The fire crackled in the great hall of Kaer Morhen. Snow drifted lazily outside the stone windows, but inside, the scent of bland stew and hard bread wafted across the long table where Cain and Callum sat.
Cain stabbed at the bread with his knife, chewing mechanically. He tried not to grimace—but gods, this food was flavorless.
I'd trade a sword arm for some garlic, Cain thought bitterly. Or real pepper. Maybe even cumin. Anything besides salt and over-boiled roots.
His modern-day palette—the one memory he couldn't shake—rebelled every morning. Every meal was a reminder he wasn't home anymore. But Callum? Callum devoured the food like it was a banquet.
"You gonna eat that?" Callum asked, nodding at Cain's untouched second slice.
Cain blinked, then slid it over. "Go ahead."
Callum tore into it. "You always so generous?"
"Just sparing you from hearing me complain."
Cain chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. A moment later, he spoke.
"I was thinking. We could ask Geralt to show us the trails. The local game, herbs, edible roots. I've had enough of flavorless stew."
Callum paused mid-bite. "You want to hunt?"
Cain nodded. "I want better food. And I want to learn what's around us. Survival training doesn't end in the courtyard."
That afternoon, Cain approached Geralt.
The White Wolf was sharpening his steel sword by the fire, one leg propped on the bench.
"We'd like to learn how to hunt," Cain said. "Game, herbs, whatever you can show us."
Geralt looked up with a raised brow. "We?"
"Callum and I."
Geralt slowly nodded. "And what—Kaer Morhen stew's not good enough?"
Cain shrugged. "I could probably do better."
Geralt's yellow eyes narrowed slightly. "Can you actually cook?"
Cain hesitated a second too long.
"Enough to know when food's trash," he said, a little too casually.
Geralt smirked. "You sure you didn't lose your memory from taste trauma?"
Cain gave a flat look. "I don't know anything about who I was. But I know good food when I don't taste it."
That seemed to amuse Geralt more than it should.
"Fine," the Witcher said, rising. "Tomorrow morning. First light. You two are coming with me. And if you complain once about the cold or mud, I'm leaving you in a wolf den."
Cain smirked. "Deal."
[New Quest: "The Wild Table" – Active]
Objective: Hunt local game and forage herbs with Geralt. Bonus Objective: Cook a full meal for Kaer Morhen using found ingredients.
Reward: +1 Stat Point | +Cooking Skill Unlock | +Rare Ingredient Pouch
Optional Reward (If food is praised): +Trait: Campfire Chef (Passive)
Failure: Humiliation, frozen feet, or both.
🔹 Into the Wild
The next morning, frost still clung to the stones when Cain, Callum, and Geralt set off from Kaer Morhen. Geralt led the way in silence, his stride sure-footed as ever. Snow muffled their steps as they entered the dense treeline.
Cain's breath curled like smoke in the crisp mountain air. He looked around, eyes narrowing on disturbed tracks in the snow. Geralt stopped and knelt beside them.
"Deer," he murmured. "Two. One wounded. We'll follow that one. Easier target."
They tracked in silence, learning how to read the terrain—tufts of hair on bark, the subtle bend of grass under snow, claw marks half-covered by last night's wind.
Callum whispered, "I never noticed any of this before."
Geralt didn't look back. "Because you never had to. But a Witcher walks more than roads. We follow signs—both seen and felt."
Cain focused, letting his mutation-enhanced vision study the surroundings. A faint trail of disturbed snow led to a broken thicket.
"This way," Cain said.
Geralt grunted in approval. "Good eye."
🔹 The Hunt
The wounded deer had bedded down in a hollow between two fallen trees. It looked up, panicked, but too weak to flee.
Geralt handed Cain the crossbow. "Show me."
Cain nodded, steadied his breathing, aimed—then paused.
"Don't wait," Geralt said. "The longer it suffers, the more waste you make."
Cain fired.
The bolt struck clean through the neck. The deer didn't make a sound. Just slumped.
Callum blinked. "Damn."
"Efficient," Geralt said. "Field dressing's next. Don't look away."
Cain knelt. The task wasn't pleasant—but he remembered how to do it. Not from this life. From another.
He worked in silence, hands steady, every cut purposeful.
"You've done this before," Geralt said.
Cain only shrugged. "Felt natural."
🔹 Foraging
With the deer secured, they began gathering herbs. Geralt taught them how to identify beggartick, verbena, mugwort, and wolf's parsley, pointing out which ones aided digestion or soothed muscle pain.
Callum accidentally brushed against a fire nettle and cursed.
"Lesson learned," Geralt said without sympathy.
Cain pocketed several roots and berries, scanning the area.
[Codex Expanded: Herbalism – Tier 1]
Common healing herbs identified
+10% potion crafting success (minor blends)
🔹 Meditation
Afterward, they sat in a small clearing, the wind whispering through the branches. Geralt pulled his hood low and crossed his legs in meditation.
Cain and Callum followed suit.
For a moment, everything quieted. Cain's body relaxed, but his mind remained alert. Images flickered in the darkness—flames under a cooking pot, a campfire, someone laughing softly behind him, blurred by memory.
He pushed them aside.
This world was his now.
He let the rhythm of his breathing slow his heartbeat, tuning into the world—the smell of pine, the distant sound of a falcon, the lingering warmth of the deer's blood still on his gloves.
[Passive Skill Progression: Meditation – Initiated]
Focus regeneration +2%
Faster Sign recharge in calm environments
Cain opened his eyes just as Geralt did.
"Not bad," the White Wolf said. "You're not just tough—you're teachable."
Cain smirked faintly. "You sound surprised."
Geralt rose. "A lot of people talk like they're ready. Most aren't. You? Maybe you are."
Cain didn't reply, but he felt it deep in his bones.
He was ready to become more than just a survivor.
He was ready to live this life.
As they prepared to head back to Kaer Morhen with the deer quartered and packed, Geralt led them to a narrow pass along a ridge above the valley. There, tucked beneath the rock shelf and shaded from snowmelt, he pointed out more herbs: siletran leaves, good for headaches and inducing minor trance states, and raw burdock, helpful in salves and cooking alike.
He knelt beside a budding cluster of white myrtle.
"Rare in this climate. If you find more in spring, harvest the flowers—good for healing potions. The roots? Bitter, but usable."
Cain jotted it down mentally, committing each shape and color to memory. The System quietly flickered in the back of his mind.
[Field Knowledge Updated]
New Herb Identified: White Myrtle
+1 Codex Entry – Regional Flora: Kaedwen Foothills
As noon crept in and birdsong echoed through the trees, Geralt signaled for them to take a break.
They found a sun-warmed slope, unpacked the meat and herbs, and sat on thick stones half-buried in moss.
Cain squatted near a low rock shelf and began sorting the herbs they'd collected.
Geralt tilted his head. "So? You said you could cook. Want to prove it?"
Cain met his gaze evenly. "I'll need a little salt. And a flat surface."
"You'll have one back at Kaer Morhen. Think you can handle it?"
Cain smirked. "We'll eat better than boiled shoe leather."
"That's a low bar."
Callum chuckled, his mouth full of dried apple. "I don't care if he roasts it over a Sign—just as long as it's not stew again."
Cain let himself laugh, then turned serious.
He looked around at the mountains, the woods, the old Wolf leading them—and realized this was more than just learning to survive. He was building something here. Roots. Brotherhood. Skill.
And maybe, someday… legacy.
[Quest "The Wild Table" Updated – Objective Complete: Hunt and Forage] Next Objective: Cook a full meal with local ingredients Optional Objective: Impress the Witchers of Kaer Morhen