Chapter 35: Kaer Morhen & Waterbending
POV: Adam
Kaer Morhen rose from the mountains like a monument to calculated violence, its ancient stones weathered by centuries of winter storms and the accumulated weight of secrets that couldn't be spoken in civilized company. The witcher fortress commanded approaches through passes that could be held by determined defenders against armies, its walls bearing scars that spoke of sieges survived through professional brutality rather than luck.
Sanctuary. Real sanctuary, finally.
Adam walked through corridors that had housed generations of mutants dedicated to protecting humanity from things that wanted to devour it, his footsteps echoing off stones that had absorbed decades of training, planning, and preparation for battles that conventional armies couldn't fight.
This is where witchers are made. Where monsters learn to hunt monsters.
"Geralt brings strays," Vesemir said as they gathered in the main hall, his voice carrying the authority of someone who'd survived longer than anyone had any right to expect. "A girl and a... mage?"
Ancient. Vesemir is ancient by any standard, but his eyes hold awareness that speaks of someone still dangerous.
The old witcher's attention fixed on Adam with evaluation that felt like being examined by concentrated time, golden eyes studying details that might reveal truths about capabilities and intentions. His weathered face bore scars that mapped conflicts spanning decades.
"Not a mage," Adam replied, understanding that accuracy mattered in places where precision could determine survival.
"We'll see."
Test. Everything here is going to be a test.
Lambert's introduction proved exactly as abrasive as Adam had expected from someone whose reputation emphasized sarcasm over diplomacy. The younger witcher studied them with attention that spoke of professional assessment mixed with personal amusement.
"Pretty boy mage thinks he's tough?" Lambert's voice carried mockery that felt designed to provoke reaction rather than genuine insult.
Challenge. He's challenging me in front of everyone.
The sparring session that followed provided opportunity for Adam to demonstrate that weeks of training with Geralt had produced improvements beyond simple technique refinement. Lambert's approach emphasized speed and aggression, but Adam's airbending allowed tactical innovations that conventional sword work couldn't counter.
Air Jump over his guard. Wind Barrier to deflect his riposte. Use what he doesn't expect.
Victory came through creativity rather than superior skill, Adam's unconventional approach creating openings that pure swordplay couldn't have achieved. Lambert's grudging nod spoke of respect earned through demonstration rather than reputation.
"Not bad. For a pretty boy."
Acceptance. Witcher acceptance, which means something.
Ciri's training revealed capabilities that made the witchers exchange glances loaded with implications Adam couldn't fully interpret. Vesemir worked with her on meditation techniques that seemed designed to contain power rather than develop it, his instruction carrying urgency that suggested immediate necessity rather than long-term planning.
Elder Blood. They can sense it. Whatever makes her special, it's visible to people who know how to look.
"She has power," Vesemir said during evening discussion, his voice pitched for adult ears while Ciri practiced forms in the courtyard below. "Raw, untrained, dangerous."
Dangerous. To herself, to others, to the fabric of reality if the stories are true.
"Can you help her control it?" Adam asked, understanding that uncontrolled power in someone he loved represented threat that personal affection couldn't diminish.
"We can try. But this kind of magic... it responds to emotion more than technique. Love, fear, anger—they're all triggers."
Emotional magic. Power that responds to feelings rather than conscious control.
The implications sent cold calculation racing through Adam's mind as he processed what emotional instability might mean for someone carrying the kind of power that empires wanted to claim for their own purposes.
Keep her stable. Keep her happy. Keep her from experiencing the kind of trauma that might trigger uncontrolled manifestation.
Days at Kaer Morhen blurred into routine that emphasized physical conditioning over comfort, each dawn bringing training that pushed bodies and minds toward limits that civilian life never required. Adam found himself improving at rates that surprised even instructors who'd spent decades teaching survival through violence.
Level 19. Close to Level 20. Close to whatever milestone that represents.
The mountain stream that supplied the fortress with fresh water became his refuge during afternoon hours when formal instruction yielded to individual practice. The sound of flowing water provided accompaniment for meditation that had grown more sophisticated as his understanding of elemental principles deepened.
Frustration. I'm still not strong enough. Cahir will return. Nilfgaard will keep hunting her. And eventually, worse things will come.
The knowledge of future threats that his television memories provided felt like burden carved from lead and certainty, each passing day bringing them closer to confrontations that would test everything they'd learned about survival and protection.
Wild Hunt. Eventually, the Wild Hunt will come for her. And I need to be ready.
Meditation beside flowing water had become ritual, the stream's voice providing focus that allowed deeper exploration of capabilities that conventional understanding couldn't adequately explain. Adam sat in lotus position on stones worn smooth by centuries of erosion, his breathing synchronized with water's rhythm while his mind sought connection to forces larger than individual will.
Power. I need more power. Whatever's coming, I need to be ready.
