I walked through the stone arch of the training yard. The other boys had paused their conversations to glance over at me. There were many confused gazes. A few looked away after a few seconds, uninterested. But one boy kept watching.
He stood with a relaxed posture. His clothes were the best-looking of all the other boys. Was he some nobleman's bastard or something? His hair was red like autumn fire. His eyes were Green like emeralds. And he was flipping a coin between his fingers like it was nothing. The cold didn't seem to bother him like the others.
A small smile curved his lips, not mocking, but genuinely... friendly. I swallowed, squared my shoulders, and stepped forward.
"Welcome, didn't know that Witchers took in elves. Especially cool-looking ones to?" the red-haired boy asked, his voice calm and clear.
"Yeah, apparently they do. And I get that a lot." I replied. "Name's Cain."
The boy extended a hand without hesitation. "Callum."
I shook his hand. Not surprisingly, his grip was firm.
"Don't mind the others," Callum said, gesturing to the trainees now pretending they hadn't been watching. " Some of them can't handle the cold. And some others didn't come here under the best conditions. After tonight, they'll be too sore to talk anyway."
I blinked. "Why?"
Callum grinned. "Apparently, we get one last good meal. Then we are given a choice to see if we truly want to go through with being a Witcher. Then Witcher Coën starts pain drills at sunrise."
I nodded, not surprised by what I was hearing. I wonder who was gonna feed us our last good meal. Right on queue, as I thought that. A tall and young, black-haired man with yellow-green, bloodshot eyes. I noticed black-beard was wet from the outside snow.
He looked annoyed as he dropped a pair of wooden swords on the floor. "Okay, recruits, you're with me for the next few days. Names Coën. Just Coën. So for the next week, we will be training hard, and when you are done, you will eat. But I will warn you that what we give you will make you sick and leave you in horrible pain."
That made some boys look with worry on their faces. While others were straight-up scared. But when I saw Callum's face, he was calm. Like what he heard meant nothing to him.
Coën then spoke again. "All of you grab a sword and head outside by the fire. We will begin our drills."
One child said. "It's cold out there and snowing."
Coën nodded. "Aye, it is. Don't worry, you're gonna warm up very soon." He said in a casual, cold tone.
In the Training Yard
Saying Coën destroyed us would be an accurate statement. First, he had us running through the training yard multiple times. When we finished that everyone was gasping for air. See their breath in the cold air. Then he made us do squats until he decided we when had enough. Then he told us to drop to the ground and do push-ups.
My small hands went nearly numb from the cold air, and the snow filled the ground my hands were touching. Every part of my body screamed in pain. When I looked at the others, they were all suffering badly. All but the red-haired boy, Callum.
He was in pain, but he didn't look miserable. He looked determined. I don't know why he was here, but it seemed like he wanted to be. He could definitely be someone I could get close to. To complete the quest.
After doing push-ups for so long. Coën finally said we are finished with the warm-up and told us to grab a sword and head to a fire pit. I noticed the morning sun was coming up. My body was sore and tired, and covered in sweat.
That's when Callum spoke to me. "I don't know about you, but I'm dying over here." He said with a small smile on his face.
"Oh, really," I said. "You looked like you were competing with someone. Who were you fighting, the cold air or an invisible spirit?" I said with a painful but amused smile.
Callum then chuckled. "Aye, I was imagining I competed with Coën. He was the one who recruited me. Said if I lived through the trials, he would take me under his wing and teach me himself. So I knew to get as strong as possible."
Wow, the kid is straightforward, like refreshingly straightforward. There's something about him I like. I can definitely get along with him easily and genuinely.
"Nothing wrong with that, I hope we both pass the trials. I might ask Geralt to be my mentor. I bet that would piss him off."
Callum nodded. "Yeah, Coën was annoyed by me because I was so fascinated with him being a Witcher. I wouldn't stop asking him questions. So he said that to shut me up."
"Then let's make sure to survive the trials so we can see the look on Coën's face," I said.
We both chuckled softly through the pain from training and the cold. That was when I felt it. A sort of connection between us. Like everything was gonna be okay.
