In the morning, Vincent handed everyone some dried meat as breakfast while Vincent informed the group about their plan making the group in their company grateful that they would be accompanied until they were almost near Novigrad.
"Let's hope that we won't meet some bandits on our way," says Ellana as she finished her meat.
"I hope so too. We would lose too much time dealing with them," says Vincent as he stood back up.
They begin to travel as the children seemed to follow playfully the wolf while Karliah's crow was looking over them. Vincent was in the lead with Kirvena while Serana was in the rear with Karliah. Ellana was with the civilians keeping them safe.
They arrived at Crow's Perch without much trouble but once inside Vincent could see that this city must be led by an outlaw because the guards seemed like robbers than guards.
"If we were in Nirn the lord of this town would be dead," says Vincent as he was holding himself back.
"We are not in Nirn remember. We are no one here so let's just protect ourselves and kill when we need to," says Kirvena as they made their way into the inn that was just across the gate.
"Welcome to Crow's Perch. Do you need some drinks or a bed?" asks the Innkeeper as Vincent placed a gold ingot on the table.
"I need nine beds. This ingot should be enough," says Vincent as the Innkeeper was surprised from seeing it.
He pockets it right away so no one could see it as he comes from behinds the counter and says, "Follow me."
He guides them to the backroom that only had four beds and says, "Well, I don't have nine beds but I can give you some extra sheaths to lay on the ground. Also, try not to buy something around here with those ingots. You could be killed or worse."
"How about we exchange money then. I give you more of those ingots and you give me enough money to buy five horses and help me find the smith," says Vincent as the Innkeeper was thinking about it.
"Wait here. It is safer for me and you to exchange it behind closed doors," says the Innkeeper as he left the backroom when Vincent turns to everyone.
"We will have to share the beds. One family in each bed while we will be sleeping and the other two beds. That way the children can sleep in a bed," says Vincent placing the children in a bed since he could sleep on the ground or even against a wall.
The Innkeeper returned with all his money. He and Vincent began to exchange as Vincent, in the end, had a whole pouch full of coins while the Innkeeper had his fair share of ingots, or at least that is what he thought.
"Where do I find the smith?" asks Vincent as he put the pouch away.
"Right, he is near the Lord of Crow's Perch. You can't miss him if you follow the way up just be careful around the guards. If it was the previous lord still around I wouldn't worry but the new one is more like a robber," says the Innkeeper warning Vincent.
"What happened to the previous lord?" asks Vincent curious about it.
"He fled to Fyke Isle some months ago. People are gathering in a mob to go there and kill him for abandoning Velen when we needed him the most. *sighs* But to tell you the trust I would have done the same if I had a daughter like his," says the Innkeeper as Vincent could understand that the person wanted to save his family, but leaving his post because of it is irresponsible.
"Anyway, he should still be there since he is surrounded by water and a sorcerer so it's almost impossible for the mob to succeed and if they succeed I hope that the girl kills herself before the mob gets to her. She isn't like her father," says the Innkeeper as Vincent was thinking about going to Fyke Isle after they were done with the Crones.
"I should leave to meet the smith before it gets dark," says Vincent as he was ready to leave.
"Just be careful with the guards," says the Innkeeper as Vincent smiles.
"Don't worry about me. I fought in more battles than those 'guards' have in all their lives. They won't be a problem for me nor my company," says Vincent as he left the backroom.
He followed the path up while many eyes were on him when he finds what he was looking for just that he was disappointed seeing a drunk dwarf swinging his hammer wrongly damaging the metal he was hammering.
"Is he really a smith or just playing to be one," whisper Vincent seeing that execution of the so-called smith when the woman selling the wares overheard him.
"He is just a drunk that wouldn't even know how to differentiate between hammering and bending," says the woman as she also seemed to be in pain from seeing the drunkard damaging the steel.
"Why aren't you the smith then?" asks Vincent as she sighs.
"Smithing is seen as a man's work. Most just laugh about a woman smithing something," says the woman as Vincent stretches his hand out to her.
"Do you want to have a chance in a place that doesn't discriminate against you for being a woman? If yes, take my hand and you will join my group of mercenaries. I could use a new apprentice under me," says Vincent as he seemed to grow taller in the eyes of the woman.
"And you are?" asks the woman nervous.
"I'm Vincent Highwind, Leader of the Highwinds Mercenary Crew. We came North because of the war between Temaria and Nilfgaard. We made good money and now Nilfgaard will be going against Redania making a new source of income for us. And before you ask, no we are not on Nilfgaard's side we work for the person that pays us the most," says Vincent as the woman was confused making Vincent smile.
