Surrounded by a group of energetic dwarves, Lann was bombarded with questions of all kinds after demonstrating the peculiar power of his magical sign.
As an ancient and long-lived race, dwarves were no strangers to magic, but rarely had they witnessed such a visceral and electrifying use of it in combat.
Confirming that the dwarves posed no threat to his lord, House turned his attention to the icy sculpture of the Shaelmaar, frozen by the sign of Lann.
Perhaps to outsiders, the Duke's display of power seemed overwhelming, but House, who knew Lann's power, knew that the creature turned into an ice statue was not yet dead.
However, as House prepared to destroy the creature and transform it into alchemical materials, he was interrupted by a loud crash. With a single blow of her colossal axe, Saskia shattered the ice sculpture that the Shaelmaar had become.
The axe she wielded had a handle as thick as her own arm, and the blade was larger than her head. Even a dwarf would have difficulty wielding such a weapon, but in Saskia's hands, it moved as lightly as a simple walking stick.
The dwarf who had lent her the weapon watched her with his eyes wide open.
Noticing House's incredulous look, Saskia gave him a friendly smile.
"You're welcome," she said, blinking a few times. "I thought, since I'm new to the group, fighting side by side would help me blend in better and strengthen our bond."
Looking at the shattered remains of the Shaelmaars, Saskia looked somewhat sorry.
"Actually, I wanted to join the battle from the start," she confessed. "But you guys were too quick. I'd barely borrowed an axe when you'd already wiped them all out. So, well, all I could do was clean up the battlefield."
She gave a light kick to the mangled corpse at her feet and added, "It was the least I could do."
House found Saskia strangely intriguing.
She was unusually tall, had decent features, and an imposing presence. Her bearing conveyed maturity and authority, but her manner of speaking was simple, almost childlike, creating a stark contrast with her appearance.
And then there was her strength... House looked back at the mangled corpse of the Shaelmaar.
Even the strongest members of Lann's Lion Pride would have struggled to accomplish what she accomplished effortlessly. While her physique was agile and trained, her muscles didn't match the tremendous strength she displayed.
However, after enhancing his senses with the Lion Pride and traveling through different regions, House had learned to read people more accurately. When Saskia first appeared, he felt a slight unease, as if he were standing in front of a magical beast. At the time, he thought it was just his imagination.
Now, however, he was beginning to suspect that there was something more to her.
House took a deep breath. For some time now, strange individuals seemed to gather around the duke. He remembered how, the first time he'd met Geralt, he'd felt like he was watching a legendary story come to life. Back then, Geralt had been the most exceptional person he'd ever crossed paths with.
But now...
If the Duke accepted Saskia into the group, all he could do was open his mind and watch for any signs.
He looked back at the wreckage of the Shaelmaar and, after a moment's hesitation, muttered, "Uh... thanks."
Saskia smiled with pleasure, as if she had received confirmation that her theory about friendship was true.
…
Meanwhile, Lann was talking with Gabor and Rayla.
"I'm very sorry about this, Duke Lannister," Gabor said, frowning. "Normally, an annual cleaning in Mahakam is enough to keep these creatures at bay. But something is happening..."
With concern, he added, "And then there is Keltullis... If the master witcher is right, then something has angered the dragon. I must inform the Grand Elder immediately."
Lann didn't remember all the information from his past life about Mahakam correctly, so he didn't understand the reason behind the red dragon's unusual behavior, but he could explain why subterranean creatures like the Shaelmaar had emerged to the surface in such a strange way.
It was all the Elder Blood's fault... No, rather, it was the Mirror Master's fault.
On second thought, Lann opted for a more diplomatic explanation: "Actually, this isn't only happening in Mahakam. Similar phenomena have also appeared in many other regions of the North. Creatures that normally remained hidden in forests or mountains now wander near human settlements."
"Maybe Mahakam, being deep in the mountains, had not been affected until now, but we can't ignore it," he added.
Hearing this, Rayla nodded gravely. "In Aedirn, we've seen the same thing. Many soldiers sent into the forests to hunt the Scoia'tael have ended up devoured by monsters."
