20 She's A Maniac, Maniac On The Corpse

     Geralt rode back into Ard Carraigh dragging along a makeshift stretcher, upon which a large muscular fur covered body lay. Its body filled with stab wounds and its arms dragging on the ground.

     This particular scene caused quite the stir amongst the townsfolk, as Geralt led Roach slowly down the streets towards Gilly's house.

     Whenever he had first returned to Ard Carraigh, the guards had been curious but ultimately silent and allowed him to pass but it seemed that some discussions had been had somewhere and now a contingent of about six guards was moving to intercept him. The guards walked directly in front of him and stood their ground.

     "Greetings, Witcher! Might I ask why you've chosen to bring such a filthy beast into our lovely city?" The officer in charge asked.

     "I have a contract, with a woman who wishes to see the corpse of her son's killer at her feet. This is the beast responsible and so I'm bringing it to her, as requested."

     The officer raised his eyebrows a bit after hearing this. By this time, most of the people in Gilly's neighborhood had heard of her son's mysterious and untimely demise. "Do you mean to say this beast is that which killed young Palo?"

     "The very same one. Are you familiar with a man named Daren, that lives several blocks in that direction? According to Gilly, he was supposed to be Palo's friend but that's him on the stretcher. He was a Therianthrope. 

     "You should be familiar with the concept of werewolves. This guy was basically the same thing, only his form was cat-like instead of wolf-like, as you can clearly see. Hence, they're known as a Werecats." Geralt explained.

     "My God! A beast in Human form! Living right amongst us, while we're completely unaware! It's a terrifying thought, Witcher!" The officer expressed, as he examined the beast with a disgusted expression on his face.

     "Well, I'm not saying I doubt your words Witcher but, as you know, I've my duties to perform. If this really is one of our residents, we'll need to go and investigate his house and I'll need you to come with us, until we can verify your story."

     "I can do that but not until I've completed my contract. My employer has paid me well for my services and I'm not going to let some else's duties come in between me and my obligation to them."

     "Fair enough, Witcher. I'll send someone over to Daren's house, to get the investigation started. In the meantime, I'll wait outside Gilly's house for you to finish things up with her. Men, let him pass!" The officer commanded and the guards made way for Geralt to proceed.

     Geralt arrived at Gilly's house a few minutes later, only to find her sitting on the porch with her eyes filled with tears as if she hadn't stop crying since he left. Before he had even gotten off of Roach, Gilly had run over to the stretcher and begin assaulting the beast's corpse, as if she could some how kill it a second time.

     "FIEND!! FREAK!! MONSTER!! I HATE YOU!! YOU KILLED MY ONLY SON!! DIE!! DIE!! DIE!!..." Gilly took out a knife from her apron and began stabbing the corpse repeatedly.

     Geralt hadn't expected her to take this very well but this was a little bit much. He felt he should probably step in and control the situation, instead of letting her make an even bigger scene right in the middle of the street.

     "Gilly! Gilly! Calm down!" Geralt shouted at her, as he wrested the knife from her, threw it on the ground, and placed her arms behind her back. "It's dead, Gilly! It's dead! You aren't hurting it! It's already dead! Calm down!" Geralt continued as Gilly switched to kicking the corpse.

     "THE BEST IS DEAD, DAMMIT!! NOW CALM THE FUCK DOWN!!" It seemed that ending this discreetly was never really an option, for there was now quite the crowd gathered round in order to observe the drama.

     Gilly finally stopped assaulting the corpse but, of course, her tears seemed to have become a constant in her life, now. When she eventually stopped resisting, Geralt let her go and she bent down and picked her knife back up. He thought for a second she might resume her frenzied assault but she simply stood there staring hatefully at the corpse, while holding the knife with a tight white knuckled grip.

     "What did you say this thing is called again?"

     "It's a Therianthrope. A Human that can turn into a beast. Werewolves are Therianthropes and Daren here…"

     "DON'T say his name!" Gilly interrupted him.

