Chapter 11 - Chapter 10

***

I leaned back on my seat, deep in thought.

A magical lamp illuminated my study, and before me, notes were arranged across the wide desk. On a small support, a parchment was placed, behind it a small fold of similar parchments written with a mechanical handwriting. Either done by a machine or a spell, I could immediately tell, but my eyes did note how every symbol was the same.

Currently, I am carefully studying the context of the parchment, and then I wrote in the note in front of me. My eyes scanned the parchment symbol by symbol, word by word, line by line.

I was not merely copying or translating the latter. I was deciphering.

My magic flared periodically as I relentlessly abused Resonant Soul to have the memory of the cipher key flare in front of my eyes. I was almost certain I already memorized it, but I didn't wish to misinterpret some lines carelessly. For now, I didn't pay much attention to the words I was copying, too preoccupied to decipher the entire thing first.

When I sent my familiar to the City of Magic, Äußerst, I wasn't overly optimistic about the courier even making it there.

The truth is, I never had the opportunity to test the limits of summoning magic properly. I had no idea how realistic it was to expect a single familiar to cross half the known continent with a sizable package, much less to return safely afterwards. Considering that I was planning to leave Tiefholz within a year, I just didn't have the time to properly test that one summoning grimoire I accidentally stumbled on. Just hoping that my tomes would get to the City of Magic safely was still better than doing nothing.

Summoning is a fascinating subject in its own right. Crudely put, Summoning, despite its deceptive name, was a process of creating a creature out of pure mana. If I were to go more in-depth, explaining why this school of magic was called so would require understanding the linguistic context unique to those lands. In short, the word "summoning" in this instance referred more to summoning a creature into being, rather than bringing it from somewhere else.

As for the magic itself, the first most important rule of this school was that summoning always requires a catalyst. Much like how Frieren needed the Shadow Dragon Horn for her spell, so did every summoner. Usually, nothing quite as rare as what the elf required. But it is important to note that the definition of a summoning catalyst is that it's a solidified fragment of a monster that possessed a heart once. The requirements for Summoning rituals are always much more specific than 'any catalyst,' however. You can't summon a flying familiar out of a grounded monster fragment, or a fighting familiar out of a tiny harmless rodent's monster fragment, and so on.

The caster uses pre-prepared templates and the memory within the catalyst to recreate a being similar enough to the original monster. But vastly diminished and warped. Robbed of agency, potential for growth, a real mind if the original monster had one, and the ability to naturally restore its own mana. Most monsters replenished most of their energy from thin air, like most things when it came to magic, just ignoring the conservation of energy. Summons, on the other hand, tended to need to consume some biological matter to refill their mana. The requirement of what the summon could and could not process into mana depended on the spell. Summons also tended to look drastically different from normal monsters, bearing vibrant colours and sometimes half-transparent, obvious in their magical nature.

Usually, summons were created visually distinct to differentiate them from monsters. 

In essence, that's exactly what my courier familiar was. A being conjured by me, though I carefully followed the template outlined in the grimoire. It was incredibly complex, though still not complex enough to imitate an actual living being. The summoning rituals still, by their nature, were vastly more mechanically complex than any other magic I ever cast.

Summoning magic usually wasn't cast as normal spells. They were more akin to rituals, sometimes lasting hours or even days. This was mostly because it took time and effort to engrave complex spell patterns that would dictate the puppet's behavior. From what I understood, it wasn't unlike golemomancy in many areas, except for the type of 'puppet' you worked with. Golemomancy used physical conduits to build a magical pre-programmed puppet. Summoning used monster remains. In essence, the engineering behind both shared a lot of similar ideas and concepts.

Both of those magic schools were quite fascinating to me, as they seemed adjacent to the area I needed to study. For now, I already had enough spells to master on hand, and acquiring tomes with theory about those specific subjects was remarkably difficult. And I needed the theory, not just grimoires. Casting someone else's rituals wasn't as important to me as understanding the principles behind the subject matter.

That said, while the return of my familiar was a pleasant surprise, the vast package was completely unexpected.

My eyes couldn't get tired, and neither could my hands. However, I was starting to feel a lightness in my head. The beginning of a migraine. This happened from time to time when I spent too much time hyper-focused on work, doing intense calculations or visualization.