Gabor frowned even deeper. "So that's how it is? I appreciate the information, Duke. I must inform the elders. Many traditions will have to change… at least the Great Cleanse will have to be intensified."
The camp they were in was nothing more than a waypoint, and since they had suffered no losses in their last battle, there was no reason to stop and rest.
The group decided to continue their journey into the heart of Mahakam and visit the Great Elder in the capital before nightfall.
Yarpen stayed behind, waiting for his family to arrive. He planned to meet up with Lann and the others once they left Mahakam.
Saskia, for her part, joined Lann's group, entering Mahakam's royal territory for the first time.
Since the fierce battle in which Lann's group had demonstrated their power, Rayla had become reserved and distant with Geralt. Saskia, on the other hand, seemed much more interested in conversing with the witcher.
"My father told me about you, White Wolf," Saskia said with an enthusiastic smile. "He admired you greatly. He said you were a man with a big heart, someone who valued life above money and glory. I've always wanted to meet you in person."
However, when Geralt asked her father's name, Saskia hesitated and looked away, refusing to answer.
The witcher did not insist, although the doubt remained stuck in his mind.
…
By early spring, the mountains were no longer covered in snow, but the cold still lingered.
Without Yarpen and his songs, the atmosphere in the group became quiet and solemn. This caused the march's pace to quicken.
Finally, after several hours of walking, an imposing city appeared before them.
In the human kingdoms, even the most powerful capitals rarely had walls taller than eight meters. Only the four great northern kingdoms built defenses as high as ten meters, and their walls never exceeded three meters in thickness.
But what they had before their eyes was something completely different.
The walls of that gigantic city were over twenty meters high, and their thickness was impossible to estimate with the naked eye.
Calling it a city didn't do it justice. It was more like a hollowed-out mountain transformed into an impregnable fortress.
The dwarves had chiseled the base of the mountain to open their gates, and the slope was riddled with watchtowers and sentry boxes carved into the rock, aligned with impressive precision. Steel and stone combined perfectly, creating a seemingly indestructible structure.
Gabor puffed out his chest proudly and announced, "Welcome to the capital of Mahakam: Mount Carbon!"
Kolgrim let out a surprised whistle and nudged Coen. "What do you think is harder, carving this wall out of the mountain or building one like this from scratch?"
Coen shook his head in admiration. "I know nothing about architecture, but I assure you, nowhere else in the world is there a city as magnificent as this one."
Rayla had already visited Mount Carbon several times, so she was able to tear her gaze away from the architectural spectacle more easily. Her gaze met Geralt's, who nodded.
"Now I understand why you said that if Temeria decided to invade Mahakam, it would end in defeat," the Witcher admitted. "Unless they have an army that can fly, they could never take this city."
The entrance was guarded by a squad of heavily armed dwarves. They were the legendary heavy infantry soldiers of Mahakam.
Although their heights were half that of an average human, their weights were nearly the same. Their bones were thicker, their muscles denser, and their strength far superior.
Thanks to this build, they could wear heavier armor and carry shields much thicker than any human. From a distance, they resembled small living fortresses. Lann estimated their steel plates must have been at least half the thickness of a thumb.
In the original timeline, in the future when the great war between the north and the south intensified, the dwarves would demonstrate their true power.
In one of the most crucial battles, Mahakam's heavy infantry would withstand the onslaught of Nilfgaard's heavy cavalry. Not only would they completely absorb the force of the impact, but they would even advance against them, forcing them to retreat.
Until the end of that battle, the formation of the dwarven infantry would not be broken even once.
It's worth remembering that the Nilfgaardian heavy cavalry was the undisputed elite of the Black Sun Empire, forged with exorbitant investment. If they managed to break through the northern lines and break into their ranks, no human army would be able to resist them.
However, at that time, no human could have imagined the strength of the dwarven heavy infantry. In fact, until that day, a dwarven battalion had never officially appeared on a registered battlefield.
Except for the dwarves themselves, currently only Lann knew the true combat effectiveness of dwarven infantry.
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