"You are confused because of the apprentice-part right. Well, the armors and weapons we carry were made by my hands. You will learn how to make weapons that you never believed exist in this world," says Vincent baiting her in.
"The name is Yoana," says Yoana as she took his hand with hesitance still suspicious of Vincent.
"Good, take your stuff and meet us tomorrow at the gate," says Vincent as he shook her hand before releasing it.
He then returns to the Inn with eyes on him again when a guard seemed to want to stop him when Vincent just stared at the guard instilling fear into him with a stare.
The guard let him pass and they didn't even speak a word to each other as Vincent entered the Inn while thinking, 'Oh, I hope you come to take revenge.'
Once inside he ordered some food making the Innkeeper quite happy when Vincent sees the group sitting around two tables that were placed beside each other.
They were eating dinner while the wolf was sitting on the ground beside the children giving them the feeling of being secure. Vincent sits down at the same table when the women looked at him suspiciously.
"So how was the smith?" asks Karliah seeing that Vincent was smiling.
"The smith is complete trash. I would never have believed that a dwarf could be this bad with metal," says Vincent when his food arrived with some ale.
"Why the big smile then?" asks Serana as Vincent begins to eat the stew.
"I found an apprentice in smithing," says Vincent happy as his last apprentice was one of his nephews from the Battle-Mane Clan that inherited too much of the blood of Eorlund Gray-Mane.
"Oh, our smith has found a new apprentice after a century of waiting," whispers Kirvena so the others wouldn't hear her.
"She seems to have some knowledge but she doesn't get a fair chance. She reminded me much of Adrianne. She also fought for equal rights in the same profession," says Vincent as they all smiled at him.
"Is she beautiful maybe we can make her have fun with us," says Kirvena as she took a nice sip from her jar.
"Compared to my wives she seems quite ordinary," says Vincent complimenting them.
"You are just saying that to please us like always. But she must be good or you wouldn't take her under your wings," says Ellana as Vincent smiled.
"Anyway, we might get company tonight," says Vincent smiling at them as they smiled as well.
"I hope they have some skill or they will fall like flies under our blades," says Serana as she showed her fangs.
"I hope they are better than the bandits we found yesterday or it will be over before the sun comes up and the city will be without a lord again," says Vincent hoping that the guard was petty enough to take the bait.
"Who will look after the other group?" asks Ellana as they all looked at Vincent.
"He will or it will be too fast for my blood to rush to my veins from excitement," says Kirvena as Vincent was made the nanny of the other group while they have fun.
Vincent finished his meal and ale as he ordered another ale while the other group entered the backroom to sleep as it was getting dark outside.
The group finished drinking and stood up when a group of guards entered the Inn and they all smiled seeing the women of the group but suddenly turned pale because the women were smiling back with their weapons at hand.
They looked into the eyes of the women and saw something disturbing in them as if they were just cattle to be slaughtered by the women.
The Innkeeper was hiding behind his counter when Vincent put the mugs on the counter while saying, "This will be over in a second."
The women engaged as Kirvena took the lead while suddenly the candles in the Inn went out. Karliah and Serana took their opportunity and killed some of them right away.
Ellana made them float in the air when Kirvena swung her sword killing some of them when Ellana smashed the still living one against the ground, breaking their bones in the process.
They left one alive as Vincent walked over to him and says, "You should tell your lord that if he borders his civilians again. We the Highwind Mercenaries will get his head as well as the head of every other person that is on his payroll."
The guard peed himself because of the fear he was feeling from seeing monsters in human skin.
"You should clean this place before warning your lord. Also, tell him that we need six average horses by tomorrow morning or we will just take them after burning his estate down with him and everyone else inside," says Vincent cold threatening the guard before saying, "Now run I need to get some sleep."
The guard runs away in a panic when the Innkeeper asks, "Was it a good idea to let him go?"
"The Lord of Crow's Perch doesn't know about what happened. He will most likely kill the guard and gift us the horse to forget what happened since he still hasn't a firm grip over this territory with the former lord around Fyke Isle," says Vincent as that was what a rational person would do.
"Anyway, we should go to sleep after we cleaned up," says Vincent as Ellana made the corpses float before they began to burn while cleaning the floor after only ashes remained.
Then they leave for the backroom as the Innkeeper didn't know what to do now while the group went to the backroom while Karliah and Kirvena took the first night shift. After four hours they changed with Vincent and Serana as they continued until the sun rises again.