By the time we returned to Kaer Morhen, snow had begun to fall in wide, lazy flakes. My arms ached from the weight of the meat pack, but he didn't complain. Geralt had shown them how to walk with purpose through the wild, and Cain would carry that lesson longer than the deer.
The inside of the fortress was warm. Coën nodded as we passed. Eskel lifted a brow at the sight of our catch. "The game looks good Cain, let's see how you cook it."
I set the meat down near the hearth in the main hall. The others gathered slowly at the table. Vesemir had just returned.
So you boy's brought back real food.. I can't wait to see how you prepare it.
Geralt crossed his arms, and nodded "Show us what you've got Cain."
I pulled his sleeves back and grabbed with knives, and ingredients beside the fire place. I'd had already cleaned and sectioned the meat during their trek. Now came the craft.
I started by deboning the meat, for a dense and rich bone broth from the marrow. Into it, he stirred sliced wild mushrooms, mugwort for body, and just enough verbena to soothe muscle fatigue. Burdock root added subtle bitterness to balance the sweetness of the meat.
As the smell lifted, heads turned.
Callum leaned closer. "It smells good?"
Cain didn't look up. "Just you wait I'm not even done."
Callum sniffed the air. "No. You're summoning something."
Eskel knelt nearby, intrigued. "Smells like… something I didn't know I missed."
I added a pinch of salt, hoarded from the keep's winter stores, and finally dropped in slices of slow-roasted venison.
The stew simmered, thickened, darkened.
I tasted it once. Nodded.
Then I sliced up the roasted venison. I put it in a iron pan and added some oil, garlic and seared it. Then I took some butter and let the pieces soak in a tiny portion of melted butter.
"Ready."
I ladled the stew into wooden bowls. One by one, the Witchers tasted it tasted, along with the seared meat.
Geralt blinked.
Lambert stopped chewing halfway closing his eyes in bliss.
Coën leaned back, eyes closed. "That's… gods above. That's real food."
Even Vesemir, who had watched silently until now, stepped forward. He tasted. Then turned to me.
"If you could have cooked this whole time you should have said so."
I shrugged, feigning modesty. "Didn't want to raise expectations."
Callum burst out laughing. "You just raised the bar so high I can't see it."
[Quest Complete "The Hunt"]: Objective: Hunt local game and forage herbs with Geralt. Bonus Objective: Cook a full meal for Kaer Morhen using found ingredients.
Reward: +1 Random Stat Point. 1 Common Equipment Chest
Bonus Reward:
[Quest Complete "WitcherChef"]: Objective: Cook a meal for the Wolf School Witcher's, that everyone will love (6/6).
Reward: +2 Charisma Points. +1 Wisdom Point. 1 Common Equipment Chest.
[New Skill Acquired]: Cooking Level 1
Effect: Healing affects can be applied to certain meals.
Bonus: Buffs can be applied to meals, after a certain level.
Nice A cooking skill. If I use this correctly, I can level it up while making some money at the same time.
I then sat down at last, eating a bowl besides Callum. "I think they like it," Callum said, grinning.
I leaned back, satisfied. "Good. This won't be the last time they experience something this good. And it will only get better from here."
I looked at the fire, my eyes reflecting the flames.
This was the final confirmation I needed. Besides being assigned assignments, jobs. Quest appear when situations are instigated around me. Sudden Quest are probably when around people who are vital to the mission of the system.
I think this is because the system gives me specific quests that are about things going on around me. The other side is probably if I meet a dangerous monster I have to kill. But the bigger question is what does the system want me to do?
Later that night I sat in my room going through my stats.
[Status Window]
Name: Cain Age: 11
Race: Half-Elf (Mutated)
Class:
Trait: Bloodline: [Elder Blood – Slumbering]
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 16→ 17
Charisma: 15→ 17
Luck:??
Stat Points: 9
Ability Points: 4
Abilities & Skills:
Mind's Eye
Cold-Blooded
Swordsmanship Level 2
Meditation Cooking Level 1
Sign (Magic):
Aard – Level 2
Igni – Level 2
Yrden – Level 2
Quen –Level 2
Axii – Level 2
Heliotrope – Level 1
Inventory:
Elven Moon shadow Blade
Hunter's Edge
Cat School Tunic
Cat School Trousers
Cat School Boots
Cat School Hooded Cloak
Nekker Claws (6)
Drowner Tongues (4)
Ghoul Blood (4 vials)
Fiend Heart (x1)
Amethyst (3)
Diamond (1)
1 Potion of Minor Vitality
12 Common Equipment Chests
6 Rare Equipment Chests
Okay I think it's time to open the chests. I think soon Vesemir will have me and Callum go through the Trial of Mountain. Either now or within the next few years. I don't know what I could face going into the mountains, so I need to hope my luck is good or the system has a plan for me.
[Chests Open]:
[Potion of Minor Vitality (x1)]
[Potion of Minor Stamina (x1)] – Restores 20% stamina.
[Potion of Minor Strength (x1)] – +5% melee damage for 5 minutes.
[Potion of Minor Swiftness (x1)] – +5% movement speed for 3 minutes.
