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Chapter 27 - Mine Clearing

The dwarven stronghold at Mahakam Gate was alive with the clang of hammer on anvil and the resonance of dwarven voices echoing through stone halls. Having proven their worth by slaying two mountain chimeras in the Lower Forgehall Ruins, Geralt and his companions were invited back to Clan Hammerfall's main hall. Torches flickered against carved granite walls, illuminating banners bearing the ram's horn emblem and statues of famed Ironbraid forebears.

Durgan Ironbraid, the clan's quarrymaster, rose to greet them amidst a gathering of miners, engineers, and clan elders. His braided beard swung as he spoke, eyes grave. "

"Aye, witcher, ye did good work at the forge—saved plenty of good dwarven blood and kept our ore flowin'. But now we've got a right bastard of a problem on our hands.Our newest dig at Blackvein Gully—just cracked her open, we did—turns out the bloody place is crawling with nasties. Got gargoyles roosting in the upper shafts like stone vultures, wraiths drifting through the tunnels come nightfall, and worse yet—there's a whole damned Endrega nest down in the lower levels. Queen and her warriors, the lot of 'em.Already lost three good miners to those chittering hell-spawn, and half a dozen more are laid up with poison or worse. At this rate, we'll have to seal the whole mine shut, and that'll be the end of us—no ore means no coin, no coin means no food, and no food means dead dwarves.So here's the rub, witcher: we need ye to clear out Blackvein Gully, top to bottom. Do it right, and we'll pay ye a king's ransom in gold and the finest dwarven steel ye've ever laid eyes on. Fail us, and... well, ye'll be diggin' graves instead of graves diggin' themselves, if ye catch my meaning.What say ye? Ready to earn yer keep and save some dwarven necks?"

Geralt, recalling the dwarves' honor and the scale of their operations, bowed. "We accept. We will clear Blackvein Gully of its terrors and ensure the mine remains open." His companions echoed the vow with determined nods.

Durgan clapped his hands, and a dwarf clerk unfurled a scroll. "Aye, first off you'll want to find Edda Stonehand—she's the one runnin' this hole in the rock. She sorts the shifts and keeps folk from gettin' squashed by cave-ins. Tell her straight what ye need—men, gear, lanterns, whatever—and she'll see it's delivered. As for grub and a bunk, the clan's pickin' up the tab. No need to spend a stiver more than you must."

Edda Stonehand awaited them at the mine's surface camp—a slender dwarf woman with steel gray braids and a scar slashing across her cheek. Her eyes were sharp as obsidian. "Aye, I've seen your chimera report—well done. But Blackvein Gully's a proper maze. Shafts branch every which way and the levels shift faster than a goblin's mood. You'll find gargoyles roostin' at the mouth, wraiths hauntin' the mid-chambers, and that blasted Endrega nest buried by the molten core—well below any safety tunnel. You'll need a solid plan, reinforced kit, and blades forged for these beasts—none of that flimsy iron you've been swingin'."

Geralt asked quietly, "We need silver and iron swords, expertly forged—balanced, tempered, warded if possible. Our current blades served well, but these foes demand weapons of superior craftsmanship."

Edda nodded. "Aye, you'll want to find Magni Frostbeard out in the forge yard. He'll craft what you need—though he won't do it for free." She tapped the ledger with a sharp nail. "Twelve thousand crowns in and you'll get seven iron swords and seven silver blades, each master-forged and bathed in dragonfire oil. Pay up when you collect 'em."

Later that day, Geralt and Eskel rode to Magni's forge—a cavernous hall echoing with furnace roar and hammer strikes. Magni Frostbeard, a hulking figure with a braided beard ending in steel rings, greeted them between strikes."Aye, ye need swords. Good work, but it takes time—five days of hammerin' and quenchin'. Half the coin up front, the rest when they're done."

Geralt handed over six thousand crowns without hesitation. "Do your finest." Magni grunted approval and set to work.

Returning to camp, the company reviewed maps of the mine tunnels provided by Edda. They organized shifts: Geralt, Eskel, and Jacob would tackle gargoyles; Dick and Vicky would handle wraiths with combat magic; Visenna would support injured dwarves and treat any curses during Endrega hive assault. Each member packed brews of Swallow, Cat, Thunderbolt, and Specter Dust Bolts.

