I'm not a Witcher anymore.

The four changed direction and headed towards the mountains to the south.

The scenery along the way began to change.

The flat river valleys have been replaced by undulating hills, and cold-resistant conifers have sprung up among the dense broad-leaved forests.

The temperature dropped, and the air was filled with the crisp, refreshing scent unique to the mountains.

The outline of the Mahakan Mountains is now clearly visible.

It was a massive barrier stretching across the sky, with mountains rising and falling in a staggered pattern, like a row of stone blades rising from the edge of the earth.

The mountaintop is covered with snow that never melts, gleaming with a dazzling silvery-white light under the sun.

Even from a considerable distance, Zieg could still feel the oppressive aura emanating from the mountain range.

That is the magnificence forged by nature over the long years, an eternity that no human power can shake.

"Isn't it spectacular?"

Zoltan noticed the gazes of the others and a smug look appeared on his face.

"This is Mahakam. Our homeland, home to us dwarves and gnomes, has remained so for thousands of years. Elves have come, men have come, but no one has been able to conquer this land."

His tone was tinged with obvious pride.

Dandelion watched in amazement.

I've already started composing verses in my mind.

"Majestic Mahakam, the spine of the dwarves... No, that metaphor is too cliché. Eternal Mahakam, the fangs of the earth... Hmm, that doesn't seem quite right either..."

"The fangs of the earth," Sieg said suddenly, gazing at the distant mountains. "That's a good description."

Dandelion immediately perked up.

"See!" he said, turning to Zoltan. "A true gentleman who understands art has given a fair assessment."

Zoltan snorted, but the corners of his mouth clearly turned up.

"Alright, then write it into your poem. Now let's get going; we need to reach the first checkpoint before dark."

……

After traveling for quite some time, the group finally arrived at the foot of the Mahakan Mountains.

A narrow mountain path winds its way up and disappears into the misty mountainside.

The mountain path is flanked by steep rock walls covered with moss and lichen, with a few tenacious pine trees occasionally peeking out from the cracks in the rocks.

At the entrance, a stone checkpoint blocked the way.

The thick stone wall is more than two people high, and the top is equipped with crenellations and a watchtower.

A flag embroidered with crossed hammers fluttered in the wind—that was the symbol of Mahakam.

More than a dozen dwarves stood guard on the stone wall.

They wore armor, carried dwarven crossbows, and wore steel helmets engraved with intricate patterns.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the guards immediately became alert and sized up the newcomer.

"stop."

The captain of the guard shouted in a deep voice, as if his voice was squeezed out from between the rocks.

"Who are you? What are you doing in Mahakan?"

Zoltan stepped forward, grinned, and revealed a set of not-so-straight teeth.

"Old buddy, don't you recognize me?"

"I am Zoltan Qiva, son of Egra Qiva, and grandson of Sur Qiva. My father and grandfather were both born in these mountains, and so was I."

He patted his chest.

"Although I've been away for many years, Mahakam's blood still flows here."

The captain of the guard looked him up and down a few times, and the wariness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of surprise.

"Zoltan? The one who killed Marshal Menno Kuhun of Nilfgaard?"

"Ha, you know me?"

"Of course I know him." The captain of the guard's tone softened considerably. "When the Nilfgaardians suffered a crushing defeat at Brenner, Menno Kuhun and his men exchanged armor and fled, only to be intercepted by you. What else happened then?"

Zoltan didn't even blink as he continued speaking.

"It wasn't me, there were several other great young men."

"Speaking of which, that old guy was really unlucky. He wasn't wearing a marshal's armor, so we thought he was just an ordinary man in black. Plus, when we shot him off his horse, he knocked out his front teeth and couldn't speak clearly."

"But the pattern on his cloak was the emblem of the Dellani Brigade that killed our brother. What else could we say? We just unleashed a hail of arrows and turned that old bastard into a pincushion, avenging our brother."

The dwarf guards' tense expressions also relaxed.

"Only a true Zoltan would know such clear details. Welcome home, brother."

"Who are these people?" The captain of the guard's gaze swept over Sieg, Sakia, and Dandelion.

"My friends," Zoltan assured, patting his chest, "I swear on my honor that they are trustworthy men. We simply want to pass through Mahakam to get to Temuria."

The captain of the guard pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Since you're the guarantor, then there's no problem. However, you can't go into the city, and you can only rest on the mountain path if you get tired. Please understand, this is a special time."

"We're all family, there's no need to talk about forgiveness or anything like that." Zoltan waved his hand. "In the current situation, we can't be too cautious. I should be thanking you all."

The captain of the guard ordered the dwarf to open the iron-clad wooden door of the checkpoint and let the group in.

As soon as Zoltan stepped through the doorway, his pace slowed down.

The area inside the outpost appeared more crowded than the mountain path. In the open space behind the stone wall, more than thirty dwarf soldiers were arranging heavy crossbows, shields, and warhammers around a brazier, while several barricades and spare chains were piled up near the mountain wall.

These dwarves hadn't removed their armor, and their weapons were laid out beside them, unlike a typical shift rest.

Zoltan's smile faded slightly.

"Are you setting up this formation here to wait for the Nilfgaardians to climb the mountain, or for something more troublesome?"

The captain of the guard glanced at him.

"There was an accident in the old mine tunnel a few days ago."

Upon hearing this, Zoltan's expression turned completely somber.

Which mine tunnel?

"The old mine tunnel below the gray ridge. It was originally a backup route to the upper mountain road, which miners and patrolmen would usually use."

He raised his hand and pointed to one side of the mountain path.

There was a mine entrance there, darkly embedded in the rock wall.

A mine closure gate had been lowered outside the cave entrance. Thick beams and iron bars were interlocked, and the entire gate was embedded in the stone grooves carved into the rock walls on both sides, with three wrist-thick iron chains wrapped around the outside.

The chain ended on two iron rings that were deeply embedded in the rock wall, and several heavy pieces of ore were stuffed under the gate, as if to prevent something from squeezing out of the gap.

"A few days ago, strange noises started coming from inside. The first group to go in to check were three miners and two young men, but none of them came out."

"Later we sent people in to search again, and they only found blood, torn boots, and half an axe handle."

Zoltan's hand was already on the handle of the battle axe.

"name."

The guard captain announced several names.

When Zoltan heard one of them, his beard twitched and his face turned even uglier.

"Is Clifford's nephew in there too?"

Dandelion, unusually, did not interrupt.

Sakia also looked at the mine tunnel, her gaze becoming calm.

Zieg took a few steps closer and asked:

"The body was dragged away?"

The dwarf guard didn't recognize Sieg, but still answered:

"Yes. The bloodstains led all the way deeper into the mine."

"Is the bloodstain a straight line, or is it random?"

The dwarf guard frowned. "It's a mess. It looks like someone was struggling while being dragged away."

"Did you hear a chorus of calls?"

"Yes. Very sharp, and lots of them."

"Has anyone seen what it looked like?"

"I only saw a shadow," the dwarf said. "It wasn't very tall, its back was hunched, and it had long claws. It pounced out of the side cave very quickly."

Zieg nodded.

"You wicked demon."