Chapter 14

"I want you to take Molly and the other children back, now." I made sure by my tone that I would broker no argument.

"So is it…" Ivar looked suitable aware of the reality of the situation for once, for all his love of monsters the last thing he wanted was for anyone to be caught in the path of a dangerous one.

"All the evidence seems to point to it. It could be something different, but it's unlikely, and I know it's magic so not just some insane human with a body parts collection or something like that. Either way this is something that needs to be solved one way or another and the last thing I want is having children around. That is why you are watching over them until they get home and not moving yourself till I come back, understand."

"Of course, I-" Ivar was interrupted by a high-pitched voice next to him.

"I'm not leaving! I, we, hired you to kill the vampire. I want to see it dead so I know it's dead." Molly demanded, having heard the last parts of our conversation after reuniting with her friends.

"Molly, you did a good job bringing this to my attention, but now you need to go home and stay there. I promise to bring proof but I can't do my job and worry about you all at the same time, understand?" I reasoned.

Wow, that was such an epic pouting face, but I didn't budge on this and eventually all she did was nod, clearly upset.

"Good, now off with you all. I need to invade someone's bowels… basement, you know what I mean." I waved them off and watched as Ivar herded the children down the street.

The valuable clients safe, I returned to the alley and the cellar entrance.

Now, how to handle this? It's a higher grade vampire since it can transform into something human-looking so it's intelligent, but the bones and overwhelming smell of blood does not inspire confidence that this is one of the reasonable ones. I know I shouldn't judge based on species… but Higher Vampires alone are terrifying for good reason so hope I'm not dealing with one of those.

Okay, safety first. One body hugging full power Quen, a drink of Superior Thunderbolt, Tawny Oil, Petri's Philter, and of course Black Blood, and finally I rubbed some basic Vampire Oil on my silver sword. My low-light vision should be good enough for a regular cellar, but if it was darker and went deeper than it should… shouldn't risk it, taking a dose of Superior Cat on top of it.

If I looked in a mirror I am sure that after all the potions I just drank my veins and eyes would look black, though not as bad as it could be - thanks to high level potions and my own skills, the toxicity was relatively low.

Now that I was all buffed up it was time for my next move… I knocked. No reason to not be polite.

I waited a few moments with no answer and no sound of movement beyond door before knocking again louder. Still no answer.

I guess this guy just assumes that whoever it is will walk off… or vampires are super heavy sleepers. Amusing thoughts aside, guess I was going to have to enter the belly of the beast.

Here's hoping that the vampire takes my intruding well.

I carefully reached for the cellar door and gave it a tug, it opening much easier than an establishment that shouldn't have been occupied for years should have been. It didn't even squeak on the hinges.

The inside was noticeably dark, not even the stairs being well illuminated due to the alley blocking the sun's rays at its current angle. Thankfully, my Witcher vision enhanced by a potion made it all well lit to my eyes.

I carefully crept down the steps, working hard to make them as quiet as possible and avoiding making much noise. All the while, my silver blade was up and ready at a moment's notice.

It was the most tense few steps down of my life.

I finally made it to the cellar floor and moved down a short hallway before turning into the cellar proper. Huge casks that must have held lots of wine were stacked in rows alongside many smaller barrels. It was dark, much more than you would expect really, though I guess a mostly stone built town made it so not many cracks to let light in.

Of course, I didn't miss the human bones that were were occasionally laying on the ground. Not littered, but more like tossed aside like bits of crumpled junkmail or something. As for how I knew they were human, well Witcher knowledge combined with modern anatomy classes helped me figure out quick they didn't belong to any animal that walked on four legs.

The skull also helped, sitting as it was on a passing shelf in a weird sense of decoration.

I honestly never got the whole skulls motif myself, seemed tacky at this point.

Also the smell of blood was constantly hanging in the air now, so much it was hard to do anything with my nose. I wish I had a plug for it.

I turned a corner for one of the rows and walked down it to the sound of dripping, it got steadily louder before I turned another corner and… oh boy.

That was a naked body hanging from the rafters. A naked body with a slit open throat that was dripping blood into a large metal basin that had a tap attached to the side. Around said taps was several bottles and as I looked around I could see quite a few more bottles stacked on their side on wine shelves.

I counted over a dozen shelves and easily dozens upon dozens of wine bottles filled which I was suspiciously sure was not wine.

A quick sniff on the inside of a bottle I picked up off the ground that didn't have a cork in it yet confirmed my guess, it was blood. I suppose this explained why this place stank of it.

I turned my eyes back to the hanging body and examined it.

It was a man, that was clear. A tall and muscular one with a number of tattoos over his arms and chest. Basically looked like those that hung out around docks when we passed by there. Other than the silt throat no obvious signs of trauma or defensive wounds, must have been knocked out, hung up, and then juiced as his own heart pumped out blood as he died and then gravity did the rest of the work. No more than a few days dead at least.

