Welp this is about 6000 words shorter then promised but honestly as I was proofreading it started to feel like a huge info dump about a quarter of the way in and by the halfway point was blatant exposition. There was a segment of almost 2000 words where it was just Vesemir droning on and on about the differences of hunters and witchers before moving on to how the trials changed him to an almost painfully detailed level. Then I actually stopped and thought for a minute. Jaune is 9 years old in this scene who the hell talks to 9 year olds like this?! So it was cut, simplified, reintroduced or saved for further chapters.

Anytime Yennefer made an appearance the scene somehow descended into a technical discussion of how sorcery found its way to the world of remnant and how witchers had the same uniform signs. So she will be use much like in Witcher 3, a coordinator and skilled magic user who only takes the field rarely.

Some of you will be disappointed with this but trust me, you shouldn't be. atleast not as much as you do. Because all the stuff that was cut will eventually make it into the story just at a more natural and less infor dumpy way.

I'm not errtheking...

Not saying his stories are bad but he loves to set his epics up by means of blatant exposition

The two witchers didn't stay long after that proclamation, only telling him to rest until the soreness left his bones before coming up to get some food and a tour of his new home.

Laying back down on the table Jaune was left to his thoughts. It was so bittersweet, he had done what he had set out to do, he had fought a Grimm. Even though it almost killed him he had managed somehow to impress a few hunters enough to be taken in.

Yet, he had been poisoned. By one of the deadliest creatures known to man. He had no doubt been unconscious for a long time and since his mother wasn't all over him trying to see if he was okay meant his family didn't know he was alive.

His father... Well he had probably already written Jaune off as dead. His mother though? His sisters? They would be devastated, at least he wanted to think they would be. They were always supportive and caring even when he messed up, but at the same time that could just be another mask to hide their true thoughts.

Disappointment.

Shaking his head violently he pushed himself to the edge of the table. The soreness was still present but he need to move, to do something to occupy his mind.

Legs dangling over the edge of the table he pushed off until his feet touched the ground testing to see how they would hold. Once he was sure they wouldn't give out from under his he stood straight before looking around and properly observing the room he was in. Two other tables exactly like the ones he had just occupied flanked him, hanging near each one were rows of beakers and bubbling fluids. A fourth table pushed against the wall was covered in several types of plants, boxes and fleshy lumps. Beside that was a full length mirror.

Now having a goal Jaune walked toward it, holding onto the various tables that were nearby to support his weight.

He arrived in short order although with legs a tad shakier than they were to start. He stood shirtless and shoeless with only a pair of green breeches covering him in front of the mirror. The first thing be noticed was the disappearance of his baby fat, he wasn't a pudgy little boy anymore and instead sported a sharp aquiline face that looked startlingly like his father's. His torso also had been stripped clean, he was no where near being muscle bound but was instead lithe and thin, wiry muscles just hinted at below the surface. His hair had also changed, what was once a dirty blonde mop that plagued his family was now flaked with strands of pure white. It was still blonde but a lot lighter and almost seemed to shine in the bright torch light that filled the room.

Speaking of shining, Jaune quickly recoiled falling back and scrambling away from the mirror. His eyes were no longer the brilliant blue pools they once were, no they had been replaced. Edging closer to the mirror he took them in, trying to decide if this was real or not. Glowing amber orbs stared back at him, black pupils split in a way that resembled the old tabby cats that lived near his house.

All of a sudden Eskel's words 'You're one of us now' took a whole new, literal meaning.

Did the rest of them have eyes like this?

Jaune hadn't even noticed with how disoriented he was when he woke up. Looking over his shoulder at the only door he got up and started the task of climbing those steps.

Soreness be damned I need answers.

=][=

By the time he reached the top of the stairs he was ready to collapse. 94 Monty be damned steps, each designed to make his life hell. Resting his hands on his knees Jaune tried to squeeze some life back into them while catching his breath. In front of him stood a heavy oak door reinforced with iron, he could hear the sounds of nature on the other side as well as see sunlight peeking through the bottom. The only thing barring him from leaving a heavy iron latch.

