Chapter 38: Eskel's Contract
POV: Adam
The preparations for Eskel's departure carried weight that went beyond simple gear organization, each piece of equipment selected with calculation that spoke of someone who understood the difference between adequate and optimal when lives depended on professional competence. Winter had settled over Kaer Morhen with authority that made travel dangerous under normal circumstances, but contracts waited for no one's convenience.
Giant centipede. Level 35 threat terrorizing a village that can't afford to wait for spring.
Adam watched Eskel sharpen silver blades with movements that had become ritual through repetition, the witcher's scarred hands working steel to edges that could part supernatural flesh from bone. The creature they'd be hunting possessed chitinous armor that could turn conventional weapons, mandibles that delivered paralytic venom, and speed that made forest combat particularly treacherous.
Experience. I need experience fighting with different witchers, learning techniques that Geralt's style doesn't cover.
"I'd like to accompany you," Adam said, his voice carrying request rather than demand. "Learn how other witchers approach hunting."
Eskel's golden eyes shifted from his blade to Adam's face, evaluation that lasted perhaps ten seconds before resulting in careful nod. "Brutal contract. Centipedes are armored, fast, poisonous. You sure you're ready for this level of threat?"
Ready as I'll ever be. Which means not ready at all, but willing to learn.
"I need to be ready for whatever's coming," Adam replied, offering honesty that felt safer than false confidence. "Learning from you might teach me things Geralt's methods don't cover."
Diversifying education. Geralt approves of that approach.
"Good thinking," Geralt said from across the armory, his voice carrying approval that felt earned through tactical consideration rather than arbitrary support. "Different witchers, different techniques. All knowledge is useful knowledge."
Ciri's frustration was visible but contained, her understanding that this mission exceeded her current capabilities warring with determination to prove herself useful in dangerous situations. She nodded with resignation that spoke of someone learning when battles were worth fighting.
She understands. Doesn't like it, but understands that some lessons require specific prerequisites.
"Don't die," she said, the casual words carrying weight that made them feel like blessing rather than simple advice.
"I'll do my best," Adam replied, meaning every syllable with desperate intensity.
The cave system stretched into mountain stone like arteries in a body that had grown too large for its circulatory system, narrow passages that amplified sound while providing countless hiding places for creatures that had learned to use terrain as tactical advantage. Eskel moved through the tunnels with fluid grace that spoke of decades hunting things in environments designed to favor the prey.
Defensive fighting. Eskel's approach emphasizes patience over aggression.
The philosophy proved markedly different from Geralt's methods—where Geralt relied on overwhelming violence delivered with surgical precision, Eskel approached combat as extended negotiation between predators, each move calculated to create openings while minimizing exposure to counter-attack.
Learn by watching. Every technique could save my life someday.
The giant centipede announced its presence through vibrations that traveled through stone, hundreds of chitinous legs creating rhythm that spoke of something large moving with purpose toward potential prey. When it emerged from deeper tunnels, Adam understood why Level 35 classification was necessary rather than generous.
Massive. Twenty feet long, armored like a tank, moving like liquid lightning.
The creature's attack came with coordination that spoke of intelligence rather than simple predatory instinct, mandibles seeking flesh while dozens of legs provided mobility that made conventional sword work nearly impossible. Eskel's response was characteristically methodical—defensive positioning that forced the centipede to overextend, creating vulnerabilities that precise strikes could exploit.
Waterbending. Ice manipulation to slow it down.
Adam triggered techniques he'd never attempted in combat, pulling moisture from cave air to create barriers that physics said shouldn't exist. Ice formed between the centipede and its intended targets, supernatural cold making chitinous armor brittle while reducing the creature's mobility.
Combination attacks. Frozen air creates flash-freeze effects.
The integration of water and air magic produced results that exceeded the sum of individual techniques, atmospheric manipulation combined with thermal control creating tactical advantages that conventional understanding couldn't predict. The centipede found itself fighting in environment that its evolution hadn't prepared it to handle.
