The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Lann looked at the small pointed protrusion beneath the jade carving of the Toad Prince with a worried expression. "My sword..."

"Don't worry, Lann." Triss said, with a restrained smile. "I can undo the spell, draw your sword, and cast it again. This spell causes intense pain and paralyzes whoever is cast, so there is no risk of the Toad Prince fighting again."

Lann nodded resignedly.

...

Lann grabbed the cloak he brought with him and wiped the dirt off the Aerondight Sword in disgust. Then with a wave of his hand, he put the jade carving of the Toad Prince into his inventory.

That was the second benefit of the Artefact Compression spell: the sculptures created could be considered objects and stored in the inventory.

Triss approached to check on Lann's condition, concerned about the blows he had received.

Confirming that Lann was not injured, Triss breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you have enough magic power? Do you want to meditate for a while?"

Triss felt the chaotic energy in her body and nodded.

"Okay, the battle ended quickly, let's rest for an hour. Then we will explore the magical ruins under the Temple Island." Lann explained to Triss. "There's a secret laboratory there with lots of notes and magical artifacts. If I'm not mistaken, there's also a witcher from Cat School possessed by a demon."

...

In the vast darkness of the night, a sapphire-eyed raven flew high around Temple Island.

The dark night was its best camouflage. It flew freely over the island's cliffs, moving intentionally between the cracks in the rocks as if it had a specific mission.

Suddenly, it found something and quickly took flight, soon returning to the side of a beautiful red-haired sorceress.

Triss stretched out her hand, and the crow, flapping its wings, hovered in the air. Suddenly, its plumage and flesh scattered into the air like luminous dust, turning into chaotic energy and disappearing, leaving only a crystal bird skull that fell into Triss's palm.

This was the crystal bird skull that Triss had sold to Lann. Lann had previously used it as a basic device for seeing through illusions, but after becoming a witcher, it was no longer useful to him.

So, after establishing a 'good friendship' with Triss, the skull returned to her hands. After all, these magical artifacts are more useful in the hands of a sorcerer.

Triss looked at the crystal bird skull, staring into the empty eye sockets for a long moment. Then she said to Lann: "I found the place you described."

The entrance to the laboratory was not underwater, but behind a mountain covered by a huge rock. Following a narrow passage covered with moss, weeds and corpses, the two quickly found the cave.

In front of them was a large, smooth wall that clearly showed signs of being man-made, in obvious contrast to the natural rock walls around it.

Lann knew that this wall was not as simple as it seemed. At this moment, the griffin medallion on his neck vibrated slightly.

Triss could feel the chaotic energy in the air. “This wall is an illusion. Behind it is something else. This really is a secret laboratory!”

Lann asked: "Can you remove this illusion?"

Triss shook her head. "I don't know who created this illusion, but they are more skilled than me. I need some special tools to see through it."

“Since it’s chaotic energy, it’s still a magical medium after all. Do you think this will work?”

Triss looked at Lann's hand, where a Dimeritium Bomb appeared.

The sorceress took two steps back, gesturing ahead to Lann.

Lann dropped the bomb and a cloud of green dust exploded in the air.

Immediately, the anti-magic powder began to rapidly erode the illusion, revealing a deep, dark cave in front of them.

"Dimeritium really is a wonderful thing." Lann said with admiration.

He then raised his hand and cast an Aard Sign to disperse the remaining dust into the air, preventing it from harming Triss.

Entering the cave, Lann looked around. The walls were filled with irregular rock formations, and densely packed stalactites hung from the ceiling. Moss and lichens were everywhere.

In the deep darkness the howling of the wind could be heard, or perhaps something terrifying was hidden in the shadows.

Lann drank his second [Cat] potion. It had been a while since they defeated Prince Toad and the effect of the first potion had already worn off.

Gesturing to Triss for silence, the two of them cautiously advanced. In less than five minutes, they reached the end of the narrow entrance tunnel.

