The highly anticipated fight began amid roaring cheers and excited shouting. Once both men raised their fists, Victor opened with a left jab that struck Silgrat squarely in the face and sent blood spraying from his nose.
Victor followed with a kick, but Silgrat dodged it. The nobleman grabbed the witcher's sleeve and tried to drag him to the ground, only for Victor to twist his arm backward, force it down, and drive a knee into him.
Silgrat screamed from the heavy blow and swung an elbow, but failed to hit Victor.
Victor retreated two steps and watched the swaying nobleman regain his footing. Then the witcher stamped forward with his right foot and drove a straight centerline punch into Silgrat's face, leaving him dazed. A right hook knocked him off balance, and a kick to the backside sent him sprawling face-first onto the floor.
The humiliating attack made Silgrat roar with fury as he scrambled upright and charged forward, intent on grappling at close range.
Victor caught him in a body lock and hurled him over his hip, slamming him heavily against the ground.
While the nobleman was still disoriented by the fall, the witcher mounted him and knocked him unconscious with alternating hooks.
Some time later, Silgrat awakened with his face swollen and bruised. He walked over to Victor, who was playing bridge with the dwarves.
Silgrat slammed a fist against the table.
"You won. Kill me."
Victor glanced sideways at him.
"Kill you, my ass. I'm not a homicidal maniac. Besides, that was only a tavern brawl. We were having fun."
"You don't understand. My reputation is ruined. My honor is gone. I would rather die by your hand."
"Is it truly that difficult to understand? If you want to prove that you're as courageous as your brother, do it on the battlefield. There may be plenty of jeering now, but this place is a gathering ground for drunks. By sunrise, none of these drunken fools will care whether you won or lost."
Silgrat's face shifted between livid anger and deathly pallor. Despite the summer heat, cold sweat covered his body and his hands and feet turned icy.
"Victor of Kaer Trolde, Silgrat of Gulet will not forget you."
"What a pity." The witcher raised his cup in salute. "I'm drinking. I'll have forgotten you before sunrise."
Not long after Silgrat departed, Victor also chose to leave early because he had an appointment to keep.
When he returned to Angoulême's home, the woman waiting for him beneath the moonlight was carrying a food box. Unless Victor was mistaken, it probably contained stargazy pie.
Stargazy pie was another traditional Aedirnian dish, primarily popular around Aldersberg and Gulet. Its ingredients included sardines, tuna, sand eels, herring, dogfish, cod, and one additional fish to make seven varieties in total.
For ease of eating, the fish were skinned and deboned first. Their heads were then arranged facing the sky in a pie filled with rich milk, eggs, and boiled potatoes. As the pie baked, oil released from the fish flowed back into the filling, supposedly making it even more delicious.
The finished dish resembled the beautiful sight of fish gazing up at the stars, which was how it received its name.
The person Victor had arranged to meet was Saskia, the Virgin of Aedirn. She knew perfectly well that Victor did not particularly enjoy such food, yet had deliberately brought it to share with him.
They had discovered the previous night that they greatly enjoyed each other's company, so they agreed to meet again today. After finishing a full day of military duties, she came to visit with the latest delicacy she intended to promote.
The witcher also enjoyed speaking with the Dragonslayer, and not merely because she was beautiful. She possessed a frank and sincere nature that allowed the two of them to share many ideas considered outrageous and heretical in this era.
As Iorveth had said, their relationship was not romantic. They were merely two compatible souls who had become friends.
Thus, Victor spent his mornings practicing alchemy, his afternoons training with the sword or gathering herbs, and his evenings meeting Saskia. Several peaceful days passed at an unhurried pace.
One morning, after finishing his run, Victor went to the Cauldron for another appointment. Before entering the tavern, however, a notice on the board beside the door caught his attention.
VERGEN NOW HAS A LADY BARBER
Let it be known to all humans, elves, and dwarves concerned about the condition of their beards that a barber respected throughout the world has arrived in Vergen.
This delightful lady is named Felicia Cori, and I personally guarantee that she is truly a magician with scissors.
I encourage every resident to try her services. We must no longer allow visitors to claim that ravens are nesting in dwarven beards or that Vergen is an impoverished backwater untouched by fashion.
Miss Cori offers her services near the Cauldron in Rhundurin Square. She works swiftly, neatly, and efficiently, and her prices are exceptionally reasonable.
Mayor Cecil Burdon
Victor stared at the mayor's signature and laughed inwardly.
