Roy and Letho retired for the night in a tent on the outer ring, since the inside ring of the carriage was reserved for the troupe’s ladies. Alan’s tent stood out from the rest as usual, since it was set up far away from the carriages. He’d take his owl out for a hunt every night, as well as take watch. At least according to Eveline’s testimony.

After he was done with dinner, Roy looked into his details that had changed after he’d leveled up. He wanted to see what had happened to his weapons.

‘Bound weapons:

Gabriel: (Gabriel used to be an old, dusty hand crossbow, but it powered up after the level up. It has also become a better match for your abilities.)

Type: Hand Crossbow

Materials: Mulberry wood, tendon, hemp

Details: Weighs five pounds and measures two feet. Has a draw weight of (20 → 30) pounds and an effective range of (100 → 150) feet. A spirit dwells within.

Simplify: Gabriel reloads automatically as long as there are bolts in your inventory space. Reload time is now 0.4 seconds.’

***

‘Gwyhyr: (An ancient black metal flame sword made by gnomes. It has acquired a new skill after powering up.)

Materials: Black iron, lava, meteoric iron, pine wood, and body parts from powerful monsters.

Details: The sword weighs 3.06 pounds, and its handle measures 9.3 inches, while the blade comes in at 36 inches. A spirit dwells within.

Circulation: Heals the user for a small amount of stamina after every kill.

Ignite: Every hit has a very low chance of igniting the target’s blood and causing burn damage.’

***

Roy was grinning from ear to ear as he read up on his weapons. Gabriel’s power up was a big surprise for him. Not only did its damage get an increase, its reload time also enjoyed a dramatic speed up. In his previous battles, Roy’s enemies would have gotten near him before he could even fire his second shot, but he doubted that would happen again.

He had to waste four seconds to reload before that, but after the powerup, all Roy had to do was aim and shoot. The system would do everything else for him. The time he saved was enough for him to fire three, or even four, shots. Even if he was flanked by three enemies, Roy was confident he could take them all out before they could even get near him.

***

Since Gwyhyr was already a rare sword to begin with, its powerup wasn’t as drastic as Gabriel’s, but having one new skill was nice, though he’d want to see how Ignite could help in his battles.

Roy wanted to test the weapons out right that instant, but he thought it would be rude. Swinging my weapons around when I just got here? They’ll think I’m a murderer. He stuck his head out to see if there was anyone around, but to his disappointment, the patrols were doing their job. Left with no choice, he kept his weapons.

Since his curiosity would have to wait for its chance to be scratched, Roy entered meditation. He was exhausted, but he knew that was also the best time to power up. Eventually, he could feel the elements around him, though there were only traces of them. The elemental energy was still sheepish, but they were curious about him. Roy could also tell they wanted to come into contact with him, since they were swirling around him in silence.

Even though it had only been days since he was turned into a part-elf, he could feel his affinity slowly strengthen. It was barely noticeable, but he was confident he would be able to control the elements as long as he kept it up every single day.

***

It was a peaceful night. When Roy exited meditation the next morning, the sun was already shining on the land. Another glorious day.

Alan was directing the packing, and the villagers of Shire came to help too, even though their request had been declined. Roy also noticed a group of kids huddling around the carriage. They seemed reluctant to say goodbye, and Roy could understand why. They were village children after all, so that was probably their only chance to see a troupe perform up close.

Letho was in the carriage, taking in the bustling but orderly scenery. At the same time, Eveline smiled and rolled her sleeves up before stuffing her carriage with some turnips.

“Eveline.” Even though he’d managed to get close to her the night before, Roy still felt awkward after meditating.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“I did. Thank you.”

“Not to worry, Miss Eveline,” Letho interrupted. “The boy’s been following me ever since his mother’s death. He can sleep in swamps, bushes, cemeteries, and even shitholes.”

“Shut up, Letho.” Roy threw him a look of complaint. Can’t he keep quiet about the shithole? Then he looked at Eveline nervously. “I care a lot about personal hygiene, unlike that dirty witcher over there.”

Letho looked at him mysteriously. “It’s still a few months away from spring, boy.”

Roy took a moment to think about that. Yeah, it’s not mating season yet… That’s besides the point. Why do I want to leave a good impression on Eveline? And why can’t I keep this urge in check? Did puberty hit me? No, the bloodline did.

Eveline looked envious of the duo’s relationship. “My, you two seem close. I bet you were lying when you said he was your partner. You guys look more like father and son to me.”

“As if. I’m his disciple!”

“Witchers are sterile.”

They refuted Eveline at the same time. “I see.” Eveline pushed her hair back. “Did you two hear it last night?” she asked nonchalantly.

“Yes, but vaguely.” Roy went back to the matter at hand. “The dogs have been barking all night, and there were growls coming from the ranch, but nobody saw who or what made those sounds. I wonder if there’s actually a ghost here. Maybe it’s getting up to no good now that the troupe’s leaving.”

