Sunlight filtered in through the long stained windows of the castle's kitchen. The warmth was gentle, I was at work whipping up a morning breakfast. The castle servants did not want to have a elven guest cooking and hearing the lord be displeased with the food. They listened to Callum when he said, I was the best cook in the whole kingdom, and they should be happy to try my cooking.
I just smiled at the compliment. I wanted to see the look on the Lady Meressa and Carterfaces when I make a meal that they probably never had before. Plus I believe if I cook for the castle and the lord and lady, it will help with my reputation score.
I was making a mixture of Eggs, bacon, Stakes and diced cooked potatoes or hashbrowns.
"Hey Callum, what is the big deal with your father not talking about his wife and children." I asked.
Callum narrowed his eyes and looked at Calanthe. She just sat there sipping her tea.
"I guess you can say it's a tale as old as time. I turns out the lords wife was having a affair with his brother, our uncle. and you know no man especially a nobleman like to be cuckolded by a woman especially by his brother."
"The children?"
"Wasn't his, my father all things considered was a patient and reasonable man."
"How so?"
"He challenged his brother to a duel, Infront of their family and the queen and late king of Cintra themselves. He beat his brother to a inch of his life, but did not kill him. He said the children are bastard spawns and shall leave with him to a foreign lands. But he gave his brother some assets, to help life out of and start over. He kicked his brother out of the family, but said raise the children correctly , because if I have no heirs in the coming years they are still my niece and nephew."
I raised a eyebrow in surprise. "That's actually generous considering everything that happened."
The twins nodded to my statement. Then Calanthe, gave a extra comment.
"Can't say the same for that bitch of woman, who caused all of this though."
"Oh yes. What happened to your fathers wife? I take it their marriage was annulled?"
"If by annulled, you mean she was killed for adultery, then yes." Calanthe said with a almost smug tone.
"Honestly, she got off to easy for what she did to us, and mom. From what mom said the Queen and late King, agreed to the sentence, if our father could not forgive her for her actions. But our father gave that decision to our mother. Saying her actions have affected more then just him, but me and Callum along with out mother."
As I finished making breakfast, and preparing the dishes to be sent out to the sitting room I looked at Calanthe waiting to her the rest.
"Mother told me she said. I can tolerate when your selfish self did to me. But you insulted and at times harmed my children. Because of you my son might die becoming a Witcher if not fighting monsters for living. You stole his birthright because you couldn't open your legs for the man you swore to spend a lifetime with. So for your transgression towards innocent children, I will not forgive you. Then apparently they hung her, and mom used her as fertilizer for the herbs and plants in the sanctuary."
My eyes opened suddenly a little wider from the shock of hearing that story.
"I can't tell if I should be be afraid or respect your mother."
"Both" The two said in unison.
Later we made our way to the sitting room t enjoy our meal. Callum sat by the hearth beside Calanthe, both relaxed enjoying my food. Lady Meressa, sipped her tea with a calm grace in-between bites. She really was beautiful, not just in form, but in presence.
"This meal is amazing Cain. I did not know the Witcher's were such good cooks. You should stay in the village, and be a on call guard and chef. I can promise the pay will be better then living hand to mouth on the road."
Her voice was warm, but carried weight. The kind I instinctively respected.
"Thank you my Lady, but I will have to turn your over down for now."
She just smile gently, like she new I would say no, but still wanted to tempted me anyway. I know this woman is playing a game with me, but I cannot tell what she want's.
"So," Callum said, setting his cup down. "What else happened after we left? Besides what you already told me, Why are you advising the lord and living in the caste? "
Meressa smiled faintly, brushing a lock of red hair behind her ear. "Your father had to face reality. Without you or Calanthe or any other heirs, and the townsfolk increasingly uneasy, he needed help managing affairs. He made me an official advisor. Gave me the authority he never granted me before. Like give me the same authority of his captain of the guards."
Calanthe snorted. "How does a Druid/ Alchemist, who was healer for the lord become his advisor?"
"I have always been a very observant person. I have the skills to a be sorceress, but I hate how they did things so I chose this life. Everything else just happened to happen."
I leaned forward slightly. " Speaking of being a druid. The supernatural problems around Hillstead. Have they started recently?"
Meressa's expression turned more serious. " No actually they have been slowly Increasing more significantly over the past season. At first it was just minor hauntings, strange weather shifts. Things I could handle myself. But recently… people have gone missing. Animals found flayed, trees blackening overnight. More and More, it was like a beacon was set off, and I couldn't handle it alone anymore. By the time I was going to request the help of the brotherhood, Calanthe returned and said she was bringing her brother and a fellow Witcher being you."
"Were you able to find out anything about why there is a spike in activity or why the is a surge in magic in the area?" Callum asked.
