Lost in The Witcher

"Sigh... I'm finally free..." Caspar muttered, settling into his new room.

It was a single space tucked beside the inn's kitchen. It was a small and cozy space with a wooden bed, a wool blanket folded neatly on top of it. A desk with a brass candleholder sat next to a chair, a sturdy chest was tucked beside it, and a washbasin stood in one corner. A lone window let in faint light.

He sat on the bed and let himself collapse backward.

"Sigh... Finally a safe place to rest."

Caspar wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was scared. He'd woken up in a forest with a voice in his head offering powers. Then he'd watched wolves take down a deer just meters away, wandered the forest without a wink of sleep for almost 2 days, and then had to work until nightfall.

He was exhausted, confused, and anxious. But fortunately while serving guests, he'd picked up a few things, drunk people loved to talk about random things.

'So this is the world of The Witcher...'

'Could be worse,' he thought with mixed feelings, recalling what little he knew. 'I never actually played the games, just watched some playthroughs and I barely remember the books.'

'Should I look for Geralt?' he thought, but shook his head after considering it for a minute.

'Better not. At least not yet.'

Caspar took off his boots and slowly stretched out fully on the bed.

'Now before I sleep...'

He summoned the Celestial Grimoire and reread the perk offer.

'Hmm. So free perks are possible... But a Halfling? Magic resistance is nice, but who wants to be three feet tall with hairy feet?'

After a few moments of deliberation, he declined the offer. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did.

'So I don't get a new offer after rejecting one. But I also didn't get a new offer after accepting the first one... and the offers appeared at different times. So is this all random...? And how do I earn CP? I have 200 already, but I don't know when I got them.'

Questions about the system swirled in his mind, but he let them go and slowly drifted off.

----

"Caw-ka-doodle-doo!"

"Ughhh..." Caspar groaned as the rooster's cry woke him. He rubbed his eyes and cracked them open, the first thing he saw was light already spilling through the window.

'I have a job now. Better get moving.' he sighed internally, then got up and stretched. As he walked toward the door, he peeked outside, seeing villagers already bustling about.

'I guess life starts early here,' he thought, humming a little tune under his breath. He stepped outside and found Mary in the kitchen with an older man and a boy who looked to be around twelve.

The man noticed him first and gave him a once-over. "You the new serving boy? You look better not covered in blood," he joked. His tone was gruff but warm. The boy beside him eyed Caspar curiously.

'Is he one of the lumberjacks from yesterday?' Caspar wondered.

The man had brown hair and eyes, with a thick, well-kept beard that reached down his chest. His arms were muscular, though he carried a sizable beer belly. The boy looked like a blend of the man and Mary with her eyes and his general facial structure.

"Good morning. Yes, my name's Caspar," he said, offering a handshake.

The man nodded and took it. "Tomas. This here's my son, Huber. And you've already met my wife."

Mary stepped in. "Now let's talk about your work here. You'll work eight hours a day, your mornings will be free, while you starts in the afternoon, the busy time. All you have to do is what you were doing yesterday," she explained.

You'll work afternoons and evenings—the busy times. Just do what you did yesterday."

Caspar nodded. "Sounds good."

They chatted a little longer until the morning crowd trickled in. Mary turned to breakfast orders, and Caspar found himself momentarily idle.

He was thinking about what to do now when the voice returned again:

100 - Amezaiku Crafting Anthology - Golden Sky Stories - Lore - Amezaiku is typically viewed as more of an art form than an expression of culinary ability, though kids might argue that there is no shortage of the latter. Essentially the art of moulding candy into specific shapes, like animals or symbols, this crafting practice originally had religious implications, but has since become an artistic demonstration.

This perk teaches you the craft while also allowing you to create the candy from energy alone. As you practice, you'll be able to craft them more proficiently. With sufficient magic, you might even be able to awaken the spirit within them – and bring these living taffy sculptures to life.

Accept? Current CP - 200

'Another new perk.'

Caspar listened closely, and when the voice finished, he couldn't help the smile that slowly formed across his face.

'If nothing else, this could make me rich,' he thought while accepting the perk, making new knowledge flood into his mind.

He quickly turned around and returned to his room. Sitting on his chair, Caspar concentrated on the new memory.

'Let's try this...'

The first thing he had to do was start channeling magicka into his hands. The next step, while more challenging, was still relatively easy, so he concentrated and began slowly condensing the energy into a more compact form.

'Now, after condensing the energy, I need to give it shape,' he thought while focusing.

Using the clearest memory he could imagine, he thought about a lollipop. To create the candy, he had to think about the flavor, texture, how hard or soft it had to be, etc. After having the image clear inside his head, he made a single hand sign and slowly a ball of mass appeared above his finger.

'Now shape it.'

He tried shaping it into a bunny, but it looked like it was done by a ten-year-old. Caspar's cheeks got a hint of red while looking at his first Amezaiku.

"I was never good at art," he muttered, cheeks reddening.

Still, he picked up the little candy bunny and gave it a tentative lick.

A big grin stretched across his face while doing so.

'It's not exactly the same, but it really tastes like Coca-Cola.'

He devoured it quickly, smiling all the while.

'If I become a candy merchant, I could become rich, especially with the fact I can make the candy taste however I want...'

He started daydreaming about living lavishly inside a villa, with a couple of maids and butlers serving him while he lazed around all day, learning magic and doing whatever he wants.

'But let's not get ahead of ourselves. With money comes danger. I'll get strong first.'

His eyes wandered to the deer antlers next to the chest.

'And do I even need to sell those anymore?' he thought. 'Still... I've got nothing else to do right now.'

He picked them up and stepped outside, heading toward the market.