Demons might be magical creatures, rather than biological ones, but our own 'hardware' seems to have its own limitations. I didn't stumble upon many, but they did exist.

For now, I just pushed through. I was about two-thirds done with what I was sure was an introductory letter and a barrage of critique, followed by some academic text.

Back when I originally sent my letter to the Äußerst, it took me a while to think of how to do it.

I didn't wish to introduce myself, yet I wanted the ones getting my correspondence to know it came from me, and I wanted a way to keep the communication secure. I needed both a way to identify myself and a way to secure the communication.

Cipher worked perfectly for both of those goals.

I conducted some testing and realized that when another language is used as a base, even a demon like me struggled reading a cipher, despite our innate, and seemingly outright magical linguistic gift.

Oh, I had no doubt that spells and abilities likely existed to brute force through most coded communication, but I was yet to stumble across such things.

Still, saying 'a cipher will work' is one thing. Introducing a good one that wouldn't be broken by a professional in a week of work is another.

Working with ciphers, frankly, simply wasn't a part of my profession back in my previous life. I encountered some ciphers, sure, but usually amongst ancient works or letters, and which were already decrypted and presented in a readable form. Either that, or pieces with uncracked ciphers that I had no chance of solving myself.

I was not an expert in linguistics or coded communications. Non-digital ciphers went out of style by the later part of the 20th century, so I doubt even most military personnel around the world had the right qualifications.

But I did tend to watch educational, in-depth content on topics adjacent to my own line of work.

Ironically, my doctoral work and background in constitutional, social and economic history made a great many topics adjacent to my fields of interest, if not outright within them.

And so, it just so happened that I was aware of a cipher used by a certain French Royal Family from the 17th century onwards. I had seen the in-depth explanation of it in full once, done in a video. Even flipped through the reference notes for decryption out of curiosity. It was back in the time when I worked with the original letters when writing one of the articles for the university journal.

And while normally all of that would've long faded from memory, as my introduction to the subject was very brief, with my curse, hearing or seeing an explanation once was enough.

Eventually, I wrote down both the cipher itself and a reference book for constructing and decrypting it. I call it a book, but it was more of a half-filled notepad, in truth.

Finally, I was done.

Taking a long look across the small stack of papers, flipping them, I shook my head, and gently set aside my plume, making sure to clean it properly, while my mind was elsewhere.

For a moment, I allowed myself some rest.

Then, opening my eyes again, I focused on the deciphered message before me.

"I rarely get surprised by the mages I don't know, but I admit, you managed it. This is the only reason I humor your request for utilizing this code of yours. Despite what you seem to think, you aren't the first to poke around inside a monster's heart. You are, however, the first to show this much patience, and I suppose the fact that your research can be practically utilized is a direct cause of that."

The informal tone of the latter wasn't overly surprising. I didn't know about the realities of Äußerst. The mages there may have an etiquette of the Northern nobility I remember from anime, or maybe they didn't. In any case, I wasn't even familiar with how people usually wrote letters in this world.

I liked the direct and to-the-point style of communication this Mage was demonstrating, even if the tone was a bit condescending.

"I will be frank, your education is atrocious. For someone who shows so much patience and dedication to the field research, you clearly didn't study enough tomes. You will rectify that. I sent you some study material on the adjacent topics, just so I won't have to suffer through your 'new and unique terminology'. Don't bother sending anything else until you familiarize yourself with existing studies and can use existing academic terms."

I nodded to myself. This was a fair critique and a very generous gift. I was quite excited to see what material the mage sent me.

I never expected someone to be so generous; if my emotions weren't what they are, I believe I would have felt grateful.

As for the critique, I knew full well how important proper terminology was. There were many things I hated in my world in the years prior to my death. Amongst them, the universal inability of people to know the meaning of the words they use daily.

I wasn't very well studied in Natural and Formal sciences, not enough to graduate with a bachelor's at least. I never had much of a talent for traditional sciences until I became what I am today. Even so, I was aware of how crucial the universal terminology was, especially for communication between experts who were discussing precise sciences. Terminology in academic circles was a way to save time and nerves for everyone involved when communicating complex ideas. This very much applies to magic. 

Asking me to adhere to the conventions of the City of Magic made sense, and I didn't mind the forceful language. I imagine my research journals weren't easy to get through. The person on the other end is simply venting some frustration.

