Chapter 22: Tamara

As Geralt approached a small house near the Oxenfurt house, he saw that the house was quite tidy and proper. There were flowers outside the window, furniture seemed new, and the paint was quite fresh to look at.

He knocked on the door softly, baiting for a response. He could smell a man inside, smoking a tobacco as he watched the door in front of him.

Geralt gruffed, and knocked again, trying to get a reaction from the man.

Again, the man just puffed his tobacco, and watched the door.

"I know you're in there." said Geralt in annoyance. "Open the door."

The man didn't move whatsoever, instead, he puffed on his tobacco again, watching the door closely.

Geralt was about to knock again, but then, someone touched him on his shoulder, making him turn around.

"Not gonna work mate." said the man, it was Mikael, now wearing a prosthetic in his right arm, so people won't judge him for having only an arm.

"When did you get that?" questioned Geralt.

"Just now," he said casually as he walked to the door. He knocked it, and this time, spoke. "Voytek sends us, we're here to meet with the bloody baron's daughter."

Finally, the man stood up, and opened the door. He examined the two men, one's a witcher, and one's a cripple, a peculiar duo.

"Voytek send you, sir?" he repeated again.

"Said we'll find Tamara here." answered Mikael.

The man nodded, "Wait a moment. I'll fetch her straight away."

The man then walked upstairs, fetching the woman.

"Who's Voytek?" questioned Geralt curiously.

Mikael shrugged. "How should I know?"

Geralt just looked at him weirdly, and the two entered the place, sitting besides the table.

On the table, there was a tabby cat, sitting lazily on it. Geralt then sat as he stared intensely at the cat, cat-eyes meets cat-eyes, and they waited for Tamara.

Mikael was watching the scene in amusement as Geralt's eyes narrowed at the cats, but then, Tamara came down the stairs, wearing a leather coat.

"You're looking for me?" she questioned as she came down the stairs. "And who might you be? My father send you?"

As she arrived downstairs, she saw Mikael sitting casually on the chair, and commented. "You're the one who killed the beast in the sewer?"

"Know about me?" Mikael was surprised.

"Of course. The witch hunters are talking about you, saying the incredible feat you've done as a human."

"Right…"

Tamara then turned to Geralt once again. "So? My father send you?"

"Yeah, he sent me to check if you are alive or not, I'm Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher."

"Well, as you can see Geralt of Rivia the Witcher, I'm quite alive and extraordinarily well, better than I've ever been in this rotten life of mine. And now that you've seen me, I bid you farewell."

"Wait–"

"We've nothing more to talk about." insisted Tamara.

"Listen Tamara. I don't blame you, your father's a vile man, and you're angry."

"Why do you help him then? Why did you take his job?" she questioned.

"He knows something about someone dear to me. Promised me to tell her where she is if I found you and your mother." Geralt answered.

"A witcher? Has someone been very dear to him?" sneered the woman. "But I get it, blackmail, just his style. You've found me now, go tell him I'm alive and never coming back."

Geralt sighed. "Alright…" he murmured. "But… Can you tell me more about your mother?"

Tamara turned sad at the mention of her mother. "We… were riding towards the river. Suddenly, mum cried out, bent over, almost fell off her horse… I rode up to her and saw something strange, her hands were on fire."

"On fire?"

"Yes! And then that creature leapt out of nowhere! I don't know what it was, but it roared so fierce my nose bled. I saw it topple trees! I've never been so scared in my life! That… that thing grabbed mum and disappeared into the woods, I wanted to turn back! I really do! But the horse panicked! Now I don't even know if she's alive…"

Mikael then turned to Geralt, and the witcher felt his gaze and directed the gaze towards him. "Know anything?"

"Sounds like a magical contract if you ask me." shrugged Mikael. "Hands on fire, a creature forcefully captured her… signs are clear…"

"True…" he murmured. Geralt turned to Tamara again. "Have your mother contacted any magical beings?"

"Not that I know of…" she murmured. "Wait… magical contract? What are you talking about?"

"Well, she might've asked something from a magical being, and in return, she'll serve them." answered Geralt. "That's how it usually goes."

