The two crossed the freezing lake by boat, followed an ancient woodland path through the uninhabited wilderness, and arrived at a mountain. Its steep rock face was impossible to climb; passing through the cave was the only way forward.
Geralt stopped Witt in front of the cave and took out the potions Vesemir had provided from his pack. Together with his own remaining potions, there were six bottles in all.
"Vesemir once said, 'A witcher is a solitary hunter, but even those who work alone need help from others.' We'll probably be working together for quite a while now. You need to learn from me how to hunt monsters on your own."
"I understand. A fledgling has to leave the nest eventually." Witt understood that very well.
"Exactly." Geralt nodded, set the six bottles on the ground, and said, "The trial officially begins now. Your first step is to choose the potions you'll need most when facing the monster."
Witt first examined the three bottles Vesemir had provided: White Raffard, Tawny Owl, and Petri's Philter.
Although White Raffard instantly healed internal injuries, against a cyclops standing three or four meters tall, Witt would probably be incapacitated by a single heavy blow even with a Quen Sign protecting him.
But as long as he did not die instantly, White Raffard, a potion named after the noble sorcerer Raffard from a century ago, could snatch him back from the hands of death.
Witt pushed White Raffard aside. This potion was not suited to this battle.
Tawny Owl increased a witcher's stamina, allowing them to fight, run, and dodge tirelessly for a time. It was essential for intense battles against large numbers of monsters.
However, its greater toxicity compared to other potions was a drawback to choosing it. That meant more time would be needed after the battle to recover from the poison's adverse effects.
Petri's Philter was possibly the most valuable of these potions, and its effect was particularly outstanding: it increased Sign intensity.
Monsters had varying levels of resistance to Signs. Witt's Igni Sign might have thoroughly subdued drowners and swamp hags, but against stronger aquatic creatures, such as the siren mutants known as ekhidnas and melusines, their moist skin could all but ignore his current Igni Sign.
If he drank Petri's Philter, that situation might be reversed.
If a master witcher like Vesemir or Geralt, or a witcher from the School of the Griffin, renowned for its Signs, drank Petri's Philter, they could roast a siren into a dried corpse outright. The effects of Signs varied from person to person.
Although cyclopes were humanoid creatures with enormous bodies standing well over ten meters tall, and belonged to the same ogroid classification as trolls, they were incapable of communicating with humans.
According to a mage who had once been fortunate enough to dissect a cyclops, their brains were scarcely larger than a walnut kernel, and their intelligence was only equivalent to that of a three-year-old child.
Thus, the Axii Sign, known for hypnosis and charming, could work to its full potential on them. Even a witcher-in-training like Witt could easily hypnotize one after drinking Petri's Philter, though how long the hypnosis would last was hard to say.
Witt chose Petri's Philter, but did not entirely give up on Tawny Owl. He intended to examine the other bottles before deciding.
Watching Witt's choice, Geralt gave a slight nod. The witcher-in-training had not blindly chosen all three simply because they were rare.
"The potions I'm offering you are Cat Potion, Blizzard Potion, and Maribor Forest." Geralt introduced the other three bottles one by one.
Sometimes, differences in ingredient quality and the main ingredients used during preparation meant that even the same potion could have a different color and somewhat different effects. Usually, only its maker knew exactly what kind of potion a particular bottle contained.
Vesemir had specifically emphasized this during his lessons, because he had once heard the absurd story of a foolish witcher who, without waiting for his companion's explanation, had drunk a more toxic potion by mistake based on his own assumptions and ended up poisoning himself to death.
Under Geralt's scrutiny, Witt first picked up the Maribor Forest Potion. This potion accelerated adrenaline regeneration within a witcher's body, allowing them to parry tirelessly or cast Signs in succession.
But it had a fatal flaw that could not be ignored. This potent concoction caused mild spasms that could reduce the accuracy of attacks. Against an enemy stronger than oneself, a single mistake could prove fatal, so witchers almost never used it unless they were cornered and fighting with their backs to the wall.
Want to block a cyclops's attack? Get your head examined first.
If Witt chose Maribor Forest, those words might end up engraved on his tombstone.
Witt smiled and put down Maribor Forest. Geralt felt a weight lift from his heart; he had almost been unable to resist speaking up to warn him.
Of the remaining potions, Cat Potion had none of the wondrous effects of the others. It merely provided night vision, but its low toxicity and ease of preparation made it one of the potions witchers regularly carried.
It was essential for completing this trial of passing through a dark cave.
Finally, Witt found himself struggling over the Storm Potion, because the books described its effect as making a monster's attacks appear slower to the user when they encountered danger.
In Witt's own understanding, it actually improved dynamic vision, allowing a person to see the direction and path of a monster's attack. But being able to see it did not mean being able to dodge it.
After careful consideration, Witt did not choose the Storm Potion.
To pass this trial, Witt certainly could not face Old Speartip head-on with his current abilities, so Geralt would actually be the main fighting force. Witt only needed to avoid holding him back, provide support from the side, and coordinate with him to deliver a fatal blow at the right moment.
"Have you decided? If there's anything you don't understand, I can explain."
Witt picked out Petri's Philter, Cat Potion, and Tawny Owl.
Geralt frowned. "Witt, I don't mean to discourage you, but even an outstanding witcher apprentice like you would almost reach your toxicity limit after drinking all three of these. You'd be gambling with your life."
Witt nodded and explained his thinking. "To pass through the dark cave, Cat Potion is essential..."
Geralt nodded in agreement.
"Although you'll be the one facing Old Speartip head-on in this fight, Geralt, I don't want to dump all the responsibility that should have been mine onto someone else. Petri's Philter is to let my Signs barely keep up with yours, and I'm keeping Tawny Owl so that if something unexpected happens, I can alternate fighting with you and ease the pressure."
Geralt smiled in approval. "It seems you really have prepared thoroughly. Vesemir and I can't stump you anymore. But you've overlooked one crucial detail that isn't in the bestiary."
"What is it?" Witt asked curiously.
"Cyclopes may not be very intelligent, but they still have certain primitive habits. They usually don't go hunting repeatedly during winter. Instead, they stockpile a large amount of food in one go. That means they spend most of the winter dormant." Geralt slowly shared his experience.
"So this won't be a difficult head-on confrontation, but a battle where we have the advantage of striking first. All you need to do is dodge Old Speartip's counterattack after he's hit. After all, a thick-skinned cyclops can't be killed with a single blow. That makes Petri's Philter and Blizzard Potion better choices. Even if an enhanced Axii Sign can't hypnotize the wounded monster, it can still delay its attack."
"I understand." Witt nodded and poured Petri's Philter and Blizzard Potion into specially made glass test tubes. He did not want to drink the potions just yet.
"Are all cyclopes like that?" Witt asked the highly experienced Geralt.
"As far as I know, all cyclopes in the northern regions have this habit. But in the Skellige Isles and around the Dragon Mountains farther north, there's another kind of giant called an ice giant. They go out hunting even in winter."