     "...Alright, but, like I was saying, this is a Werecat."

     "Why didn't he turn back into a human?"

     "Because, he's a natural born Therianthrope. If he were cursed, the magic would no longer be able to affect his body, once he died, and so he would change back. His transformation, however, is the direct result of his biology and so it can no longer function one way or the other, once he dies."

     "Do they have the same strength in their Human form as in this one?"

     "Well, no. The whole point of their transformation is to advance their speed, strength, and senses."

     "So then, a Therianthrope that isn't transformed can be killed just as easily as any other Human, correct?"

     At this moment, Geralt felt as though he had failed to see where this conversation was heading, until it was too late. But her last question seemed a bit rhetorical, since the answer was pretty obvious based on his previous answers. He couldn't rightly deny it without seeming suspicious.

     "Ummm...yeah, that's not wrong but…"

     "Thank you, Geralt, for your service! I believe our contract has concluded now that you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. I'll be taking the corpse, if that's quite alright with you."

     Geralt was admittedly a bit disturbed by this sudden reversal in attitude. Although she still had tear streaks on her face, she was no longer shaking or even tensed. She seemed to be perfectly calm and yet Geralt knew something wasn't right with her.

     However, that wasn't the most relevant issue at the moment, because Gilly seemed to have an entirely incorrect conception of their current situation.

     "Actually, Gilly," he said, stepping in front of her. "Our contract is not at all settled. If you'll remember correctly, you've yet to hand over the potion's and the accompanying recipe and research. As a matter of fact, it could be said that your contract with me is over but the rest of your contract still requires you to speak with my brother Troy, regarding both the potions and other things.

     "As for the corpse, a witcher usually keeps his kill, unless stated otherwise in the contract and I don't recall you making such a stipulation. So, how about you go inside and wait for me and Troy to return and once you've spoken with him, like you agreed, then we can discuss these other matters?"

     In the same creepily calm voice that she had used earlier, Gilly responded, "Ahh, yes, it seems I'd forgotten that. I will, of course, wait for you to return."

     After saying this, she abruptly turned around and went directly back inside.

     "What the hell? Did I just kill one monster only to create another one?" Geralt mused, as he unhitched the stretcher in front of Gilly's house and made his way back over to the Guard Officer who had been waiting patiently the entire time.

     As Geralt approached, the Officer asked, "Do you reckon she'll be alright?"

     "Uhhh...I couldn't rightly say but let's hope for the best."

     "I see."

     This wasn't the response that the officer was hoping for but he didn't press the matter. He knew that the fate of a distraught and heartbroken woman wasn't something easily discerned.

     The two traveled on in silence, until they arrived at Daren's house. There several guards were standing by the house's open door, awaiting their arrival.

     "Anything new to report?" The officer asked, as he and Geralt pulled their horses to a stop.

     "Captain, we've actually found several pieces of evidence that confirm the witcher's story. The man's journal being of the most compelling, wherein he actually describes the murder that he committed. Honestly, it's some pretty sick stuff, in my opinion, but it seems pretty clear that the witcher's story checks out, Captain. If you want to see the journal, I have it here."

     The guard attempted to hand the Captain the journal but the Captain refused it.

     "It's fine. I'll take your word for it. Witcher, I really do appreciate your cooperation in this matter. That being said, I won't waste any more of your time. Have a good day."

     "You do the same!" Geralt replied, as he kicked Roach into a trot and rode back to the inn to update Troy.

-----

     Troy was once again practicing his Chaos Sensing, whenever Geralt entered the room.

     "So, did you find him?" Troy asked, as he came out of his meditative position.

     "Yep, found him, killed him, and took him to Gilly. Then Gilly tried to kill him again before I stopped her. She's waiting at her house, to speak with you, but I'm not entirely certain that she's right in the head. I think this whole situation might have permanently broken her."

