Part 42 - The Witcher 3 - 2nd playthrough - Death March

I'm back in Velen to complete three witcher contracts, the first of which is Doors Slamming Shut. A count named Kurt Dysart gave me this job a long time ago while I was doing the Novigrad main quests. He always sits outside Priscilla's room at the Kingfisher Inn, and that is where I met him. He bought a house, but he can't use it, because it appears to be haunted. Strange noises, furniture shaking, doors slamming shut, and all that jazz.

There is a good reason why I don't play jump scare horror games. They would kill me! This quest was scary enough for me.

Dark caves under the haunted house, ugh.

There he is! An earth elemental named Therazane trapped in a magic bubble under the count's newly-purchased mansion. He was just trying to escape, that is why the whole house was shaking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fight. Therazane was three levels above me. I used a few potions and decoctions, the elementa oil and the quen sign. I think I could've defeated him with just using quen and even more patience. Exploding quen is OP!

Ah, back in fresh air! I rode to Novigrad to collect my reward from Kurt Dysart.

I peeked into Priscilla's empty room. :( I hope she is feeling better.

After a stop at Vivaldi's Bank, Crow's Perch and Tomira the herbalist in White Orchard, I was rich and stocked with superior oils. I was riding to Oreton to start The Mystery of the Byways Murders when I came across this griffin permanently circling above the ridge of a hill. I didn't know what level it was, but I thought maybe I was now strong enough to face it.

The griffin turned out to be a level 25, and I defeated it in a fun (for me, not so much for the griffin) battle.

The Mystery of the Byways Murders quest took me from Oreton to Byways, where a Nilfgaardian patrol went missing.

I learned from some peasants that they had been killed by a monster hiding underground. Another cave, yay! I found an ekimmara named Sarasti inside, killed it, then collected my payment from the Nilfgaardian commander in Oreton.

Last came the Phantom of the Trade Route contract, which led me to... another cave! This is just my luck. Inside, two travelers were hiding from a monster. After some investigation, Geralt established the monster that had attacked them was a royal wyvern.

First I had to kill two minor wyverns before their bigger kin arrived. None of this was too easy but not too difficult either. I really enjoyed these contracts, but now it's time to return to Skellige and play some gwent. :)