Dawn came cold over Kaer Morhen. The sky was a dull sheet of grey, the sun little more than a distant glow behind heavy clouds. And In the courtyard, three figures stood ready.
Geralt adjusted the straps on his armor with ease. Eskel rolled his shoulders once, the leather creaking faintly as he checked the weight of his blade.
Sebastian stood before them, focused.
Trying and failing to hide the anticipation in his eyes.
Geralt reached behind him and drew a blade.
Silver.
Even in the muted light, that thing was glowing.
Then Geralt extended it.
"For you."
Sebastian blinked.
Slowly, he reached out, fingers closing around the hilt.
It felt… different.
Lighter than he expected. Balanced. Alive, almost.
He tested the weight with a small movement of his wrist.
"…It's light," he said quietly.
Geralt watched him.
"Good."
Sebastian nodded once, then turned slightly and tried to sling it over his back
Eskel burst into a low chuckle.
"You might want to put that on your waist instead."
Seb paused, awkwardly mid-motion.
"…Right."
He adjusted it quickly, fastening it properly at his side this time.
Eskel smirked. "First real blade and you're already trying to look like a legend, you are not that tall yet to put it behind your back."
Seb exhaled faintly. "I'll settle for not embarrassing myself."
Geralt stepped past them.
"You won't."
That was all he said.
But it was enough.
They moved toward the gates.
The massive wooden gate of Kaer Morhen loomed ahead, frost clinging to iron bands.
Sebastian glanced toward the stables as they passed.
"…We're not taking horses?"
Geralt didn't slow.
"We're walking."
Seb frowned slightly. "Wouldn't that slow us down?"
Eskel shook his head. "Depends."
Geralt continued, voice even.
"If our investigation is right, the forktail's nest isn't far. Horses would only make noise. Draw attention."
"And panic," Eskel added. "Draconids don't spook easy, but when they do, they kill what's closest."
Seb considered that.
Then nodded.
"…Liability."
Geralt gave a faint grunt of approval.
They passed through the gates.
And into the world beyond.
The forest swallowed them quickly.
Tall pines blocked out most of the already low light, branches heavy with snow.
Sebastian walked a half-step behind Geralt, senses stretching outward.
Every sound. Every shift of wind.
Every detail mattered now.
Quietly, without breaking stride, his focus shifted inward.
" SYSTEM STATUS WINDOW "
Race: (Mutant)
Class: (Witcher, Monster Hunter.)
Special Powers:
Flame Flame Fruit
???
???
Level: 13
Experience: 0 / 10000
—
" CORE ATTRIBUTES "
Strength (STR): 16
Agility (AGI): 20
Endurance (END): 15
Vitality (VIT): 15
Perception (PER): 20
Willpower (WIL): ??
—
" COMBAT PROFICIENCIES "
Swordsmanship: Lv. 10
Archery: Lv. 3
Dual-Wielding: Lv. 10
Unarmed Combat: Lv. 5
Alchemy Usage: Lv. 10
Sign Magic: Lv. 6
—
Advanced Magic:
Locked
Locked
—
" TRAITS & PASSIVES "
Witcher Physiology
Monster Hunter Instinct
Monster Knowledge: Unlimited
Master Alchemy
Intangibility to all physical damage (Controlled)
—
Sebastian's gaze sharpened slightly as the window faded.
Level 13…
His grip tightened faintly on his backpack.
'Years of training. Signs. Alchemy. And I'm still… here.'
His eyes flicked ahead to Geralt's back. Then to Eskel.
'I need real hunts.'
'Real monsters.'
'Real danger.'
'That's the only way I can grow.'
A branch creaked somewhere behind him.
Sebastian stopped and turned.
Nothing, only trees and snow.
Geralt halted a few steps ahead without even looking back.
"What's wrong, Seb?"
Sebastian hesitated a fraction too long.
"…Nothing."
Geralt watched him for a moment longer. "If you hearing branches creaking that's totally normal."
Then Seb nodded once and turned forward again.
Eskel, however, had already drifted off slightly to the side, crouching near the ground.
"I think I found something."
Geralt stepped closer.
His eyes narrowed.
"Blood trail."
Dark red stained the snow between roots, half-frozen but fresh enough to matter.