Okay, this vampire obviously didn't mind killing and appeared to even store blood away for future use rather than suck down everything in one go.

Question was, where was the vampire himself… or herself.

I moved past the morbid juicing station and continued to look around cellar. Most just more empty casks and barrels in rows, seemed liked vampire wasn't using them for storage or anything like that for blood. I walked down a few more rows till I came across another door.

Going through this one showed a very different room. A very.. classy one?

There were no windows, and no other sources of lights in the room. A few candles were ensconced in the walls, but were unlit. A desk sat in one corner of the room, an upholstered chair pulled up beside it and an oil lamp atop the desk. Shelves of books were scattered around the room, and the walls were covered in expensive-looking drapes and tapestries. The air was filled with dust.

Along one wall, the farthest one from the entrance, a long oak box sat. It was covered with detailed carvings and scrollwork, and atop was a lid. The… casket… looked incredibly expensive. My enhanced hearing could hear tiny puffs of air coming from within. Looks like I caught the vampire at home.

I mean, I guess it lives up to idea people had about vampire lairs, super fancy and comfy despite their location and owners. I wonder how all this cost and effort it took to transport it down here though. Even with a being with great strength for their size it sounds like it would have been a lot of work and effort, and as someone who has been forced to move other people's crap several times in life I know how bothersome it was.

I'm getting sidetracked, point was I found my target's lair and from the sounds of breathing coming from fancy casket was still asleep.

I'm not sure if that meant I was good at sneaking, or more likely this guy was a super heavy sleeper like I had first thought. I mean, no alarms, traps or anything!

There weren't any Vampire Hunters or anything besides Witchers in the Witcherverse as far as I was aware, and Witchers were a rarity and vampire senses are super good so maybe they don't see the point of extra security?

Anyway I could end this all right now… maybe. While I didn't totally buy what Regis said to Geralt about only Higher Vampires being able to kill Higher Vampires, I do admit it was ridiculously tough to put one down permanently. Regis was melted into a freaking pillar with magic fire for goodness sake, and he got better in only a few years! With help yes, but still!

That was nearly Wolverine and Deadpool levels of ridiculous healing power right there!

Ideally I was dealing with a vampire that while in the upper end wasn't a Higher one. Something like a Bruxa or an Alp, things that I can still kill the traditional way if it came down to it.

Still, seemed kinda rude to just gank someone while they slept. I mean, yes they killed a person and likely others to collect blood, but I wanted answers first before I did anything I might regret due to a misunderstanding. Still, I could be smart about this.

I went up to the casket and on the floor in front of it put down ten Yrden Signs, my limit and would stop even a Higher Vampire in its tracks if it was being threatening. I could activate them at a moment's notice with a thought and a quick activation signal I assume was magical in nature, drawing mana or something shit from me. I wasn't no mage after all, I just knew parlor tricks compared to them.

I had already potioned up and it would be in my system for a little while longer, so I did the polite thing.

I knocked on the casket loudly.

"Rise and shine, and don't go bursting out of there in monster mode. I just want to talk." I said quickly and clearly.

There was a long pause as I heard the steady breathing from within the casket stop.

"Step back, if you would please." Came the muffled request and I did just that.

I watched as the casket's lid was pushed upwards on built in hinges with a single hand and a very posh looking man stood up from inside, glaring at me all the way. He was tall and thin, but not emaciated, and had black hair that came to a very sharp widow's peak. He was wearing trousers, a white shirt, and what looked like a dinner jacket, and had on black leather gloves. His eyes were brown, with what looked like flecks of gold in the iris. He stood next to the casket and gave me a considering look.

He sniffed the air - once, twice, thrice - and narrowed his eyes even more. "Dog tallow and ducal water, with a hint of wolfsbane. Ingredients in Vampire Oil. Yellow eyes, engorged black veins across the face and neck. You're a Witcher. Going by your equipment, you not only know what I am, but came prepared for the job. Your silver sword is drawn yet you didn't take the opportunity to kill me in my sleep. Curious. A Witcher who won't kill monsters. Why is that, I wonder? Hmm, your medallion says you are from the School of the Griffin, some sense of chivalry and fair play perhaps?" Shit, did I just get Sherlocked by a vampire?

"I will admit it doesn't sit well with me to kill people while they sleep, but the main reason I woke you up is like I said, to talk. I'm aware that vampires capable of taking on human shape are much more reasonable on average than your lesser cousins. Granted I have lots of questions about the dead human you are draining outside of your room. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of vampire are you?" I asked politely but forcibly, making sure he was aware I was prepared for a fight if he started it.

He chuckled. "A polite Witcher! To think I'd live to see this day! I'll answer your question with one of my own. If I'm not a lower vampire, and since alps and bruxae are invariably female, what do you think I can be? There aren't many options left after you rule those out."

