Chapter Summaries

Rado weighed whether to blame Ban Ard or the School of the Wolf for Haxor’s death, then became suspicious of Philis when the servant urged him to appease the nobles. Meanwhile, Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary left Vergen and continued their journey after finding only drowner contracts in a nearby town.

• Rado explained to Philis that Duke Donato’s attack on the School of the Wolf served Ban Ard’s interests and the nobles’ business ties with its Sorcerers.
• Philis advised Rado to blame the School of the Wolf so the nobles would support his coronation, but Rado refused to decide immediately and secretly began doubting Philis’s loyalty.
• In Vergen, Hog took Ailin’s measurements for his Witcher Master equipment and told him to return for it in two months.
• Vesemir led Ailin and Mary out of Vergen, explaining the town’s dwarven way of life as they rode toward a human settlement.
• After finding only drowner contracts in the town, the three rested overnight and resumed their journey, where Mary’s anticipated unexpected event finally arrived.

Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary traveled toward Vengerberg when a Greater Griffin swept over the road, causing widespread panic and damage. Mary demonstrated her powerful protective and enhancement magic, and the two witchers set off to hunt the monster with her.

• Vesemir explained that they were traveling south to reach Vengerberg and join a caravan to Temeria, while Ailin rescued Mary when her horse panicked.
• Ailin and Vesemir sensed a monster nearby, and they saw a Greater Griffin fly over the road, scattering carriages and injuring travelers.
• Vesemir suspected the Griffin had left the mountains because its mate had been killed, while he and Ailin considered pursuing it.
• Mary used a sapphire necklace and incantations to shield and strengthen herself, Vesemir, and Ailin.
• Ailin and Vesemir accepted Mary's offer to join the hunt, and Ailin urged them to catch the Greater Griffin.

Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary pursued a Greater Griffin that was attacking travelers and confronted it beside the road. As Ailin joined the fight using Monster Hunt, he appraised Mary and discovered she was a rare, top-tier magic wand named Margarita Laux Antille.

• Vesemir led Ailin and Mary across the grassland to catch the Greater Griffin, leaving the injured travelers for the guards and a later return.
• The three found the adult Greater Griffin feeding on horses beside an overturned wagon, and Mary hid nearby after casting enhancement spells on the witchers.
• Vesemir charged the beast, dodged its wind blast, and drew it away from the road while Ailin activated Monster Hunt and mirrored his movements.
• Ailin’s silver sword failed to break the Greater Griffin’s claw, and he calculated that he needed to build Monster Hunt progress himself before time ran out.
• Mary warned Ailin that Vesemir looked endangered and offered an item to hold the beast back, but Ailin appraised her and discovered she was a magic wand named Margarita Laux Antille.

Ailin and Vesemir used Mary’s magically timed support to wound the Greater Griffin and rapidly advance Witcher progress. When the monster took to the air, Ailin struck its injured claw and challenged its attempt to enter a second phase.

• Ailin used his Witcher-mode influence to help Mary buff Vesemir at the right moments, allowing Vesemir to evade the Greater Griffin and land a powerful slash.
• Ailin joined the fight, wounded the Greater Griffin’s thigh with Elsa, and advised Vesemir to attack its rear, rapidly increasing their progress.
• Ailin and Vesemir coordinated their attacks while Mary refreshed their buffs, driving the progress bar past halfway as the Greater Griffin bled heavily.
• The Greater Griffin spread its wings and rose into the air, resisting the witchers’ combined Alde Sign shockwaves.
• Ailin struck the Greater Griffin’s injured right claw and challenged it as it tried to begin a second phase.

Ailin killed the Greater Griffin by clinging to its claw, completing Witcher Hunt mode and coordinating with Vesemir to survive the fall. After Mary scolded and embraced him, a man named Dite from Toussaint approached Vesemir about the monster.

• Mary and Vesemir watched in alarm as Ailin grabbed the Greater Griffin’s claw and climbed onto it to attack.
• Ailin raised Witcher Hunt progress to 100%, slashed the Greater Griffin’s leg, then ran along its bloody footprints and decapitated it with Spinning Slash.
• Ailin activated Witcher Hunt and called on Vesemir to use Alde Sign, slowing the falling Greater Griffin before it crashed to the ground.
• Mary rushed to Ailin, hugged him, and scolded him for risking his life; Ailin accepted a new Greater Griffin hunting quest.
• Dite introduced himself to Vesemir as a man from Toussaint and asked whether they had killed the monster.

