A week passed since the Trial of Dreams, and each day blurred into the next. Pain was no longer unfamiliar, only expected. My body was changing, my mind sharpening, but it was Vesemir who shaped us now. He wasted no time, taking over Callum's and my training the moment we recovered enough to walk.
Physical conditioning and sword drills began at dawn. Endless repetition until our arms felt like lead and my grip bled against the wooden hilt. As my legs burned with every step we took as we ran, squatted and flipped around the training courses. If our bodies weren't bruised, our lungs begged for mercy.
Afternoons were devoted to monsterology, Vesemir's smoothed voice filled the hall as he drilled into us the details of claws, fangs, toxins, and weaknesses of the creatures we would one day face. My codex ate up the information like a sponge.
Then evenings we spent grinding herbs, mixing powders, and brewing basic alchemy tinctures under his watchful eye.
Before I knew it a month had passed by. Some days, the System added its own twist to keep my growth consistent. Daily Quests would appear during the lessons sometimes. For example:
[Daily Quest received]:"Cubs fight." Objective: End the bout in a draw or victory."
Rewards: End in a draw( +1 Random Stat Point). End in Victory( 1 Common Equipment Chest. +1 Stat point to Strength and Dexterity stat).
Failure: No rewards
[Accept/Decline]
[Daily Quest Received]: "Monsterologist. Objective: Answer Vesemir's all of question on monster biology correctly.
Rewards: +1 Stat point to Intelligence. 1 Rare Equipment Chest.
Failure: No rewards
[Accept/Decline]
I failed some daily quest or didn't get the full quest rewards. Regardless I was still growing, but that didn't make the failure sting any less as much as bruises. But the success brought steady growth. By the end of that month, my stats reflected my efforts:
My stat Growth Over One Month
Strength: +3
Dexterity: +3
Constitution: +3
Intelligence: +2
Wisdom: +2
Each day was hell, but Callum's bright disposition made it more bearable. His energy never faltered even when we got our asses handed to us by Vesemir. He picked up sword forms with effortless grace, laughed off bruises, and absorbed Vesemir's lessons as though he were born for this life. He was a natural, and though I hated to admit it, he pushed me harder than I would have ever pushed myself. Keeping up with him became my personal challenge, and each day I found myself improving because of it.
At the end of that month, the System rewarded me. Two common chests, two rare. Inside, I chose to keep them closed for the future, but more importantly, I gained something greater:
New Skills Acquired
[New Skill Gained!] Swordsmanship Level 1(Combat)
Effect: Basic proficiency with swords.
Passive Bonus: +5% accuracy and efficiency with sword strikes.
Unlocks: Ability to perform basic parries, ripostes, and simple combos.
Growth: Bonuses increase with levels with training, quests, and combat experience.
[New Skill Gained] Meditation (Passive)
Effect: Enter a trance-like state to rest body and mind.
Passive Bonus: Slowly regenerates stamina and minor health outside combat.
Growth: Expands with mastery, Higher regeneration rates in shorter time.
It was during one of these meditations, Vesemir told us, that we would soon take our first steps into Sign magic. A flicker of excitement stirred in me. Magic had always been something I read about, but now I get to touched it.
It may not be like Harry Potter, but it was still something I needed to learn. Plus since I have Elder Blood, I have a higher affinity with magic. Then the System chimed:
[Quest Received!]
"Signs of Magic" Objective: Display to Vesemir your proficiency in Sign magic in 1 attempt.
Reward: +1 Ability Point. +2 Intelligence. 1 Rare Equipment Chest.
Failure: Loss of opportunity to learn advanced Signs in the near future.
[Accept/Decline]
I didn't hesitate. Accept.
That night, as the fire in the keep's hall crackled and Callum hummed his usual tune while tending his sword, while I ate potato soup.
The next day in hall Vesemir, began our Sign class. At first it was very boring talking. He talked about the history of the Sign magic and why Witcher's use it.
"Listen well, boy's. Signs aren't full sorcery. Long ago, Witchers adapted fragments of high magic into something simple, quick, and practical for battle. No long incantations, no complex rituals, just focused intent channeled through gesture and willpower. How it Differs from Sorcerer's Magic: A mage bends chaos into grand spells with study and precision. Witchers don't have that luxury. Our mutations let us touch the chaos just enough to shape it into a handful of controlled tricks. Think of them as tools, sharp, limited, but reliable in the field."
Vesemir then points to a chalk board. The board had drawn symbols, and the finger gestures for the signs.
The Signs:
Aard: A blast of telekinetic force. Knocks back foes, opens doors, stuns when strong enough.
