"What is known as the Aard Sign is a very simple spell, one that belongs to telekinetic magic. Its principle is to release a force in a specified direction. The strength of that force depends on the degree to which the user concentrates their will, as well as the amount of magical power released.
"Witchers use this spell without needing to chant. As long as they maintain focus and make the correct gesture, they can cast it. This is also why we call it a 'Sign.'
"As for the origin of the name, I do not know what our predecessors were thinking. Perhaps it comes from Elder Speech, as everyone knows, the meaning of 'Ard' is 'mountain,' 'up,' or 'highest.'"
, The Witcher Signs, compiled by Vesemir
...
On a summer night washed by rain, the young man bathed beneath a waterfall in the forest. Clear spring water brushed over his healthy, taut skin, and droplets striking it sparkled with light.
His figure was firm and well-proportioned, every piece of muscle containing explosive power beneath it. After washing away the blood and sweat, Victor made himself clean from head to toe. If someone happened to pass by and see that sharply defined back, they would surely be deeply attracted and acknowledge that he was a fine man.
Facing the waterfall, he took a few steps back and brushed the water droplets from his hair. The witcher focused his mind, palm facing outward, middle finger slightly bent. "Aard."
With a bang, water splashed everywhere. The force of the wind gathered into a shock wave, instantly blasting open the curtain of water. The vacuum lasted for about one second, then the waterfall reappeared, ripples spreading from the aftershock.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Victor found the fatigue after releasing a Sign quite familiar. It was the feeling of mental strength being consumed during alchemy. To describe it in terms every man could understand, it was the weariness after finishing manual self-service.
This meant that Signs were not endless. Their use had to be restrained, just like no one could perform manual self-service ten times in a row.
He waded ashore, dried himself, and crawled into the tent. He laid out firewood, set up the cauldron, then maintained his focus, palm facing outward, index finger slightly bent. The Igni Sign continuously sprayed flames, drying and igniting the damp firewood.
After stopping the Sign, the young man felt slightly dizzy. It seemed the spray time had been too long! In the future, he would still need more practice before he could use it freely in real combat.
In truth, after communicating with the unknown, he could have rested inside Alzur's Tower. But Victor did not trust the other party's message. Who knew how many backup measures remained? It was even more impossible for him to perform miraculous alchemy inside the tower, so he still went outside and pitched a tent to live in.
He tossed the leather armor that Azar had blown a hole through into the cauldron, then took a spare set of leather armor from his herbal satchel and threw it in as well. After actual combat proved its performance was good, he was going to transfer the Void traits of the old leather armor to the new one.
Taking out The Witcher Signs to read, he began stirring the cauldron while studying it.
...
Name: Yoana's Finely Crafted Leather Armor, Backup
Type: Armor
Quality: Excellent
Defense: Fairly Strong, Void tier-up
Traits: Potential Awakening, Steel Guard, All-Ability Enhancement
Note: Every trade has its master. If I am not mistaken, I am the overlord of leather armor!
...
Name: Yoana's Finely Crafted Leather Armor, Angoulême
Type: Armor
Quality: Excellent
Defense: Fairly Strong, Void tier-up
Traits: Potential Awakening, Steel Guard, All-Ability Enhancement
Note: Although it is only leather armor, it does not feel in the slightest that it is inferior to iron armor. In fact, it is better than ordinary iron armor.
...
Snap! The arrow bounced away weakly and failed to pierce Angoulême's leather armor.
There was no room for pity. Facing a mob holding torches and pitchforks, the girl drew Golden Eagle and slashed wildly, cutting out a path of blood by force. Interestingly, this group of villains she dispersed belonged to humanity.
As the chaos intensified and fires broke out in multiple places in the Temple Quarter, the Troupe House was unfortunately also hit by thrown torches. Angoulême had no choice but to release Catherine, put leather armor on Shani, and escort her toward the Trade Quarter.
This had been Victor's parting instruction. Do not go looking for the Lily Knight or the Rose Knight for help. Just go to the Trade Quarter and blend into the group of wealthy merchants.
With Eagle Vision, they could always find the safest route. When they were occasionally trapped, she would have Senior hide first, then the girl would rush out and deal with the enemy. Of course, she also would not choose to fight those who were heavily armed.
Although wave after wave of fighting was tough, Angoulême actually felt rather happy. She felt like she had become the heroic knight from Vic's stories, protecting the captain's beloved lady and breaking through the encirclement.
How did that song go again... when the narrow road closes in, the loyal heart never breaks? Since she was struggling so tirelessly, loyal and brave, when Vic came back tomorrow, she absolutely had to make him write a song for her too!