He groaned as he grabbed it putting all his weight down and forward letting the door creak slowly open. As he stepped forward fresh blades of grass tickled in between his toes and his arm raced up to shield his eyes from the sun.

Had it always been this bright?

"Good you made it up. Was starting to wonder what took so long." The same old man said from his position to the right, he was seated on and old stump one hand rhythmically running a whetstone up and down the sword that his other hand held tight. He stared at Jaune for several moments of silence before asking. "So what's your name lad?"

Jaune swallowed, his mouth painfully dry. "Jaune Arc." He answered simply.

"A strong name. My name is Vesemir, I am the eldest witcher of the wolf school. Welcome to Kaer Morhen!" He said with a nod.

"Kaer Morhen? What's that?" Jaune asked a tad clueless.

"Look around boy! Kaer Morhen is the castle you're currently sitting in, your new home. Come let's give you the tour." The old man said before getting up.

Jaune took a moment to look around and he was indeed in a castle, tall stone walls stood strong despite the glaring signs of neglect. On one of the farther towers he could see the vague shape of a man looking over the battlements.

Shaking his head he realized that the old man hadn't waited for him to finish his observations and had set off without him. Rushing to catch up Jaune made it to Vesemir's side just as he started to talk.

They were currently in the inner courtyard, the lab he was just in was an isolated section under the main keep. Taking Jaune inside the keep Vesemir presented the great hall, a room overflowing with work tables, shelves with innumerable objects of unknowable purpose. Several men moved about, some with a purpose others just hanging about. Vesemir took the time to introduce me to each one, a blonde with a clouded eye, Alexi. Another broad but short, Verto. The last a scarred brunette with a nasty bite to his words, Lambert.

"Vesemir? How many witchers are here?" Jaune asked once they had finally finished and left the keep.

Vesemir was silent for a moment as they went through the gate to the next court yard before answering "Here now, there's six, seven including you but the Wolf school is twenty three strong in all. The rest are out fulfilling contracts."

"Wolf school, so there are others?" The boy asked as the sound of metal meeting metal started to ring through the air.

"Aye there are three, one in each kingdom. The Vipers are in Minstral, Cats in Vacuo and Griffins in Atlas. But you will learn this all and in more detail in the coming weeks and months- ah here we are!"

Their walk had taken the towards the main gate house and the tilt yard that filled its courtyard. On it Geralt and Eskel were circling each other, looking for openings or just seeing who would lose patience first Jaune could not tell.

Vesemir placed a hand on the young Arcs shoulder and once he had looked up in askance said "You're body is still to weak to train but there's usually some sandwiches around here, grab one and sit down then watch, try to learn from what you see."

So that's exactly what he did and by the time he was seated on the bench Vesemir had joined the duo now all three prowled around.

And when they moved?

They were poetry in motion.

=][=

Two weeks later

Kaer Morhen

Age 8

Witchers were weird.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

On that Jaune had made up his mind. He had come to that conclusion for a few reasons. Number one being technology.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

Besides the scrolls that each witcher used to keep in contact and track contracts technology seemed to be almost entirely absent from their lives. Everything was lit by torches, food was prepared in wood burning appliances and stored in deep cellars to keep fresh. Blades were were sharpened by hand or pedal powered grinders.

Eighteen.

Nineteen.

Besides Alexi, guns just didn't seem to register and even then he only carries a small pistol. If you wanted ranged capabilities you either picked up a crossbow or put effort into learning the bow.

Speaking of bows...

Twenty.

Jaune pushed himself off the ground one final time before scrambling to his feet.

"Better! But still not good enough for a witcher! Next set you owe me fourth push ups every time you miss the bullseye and when you hit... Then you owe me twenty."