"Well, there's one time that she traveled south towards the crookback bog…"

Geralt sighed. "The Ladies of the Wood…" he murmured.

"The what?"

"Three old Witches lived in the Crookback bog. There's an orphanage there ran by an old woman, that's probably your mother… though there is only one way to prove it."

"What?! She lives?!" Tamara exclaimed. "I must go there at once and get her out!"

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"Wouldn't recommend venturing into the swamp," said Geralt.

"No, I won't let anyone talk me out of it." she insisted.

"You realize that won't be so easy, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm not daft." she said. "I've got powerful friends, they'll help me."

"Witch hunters?" Mikael added. "Your clothing's a dead giveaway."

"Yes." she turned to him.

"What about your father?" questioned Geralt.

"He can go fuck himself as far as I'm concern." she scoffed.

A man then suddenly entered the house. He wore witch hunter clothing, with a high ranking badge in full display on his chestpiece.

"A witcher?" chuckled the man. "Never thought the baron would stoop so low to hire a monster slayer to find his daughter. Though I heard you're good at tracking things."

"And you are?" Geralt questioned.

"Graden." the witch hunter answered. "Witch hunter in the service of his royal majesty Radovid of Redania. I'm certain you've heard of us."

"Of course, I couldn't exactly miss the burning pyres outside the town," said Geralt casually.

Graden sighed. "If the bloody baron sent you to fetch his daughter, you'd best give up, you will fail on your task."

"I appreciate your concern, but Tamara can make her own decisions, and she already decided." Geralt gruffed.

Graden was a bit surprised. "Hmm… noble of you. A killer for hire abandoning his bounty for the good of another. The hunters and the church of the eternal fire thank you."

Geralt hummed. "Where are you gonna take her?"

"She must rest. Let the warmth of the Eternal fire recover her. After that, we shall see to it that we will find her mother."

"Alright." Geralt nodded. "Then, I'll be taking my leave."

Geralt and Mikael stood up, and exited the place.

"Wait!" shouted Graden, and the two turned once again. "You, Mikael the one-armed, I had some business with you."

Mikael raised his eyebrow. "What about?"

"Well, seeing we're on the topic, we're gathering a team to track Tamara's mother." continued Graden. "Now the hunters are a bit short-staffed as of now because of some… cleansing back in Novigrad."

"And?"

"I want to offer you a job," said Graden. "Seeing that you've proven yourself as a capable human monster hunter, I want to hire you to join the team."

"To track Tamara's mother? But she's already been found." said Mikael innocently.

"What?" Graden turned to Tamara, and she just nodded. "Crookback bog." said Tamara.

"W-Well, that's a marvelous revelation, then I want you to join the extraction team," he continued. "Surely a place would be filled with dangerous creatures other than drowners and hags."

"You're hunters, I thought you're a capable organization?"

"As I said, we're a bit short-handed right now…"

Mikael just sighed. "I'll think about it."

"That's good enough for me." nodded Graden. "We will find you again once the time comes, so think thoroughly about it."

"Sure, whatever." shrugged Mikael, and walked away with Geralt from the house.

They walked through the Oxenfurt port, didn't talk to another, and they were walking towards the tavern.

"You're going to our dinner tonight?" questioned Mikael.

"Nah, it's fine." Geralt said. "I'll leave you two alone. Seems like she's happy with you, I know what she's looking for in a man, and I'm not one of them, not going to approach her, rest assured."

"Yeah… she wants a guy who can settle down…" said Mikael. "I still don't know about settling down, but I'll think about it."

Geralt hummed. As the two entered a tavern. Both of them sat down in the corner of the room, and ordered Rye.

"So, what've you been doing since white orchard? Vesemir's doing alright?" Geralt questioned curiously.

"Don't know about Vesemir, I split off with him in Tretogor, as for me, I'm doing fine, done a couple of jobs here and there, almost enough to buy a horse."

"Wait, you don't have a horse?"

"Of course I don't." scoffed Mikael.

"You could just steal one, you know."

"You? Recommending me to steal?" chuckled Mikael.

"Well, sometimes if you're desperate…"

The two then catch up with each other in the empty corner of the tavern, drink in hand. They talked, joked, and laughed, like good ol' friends do.

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