Talk:Where the Cat and Wolf Play.../@comment-43383171-20190804002354

The world of the Witcher is grimdark AF, and that world cannot offord to execute all who isn't perfect.

To me this wasn't the hardest decision to make. In another quest, I killed the tree spirit, which resulted in several children being taken by the Crones to be eaten as food, supposedly. While yes, some innocent children died, its a Witcher's job to kill evil that other humans cannot combat. I was not about to allow an evil spirit to roam free upon the earth in order to save some children.

I've killed witch hunters for interfering with a ritual, because while yes it resulted in 3 men dying, it also resulted in an evil sprit dying.

A witcher of the Cat school found himself the victime of an increadibly unfair and desperate situation, admitted that he overreacted and killed some innocents.

I rationalized letting him go for the same way I sacrifice the children in echange or killing the evil tree spirit. Witchers exist to kill monsters. Gaetan will live on to kill more monsters.

I'm not saying that he is some saint, undeserving of some form of punishment. But killing him is not only punishing him, it is punishing the world by getting rid of powerful weapon against evil. This is the primary reason for my decision, that he is a net benefit to the world. In the end, Gaetan will have saved many, MANY more innocent lives than he will end up taking.

However, there are other reasons that make the decision to spare him more easy: He is not a monster, he killed quickly and painlessly, and spared the girl. Not everyone in the village was innocent. You could say that a large number of those bodies well deserved to be put on the floor. The Cat School witcher's alchemical formula makes them increadibly more unstable and emotional. Their rage is legendary. When angered, they lose it. And Gaetan was not only lied to, but felt betrayed by the village, and saw the whole village as ungrateful. Not just ungrateful, but then trying to kill him, after he had already risked his life for them.

Again, is he a saint? Hell no. Does he deserve punishment? Hell yes. Does he deserve to die? Probably. Is the world better off with him alive or dead? Alive.