The full moon was hanging brightly in the night sky. Sparse clouds drifted around aimlessly and partially covered the perfectly round moon every now and then. The threads of light bouncing off the edges of the clouds gave the night sky an ephemeral beauty.

Vincent was sound asleep when a cold sensation came from his lips. Jolting awake, he opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of a smiling woman. She removed her finger from his lips and raised her hands to indicate that she meant no harm.

"Isabell? How did you get in here?" Vincent crawled away from her and prepared to act at a moment's notice should she try anything. He clearly remembered closing the windows before falling asleep. Turning his head to get a look at the window, he was surprised to find it wide open.

Noticing his expression, she spoke calmly, "The window was closed. I opened it before coming in."

"How?"

"I am a witch."

"I asked how. A wizard doesn't have such skill in his arsenal. A witch should be no different."

"Maybe I will tell you if you help me with something." Isabell ignored the glare he was directing at her and smiled sweetly.

Vincent pondered if he should use force to make her answer but decided against it after recalling how she had woke him up when he was completely defenseless.

Letting out a big breath, Vincent decided to hear her out. "What do you need my help with?"

A brilliant smile blossomed on her face after hearing his answer. She said excitedly, "Help me loot the hut of a witch. I want a special stone in her basement and we can split the rest half and half."

"Looting is bad. Besides, aren't you a witch yourself? How would you feel if someone robbed you?"

Listening to Vincent admonishing her as if he was talking to a child, she suppressed her laughter. "She was my mentor and she is dead now. She has no use for it. Might as well take it and put it to good use."

"Why do you need my help? If she was your mentor, the things there should be yours for the taking. Why are you going so far as to offering me half the loot?" Vincent got straight to the point and questioned her about the things he found suspicious.

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"There's a gargoyle guarding the place. It will attack anyone that approaches indiscriminately. I want you to deal with it."

Vincent thought about the offer carefully. A gargoyle was a tier two creature and it wasn't tough to deal with as long as one knew how to. He knew the proper way to hunt a gargoyle but he wasn't sure if he could actually pull it off. Besides, he didn't know if he could trust the woman. He barely knew her and it would prove troublesome if she harbored any ill intent towards him.

"How do I know you are telling the truth? There's rumors about you killing your husband. I heard he died not even a week after your marriage." In the end, Vincent decided to probe deeper even if he had to be rude. A witch who could put a gargoyle to guard her place was at least of a silver tier. So the deal of half the loot was too alluring for him to simply pass.

A gloomy expression made its way to Isabell's face for the first time in front of Vincent. "He was just unlucky and fell off a cliff. I had nothing to gain by killing him. It's not like I want to live a lonely life ostracized by the entire villagers. I swear on the moon that I am speaking the truth. I also don't bear any ill will towards you."

The moon was the object of worship for witches and they took any oath made on the moon's name very seriously. It was similar to how a knight put much importance on their lord's honor and a wizard on his words.

Feeling a little bad after listening to the girl, he changed the topic and asked, "Why don't you just move away?"

"It's expensive. I can barely make enough to feed myself. I plan on moving away once I loot the hut. Please help me." Her voice broke towards the end and it only served to make Vincent feel worse.

Coughing to chase away the awkwardness, he asked, "When do we act?"

"Tonight."

"Why tonight? Isn't it better if we survey the surrounding and take action after preparing thoroughly?"

"The stone is very strange. It will weaken the gargoyle in a full moon night. Killing it will be much easier if we act tonight. The weakening effect will be at its strongest at exactly midnight." Isabell answered as if she was reading a story. It didn't sound convincing at all but he chose to believe her as she had swore on the moon.

He picked up his pocket watch on the table. He was reminded of Rachel and Brian whenever he looked at it. His mood improved instantly as he thought about them. Popping the watch open he looked at the time. It was almost 11.

Vincent swiftly changed into his hunting gear and retrieved his crossbow along with some bolts. Lighting a lamp, he jumped out the window and spoke to the girl, "Let's go."

She smiled and tried to jump over the window like him only to stumble and fall. Vincent looked back after listening to the crashing sound only to find the girl on the ground rubbing her knees. The mysterious image he had in mind for witches crumbled instantly and he started feeling nervous about the reliability of the girl's information.