Chapter 5: The Perfunctory Judgment
"A nest of vipers, then?"
Arthur could ignore the other villagers, but he wasn't about to let Kory go. He leveled the pitchfork and prepared to chase, but he was blocked by a large, powerful hand Kolgrim's.
Compared to scattered, undisciplined peasants, Kolgrim's long years living on the edge of danger had forged his Witcher mind into tempered steel. He had only been momentarily stunned at first, quickly shaking off the effect of the Battle Cry.
"Why are you stopping me?" Arthur hissed, demanding an answer: "That man is the drunkard who caused trouble at the tavern yesterday! He's definitely behind this whole rotten affair!"
Kolgrim explained: "I am a Witcher. I cannot harm humans on a mere impulse. And have you already forgotten whose man he is?
"Dealing with a few soldiers is easy enough, but then what? Do we charge into the castle, slaughter the Baron as well, pick up a royal bounty, and ruin the small bit of reputation the Witchers have finally managed to recover? Lad, you have the right to act rashly, but I do not. Every action I take affects the entire Witcher community."
Only after speaking the last sentence did the Witcher release his grip on Arthur's shoulder.
By now, the distant guards were walking toward them, led by the villagers. Kolgrim offered a calming word:
"Relax. The most dangerous part is over. Next is the phase of extortion. Leave it to me."
The guards looked more nervous than Arthur did. They stuttered out a demand that everyone proceed to the Castle of Amavet to have the recent violent incident judged by the Baron.
Their 'escort' was more like them being led. The guards and villagers maintained a distance of seven or eight meters from the two Witchers, who walked with a certain casualness toward the castle.
In the spacious hall, Arthur finally saw the long-heard-of Baron Ignatius.
The Baron was fat and clumsy, his cheeks piled high with pink, fleshy jowls he bore a striking resemblance to the English King in Pirates of the Caribbean. He seemed to have anticipated a court session today, as he was neither drunk nor smelled of liquor. He merely looked profoundly impatient.
The moment he saw Kolgrim and Arthur enter, the Baron shrieked:
"Guilty!"
The steward frowned and whispered into his ear. Arthur clearly overheard:
"We should wait for the villagers to present their accusations first, My Lord. It makes it look more proper."
"It's just a paltry Witcher. Why bother with the formalities!" The Baron impatiently slapped the armrest of his chair: "Lock them up!"
The soldiers lined up on both sides of the hall immediately drew their swords, pointing them at Arthur and Kolgrim.
Wait, this situation isn't at all how it was supposed to go down!
Arthur felt his hairs stand on end. His hands trembled, the desire to rip apart the soldiers before him battling furiously against his reason, threatening to break the dam at any moment.
As he felt his anxiety surge, Kolgrim squeezed his hand, whispering:
"It's alright. Leave it to me."
The Witcher acted as if he didn't even see the flashing blades. His tone remained perfectly steady:
"If that is your decision, My Lord Baron, I demand a Trial of Ordeal."
Seeing the Witcher being so agreeable, the Baron nodded in satisfaction, dismissing the two men. The swords instantly disappeared, sheathed by the soldiers.
The steward took a few steps forward and said: "A griffin has recently appeared in White Orchard. It has killed several livestock and severely injured an innocent civilian.
"If you can slay the beast and bring us its head, your previous crimes will be dismissed."
Kolgrim nodded: "I need to know the location of the attack, and I need to speak with the witness."
The steward turned toward a sullen-looking young man seated at the Baron's right hand:
"The attack happened on the road between the castle and the village. Young Lord Florian was escorting a maiden back to the village at the time.
"If he hadn't chased the griffin away, the poor girl would be dead now."
"How brave an act," Kolgrim said dryly. "Can I see the maiden who was attacked?"
"No, you cannot."
Florian spoke the only words he would utter during the entire trial, his voice cold and emphatic, before sinking back into silence.
The steward calmly explained: "Lenna, the girl, was grievously wounded and remains unconscious. No one is permitted to see her except the nurse and the doctor."