[Elixir of Clarity (x1)] – Slightly reduces stamina cost of Signs for 20 seconds.
[Potion of Minor Fire Resistance (x1)] – Reduces fire damage by 5% for 60 seconds.
[Potion of Minor Focus (x1)] – Slight boost to Sign intensity for 3 minutes.
[Tonic of Fortitude (x1)] – Minor poison resistance for 30 seconds.
[Monster Ingredient: Nekker Claw (x2), Drowner Tongue (x2), Ghoul Blood (x1 vial), Endrega Chitin (x1), Harpy Feathers (x2), Rotfiend Blood (x1 vial), Basilisk Scales (x1), Warg Hide Scrap (x1), Nekker Eye (x1), Noon wraith Essence (x1), Fiend Heart (x1), Succubus Horn Fragment (x1)]
[Alchemy Ingredient: Mandrake Root (x2), Verbena (x2)]
Scroll of Lesser Restoration (cures poison/disease).
Scroll of Cure Wounds (Minor) (restores 20% health).
[Gems: Amethyst (x4), Garnet (x1), Topaz (x2), Quartz (x1), Amber (x1), Jasper (x1), Diamond (x2), Sapphire (x1)]
[Runestone: Lesser Glyph of Aard] – +2% knockback power.
[Runestone: Lesser Glyph of Quen] – +2% shield strength.
[Runestone: Glyph of Quen] – +5% shield strength.
[Elven Spirit Hood – Rare] Type: Light Armor (Clothing) Effect: Increases positive influence with nature spirits and stacks with charisma stat.
[Ring of the Griffin– Rare] Type: Enchanted ring Effect: Increases Sign intensity by +5%.
[Bracers of the Griffin – Rare] Type: Light Armor (Clothing) Effect: Reduce stamina cost of Signs by 5%.
[Elven Grimoire of the Elder Races] – Ancient tome. Teaches the Elder Speech, elven customs, and social norms before & after the Conjunction of Spheres.
My eyes opened wide with excitement, and surprise. This is a great hall, and more then I normally get. If I sell some of these items I can make some serious money, that can help with item upkeeping and even some repairs or upgrades to Kaer Morhen.
Not to mention some D&D items are in here as well. I wonder if this has anything to do with my Elder blood, or that woman from my dream? I then examined the other items. I keep getting equipment from the different Witcher schools? The gear looks amazing and gives good buffs.
I should also start making some Witcher potions in my free time. Since in the future I will have to deal with the poisonous affects, I need to see if I can build a resistance or immunity to them.
I then pulled out the Elven Grimoire. It was a white book with gold engravings and words. The book was very heavy for its small size. When I opened it the pages with filled with markings and runes, and then images began to fill my head. Elven people, speaking, magic and ceremony. A land of paradise and children, and a battlefield of war, schools of learning. I couldn't process the images completely but then they stopped. When I looked back at the book the pages where blank. then I received a ping from the system:
[Codex Update Received]
New Knowledge Acquired: The Elder Races – Elven Lore
Language: Elder Speech ( Hen Llinge) unlocked. You can now understand and begin speaking basic phrases. Fluency is on the level of a native speaker.
Customs & Society (Pre-Conjunction):
Elves lived in harmony with magic and the land.
Highly structured clans and noble houses guided cultural life.
Architecture and craft focused on blending with forests, rivers, and stars.
Customs & Society (Post-Conjunction):
Collapse of the great elven kingdoms as humans spread.
Surviving Aen Seidhe tribes adapted in secrecy, often nomadic.
Aen Elle pursued interdimensional expansion, severing ties with most of the old world.
Social Norms:
Elves place high value on memory, song, and ancestry.
Hospitality to kin is sacred, but suspicion of humans and Witchers remains strong.
Rituals around moon phases and starlight still hold cultural significance.
[Codex Expanded] → Elven Lore Compendium now available.
Elder Speech Phrases → Reading/writing unlocked.
Cultural Insight → +20% success chance when negotiating with Elves or interpreting elven relics.
Wow this was a nice find. With this I should have a easier time navigating my elven heritage. Especially when I make my way to Dol Blathanna. That reminds me I need to be ready to meet and make good connections with Francesca Findabair. She could be a great ally in the future against the Wild Hunt and the future Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis.
That also reminds me how am I gonna deal with him, when it comes to the birth of best girl Ciri. In my opinion I need to wait until the Geralt saves Emhyr and calls the law of surprise. Then I need to out him and at best get rid of him, but the only problem is I don't know who might take over Nilfguard when he i out of the picture. The other is issue is Ciri mom Pavetta, she is such a passive character but has the same Elder blood potential as Ciri.
It would be a waste to let her go to waste. I need to find mystical creatures or teachers for Ciri and her mom that will be better teachers then the Lodge of Sorceresses. I also need to make sure the Brotherhood of Sorcerers doesn't get their hands on either of them. That also means I need to keep me halving Elder Blood a secret as well, which I was already gonna do.
But who can I get to be my magical tutor? Trish or Yennefer? Maybe Francesca would be a good instructor. I wounder if the Lady of the Lake could teach me a thing or two. I guess I will have to get older and figure all this out later.