The familiar blue shimmer materialized in his peripheral vision with timing that suggested response to desperate need rather than arbitrary system scheduling.
[LEVEL UP! 19 → 20]
[MILESTONE REACHED: LEVEL 20]
[NEW ELEMENT UNLOCKED: WATERBENDING]
Twenty. Level twenty. And waterbending.
The notification felt like christmas morning and graduation ceremony combined, validation that growth had reached threshold where qualitative change became possible. Adam's consciousness expanded to encompass new sensory input—awareness of water in forms he'd never consciously perceived.
The stream. I can feel every molecule of water moving through those channels.
Instinct guided his hand toward the flowing water with movements that felt like remembering rather than learning. The stream responded to intention that preceded conscious thought, liquid rising from its channel to form shapes that defied gravity and conventional understanding.
Water whip. I can actually manipulate water.
The technique materialized with ease that spoke of elemental magic operating according to principles more fundamental than human comprehension could map. Water flowed around his hand like living sculpture, responding to mental direction with precision that made airbending feel crude by comparison.
Splash. And I just splashed myself.
Adam's laughter echoed off mountain stones as water cascaded down his face, the absurdity of achieving supernatural mastery only to immediately demonstrate his inexperience. But beneath amusement lay recognition that this development changed everything about what protection he could offer.
Healing. Waterbending includes healing.
The afternoon that followed became exploration of capabilities that felt like discovering additional senses rather than learning new skills. Water responded to mental direction with eagerness that suggested elemental forces had been waiting for conscious partnership rather than domination.
Water Shield. Defensive applications.
The technique created barriers that could stop arrows or blades while remaining fluid enough to adapt to changing threat geometry. Practical magic that transformed water from simple necessity into tactical advantage.
Purify Water. Utility applications.
The ability to remove toxins and impurities opened possibilities for survival in environments where clean water couldn't be guaranteed through conventional means. Essential skill for people whose lives required constant movement through uncertain territory.
Healing Touch. This changes everything.
Adam tested the technique on old bruises that Kaer Morhen's training had accumulated across his body, supernatural restoration working through contact that felt like warmth flowing from his hands into damaged tissue. Wounds closed, pain faded, and exhaustion lifted as cellular repair accelerated beyond normal biological limits.
I can heal. Actually heal. Not just myself—others.
"You can heal now?" Ciri's voice carried wonder that spoke of someone understanding exactly what such capability meant for people whose lives involved regular violence.
Test it. Prove it works on other people.
"Apparently. Want to test it?"
She offered her arm where recent sparring had left bruises that painted her skin purple and yellow, damage that would normally require days to fade through natural healing. Adam's touch sent warmth flowing into injured tissue, waterbending working through physical contact to restore cellular integrity that trauma had disrupted.
Working. It's actually working.
The bruises faded as they watched, supernatural restoration eliminating damage that represented hours of accumulated small injuries. Ciri stared at her arm with expression that cycled through amazement, gratitude, and something approaching awe.
"You're incredible."
Incredible. Maybe. Definitely more useful than I was yesterday.
Evening brought celebration that felt earned through accomplishment rather than arbitrary achievement, the witchers acknowledging Adam's development with approval that their profession distributed as carefully as rare currency.
"Two elements now," Geralt said, his voice carrying observation rather than surprise. "You're becoming dangerous."
Dangerous. In the best possible way.
"Good. I need to be."
Need to be. For her, for what's coming, for all the threats that conventional strength can't address.
The fortress battlements provided sanctuary for conversation that couldn't be conducted in company, ancient stones offering privacy while winter stars wheeled overhead in patterns that spoke of continuity beyond human concern.
"We're safe here," Ciri said, her voice carrying contentment that had been absent since Cintra's fall. "For now."
For now. That's all we ever have—for now.
"For now," Adam agreed, pressing his lips to her forehead in gesture that carried promises about future protection. "Always for now."
But now is enough. If we can string enough 'nows' together, maybe we can build something that lasts.
[Experience Gained: 800 XP - Training and milestone achievement]
[New Stats: STR 36, STA 46, AGI 45, HP 360, MP 460]
[Major Development: Waterbending unlocked - healing capabilities acquired]
[Relationship: Ciri +5 (now 130/150), Geralt +5 (now 60/100)]
The mountain wind carried scents of snow and possibility while they stood together on battlements that had protected secrets for centuries. Below them, Kaer Morhen settled into evening routine that would continue through winter months that promised training, growth, and preparation for whatever spring might bring.
Level 20. Waterbending. Healing.
Power enough to make a difference, perhaps. Power enough to protect what mattered most in a world that seemed designed to take such things away.
Ready. More ready than I've ever been.
But readiness, Adam understood, was always temporary. Tomorrow would bring new challenges that would test everything today's growth had made possible.
Tomorrow. We'll face it together.
Some promises were worth whatever preparation they required.
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