Jaune could only glare at the smug smile that covered Lambert's face. He was a damned task master with no pity, so was Vesemir of course but at least the old man separated exercises with theoretical lessons. The youngest witcher stumbled to a bench and started to guzzle water from one of the many pitchers scatter about the tilt yard.

Having nothing better to do for the next ninety seconds and hoping to buy a few more minutes of precious rest Jaune opened his mouth. "Lambert, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go for it kid." The man said from where he was leaning.

"Why is the castle so backwards? No electricity, no running water, horses for transport?" Jaune asked between gulps of water.

What he didn't expect was for Lambert to throw his head back and laugh "It's because we're stubborn old bastards set in our ways!"

Jaune was about to ask what he meant but someone interrupted him, Geralt. "Kaer Morhen is situated outside of all known zones of control from the kingdoms, no supplies are shipped in, no safe way to run utilities. Simply put everything here is hunted, built or brought by individual witchers. We are on our own."

Jaune turned to face Geralt, he was in a simple white shirt and black pants, something wrapped in several layers of cloth sat in his hands. "But aren't hunter schools funded by the kingdoms?"

Geralt nodded his head, "Yes but witchers are not hunters."

"We're not? But Vesemir said we were monster hunters?"

Lamberts biting laugh rang out once again. "Oh we are! But unlike hunters we aren't naive enough to think Grimm are the only monsters out there."

"What does that mean?"

Geralt answered, "There's a reason witchers carry two swords. Silver for Grimm and steel for humans."

"H-humans." Jaune said eyes wide.

"Trust me kid, humans and faunus can be just as evil as any Grimm you will ever face." Lambert said.

"Mhm, that's why this is yours." Geralt said holding the bundle of cloth out to the boy. Almost reverently the boy slowly unwrapped the sheet and revealed a long sword, one painfully familiar yet oh so different.

"Crocea Mors..." What was once a thick bladed arming sword had some how been transformed into an entirely different beast, half again as long as it once was and much thinner, the grip had been replaced. The old handle was short and made of simple wood but had become bone wrapped in leather strings, long enough to fit both hands. "What happened to it?"

"We found it with you, broken. Yennefer, the sorceress here, managed to repair it and make it a proper witcher blade."

Jaune looked up at the name, brows furrowed. Lambert clued in "Consider yourself lucky that you haven't met her. She's a stuck up bitch with Geralt wrapped around her finger."

At the death glare he got the grown man could only giggle like a child. "Why don't you go introduce the kid, make him fight Ciri. We were almost done here any way."

"Fine." Geralt said lip curled slightly. "Come on Jaune."

Jaune nodded grabbing Corcea Mors, only to look at the sword with a tilted head. He knew that the trials and the past week and a half of training had made him stronger but not as much as this! The blade almost seemed to float in his hands.

Breaking his reverie he hurried to catch up with Geralt, he had more people to meet.

=][=

Four years later

Kaer Morhen

Age 12

"This sucks." Jaune muttered. He was laying atop one of the towers of Kear Morhen's keep.

Beside him the girl snorted, Ciri. He had met her just two weeks after being here and the two took to each other and became thick as thieves, each for their own reasons. To Jaune she was like an older sister, almost painfully like his old family. For Ciri she was just glad to have someone near her own age, even if he was a year younger and a stupid boy.

When one would ditch lessons the other was always in their place ready with a cover story and would fill the other in before any could confront them. More then once they had managed to get the forty year old bear faunus Alexi to step on a pressure pad that dropped a bucket of drowner tongues on him.

They were in very basics terms partners. Even when they heard the news that's Ciri would be leaving with Yennefer to control the magic swirling witching the girl.

"It's only for a few years."

"That's a long time, what am I going to do here all alone?"

"Pfft I'm sure you'll manage. Besides it's not like I can be a witcher."

The boy didn't answer and just looked up to the sky, the moon shattered and scattered drifted lazily amongst the see of stars. Ciri shifted her gaze star side as well. Stars stretched on as the eye could possibly see, brilliant shades of blue and purple streaked through the sky.

