Considering that once spring arrived and the winter snow melted, the witchers would leave Kaer Morhen.
That naturally included Vesemir.
When that happened, Lynn would be the only one left in Kaer Morhen.
If something happened...
So, after discussing it, everyone unanimously decided to kill the forktail that had dared approach Kaer Morhen.
That was why the three of them were here.
Finally, after they had waited patiently in the bushes for some time, a piercing, resonant roar rang out overhead, breaking the silence.
A dark shape circled in the sky.
It had clearly spotted the poor goat tied beside the wooden stake.
The goat bleated.
Sensing danger approaching, its instinct to seek safety and avoid harm made it struggle even harder.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
When tying it up, Lynn had checked repeatedly to make sure it could not escape the rope.
Harsh-tongued but softhearted, Lambert said, "Kid, stay hidden in these bushes. Don't you dare leave on your own! Wait until I call you before coming out. Got it?"
Eskel interrupted him. "Enough talk. Let's go, Lambert."
When the forktail screeched and swooped down from the sky, biting into the goat as it would on any ordinary hunt...
Eskel and Lambert became two dark blurs as they rushed out of the bushes.
The mutations from the Trial of the Grasses gave witchers physical abilities beyond those of ordinary humans.
Although that did not make witchers impervious to weapons, their strength, agility, and reflexes far surpassed those of ordinary people.
So, while the foolish forktail remained completely oblivious to the approaching danger, still feasting on the bait...
The two witchers had already rushed behind it.
Eskel did not hold back.
He brought his sword down hard at the base of the forktail's tail.
Blood flew.
The forktail let out an agonized shriek.
Its tail instinctively swept backward.
The forktail took its name from its tail.
Long, sharp projections grew at its tip, capable of splitting even an oak shield in two with a single strike.
But Eskel was prepared.
He rolled, dodging the sweep as it whistled overhead.
While the forktail attacked Eskel, Lambert seized the opening and followed up with a sword strike.
His blade struck precisely the wound Eskel had just inflicted.
Another great spray of blood gushed out.
Blood spattered across the snow.
The forktail's shrieks grew louder.
It spun around and glared fiercely at the two men, its eyes filled with hatred and venom.
Then the forktail raised its head and opened its mouth.
"Watch out!"
Eskel and Lambert hurriedly pulled back.
Rings of visible sonic attacks rippled outward in every direction.
Although the forktail's howl was less powerful than that of certain creatures more adept at sonic attacks, anyone within its range could still be temporarily incapacitated by the vibrations.
Yet after driving the witchers back with its howl, the forktail did not pursue them. Instead, it beat its wings and took flight.
Clearly, although the forktail was not very intelligent, it still understood that it was no match for the witchers.
If it stayed any longer, it would only end up skinned and dismembered.
"It's running!"
"Don't let it escape!"
The two witchers tried to stop the forktail from leaving.
But it flew fast, and in moments it had already flown beyond the reach of their silver swords.
Witchers lacked medium- and long-range attacks. Although the forktail was not actually very far from the two witchers, at this distance, they could not stop it if it wanted to flee.
But just as the forktail was about to sweep over the bushes where they had hidden earlier, an invisible blast suddenly shot out from the bushes, striking its belly from below.
The forktail gave a mournful cry and plummeted from the sky like a kite with its string cut.
After crashing to the ground, it slid forward some distance.
"Kid!"
When Lambert saw Lynn emerge from the bushes, his heart leaped into his throat.
He exchanged a glance with Eskel.
Both raced toward Lynn as fast as they possibly could.
Although Lynn's performance had already reached the standard required to complete his training.
Training and actual combat were ultimately different things.
That was why many witchers who completed every trial and left the mountains after finishing their training ended up dead in some unknown cave within a year.
Both feared Lynn's recklessness would get him killed.
What happened next, however, surprised them both.
Rather than recklessly charging in with his sword, Lynn stopped several meters away from the forktail.
At the same time, he raised his hand.
A bright stream of fire shot from his palm.
It hurtled straight toward the forktail's eyes.
Of course he had heard Lambert's warning.
But even without it, he would not have rashly engaged the forktail in close combat.
He was not stupid.
Although the forktail had already lost its tail, a wounded monster was also at its most dangerous.
Even fully fledged witchers were still flesh and blood.
They bled when cut and died when killed.
A forktail was a dangerous monster even for a fully fledged witcher.
A wise man did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. With Eskel and Lambert here to help, why should he fight the forktail to the death alone?
Wouldn't it be better to hold it off briefly, wait for help to arrive, and then righteously gang up on it together?
Once Lynn knocked the forktail out of the sky, its fate was already sealed.
The Igni Sign Lynn cast next deliberately targeted the forktail's wings.
With its wings on fire, it naturally could not fly.
As it rolled around on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on its wings, that brief interval was enough for Eskel and Lambert to catch up.
Under the two murderhobos' assault, the forktail kept losing blood and was soon covered in wounds.
By the time it had lost most of its blood, its weakness had reached its limit.
It could no longer even remain standing.
Now it was time for Lynn to finish it off.
Thud!
A silver sword avoided the horns atop the forktail's head, which resembled a battering ram, and hacked viciously into the back of its neck.
The creature let out a wail.
At last, it stopped struggling and lay still.
A searing current of warmth flowed along the weapon into Lynn's body.
The sensation was entirely different from before.
Lynn summoned his attribute panel and glanced at it.
Attribute points: 0 (0%) → 0 (8%)
This really did give more experience than small animals.
Victorious in their first battle, the three exchanged smiles.
The usually sharp-tongued Lambert offered a rare compliment. "Not bad, kid. Honestly, your performance this time exceeded my expectations."
As for Eskel, he simply gave him a thumbs-up.