Before them appeared a wide, flat, empty field.

There were clear signs of human construction. In the distance were elaborate stone columns and worn marble tiles on the floor. Every few feet were braziers used for lighting.

Of course, these were not the main points.

Lann pulled Triss over and pointed to the fountain in the center of the square. A huge figure stood in the darkness next to the fountain.

"It's a golem." Triss whispered excitedly.

The colossal creature had a humanoid shape with thick, angular limbs. Its head seemed to fuse with its neck and chest, leaving only a sinister protuberance.

As combat units created by mages, perhaps their creators thought they did not need a head, arms and legs were enough.

At this moment, it was in a dormant state, standing tall in the darkness like a small mountain. However, both of them knew that within that inert body resided a devastating force.

Lann pulled a vial of Elementa oil from his inventory and applied it to the Aerondight sword, enveloping it in a faint halo. He then gestured with his hand, invoking the Quen sign to protect himself.

He wasn't playing around. One hit from that thing could deform his armor and render it useless.

Finally, Lann pulled out a Thunderbolt potion to increase his muscle strength and drank it in one gulp.

Immediately, he felt an electric shock run through his body, and a surge of energy began to emanate from every muscle fiber and nerve.

His golden lion eyes darkened, and the black blood vessels on his face bulged, giving him a fierce and terrifying appearance.

The golem had excellent magic resistance and lacked any will of its own, so the Igni and Aard signs had little effect on it, and the Axii sign was completely useless. Lann could only rely on his sword.

But while a witcher's resources were limited, the sorceress had other options.

"Golems are powered by magic, but they also use electricity to power themselves. Let me first destroy their internal energy system with a lightning spell, and then you attack. It will be much easier."

Lann nodded in agreement with Triss's plan.

At the same time, from behind him, the rapid, complicated words of an incantation began to sound.

The chaotic energy in the air suddenly became dense, and there was a crackling sound of static electricity from time to time.

The golem in the darkness sensed all this. Its inert body began to illuminate with bands of light, covered in complex and arcane magical symbols.

The golem, like a robot that activated automatically, was powered up due to Triss's magic.

A deep sound, like rocks sliding down a mountain, emanated from its massive body. Every step made the ground tremble, and its movements became faster as it woke up.

The golem charged towards them.

Lann faced the giant creature. The pressure was overwhelming, blocking his entire field of vision.

Lann took a deep breath and stood firm, knowing that Triss's spell was nearing completion.

With a final shout, the spell culminated in an arm-thick bolt of lightning that shot out from Triss's hand, crossing the battlefield in an instant and striking the golem.

The heavy creature showed no outward signs of damage, but soon electric arcs began to appear on its surface, and the magical symbols on its body flashed intermittently, as if they were short-circuited.

Lann picked up Triss and rushed to the side.

Behind them, the golem staggered, its movements uncoordinated. It stumbled and fell against the cave wall with a crash.

Stalactites and rock fragments rained down, raising a cloud of dust and debris.

The golem was embedded in the wall, unable to immediately free itself.

Triss jumped out of Lann's arms, slapping him on the back. "Go now!"

A purple magic circle rose, and the light of the Yrden sign shone upon the golem, further weakening its already failing magic system.

Lann easily dodged the creature's slow punches. Its attacks, though powerful, failed to touch him.

The runeblade glowed brightly as Lann raised it above his head, gathering energy for a devastating blow.

The arc of sword light illuminated the dark chamber for a brief moment. The blade cut through the golem's rock and clay armor with surprising ease.

The golem was now half embedded in the rock wall. Although it had trouble moving, the creature did not let itself be killed easily and began to fight violently.

Lann placed his left palm on the golem's leg and, without hesitation, launched a powerful Aard sign.

The blast of wind and telekinetic energy struck the golem's leg. Although it failed to damage its armor, the shockwave caused the golem to lose even more balance.

Lann raised the runeblade again.

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