"It's really is beautiful isn't it?" Ciri asked but again Jaune didn't answer at least not right away.

"Have you ever wondered what's out there? If there's a place like Remnant out there but free from Grimm."

Now it was Ciri's turn to become silent. Eventually offering "I'm sure there is, somewhere."

"I'd like to see that place one day."

"You will Jaune. We both will. I promise."

They lay in silence until sleep came to claim them both and when morning finally dawned and Jaune awoke, Ciri had already gone.

It would be much longer than two years before the would be reunited.

=][=

Two years later

The Wilds, Outskirts of Vale

Age 14

Jaune threw himself back at just the last moment. Infront of him a clawed hand nearly as large as himself whipped through the air. He cursed his clumsiness and impatience. He was currently undertaking his final trial, the trial of the medallion, his last step before finally being allowed to learn the multiple signs that every witcher had at their disposal. All he had to do was take an medallion shell up the mountain and reach the circle of elements where he would light the torches and perform a charging ritual.

But as he entered the final stretch and entered old spear tips cave he didn't wait for his eyes to adjust or even just drank a cat potion, which he did have! He just rushed on through and managed to clip a rock with his foot, which the bounced off the wall, then proceeded to skip and jump until in impacted on a very sleepy giants head.

That sleepy giant very quickly became an enraged and hungry giant.

As the hand swung by Jaune let of a roar and brought his sword down on Old Speartip's wrist. But even with Witcher's silver the ancient creatures hide was to thick to do anything but leave a thin red line on the skin's surface.

"This is useless!" Jaune said, jaw set and teeth grinding together as he looked for a way out of the fight.

The exit quickly became apparent as the backswing from Old Speartip quite literally backhanded Jaune into the ledges one had to climb to get to the circle. Something definitely cracked audibly as he impacted the unyielding stone back first. Jaune scrambled to his feet with a pained grunt, sword arm hanging limp and clutching his right side with his free arm. Old Speartip was picking up a broken stalactite no doubt to throw at him.

Instead of waiting for the sharp spiky death Jaune looked up to the blue sky and threw his sword up to the top of the ledge before quickly scrambling up after it. He rolled away immediately after clearing the cave only to here stone meet stone in an ear splitting crash.

Breathing deeply Jaune could only admire the blue sky. It wasn't surprising really that after escaping certain death the simplest things in the world seemed to gain a beauty that eluded those who hadn't faced their own morality in the past hour.

Eventually his heart rate had settle enough that he could force a swallow potion down his throat.

Swallow was an indispensable potion in a witchers tool box, able to heal the drinker enough to keep fighting efficiently. But it had the consistency of mud, coloured like bright arterial blood and tasted like rotting fish. No one drank them unless they absolutely had to, hence all the scars witchers seemed destined to collect.

After he felt his bones stop shifting and the majority of pain leave his torso Jaune sat up and got his feet under him. The circle and the altar that sat in the middle of it was only a few dozen meters away and the distance closed quickly with Jaune's strides.

He pulled out his flint and steel and quickly set about lighting the four braziers in the circle. Afterwards he lifted his inert medallion off his neck and placed it on the altar before settling down to meditate. Neither Vesemir or Eskel would tell him exactly what he would do when he got to this part but did let Jaune know that the answer would come to him.

So he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Still waiting...

...

...

I bet this is just some joke that they tell initiates and bet on when they gi-

Then it happened.

The fires from the braziers leapt up and took on a blue tint before arcing toward the former Arc heir. Flames licked his clothes, his hair, his skin yet he felt no heat. Bringing his hands up in front of him the flames seemed to pool in his hands. Jaune connected the dots and brought the pool of fire down on the medallion.

He didn't even have time to regret the move as his aura flared in a visible wave before chains of blue fire surrounded it and pulled it hard back inwards.

