"Mmh, from the footprints, its den must be up north"
Rising from my position, I begin to follow the wyvern's trail, as you can, suspect, I have begun the second trial.
The hunt for the wyvern, as it is one of the essential elements for the making of the herbal test.
"I should go and get the ingredients to attract the wyvern and then probably land somewhere, it's raining heavily".
I walked towards the river and notice 2 drowners, taking my sword out of its scabbard, I throw Queen to protect myself, for indeed after the ordeal of the elements, Vesemir has dragged me to the sign.
Sign Aard is a sign of the wind, the witcher compresses the air and then rejects this compression which results in a powerful breath that makes it possible to destabilize or push back one or more enemies
Axii sign is a sign of confusion, during a fight this sign allows us to gain a little time to breathe or to make the enemies fight each other if there are several of them, out of the fight it can be useful because allows us to force the person to answer us.
Yrden sign is a sign of slowing down, as its name indicates, it allows you to slow down the people in the circle's range.
Sign Igni is a sign of flame, this sign is powerful because it allows you to launch an explosion of fire on the enemy with a risk of igniting it or allows you to explode explosive barrels.
Finally, the Quen sign is a sign of protection, as it allows the sorcerer to clothe himself with a magical layer covering him and allows him to resist a blow from the opponent without receiving damage.
The sign Hrívë Estel that I received, I, unfortunately, do not know is, according to Yen, he would have a possibility that it is an even language
The drowning man launched his first claw attack which I dodged, only to swing my sword in his hand, which was easily cut.
Screaming in pain and rage, the drowning man prepared to throw himself at me only to fall on the Igni I threw at him which burned his face.
Then I raised my sword to decapitate the draw, turning back to the crow who was expelled into the river, I saw him charging at me, but I threw an axii at him which made him lose his sense of combat for a moment, taking advantage of this moment, I threw a sword blow directly into his head which killed him directly.
The drowning man launched his first claw attack which I dodged, only to swing my sword at his hand, which was easily cut.
Screaming in pain and rage, the drowning man prepared to throw himself at me only to fall on the Igni I threw at him which burned his face.
"One good thing is done, unfortunately, I don't have time for their brains"
Putting my sword away in its scabbard, I dive into the river looking for Nerprun, an ingredient that helps attract the beast from miles away.
Tearing off the stem with my knife, I surfaced and headed for the cave where I took refuge.
Arriving at the cave, my horse was still there with my bait which is a sheep.
(Give the horse a name, otherwise, I call her Epona ;))
Stroking my horse's mane, I sat down by my fire then I take a bowl of clay, and put the Nerprun in the bowl then with a tool I started to crush the Nerprun to make a kind of oatmeal.
While I was making the ingredient to attract the wyvern, I didn't notice that the time passed quickly and the rain stopped.
Taking the ewe, I headed for a plain where the wyvern's tracks were fresh, and then tying the ewe to a tree, I spread Nerprun all over her wool.
"Sorry, little sheep, tell yourself that thanks to you, I will manage to kill a wyvern"
Patting the ewe on the head one last time, I moved to the bushes to hide and got into a meditative position.
"Well, nothing left to do but wait" Calming my breathing, I wait
---------------------------------
"CRYYYYYYYYYYYYA!"
A piercing cry snapped me out of my meditation. I opened my eyes to see a massive shadow circling the sky. There, in the middle of the plain, the wyvern had found its bait: the sheep. It leapt around the terrified animal, its claws tearing into the ground, and its wings beating the air with terrifying force.
My heart raced. Grabbing my sword and crossbow, I quickly coated the blade with draconid oil. I cast Quen, feeling the protective barrier hum around me. There was no time to waste.
I charged toward the wyvern, the rain having stopped but the air still heavy. It sank its fangs into the sheep, but as I struck at its right wing, the beast pivoted sharply, whipping its tail at me with brutal force.
The impact was immense. I was thrown against a tree trunk, the wind knocked out of me. Thankfully, Quen absorbed most of the blow, but the pain reminded me just how dangerous this fight was.
[Even with Quen, I wouldn't have lasted long if that had hit me head-on.]
Recasting the protective sign, I got back to my feet just in time to dodge a bite. The wyvern roared, its furious gaze locked onto me. Its claws ripped through the ground, and its tail lashed the air, creating gusts of wind that kicked up dust.
I sidestepped another attack, pivoting to slash at its hind leg. Blood splattered the ground, but the injury only fueled its rage. It tried to slam me with its wing, and I retaliated with Aard, sending a shockwave that forced it back slightly. I used the opening to land a deep cut along its flank.
"Ahh… Ahhh…" I panted, stepping back to catch my breath. The pain in my back reminded me that every second of this fight was a test of my limits.
[Why am I smiling?]
I could feel my lips curling into an involuntary grin. Adrenaline, fear, excitement… It all blurred together.
[Am I really starting to enjoy this?]
The wyvern, though injured, repositioned itself. Its wings flapped slower, but its eyes burned with unrelenting determination. I took a deep breath, focusing my energy into my right hand.
This time, it charged full force, and just as it lunged, I released a freezing wave directly at its head. Ice formed instantly around its eyes, throwing it off balance.
Now was my chance. Summoning all my strength, I prepared two signs simultaneously: Igni in one hand, Aard in the other.
"Alright… Let's see if this works," I muttered to myself.
I unleashed both signs at once. The resulting explosion was instantaneous—a surge of flames and wind engulfed the wyvern. The force of the blast threw me backward into a boulder. Pain shot through my body, but Quen had absorbed the worst of it.
As the dust settled, I saw the wyvern lying on the ground. Its wings were scorched, its breathing labored, but its half-frozen eyes still glared at me with hatred.
I wiped the blood from my lip and approached it slowly, my sword at the ready.
"Sorry, but I need your glands," I murmured before plunging my blade into its skull.
The wyvern convulsed one last time before collapsing completely.
"Phew… That was a tough fight," I said, kneeling briefly to catch my breath. My body trembled, caught between exhaustion and adrenaline.
After extracting its glands, I turned to the sheep. It was still alive, its faint, pained cries breaking the silence of the plain.
"Thank you for your help… Rest in peace," I whispered, giving it a quick, merciful end.
I cleaned my blade and sheathed it. Walking back toward my horse, I cast one last glance at the distant castle.
"Soon, the Trial of the Grasses," I muttered, clenching my fists with determination.
Climbing onto the saddle, I looked back at the plain one final time before murmuring, "But for now, let's head home."