Her mind wandered with nonsense, while her feet moved stealthily. Against the background of firelight, Angoulême held Shani's soft hand and safely brought the doctor near the middle city gate. The gate tunnel had been defended by city guards who had piled up sandbags against the mob. Looking from afar, the person in charge of command was... Jethro!?
Seeing someone she knew, the girl still did not dare approach rashly. Holding Senior's hand, she called the other person's name from a distance.
Under the firelight, recognizing Angoulême and Shani, Jethro knew this combination was one where the doctor had influence and the mercenary had martial strength. He immediately ordered the sandbags to be moved aside and let the two of them in.
After the two women entered the defensive position, the aura reflection confirmed that the squad leader was light blue. The girl had just relaxed and was about to speak with him when a sudden, thunderous crash sounded. The three of them turned their heads and saw two monsters fall into the defense zone.
They crouched there, ready to pounce. Their entire bodies were hairless, with bulging muscles, ruined blade marks left across their degenerated eyes, blade claws on all four limbs, brains exposed directly to the air, and sharp tongues hanging down to the ground...!
Angoulême's hair stood on end! Every cell in her body was screaming! She knew very clearly what these things were. Vic had specifically told her to be careful of them, the ace killers in the dark, Lickers!
The girl immediately pulled Senior's hand and fled toward the Trade Quarter. After only a few steps, several screams came from behind. Then with a tiger-like sound, another Licker landed in front of them, precisely blocking their path forward, and it showed no intention of leaving.
Seeing how it tilted its head to listen for sound, Angoulême signaled for the doctor to retreat to the side and stay quiet. Shani also knew that now was not the time to hesitate, and step by step, she silently moved toward a corner.
There was no choice. She had to help the city guards kill these three Lickers.
After confirming that Senior had hidden behind cover, the girl took a deep breath. Her right hand gripped Golden Eagle tightly, while her left hand held the peach-shaped amulet the captain had given her.
Angoulême began to charge!
...
Name: Brotherhood Oath 1.0 Beta
Type: Accessory
Quality: Excellent
Effect: None
Traits: Defense-Speed Boost, Instinct's Guidance, Bond of Faith
Enchantment: None
Note: Though no formal vow was sworn, fate had bound them before this life.
...
Inside the tent, multicolored light flashed.
Whoosh! Taking the new leather armor out of the cauldron, Victor immediately put it on, then packed his things and prepared to leave.
For some reason, he had been unable to calm down while reading tonight. It felt as though something terrible was happening. And for a fellow like him, who had very few bonds and would care about even fewer people, the ones closer to danger could only be Shani and Angoulême in Vizima.
After packing his things, in order to guarantee he would arrive as quickly as possible, Victor decided to drink Tawny Owl for the road. The effect of this potion was to rapidly restore stamina.
Drinking the "toxic version" of a witcher potion for the first time made him somewhat nervous. Speaking of which, he had not yet tested how resistant this body was to poison, so he had no choice but to also prepare White Honey for detoxification at his side.
Of course, this was not the normal situation. Ordinary newly mutated witchers would all have a period of time where a senior led them, letting them get used to the changes in their five senses, train their Signs, and personally experience their potion compatibility. In other words, the normal path was like Leo, who was taken by Vesemir to Toussaint for training.
As for a wild witcher like him, he could be called unprecedented. He had even injected the Trial of the Grasses himself, and his potion had many unknown effects added. Naturally, the young man was still not familiar with all of his body's functions.
"Glug, glug!" Tawny Owl entered his throat, and everything was calm. The test tube in his hand proved it was toxic, but he did not feel any discomfort.
The winter before last, when Lambert had helped test potions at Kaer Morhen, Victor had seen what happened when someone drank too much. Lambert's face had turned blue on the spot, and he had foamed at the mouth. Only after several large gulps of White Honey had he been pulled back.
And even when it was not an overdose, a sharp rise in toxicity would cause a series of pharmacological reactions, such as nausea, dilated pupils with bloodshot eyes, a pale complexion, and bulging blood vessels.
But at this moment, he did not even have shallow breathing or an accelerated heartbeat. When he stretched and moved, he could feel the potion taking effect, but the side effects were so low they were almost imperceptible! As expected of the legendary Grass Draught, the effect was truly good! It seemed he could make "decoctions" with stronger toxicity, better effects, and longer duration.
After finishing the pharmacological summary, Victor identified the direction and began running!
...
Vizima burned in the darkness.
Golden Eagle was deeply embedded in a Licker's head, pinning it to the ground as its four limbs struggled and twitched uselessly.
"Careful!" Shani shouted.
Hearing the warning, Angoulême immediately lowered her head and avoided being decapitated. The Licker that leapt past swung its blade claws over her head, cutting off several strands of hair.