Igni: Flame from the palm. Weak on its own but deadly when fueled with oil or environment.
Yrden: Magical trap laid at your feet. Slows enemies, binds wraiths and specters.
Quen: Protective shield. Absorbs damage, gives you time to strike back or recover.
Axii: Influence over the mind. Calms beasts, unsettles men, bends weak wills.
"Why does this matter you must think? Signs won't match a sorcerer's firestorm or thunderbolt, but they're fast, instinctive, and built for the battlefield. With practice, you'll weave them into swordplay until they're second nature. The School of the Griffin back then was known for its potent use of magic and signs."
That's right. If I remember correctly, The School of the Griffin leaned heavily into Sign research. From Runework, to Sustained Casting, and Hybrid Techniques, like mixing signs mid combat. I think their were more signs as well like Heliotrope, a storm sign and something to do with fire and ice, but I can't complete remember what?
Then the system ping.
[Codex Upgrade]: School of the Griffin
The School of the Griffin leaned heavily into Sign research — treating them almost like structured spellcraft. Their Witchers were closest to "battle-mages." They expanded on Signs through:
Runework: Binding runestones into armor/weapons to amplify Signs (e.g., fireburst from Igni runes, barrier glyphs enhancing Quen).
Sustained Casting: Griffin Witchers experimented with channeling Signs longer than normal Witchers could, creating walls of flame, domes of Quen, or fields of Yrden.
Hybrid Techniques: Mixing Signs mid-combat (Aard to stagger → Igni stream to finish; Axii to stun → Quen charge forward).
[Codex Upgrade]: Signs of the Griffin School
Heliotrope (rare, lore-based): A defensive Sign that manipulates time/space slightly, slows projectiles, improves reflexes, and shields against magical effects.
Melt/Freeze Variants: Experimental Igni producing superheat or cold flame (depending on runes and alchemy).
Storm Sign (conceptual from prototypes): A mix of Aard + Igni, releasing concussive flame waves.
Okay so that's what it was, Heliotrope. I need to learn how to use that sign, and how I can use these other variations. I should also test around with the hybrid techniques to see what I can create.
"Alright boy's I'm gonna show you how to preform these signs, this will be your training for the rest of the day." Vesemir announced.
Callum smiled with his green cat eyes locked on me like I was a piece of meat. "Alright Cain, how about we make a bet?" I looked Callum with a cold expression. "Oh really, and what are we betting our chore duties?"
Callum just shook his head, with a bright smile on it." No I don't mind cleaning actually. I heard Eskel came back yesterday with some big gain, and he gonna share some with us."
That explains it, this keep sees a chance to get some meat. So he's gonna jump at the opportunity to get as much as he can, I can respect that.
"What's the wager?"
"Who ever can cast the signs the most correctly wins. The prize is the victor gets the other's portion of their meat. So what do you say Cain? Are you in? "
My face with a stoic blank expression just stared at Callum. "I will agree only if add doing my chores to the wager, and you have yourself a deal."
Callum just smirked. "Cain you drive a hard bargain, but you have yourself a deal."
Then as we shook each others hands to solidify the deal, I received a notification from the system:
[Quest Update!]: "Signs of Magic" Objective: Display to Vesemir your proficiency in Sign magic. While competing with Callum to do the most signs correctly.
Reward: +1 Ability Point. +2 Intelligence. +1 Random Stat Point. 1 Rare Equipment Chest. 1 Common Equipment Chest.
Failure: No rewards and loss of meat portion.
Now that is interesting, so quest's can update if certain conditions are met. I'm not complaining since, I gain more rewards from this.
"Vesemir can you be the watcher for our bet if you don't mind."
Vesemir nodded. "Normally I would say no, but since you both or studious apprentices, I will allow it, especially since you both seam to learn better when competing against each other."
Good old Vesemir, even if he looks different in this world. He is still a good mentor, but that doesn't mean I agree with his reasoning to continue the the trial of the grasses with such high mortality rate. Especially allowing children to go through this process without a safety net. No Jasen you need to focus. I can worry about the future of the Witcher's later.
Me and Callum stood a few feet next to each other. Vesemir then began to demonstrate the Witcher signs one at a time.
"Alright boys lets make this challenging. those wooden post Infront of you will be your training dummies. We will start with Aard." He then showed us the gesture and blasted a post out of the ground.
"Now your turn give me three good blast, you need to at least blast the small cups behind the dummy."
