Chapter 6: My Current Skills? All Thanks to My Innate Talent!
Days turned into weeks, and Kaer Morhen life turned peaceful once more following Braehan's leaving the Blue Mountains.
Lynn's days were full.
Morning hours were taken up training in the training courtyard, practicing Signs until he was able to quite feel the magic in his fingertips.
Afternoons were devoted to delving the depths of the Blue Mountains with Geralt, Eskel, or Lambert.
For once, the ancient Witchers had initially intended their winter at Kaer Morhen as a well-deserved respite.
After all, being on the road was hard enough – why make it harder by tracking down monsters in the mountains?
Especially because there was no profit to be gained.
But Lynn's persistent insistence, and Vesemir's surety that extra training would make the boy suitable for what came next, at last won through.
Even grumbling Lambert, with a scowl as ugly as thunder, acquiesced.
And thus, with these three experienced Witchers to guide him, Lynn was finally able to experience true monster hunting.
He did make one condition, though: he had to execute the coup de grâce.
The others found it a bit odd, but did not dwell on it and agreed.
And thus began an era of unvarnished fear for the monsters of the Blue Mountains.
By rights, the Witchers should have left them alone, as long as they kept their distance from Kaer Morhen.
But now they were threatened with annihilation.
Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert were seasoned monster hunters.
Any of them was a force to be reckoned with, and now there were three.
No monster could withstand such a pounding.
The Witchers would wear down their prey to a sliver of health, and Lynn would put it out of its misery.
Having experienced guides was definitely a plus.
The experience points from monsters far outweighed anything he'd gotten from hunting animals.
Within a month, he'd accumulated more attribute points than he ever had in all prior time put together.
Today, Lynn stood at his window, gazing out into the winter wonderland.
Snow fell in fat, silent flakes, blanketing the world in white.
The air was still, save for the soft rustling of snowflakes against the glass.
The warmth of the room made a sharp contrast with the cold world outside, creating an atmosphere of cozy tranquility.
He was dazed by the beauty of the snow, but in fact, he was reading his attribute panel.
"Wolf School Swordsmanship (Proficient)"
"Attribute Points: 3 (0%)"
After weeks of training, he could now successfully cast all five Witcher Signs.
This success had unlocked the "Signs" skill on his panel.
The 3 attribute points which he possessed were the reward of a month of monster fighting with his three great mentors.
"I have two options here. I can further develop my swordsmanship, but the higher the skill level, the more points it consumes."
"Developing 'Wolf School Swordsmanship' from 'Mastered' to 'Proficient' took 2 points."
"But the next one would take a whopping 5 points."
"So, I'll just save these 3 points for now, and put aside for the next step up."
"Besides which, I'm quite too focused on swordsmanship."
"The Wolf School is all about balance, after all."
"My second option is to spend all 3 points on 'Signs,' which would bump it from 'Novice' to 'Proficient' – the ideal pair."
"Alright, that's it."
Lynn made his decision.
He imagined a finger firmly pressing down on the plus sign beside the "Signs" skill. The text blurred together, changing from "Novice" to "Mastered."
And then he pressed it again.
This time, "Mastered" turned into "Proficient" after another blur.
There was a flood of memories about rehearsing Signs, like a river that streams into the sea, that overwhelmed Lynn's mind.
He suddenly had decades of experience with Signs.
Lynn when memory transfer was complete, raised his hand and did the gesture for the Quen Sign.
Bright orange light burst forth at once, forming a shield about him.
Lynn's face glowed with delight: "Not bad at all."
Until now, he had become proficient in the casting of the Signs, but they were always precarious, not to mention useful in combat.
Now, the Quen shield that he cast was clearly stable.
And the whole process, from making the gesture to casting the Sign, did not require the same intense concentration as when he was a beginner. His body reacted instinctively to the thought.
Such as grabbing chopsticks during meals, without the conscious control of his hand.
Next, Lynn experimented with the rest of the Signs separately.
The only one who couldn't be experimented with was the Axii Sign.
Heliotrop, Igni, Aard, and Yrden all performed significantly better.
"Normally, it would take years to achieve this level. I've reached the level of a professional Witcher in a month."
"Maybe by the time I leave the mountain, I'll be stronger than a regular Witcher."
"I don't understand why we keep bringing this kid along with us on every outing? We're not his babysitters!"
A few hours into their excursion into the Blue Mountains, Lynn overheard Lambert complaining.
Lynn held up two fingers in response.
"First, I have a name. It is Lynn. Second, I can take care of myself."
But Lambert replied, "We'll speak about what you'll be called after you pass the medallion tests. Now, shut up, kid."
"You started it," Lynn rolled his eyes at Lambert, then at the other Witcher with half his face scarred. "Eskel, I don't know how you can stand him."
Eskel let out a sigh, "Sometimes we wonder too. But Lambert is right, we shouldn't be talking now."
As Eskel had warned, not a word was spoken by any of them for the remainder of the trip.
They found a bit of snow, planted a stake in the earth, and tied a sheep to it before kneeling silently in a nearby bush.
This was from "The Brothers Adalbert's Bestiary," page 28, on how to lure a Forktail.
A couple of days earlier, Lynn was reading about monster lore in the castle when he heard a roar in the distance.
He also saw a Forktail passing by.
The Blue Mountains were vast, and monsters were abundant, but they didn't tend to come so close to Kaer Morhen.