Victory. Expensive victory, but victory nonetheless.
The creature died with dignity that spoke of apex predator accepting superior opponents, its massive form going still in passages that would echo with the memory of combat for generations of future hunters.
[Experience Gained: 400 XP - Level 35 boss elimination]
[LEVEL UP! 20 → 21]
[Free Stat Points: +5]
[Allocation: +1 STR, +2 STA, +2 AGI]
[New Stats: STR 37, STA 48, AGI 47, HP 370, MP 480]
[Materials: Centipede chitin (150 crowns), venom sacs (200 crowns)]
The campfire that night provided warmth and light while they recovered from combat that had pushed both of them beyond normal operational limits, flames casting dancing shadows on stone that spoke of sanctuary earned through violence. Eskel worked on injuries with professional competence while Adam processed techniques that had proven effective against threats conventional training couldn't address.
Philosophy. Every witcher has philosophy about what the work means.
"Loneliness," Eskel said eventually, his voice carrying weight that spoke of someone who'd spent decades thinking about subjects that most people preferred to avoid. "That's what this life really costs. Watching everyone age while you remain unchanged."
Immortality. Near-immortality that comes with prices most people don't consider.
The conversation that followed revealed perspectives that Adam hadn't considered—emotional costs of forming attachments to people whose lifespans were measured in decades while witcher mutations granted centuries of existence. Love became exercise in managed loss, friendship became preparation for inevitable grief.
Ciri. He's talking about my feelings for Ciri.
"Your feelings for the girl," Eskel continued, his golden eyes reflecting firelight while evaluating reactions to observations that cut deeper than most people would dare attempt. "You love her. Anyone can see it. But have you thought about what that means long-term?"
Long-term. I haven't thought about long-term anything beyond keeping her alive through immediate threats.
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, though part of him suspected the answer would be something he didn't want to hear.
"She's human. Mortal. Even with Elder Blood, even with power that could reshape reality—she'll age, she'll die. You... might not."
Mortality. She's mortal in ways that I might not be, depending on how the System affects my biology.
The realization hit like cold water injected directly into his bloodstream, implications racing through his mind as he processed truths that romantic feelings had prevented him from examining. If his transformation into this world included extended lifespan, their relationship carried guarantees of loss that no amount of love could prevent.
Choose love despite costs. Some things are worth the price they demand.
"Then I love her for whatever time we have," Adam said, discovering that speaking the decision aloud made it feel real rather than hypothetical. "However long that is."
Eskel's nod carried approval that felt earned through honest confrontation with uncomfortable truths. "Good answer. Love while you can. Regret is heavier than grief."
Wisdom earned through experience. Pain that teaches lessons formal education can't provide.
[Relationship: Eskel +25 (now 40/100)]
[Relationship: Geralt +5 (now 65/100)]
Their return to Kaer Morhen brought relief that transcended simple completion of dangerous mission, Ciri's embrace lasting longer than casual greeting required while she processed how much she'd feared for his safety during their absence.
She was worried. Really worried, despite understanding the necessity.
"How did it go?" she asked, her voice carrying curiosity mixed with concern that spoke of someone who'd spent days imagining worst-case scenarios.
"Educational," Adam replied, which was true enough without revealing the philosophical depths that education had explored. "Eskel's approach is different from Geralt's. Both effective, but different."
Different. And now I understand costs that love demands when immortality becomes factor.
But looking at Ciri's face—seeing relief that painted her features with expressions that spoke of emotions too large for easy naming—Adam understood that some prices were worth paying regardless of their magnitude.
Love her for whatever time we have. However long that turns out to be.
The ancient keep settled around them with familiarity that felt like homecoming, its corridors holding warmth that had nothing to do with fireplaces and everything to do with people who'd chosen to care about each other's survival.
Home. This feels like home.
Some battles were worth fighting regardless of whether victory was guaranteed.
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