Later That Day
The sun dipped behind the mountains, casting the fortress in a curtain of shadow. Callum and I stood at the edge of the snow-covered stone yard. Sweat drying on our skin, our clothes sticking to our backs.
The day's exercises had been grueling. Physical conditioning. Basic sword drills until our hands are bled. We sparred with each other. None of it was pretty, but Callum didn't give up. By the end, the two of us were the only ones still standing strong and unbothered..
Coën's face said nothing, but I could tell he was looking at us with slight interest. "Okay, you kids are done for the day. Go clean up and eat, we will feed you after."
Oh, great, here we go, I thought. Something tells me I'm gonna hate the food in this world. At least until I could start cooking for myself..
Later, after washing up from the tiring day of training. I watched as Callum handed a scoop of water to a winded boy and offered him a half-smile.
"How can you be so cheerful and strong. It's almost off-putting." I said.
Callum looked over. "I've always been cheerful, so I can't tell you how. I've always been strong, too. But you're strong as well."
I was surprised by the compliment. "No, I'm not strong at all," I said humbly.
Callum chuckled. "You are strong as well, I can tell. You kept your cool the entire day and didn't complain once. And it's like you have this air about you. Like you're always watching, and you know what's going on."
Wow, this kid is bright and observant. I wonder who he is and where he's from.
I tilted my head. "Where'd you come from?"
Callum hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "A decent-sized village west of Dol Blathanna. But you probably haven't heard of its name. My mother is a maid at the manor of the lord of our village. My father, well, he is that lord."
Bastard child of a village nobleman. Not the type of life anyone wants.
"It wasn't so bad, but it wasn't all good either. My mother gave birth to me and my sister, so I was never alone. She also had a way with my father. We never lived in the manor with him and his legitimate family. But we had a good education, and worked in the Manor. The lord tried his best to forget he had bastards. Until my sister displayed a proficiency for magic. She was always talented. She was smart, observant, and did almost everything with ease."
I noticed the look of pride on his face. "She must be a great person?" I said.
Callum smirked. "Oh no, she is a total pain in my ass, but she is my sister, so I love her with all my heart. Funny thing is, it just so happened that a mage walked through the village along with Coën, who was looking for work."
"That's when you decided to leave, too?" I asked.
Callum shook his head." Funny enough, it was my father's suggestion. His wife had always tolerated me and my sister throughout the years. But she never liked us, especially my mother. My father wanted to please his wife, so he made an offer to Coën to take me with him. But Coën said it has to be my choice. So the lord my father offered me a deal. He gave my mother a good some of crowns if I left with the Witcher. So I did."
That doesn't sound too crazy, sadly to say. I can't believe his dad did that. "Did he know, your father, I mean. That you could die from the Witcher trials?" I asked
Callum only smirked. Then with a calm, cheerful face. "I don't know, and I don't think he cared. He got a chance to get rid of both his Bastards, so he did. I'm just glad I had a chance to help my mom out."
I raised an eyebrow. This kid is either really a decent person or he hides it well.
Then Callum's eyes softened. "My twin sister, Calanthe. She's training to be a sorceress under the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, I believe they are called."
Cain's mind raced. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers. So they still exist in this timeline. So that means that fall hasn't happened yet. Along with Coën being here means. The events of the book probably haven't begun yet.
That means I have a chance to influence this world and change the events of the books. But I'd better not get ahead of myself yet.
"Thanks for telling me your story," I said to Callum. "Unfortunately, I lost my memory in an accident. So besides my name and age, I can't tell anything about myself."
Callum nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry that happened to you. You must have been scared. Waking up one day somewhere you don't know. And don't remember anything about you. You could have a whole family out there looking for you. Hey, how about this? I will be your family until you find your family. And if you have none, then my sister and I will be your family."
I smiled. This kid is truly one of a kind in this world. That, or he is very naive. Either way, I'm lucky to meet him.
"Thanks, Callum, I appreciate that. I would be honored to have you as my brother."
[Quest Complete – "Pack of Cubs"]
Reward Unlocked:
Reward: 1 Ability Point.
1 Common Equipment Chest.