Chapter 65

"How old is this thing anyway, and why do you have it?" I asked as we crossed the old bridge/dam that spanned this part of the Gwenllech while wearing heavy furs over my normal Griffin School armour.

Like seriously, even in the middle of winter the river was still going strong thanks to its strong current and as we walked across it creaked ominously. While the water was freely gushing out to the other side of it was seemingly built that way, the debris of logs and what looked like a broken cart stuck to one side of the dam didn't look very good.

"Don't ask me, it was built, used and cared for by nearby settlements which catered to Kaer Morhen's needs in supplies and workers. Most of them died during the attack decades ago and those few that survived left, blaming us for bringing the attack on their heads." Vesemir explained in his own winter coat as he crossed the bridge without worry. "The bridge has held up pretty well for nearly a century so don't think it's about to collapse on us any time soon. Not much on the other side for us anyway, at least I didn't think there was."

"Assuming the book's note was right and its function as a magical key still works it will most likely be something very much worth finding," Triss assured us from under her less thick coak, likely enchanted to be warmer than it looked or something, as she led our party.

"Lambert sure is missing out, though I guess mage-related anything is likely to scare him off and insist on 'guarding the keep' instead," Eskel spoke up from the rear.

After a few weeks stuck in the castle following the usual daily routine of work, chores, training, eating, resting, etc I think we were all glad to go on a treasure hunt just to get out, even if we had to walk through the snow a foot or more thick in some places. At least the snowfall had let up and we could use Igni in bursts to deal with the worst of the build-up when needed.

It was decided that, out of all of the locations to investigate, the old iron mine would be easiest for us to do first, and Triss could portal us back easily once our exploration was over.

So we crossed the bridge/dam, followed the path and eventually made our way to the old mine without any issue. We were actually happy to enter the mine and shed our heavy cloaks since the mine interior wasn't covered in snow or nearly as cold as it was outside.

"So, Vesemir. Got any info on this place?" Eskel asked as he lit a torch for each of us.

"Like said, never had much of a reason to interact with those that serviced the guild for the most part. Mine was running dry even during my younger years, having served since before the fortress was built. They mostly used it as storage and scraping away whatever ores they could find but moved most of the mining away to further-away deposits. Can't tell you why a mage would make a magic key for anything in here." Vesemir shrugged.

"And that is what we plan to find out," Triss said as she formed a floating ball of light that lit up the tunnel quite nicely, and caused Eskel to douse his newly-lit torches in the snow with a grumble.

So like some group of mystery-solving teenagers we freely walked into the old mine that was likely way past condemned and with no care for possible cave-in killing us all to solve some old lair. The only thing we were missing was Dogmeat, whom I left back at the keep and caught playing with Lambert but decided not to say a thing to the Witcher and just let him have his moment with the adorable dog.

"Looks like a tunnel collapsed awhile ago," Vesemir said as we came across a fork in the tunnel, with the left path leading nothing to a large pile of rubble blocking any further passage down the tunnel.

"No surprise there. I mean, look at this place." I said while gesturing to the collecting of rotten wooden beams holding the tunnel up, tossed aside barrels and carts, rusty tracks and in general years of general disuse. "Let's hope whatever we are looking for isn't already buried."

"Right tunnel is still open at least." Eskel pointed out and we went down that one for a bit in silence. All of us kept our eyes and ears open for anything that looked magic related. Then we hit the end of the tunnel, which was unsurprisingly a victim of another collapse.

Thankfully our journey didn't end there since off to the side was a curtain of roots that had over the years broken through the rock and which I knew for a fact hid another path.

"Wish we had an axe or something," I said as I tried to pull the roots to the side, sadly to no avail despite my strength. "There's… something… behind here… I know it!" I gave up with a gasp. "Any ideas?" I asked my party.

