The Divine Hunter

Chilly winds started howling once more, chasing the stars into obscurity. The signs of Draco and Sagittarius were blown away.

"A minute more of your time, Coen." Roy noticed Coen's incessant glancing at Igsena's room. "The Griffins are masters of Signs, and sources say you possess skills strong enough to rival a mage's spell. I'd like to see if the rumors are true if you don't mind."

***

"Ah, you flatter us. Every school has its own specialty. We put more of our time into Signs compared to say, swordplay and alchemy. And we did make some progress. Though it might not be as much as you say it is," Coen said humbly. Not an ounce of arrogance even showed.

But Roy thought he should be proud. The elements are what made this world. Witchers who specialized in the power of the elements like Signs had a better future than any other witcher.

"Keldar did say I can teach you all the basic stuff, and I'm more than happy to oblige. Our Signs are different mainly because of the three secret arts." Coen started explaining, and Roy listened closely.

"Dual Signs, mutation, and the powerup provided by 'Roar,' or as I like to call it, 'Wingflap.'"

Coen stared at Roy, and the young witcher fell deep into his thoughts.

Coen continued. "Dual Signs is something our school spent many years perfecting. It's a skill that gives you the ability to cast Signs with both hands. Not different Signs on both hands, however."

Letho, Serrit, Vesemir, and Geralt could cast Signs with two hands, but they were different Signs. Technically, they were consecutive castings, not concurrent. Roy tried to do that, but his Signs were only at Level 3. He lacked skill. He could cast Signs normally with his left hand, but his right would lag behind by a beat.

"Dual Signs require you to cast a single Sign using both hands. You'll expend more mana in the process while multiplying your Sign intensity."

Coen waved his arms in the air, performing swift gestures that almost left afterimages. Roy thought he was seeing a flower bloom, and moonlight shone on a crimson sign blossoming in the center of that flesh-colored flower.

As the witchers' pendant vibrated violently, a burst of flame hurtled through the air, tearing apart the darkness of the night, shining upon Coen's face.

The flames flew across the air turning a snow mound five yards away into a puddle of water. Coen pulled his hands back, ending the Sign. The flames died down, but a horizontal trail of smoke appeared between the air and the snowy ground.

Even though Roy wasn't facing the Sign directly, he still felt a slight burn on his skin. Dual Igni's intensity was on par with Furyfire. This was nothing to scoff at. At the same time, Roy was figuring out how Coen did that. The gestures on both hands were simpler when Dual Signing, but combined, it was complete, not unlike how Roy would cast a Sign using one hand. None in the brotherhood knew this skill, not even Vesemir. This was an art exclusive to the Griffin School.

***

That brought Coen's demonstration to an end. He rubbed his fingertips and, with fear in his eyes, said, "When I was little, Keldar once cast a Dual Yrden on me. Mutated Dual Yrden. He could lock onto a single target with that Sign. I was chained to one spot and starved for a day and night. It was as if an invisible cage had locked me up. The elements itself formed a wall around me, and I couldn't move at all."

Roy was shocked. Yrden was an area spell that could only last for five minutes. And it would lose effect once its target moved positions. And the Sign could only slow the targets down or force ethereal creatures into the material world. That was a far cry from the Yrden Coen was talking about.

"Dual Signs is a secret art of the school." Roy's interest did not escape Coen. Apologetically, he said, "I can't tell you more unless Keldar agrees to it. You can ask him tomorrow."

Roy gave him an understanding smile and changed the subject. "Tell me about the remaining arts."

***

"Mutation and Wingflap are related to elementals. You've meditated in an Elemental Circle before, haven't you? You should know that only a select few witchers can come in contact with the elemental dimensions during that meditation session and resonate with one of the four elementals."

"The elementals are avatars of the elements themselves," Coen said. "While they're in their elemental dimension, every roar, every growl, and every sound they make contain immeasurable power. They can tap into the elemental powers around them as easily as we breathe."

Roy would never forget how the ifrit's roar burned him.

