Witcher Training

TommyGun15

TommyGun15

Teh Scawyest Wulf
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Geralt stared down at the three students, whom were all still passed out from the trial.  However, two of them were needed for an upcoming mission, so he needed them awake immediately.  Good thing Geralt came prepared.  He hoisted his bucket of water and splashed it in their faces.


"Alright, EVERYBODY UP!!!"


Geralt wasn't a big fan of kids most of the time, but a part of him did like teaching.  Just a little bit.
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @Grim Wraithe Stjerna @shadowstrikr25


The water hit his face, washing away some of the vomit and blood.  It was as ice to him and his eyes shot open.  Valian shot up with a shout, then immediately regretted it.  He groaned, putting a hand to his pounding head.  Too much light, and his muscles were painfully sore, as if he'd been fighting all night, but he didn't really remember much after...


He stopped, realization dawning on him as he slowly turned to look at the teacher, eyes widening as he laid eyes upon his brother and saw the snowy white fur.  "Wh-What did you do to us?" he stammered.  It was then that he noticed that he, Grim, and Sparky were the only three students.  "...Where are the others...?"
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan awoke with a start, sparking wildly and shocking herself, letting out a shocked yelp. "I'm up! ow... why does everything hurt?" She blinked a few times, shielding her eyes, looking up at Geralt. "Hi? Are you going to explain things or are we just going to figure everything out for ourselves?" She let out an awkward laugh at her own statement, thinking that she was going to be left wondering, yet again, what exactly was going on. Her eyes hurt like hell though. She rubbed them, trying to numb the pain. 'OK, did they just jab needles into my eyes or something? Seriously hurts.' Reagan blinked a few times, unaware of what exactly had changed with her.


She looked around, spotting Grim and the... other guy who's name she did not know. Looking at them, she noticed they both had white hair. Curious, she looked at a strand of her own hair, seeing that it hadn't changed color. 'Weird.' Among the other things she noticed was that there were only three of them, sans Geralt, and that both Grim and the other guy had cat-like eyes. 'OK, even weirder.' She decided to address this minor concern. "Hey, uh... guy who doesn't have a tail. Your eyes are kinda...weird." She had no idea how to better phrase that particular statement.
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @Grim Wraithe Stjerna @TommyGun15


Speaking of eyes, his did hurt rather a lot.  He manipulated the light so it wasn't so harsh for him, then blinked a bit further and looked over at Sparky.  "Name's Valian.  Yours?  No offense, I've just been calling you Sparky."  At her statement he frowned, though.  'What?  Eyes are weird?'  "No idea what you're talking about, though yours look like a cat's..."


Obviously, there were no mirrors here, but he did recognize the woods and he knew there was a pond near.  His muscles screamed with every step.  The pond wasn't too far, but he was going much slower than he was used to.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Geralt watched the students wake up and look around, slowly backing up as he did so, to something large and rectangular covered by a black sheet.  He pulled the sheet off to reveal a massive mirror, through which the students could look at the physical changes they'd undergone.  The first thing they'd notice was that they all had the same slitted yellow eyes, like a cat's.  The second was that all the hair on both the boys' bodies was now snow white.  The third was a series of soft, yet irritatingly constant sounds.  A rushing sound like water, a creaking as they moved, a sound like wet sandpaper as they looked around, and a sound like a constantly pounding drum.


"Glad you're awake.  The others died, but that's to be expected from the trial.  Wake your friend up, get a good look at yourselves, and ask any questions you might have.  Once your training starts, I won't be taking questions."
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan shrugged at Valian's first statement. "Well... you're not inaccurate. My name's Reagan." At his second assertion, she tilted her head in confusion. "What? My eyes just hurt a lot. They're the same as they've always been." As Geralt revealed the mirror, she slowly walked over to it, looking at herself. "See? Same as..." And then she stopped, noticing her eyes were not as they always had been. The sounds were starting to get to her as well, like someone had turned her hearing up to eleven. Geralt, thankfully, had blown the door wide open on what exactly had happened. "OK, long one. What did you do to us? What are the side effects? Are you from the Simic Combine, by chance? What was this supposed to do?" Reagan nodded, satisfied she covered all the bases.
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @Grim Wraithe Stjerna @shadowstrikr25


