The Witcher: Elder Blood

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***

Slow inhalation, long exhalation - I tried to concentrate on my breathing. Not paying attention to other sounds, giving myself full attention only to the methodical breathing. Thoughts were receding into the background, they weren't important right now.

My eyes were closed, seeing total darkness. The mind tried to imagine some place to replace this darkness. Any place, like a beach or a park from the past world. The place itself wasn't so important, the important thing was that it brought tranquility.

My back was in a straight position as I tried to breathe evenly. My muscles were relaxed, tingling slightly, the effects of past training. I'd meditated before, back in my world. It wasn't a joyful pastime for me, more of a bore, but I had to follow the other students.

Strange as it may seem, I was more concerned with simple comforts after coming to the other world. No modern bio-toilet, no spacious bathroom that you don't have to carry water to. To say nothing of the other intricacies of living in medieval times.

There was also not enough music. Sometimes, I wanted to listen to my favourite songs, but where to find a mobile phone with headphones. I had to put up with it and get used to it.

Now it was the fourth day, as I began to be trained together with the young witches. The first two days I was surprised at their abilities. Young men of ten or twelve years old, not inferior to me in training, that's the difference from the mutations. When they grow up, I won't be able to keep up with their training, it was clear from the example of the older witches.

Days were spent learning the Universal Language, and helping with the household chores in the fortress.

I had less training than the witches. Still, they had to do more than swing a sword. In addition to physical development, the young witches had time to study potions, and cramming the bestiary under the supervision of Vesemir, who had a lot of experience in fighting monsters, and therefore, from him you can get explanations.

They had already decided what they would do in the future. I have a problem with that. I already know a lot about this world. I learnt some things from the witches, and some things were shown in a vision when I was transported to another world.

There are many races in this world, also brought here by the Conjunction of the Spheres. They do not get along very well, there have been conflicts throughout history, and the likelihood of new ones is high.

Take humans and elves. First one slaughters the other, then the latter slaughters the former, and so on in a circle. Where would that lead? The extinction of the elves, of course. Humans breed quickly, unlike the pointy-eared, and all die of steel in much the same way, except that the elves themselves live longer.

Racial animosity is not the only catalyst for conflict. Humans are quietly at war with each other.

Constant military conflicts, you could say: a kind of decoration of these lands. It's nothing new, really. It differs from the simple Middle Ages by the presence of other races and magic.

I had never seen other races before, except in the pages of a book, or from visions of a few women, but it did not show the whole picture.

Magic was easier, Vesemir himself had shown it to me, albeit in a simplified form in the form of Signs, a kind of seals through which they channelled their meagre energy reserves.

Witches could not fully wield magic as wizards do in this world, but are quite satisfied with Signs. So far, I have not delved into this path in more detail, I had enough other concerns right now.

For example, I happened to find out what year it is now, namely 1188. Just three years ago, there had been an attack on Caer Morhen, during which almost all the witches from the fortress had been killed, and the mages who could make those witches had been killed.

The attack was carried out by fanatics who had been brainwashed that witches were bad and should be killed.

You bunch of morons, why the hell would you kill someone who kills monsters instead of you? It didn't take long for me to criticise the actions of these people, because Vesemir approached me:

- Your meditation has gone astray again. Come, help me gather wood for the fireplace.

I'm more satisfied with this pastime. I'm tired of sitting in one position.

- Do you often do this, you know, meditate? - I thought I'd ask an experienced witch.

- No, but it's good for me. Especially before a fight.

- Rest? - I didn't understand the benefits.

Vesemir looked at me with a strange look, as if wondering if it was worth explaining:

- For rest, there is sleep. Meditation helps improve concentration and attention. Sometimes it helps with emotions.

We came to a shed under which were logs stacked on top of stacked poles.

- You still have problems with pronunciation,' Vesemir began to pass the logs to me. - To be honest, a lot of peasants have it worse. Have you decided what you're going to do after your training?

- No, I haven't had much of an idea,' I told him.

He stopped handing me the logs and took out the witch's medallion, which had been under my shirt earlier.

- The medallion reacts to magic when you're in meditation,' he hid it back, returning his gaze to me. - You definitely have potential.

