Contract: Dragon - The Witcher 3

Geralt caught word that the villagers of Fyresdal had caught sight of a dragon. Though the witcher codex barred him from killing these noble and intelligent creatures, he decided to investigate the matter all the same.

His investigation uncovered that what the Fyresdal residents had seen was not a dragon but a forktail - a beast that, while undoubtedly dangerous, has about as much in common with a dragon as do dragonflies. Geralt tracked down the monster's nest (which it had made in an abandoned siege tower), but the forktail itself was nowhere to be found. Geralt decided that, rather than wait for the beast to return, he would lure it back home using bait.

Geralt defeated the monster and returned to collect his reward. Not wanting to take from the villagers their story about the dragon (which had already made them the envy of all the isles) Geralt decided to hide the true identity of the beast he had slain.

Geralt defeated the monster and returned to the village to collect his reward. This turned out to be smaller than first offered - having learned that the beast was no dragon but a much less dangerous forktail, the village elder decided the witcher's honorarium should likewise be proportionately smaller. This was not the first time honesty had lightened the witcher's purse.

The village elder honored Geralt that day with the gift of a lamb - though the animal he gave was certainly not the choicest member of the flock. From what Geralt later told me, the poor creature looked like a furry water hag and had an even worse temperament.