Ailin accepted Dite’s commission to investigate why a Greater Griffin attacked his caravan, then used his enhanced sense of smell to find a hidden box among the wreckage. Mary recognized the foul-smelling substance inside as Killer Whale, leaving Dite asking what it was.

• Dite praised the School of the Wolf before learning that the young Ailin, not Vesemir, had killed the Greater Griffin.
• Dite hired Ailin and Vesemir to determine whether the Griffin’s attack on his caravan had been an accident, offering one thousand Oren and a bonus if they found the cause.
• Vesemir stayed behind to process the Griffin while Ailin and Mary followed Dite to inspect the caravan.
• Ailin noticed the caravan members moved like trained guards and used his enhanced sense of smell to trace a scent to broken perfume boxes near the overturned carriage.
• Ailin found a hidden box and handed it to Dite, who opened it and recoiled from its foul stench.
• Mary recognized the substance as Killer Whale, and Dite asked what it was.

Ailin and Vesemir discovered that someone had used sage and meat to lure a Greater Griffin at Dite’s caravan, then refused Dite’s offer to escort him to Adal and continued toward Vengerberg. The chapter left Ailin with two bottles of perfume from Dite and Vesemir teasing him about whom he would give them to.

• Ailin identified the bait that attracted the Greater Griffin and explained that few people knew how to make it.
• Dite learned the Siren’s Kiss perfume had come through a Vengerberg court Sorcerer’s connections, paid Ailin twelve hundred Orens, and asked the witchers to escort his party to Adal.
• Ailin declined the escort job because he and Vesemir needed to travel to Arland, and the witchers parted from Dite’s caravan.
• On the road, Ailin told Vesemir he suspected Dite served Kedwen’s royal family, while Vesemir worried that the attack could signal trouble for Rado and the School of the Wolf.
• The plump merchant caught up with Ailin and delivered a box containing two bottles of Siren’s Kiss and Dite’s note wishing him true love.
• Vesemir saw Mary blush at the note and teased Ailin about whom he planned to give the perfume to.

After opening the Greater Griffin’s chests, Ailin gained valuable formulas and mutagens, including a decoction that could reduce an enemy’s health by five percent. The group then rescued a fisherman from drowners, and he invoked the Accident Law when he could not pay their promised reward.

• Ailin gave Mary one bottle of perfume to deliver to Vesemir, leaving Mary disappointed and Vesemir frustrated by Ailin’s obliviousness.
• Ailin opened four Greater Griffin chests and received five Experience Orbs, a Mixed Beast Oil formula, a Greater Griffin Mutagen Inducer, and a Greater Griffin Decoction formula.
• Ailin discovered that the Swamp Hag Mutagen Inducer had split once and studied the Greater Griffin Decoction’s powerful health-reducing effect.
• Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary heard a man’s cries for help and rode to a bridge, where Ailin dismounted to face two drowners.
• Ailin killed the drowners and Vesemir confronted the fisherman after he admitted he had no money to pay them.
• The frightened fisherman remembered the Accident Law and declared it as a way to settle his debt.

Ailin invoked the Accident Law as payment for saving a fisherman, and fate bound him to the fisherman's Child of Surprise. At the fisherman's home, Ailin and Vesemir discovered the man had eagerly offered his young son Clay but abused another child hidden inside the house.

• The fisherman begged Ailin to claim payment under the Accident Law, and Ailin's request caused the Wolf Emblem to hum as a magical bond formed.
• Ailin and Vesemir followed the fisherman to his home, where the man hesitated after hearing a child cry inside.
• Vesemir warned the fisherman that breaking the Accident Law could bring death, and the fisherman handed over his crying young son, Clay.
• A girl's voice came from the house, and the fisherman rushed inside to slap and curse her for failing to do laundry and stealing food.
• The fisherman dragged a black-haired, girl-like creature out of the dark shack as Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary stopped to watch.

Ailin rescued a badly abused girl from her fisherman father and brought her along with Vesemir and Mary toward Kaer Morhen. The girl revealed her name was Yennefer, and Ailin realized she was the future sorceress he remembered.

• Ailin paid the fisherman one hundred orens and took the girl away after stopping her father from beating her.
• Ailin used Axii to put the girl to sleep, then rode away with her while Vesemir and Mary followed.
• The girl woke and explained that her father had sold her and her brother, pleading not to be separated from her only family.
• Mary suggested bringing the girl to Kaer Morhen, and Vesemir agreed to take her along.
• Ailin learned the girl's name was Yennefer and recognized her from his memories as the future sorceress.

Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary encountered Ard’s Royal Knights on the road to Vengerberg, where Ailin’s achievements and the death of Kedwen’s king shocked their commander, Terrick. After entering the city, Vesemir hinted that Ard had a problem, leaving the group facing an unknown threat.