- Do you think I could become a mage? - That statement surprised me, because I didn't feel any magic.

- It's up to you. We'll finish with your sword training, and then, if you want, you can go to the Academy of Ban Ard.

Vesemir managed to keep me interested. Of course I wanted to learn magic if I could. I should have asked more:

- Do they teach for free?

- No, but you can join without any fee. You have to pay the money back after you're trained, when you're already a magician. I don't know much, but I know someone at the Academy.

That's not bad either, it'll be easier to earn money after training.

As we walked inside the fortress, carrying logs for the fireplace, Vesemir told me more about mage training.

Most mages are trained at two institutions: the Ban Ard Academy and the Arethuse School of Magic.

Students are allocated by gender. Men can only enrol in Ban Ard, women in Arethuse. At the same time, female graduates from Arethuse are valued more, no, not from the presence of beautiful faces and breasts. It just so happens that women make up the bulk of successful mages. It's a paradise for feminism.

There are several factors at play in this difference: The Academy is less rigorous, and the students are less motivated to learn than the female students from Arethusa who want to become important in this world. Well, what did you think, medieval times. Would kings appoint women as advisors if they didn't have magic and a high life expectancy? I think the answer is obvious.

Mages are taken in for training without contribution, so that magically gifted people who can't control their gift don't walk the earth. Another reason seemed real to me: more mages - more fear of ordinary people in front of them. I could only guess about the others.

The common room was empty. Everyone was busy training, or fulfilling their assigned duties. The young witches were often sent out to cut trees to make logs and gather brushwood near Caer Morhen.

Once I'd gone with them into the woods to pick mushrooms, and the witches had managed to find the herbs they needed for their potions.

From what I have learnt, this world is in the Early Middle Ages, adjusted for the activities of mages in politics. This stage began with the creation of witches, who killed most of the monsters across the continent, allowing people to spend more time killing each other.

On this topic, I decided to ask Vesemir about it:

- I'm wondering, since you've dealt with most of the monsters, why keep doing it? You could go into the service of some king, and there are few places where such warriors could be useful.

- That's true,' Vesemir grinned. - I was once offered to be the king's personal guard, but it's not that simple. In the eyes of the common people, we are no different from the monsters, and now it is especially noticeable,' he looked round the empty hall.

- There are a lot of monsters left, real monsters I mean. Once they kill the common people, they'll be begging for you.

- Maybe that's true. Monsters can adapt, they get harder to find. There will definitely come a moment when the Kmetians will calm down and forget about their enmity to us, if they feel the oppression of monsters again, - Vesemir continued to express his thoughts while he was putting wood into the fireplace. - As for service... Not all witches continue to hunt monsters, there are some. Some are in the business of contract killings. I don't like that, I'd rather keep doing what I'm used to.

- Suit yourself.

The work of witches seemed to me not justified, but to interfere with moralising witches, who lived three times more years, would be foolish. If I somehow became a witch, I wouldn't be killing monsters for a penny.

- We're done here. Let's go back to the courtyard, since you have magical potential, we can teach you the signs, - Vesemir went to the exit from the common hall, I had to follow him.

- Do you think I can handle them?

- It's easier to master the signs than full spells. Willpower, gesture, and the key-word,' he glanced at me over his shoulder. - In any case, you shouldn't be required to have any special knowledge when you enter Ban Ard, and this way you'll be able to defend yourself with more than just a sword.

- That's fine with me,' I smiled at his suggestion.

Indeed, I've already seen the potential of these Marks. They can be used to repel an enemy, or to defend yourself. And this is only a small part of the application of such magic. During the first demonstration, Vesemir told me that there are many Signs, as well as spells, created for different purposes.

The Sigils themselves were created by the mage Cosimo Malaspina. He was one of the mages who created the witches. Later, these Signs began to be improved, and new variants were created. One day, Vesemir met a witch from the Gryphon School, who relied more on the Marks during battle, unlike most witches who put the sword first.

Yes, learning them would be useful, and training with cold weapons should not be forgotten, still, magic is not an ultimatum power, and leaving backups for defence would be the right thing to do.