Oxenfurt - the smaller, not quite so run down sister of Novigrad.
After entering the city through the west gate last night, Eskel had sought shelter and enjoyed a warm meal in the "Alchemy". Stjepan, the innkeeper from the Skellige islands, had served him a surprisingly good stew and ham. But even the tasty food and the reasonably comfortable bed had not been able to outweigh Eskel's aversion to larger cities. This morning, after only a few hours, he felt uncomfortable in the midst of the pulsating life of Oxenfurt. His fine Witcher-hearing had difficulty filtering out the citizens' innumerable conversations, everything mingled to a steady sonic mush, which over time exhausted his nerves.
But he did not mean to stay long anyway.
Arriving at the marketplace he went to a herbalist and stocked up on bright essence and white myrtle. The prizes would have been a hefty credit to any dwarf merchant, but when it came to his potions, Eskel would rather not take risks and buy valuable ingredients to ensure quality. From the host of the "Alchemy", he had bought a couple of bottles of hard liquor that he needed to brew his potions. Even as the season drew to an end, he didn't want to have to decline a job because his potion supplies were running low.
The herbal fragrances at the dealer's booth had briefly managed to mask the stench that was usually omnipresent in cities, but as soon as Eskel made his way to the notice board, he was enveloped again in the beguiling mix of sewage, sweat and feces.
Although the odors in Oxenfurt were far less repellent than, for example, the exhalations of Novigrad's outer skirts.
The notice board did not have much to offer. A few students' announcements and a purchase offer for used medical books. Nothing interesting ... The lowest attached note, however, caught his attention. An assignment from the alchemical faculty of the university.
They were explicitly looking for a witcher, presumably because they wanted him to extract several organs from a freshly slain creature... Eskel took the note off the board and made his way to the university.
He crossed the bridge that connected the academical area with the rest of the city and faced the guards at the gate. Luckily he could pass without any problem - either the guards had been informed of the possible arrival of a Witcher or they were not taking their job seriously. With the help of a signpost, he quickly found the alchemical faculty, but from here on he didn't exactly know where to go. A group of students was just leaving the building. They were engrossed in a conversation and initially didn't take notice of him.
"Excuse me."
One of the students looked up and stopped immediately, eyes wide with shock. The reaction of his colleagues was quite similar.
Eskel tried to look as friendly as possible, though the long, deep scar naturally caught everyone's attention. No smile in the world - certainly not his - could outweigh the daunting impression of his face. Therefore, Eskel was used to people being frightened of his sight.
"Could you please tell me where I can find ..." He read the notice sheet. "Magister van de Wintervoord?" "Erm... Best you go to the lab on the first floor ... upstairs and then the third door on the left," stuttered the student closest to Eskel. "Thank you." Eskel nodded and entered the building. He could hear the students talking about him outside in fear, disgust and surprise.
What kind of business did a mutant have at the academy?
In the past, witchers came to Oxenfurt on a regular basis to provide the scientists with rare ingredients - but those days were long gone. The current students had probably never seen a witcher up close before.
Eskel followed the described path and knocked on the wooden entrance.
"Enter," a woman's voice answered from the lab.
He opened the door.
In the room, which was apparently the scene of an extraction process, he could find all kinds of alchemical equipment - Alembicus, serpentines and retorts stood on the tables. The showcases on the walls held countless bottles, cans and jars. An amber-colored liquid evaporated from a glass jar resting on a burner and condensed in the chiller. The window was wide open and the breeze carried the characteristic odors of celandine and hellebore.
At one of the tables stood a rather small woman in an apron who was about to grind something in a mortar. Her auburn hair was put up in an untidy bun, causing a few strands to break loose. When she looked up, she put one of them behind her ear in an unconscious gesture. She looked to be in her early thirties and had a pretty face with big, brown eyes, but all in all she was rather unimpressive.
Eskel noticed that the little finger of her right hand was missing - perhaps the result of a failed experiment ... Similar to the students earlier, her eyes widened at the sight of him, but she instantly recovered herself and gave him a friendly smile. "Oh, you must be the Witcher ..."
"Uh, yes, ... I'm looking for Magister van de Wintervoord ..."
"That is me. Thalia van de Wintervoord. "
"Oh," Eskel muttered, ashamed at once for this uninspired reply. Although female scientists were not uncommon in Oxenfurt, they still rarely achieved a higher academic degree. Even in the 13th century, the old structures of power distribution were still obvious.