"Ah, nice to meet you Reagan."  He nodded.  Oh. A mirror.  It seemed that use helped his muscles a bit so he walked back over to inspect the changes.  As he saw himself his eyes widened once more.  "Uh... no.  What?  No.  What in the hells?"  Valian shook his head.  "Yeah.  I second most of those.  Simic Combine?"  He raised an eyebrow at the girl.  "Also: Why?  If you knew most people would die, why did you give it to anyone in the first place?  Why the cosmetic changes?  And why can I hear my eyes moving?!"  Very quickly, he worked with his innate illusion magic to make himself appear as he once had, in somewhat obvious denial.
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Geralt answered their questions in his usual tone of calm indifference, standing beside the huge mirror.


"I don't know anything about this "Simic Combine", but I can tell you what's happened to you.  I've subjected you to the Trial of the Grasses, which has mutated your bodies and turned you into Witchers.  Well, physically like Witchers.  The rest will come with training.  As for why I did it, despite knowing that so many would die?  Well, I suppose that's a question you'll have to take up with Nishira, but the higher test group increased the likelihood of a candidate surviving.  The odd sounds you're hearing, such as your eyes moving, are your various bodily functions, such as your blood running, and your heartbeat.  This is due to your newly enhanced senses."


By this point, their senses had probably acclimated, and they'd start to notice a plethora of sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations from the forest around them.  Not as many as in a true, living forest, but there were sounds.  Animal calls, great footsteps in the distance, the flapping of wings.  All of which was actually fairly odd for the normally dead forest.
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan, despite the change to her appearance making her more than a little irritated, still wanted to know more. After clearing up what the Simic Combine was. "They're one of the less inferior guilds in Ravnica. They deal with biology, Izzets like me deal with technology." Reagan closed her eyes and breathed slowly as she aclimated to her new senses. 'This is going to take some getting used to. I know the why is kept with Nishira, gonna want to ask her about that later. Maybe when she's in a good mood. Does she even have good moods?' Reagan shook herself back into focusing on the issue at hand. "OK, so what's a Witcher? And mutated how? You're only raising more questions, here." Reagan did secretly hope his answers gave way to more questions, if only to irritate him a little. He had exposed her to mutagens without consent, she wasn't required to make this easy for him.
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna

Geralt sighed, already regretting offering to answer their questions.  Maybe he should just leave them here to fend for themselves?  No... there wasn't any point in quitting halfway in.


"A Witcher, such as myself, is a professional monster hunter.  Nishira provided me with a list of students she wanted transformed into Witchers, and of that list you three survived the procedure.  Due to the procedure, your senses are enhanced, you have greater physical and mental fortitude, and your body's natural strength and agility is increased.  However, just because you've been mutated, that doesn't make you three Witchers yet.  That's where this training comes in."


Geralt glared at Grim, who appeared to still be asleep.  He walked over and gave the now white-furred otter-boy a swift kick to the ribs.


"Wake up."
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @Grim Wraithe Stjerna @shadowstrikr25


"Hey!" Valian exclaimed, taking umbrage with the way the teacher was treating his brother.  The boy leaped into the air, aiming a kick at Geralt's head.  No one messed with Grim and got away with it!  For a boy whose natural speed and ability was so great anyway, moving at this new level of speed was a bit disorienting.  He appeared as a blur in his movements.  He'd have to learn how to slow down, though his muscles still screamed at him.
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Having dealt with creatures much faster than him for most of his life, Geralt reacted quickly, grabbing Valian by his leg and flipping him through he air, bringing him down on top of Grim's chest, which would hopefully motivate the young man to wake up a bit faster.


