The Heart of Alchemy - A Witcher Eskel FanFiction

Chapter 3 - Contract with a catch

Oxenfurt - the smaller, not quite so run down sister of Novigrad.

After entering the city through the west gate last night, Eskel had sought shelter and enjoyed a warm meal in the "Alchemy". Stjepan, the innkeeper from the Skellige islands, had served him a surprisingly good stew and ham. But even the tasty food and the reasonably comfortable bed had not been able to outweigh Eskel's aversion to larger cities. This morning, after only a few hours, he felt uncomfortable in the midst of the pulsating life of Oxenfurt. His fine Witcher-hearing had difficulty filtering out the citizens' innumerable conversations, everything mingled to a steady sonic mush, which over time exhausted his nerves.

But he did not mean to stay long anyway.

Arriving at the marketplace he went to a herbalist and stocked up on bright essence and white myrtle. The prizes would have been a hefty credit to any dwarf merchant, but when it came to his potions, Eskel would rather not take risks and buy valuable ingredients to ensure quality. From the host of the "Alchemy", he had bought a couple of bottles of hard liquor that he needed to brew his potions. Even as the season drew to an end, he didn't want to have to decline a job because his potion supplies were running low.

The herbal fragrances at the dealer's booth had briefly managed to mask the stench that was usually omnipresent in cities, but as soon as Eskel made his way to the notice board, he was enveloped again in the beguiling mix of sewage, sweat and feces.

Although the odors in Oxenfurt were far less repellent than, for example, the exhalations of Novigrad's outer skirts.

The notice board did not have much to offer. A few students' announcements and a purchase offer for used medical books. Nothing interesting ... The lowest attached note, however, caught his attention. An assignment from the alchemical faculty of the university.

They were explicitly looking for a witcher, presumably because they wanted him to extract several organs from a freshly slain creature... Eskel took the note off the board and made his way to the university.

He crossed the bridge that connected the academical area with the rest of the city and faced the guards at the gate. Luckily he could pass without any problem - either the guards had been informed of the possible arrival of a Witcher or they were not taking their job seriously. With the help of a signpost, he quickly found the alchemical faculty, but from here on he didn't exactly know where to go. A group of students was just leaving the building. They were engrossed in a conversation and initially didn't take notice of him.

"Excuse me."

One of the students looked up and stopped immediately, eyes wide with shock. The reaction of his colleagues was quite similar.

Eskel tried to look as friendly as possible, though the long, deep scar naturally caught everyone's attention. No smile in the world - certainly not his - could outweigh the daunting impression of his face. Therefore, Eskel was used to people being frightened of his sight.

"Could you please tell me where I can find ..." He read the notice sheet. "Magister van de Wintervoord?" "Erm... Best you go to the lab on the first floor ... upstairs and then the third door on the left," stuttered the student closest to Eskel. "Thank you." Eskel nodded and entered the building. He could hear the students talking about him outside in fear, disgust and surprise.

What kind of business did a mutant have at the academy?

In the past, witchers came to Oxenfurt on a regular basis to provide the scientists with rare ingredients - but those days were long gone. The current students had probably never seen a witcher up close before.

Eskel followed the described path and knocked on the wooden entrance.

"Enter," a woman's voice answered from the lab.