Chapter 44: Preparing for Vesemir
The planning room became a war room.
Maps covered the walls—not of monster territories or contract locations, but of political relationships, organizational structures, and psychological profiles. Everything I knew about Vesemir, about the Wolf School, about Witcher culture had been committed to paper.
"He's approximately 200 years old," I explained to the assembled leadership team. "One of the last Witchers trained in the traditional method. He's seen the pogrom that nearly destroyed his School, watched brothers die to mob violence, and survived by retreating to a fortress that crumbles a little more each year."
"How do you know all this?" Tom's question carried professional curiosity rather than suspicion.
"Research. Intelligence gathering. Piecing together fragments from various sources." The partial truth came easily now. "What matters is understanding what he wants, what he fears, and what might convince him to trust us."
Viktor leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Witchers don't join organizations. They never have. What makes you think this one will be different?"
"Because I'm not asking him to join. I'm asking him to partner." I pulled out the proposal documents. "Look at the structure: Witchers retain complete autonomy. They can refuse any contract, maintain their School independence, keep Kaer Morhen as their primary base. We provide resources and support. They provide expertise and reputation."
"That sounds like charity."
"It sounds like investment. Their training methods could make our fighters significantly more effective. Their monster-hunting knowledge could save lives on every contract we take. Their reputation could open doors that are currently closed to us." I spread the financial projections across the table. "The returns are intangible but substantial."
Mira reviewed the numbers. "Five hundred crowns over two years. We don't have that."
"We will. Continental operations are generating revenue faster than projected. By the time actual payments come due, we'll have the funds."
"And if we don't?"
"Then we renegotiate terms. But the proposal needs to be ambitious enough to demonstrate serious intent. Vesemir won't be impressed by cautious offers—he'll see caution as weakness or manipulation."
Tom's intelligence network had assembled a psychological profile based on witness accounts, historical records, and gossip from taverns near Kaer Morhen.
"Vesemir's primary motivation is legacy preservation," I explained, walking through the analysis. "He's one of the last Witchers who was trained traditionally. When he dies, centuries of accumulated knowledge die with him unless someone finds a way to preserve it."
"Then offer preservation," Helena suggested. She'd joined the planning session after her accounting review confirmed the financial projections. "Document his knowledge. Record his techniques. Create texts that can be studied even after he's gone."
"Part of the proposal, yes. But documentation isn't enough—he needs to see his knowledge being used, not just stored." I tapped the organizational chart. "That's where training comes in. If guild members can learn even basic Witcher techniques, his legacy lives on through application rather than just preservation."
"He'll be skeptical about teaching non-Witchers," Viktor said. "The mutations are part of what makes their techniques work."
"The mutations enhance but don't enable. Much of what Witchers do is trainable—observation techniques, monster behavior patterns, alchemical preparation methods. The superhuman speed and senses are enhancement, not foundation."
"You've studied this extensively."
"I've studied everything that might be relevant." I moved to the next section of the analysis. "Vesemir's secondary motivation is protection. He's seen his School nearly destroyed by human prejudice. Any partnership needs to include security guarantees—help defending Kaer Morhen if needed, support during political complications, resources for maintaining the fortress's defenses."
"We can offer that," Viktor said slowly. "Depending on the scale of threat."
"We can offer willingness. The actual capability depends on how much we grow." I turned to the final section. "His primary objection will be autonomy. He'll assume any organization wants to control Witchers, use them as tools, exploit their reputation. The proposal needs to address this directly—explicit guarantees of independence, clear boundaries, escape clauses if we violate terms."
Tom nodded thoughtfully. "You've thought about this from his perspective."
"I've tried to. Understanding what someone wants is the foundation of any successful negotiation."
That evening, I met with Viktor privately.
His concerns needed addressing before the negotiation proceeded. As the guild's most experienced military mind, his support—or opposition—would influence how other members viewed the Witcher partnership.
"You're skeptical," I said, pouring water for both of us in the third-floor planning room.
"I'm cautious." He accepted the cup but didn't drink. "Witchers are legends. They're also dying legends. What happens when we invest everything in partnership, and they still die out?"
"Then we've preserved whatever knowledge they were willing to share. That's valuable regardless of how long they survive."
"And the cost? Five hundred crowns is significant. More than we've spent on anything except property acquisition."
"The cost is spread over two years. By then, continental operations should be generating more than enough to cover it." I sat across from him, meeting his eyes directly. "But the real question isn't financial. You're worried about what this partnership says about our organization."
Viktor's expression flickered—recognition of being read accurately.
"Adventure guilds don't partner with Witcher Schools. They compete with them, or they ignore them. What you're proposing is... unprecedented."
"Everything we've done is unprecedented. A sixteen-year-old founding an organization that operates across four kingdoms. Orphans being trained as future elite fighters. Nobles being defeated through financial leverage instead of combat." I leaned forward. "The Covenant isn't a normal guild. I've never intended it to be. If we want to accomplish things normal guilds can't accomplish, we need to pursue opportunities normal guilds wouldn't consider."
"And if Vesemir refuses?"
"Then we've tried and failed. The investment in gifts is already made—refusing doesn't cost us anything additional. But if he accepts..." I allowed myself a slight smile. "If he accepts, we gain access to knowledge and expertise that would take generations to develop independently. The potential return is worth the risk."
Viktor was quiet for a long moment, turning his water cup slowly in calloused hands.
"I served under officers who made speeches like this. Bold visions, ambitious plans, promises of unprecedented success." He met my eyes. "Most of them got their soldiers killed through overreach."
"And some of them changed history."
"A few. Very few."
"I'm trying to be one of those few." I stood, moving to the window overlooking the guild hall below. "I know the risks, Viktor. I know how often ambition outpaces capability. But I also know what's coming—threats larger than any individual guild can handle, crises that will require coordinated response. The Witcher partnership isn't just about knowledge or reputation. It's about building the kind of organization that can face those threats and survive."
"What threats?"
"The Wild Hunt. Nilfgaardian invasion. The fall of Cintra and everything that follows. The end of an era and the beginning of something worse."
"The world is changing," I said instead. "Wars are coming. Monsters are increasing. The political stability that's allowed kingdoms to function is eroding. When those changes accelerate, the organizations that survive will be the ones that prepared."
"And Witchers are part of that preparation."
"They're part of building something resilient enough to matter when preparation becomes action."
Viktor finished his water and set down the cup. His expression had shifted—not fully convinced, but no longer actively opposing.
"I'll support the negotiation. But I reserve judgment on the partnership itself until I see results."
"Fair enough."
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