"I believe it might be a dead sorcerers corrupt magical experiment gone wrong. The magic and death of the trees and plant life is a sigh of corruption."
Cain fingers twitched. As the System pinged to life with a notification.
System Notification:
[Epic Quests: "Roots Beneath the Orchard"]
Objective: Discover and stop the unnatural corruption is spreading from through the Hillstead Village.
Key Location: Hillstead Abandoned Orchard.
Rewards: +2 Random Stat Points,1 Epic Equipment Chest.
My eyes narrowed
"We'll take care of it," I said suddenly.
Meressa looked up.
"Callum and I," I clarified. "We will consider this a official contract, and I trust you will pay us well."
Meressa nodded. "Of course your up and becoming professionals. I should help you get were you need to be. You two will be pay your proper amount."
I nodded. "Thank you. I been thinking we should look towards the orchard. I here it's abandoned, whenever I walk past there my medallion vibrate slightly more. My instincts are telling me something is wrong beneath it. We should check it out."
"Well you both aren't the only ones going." Calanthe said quickly. "This is my home as well. Not to mention if it is a sensitive matter of magic I can offer my skills. Not that I think you boys aren't skilled enough to handle it. Plus money is always good." She said looking at her mother with a knowing look.
I raised an eyebrow. "These jobs aren't exactly clean. You wouldn't want to get all dirty or covered in blood and guts."
"I'm not afraid of mud, blood or guts" she said dryly.
Callum laughed. "She's right. This girl once rolled in a pig pen trying to chase a hedgehog. She also helped mom with her experiments and messy rituals like it was nothing. "
Calanthe blushed. "That was all for the sake of learning. What scholar isn't afraid to get a little messy."
"You were five, and mom had to teach you proper sanitation or your would be spreading diseases all of the village."
Callum grinned.
Even I smirked. The mood lifted for a moment.
We spent the next day sweeping the remaining active contracts.
Calanthe took point with me on the Fog Over Lake Drelnor case, using druidic rituals to clear the dense mist hiding a drowned revenant. I handled the killing blow with my moon shadow blade.
[ Rare Quest Completed: "Fog Over Lake Drelnor"]
Rewards: +1 Random Stat Point, 1 Rare Equipment Chest
Reputation: +5
Callum and his mother headed into the hills for the Missing Children contract. Come to find out a wailing spirit had bound itself to an abandoned shrine calling children to it. Callum would assist Meressa with a purifying ritual for the shrine and managed to save the child Donovan.
[Common Quest Completed: "Missing Child: Donovan"]
Rewards: 1 Common Equipment Chest
Reputation: +10
By the end of the day, the villagers no longer whispered as I walked by. They spoke of me in the same good light as Callum and Calanthe, and their mothers. The other elves started to nod at me when I pasted by.
Three of us stood that evening near the orchard.
Blackened trees reached upward like claws. The wind carried a scent of rot. While our medallions vibrated greatly.
Callum held his with a tightened grip.
"This is it," he murmured.
Callum and I unsheathed our silver swords blades. Calanthe lit her palm with orange flame.
I opened my system interface.
[Status Window]
Name: Cain Age: 15
Race: Half-Elf (Mutated)
Title: Monster Hunter(Novice) (Currently Equipped) (+1)
Class: Witcher (Wolf School)
Trait: Bloodline: Elder Blood(Novice)
Strength: 28
Dexterity: 30
Constitution: 29
Intelligence: 27
Wisdom: 26
Charisma: 18
Luck: Unknown
Stat Points: 3
Ability Points: 1
Abilities & Skills:
Mind's Eye: Level 2
Cold-Blooded
Swordsmanship: Level 6 (Intermediate)
Meditation: Level 3
Cooking: Level 5
Alchemy: Level 3
Regeneration: Level 1
Poison Resistance: Level 2 (Toxicity Threshold:0/150)
Warp: Level 1
Sign (Magic):
Aard – Level 5
Igni – Level 5
Yrden – Level 5
Quen –Level 5
Axii – Level 5
Heliotrope – Level 5
Inventory:
Elven Set( Moon shadow Blade, Spirit Hood)
Cat School Hooded Cloak
Runestone: Lesser Glyph: Aard, Quen
Runestone: Quen
Potion of Minor: Vitality (2), Elixir of Clarity (1), Tonic of Fortitude (1)
Scroll of: Lesser Restoration, Cure Wounds (Minor)
2 Rare Equipment Chest
3 Common Equipment Chest
Chests Damaged items: 4
Okay I should open my chest just incase, since this is a epic rank quest.
