Silent was the night, moonlight shining on a typical house in a certain village. It was surrounded by a fence and decked out with a barn, stilt house, chicken coop, garden, and a pile of fertilizer. And there was a charcoal kiln standing somewhere as well.
Igsena calmed the black dog down and tiptoed into the house, holding a sack on her shoulder. Before the main house she knelt, and she muttered words of repentance and pleas for forgiveness. She was saying her last goodbye.
The girl stood back up and tied her hair up into a ponytail. Her lips were pursed, and she had finally steeled her resolve. She balled her fists, and took a deep breath. "Let's go, witcher."
Roy looked at her. "I thought you hated your father. So why did you say goodbye to him?"
"He might have abused me all my life, but he's still my father. He raised me," she whispered. There were tears in her eyes. "Once he realizes where he went wrong, perhaps I might come back with Coen and tend to him until he takes his very last breath."
People can be so dishonest with their feelings. Roy shook his head and went into the darkness with her. Toward the beach and the looming silhouette of the Dragon Mountains they went.
***
Unlike city ladies, Igsena wasn't a fussy girl. Roy didn't even stop once from midnight to the next afternoon. The sun was shining bright in the sky. Vapor filled the air, and cold winds that blew in from the sea cut through the girl like invisible blades, but still she didn't flinch or stop to rest.
Roy and Igsena arrived at the coast neighboring the Dragon Mountains during high noon. Far and wide the mountains stretched, like a dragon lying down to rest. On its westmost point lay the sea, flowing into the little enclave near the end of the mountains.
Roy craned his neck and stared up as much as possible. The snow gleamed golden under the sun, and a narrow stone path meandered up the slope. The higher parts were covered in mist, hidden behind a veil. Roy took his map out once again and wondered if he should scout from the skies with Gryphon.
Igsena approached the snow-covered pine tree beside the stone path, and delightfully, she spun around while holding the burlap sack. "We're just in time, Roy! Coen left a sign. He's still in the fortress!"
"I see Destiny wishes for you to meet. Let's go."
The two of them ascended the stone path. Snow flanked the path like two long strips of white silk. Pawprints covered the snow tracks like embroidery on fabric. About ten minutes later, Roy stopped in his tracks and took his sunglasses off.
Atop the snow slope a silhouette appeared. It was approaching Roy and Igsena, but the silhouette wasn't walking. It was skiing straight down. The silhouette hit the ground with its ski poles, keeping its balance while evading all the sticks and stones on the path. As it jumped across big boulders, the silhouette spun around like a ballerina and left skid marks on the ground.
The silhouette skied across the ground as smoothly as a dolphin leaping and swimming across the seas. The silhouette changed directions about ten yards away from Roy and Igsena, their skis sitting parallel to the witcher and his companion.
Snow flew into the air and scattered everywhere. The man took off his skis and held his ski poles under his armpits as he approached the duo.
An excited Igsena approached him and held him tightly like a koala. The man spun around with her in his arms. Her slender legs drew a circle across the snow, much like her dress did.
The man took his black mask off, revealing a pale, hardened, handsome face. His hair was black, and he had a short beard. His cheeks and the spot under his lips were covered in pockmarks, residue of his smallpox infection. Instead of ruining his look, these pockmarks made him look rugged.
He was muscular, strong, and calm. A pair of green sword hilts protruded from his back, and a big smile hung on his lips. He was delighted to be reunited with his lover.
Once again, Roy cast Observe.
'Coen
Age: Forty-eight years old
Gender: Male
Status: Griffin School witcher
HP: 160
Mana: 200
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Perception: 12
Will: 7
Charisma: 6
Spirit: 20
Skills:
Witcher Signs Level 8: Quen, Axii, Yrden, Igni, Aard, Heliotrop.
Clamp: Expend a low amount of Mana to dispel illusions or create illusory clones around the caster.
Griffin Arts Level 3: Dual-handed Sign casting. More potent than single-handed Sign casting, but it also costs more Mana.
Alchemy Level 8, Meditation Level 6, Griffin School Swordplay Level 7, Witcher Senses Level 8.
Others: ?'
