armor was not cheap.

Then came sundown, and the whole city basked in its golden light. Roy went through the bills after their purchase and was shocked by how much they’d spent. It was all the money from their sales and they’d had to pay quite a lot from their own pockets. Whoa. Witchers may make a lot of coins, but it’s a risky job, and it takes a lot out of their pockets.

They only had around a hundred crowns left. Even without spending on drinks and women, finances were tight. “I think we should take some requests, Letho. We need crowns.” Roy stared at Letho expectantly. If he managed to kill one more type of monster, all he had to do was pass the trial, and he’d become a rookie witcher.

He had never taken any request from the bulletin board ever since he’d followed Letho, but he wanted to. It was a rite of passage for a witcher.

“Not at the moment.” Letho gave him a piercing look. “Haven’t you had enough in Smiack? It’s time to rest. You’re going to help me with some alchemy work,” he commanded. “Once we are set with the potion, we’ll be heading to the temple.”

***

Letho rented a place with a kitchen so he could change it into a lab, just like how he did in Aldersberg. The only difference was he had Roy to help, so they spent half a day turning the kitchen into a makeshift lab. Roy noticed the familiar cauldron, mortar, alembic, bellows, and pestle from those days in Aldersberg, and he almost fainted. He could see himself toiling over the making of potions and bombs from day to night again.

But he had an inexplicable desire for it. He wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment when he managed to make that one potion after thousands of tries. Thus, he took the cauldron and mortar and started his —

“Alright, you’re starting with the marigold potion,” Letho interrupted him. “Tell me the recipe and the steps.”

“Two ounces of dried marigold, one ounce of nettle, and mix them together in the mortar,” Roy blurted, since he could never forget the recipe. It felt like it was seared into his soul.

“Not bad. It’s been a month, but you still remember it.” Letho gave him a look of approval. “Now for the potion making. Let’s see if it’s as good as your theory.”

Roy moved by reflex, as if he were a master alchemist. He put a sack of marigold and nettle on the right surface before weighing them, then put them into the mortar and crushed them with the pestle.

***

Fifteen minutes later, the liquid in the cauldron was starting to simmer, a faint fragrance wafting across the lab. Roy quickly killed the heat and poured the potion into a glass container. His grip was firm, and not even a drop of potion went to waste. Finally, he corked it.

Letho swirled the potion. “Have you been practicing?” He was surprised. “You haven’t been doing this for a month, but you improved?”

“Probably because of the Child of the Sun,” Roy said. “I can control my body better now.” Having one more point in Dexterity certainly helped Roy.

“This is a surprise. Well, you’re done with marigold potions now. Let’s move on to the next one.” Letho paused for a moment. “It’s a kind of poison. We used it in Smiack.”

“Oh, the paralyzing one?”

“Yes, but not the same thing we used. This is the full version. It’s harder to do. One dose is all it takes to paralyze someone entirely. It’s hell for them.”

Roy’s eyes shone. He’d wanted to make one ever since he’d used it in the tunnels. The paralyzing poison would be a more useful tool than oils or bombs in certain scenarios, but then Letho stopped his thoughts. “You’ll have to promise you’ll only use this as a last resort, no matter what. Effective immediately. Can you do that?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Don’t use this on the innocent.” Letho was reminded of his school’s dark past. “The school went down the wrong path for a very long time. We emphasized on poisons more than potions, and we took assassination requests just like the Cat School witchers. But we were worse. So much worse than they were. Because of that, our reputation took a hit.” Letho paused. “We’d ask every disciple to take in a pet and make them kill it before the training ended so they’d grow indifferent.”

Roy was shocked, since Letho never asked him to do that, nor did he expect the school to have such a dark past. At the same time, he was glad he was born at the right time. He wasn’t necessarily a kind person, but he wouldn’t kill needlessly either. “So you also…”

“Yes, and obviously that was wrong. It sped up the school’s death.” Letho was solemn. “It’s hard to stop once you start abusing your power. Eventually, you’re going to lose yourself to it. If you were to turn out like that, I’d take you back to the school for reeducation.” He emphasized ‘reeducation.’

Roy’s heart skipped a beat. “Very well, then. I swear on my name as a witcher of the Viper School to only use poison as a last resort.” Roy had made another promise. “But Letho…” Roy remembered what Letho ended up doing, so he looked at him. “What if you need to use this to revive the school? Will you do it?”

“It depends on who the target is,” Letho answered after a short while of silence.

“What if it’s the king?”

“What’s the matter with you?” Letho refused to answer. “That’s it for assassination talk. Alright, let’s get on with it. Remember the simplified version’s recipe?”

“Crush the comfrey, extract the longrube’s juice, cut up the wolfsbane…”

***

Roy spent most of his time over the next few days making the poison, resting only for meals and meditation. Thanks to his experience with the marigold potion, he finally managed to make one dose of poison on the third day after dozens of failures.

And then his character sheet shook. A new skill was born.

‘Alchemy Level 1: A crafting skill that allows you to make oils, potions, decoctions, poisons, and bombs. Rank: beginner alchemist. You now possess the skills to make: marigold potion, paralyzing poison.’ Roy was excited to see that, since he finally saw the fruits of his labor.

“Is this the only poison we can make, Letho? Or are there more?”

“Yes, but not now. First, make five doses of paralyzing poison and five marigold potions. Keep them in your pocket. And help me with the decoctions and bombs.”