The witchers went on with their exploration after an hour, when they had recouped part of their lost strength.
The fountain as well as the braziers that flanked the sides showed them a clear path ahead. The witchers lit the braziers up, and the light drove away the darkness. They went up a flight of almost rotten stairs and came to a closed door.
The light from the flames shone on an ancient rune on the door. There was a hint of magic swirling in it, and the witchers' pendants were vibrating.
Auckes knocked on the door and tried to push as much as he could, but it didn't budge. "It's too hard, and with that kind of magic protecting it, Aard won't do a thing to it."
He turned to Roy.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"This is probably an illusion too. Wanna give dimeritium another go?"
"Did the drowners eat your brains?" Serrit knocked on his brother's head. "There's a keyhole here. This isn't an illusion, you fool."
"My dear brother, allow me to warn you…" Auckes curled up and glared at his brother. He snarled, "Just because I went with your business idea doesn't mean you can insult me. Do it again and I'll—"
"Shut up, both of you!" Letho held both of their necks, and the brothers said nothing more. They looked like kittens who got lectured by their mama cat. "This is not the time to fight. We need to look for the key. If I'm right, that poor bastard's probably locked behind that door."
Felix tensed up, and his hand trembled a bit.
Roy nodded. He was flipping through his memories again. "The golem's dead now. We've cleared the biggest threat for the moment. I say we split up and look for clues, but be careful. This cave is right beside the sea. It's cold and damp. Some places are probably filled with swamp gas at this point. If you smell anything funny, stay on guard."
"You don't have to tell us that, kid."
They split into two teams. Auckes, Serrit, and Felix would search the western part of the cave, while Roy and Letho took the east.
They headed into a narrow path, and everything went well. There were a lot of puffballs and mistletoes along the way, and the witchers picked them up. They also saw a remarkable plant: glowing mushrooms. These mushrooms grew on the roof of the path, and they were shaped like a bunch of spider larvae. They emitted dim green light like they were natural magical lamps. It was hauntingly beautiful.
The witchers walked down the dimly illuminated path and passed by a cold little pond.
"Remember the last time we went for a dive, kid?" Letho popped his head out of the water and got back on land. He wiped the water off his face, and the veins brought on by the potions subsided. The witcher looked a little bit gentler now. It's been a year since he started on this path. Time flies. He used to be a cheeky apprentice.
"Don't bring that up." Roy pulled some moss off and dried his hair. He was reminded of that pond back in Smiack. It was filled with nekker excrement. Just thinking about it made him nauseous. "You kicked me down a shithole. Literally! I lost my appetite for days!"
"That's the tradition." Letho shook his head. "But I remember you feasting on meat that very same night after we met the troupe—"
And then their pendants vibrated. The witchers took a battle stance and unsheathed their silver swords.
The mushrooms on the roof shone down on something armed with a sword and lantern. It was a wraith in translucent robes. The creature appeared out of nowhere and howled raspily as it pounced onto the witchers.
They made a sign and covered themself in a Quen shield. Letho held his sword behind him in a tail stance and darted to the wraith, like a dracolizard running to its prey. He swung his sword upward, deflecting the wraith's blade and cutting its illusory body open.
The wraith froze for a moment. Letho dropped down a little and ran around it. He pressed his hand against the ground, and a purple circle showed up. Yrden locked onto the wraith, forcibly dragging it from the void into the real world and robbing it of its immunity to physical attacks.
Roy fired multiple bolts imbued with Guided Arrows and Stun Bolts. The bolts hit the wraith on its back and petrified it.
Letho swung his blade three times in quick succession. It hit the wraith's torso, and the silver started corroding its flesh. Smoke billowed into the air.
The creature let out a haunting scream, sending invisible ripples hurtling across the air. All it did to the witchers was make them shake their heads, however. They snapped out of it easily thanks to their iron will.
***
Roy's crossbow and Letho's blade worked in perfect combination. For two whole seconds, the wraith was locked in one spot, standing helplessly against the rain of attacks.
All of a sudden, Letho stopped attacking and hopped back, but Roy kept shooting.
Two bolts buried themselves in the wraith's shriveled head. Its life came to an end, and its body started glowing a beautiful green. And then it started burning up as if an invisible fire were licking it. The ghost of its last scream hung in the air for a moment, and it vanished just like the wraith.
Motes of light fell to the ground and formed a small pile of green specter dust. There was also a lesser green mutagen hidden in it as well.
'Wraith killed. EXP +60. Level 7 Witcher (1240/4500).'
Roy waved his hand and tucked the dust and mutagen into his inventory space. This is gonna come in handy during the Trial.
The obstacle was cleared, and the witchers looked to the depths of the tunnel. The walls were covered with protrusions, and the mushrooms shone on a human skeleton lying quietly in the distance.
"Hold it, kid. It's not the time to go." Letho sheathed his blade and looked at the spot beside the skeleton. He sniffed the air and noticed the rotten scent of some squirming white fog hidden in the corner.
This was obviously poisonous gas. It was nothing to be worried about if they had Golden Oriole. However, Golden Oriole ingredients were hard to find, and the witchers had not prepared them.
They exchanged a look and cast Quen over themselves. Letho shot a stream of Igni at the gas from some distance away and ignited it. Sparks flew into the air, and a minor explosion shook the place a little, but the gas was burned off completely.
The witchers burned the spot a second time for good measure before approaching the skeleton.
Letho held up the skull in one hand and the hip bone in another for a closer look. "The victim was a male. Reasons of death… A great impact to the skull and multiple bone fractures puncturing his organs. There's traces of magical corruption in his bones, and I feel trace amounts of elemental energy. He was a sorcerer. Body was magically enhanced, so I don't know his age, but he was at least dead for a few decades. Probably where the wraith originated," Letho muttered.
"But why here? And does this have anything to do with that door?"
***
"I think I know why." Roy pulled out a parchment paper from the soil. He dusted it off and read through it.
Issued by: Jehuda Löw. Purchaser: Irenues var Steingard
Good purchased: Guardian golem, clay (porcelain)
Warranty: In the event of damage to the ceramic, please report immediately to the nearest branch of Jehuda Löw and Apprentices. The golem can only be serviced by qualified company personnel.
"So this poor bastard was a golem repairer?" Letho had a weird look on his face. "Something went wrong with his work and turned the golem against him. He escaped to this cave after he was grievously injured and here he took his last breath."
"I think so. Look at the clothes. They’re grey and outdated. This guy must have been a repairer."
Well, this is ironic. The witchers exchanged looks of amusement.
There was another important detail on this parchment. "Irenues var Steingard… That's a hard name to pronounce." The customer's the owner of this golem. "He's probably the real owner of this secret lab."
Roy asked curiously, "Have you ever heard of him? I think he came from a time when magic was more widespread. Can you imagine it? Shops that sold all kinds of golems. That's exciting."
Golems aren't only made out of clay. Some are made out of rocks, like gargoyles.
"I'm not informed about the north's history." Letho shook his head. He stood up. "Let's go. Those fools might be wasting their time on useless banter as we speak."
***
***