***
Roy's eyes shone a little. This was the first time he saw a witcher with twenty points in Spirit. And his Meditation was on par with some of the veteran brotherhood members’. They are specialists in Signs, alright. He wanted to know more about the seventh Sign and the secret arts of the Griffin School. Roy had a feeling this trip would prove to be bountiful.
"What brings you here, Igsena?" Coen happily held the lady's hand. "Our next meetup is still a week away. Did your father hurt you again?"
Igsena pursed her lips.
"And who might this be?" Coen's eyes were white, yellow, and green. They looked weird, but his gaze was clear and friendly. Roy couldn't possibly hate him.
"Might you be Coen of the Griffin School? I'm Roy." Roy waved his hand at Coen. "I'm from the Viper School and a member of the witcher brotherhood. I came all the way from Novigrad in search of the legendary Kaer Seren. This is very much a diplomatic mission."
"You're a Viper? And you're from some sort of brotherhood?" Coen was still holding Igsena's hand, but he fell into silence for a while. Then he looked at Roy's pendant. "Sorry, but this is the first time I've seen a Viper."
"It's alright. Our base was in Nilfgaard. It's quite a distance from Kovir and Poviss," Roy said. "We only moved to the north last year."
Coen nodded, and he continued. "And what of this brotherhood you speak of? Sounds like the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to me."
"Ah, that's a long story." Roy looked past Coen. "How about we sit down and talk about it? I promise I come in peace."
"My love, Roy saved me. That's why I brought him here." Igsena vouched for Roy. Unlike how she was toward the would-be assaulters, she was gentle and soothing.
She recounted the harrowing ordeal. Coen first felt furious, and flames flared in his eyes. And then he heaved a sigh of relief. Gratefully, he said, "Thank you for saving her, Roy. It would have been a disaster without your help. I owe you one."
He extended a hand, and Roy shook it. A big smile curled the young witcher's lips. "Anyone with a conscience would have stepped in. I was just doing the right thing. Don't mention it."
Coen nodded, the look in his eyes speaking of approval. "Come with me, then. Keldar is there as well. He will be pleased to see you."
***
As the path meandered on, the signature cold of the north started invading the air. The deeper they went, the colder it was. The winds were nothing but a breeze, but the cold it brought was not unlike icy steel that could cut open a traveler's skin.
Igsena and Coen huddled closer, sharing each other's warmth and flirting among themselves.
Roy pulled his hood up and stuffed his cat into his collar, telling him to roll up. It felt better feeling the cat snuggling against his chest, but it was a small comfort without his lover by his side.
Steeper and steeper the path became. It was already seventy-five degrees upward, and most of the path was taken up by snow, leaving a narrow road for them to go through. Rime stuck on the needles of the pine tree, shimmering like a rainbow under the sun.
The sight was breathtaking, but Roy wasn't in the mood to enjoy it.
The path sloped downward half an hour later, unfurling into the coastline in the west. And not too long later, the three of them arrived at their destination.
What was once the great fortress of Kaer Seren stood on the cliffs of the Poviss coastline. Most of its buildings were buried under the snow, becoming nothing more than ruins. Only a handful of buildings poked through the snow. They were barely abodes, and even these houses were dilapidated. They were crumbling, and their walls were cracked. Most of them were grey and drab, but some looked lighter in color. Apparently, someone refurbished the walls not too long ago.
The roof was covered in snow, and icicles hung on the overhang. This was not the most pleasant place to live in. Most people would balk at the idea of staying in a place like this.
"Welcome to Kaer Seren, Roy. Sorry about the state of the place." Coen finally let his girlfriend go and turned around to smile proudly at Roy.
"Don't sell yourself short. This is a famous fortress in its own right. It's iconic for the witcher community. Can't judge a book by its cover. I'm very interested in its history."
Roy stepped into the fortress and headed down the yard. Eventually, he arrived at the edge of the cliff, where a stone stele stood. The elements had weathered it down, but the stele was free of snow. The words 'Kaer Seren' and a date were carved on it in Elder Speech.