• Mary said Lady Vesemir could test Little Monster for magical talent after they returned to Kaer Morhen, though such talent was rare.
• Terrick stopped the travelers, questioned the shrunken Greater Griffin head, and invited them to Vengerberg after learning Mary was Lady Vesemir’s apprentice.
• Vesemir introduced Ailin as the youngest Witcher Master and the witcher who killed the Greater Griffin, and Terrick recognized him as the one called Blue Death.
• Ailin confirmed that Kedwen’s king, known as “The Glutton,” was dead, and Terrick led the group into Vengerberg.
• Vesemir told Ailin that Ard had a problem, promising to explain once they reached the inn.

Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary settled into an inn in Vengerberg after Terrick promised to arrange an audience with the king and a reward for the Greater Griffin. Vesemir and Ailin concluded that Ard was preparing to go to war with Kedwen, leaving Mary wondering what the conflict meant for the School of the Wolf.

• Terrick brought Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary to Vengerberg’s finest inn and left to report to the king.
• Innkeeper Jakub recognized the shrunken Greater Griffin head, identified Mary as a sorceress, and learned from Vesemir that fourteen-year-old Ailin had killed the monster.
• Ailin asked Jakub to buy Dog Oil, White Oleander Petals, and Berberis Fruit, then had Mary cast a soundproofing barrier before asking Vesemir what was wrong with Ard.
• Vesemir explained that Ard’s unusually swift response to the monster report and the grain caravans suggested the kingdom was preparing for war.
• Ailin guessed that Ard planned to attack Kedwen while its king had just died and Ban Ard was divided, and Mary asked how the conflict concerned the School of the Wolf.

Ailin analyzed how a war between Kedwen and Ard could affect the School of the Wolf, then helped Vesemir and Mary prepare a new Mixed Beast Oil. Their plans to meet the King of Aedirn were thrown into doubt when Terrick arrived with grim news.

• Ailin concluded that a war could reunite Kedwen's king with the Sorcerers and nobles, and the group decided to send news to Kaer Morhen and adapt their plans as needed.
• Jacob delivered alchemical ingredients to Ailin, who told Mary he intended to make a Sword Oil and another potion.
• Ailin prepared Mixed Beast Oil and taught Mary and Vesemir how to brew it; both successfully made their own batches.
• Terrick arrived at the door and told Vesemir that he would not be seeing the king.

Ailin sold Terrick a bottle of Veridian Sigh and learned that war was coming to Vengerberg, so Vesemir decided the group would leave the next day. After brewing a Swamp Hag Decoction, Ailin returned to his room and prepared to use Greater Griffin Heart Essence Fluid.

• Terrick paid Vesemir two thousand Orens for the Greater Griffin bounty, then offered four thousand for the monster’s head to secure Mary’s help obtaining Veridian Sigh for his injured father.
• Ailin produced a bottle of Veridian Sigh and sold it to Terrick for twenty thousand Orens, receiving a Quinn family crest and a promise of gratitude.
• Terrick warned Ailin that war was coming and advised him to leave Vengerberg, so Vesemir planned for the group to depart the next day.
• Ailin brewed a Swamp Hag Decoction using a strange living Mutagen Inducer while Mary watched, then put off her questions until morning.
• Back in his room, Ailin opened the Witcher’s Handbook and chose to use Greater Griffin Heart Essence Fluid.

After absorbing Greater Griffin Heart Essence Fluid, Ailin’s perception and other attributes rose sharply, and he set himself the goal of surpassing Vesemir. As Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary left Vengerberg under martial law, Terrick helped them pass the guarded gates and received five bottles of Drowner Heart Essence Fluid before they parted.

• Ailin absorbed Greater Griffin Heart Essence Fluid, briefly floated, and gained 35 total attribute points, including 12 perception and new wind affinity.
• Vesemir noticed Ailin had changed, and Ailin appraised Vesemir before deciding to make surpassing him in attributes his next goal.
• Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary left the inn, and Terrick escorted them through Vengerberg as the king’s martial law led guards to detain armed mercenaries.
• Terrick explained that Ard was preparing for war with Kedwen and described the losses his family had suffered in the conflict.
• Terrick helped the group pass the city gates and escorted them beyond Vengerberg, where Ailin gave him five bottles of Drowner Heart Essence Fluid and urged him to stay alive.

Rado learned that Ard threatened war against Kedwen and suspected Ban Ard’s sorcerers had engineered the crisis. Meanwhile, Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary reached Gors Velen, where rumors of the Wild Hunt stirred the tavern.