"Nice try kid.  You're quick, but sloppy.  Never announce yourself before an attack.  Now get up, and wake your friend too.  I recommend saving your strength for the training, because trust me, it's going to be a bit more hands on than your standard classes."


As if to illustrate his point, a great bellowing sounded from the woods.  It sounded like the call of some great beast, the likes of which few had heard.  And judging from the volume, it was close.
 
The Woods


@folclor @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Floating in the sea of blackness, wrapped in the warm comforting blanket of nothingness, Grim felt a wave wash over him. He shook his head at the water and held onto the kelp strand tighter so he wouldn't be washed out the sea. With his eyes still shut he heard shouting and great thundering beasts. 'Shit! What the bloody hell is happening on shore?'


It was then that he felt the ache and pain all over. His limbs were on fire and his joints felt like they had ice jammed in them. One of his eyes fluttered open to see how far from land he was. It instantly snapped shut when the blinding light seared his retina. Letting out a groan, that to his ears sounded like the battle roar of a Badger Lord in a rage. His paws moved to cover his ears, the sounds of wet gravel and drums flooded him. The dull ache in his limbs turned into burning agony. The enhanced otter took a breath in and was hit with a barrage of every scent in the woods. From the green grass to the earthy notes of the trees and damp ground. The iron like flowing water of the stream. The pungent smell of strange beasts. ANIMALS! THERE ARE ANIMALS HERE! 'I CAN SMELL FISH!' That pleasant surprise was quickly wrenched away from him as he gagged on the smell coming from the three people nearest to him. One was his brother, he could smell the vomit and stale sweat, in addition to the tang of magic. Then there was Reagan, the strong ozone smell radiated off of her and almost overrode the same vomit and sweat smell. He could also now clearly smell that she was female and she just coming out of her heat. The robust chemical smell of tinctures and concoctions, old tobacco and strange sickening poisons and potions. The alchemy teacher was here. The old sweat seasoned leather of his boots and parts of his armour were a welcome smell, but his breath. Grim could smell the rot of a couple of his teeth, the cavities were almost ready to be felt by him. He attempted to open his eyes again, just as the thundering footfall's of Geralt rushed to him. He heard the rush of air as his boot traveled to collide in an exquisite explosion of pain on new nerves and tender muscles. His eyes shot wide, the pain in his ribs overriding that of his eyes. 


Coughing and gasping for air he rolled into his side, just in time for Valian to crash into him. Knocking what little breath he had back out. 


The good news was Grim was getting attuned to his new body very quickly. The bad news was it hurt a lot. When the others would look at him they would see his chin and chest were snow white, the rest of his fur was still a dark brown. He had two streaks of white fur running along side his head, in a similar fashion to a badger. "Oh for fucks sake!" He heard it, and Valian would hear it too. His accent was gone, with his eyes wide (and burning with what felt like sand in them) and jaw gaping he looked to his brother. "What the fuck!"
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan took in the information Geralt had provided, noting that, besides the low survial rate and physical changes, there didn't seem to be other downsides. She could still work with HK-50 on what she assumed was going to be his robot army. 'After we do that one thing, though. And I think I have a better idea that'll be easier to build.' Valian's failed attempt at a surprise attack and Geralt's lesson on it made more than enough sense to Reagan, seeing as she was trying to get the jump on Grim before they were both encased in molten lead. She hadn't heard much of Grim's voice before, but it did seem off. "Didn't your voice sound different?" The roar from the forest caused her to jump and look towards it. "I don't know what's worse. The fact that training involves fighting a live monster with minimal supervision, or the fact that I'm starting to expect this."
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna

Geralt frowned slightly as Grim spoke without his accent.  He hadn't heard the boy talk much, but he noticed the difference, and Geralt couldn't deny it confused him.  He continued speaking as he walked back towards the large mirror.