Eskel opened his mouth
Geralt lifted a hand slightly.
"Wait."
Eskel glanced at him.
Geralt's gaze shifted to Sebastian.
"Let Seb do it."
A pause.
Then Eskel leaned back on his heels, a faint grin tugging at his scarred face.
"Alright."
He gestured loosely at the ground.
"Come on, little Witcher."
Sebastian stepped forward.
Slowly.
His eyes traced the trail.
The spacing. The depth. The drag marks.
He crouched, brushing gloved fingers lightly against the frozen blood.
Still tacky beneath the surface frost.
Fresh. His gaze lifted, scanning the surrounding trees.
Broken bark. Claw marks.
Height… too high for wolves.
Too erratic for ghouls.
He spoke quietly.
"Injured prey. Running."
He stood, following the trail a few steps.
"Not dragged. Still mobile."
Geralt watched him closely.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed further.
"The blood pattern… inconsistent. Spurts, not steady flow."
He turned slightly, pointing toward a cluster of broken branches.
"Something attacked it from above."
Eskel's grin widened.
"Go on."
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
"The Forktail, we are close."
A beat.
Geralt nodded once.
"Good."
Sebastian's gaze hardened slightly as he looked deeper into the forest.
"The nest is close, and this is the hunting grounds."
****
Then Geralt said calmly. "In that case, you lead now."
Sebastian just nodded once.
"Alright."
He stepped forward.
Each movement slower now and sharper.
His eyes traced the ground first then lifted, scanning the trees, the canopy, the spaces between trunks where something large could pass without being seen.
The blood trail thinned.
But it didn't disappear.
It changed.
Sebastian crouched again, fingers hovering over a patch of disturbed snow.
Not blood.
Scales.
A faint scrape. A curved drag, like something had brushed the surface without fully touching it.
He looked up.
Branches above were snapped, not clean breaks, but torn apart. Something had forced its way through, not caring for stealth.
"Not feeding here," Seb murmured. "Carrying it."
Eskel crossed his arms, watching with interest. "Meaning?"
"Meaning the prey was heavy it couldn't carry it while flying."
Sebastian rose, already moving again.
The terrain began to slope upward.
Rocks replaced soft ground. Snow thinned where wind had carved through the incline. The trees grew tighter, roots twisting through stone like veins.
The trail grew harder to follow.
But not impossible.
Seb slowed.
Closed his eyes for half a second.
Listened.
The forest spoke in small things, creaking wood, shifting snow, distant wings.
Then
A faint sound.
Not loud.
A wet, dragging echo carried through stone.
Seb's eyes snapped open.
"This way."
He veered off the visible trail, moving toward a narrow rise between two jagged rock formations.
Eskel raised a brow but followed.
Geralt said nothing.
The climb was short, but steep.
At the top
Sebastian stopped.
Ahead of them, half-hidden by shadow and stone, yawned a dark opening in the mountainside.
A cave.
Cold air spilled from it, carrying with it a faint, unmistakable scent
Rot.
Sebastian frowned.
"It can't be here…"
He stepped closer, eyes narrowing as he studied the rock face above.
The entrance was too low.
Too narrow for something like a forktail to nest comfortably.
Unless
His gaze traced upward.
The cliff extended higher than it first appeared, jagged edges forming natural ledges above the cave.
"…Unless this cave leads somewhere up," he finished quietly.
Eskel stepped beside him, following his line of sight.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Yep," he said. "Sure looks like it."
Geralt moved forward, stopping just short of the entrance.
He didn't rush and he simply observed it.
Tracks.
Faint, but there.
Claw marks along the stone. Deep. Repeated.
Not entering.
Climbing.
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his silver sword.
"We'll enter."
Sebastian's grip tightened slightly around his own blade.
Excitement flickered in his chest.
Eskel rolled his neck once, the tension settling into something familiar.
"Confined space," he muttered. "Not ideal."
"No," Geralt agreed. "But manageable."
His eyes shifted briefly to Sebastian.
"Stay sharp. Caves distort sound. You'll hear it before you see it."
Seb nodded once.
"I understand."
Geralt stepped forward first.
Sebastian followed.
Eskel last. And as they crossed into the cave, the light behind them faded.
/-\
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