"Understood. Give me a few days, and this brute will no longer threaten your subjects."
Kolgrim offered the Baron a textbook bow and turned to leave.
"That's it? It wasn't even ten minutes." Stepping out of the great hall, Arthur pointed disbelievingly at the shadow cast by the castle gate on the ground. Its position was virtually unchanged from when they entered.
Kolgrim: "What else did you expect? Did you want those handful of 'peasants' to rehearse a testimony, and then have us assemble a jury from the stairwell (the servants' quarters)? The result wouldn't have changed. Isn't it better for everyone to save some time?"
Arthur grumbled: "This was clearly a setup by that old son-of-a-bitch Baron. He…"
"He used the pretext of a Trial of Ordeal to force a Witcher to eliminate a monster in his territory for free." Kolgrim finished Arthur's sentence with casual indifference, explaining: "Lad, this is how most nobles treat Witchers.
"Instead of posting a bounty, they prefer to arbitrarily accuse us of a crime and force us to undertake a 'Trial of Ordeal' to exterminate the monster without charge. Oh, it's not entirely free. Sometimes they offer a reward that is less than a tenth of the market rate, just to buy our silence.
"Whether you become a Witcher or not, you had best remember this: the 'honor' and 'respect' that nobles constantly preach about are reserved for people of their own standing."
Looking back as the castle receded behind them, Arthur whispered to Kolgrim: "They didn't seize our horses, so why don't we just leave?"
Kolgrim sighed heavily, patting his saddlebag: "They didn't take my horse, but they took something far more valuable. This bag contained two schematics that were lost when the Viper School fortress was breached. They are of immense significance to the entire School.
"It took me ten full years to finally purchase them back in Redania. If I abandon the schematics and run, how can I face Ivar Evil-Eye when I return?"
Arthur shrugged, mimicking the Witcher: "Alright, looks like I'll have to help you hunt the griffin then can you get me a sword?"
Kolgrim's expression suddenly became grave: "Lad, your idea is dangerous! Assuming you hadn't lost your memory, I'd tell you that a griffin is more terrifying than all the monsters you've heard of combined. This is not a game. It would be best for us to part ways here. Take these few crowns; they are enough for you to establish yourself in Vizima."
(Crown: The large-denomination currency common in the Northern Realms. 1 Crown = 100 Orens.)
Arthur didn't even glance at the gold coins the Witcher offered, insisting: "Then there's even less reason to abandon you. You saved my life, after all. And don't forget how I scattered those ruffians."
He had already made up his mind. While his current strength made a head-on fight with a griffin difficult, unleashing a Battle Cry when things got hairy would significantly mitigate the risk of combat.
Kolgrim stared fixedly at Arthur for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement: "Alright. You certainly possess considerable pressure in a fight. That quality might prove useful when facing a griffin."
But next, instead of giving Arthur a weapon, Kolgrim took him to the outskirts of White Orchard to dig for herbs.
According to the Witcher, facing a powerful quarry like a griffin head-on was the worst possible strategy. The best plan, of course, was to coat a lamb with poison, trick the griffin into eating it, and wait for it to die from afar.
The problem was that this hybrid creature possessed the keen senses of a bird and the endurance of a lion, making it difficult to select a suitable poison. Cheap rat poison would be detected from twenty meters away.
Strangler was colorless and odorless, but it was expensive for a reason it was King's Special. The coin required to poison a single griffin would be enough to buy half of White Orchard.
Fortunately, Witchers had their own methods mixing beast Oil.
This concoction was made from various plant extracts. It was green, all-natural, and environmentally friendly. The finished product required no refrigeration or preservatives. Best of all, it could remove gamey odors, enhance flavor, promote blood circulation, dispel bruising, calm the nerves, and aid sleep with miraculous results whether ingested or applied topically. It was truly an essential panacea for home use, travel, or griffin hunting.
If it weren't for the fact that its toxicity was potent enough to kill any sentient being other than a Witcher, the potion could likely sweep the Northern Realms under the guise of a sleeping aid or an analgesic liniment.
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