Great, a vampire that likes dueling with words. What a surprise, not.

"Well then, since you aren't decked out in jewelry I don't think you are a katakan. Don't know much about mulases but you don't like going out during the day while they don't mind it. Not to mention you said something about me killing you, if you were a Higher Vampire you wouldn't worry about that since nothing I could reasonably do could put you down for long. I suppose when it comes down to it you must be a mosferat, the only vampire type among the higher grades that is actively damaged by sunlight, which explains why you are sleeping the whole day away." I fired back.

He clapped his hands sarcastically. "Bravo, dear Witcher! Bravo! It's good to see that there's a modicum of knowledge in that void you call a skull. Given that you've yet to put that silver blade of yours through my own, I can only assume that you truly do want to talk. You know I'm dangerous, yet believe me to be rational. Do you want me to present a defense for my actions, or shall we skip to the end and conclude matters in the traditional manner?"

"I know for a fact that higher grade vampires like you don't need to drink blood, being basically like alcohol for you lot. You also don't need to kill to get your fix since a handsome guy like you could seduce plenty of ladies with ease and give them a small bite while they slept. So my main question is why you killed that man and if you've done it before. Assuming who he was I might not give your grief over it since I'd be a hypocrite otherwise. I will admit I'm also curious about your stored blood supply, that just for you or are you a supplier to other vampires that live in the city?"

"I'll answer the second question first - he is not the first human I've killed. Nor will he be the last. As for who he was… well, I never caught the name, but him I found last week by the harbor in the process of raping one of the local whores. I hit him over the head, tossed the woman a few coins for her silence, and strung him up by his ankles. I then slit his throat to drain him of his blood. That was about four days ago - I imagine the last of it will have drained out by this point. I'll probably toss the corpse in the harbor for the fish - I'm not a katakan that eats human flesh." He was surprisingly direct and nonchalant as he described his actions. "As for your final question, my reasons for storing the blood are twofold - there's always the risk of a lean season for me, and there are a handful of other vampires in the city who come to me for a sample when it's too dangerous to hunt someone down for themselves. Not to mention that like alcohol, blood tastes different from person to person, the quality of life usually being the most important factor for taste. I consider myself something of a connoisseur of blood types, and the local community knows to trust my discernment. Other than the lowlifes I slay most of the blood I gather I get from my trysts or paid for by others who I make take various drugs beforehand so they have no memory of it, who I pay for their donations. There is no harm done to them as they recover the lost blood easily over a short time, you humans are surprisingly resilient if not killed outright I have found." He finished in a slightly annoyed tone.

Huh, wow, did not expect to stumble upon this. But if he is telling the truth…

I sheathed my sword and took out some White Honey to quickly purge the potions from by body. I notice the vampire raises an eyebrow at my intentionally weakening myself. Joke's on him, I still had the Yrden Signs if he decides to do something stupid.

"Alright, I can't say I am in a position to completely take you at your word here, but since there haven't been any number of reported disappearances from my friend, who is the captain of the guard by the way, I think you are at least partly telling the truth. I could investigate this further to really tell if you're lying or not, but I have better things to do than invade someone's private life. Do know though, if I hear and find anything that involves you killing innocent people who don't have it coming, you can be sure I will find and kill you. That sound fair? We don't have to be friends, but I don't like killing anyone when I feel it is not needed or just. We all make our way through this world somehow after all, not all free of blood but we can choose whose we shed." I finished.

Man, watching all that TV and no one knowing the references is making me come across much more learned than I really am.

The vampire raised his brows in surprise. "Remarkable," he said under his breath. In a louder voice, he said, "Considering that Witchers don't work for free, may I assume that your client will be unhappy with your decision to spare me?"

"I did this one pretty much for free since I didn't take it seriously at first and I'm already pretty loaded. The reason why I am here is because some kids you mostly likely thought wouldn't be believed by anyone about you hired me. I recommend you move shop if you want to avoid annoyances in future. I will tell them there was just a squatter living here who smells super bad and likes leaving the remains of his food around, close enough to the truth." I smirked.

"I'll have you know I own this building, thank you very much!" was his indigent response as I snorted and turned around to take my leave.

"Also, I found the human bones and skulls super tacky. Not sure if it's an intentional design choice but you should really change that up. Also, if you meet a man named Ivar at some point never mention you are a vampire or else I am half sure he will lock you in a room and ask for your life story with a crazed look in his eye. Just some friendly advice."

"That is remarkably specific advice. Surprising one moment and annoying the next, you are a very odd Witcher."

"I'm just a guy thrown into a crazy life doing his best to do some good in the world till I either die horribly or pass on to the next. And that is the gods' honest truth." I giggled at the inside joke.

Who else can say they confused a vampire so thoroughly?