"Alright, I'll admit I have no idea what happened to Grim's accent.  Yes, Nishira told me your name.  The two of you can fill your friend in, because the time for questions is over.  Your training starts now.  Your first lesson, is on silence, and stealth.  That creature you heard is what we call a Yrthak, better known among Witchers as a Scream Flier.  Scream Fliers are blind, however they have very sharp ears, using echolocation to find their prey.  They kill said prey using the sonic scream for which they are named, using it to render prey unconscious before they consume it alive.  The best way to avoid a Scream Flier, is to hide in trees or bushes, which will dampen the sound waves and block it's echolocation.  Remember, keep still, keep quiet, and don't attack.  Trust me when I say that this thing is miles out of your league."


Geralt unsheathed his sword and gripped it by the blade, swinging it at the mirror and smashing it with a loud CRACK.  The scream of the Yrthak sounded again, and the sound of flapping wings grew louder.


"Your training starts now.  Good luck, and don't die."


Then Geralt stepped into the foliage, and was seemingly gone. 
 
The Woods


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Valian grimaced, his headache worsening.  The blow knocked his concentration out of whack and, for now at least, his illusion was shattered.  White haired, yellow eyed, he stared at his brother in confusion.  "Uh... Grim?  Are... are you okay?"  In what felt like half a second Valian was back on his feet, 'Gotta get used to this new speed,' and offered Grim a hand up.


At that moment, the alchemy teacher spoke about their first... 'training' opportunity.  "Well, that was sudden," he murmured.  "You know, it'd be nice if the teachers around here actually gave a fuck about us, wouldn't it?"  This was directed at his brother and Reagan.  However, he did use his newfound speed and strength to grab both and dash into the underbrush.
 
The Woods


@folclor @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Grim looked around, everything was brighter and more brilliant. It could've been the shock of being kicked, his brother being dropped on him, but he could swear he was seeing colors that didn't exist before. 


The otter groaned at hearing the description of the beast stomping thunderously around the woods. But he cringed when the piercing sounds glass shattering. " Fuck man!" He was rubbing his ears and shaking his head, the pounding skull splitting headache was only getting worse. Hearing the howl of the beast caused a slight whimper of pain. 


Grim was about respond when his brother yanked him clean off the ground and through the air into the underbrush. 
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan sparked quickly, pissed that she had died and been revived only to be sent towards death again. "One of these days things will make a little more sense." Granted, given that she was chosen to be a monster hunter despite spending most of the final round running, she doubted anything of the sort would happen. She turned around, getting ready to blink into the underbrush and hide, as Valian grabbed her and brought her all the way there, startling her. "It would be great, but what are the odds of that happening?" She was shaking the cobwebs out of her head to try and figure out a plan to get the three of them through this alive, given the information Geralt had provided.
 
The Woods


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Valian pressed an index finger to his lips to indicate silence was needed.  He motioned to the others to follow his lead, to get away from the clearing, as far as possible.  Unfortunately, he misjudged his abilities and when he went to sneak through the underbrush he found himself fifty feet away from the other two in a matter of seconds.  His eyes widened and he shook his head, mouthing, 'What the fuck?!' but realized that even mouthing created sound (sound that made him wince) and stopped doing so.
 
The Woods


@folclor @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Grim looked around as they stopped. The sudden movement threw his balance off, and made him nauseous. That and the sudden close proximity to two other people, who he could smell intimately did not help ease his stomach. 


The otter glared at the other two, they were making a ridiculous amount of noise. Their breathing made them sound like they were laboring for breath into a megaphone. He closed his eyes in frustration and lay back, slowing his breathing and using some of the meditation techniques he'd been faking for the last few years. He heard Valian run of, stepping on every leaf, twig and kicking every rock he could find it would seem. 


The otter cracked his eyes and motioned to Reagan to get down and move closer to him. When she was close he lifted his head to put his lips close to her ear, almost touching it. In a volume barely above a whispered breath hardly exhaled. " You need to get low and breath quieter." To anyone else they would've thought he was just breathing on them, but she would have heard him clearly almost like he was speaking normally. 
 