"Allow me." Triss stepped forward as I stepped aside. She then lifted up the book that led us here and I watched amazed as the roots folded away slowly to form an entry, leaving us an open path down another tunnel. "It did say it was the key after all, and if you were paying attention to your medallions there is a magical aura here," Triss said a little smugly.

"No offence, Triss. But you're such a powerful sorceress that just standing around you causes our medallions to go off, more so when you're doing magic. You make it hard to use them when you're around." Vesemir pointed out.

"Thank you." Triss said with a smile, likely taking the 'powerful sorceress' comment as a compliment.

With our path unveiled, we continued to move along until a short time later our surroundings opened up to a large natural cavern with all kinds of 'ites'. At the far end, we could see a man-made structure that looked like an altar. We started walking in its direction before Eskel stopped us.

"Wait. This is way too easy," he said with narrowed eyes as he looked around us.

Huh, Eskel sure was genre-savvy. "He's right. We are walking into some mage's secret workshop or something, and all we needed was a magic key? That's way too little security."

"Indeed, mages love making their lairs even more dangerous walking into than most monsters' nests." Vesemir nodded as he was looking around for anything worrisome.

"I actually agree with your paranoia right now. Even I have a few magical traps back in my residence in Vizima. Question is, what are we walking into?" Triss said as her hands glowed once more and started waving them around the cavern, looking for something.

At that point, a wall exploded outwards and out came a lumbering pile of rocks in the shape of a person, a very big and angry person.

"Golem!" Vesemir yelled out as three of us pulled out our swords and Triss' hands crackled with lighting. "Keep back! These things hit harder than a troll on a bad day!" He warned as the expected threat roared at us in a way that reminded me of a rockslide.

I was expecting that… what I wasn't expecting was the floor exploding upwards too and another golem/earth elemental pulling itself out of the ground to join its twin in its efforts to crush us.

Well shit.

"Good thing I made a few of these a while ago!" I yelled as I threw out a dimeritium bomb at the two of them, a cloud of the powdered metal exploding out and engulfing the two constructs within the relatively small space. Triss let out a hiss of discomfort, and quickly backpedaled to the entrance to stay out of the cloud.

"Warn a girl next time!" she snapped at me.

"I will when I'm expecting magical constructs to explode out of the fucking walls!" I yelled back, thankful to see the two constructs movements noticeably slow and twitch oddly as the dimeritium interfered with whatever power made them work. "Can't you banish the spirits animating them or something?!" I asked hopefully.

"If I had the time, maybe!" Triss called back, causing me to curse.

"We should pull back! They are guarding something so I doubt they'll move far from it! Everyone, back down the tunnel!" Vesemir ordered and no one argued as we moved to safety, the two angry magical guardians thankfully not following us.

---

"On the plus side, something important is certainly in there if the mage left two golems to guard it." I offered unhelpfully as we sat near the mine's entrance.

"He's not wrong there, golems are massive resource sinks even for skilled mages." Triss supported me. "If we get past them, whatever is on the other side should be worth it."

"And how do you suggest we do that without being crushed like bugs? Not a lot of room to move around in the cavern, especially with two earth elemental golems who can fire off earth-based attacks at us." Eskel pointed out, the environment being a bad fit for the mobile Witcher fighting style.

"Anything you can do from out here, Triss?" Vesemir asked.

"Maybe. Now that we are out of immediate danger, I can magically probe to see how strong their commands are. Most of the time they are physically carved into their bodies so altering it without a direct interface is pretty hard. However, assuming they have been standing guard as long as I think they have their carved commands could have worn away a little bit." Triss explained. "I might be able to gain control of them or at the very least get them to shut down or fight each other."

"Great! What do you need from us to make this happen?" I asked.

"Ideally, nothing. Though if all else fails you might need to fight them the old fashioned way." Triss said.

"Joy," I grumbled, the other two nodding in agreement.

---

We moved back into the mine and stopped short of the formerly root covered entrance. Even from there, we could make out the golems shuffling back and forth on a 'routine patrol route before entering standby mode again', as Triss said it.