"If a witcher hears any roar from the elementals, the Signs he possesses can mutate and gain new powers." Coen was patient with his explanation. "To be precise, ifrits affect Igni, djinns change Aard and Yrden, nymphs affect Axii and Clamp, while godlings mutate Quen and Heliotrop."

Roy's Igni only evolved into Furyfire because the ifrit roared at him. "Hey, do you think there might be an eighth Sign?" Roy explained, "Ifrits only affect one Sign, but the other elements can affect two. Wouldn't that shift the balance?"

"Well, you can try to come up with an eighth Sign," Coen joked. "Anyway, a part of the Griffins possessed magical talents that rivaled mages, especially the first fourteen, Erland included. All of them came in contact with the elemental dimensions during their meditation in the Elemental Circle. And through that session, they concluded four kinds of roars. All of them are recorded in The Hunt. In their own way, they recorded the secret voices of the elementals for us to listen and feel."

Roy's heart skipped a beat. He was already fortunate enough to come in touch with one elemental. Most witchers never had the chance to see any of the elementals, but the Griffins saw all four. Guess they aren't magical for nothing. "So all your Signs have mutated, then."

"No. I let Keldar down. All I have is the Dual Sign art." He shook his head, smiling bitterly. "An elemental's roar is not to be understood in the normal sense. Anyone who hears it will undergo a change, physically and mentally speaking. Only those who possess expert meditation skills and special traits can pass the change safely. People with an iron will, or those who are Sources to begin with."

Coen sighed. "If anyone who lacks those qualities were to attempt the change, they might self-combust, freeze their innards, turn into stone, or even break into little pieces. Roy, if you possess the qualities to undergo that change, perhaps Keldar might give you the opportunity to witness The Hunt and feel the elemental's voices."

Roy massaged his temples. Okay, so I guess the requirements are: level of Meditation, high Will, and elemental affinity. I allocated all my skill points to Meditation. Most witchers don't even have that kind of level of meditation. Guess I make the cut? No problem in the Will department. I have a higher Will than most living things. And I've awakened Elder Blood. That ramped my elemental affinity up. Sign mutation is practically made for me. I'm taking it.

***

"Wingflap is a modification of the elementals' roar. It's designed to support the Signs." Coen paused for a moment. "Do you know why Signs are weaker than spells?"

Roy leaned forward to listen closely.

"Because Signs expend the mana within us, and we only have a limited reserve of mana. That limitation limits our Sign's power." Coen's eyes glinted. "While mages also expend their own mana, it's not the only source of their spell's power. Their own mana is nothing but a guide. Once their spell is released, it takes in the chaos energy lingering in the air. And chaos energy is infinite. Limitless. It's why their spells are a few magnitudes more powerful than Signs.

"But of course, there are flaws in that spell system as well. They need a longer time to prepare, their spells require complex steps to cast, and they also require complex materials, incantations, and talismans to aid them in spellcasting.

"Erland was a Source. He did extensive research on Signs and spells, listing out their pros and cons. Eventually, he improved our Signs." There was deep respect in Coen's eyes. "He simplified our Signs and fused them with the modified roars. It's akin to adding a simple incantation, but without the chanting. We can still cast the Signs as swiftly as ever."

"The modified Signs, when cast, can tap into the chaos energy lingering in the air, strengthening them." Coen explained, "These modified Signs resemble the first time a bird flaps its wings to fly. It chirps and flies into the air, traveling to a new horizon. Once modified, these Signs will be as potent as spells, and with a significantly faster casting speed compared to their spell counterparts. But just like Sign mutation, Wingflap involves the roar of the elementals. You'll need to possess some specific qualities to access it. Expert meditating skills, an iron will, or being a source."

Roy heaved a sigh, and he said nothing for a long time. These secret arts were more powerful and complex than he imagined. Sign mutation and Wingflap, especially, seemed to be designed for him. I need to get my hands on those.

Coen looked at the house again. "Roy, I do not possess the power to master the remaining arts. Therefore, I cannot put on any demonstration. That will be it for today. You need time to sort out all the information I just told you, so I'll leave you at that."

***

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