Felicia had clearly taken his advice to heart. When conducting business in dwarven territory, the influence of an elder could never be ignored.
Back then, even the remarkable power of his virility draught had required an introduction from Zoltan and Cecil's endorsement. That was even more necessary for a mage's apprentice selling fraudulent amulets.
Still, everything appeared to be going well. With her strategy of offering a free haircut with every amulet purchased, her business would soon experience explosive growth.
Victor hoped she would graduate as soon as possible.
He smiled and pushed open the door.
The female elf who had arranged to meet him waved happily, making her dreadlocks sway from side to side. She was Iorveth's lieutenant, Lansi aep Easnillen.
Yesterday, she had passed a message through Angoulême, who was currently still sleeping. Lansi had said that she did not want Iorveth to know and asked Victor to meet her at the Cauldron today.
The moment Victor sat down, Lansi eagerly grasped his hand.
"Witcher, I'm glad to see you. There's something I desperately need your help with."
The young man grinned, briefly squeezed her hand in return, and then withdrew his own.
"What happened? Why can't Iorveth know? Heh, don't tell me you have an itch that needs scratching."
As he spoke, he made an obscene gesture with both hands.
Victor dared to make such a joke only because they had become familiar with each other over the past few days. Nor was he worried that Lansi would make any improper demands. Like her brother, the dreadlocked young woman was one of Iorveth's most devoted followers.
A fearless woman herself, Lansi merely rolled her eyes.
"I do have an itch. Are you volunteering to scratch it? You're all talk. Come find me in the forest tonight if you have the nerve."
"Ahem. My apologies. That was rude of me."
Victor immediately retreated after her sharp response.
During their journey here by ship, Lansi had made several advances toward the hero who had killed Loredo, but the witcher had politely refused each one. The dreadlocked girl was only seventeen and therefore outside his age range.
Lansi struck Victor irritably, then adopted a serious expression and began explaining.
"Several commandos have disappeared since we arrived in Vergen. At first, we assumed the comforts of city life had tempted them to desert. But their bodies have now been discovered. Every bone in their bodies was shattered, and they suffered severe bruising. We don't know what kind of monster attacked them."
Hearing that the matter concerned his actual profession, Victor crossed his arms and motioned for her to continue.
"Our preliminary investigation uncovered several victims, not only commandos. There were also several humans. All the bodies were found over the past few days, and every victim was a young man."
"Where were the bodies found?"
"In several different places, but mostly beside roads around Vergen and in a few burned villages."
The witcher nodded in satisfaction.
The client for this contract was remarkably dependable. At the very least, she did not answer every question by claiming she knew nothing.
"I need to examine the bodies. Where were the victims buried?"
"Most were buried in the old catacombs behind the hills, but desecrating graves is a serious offense. The families of the dead would be furious. I don't recommend doing that."
"You said most. That means there are exceptions." Victor chuckled after immediately identifying the crucial point.
The dreadlocked girl clapped her hands.
"As expected of Vic. One body was discovered recently and hasn't been buried yet. I told them not to send it to the catacombs."
"Then let's go now."
The witcher rose and walked out the door.
"What condition were the other bodies in when they were buried?"
Lansi hurriedly paid the bill and followed him.
"They were severely mutilated and covered in many unidentified wounds. Neither humans nor elves would do something like that."
"I'll help you, but let me make something clear. I don't work for free. I wouldn't do it for Iorveth, much less one of his subordinates."
"Tch. You'll be generously rewarded, but you must keep this from the commander. We've lost several excellent fighters, and I want to resolve the matter privately rather than add to his burdens. Do a good job, and I'll even give you something better than gold."
"Let me see what I can do."
Some time later, Lansi led Victor into the forest behind the hills. Four elves were guarding the corpse. Their leader was Ele'yas, a commando squad leader whom Victor had encountered several times before.
Victor's gaze passed over their faces. All of them appeared both sorrowful and furious.
He waved for the elves to step back, leaving only Lansi beside him, then lifted the white cloth covering the corpse.
Judging from the stiffness, the man had not been dead for long. Less than twelve hours had passed since his death.
A preliminary examination confirmed that the victim's clothing had been torn in numerous places and that bones throughout his body had been fractured or crushed. Victor also detected a faint scent of sulfur.
The head was in far better condition than the rest of the body. The dead man had severe dark circles around his eyes and appeared somewhat anemic. Tiny bite marks covered his neck.
Victor then examined the victim's hands.