The sorceress got to work as we Witchers rubbed elementa oil on our swords. Kneeling down, she murmured a series of incantations as the glow around her hands increased more and more, until finally a burst of light came forth from her and filled the entire room like a flash bomb. Sparks of magic flew off one of the golems, and it grumbled restlessly. The other shook a bit as some of the magic seemed to melt into it; without warning, it turned on the other and punched it in the face with a fist the size of a turkey. It reeled, turning to its companion with what almost seemed to be an expression of shock.

The two behemoths began pounding on each other, chipping off fragments of stone and earth as they did so. The first golem was at a clear disadvantage; the surprise attack had damaged it badly, and it was unable to withstand the other's attacks nearly as well as it could have had it been alert. With one final haymaker, the second golem punched the other's head clean off! It only got a few more desultory blows in before crumbling to pebbles.

It was kinda funny watching the thing walk around a little without a head, but sadly that still left the one golem left.

"I don't suppose what just happened means you have control over it," I asked hopefully.

"Sadly no, all I could do was alter its orders to attack everything moving in the cavern." We watched the one golem crumble. "Sadly, at this point, that still includes us."

"Got it." Vesemir, Eskel, and I all activated Quen and moved in for the kill. Triss softened it with a blast of lighting that broke off a bit of it, but then it was all down to us.

I chopped at it with a two-handed blow, my silver blade taking a nick out of one leg. Eskel came at it from the left flank, while Vesemir played the role of 'tank' by trying to keep its focus on him.

"Keep its attention divided!" Vesemir yelled out as we encircled the big bastard like wolves hunting a deer. "And be sure to watch out for it's- get back!"

The golem heaved both arms up, and brought them down in a smash that sent shards of stone outwards in a circle all around it. Thankfully we heard the warning in time and moved out of its relatively short range to avoid the worst of it, though my Quen was peppered a bit and weaker than when I first applied it. Eskel's was shattered outright, and he danced away a moment to reapply it to himself. Vesemir rocked the golem with an Aard; I followed up with one of my own, smashing its right arm to dust in the process. Eskel came up behind and chopped hard at the left leg like he was trying to hamstring it; the elementa oil meant that he was almost able to cut entirely through the leg, crippling it in the process.

The fight was almost over by this point. I hit the weakened leg with another Aard, knocking it off balance as it almost broke off. Vesemir pushed it over with yet another Aard, leaping up onto its chest as it fell and driving his sword through its 'face'. Pulling back, he stabbed down into its core; the golem shuddered and fell to pieces, Vesemir having stabbed its 'heart', so to speak, and destroying the magical battery that had powered it.

"Damn, fighting those things never gets any easier. Not to mention our swords will need some proper care after this." Vesemir said as he hopped off the crumbling mound of dirt and rock. "Only bright side is that these things at least provide good material after you kill them."

"Way ahead of you!" Eskel called out from where he was already sifting through the mound of the first dead golem and pulling out a diamond! Then he went back to digging because apparently there was even more inside.

"I'm happy to buy whatever you don't want. I could use a golem's heart in a variety of things." Triss said as she walked into our looting spree.

Between the two golems/earth elementals we had gathered a good amount of elemental stones, elemental essences, various bits of valuable ores and gemstones, both whole and powdered, two golem hearts, a few runestones and even some earth elemental mutagens! Quite the haul compared to your average monster, which to be fair usually weren't made out of expensive items.

"Well I'm not complaining about our haul after killing those things, what now?" Eskel asked as Triss placed the book on the altar we noticed earlier.

We all watched as the far wall of the cavern opened up. Two halves pulled apart from each other and revealed another room on the other side.

"This way, gentlemen," Triss said with a smile as we dutifully followed behind her.

"It's a forge," Vesemir spoke up as we clearly saw what was behind the false wall. "A very large and mage inspired one, but a forge nonetheless."