In order to not make a bad impression by his silence, Eskel continued quickly.
"My name is Eskel, Witcher of the school of the wolf. Your offer sounds interesting, but I'll need more information. What kind of monster ingredients do you need exactly?"
" 'Monster ingredients'- that's what you call it? Hm, that's probably the best way to describe it. So ... The point is this: On behalf of the Academy, I am to research for a universal antidote for poisoning based on crab spider venom. According to my research, the most promising substance can be obtained from the crab spider's liver. This is where you come into plan ..."
"So it's about crab spiders. They are not easy to find and even harder to kill. The effort is big, as is the risk. How much does the university intend to pay as a reward for extracting the organs?"
"300 crowns. That should, as I hope, outweigh your risk."
Eskel thought about it for a moment. With 300 crowns, he could even finish the season prematurely and return earlier to Kaer Morhen than planned.
If he could use the last autumn weeks for repairing the fortress, this years winter should be much more pleasant.
The roof rafters in the north tower had to be renewed urgently - no work that he liked doing in the cold.
Crab spiders, on the other hand, were not exactly pleasant to deal with.
Fighting them was treacherous, especially against the highly poisonous specimens. Witchers were immune to many toxins and could easily survive spider venom attacks - but an overdose would cause considerable damage and could even lead to death unless countermeasures were taken quickly enough.
But for an experienced Witcher as him, the risk was manageable. And the advertised reward was quite appropriate - even slightly higher than Eskel had expected.
"All right then. When do you need the organs? "
"Since I have to present the results of my research in five months, we should get going as soon as possible." Eskel raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "We?" Thalia nodded with a smile. "Yes, I will join you. Don't worry, I won't get in your way, I only want to preserve the liver and glands post-haste. "
"I assure you that I am perfectly capable of cutting out organs without damaging them."
"Surely, but that's not the only reason. They need to be processed as fresh as possible. If you carry them with you for weeks, the extracts will be too weak to be of use. I planned this very precisely. I know that crab spiders are most common in warm areas, but: My archeology colleagues have told me that they saw many specimens during an excavation north of Ard Carraigh. From a safe distance, naturally.
Since the glands would be unusable within a few days after extraction in a warm climate, I suggest that we go in search of this colony in Kaedwen. If we really find it there, we only have to travel to Aedd Gynvael, where I process the organs on the spot. An old acquaintance of mine maintains a small laboratory in the city, which will not be perfectly equipped, but it should be enough. The university provides me with two guards to protect me from bandits. They will accompany us.
In Aedd Gynvael there is a branch of the Vivaldi Bank, which means I can pay out your reward right there after our arrival and release you from your service. This will save you the trip back to Oxenfurt and you can go back to whatever business a witcher might have at this time of the year. What do you say to my proposal?"
At first Eskel was speechless about the length and detail of the lecture. The scientist had evidently planned everything down to the last detail. At least in theory, she seemed well prepared. But the idea of having to take care of a woman during a week-long journey and possibly being constantly involved in witty conversation did not suit him at all.
Then again, she seemed to be quite likeable. Intelligent enough to keep herself away from crab spiders, at least. Nevertheless, her company would mean that he would move much slower than alone.
The loss of time, however, would be compensated by ending his contract directly in Kaedwen's north and not having to travel from Oxenfurt to Kaer Morhen again.
If they really were to find a crab spider colony near Ard Carraigh (and Eskel had little doubt that it was possible, after all, the beasts had adapted more and more to the northern climate over the last few decades), the journey to the Witchers' fortress would only take a few days. A welcome shortcut to his return home ...
Eskel took a deep breath. "All right then. But I must warn you: We'll be on the road for about three weeks, maybe longer, depending on the weather. And it won' be a comfortable journey, inns and taverns become scarce as soon as we leave the Pontar area. We'll spend the nights under the open skies and be on horseback all day. Do you think you can handle that? "
"I am aware it'll not be a pleasant trip. But this is not the first expedition I'm participating in. Please don't worry about me. "
The last expedition she participated in was probably some time ago. According to her light skin, the alchemist didn't spend much time outdoors. She wasn't in best shape either. Not stout, but also not really slim or muscular.
Wasn't his concern, though.
She would have to cope by herself with aching muscles and the hardships of a journey on horseback.
Eskel took her outstretched hand in his to seal the contract.
"When shall we leave?"