[Equipment Chest Opened]:
Enhanced Cat School Boots (Common)
Type: Light Armor
Buffs: +2 Dexterity, +5% movement speed, +5% When sneaking
Enhanced Cat School Trousers (Common)
Type: Light Armor
Buffs: +2 Agility, +3% stamina regeneration
Superior Wolf School Bracers (Common)
Type: Medium Armor
Buffs: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +4% reaction speed (parry and counter efficiency)
Gem: Topaz (1) Sapphire (1) Garnet (1) Amethyst (1)
Potion of the Bear (School of the Bear Elixir)
Type: Rare Consumable (Potion)
Buffs: +3 Strength, +3 Constitution, +10% resistance to physical damage for 60 seconds
Toxicity: +35
Flavor: " Brewed from ursine mutagen and fortified bear fat. It burns like fire going down, and fills the veins with raw power. This potions recipe has been lost"
Potion of the Cat (School of the Cat Elixir)
Type: Rare Consumable (Potion)
Buffs: +2 Dexterity, +10% critical chance +10% attack speed for 60 seconds
Toxicity: +30
Flavor: "A bluish green tonic distilled with feline mutagen and moonflower extract. Every nerve sharpens, every heartbeat quickens the world slows, but you don't. This potions recipe has been lost"
Elven Necklace of Harmony (Rare)
Type: Accessory
Buffs (while worn): +1 to all stats (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma)
Bonus: Absorption Option: Can be absorbed. Grants: +5 Stat Points and +1 Ability Point. Item destroyed upon absorption.
Flavor: "An ancient necklace once belonging to a lost Aen Saevherne sage. It is part of a series of items that once found grants a incredible boon. Once items are destroyed the boon will be lost forever no matter how many of the other items are gathered.
This is amazing. I got enhanced and better gear compared to the gear I got when I was training to be a Witcher. It makes me think how better, higher ranked gear might be. Plus these tow witcher school potions. I never heard of them before but it seems like they give a temporary boost to my abilities, but not permanent. Oh well I can use these when I really need them.
But this elven necklace. it's amazing, and its only a rare rank item. But the flavor text is interesting. if I can gather the other items I could receive a great boon. I wonder is it a secret powerful spell or I might become nigh immortal with my stat and powers boosted significantly? Maybe all I know is if I get into a very dangerous and tight spot I might have to absorb the necklace in order to live. I hope I don't put myself in that situation for that to happen.
I exhaled slowly. "Time to dig deep."
The orchard was silent, unnaturally so. Even the birds avoided the twisted canopy. The moment I stepped past the broken gate, my medallion was vibrating intensely against my chest.
"There is something definitely here," I said softly, crouching near the base of a rotted apple tree, "These trees don't seem to be just dead. They're also cursed."
Callum knelt beside me, brushing aside a patch of mold-riddled soil. Beneath it, something faintly pulsed. Not like life, but chaotic magic.
Calanthe stood close, hands glowing with a soft, greenish blue aura. Her eyes scanned the canopy above and then the earth below.
"I can feel a binding circle under the orchard," she murmured. " You were right Cain. There's something underneath. It's using a magical leyline bleed to draw magic. It could also be a burial sight. Unless I see what it is I won't be able to tell how things got this bad."
I nodded. "Let's find a way down and get to the bottom of this."
We found the entrance near the northern edge, a half-collapsed well, its stone cracked and blackened. With my enhanced vision I could see faded hidden Runes had once been etched into its rim. They long since worn away.
Then the system ping.
Codex Alert: Monster Presence Detected Matching Scent Profile...Candidate Match: Leshen variant (Mutated due to magical interference)
Okay a Leshen Variant. Thank you system. I should leave with the others and prepare for this fight. I then turned back to the others. Callum noticed the runes as well but not the signs of it being a Leshen. " Guys we should go in tomorrow at midday. I want us to be at our best when we do this ."
Callum gave a short nod. Calanthe raised a brow. "I don't disagree but are you sure?."
I nodded. "Yeah lets prepare some potions and prep our gear."
"I second that opinion. I should tell mother what we found. She might know something or can give us something to help.
Back at the Castle's servant houses, I pulled out my new gear for inspection.
I went through my codex for any info that could help against the Leshen variant. I scrolled down a series of of recipes. I found one I believed would help. I ground herbs into paste, stirring them with mountain honey and blackthorn ash. I hope my Alchemy skill helps.
System Notification:
Alchemy Success: [Rootbane Oil Created] Effect: +25% damage vs. Root-based creatures. Duration: 30 minutes
Callum assembled throwing knives and reinforced his armor, after brewing some potions.
Meanwhile Calanthe was doing some research. "Wards," she explained. "One-time use, but they'll counteract the cursed nature-based magic. It will help with containing and weakening whatever is in there."
I nodded. Let's get some rest. By midday we go a get rid of that curse, and whatever monster or thing that is causing it.