Callum and I steadied ourselves breathed and in rhythm sent three good telekinetic blast to the dummies. Both of our cups knocked over on the third hit, after only slightly moving for the first two. We saw that their were some rocks in the cups. Probably to make the test harder, I liked the way the old man thought.
Next was Igni. Me and Callum, had to light multiple torches on one try. Like before we took our time and breathed. Then we shot a stream of fire from our hands. We managed to light all our torches on the first try.
Then Yrden came next. Vesemir told us to cast the signs on the ground. He said he would step into each of our to see if they worked. We did this one three times.
"Callum yours are good, but the last one you casted was slightly weaker then Cains, so he wins this one."
"Dammit, Oh well that's just one" Callum said.
Quen was next. "Alight boys I'm gonna use this dull sword after you cast your Quen shields. Whoever manages to stand the most hit wins you get three tires."
On the first two attempts, both of our quens shields lasted 3 hits. Vesemir wasn't holding back. One the final attempt, we made to four, and on the fifth hit Vesemir sent Callum falling to the ground. Mine just barley lasted the fifth and on the sixth, I was on the ground as well.
Axii was the final sign Vesemir would test on, after demonstrating on the horses. Vesemir told us to do it on three animals. First I did it on a mouse I found, I told it to show me where it came in. Then on the second animal I did it on Roach, I gave him a nice petting. So far me and Callum were even since he did the same animals. While I looked for another animal, I saw Callum running out of the castle door.
"You think your funny, you little shit." It was Lambert. "Just wait until I get my hands on. I will show you the right way to cast Axii."
I then saw a bird on a tree branch. I used Axii on it, and told it to shit on Lambert head. After that Lambert was even madder. "What the fuck, goddam shitty bird. I better not catch again pulling that shit on me Callum."
Lambert left to the warm castle to clean himself off. Callum was scolded by Vesemir for doing that. "Well Cain, you won the bet, and Callum for using signs on your senior Witcher brothers your gonna run until I say stop. When your done you can begin on Cain's chores before we eat, and you will do the cleaning up after we eat."
"Yes Vesemir, I won't let it happen again."
That's when I received notifications from the system:
[Quest Update!]: "Signs of Magic" Objective: Display to Vesemir your proficiency in Sign magic. While competing with Callum to do the most signs correctly.
Reward: +1 Ability Point. +2 Intelligence. +1 Random Stat Point. 1 Rare Equipment Chest. 1 Common Equipment Chest.
[New Skill Acquired]: Sign (Magic)
[Aard – Level 1] Effect: Releases a short telekinetic blast. Knocks back light foes and staggers heavier ones.
Limitations: Low range, limited power. Best used for opening or disrupting.
[Igni – Level 1] Effect: Emits a short burst of fire from the palm. Capable of minor burns and igniting flammable objects.
Limitations: Weak flame, stamina cost restricts repeated use.
[Yrden – Level 1] Effect: Places a small magical trap at Cain's feet. Slows enemies within the circle.
Limitations: Limited duration and area. Effective mainly against wraiths and spirits.
[Quen – Level 1] Effect: Creates a protective shield absorbing one direct strike.
Limitations: Breaks after one hit, short duration, drains stamina if recast quickly.
[Axii – Level 1] Effect: Projects calming influence on a single target. May stagger beasts or briefly sway weak-minded humans.
Limitations: Ineffective against strong wills or multiple targets.
Nice I'm making some progress now. Hopefully I can spend the next few years slowly growing my strength and items up. Cause the first time I kill a monster I need to be ready. That probably won't be until the Trial of Mountains, so I just need to train hard with Callum.
Before first it's time for some food, and I'm starving.
Back in the castle I was eating some good deer meat Eskel cook. It wasn't bad, just needed more seasoning. Oh well it's better vegetable, and potato soup.
"Hey Cain."
I looked over it was Callum. "Mind if I just get one piece, just one." He said with that bright smile on his face. I just stared coldly while eating the meat in his face.
"No"
"Oh come on why not?"
"You made the bet, and you lost it, you shouldn't have made the bet, if you weren't prepared to lose." I said while continuing to eat in front of him.
"Just be lucky you have food at all, some children are starving in cold out their." Geral said.
Callum nodded. "Yeah your right."
That's when Eskel handed Callum a few chopped pieces of cooked meat from his plate. "Here you go kid, I'm full already.
Callum looking bright eyed again smiled. "Thanks Eskel, your the best."
"Don't mention it kid, just don't bet your food next time if your not ready to go hungry"
Callum nodded "Will do."
I just smiled from the feeling of comradery of the atmosphere. It felt nice, I hope there were more moment's like these to come in the future.