At dawn, the company entered Blackvein Gully's mouth—iron tracks leading deeper, lanterns revealing walls engraved with dwarven runes. The first chamber, wide and vaulted, held roosts of gargoyles: stone-skinned winged beasts poised on ledges like statues come to life. Their whistles echoed as the party advanced.

Geralt moved first, casting Quen across a shimmering barrier embraced them as the gargoyles took flight. Their stone wings beat with thunderous force, dislodging debris. Eskel charged under Quen's cover, swinging his new iron sword in wide arcs. Sparks flew as blade met stone hide, but each swing chipped the gargoyles' perches.

Jacob, perched on a railway cart, loosed Specter Dust Bolts into the largest roost. Clouded with spores, three gargoyles tumbled. Vicky cast Yrden traps on the floor rails, ensnaring any that dove toward them.

Geralt invoked Aard, sending three gargoyles crashing into walls. Stepping forward, he switched to silver blade for finishing cuts—stone hide cracked and shattered beneath silver's mystical edge.

Within a half-hour, all twelve gargoyles lay broken or fleched, their rubble echoing in the silent chamber. The party collected wing membranes, claws, and stone fragments—valuable to dwarven artisans and alchemists.

Deeper shafts led to the mid-level, where miners reported cold chills and whispered voices. As twilight descended beneath the earth, wraiths emerged like drifting mist—ghastly figures in spectral chainmail, swords of ethereal steel.

Dick and Vicky led the advance, their magic lighting the air. Geralt and Eskel fronted the line; Jacob readied crossbow.

The wraiths attacked with chilling shrieks, swords slashing with ghostly edge that drained warmth and will. Vicky spread Necrophage Oil on Geralt's silver blade, enhancing its power. Dick cast Quen constantly to stave off fear and cold.

Jacob's bolts, tipped with dimeritium, disrupted the wraiths' magical cohesion, causing them to flicker—and vulnerable to physical strike. Geralt's silver sword cut through spectral limbs, Eczema's deep strength severing chainmail as ghostly howls faded.

By night's end, sixteen wraiths had been banished. Their ectoplasmic robes and swords were sealed in iron chests for dwarven scholars to study.

The deepest levels lay far below the surface, heat dulling senses as magma veins pulsed beneath. The honeycomb of tunnels held a vast Endrega hive—Queen and Warriors thousands strong. Their queen's hypnotic pheromones lured miners off paths; their warriors swarmed in shapeless numbers.

For a full week, the company advanced in stealth—visiting minor brood chambers, setting traps, and deploying Cendûr explosive charges to collapse tunnels behind them, preventing reinforcements.

The climactic assault on the queen's lair took three days. Geralt called upon Vicious, the wyvern bound by Unbreakable Pact, to draw out the queen's attention from above while the party entered from two flanking tunnels. Under thunderbolt's influence, Eskel and Jacob hacked through warrior ranks as Geralt and Dick confronted the queen—a towering creature with segmented armor, serrated mandibles, and eyes brimming with alien intelligence.

Vicky maintained continuous Thunderbolt boosts, protective Quen shields, and healing wards. The queen's pheromones threatened mind control, but Geralt's Cat-enhanced sight and Jacob's Specter Dust bombs countered the illusion.

At final, under a synchronized onslaught—Geralt's silver blade cleaving head from thorax, Eskel's iron sword severing armored legs—the queen collapsed, releasing a final shriek that echoed through melting rock.

Over two dozen Endrega Warriors had perished. The hive lay silent.

Over the following week, the Romeld Company harvested materials: thousands of units of Endrega chitin for armor plating, venom sacs for poison crafting, queen larvae for elite potions, gargoyle membranes for reinforced armor, and wraith ectoplasm for spectral studies.

Durgan Ironbraid and Edda Stonehand oversaw dwarven scholars cataloging specimens. Each item earned bounties: 2,000 crowns for Endrega evidence, 800 crowns for wraith artifacts, and 600 crowns for gargoyle fragments. Material sales to alchemists and armorsmiths netted an additional 3,500 crowns.

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