Contract: Shrieker Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 8
Group: Witcher Contracts
Location: Velen
You can start this quest either by finding the "Contract: Shrieker" notice on the Crow's Perch Notice Board, or by finding the shrieker's cave.
Not only did the people of Crow's Perch live in constant fear of the baron's mad impulses and the greed of his band of toughs, but they also had to deal with a vicious monster. They had given this beast a lovely, full-of-wholesome-folk-character name: "shrieker." It had tormented them so terribly that they had decided to pay for a witcher to take eradicate it. Geralt, who was far from deaf to the concerns of simple folk (and also was forever in need of more coin), decided to take the contract on this mysterious beast.
... or if you found the shrieker's cave:
One thing about Geralt - he loves to meander. Instead of sitting in an inn near a warm stove, he is always putzing around fields and woods looking for gods-know-what. During one such stroll through the charming environs of Velen, he happened across tracks left by some kind of monster. Though he had no contract to kill any such beast, his witcher heart started racing at once...
Related points of interest
Crow's Perch Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Chet
Velen / Novigrad
Shrieker's Cave
Velen / Novigrad
Shrieker
Velen / Novigrad
Quest stages of Contract: Shrieker
1. Talk to the contract issuer.
Talk to Chet, who you will find next to his house in the village at the foot of the Crow's Perch castle. You can bargain with him about the payment [235+ crowns]. You will learn from him about what happened to Borzoy, a huntsman who tried to kill the monster on his own and died. He will also tell you about the hunter's son, a boy named Symko, who may know something about this beast.
2. Talk to the person who witnessed the shrieker's attack.
Talk to Symko, who you'll find in the back of the house. He will tell you what the monster looked like. At some point in the conversation you'll have to calm the kid down. If you use the sign, then you get 25 XP.
3. Investigate the site of the monster's attack using your Witcher Senses.
Go to the place marked on the map. There you will find the corpse of a hunter's dog, traces of the monster and blood of the monster. Examine these clues.
4. Follow the blood trail using your Witcher Senses.
Follow the tracks until you get to the Shrieker's Cave entrance. Examine the feathers you find there.
Get into the cave. When you hear the sound of the monster, use your witcher senses and you will realize that the monster is on a rock shelf at the top that you do not have access to.
It turned out a cockatrice had left the tracks. As this beast's name implies, it looks something like a rooster crossed with a basilisk and, according to Geralt, tastes a bit like chicken.
5. Drive the monster out of its lair with a Samum, Grapeshot or Dancing Star bomb.
Throw one of the bombs on the rock shelf where the shrieker is hiding. This will cause the monster to fly out of the cave.
6. Chase down the monster. / Kill the monster. / Take a trophy from the shrieker.
Chase down the Shrieker. You don't have to hurry. When you kill him, take the Cockatrice trophy (10% Chance dto dismember) from its corpse.
7. (Optional) Check the Crow's Perch notice board. / Collect your reward from the contract issuer.
Note: If you haven't read the contract posted on the notice board yet, then you will have to do it now.
Return to Chet to collect the reward. You can accept the money or tell him to keep it for Symko. If you tell him to keep the money, you will get a little more XP.
The cockatrice slain, Geralt took a trophy from its corpse and went to collect his well-deserved reward.
After completing the quest you can also talk to Symko and tell him that you avenged his father. The kid will thank you and run somewhere.