The pain was horrible, no where near as bad as the ordeal that brought him to Kaer Morhen but still enough to drive Jaune to his knees, knuckles white as they pressed against the ground. On the altar the medallions eyes came to life, burning with an inner fire. His aura settled upon his flesh becoming a second layer of skin.

Just as quickly as it started, it stopped and Jaune flung himself backwards out of the circle. Breathing hard he looked at himself, watched as the glow that surrounded him slowly dissipated. He reached out his hand, almost by instinct, and snapped his fingers.

The braziers went out.

"This is so cool!"

=][=

15 months later

Kaer Morhen Lake

Age 16

"I think this is cheating."

BANG

"No. I know this is cheating."

BANG

"What're you talking about kid?" Lambert asked while attempting to light the fuse of a third bomb.

Jaune scratched the peach fuzz that had annoyingly taken residence on his face. "When you asked if I wanted to go fishing with you I kind of expected to, oh I don't know, actually fish."

Lambert threw the now lit bomb over his left shoulder before the waters surface bulged up with a loud-

BANG

"Honestly kid, this is me we're talking about. Why would you expect anything else." Lambert shrugged before grabbing a net to scoop up the rising fish. At the lack of a response Lambert sighed "You going to sit there and mope or you going to help me load these things?"

Wordlessly Jaune got up and grabbed a second net before covering the other side of the boat. They worked in silence for a bit before Lambert once again broke the silence. "Jaune."

Jaune's head snapped up.

That was weird... When dealing with Lambert it was always kid, sometimes tiny or short stuff. But he never called me by my name.

Jaune shifted the weight on his legs rocking the boat slightly and rearranging his hold of the net "Uh, yeah lambert? What's up?"

"I know you're worried about Ciri. We all can see it because most of us are too."

"Most of?" Jaune asked brow arching upwards.

"Well you know how many of the guys come here just for the solstices, it's only a half dozen or so of us who actually home here."

Jaune just nodded.

"But Jaune, you're letting it eat at you, it's ruining you. Your swings are weaker, your reactions are slower, your signs take longer. You have to focus on your training otherwise Vesemir's never going to let you go on contracts."

Jaune's lip curled and he twirled around. "Training?! Contracts?! Who gives a shit? Ciri's out who knows where! How can I focus when I know Ciri could be out there, hurt, captured or- or-" he couldn't bring himself to say the word but the poisonous part of his mind had no issue whispering the word.

Dead.

She's dead Jaune.

She died because you didn't ask her to stay that night.

Because weren't strong enough.

Such a...

Disappointment.

"Dead?" Jaune's face screwed together and he flinched at Lambert's voice. "She could be dead Jaune and do you think she'd want you to waste your life worrying over her?" When Jaune opened his mouth to speak Lambert cut him off "But what if she's not? What if we get a clue where she is and we go rescue her, but since you've worn yourself ragged you get hurt or you die or hell you get Ciri killed?"

I'd never let myself live with it, and there's no way I'd ever put Ciri through this...

Fucking Lambert.

"You're a bastard." Jaune said looking at the witcher who somehow managed to become a big brother for him.

Lambert's lips twitched and he spread his arms "Yeah and? What're you going to do about it?"

Jaune brought his hand to his chin mulling it over "Not much."

Smug smile in place Lambert crossed his arms "Exac-"

"Except this." Jaune said with a smile as he lunged toward Lambert, wrapped his arms around him and threw both of them overboard into the cold lake.

As they came up to the surface Jaune laughed "Hey Lambert!"

"Kid. I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Already swimming away and back to the shore Jaune called back "Thanks I needed this!"

=][=

One year later

Kaer Morhen

Age 17

He could feel someone shaking his shoulder.

"Wake up Jaune. We found Ciri."

Yellow eyes flashed open.

BLAARGH MAN FLU

Yeah but i know you missed the of some odd thousand words but subsequent chapters should all be this length minimum JUST TO MAKE MY LIFE HARDER :D