Kaer Morhen

[Bloodedge]

Kaer Morhen (Elder Speech: Caer a'Muirehen, meaning Keep of the Elder Sea) is an old keep where witchers used to be trained. The name is a corruption of Caer a'Muirehen, revealing that there used to be sea around it, which is further indicated by the presence of fossilized sea creatures embedded in the stones on which it was built.

In older times, witchers trained and underwent mutations here, but fanatics who considered witchers an abomination attacked the keep and killed most of the teachers and students. Few witchers live in the keep in modern times, although other witchers sometimes rested here between their assignments, often during the winter, after which they set out on The Path again.

The castle can only be reached by "The Witchers Trail", which is easy to miss, and encircles the keep. It is often given the nickname "The Killer" by young witchers.

[Apollymi]

"Are you sure you know the way? This place is super fucking sketchy..." these were the words spoken to a lad by his younger sister. The girl, who had raccoon like ears and a tail seemed to be walking around carelessly, but this simply wasn't the case. She was in fact, putting forth a great deal of concentration to watch her step as she ascended this hellish trek. She had no idea what she'd done to deserve this, but if she didn't love her brother so, she likely would have opted for some down time in a magical space with gorgeous weather. Or at least, that was what she assumed the Druid Homeland was like. Still, she seemed amused a devilish light in her eyes as she took each careful step, this was a potentially exciting trip at the very least, if she wasn't into whatever was going on here, she could always leave whenever she felt like it.

In the meantime as this lass ascended with whatever group she was with, a woman stood at a tower atop a castle. She could see inhumanly well down the path, well enough to know that she would have visitors soon. Volunteers for this order were quite unusual, perhaps there was more to it than met the eye. Regardless, she'd wait a while longer before descending and moving to greet this group.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I know the way!" retorted a white-haired young man with starry eyes. Kou, as he was called in this form, had few abilities to make use of along this trail. He had recently given himself a new form, but he knew he could not take it. No, this path was all part of the journey to become a Witcher. If he wanted to do it properly, he had to do it in the form that needed the Witchers' abilities. "Well... kinda. Alright, so don't bark down my throat or anything, but I sorta have no idea where I'm going. That's all part of the journey though, right? Have a sense of adventure!~" With only his sister from their original world in tow for the moment, he seemed to have become capable of being more like his original self. He was always going to be an excitable, puzzle-loving, game-loving delinquent nerd with an attitude problem, as a certain other individual had once called him... but this was his more natural state.

One other was with them, in the most technical sense. Arjuna, the brown-skinned Holy Archer, decided to use his abilities and scout the area from far behind. It seemed, even in this form, the one known as Karna was destined to be an aloof member of the Party. That was fine; Kou was content to take the journey by foot with Hikari, the demi-human lass in his company. "... Fine, fine. It's fucking annoying, alright? I'll admit it, but I don't have any other options if I want to keep this Avatar. I need this one, so this is where I'm going. I'll make it up to you for coming along."

[Apollymi]

A scoff. That was all, that escaped Hikari's lips as the lad claimed to know the way. She'd gone along with him on a few occassions in her life and she knew when he was sure of things and when he wasn't. Right just now, he knew what he was looking for, but he wasn't one hundred percent certain of the way their adventure was presently taking them. "Uh-huh... totally believe you," she said in response to his first sentence. And then as if by magic the lad asked her not to bark down his throat. Oh the truth was coming and the lass could taste it. And there it was, the man admitted he had no idea where he was going. "I fucking knew it!" was the exclamation from the lass. "I am all for a keen adventure, but you're lucky you're my brother. Or I would have abandoned you to go hang out with peaceful, flatland loving Druids," she said stomping with new fury. She wanted to say she couldn't believe that he would drag her along without being certain of where he was going, but she also knew better. "Miki-nee seems like the type to have a whole house setup for guests, probably weird tea too..." she commented in a manner that was both meant to instigate and agitate.

And soon she'd get what she wanted. A promise that he'd make it up to her for dragging her along. "Good good, it's all I really want anyways. Though, I pick the next place we go and all snacks," she said as a condition, following her brother and his not girlfriend around was great, but there were still things that interested her as well. "Plus, I don't really have a problem with the adventure. I do like spending time with you, even if you are a fucking Nerd, who is in all honesty way too excited about what is supposed to be really fucking brutal training. Do I even want to know what you did to this Avatar to fuck it up so bad?" she asked him with a raised brow. She was still curious about his Valentines/White Day Fiasco. She'd been told gently that he'd passed out and that Miki was looking after him, she didn't worry about it too much but found this sudden need for weird training to be strange.

[Bloodedge]

"Urusai!" he exclaimed, wishing to silence Hikari's verbal judgement. His head wobbled, and his mouth mimicked the girl's words as she spoke further, referencing Miki's potential commodities and the like. "Myeh myeh myeh, I'd take Miki as a sister before you as a brother~" he mocked. A pause came soon enough though, as even he began considering things from a different perspective. Knowing Miki, she did have those things. He wondered what joining that trip would have been like. Surely he'd have been able to, if he didn't hinder himself the way he did.

Speaking of his hindrance, Hikari thought to mention it directly. She didn't know the details of what he'd done, and wondered aloud whether she even wanted to know or not. More imperative to receive a response though, was her backhanded compliment toward him. "I ain't a nerd, Loli Bait," he quipped. A sigh ensued, as Kou decided to share with her the information regarding his earlier unconscious state. "I... made an Artifact. It's a puzzle sphere with Time Lock Magic wrapped inside a dimensional transcendentalism mechanic. Basically, it's an infinite storage box... plus."

[Apollymi]

They were... bickering. That being said, it seemed to be the most natural state of both individuals. While, Hikari carried on about potential lodgings and fun to be found had they been able to take the other trip as well, Kou mocked her speech pattern, seeming to summarize her points in demeaning way. "Maybe not over you as a brother, you have your niche abilities and all. Combined though is the best possible outcome~" she said sticking her tongue out at the lad. And from her own perspective it was the absolute truth. The pair of slightly older teens was indeed better taken as a unit and seemed to pick up any slack provided by the other. His heralded insult brought the lass to a halt before she launched herself at the man's back clinging to him like a small child. "Nii-san!! I am not loli bait!" she protested, but if she was being honest, she kind of missed this sort of biting conversation and the things they said to each other with love of course.

As she would have clung to his back he sighed, explaining what he'd actually done for the lass on his White Day end of the week. A puzzle sphere, infinite storage box with Time Magic Lock and transcendentalism. Apparently, this was what he'd been working himself to death over all week and how he'd ended up unconscious. "So, you're going to deny being a Nerd while giving a girl the nerdiest fucking present I've ever fucking heard of... alright. Keep your denial. Any blind person could see she likes you, so what did she do to get you to see it and did she solve it?" she asked, also a matter of curiosity. Miki appeared to her to be her brother's nerd match, which was very strange considering the girl was quite beyond the actual need to be that way. It was refreshing for an attractive rich girl to show such earnestness in her activities. Strangely, Hikari despite her meddlesome nature, and left the teens to their own devices so she was actually in the dark about their progress to gifting each other. This was technically another check she intended to do, to make sure that Miki was a good match for her brother, what had she done for him, reciprocity was important after all.