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan was more than a little surprised at Valian's speed. 'Wait.. can I go that fast?' She was ready to test out her new abilities when Grim motioned for her to get down, reminding her that there was a monster on the loose that would very well kill them if it had the chance. The otter's proximity to her made her nervous, but the advice made sense. She moved to a more comfortable distance away from Grim and breathed in a manner similar to when she was working on a delicate part of a project. Barely a whisper to her senses. In, out, in, out. She redoubled her efforts to think out a plan, motioning for Grim to follow her as she moved through the undergrowth, taking care not to step on anything, continuing to use the current problem to ignore all the unfamiliar scents she was assaulted with.
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


The sound of wing beats closed in on the group as they hid in the forest, seeming to home in on the clearing where the mirror was.  There was the sound of something landing, then a loud sniffing sound before the wings flapped again and rose into the sky..  Suddenly, something swooped low over the trees above them, letting out a deafening screech that shook the branches above them, even knocking over a few trees.  Then came another sound, a loud, high-pitched CHEEEERP.  An explosion rocked the forest around them, rocks scattering everywhere as a whole section of nearby forest was reduced to a crater.  Something large landed in the crater, turning it's head around to see what it had stirred up.


The beast was large, like a pterodactyl with a massively long neck.  Fully extended it was almost as tall as a giraffe.  The beast had dull greenish-grey skin, no eyes, and a large red horn-like structure protruding from it's beak-like snout.  The creature's mouth hung open, and a long tongue waved from it's maw, capped with an organ like a massively engorged taste-bud that it seemed to be using to "taste" the air around it.  Every time it heard even the remotest sound, the organ on it's tongue would twitch, and it's head would snap towards the noise as it let out another screech, although not as loud as the ones that had felled trees.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Woods


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


Reagan, froze when she heard the beating wings, with her hearing making it feel like the monster was closer that it actually was. She spotted it as it flew over them, instinctively covering her ears to protect from the screech and explosion. 'What can't this thing do?! How long do we need to stay still for?' She tried to keep her breathing quiet, though it did raise in volume slightly. Instantly, the beast turned to face her and let out another horrifying screech. She froze, blood running cold, paralyzed with fear. She kept her breathing light, trying to get the beast to ignore her. 'Geralt said it's out of our league. Does that mean my magic won't do anything against it? Need to stay still, wait until it leaves.' She was staring down the beast, praying for it to ignore her.
 
The Woods


@folclor @shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Grim lay where he was, after Reagan moved off, focusing on his breathing and listening to his body. His breathing slowed to one breath a minute, twitching each part of his body getting used to its new feeling and sounds. 


After a few moments he opened his eyes and glanced around, adjusting to the new colors and how brilliant everything was. His hearing was coming into tune as well. The sounds, while still incredibly loud, where manageable and with a little concentration he could pick out specific noises. 


The otter saw Reagan motion for him to move and was about to when he heard the beast land in near the broken mirror. Laying still he glanced around and found a dense bush not far from him. When the winged monster launched into the sky he quickly rolled into and under the bush. Crouching low and breathing silently. 'This is just like training with skipper, expect deadly, and with a giant monster.' He rolled his eyes at the thought, but covered his ears when the screech pierced the air, thankfully he did this just before the nearby explosion. 


Barely moving Grim watched the beast search and screech, he was studying it. Learning it's behaviour, seeing where it could sense and couldn't. Trying to identify it's vulnerable spots. 'Just like hunting vermin, they all have a weak spot.'
 
The Woods


@shadowstrikr25 @folclor @Grim Wraithe Stjerna


The Yrthak continued to turn it's head in a circle for a moment, screeching into the jungle as it tried to find prey via echolocation.  Every time it heard a sound, the engorged organ on it's tongue would twitch in the direction of the sound before it's head snapped towards the source of the noise.  After about five minutes of searching, the Yrthak closed it's mouth and flapped it's wings, swooping high into the air.  Though it was out of sight, the steady beats of it's wings indicated that it was still circling the area, hoping that whatever might be hiding would come out into the open if it flew out of sight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top