Author's Note

WARNING IMPORTANT SHIT.

This chapter isn't filled with action, as it wasn't supposed to be. It purpose is to give a little break before the real action in the past will began, so don't expect any great revelations.

Still it explain few things that I was asked about, so you still can read it just for them, or you can just enjoy it as a little calm before the storm. (the links show about how fast a witcher is.)

Oh and I also have to warn you that next chapters will be little delayed as I plan to make three at once.

Thirty years of a different routine.

It took me about half of a day to bring Jaskier's body to the closest safe home, that happened to be called Dodge Junction and even then it wasn't without the use of few Aksjis to hide Jaskier's identity from farmers preening eyes.

After that I only had to wait a little while before she had at last woken up. At that moment I had time to take a look at her more precisely. Only after I had confirmed that she was indeed alright, I had put my hand with already made sign of Somne on her forehead and with use of it I had put her back to sleep. (Why? Just wait a moment and I will tell you jeez.)

Oh you want to know how an undisguised Jaskier looks like? Well as it is probably the best moment to describe her, as I will get from you, then I can tell you this. First thing is she hadn't changed so much as you could had thought. Her mane, even as it became made of a more grayish than blond and holed silk hadn't changed at all in style; her body structure as a whole hadn't changed in anything, besides the fact that it was now covered by a black exoskeleton rather than her green fur, her normal height of 1,75m, (the time in cave she was trying to intimidate me with a false difference in size that showed her bigger than me, rather than use her normal disguise, I had 1,86m as a human, so I estimate other measurements by this standard,) was the same as well.

The real differences from her shifted form were only: her jagged horn on her forehead, her bug wings on her back that were protruding from under her clothes, holes perforating through her hooves, her sharp fangs that were long enough to stay out of her mouth and the most interesting, her eyes were blue slits like the snake ones.

On what have I stopped at? Oh right, Somne and putting Jaskier back to sleep, You asked why would I had done that? It's obvious, because I had failed her. It's true that from any other danger I had saved her without any flaws, but let be honest here she could had escaped from them without my help, (before we had met each other she had fared quite well by herself,) but the one time when she was supposed to run away, she had let her guard down and why? 'Cause one of the abductors had took on my form.

No I couldn't let for her to be exposed on this danger without a way to distinguish her from other changelings and let her get into any situation similar to that one, especially now that I am going to be chased by changeling variant of bounty hunters.

So what I had done in this situation? I left her alone again, leaving only a single note in with I explained what had happened in the village, (I had tell her in it about everything how I had failed, how I fought and how I let some of them, live fully aware that it made me their target, everything.) Then I had left and for the first time from my arrival, I was truly alone in the magical land of Equestria.

I have to at once mention that it was only about week after my lonely journey began, that I had finally began to realize how far from home I was. (Nothing make a man suffer as much as a loneliness.) If not for my lack of emotion I would probably had sulked under some tree even earlier and probably would continue to do that for a long time. Fortunately as I was about to surrender to the crushing guilt, I was suddenly reminded about the validity of the decision taken in Dodge Junction when my amulet had began to vibrate informing me about incoming danger.

At first I had thought that it was some stupid monster that had mistook me with some easy prey, but I had quickly dismissed that as possibility when I had spotted a single pony that was trying to look as unsuspicious as it could be possible. If I would be a pony or even a normal person he would had probably succeeded. But I wasn't, so when this fellow has approached me with his fake smile and very clear killing intends I just laughed at his ridiculous idea to fight me solo.

I hadn't forgotten to inform him about fact that I know about him being a changeling. At first he had pretended to be surprised but when the expression of my had changed from slightly amused to the neutral one, he realized that his disguise was uncovered and instantaneously attacked with a single dagger that he was awkwardly hiding in his right hand. (Really, he was that stupid.)

Of course the blade hasn't came even close to actually hit, as I had swiftly repulsed it to the side with a single Aard. That unfortunately hadn't stopped my opponent from another attack, so I had to stop him with the use of force. (What had I done? Meh, I had just simply punched him straight into his mouth and that single strike has been enough.)

It wasn't any real danger, but it was enough to reassure me in my conviction to further travel alone.

From that time I would encounter about one to two changelings ambushes each week, besides that I would still be encountering many monsters at my way, so at one point I had decided that why couldn't I work as the original Geralt had?