Indeed, all around us were bookshelves full of notebooks and tomes alongside tables of various tools for creations large and small. Literally above it all on an elevated stone platform was a large fireplace/forge. Next to it was a weapon and armor rack, a few barrels full of various metals, a hung-up blacksmith's apron and tools, and bellows built into the floor and pointed into… still glowing embers.

"This place hasn't been used in over half a century, right? Why are the embers still glowing?" I asked as everyone was inspecting everything in the room, causing everyone to turn to forge and notice the same oddity as me.

"Huh, don't suppose someone has used this recently?" Eskel asked aloud.

"No evidence of any humans passing by when we came in, so I doubt it," Vesemir answered while inspecting the oddity.

"I… there is no way. They are famously ill-tempered and I can't imagine one staying around so long." Triss muttered to herself.

"Maybe it just needs a little air?" I asked as I pumped the bellows, to Triss' horror.

"Wait! Don't do-!" she was cut off as the embers exploded into a roaring fire and a vaguely humanoid shape took form within it.

"Stand down." an echoey voice called out from the flames. "Begone. This place belongs to my master Radmir."

All of us stepped back a bit in surprise at the fire speaking to us all of a sudden.

"I can't believe it," Triss said in awe.

"What are we looking at here?" Eskel asked in confusion.

"It's an ifrit, more commonly known as a fire elemental. Genies from the elemental plane of fire. They are described as beings of pure destruction summoned only to grant wishes of death and fire. It's known logically they have to be intelligent but mortal minds could not pierce them. I've never heard of one talking before." Triss explained.

"Neither have I, though I've fought plenty though." Vesemir grimaced. "Burns from them always healed the slowest."

"Well since it's in the mood to talk…" I turned to the fire elemental once more. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am fire, this forge's soul. I am the flame that tempers steel. By my master's Radmir command I helped break down and remake all that is given onto me." the elemental said to us in its strange manner of speaking.

"Radmir of Tor Carnedd! I remember that name! Boy that takes me back." Vesemir said as an old memory clicked into place. "Haven't heard anything about him since the 1150s."

"I know of you, Vesemir. You are the fencing instructor of the School of the Wolf. My master spoke of you as he forged your blades. My master has not returned in many of your years. Has he sent you?" the fire spirit sounded almost hopeful.

"Sorry to tell you this but old Radmir was flayed alive during Falka's Rebellion during that time. He won't be coming back." Vesemir shook his head sadly as old, painful memories came back.

The elemental's form flared. "You lie! My master was not one to be brought down so easily! Where is he?!"

Vesemir shrugged sadly. "Saw his body myself. I'm sorry, but he's not coming back. I wish I could tell you otherwise."

The elemental's form flared, even more, threatening to spill out of the forge! But only for a moment before it retreated in on itself until it was barely brighter than a candle.

"My master's commands were clear. Should anything happen to him, I was to offer my services to the next highest ranking mage of the School of the Wolf, and failing that, the Grandmaster. Where is he so that I might know my new master?"

"You're speaking to him," Vesemir answered. "My predecessor Rennes was killed many decades ago. No mages left either. Triss here is more of a freelancer helping out." Vesemir told the spirit. "All that is left of the school is a handful of Witchers and one trainee."

"So fast? So mighty a flame reduced to naught but embers?... This changes nothing. I am bound by my master's wishes to assist in what ways I can, though I am best used within a strong hearth to forge mighty arms and armor." the elemental stated and it's form returned to normal. "What would you have me do?"

There was a pause at that as we all looked at each other. What did happen now?

"Well… seems like it would be pretty lonely staying here and kind of out of the way to forge this far from keep… how do you feel about moving?" I asked.

"As long as I am granted a strong hearth in which to reside, I can be moved." it said.

"Would a torch through a portal to said hearth do?" I asked.

"It will be acceptable for a short time."

