Chapter 2: The Rat Massacre of Cintra
POV: Adam
The castle's storage rooms stank like the armpit of a god who'd never heard of deodorant.
Adam gagged as Vladek, the quartermaster, led him deeper into the stone bowels of Cintra Castle. The old man's torch cast dancing shadows on walls that wept moisture, and the air grew thicker with each step down the narrow corridor.
"Here's your battlefield, boy." Vladek's voice carried the weight of a man who'd seen too many young fools think they could handle what older, wiser men had failed to manage. "Twenty rats, minimum. Probably more like thirty, if we're being honest. Nasty little bastards, big as cats some of them."
The torch's light revealed Adam's arena—a storage room that stretched into darkness, its floor littered with grain sacks, broken barrels, and suspicious stains. The scurrying sounds echoing from the shadows made his skin crawl.
"You sure about this, lad?" Vladek's eyes held the particular skepticism reserved for skinny thirteen-year-olds with delusions of competence. "You're just a boy."
Adam squared his shoulders, channeling every action hero he'd ever watched during his countless sleepless nights. "I'm a boy with a very specific set of skills. Skills that make me a nightmare for rodents."
Vladek snorted. "Right then. Try not to die. Makes a mess of the paperwork."
The quartermaster's footsteps echoed away, leaving Adam alone with the rats and his own hammering heartbeat. The torch flame wavered in the damp air, casting everything in hellish orange light.
This is it. First real test of the power.
A rat the size of a small dog emerged from behind a grain sack, its eyes reflecting the torchlight like tiny red coals. It sat on its haunches and stared at him with what Adam could only describe as profound disdain.
Air Gust.
The power built in his chest—a warmth that spread through his arms and tingled in his fingertips. He pointed at the rat and pushed.
A gentle breeze ruffled the rat's fur.
The rat tilted its head, apparently wondering if Adam was having some kind of seizure.
"Oh, come on." Adam's voice cracked with frustration. "Work, you piece of shit."
He tried again, focusing harder. The air stirred around his fingers, creating a soft whooshing sound that barely qualified as a whisper.
The rat yawned.
"This is humiliating."
[System Tip: Ability effectiveness increases with practice. Current Airbending Level: 1]
Practice. Right. Because everything worthwhile requires grinding.
Adam spent the next hour learning to channel imaginary air through his body while rats watched him with increasing amusement. He face-planted into grain sacks twice, tripped over his own feet four times, and managed to blow dust directly into his own eyes on three separate occasions.
But slowly—painfully—he began to understand the power flowing through him.
It wasn't like flexing a muscle. It was more like... conducting an orchestra of invisible forces. The air wanted to move; he just had to convince it which direction. When he stopped trying to force it and started guiding it, the power responded.
His fifteenth attempt sent a rat skittering across the floor into a wooden post with a satisfying thunk.
[Experience Gained: 5 XP] [Rats eliminated: 1/20]
Finally.
The next rat tried to run. Adam's Air Gust caught it mid-stride and slammed it into the stone wall. The sound was wet and final.
Two down.
His confidence growing, Adam waded deeper into the storage room. Rats emerged from every shadow—fat ones that moved like furry basketballs, quick ones that darted between his legs, and one particularly aggressive specimen that actually tried to bite his ankle before he punted it into a barrel.
Each kill brought the same blue notification: 5 XP gained. Each success made the next attack easier, more precise. He learned to gauge distance, to account for the rats' speed, to predict where they'd try to hide.
After three hours, Adam stood among carnage that would have made Geralt proud. Twenty-three rat corpses littered the storage room, and his arms ached from channeling power he still barely understood.
[MISSION COMPLETE: "Pest Control"] [Rats eliminated: 23/20 - Bonus achieved!] [Rewards: 150 XP + 15 Bonus XP, 10 crowns, +5 Castle Staff Reputation] [Title Earned: "Rat Catcher" (+10% XP from creatures Level 5 and below)]
But the real prize came next:
[LEVEL UP! Level 1 → Level 2] [Free Stat Points Available: +5] [Current Stats: STR 10, STA 10, AGI 10]
Adam didn't hesitate. More MP. More stamina to use the power.
[Stats Allocated: STR 11 (+1), STA 13 (+3), AGI 11 (+1)] [New Stats: HP 110, MP 130]
The change was immediate. Energy flooded through his body, making him feel like he could take on the world. Or at least more rats.
Voices echoed from the corridor above—guards changing shifts, servants moving through the castle. Normal life continuing while he stood knee-deep in rat corpses like some kind of demented exterminator.
Adam climbed the narrow stairs toward the storage room exit, exhaustion warring with satisfaction. He'd done it. First mission complete, first level gained. The System wasn't lying—he could get stronger here.
As he reached the main corridor, movement caught his eye. A figure stood on a balcony overlooking the courtyard—a young girl with ash-blonde hair that caught the afternoon light.
Their eyes met for a heartbeat. The girl's face was turned away too quickly for him to make out details, but something about her posture, the way she carried herself...
Ciri.
It had to be. Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Child Surprise, the girl whose destiny would reshape the world. The girl who, in thirty-one days, would lose everything.
She disappeared into the castle's depths before he could react, leaving him staring at empty air and wondering if she'd seen something in his face that marked him as different. As dangerous.
Not dangerous. Not yet.
But he would be. He had to be.
The castle guards nodded to him as he passed—news of his success had already spread. Word traveled fast in closed spaces, and killing twenty-three rats was apparently worth respect in this world.
Adam emerged into Cintra's late afternoon light, pockets heavier with coin, body stronger with accumulated power. The city around him remained unchanged—the same smells, the same sounds, the same people going about their lives with no idea that doom approached on black banners.
Thirty-one days.
He looked back at the castle rising above him, all stone and history and doomed grandeur. Somewhere in there, Ciri was probably training with wooden swords and dreaming of adventures she'd never asked for.
I'll be ready, he promised the castle, the city, the girl who didn't know her protector existed yet. When it comes, I'll be ready.
His reflection caught his eye in a puddle—thirteen years old, covered in rat blood and grain dust, but with eyes that held knowledge of futures that might never come to pass.
Status: Rat Murderer, Level 2. His parents would be so proud.
Tomorrow, he'd explore more of Cintra. Maybe find better ways to earn XP that didn't involve sewage-adjacent rodents.
But tonight, he'd count his coins and plan for war.
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers ] with exclusive access to 28+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!