Chapter 358: Second Mutation
Yennefer's previously indifferent expression changed instantly.
"Geralt, are you insane?"
"I'm not insane, Yen," Geralt said, his gaze fixed on her violet eyes. "If you and Lady Tissaia need a volunteer, there's no doubt that I'm the most suitable one."
Yennefer retorted without a second thought. "No, you're not!"
"Yen..."
"Shut your mouth, I don't want to hear it!"
The air felt heavy and oppressive.
"Brother, uh..." Lambert glanced at Yennefer's terrifyingly grim face, then quickly looked away as if afraid of getting burned. "You really don't have to fight us for this. Eskel and I are enough."
"He's right, White Wolf," Eskel said, a rare moment of agreement with Lambert. "We're all from the Wolf School—me, Lambert, and you. What difference does it make who goes first? It's all the same."
Ever since Yennefer moved in, she had been giving them a hard time. Unlike Lady Tissaia, who maintained a noble grace at all times, Eskel and Lambert were more than willing to serve her. But Yennefer ordered them around like a noble would a servant. She never gave them a good look, as if it were all their due. Lambert and Eskel had complained to Geralt many times, only to find that Geralt had even less sway with her than they did.
Still, they could see that while Yennefer wasn't gentle or graceful, she truly loved Geralt. So, for the sake of their brother's happiness, they endured it. But now, if they let Geralt get hurt... they couldn't even imagine what life at Kaer Morhen would be like. The sorceress would surely turn into a fire-breathing dragon.
Yennefer stared into Geralt's cat-like eyes, silent. The atmosphere was stiff and silent. Even Serrit, Oakes, and George didn't dare to speak.
The silence was finally broken when Geralt himself spoke. For once, Geralt, who always gave in to Yennefer, went against her.
"Yen, do you know what the most basic rule of our Trial of the Grasses is?"
"The better the mutagens used, and the longer the mutation lasts, the greater the enhancement."
"Vesemir always said I showed an unusual tolerance for the Trial, which is why I'm the strongest among us. Therefore, I should be the first to try this second mutation."
Yennefer was trembling with rage. Geralt expected her to fly into a fury and curse him out, as she had in the past. But in the end, she said nothing, just stormed out of the hall.
"Geralt, you..."
The White Wolf waved a hand, stopping Eskel. "Don't say anything. I've made up my mind. Lynn has his responsibility, and I have mine. This is mine."
"Alright then," Lambert sighed. The other witchers said nothing else.
Geralt thought he would have to wait a few days to see Yennefer again, but that afternoon, Tissaia summoned him to the castle's underground laboratory. With candles placed all around, Geralt noticed that in the center of the lab were many pieces of equipment whose purpose he could not discern. All of them were connected by tubes and pipes, all leading to a central, human-shaped device that looked like an Iron Maiden.
"So, this is what's used for the second mutation? I'm not going to come out of here a vampire, am I?"
Tissaia didn't even look at him, busy checking the equipment and making final adjustments. "Save your wit for after you're done. For now, let's wait... ah, she's finally here."
Yennefer entered the lab, her face a blank mask. She carried a large cup of a liquid that looked completely undrinkable.
"Drink this."
Geralt knew he couldn't joke with her the way he did with Tissaia, so he said nothing. He took the cup and took a sip, and nearly vomited. His stomach churned in protest. Geralt took a lot of willpower to not throw up all over the sorceress in front of him. "Yen, what is this?"
"An herbal concoction to minimize your body's rejection."
"Couldn't you have changed the flavor?"
"Of course I could. It's supposed to be only a little worse than bitter medicine, but I spent all morning making it taste exactly like this," Yennefer said, putting her hands on her hips. A slight smile seemed to appear on her face, but it was gone in an instant. Geralt even wondered if he had imagined it. "You want to be a hero? You want to take responsibility? Well, this is the price."
"Let me be clear, you better not waste my efforts and don't you dare throw up on me... or else," Yennefer's violet eyes flashed with a cold light, "you know what happens."
Geralt swallowed hard. He looked down at the cup of herbal concoction in his hands. Then, with a deadly resolve, he closed his eyes and chugged it down.
And then, he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, Yennefer, who had been watching him the entire time, told him he had been in a coma for two full days. If Yennefer and Tissaia hadn't been constantly monitoring Geralt's body with magic, confirming there were no adverse reactions, Yennefer would have believed she had lost him.
Geralt's first thought upon waking was how hungry he was. When Yennefer brought him food, he ate half a portion more than usual before he felt full. After resting for half an hour, he and Yennefer went to the training yard. Tissaia and the other witchers were also there.
Tissaia had wanted Geralt to rest for another two days to stabilize, but Geralt felt more energetic than he had ever felt. So, Tissaia didn't stop him. She was eager to see what changes their refined second mutation would cause in Geralt's body.
First, they tested his physical abilities. Eskel handed Geralt his usual hand-and-a-half sword. Geralt took it, and it felt a little too light. Luckily, when Lynn had returned to Kaer Morhen for winter last time, he had prepared a variety of weapons in the armory for the future witcher school. So, Eskel went and got Geralt a two-handed sword.
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