It was a turn around decision, that had made my life into one that resembled more of RPG rather than actual work, but hey I was paid for it.

For every monster that I would kill someone would always find a decent pouch of bits, Then if there wouldn't be anymore creatures that I was supposed to get rid of, there would always be someone else that was willing to pay for protection during transportation from one end of Equestria to another.

And it was during one of that kind of a job that I had met Yarp and her pack of the diamond dogs that including her was made of six dogs. (Oh the irony about her being equivalent of Yarpen Zigrin and his company of dwarves haven't escaped me as well as many other ironies that I had met earlier. It just seems that this universe is trying to put me into more shit that I am able to take with a calm head.)

And in the opposite to Jaskier while I was with them my amulet was calm, so it hadn't been long before she had became my most lucrative customer, as she was often willing to use my services during their travels and they were traveling a lot. She wasn't even bothered by the changelings that were attacking us from time to time.

Ah, but you want to know what she was looking like and what she was doing to travel so often, aren't you?

The answer to the first one is that she and other diamond dogs had looked almost like the ones in the show, but with the significant difference that while the dogs from the show were bigger and more hunched than ponies. The ones here were actually smaller compared to ponies, (an average dog had from 1,20 to 1,30m,) but they were walking upright with the visible pride in each step. (Despite their height every travel with them could be compared to a fucking marathon even with my abnormal stamina.)

Besides that nothing else could be noted as different 'cause there wasn't shown even a single female diamond dog in the show so when I say that she had looked like an anthro, brown eyed, German Shepherd with actual human breasts in the right places as well as other human curves, but the rest you must imagine yourself.

As what's regards her outfit then I can said that it wasn't anything special, what after taking in account her profession it wasn't any surprise.

Namely she was working as a blacksmith, that was actually well known in the environment of smiths as the single diamond dog that was able to make armor for every single person in the entire Equestria be it pony, dog, minotaur, or even dragon after single meeting with the buyer, but only after the actual meeting. That was the reason why she was traveling so often, as there weren't actually that many customers that were willing to go endanger themselves personally, (or sometimes were just too lazy) and were rather willing to pay extra for her services at their place.

As you may had already realized it hadn't made her into a nice person. No, she was grumpy, her language naughty, and she wasn't averse from all kind of stimulants like sex, or alcohol, (because of the first I had almost lost my virginity in this word, for the last I'm so much grateful, as it turned out to be an actual alcohol and not this pony pisses that they used as substitute.) Oh and she was quite greedy when it came for any kind of gems. (Get a hint.) It was also that bunch that had gave my third name 'White wolf' in gratitude for my work (dogs don't give title wolf to anyone as it is reserved only for the best warriors between packs.)

So yeah, nothing of an actual problems had get to me at that times. I would go with them to any place that they were currently needed and during the time that they were spending with their work in the forge, (which they were always moving with them as mostly this was the reason why there was need for all six of them to move all their shit,) I would look for any job that was suitable for a witcher. After that I would normally get back to the company that was in most cases ready to go to another place.

Of course there were exceptions as the one time when I hadn't returned from the hunt on time and the pack had gone without me. (That wasn't best period of my life.) Or the times when someone else was in need for protection, (even if they weren't gonna pay as well as the dogs it was more important than my payment.)

But in the end we would eventually met again before even one year would pass.

But there was still one more thing that I would always do, whenever I would find any free time. (Mainly during the winter when monsters were hiding in their lairs and I was only bothered by bandits, or changelings bounty hunters.) I would train, hard. Why? Are you retard, or what? It is obvious that I practiced because I know that I was and still am way too weak, too slow and my signs were nothing more than little tricks what almost costed me two lives.

The way how I would train with the sword was easy I just had to remind myself how my previous battles had looked like, how I had fought, how my enemies had fought and then I had to imagine myself what I would had changed, and how they would had reacted to this changes at the same time doing all the moves in the real life. If you could see it, it would be most likely looking like this. Or maybe rather it would be something more like this? I am not sure.

However what I am sure of is the fact, that further development of the signs is nothing less than an insane asylum to achieve.

Ah yes, the signs. You are probably still wondering what the hell exactly I am talking about? What are those signs exactly, you ask?

