Gawel stalked through the wilderness surrounding the town, more lost in thought than actually hunting. Once more he questioned his decision to have Sara along with him. A witcher works alone. A witcher always works alone. It's how it has always been and always will be. No one liked witchers, they saw them as an unwanted necesity. And yet along came this sorceress, who was unlike any sorceress Gawel had met, or rather how he pictured them since he had never actually met any sorceresses. But he had been warned to stay away from them by other witchers; mostly because the majority of sorceresses were employed by royalty or those in a position in power and witchers were supposed to remain neutral, to stay out of all that. And along came Sara.

Gawel sighed and tried to tell himself that it wasn't her attraction that made him give in and allow her to come along. And then again on a dangerous mission such as the koshchey.

"What's the point of mulling, I'll either be told it's fine or to get rid of her when I return to Kaer Morhen," he muttered to himself. And yet, as he charged a basilisk, he couldn't help but feel as though, were he told to get rid of her, he wouldn't be able to do so. He enjoyed her company, her conversation, a different perspective on things.

*

It was late that Gawel returned to the tavern and most of the patrons had either returned home or passed out on the benches. The tavern keeper, a different one from earlier but no doubt briefed on this guest, looked him up and down and said, "There's a room been prepared for you upstairs, witcher. I'll have some water sent for a bath as well."

Gawel nodded in thanks and went upstairs to the room he had been assigned. The water, when it came was hot and fresh and Gawel sank into it, absently rubbing at the raised scar tissue on his leg, attempting to ease some of the ache out of it. It wasn't nearly as sore as it had been in the snow but using it today had caused it to ache a little. He wondered how he would go in winter in Kaer Morhen. No doubt Sara would love it there, up in the mountains with all that snow, but it was sure to be a rather painful few months for Gawel until the passes cleared.

That night he slept soundly and come morning he set to work extracting the poisons and fluids from the creature parts he had taken with him, mixing them with other alchemical substances and making the potions he would need for tonight. He would get breakfast later, after he had finished. For now it was all business.