     "I see. Well, it's to be expected that some trauma be involved with the loss of a loved one but ultimately we need Gilly. As long as she's willing to and capable of making more potions, then we need to get her on our side. Do you have any idea how many people would kill for the information she has? She'd almost certainly end up dead, abused, or both at the hands of the first person to realize what she has, if we don't take her with us.

     "Well, if everything else is already taken care of, let's not keep our client waiting any longer." Troy suggested, as the two exited the inn and rode back to Gilly's place.

     Upon arriving at Gilly's house, they noticed that the door had been left open and so they entered only to see Gilly sitting at the kitchen table staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.

     "Hey there, Gilly. It's me, Troy. You remember me from yesterday, right?"

     "Ahh, Master Troy! Yes, I remember! Here are the other four potions you requested." She waved at the bottles on the table in front of her. She then held up a wooden crate filled with papers, journals, and what looked like runestones. "And here is the research you requested. Is there anything else you need?"

     "First of all, let me thank you for delivering on your end of the deal. Once I leave here, then our business will be officially concluded if you wish it to be so.

     "Before I leave though, I'd like to discuss a few things with you, starting with your health. Are you going to be alright? I know that losing a loved one can oftentimes be traumatic and, I'm not saying you'd do such a thing, but I just want to make sure that you aren't having thoughts of letting go of life. I know you've lost your son but there are still things to live for."

     "Well, thank you, Master Troy, for your concern but I'm really not having any such thoughts. I'm actually feeling much better, since Master Geralt lent me his assistance."

     "Excellent! That's welcome news, Gilly! For you see, you may not be completely aware of your current situation and I'd like to explain things to you, while also offering you a job working for me and my brother's."

     "A job? Are you asking me to leave Ard Carraigh?"

     "Well, yes, but let me explain. Currently you have loads of debt that you're struggling to get rid of and, even though you have the ingredients to make more of your potions, you have no reliable means to procure more in the future or to protect your merchandise.

     "This, however, is only the beginning of your problems. For if you were to follow through with your plans, the second that someone with enough money and resources discovers what you are selling, your life will be in grave danger and you'll have no one to protect you. Also, keep in mind that wealthy people with lots of resources and influence would be your primary demographic given how expensive these potions will be.

     "Now, if you want to continue running your shop from here like always, then feel free to do so but understand that you will very quickly find yourself in more trouble than you can handle by introducing these potions to the public.

     "However, if you agree to come travel and work with us, we will be all the protection that you will need. Your job will be to continue making potions as you've been doing but also to research, alongside me, new versions of these potions. My hope is to expand this new field of Alchemy and capitalize on its fruits before people are inevitably able to replicate our methods.

     "If you can wrap your head around the fact that this is in fact a entirely new field of Alchemy studies, then you should understand just how in over your head you would be to simply toss these out to random customers at regular market prices. You'd essentially be sacrificing yourself to predatory merchants and nobles who would likely view you as expendable, seeing as how it's not your research and there are probably many experts for hire who are more knowledgeable and experienced than yourself.

     "Do you understand now the situation that you're in, Gilly?"

     While listening to Troy, Gilly's expressionless face had begun to show some slight emotions, as Troy's explanations continued to splash cold water on the reality that she thought she understood.

     "I see! It seems that I was truly foolish to think that things would be that simple. Master Troy, I know that you've done plenty for me already but could I ask that you give me until the morning to think about this. I really do need time to process everything that's happened."

     "Of course, Gilly! We aren't in any particular hurry and, even if you do decide to join us, it won't be as simple as just saddling up and taking off. It'll take a couple of days at least for me to get with a wagon maker and coordinate with him, so I can build us a specially made wagon for you to work in. If you've seen these large covered merchant wagons, then it'll be something like that only with a small laboratory inside, along with some storage cabinets and such. It'll also serve as your sleeping quarters whenever we're on the road.

     "So, feel free to take your time. We'll be back tomorrow morning."

     With those last words, Troy and Geralt went back to their regularly scheduled training to await Gilly's answer.