After a hard battle, the girl had first killed one Licker in a one-on-one situation, then helped the city guards stabilize their formation, after which they in turn helped the girl pin down the second one. As for the third one that had ambushed her, after its attack missed, it also fell into a heavy encirclement.
Seeing this, Angoulême clicked her tongue. As expected, just as Vic had said beforehand, once the advantages of panic and surprise were lost, when city guards formed ranks and fought seriously, the third one was quickly stabbed to death on the ground.
Just as she caught her breath and was about to look for Shani, the girl suddenly discovered that she had been surrounded by city guards. But she was not alarmed. They were all deep blue, even Jethro.
"Salute to you, beautiful and brave lady. If not for you, I would already be dead." A large man holding a spear, half his face dyed red with blood, spoke.
"Brave warrior, please tell us your name. Thor will not forget your kindness!"
"That's right, lady. At least tell us your name!"
Once someone began, the area immediately turned noisy. All of them were thanking Angoulême in various ways and asking for her name. Squad leader Jethro hurriedly stepped forward to drive them away.
"You bastards, get back and guard the sandbags. If you let the Scoia'tael slip through, I'll make you regret it. All of you remember this clearly. This is Lady Angoulême Corion of the Phantom Troupe!"
Being praised made the girl rather smug. Under the firelight, her face turned rosy. "That's right! Don't you forget it! I am Angoulême of the Phantom Troupe, Golden Eagle Angoulême!"
The guards laughed in unison. "We'll never forget!" Then they each scattered.
After confirming that the battle was over, Senior walked out from behind cover and hugged the girl tightly. Then she asked, "Squad leader, do you know where a medical station has been established? I believe many more people will be injured tonight."
In the battle at the gate tunnel, almost none of the soldiers who fought the Lickers had light wounds. Those struck were either dead or crippled, and the crippled had already bled to death. Witnessing these terrible sights stirred the doctor's memories of the Battle of Brenna.
Hearing Shani's question, Jethro immediately grew solemn and respectful. Bowing, he replied, "I'm not certain about the situation, but I know the command post is beside Natalis Square. The mayor and the captain are both there. I'll send two soldiers to lead the way for you!"
...
Traveling through the jungle at night was actually very dangerous, especially with the dark new moon tonight, making it even more necessary to watch one's footing.
However, the witcher proved worthy of the dignity of Kaer Morhen's parkour king. Maintaining an even running speed for most of the night, he returned to the cave where the herbalists' camp had once lived. Half a month had passed, so of course there was no one here.
Continuing forward for some distance, Victor finally saw, at the darkest moment before dawn, the capital of Temeria, Vizima, with towering flames rising in several places.
Although he had expected this long ago, truly seeing it still made him feel utterly baffled. What exactly was Keira Metz doing? Hadn't he told her to remind the king long ago? Had Foltest forgotten that all his best siege engines were manufactured by dwarves? Without Mahakam's symbolic submission, what right did he have to receive the title of "King of Sieges"?
Exhaling the futile frustration in his chest, his extraordinary five senses activated. The young man faintly heard the sound of people fighting not far away and immediately ran in that direction.
He quickly saw that it was a group of human mercenaries, numbering around sixty. They were well-equipped and well-trained. Although they were being attacked by more than ten Lickers, they showed no signs of collapsing.
Seeing the situation, Victor had no time to think carefully. He took out a Dragon Shout Potion and drank it, rushed to an appropriate distance, then drew in a deep breath.
"Fus, Ro, Dah!!!"
Amid the roaring Dragon Shout, the Lickers that relied on hearing were heavily injured, all of them being shaken over and knocked to the ground. Even the mercenaries were shouted into dizziness, their ears unbearably pained.
The young man continued shouting, "Pull yourselves together! Deal with the Lickers first, or when they recover, you'll be the ones who die."
His words struck straight at human nature. The mercenaries struggled to their feet one after another, and with Victor's help, they staggered as they killed all dozen-plus Lickers.
The battle ended very quickly. Only then did the young man discover in shock that among these sixty-plus people, quite a few had elf heads hanging at their waists. He immediately thought of the mercenary group Toruviel had once mentioned, the one that had been attacking them continuously.
Then he felt baffled, because the people around him were all backing away from him. Fortunately, his extraordinary five senses clearly heard their whispers, answering his confusion.
"That's a witcher... I'm not seeing things, right?"
"...So that's a mutant...?"
"...A creation punished by the gods, contrary to nature."
"Look at those terrifying eyes! Damned monster..."
"Plague above, tonight is already bad enough. Why did some freak have to show up too..."
"A product of evil magic!"
"A demon-like creature, a filthy and fallen thing from hell!"
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