"Vesemir? Is there a forge that can hold an ifrit back at the castle?" I asked him.

"Yep. One of the outbuildings in the castle courtyard has an old forge, but we'll need to fix it up first." He turned to the ifrit. "In the meantime, how about you stay in the fireplace in the kitchen? Keeps you close at hand, and it won't be hard to move you to the forge. With all of us working, it should be up and running in a week."

"Very well… but I refuse to be a cooking fire."

"Not all that much different from forging when you think about it - cooking I mean." I pointed out.

The ifrit almost seemed to pout. "... I will accept this offer, but please move me to a forge as soon as possible."

"Fair enough. Triss, can you do the honors?" I asked the sorceress.

"Of course, but I will be talking to the spirit when I can since there are no written records of one this easy going. I'm curious how Radmir tamed it." She replied, bending down to inspect the ifrit.

"I was not 'tamed'." the elemental bristled. "Radmir summoned me and wished that I act as the heart of his forge to destroy all metals he brought to me. In time he taught me the beauty in destroying and reforming metals into new forms and shapes, turning what was once worthless into something worthy."

"My apologies. Wrong words to use. Give me a moment." Triss said as she walked into an open space and we watched as with a great deal of words, concentration and magical power a portal exploded into being. "There we go. Ready to go."

"Good thing I brought these after all," Eskel said as he pulled an unlit torch and brought it towards the forge to carry the elemental.

"Wait. The wall behind me is an illusion. During his last visit, Master Ramdir hid several chests of armor and diagrams. They were intended as a gift to the Grandmaster. It is fitting that they now return to you." The fire elemental said as the illusionary wall behind it burned away from its magic. It then leapt from the fireplace onto Eskel's torch, burning brightly upon it while the forge went cold and dead.

"See you guys back at the keep then. Lambert is going to love this." Eskel grinned as he stepped through the portal and vanished from local space.

"I'll make sure it gets settled and then portal back. I'm guessing you two want to go through chests and get together what stuff is here to bring back. I'll return in a little bit." Triss said as she followed Eskel through the portal and it closed behind her.

"Heh, I didn't expect to find another lost member of the School of the Wolf when we went out today." I laughed a little.

"Neither did I, though I guess in this case it's a good surprise." Vesemir smiled. "Come now, best see what's in chests and then pack up what's in here."

And with that we walked through the hidden door at the back of the forge and found three large chests. We quickly opened them up and I grinned like a loon as I pulled out some Mastercrafted Wolven armor, and grinned even harder when I found a few notebooks full of diagrams of various Wolf School armor! Nothing grandmaster and legendary level, but diagrams for everything master-crafted and lower!

The second chest held even more diagram notes, though these ones were incomplete and full of speculation about armor and weapons from other Witcher schools.

It made sense when the third chest held various examples of said armor. Gauntlets from the Bear School, boots from the Viper School, and even the main armor piece from the Manticore School!

"Well I'll be. Seems like old Radmir really was a high achiever." Vesemir said in surprise as he took everything in. "This must have been where all the other mages sent their diagrams and he would forge them."

"And now they are back where they belong," I said with a smile that Vesemir copied.

---

Portal travel felt weird, sure, but not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. A bit twisty and turny on the guts and head but only for a moment. Though that could be because this one is more stable thanks to the power of the Circle of Elements.

Anyway, when Triss returned we happily carried back our finds and any useful tools and supplies left in the forge so that we might add it to our own. Vesemir himself was quite glad that between this, the Bastion and the chort's cave we now had diagrams to fully kit out a Witcher in improved gear!

When the portal closed behind us, however, we were greeted by a very irritated-looking Lambert, face covered in ash and soot and his hair slightly smoking, who asked in a tone bordering on hysteria, "Why is our fireplace talking now?! It's an asshole and the Griffin's parasite won't stop talking about it!"

Yup, it didn't even have a name and the fire elemental was already fitting in.