***

Shire’s chief tried to persuade the troupe to stay one last time, but Alan adamantly refused. Everyone finished packing up before noon and bade goodbye to Shire, where they’d performed for a short while.

Acres and acres of field that had lettuce, spinach, and turnips planted on them flanked the winding road ahead of the troupe. The six carriages sauntered down the path, leaving nothing but wheel tracks and hoofprints behind.

There were a few young men around the carriages, walking on their own two feet. Those were vagrants who joined the troupe halfway through. They mainly managed manual labor and made little money from it, but it was enough to keep them alive. And they could enjoy the scenery.

Having a group around them made them feel safer too, since empires switched hands at a blistering speed everywhere. Disasters, skirmishes, and wars were rife. Deserters eventually became bandits and thugs in remote villages, forcing people to leave their homes. According to Eveline, the earliest tramps came to them more than two years ago.

Without any land or home to call their own, more and more vagrants were born each day. The vagrants would go with the troupe until they came across the land of their dreams. There, they would settle, but most of them would probably stay as tramps for most of their lives.

All of a sudden, Roy thought Emhyr’s plan for conquest wasn’t too bad. “Why’d you leave your home though, Eveline?”

“I think you should know this, brother.” Eveline had a sad look in her eyes. “Everyone in Dol Blathanna lived in peace for a few years under the Queen of the Fields’ leadership, but the Daisy of the Valleys led them back to the warpath. I have a feeling they’re conspiring something big. Something terrifying. I didn’t want to have more blood on my hands, so I left.”

Roy thought about the ladies in Dol Blathanna. Queen of the Fields and Daisy of the Valleys were two different factions in Aen Seidhe. The former was a pacifist who wanted nothing but peace. She’d even pretended to be a normal girl and lived with the humans to that end. The queen was born with great magical talent, and she brought life everywhere she went.

Daisy of the Valleys was a warmonger. She was the future queen of Dol Blathanna, and the mastermind behind Scoia’tael. She’d repay every violent deed done by the humans tenfold, but she would also come on to abandon Scoia’tael for the elves. That was a story for another time though.

“Your turn, Kantilla. Why’d you come all the way to join the troupe?”

The exotic blademaster looked into the distance. “The people of Zerrikania are born warriors, and I want to prove that I’m the best of them all.” She smiled, looking ever so dazzling under the sun. Then she pointed at the tattoo on her jaw. “One monster, one tattoo. I think that’s fair. I got these from killing an arachas and a basilisk alone. I’d love to have tattoos all over my body while I’m still young. After all, can’t exactly wait until I’m a decrepit old woman who can’t even hold a blade properly.” She paused for a moment. “I have to go on this adventure. To search for the creature of my homeland’s beliefs.”

“So you’re looking for a wyrm?” Roy knew that Zerrikania’s emblem was a dragon, and the leaders even built the Temple of Divine Dragons.

“A dragon, but yes.”

Roy didn’t know what to say to that. True dragons, like white dragons, black dragons, red dragons, green dragons, and rock dragons, could easily destroy draconids like forktails, wyverns, dracolizards, and of course, solo witchers.

Their physical strength was overwhelming, not to mention their fangs and claws. On top of that, they could breathe fire, acid, and even steam. There was also the golden dragon, a legendary dragon said to have mastered shapeshifting. “You have a great dream,” Roy said genuinely.

Kantilla raised her chin proudly. “I know you’re laughing at my ignorance, but I’m not going to conquer them with brute force. Believe it or not, us Zerrikanians have a close link to dragons. I’ll conquer them with my devotion.”

“Of course. Good luck.”

“What about Alan? Why did he create the troupe? Any big dreams behind it?”

“No.” There was a look of longing and romance in Eveline’s eyes. “Alan travels around the world to search for his true love. He says he can only be released from his pain after he finds the love of his life, the mother of his pets.”

“Um, is he a bard?” Roy had thought that Arri was an owl, and Art a falcon. “That’s weird and romantic at the same time.” He thought Eveline was kidding.

Eveline threw him a look, but before he could ask, she continued, “Collins and Ferroz love each other, but unfortunately, they aren’t nobles. Their love isn’t what those nauseating nobles call ‘a thing of dreams.’ Obviously, their relationship isn’t accepted by anyone. All they got was discrimination. They can only act like a proper couple in the troupe.”

Anything the nobles did would be romanticized, but the same thing was a death sentence for civilians.

“What do you think about them?” Eveline stared at him, her eyes sparkling.

His heart skipped a beat.”Um, well, I pray for their love, I think.” He was on neutral grounds when it came to LGBT issues. “What about Amos?”

Kantilla snorted in disdain. “He’s a bastard.”

Roy rubbed his chin. “He’s a Gwent performer, so he’s a good player, isn’t he? Does he have any rare cards? I think I can play with him.”