One clutched a lock of long hair. The forearm had suffered a deep sword wound, suggesting that the man had tried to defend himself.
There was also something embedded in the bone, a fragment of metal.
Victor rolled the body over and examined its back. Numerous fingernail scratches covered the skin. They had not yet begun to scab, which meant that the victim had enjoyed himself not long before his death.
Something else had been trapped beneath the corpse, a book intended to be buried with him.
Victor opened it and examined the writing and handwriting.
"Your body sizzles beneath my tender caresses."
Both the words and the handwriting were familiar. Victor was certain that this was Dandelion's poetry sketchbook.
The question was why the dead man had carried the poet's work. There had to be an interesting reason.
Victor put away the poetry sketchbook, covered the corpse again, and waved for the elves to carry it away for burial.
The witcher now needed to return to the city and speak with the bard.
"Lansi, I already have some ideas about what happened, but give me two more days to investigate and confirm everything. I'll provide you with a definite answer."
The dreadlocked girl nodded solemnly.
"Thank you. I trust you. I'll leave it in your hands."
The corpse struck the ground with a heavy thump. One of the elves carrying it seemed to have lost his grip, and a brief commotion erupted nearby.
Victor sank into contemplation on the way back.
The matter was actually quite simple. Every piece of information indicated that the killer was a succubus. In some places, they were called demonesses, while official Toussaint terminology used the ridiculous name "she-beast."
They appeared as beautiful women with horns and cloven, backward-jointed hooves. Beneath the pale skin of their arms lay muscles as strong as steel. A kick from their goatlike hind legs or a thrust from the horns on their heads could easily shatter bones and tear tendons.
The reason Victor could not reach a definitive conclusion was that the murders were entirely contrary to a succubus's nature.
They did not enjoy killing and had no interest in flesh. They sought only the vital essence of humanoid creatures.
There was also the obvious wound on the dead man's arm. The metal fragment proved that it had been caused by a steel sword, but that did not match the shattered bones throughout his body.
A monster did not need two different weapons to create a single corpse, unless one type of injury had been deliberately fabricated.
Victor entered the Cauldron, where Dandelion happily hurried over to greet him.
"Vic, you arrived at the perfect moment. Can you think of something that rhymes with 'wonder'?"
"Yonder."
"Haha, brilliant! I knew I could rely on you."
"Are you writing a sonnet for your latest poem?"
"Something even better. I'm composing an anthem for Vergen's freedom fighters. You absolutely must hear the first draft."
"No. Another time."
As expected, Dandelion refused to accept Victor's refusal.
"Let all who dream of freedom rise,
And witness liberation with their eyes.
Become my brother, stand here by my side.
The choice is yours, though there's no path beside.
Through this great wonder, how far shall we wander?
Elves, dwarves, and humans, hand in hand, march yonder."
"Do you like it?" Dandelion asked gleefully after finishing his recitation.
Victor spread his hands.
"At least it rhymes."
"Fine. I'll polish it further."
The bard pouted and turned to leave, but Victor caught him by the arm and placed the poetry sketchbook in his hands.
"My love poems! Some bastard stole them recently. He probably used them to seduce young women. I missed this book terribly. Without these poems, visiting a brothel feels like arriving without a weapon.
"Victor, I owe you a favor. I have no idea how I could ever repay such extraordinary generosity.
"No, actually, I know exactly what you want. How about a glass of milk? My treat."
"I have a better idea."
"Beer or vodka? Either is fine. I recently earned a little money."
"I need you to do me a favor."
"Just name it. I would even give you my chastity, assuming I still possessed it."
"I have no interest in your chastity."
"Don't tell me you need a poem for a noonwraith."
"It isn't that serious, but it is somewhat similar."
"Please, Victor, don't treat me the way Geralt does. He's always dragging me into terrifying incidents involving monsters. You must understand that I'm an artist, unlike you, who works as a witcher on the side..."
"Trust me, you'll enjoy this." Victor bluntly interrupted his complaint. "I need you to seduce a succubus."
Dandelion's mouth fell open in astonishment.
"Have you lost your mind? You want a hoofed succubus to ride me until I die?
"Then again, every man must eventually die. Sooner or later, something will kill us.
"Very well. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for my friend."
"I knew I could rely on you, brother. I'll return home and prepare some potions. That way, you'll at least be able to struggle for a very, very long time before she rides you to death.
"Meet me at Vergen's gate this evening. We're going to the burned village."
Dandelion tightly embraced Victor.
Some things needed no words.
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