Saovine, Year 1029. That's more than two hundred and thirty years ago. He stared past the stele. Underneath the cliff, the seas raged. A whirlpool spun around, stirring up furious waves to crash against the reef. Roy almost had vertigo just looking at it.
At the same time, his pendant vibrated. This time, it was violent enough to almost break free of Roy's grasp and fly away like a bird. The witcher held his medallion down, but the palpable chaos energy flowed into his body, keeping his mana full at all times. And then he saw the light of magic flitting before him. "This is a Place of Power?"
A deep voice spoke. "Correct."
Roy turned around and saw an elderly man emerging from the tower in the middle. He stood underneath the overhang, where the sun didn't shine. He was in a reddish-brown robe, and his greyish-brown hair tumbled down his shoulder. His back was straight, and a perfectly-maintained beard hung around his lips. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, perhaps because the man lacked rest.
His cheeks were slender, and his face was handsome. Unlike most witchers, his amber eyes shone not with the light of ferocity, but of wisdom. He was holding a book in his left hand and a quill in his right, while a canvas purse hung around his waist. It contained books and paper records.
Unlike witchers, he wasn't wearing any leather armor. Instead, he looked like a professor at Oxenfurt Academy or the librarian for some noble's library. Keldar looked like a man in his forties.
'Keldar
Age: A hundred and ninety-three years old
Gender: Male
Status: Griffin School grandmaster (Mastered all Griffin School skills)
HP: 170
Mana: 270
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 17
Perception: 14
Will: 9
Charisma: 7
Spirit: 27
Skills:
Witcher Signs Level 10: Quen (Mutated), Axii (Mutated), Yrden (Mutated), Igni (Mutated), Aard (Mutated), Heliotrop (Mutated), Clamp (Mutated).
Griffin Arts Level 8: Dual-handed Sign casting. Can harness the chaos energy lingering in the air by modifying the roars of elementals. Increases Sign intensity drastically.
Alchemy Level 10, Meditation Level 9, Griffin School Swordplay Level 10, Witcher Senses Level 10, Teleportation Level 6, Magic Maneuver Level 3.
Source (Passive)
See More.’
***
"This land pulses with chaos energy. The elves saw what this land had to offer, and they built a fortress on this cliff." Keldar was still writing in his book, but he was looking at Roy. "What brings you here, friend? You have come a long way."
"Keldar, I am Roy of the Viper School." Roy bowed with deep respect. Keldar was the backbone and protector of the Griffin School, much like Vesemir is the guardian of Kaer Morhen.
Kaer Seren's destruction was even more total than Kaer Morhen's. There were nothing but ruins here, and yet Keldar remained. He might be stubborn, but he managed to raise one student from the ashes of this fortress, and that student was Coen. Thanks to that, his school could live on for decades.
This man was worthy of respect, and not to mention he had a lot of powerful skills. The only mutated Sign Roy had was Igni, but all of Keldar's Signs were mutated. And he had a secret art that was related to the elemental dimensions that could intensify his Signs. Still, Roy had an odd feeling about the information he got, and he cocked his eyebrow. There was something off with it, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was.
He continued. "Vesemir told me about you and this remarkable fortress. Out of curiosity and respect, I decided to pay this place a visit. This is also a part of my training." He handed Keldar a letter.
"Vesemir? The old chap from Kaer Morhen?" Keldar carefully tucked that letter away into his bag and placed his quill behind his ear. He skimmed through the letter, and the air of suspicion around him went away a little.
"It's been years since I last saw the old chap. Is he still well?"
"Thank you. Vesemir is quite healthy. And he's happy with his life." Also, he's going to meet up with his lover. Probably already in Oxenfurt by now.
Keldar looked pleased, and he caressed his beard. "That old chap has an eye for people. Since he's vouched for you, then you are now a friend of the Griffins. Come in, lad." Keldar looked at Igsena.
She was a little confused and sheepish, and then she bowed at Keldar. There was respect and a hint of fear in her eyes.
"Coen, you fool. Can't you see we have a regular human among us? Take your lover inside. Do you want her to freeze?"
"Yes, sir!" Coen nodded quickly. He seemed a little afraid of Keldar as well.
***
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