Ok, ok I will explain. So to begin with as you already know because of the mutation witchers are naturally unable to use any kind of magic, right? But thanks to the specially enchanted amulets, (each of them represent different guild of witchers,) this problem has been resolved right? Then you are wrong. Normal witchers were still unable to use any spells. (Don't ask me I still don't know the reason behind this.) As I said earlier this medallions allowed only for the energies from the inside of the witcher to get outside and nothing more. (To become a wizards people needs to learn special formulas that all the wizards are hiding from the world.) That's why the signs were created, they allowed even the simplest human to use magic with some simple gestures, but their cost in energy was much more higher than any spell with the same power. Most people had considered the signs as useless because of it, but not the witchers who has much higher energy reserves than any human being, besides the signs allowed for witcher to still hold his sword what was impossible with spells. That's why they had assimilated the signs for themselves.

At the time when I was sent to this world there was known only seven of the signs.

Aard, one of the simplest magical signs. It is comprised of a telekinetic thrust that can stun, repel, knock down or disarm opponents, as well as remove barriers and other objects. (At the beginning it had allowed me only to push back little objects and nothing more.)

Igni. It is comprised of a pyrokinetic burst that can repel and ignite opponents, as well as start fires. It is also one of the most powerful signs as the one created to spread destruction and death in the ranks of enemies, (or simply repair metal things.)

Aksji. It is a mental wave that triggers a hex that causes an enemy to fight alongside the witcher, (in other words a mind control spell that with proper training can work on every creature with a mind.)

Quen. When cast it forms a protective field around the casting witcher, (magic barrier, the stronger defense the better offense as I like to say it.)

Somne. This sign let a witcher to put to sleep any living target. The simplest sign from all, but hard to use as caster had to actually touch the forehead of his target. (Duration of the spell depends from the power used during casting, simple right?)

And now for the two more problematic signs as both were different between book and game.

Yrden (in the opposite to the others it is made by drawing the sign on a place not in the air.) This sign have three variations. First work just as a blockade from opening, (when once used it won't let anyone enter into selected location for the time lasting until caster deactivate the sign, or leave protected arena. Second, it forms a magical trap on the ground that triggers a limited number of times when traversed by a foe causing knock back, damage, and a chance of inflicting status ailments. (Magical trap that hurt any trespasser.) And finally the third variation that I had showed during my fight in Blaviken. It is a combination of the two that results in hurting any creature trying to enter protected arena at the same time still blocking the enter (quite effective but it have a prize in form of the constant need for pouring energy into the sign.)

And maybe even more problematic sign, Heliotrop. (It is made by crossing one's wrists rather than fingers.) As well as the Yrden it too has three variations even if at that moment I was only able to use two of them. (Third is a secret for another time.) First works as a buffer against attacks, (it allows to redirect energies, what give a witcher an ability to dispel any spell and cushion the collision of matter.) Second creates a temporary immobile circular force-field area around caster, which considerably slows down everything inside the field except himself. (Yes, that's right I can slow down the time itself, but it is costly and requires special circumstances to even being activated.)

For now that would be all about the signs that I want to explain (there are many applications and possibilities with every sign, but I feel lazy so I may say something about them later.)

But the real problem isn't about how each sign works, it rather lies in the fact that to make some of them work I needed to have a concrete target. Not to mention that to see any changes after the practice I had needed to test them someway, right?

The answer had came to me in a way that is most common for the biggest part of the society. It came to me when I wasn't looking for it and as you may probably think, was so easy that I wanted to hurt myself for not thinking about it earlier.

What the proper way for signs development was then? Meditation. Yes I know, how the hell some meditations can let me to improve in the arcane art of magic? Simple, you must only to understand that while it is needed to train the body when you want to get better with sword, so it shouldn't be any surprise that to get better with magic you must train your mind. And that is exactly what I had been doing after each session of physical exercise, the mental one and so on.

So yeah I was working as bodyguard, hunting on the monsters and training like crazy so it shouldn't surprise anyone that before I had even looked back thirty years of my life was gone, as if that wasn't enough I would had not even realized that if not the fact that after all this years Yarp had finally died from old age, (she had leaved only her work and a son behind her.)

So you are probably wondering what I had done after her death, aren't you?

The answer, I had decided to visit the only city that I wasn't in yet. It was time to see what the city made of crystal is looking like.

Yep, I had went to the Crystal Empire.