• Philis told Rado that a caravan had been attacked by a Greater Griffin and that Vesemir and Ailin had rescued it.
• Duke Donato informed Rado that war had come from Ard, then left him to consider his response.
• Rado learned that Ban Ard sorcerers controlled Kedwen’s intelligence and suspected they had provoked both the griffin attack and the war.
• Ailin, Vesemir, and Mary reached Gors Velen after four days of travel and went to the Blackbeard Tavern.
• Blackbeard recognized Ailin as the Blue Death and told Vesemir that The Glutton had died in Ban Ard.
• The Wolf Emblems on Vesemir and Ailin hummed as people outside shouted about flying steel knights, ominous skeleton soldiers, and the Wild Hunt.

Ailin, Vesemir, and Blackbeard survived a devastating attack on Gors Velen and learned from Professor Ernesto that the attackers appeared to be the Wild Hunt. Ernesto said the Hunt had ridden east, leaving Ailin and the others to consider their next move.

• A blue blast struck the market, hurled Ailin and Vesemir through the tavern, and left Mary to treat them with Veridian Sigh.
• Ailin and Vesemir recovered, checked that Yennefer and Royce were safe in the cellar, and headed outside despite Mary's pleas; Blackbeard joined them with his warhammer.
• Ailin, Vesemir, and Blackbeard found the market destroyed, the streets strewn with corpses, and enormous ice spires containing frozen people.
• Professor Ernesto emerged and said he had seen hundreds of spectral knights led by the King of the Wild Hunt, who had attacked Gors Velen with blue magic before departing.
• Ernesto compared the attack to a powerful being casually crushing an anthill and pointed east when Ailin asked which way the Wild Hunt had gone.

After witnessing the Wild Hunt, Vesemir agreed to recommend Ernesto to the School of the Viper so he could warn others and study the threat. Vesemir failed to help a grieving widow whose husband the Hunt had killed, but back at Blackbeard Tavern, someone suggested they might still be able to act against it.

• Vesemir discussed the Wild Hunt with Ernesto and agreed to write him a letter of recommendation to Grandmaster Ivar Evil Eye at the School of the Viper.
• Ailin suspected the Alder Folk had come east for Adagath's Gate and the Conjunction of the Spheres, and feared the Wild Hunt had come for him.
• A widow begged Vesemir to avenge her husband Jamie, but he explained that he could not track or fight the Wild Hunt and refused the contract.
• The widow fainted, so Vesemir had Ailin carry her and her daughter back to Blackbeard Tavern, where Mary greeted them.
• Mary asked whether they could help the widow, and someone suggested they might not be completely helpless against the Wild Hunt.

Ailin proposed contacting Ivar Evil Eye and the School of the Viper for help understanding the Wild Hunt, while Ernesto learned that war threatened his planned journey to Ban Ard. After Ernesto joined a caravan bound for Temeria and the group settled in at the tavern, Vesemir asked Ailin about his motives, and Ailin revealed that the Wild Hunt had its sights set on him.

• Ailin urged Vesemir to contact Ivar Evil Eye, and Ernesto agreed to carry a letter to the School of the Viper in Nilfgaard.
• Ernesto learned that Ard was preparing to attack Kedwen and realized his journey to Ban Ard could put him at risk of conscription, so he warned the caravan about the war.
• The tavern dwarf hired Fiora Duli as a kitchen helper, and Ernesto returned with news that the caravan would head to Bayerly Most in Temeria and had booked passage for Vesemir, Ailin, and Mary.
• After dinner, Vesemir privately asked Ailin why he was so involved with the Wild Hunt, and Ailin said the Wild Hunt had set its sights on him.

Ailin told Vesemir that the Wild Hunt were Aen Elle who had come for him because of the Conjunction of the Spheres, and Vesemir pledged the School of the Wolf’s support. In the Spiral, Eredin and Caranthir continued searching for a city with towering spires while attacking human settlements along the way.

• Ailin explained the Wild Hunt’s identity and warned Vesemir that its king would attack Kaer Morhen to regain the ability to travel between worlds.
• Ailin said he needed Ivar Evil Eye’s help, and Vesemir agreed to support his decisions while reminding him that the School of the Wolf was his home.
• After Vesemir left, Ailin admitted to himself that he would face the Wild Hunt with his family’s support, but worried about the enemy’s overwhelming strength.
• In the Spiral, Caranthir and Eredin discussed their slaughter of humans as the Red Riders searched for a city with towering spires.
• Caranthir declared that the Alder Folk would sing the Red Riders’ heroic epic in a future paradise without the White Frost.