"Now, with that out of the way, below are the corrections of some of the theories you proposed, which I know to be wrong. I annotated them to the corresponding tomes and pages where you can find what exactly I am referencing. Still, some of the things you wrote are such utter garbage that I won't even bother to correct them. If you properly study the material, you will understand why."

This was actually more than I ever hoped for when sending those letters.

This is invaluable! If this mage truly can use their position in Äußerst to check my theories, even just against their library, much less with practical testing, this can accelerate the rate of my work to an unbelievable level!

Feeling dull excitement in my chest, I looked at the second page of the transcribed letter.

"In any case, I won't belittle your work. What you did is interesting and must have been incredibly difficult; your work was brought before the Mage Council, and they, too, acknowledge that much. I hope that you will continue to be a pleasant surprise in the future.

S."

This was the end of the personal letter. What immediately followed was the critique of one of the theories I sent forward.

One of the broader ones, about the strange state of solidified magic that composed the core. From the brief glance, I could tell, the critique was brutal. This isn't unexpected; this theory was more of a 'shot in the dark'. I was surprised this one was even addressed, as the writer claimed my 'totally garbage theories' won't even be commented on.

Instead of reading deeper into it, I leaned back for a moment, allowing myself to rest.

All of this… was incredibly promising! Just from seeing one of my theories being so brutally dismantled, I could already tell that the one I was speaking with was truly a knowledgeable mage; my gamble couldn't have worked out better!

It's only a shame it took around… seven years for us to exchange letters.

***

A few decades later,

"...and then she just laughed!" Eigen threw his hands up in exasperation, pacing back and forth in the small side street. His path lay firmly between the back of the baker's shop and the well. "Right in my face! Like I'd told the funniest joke in the world!"

Eigen was a muscular lad, and a very well-built one for his age. Above average in height for his age, but taller than his companions, he carried himself with a constant boyish restless energy. His sandy blond hair was cropped short in a practical style, and his golden eyes were always darting around. He was dressed in a sturdy tunic in deep blue wool, reinforced leather bracers on his forearms, and well-fitted brown trousers tucked into tall boots designed for movement. A practice sword hangs at his hip, and everything about his appearance suggests someone who takes his martial training seriously, even if his personality sometimes undermines that impression.

Zaudern winced sympathetically from where he sat on the well's stone edge, absently rolling a small pebble between his fingers. "Maybe she... maybe she thought you were just messing with her?"

Zaudren was slightly shorter than Eigen, with the kind of lanky frame that suggests he hasn't quite grown into his limbs yet. His hair was dark brown and uncut for a while, partially obscuring his green eyes. He had a bad posture, despite the delicate features of his face, which hinted that he might grow into someone handsome. His clothing was simpler, a simple linen shirt that had seen better days, with small scorch marks along the sleeves from magical mishaps, and a leather apron that was too big for him, clearly handed down.

"Messing with her?" Eigen spun around, his voice cracking slightly. "I asked if she wanted to see me demonstrate the Falling Leaf technique Scharf taught me! How is that messing with her!?" Eigen shouted in exasperation, his face with a scattering of freckles across his nose, as always, open and expressive, quick to show every emotion.

Glühen, leaning against the baker's wall with his arms crossed, finally spoke up. "Because girls don't care how you swing your sword, you idiot. And because you messed with her constantly when we were younger, she cried constantly because of you. Why did you think that, after talking with this girl now, offering her to see you showing off was a good way to impress her?"

Unlike his two human friends, Glühen was a dwarf. He was shorter than the two human boys, but his shoulders were considerably larger. His reddish-brown hair was thick and unruly, and unlike the other two lads, he already had some facial growth, which he stubbornly refused to shave, hoping it would grow into a mustache and/or beard as soon as possible, which made him look a bit silly. That said, despite his age, Glühen arms were as thick as small logs; he looked like someone who could snap a cow's neck with his bare hands. The boy's clothing was practical and fire-resistant: a heavy cotton shirt in charcoal gray, leather pants that could withstand sparks, and thick-soled boots with metal reinforcements. Over this, he wears a leather vest with special loops made to carry tools, empty right now. Anyone just glancing at him could tell he was an apprentice blacksmith.

"I wasn't going to be showing off! I just worked really hard to get it right for months, and it looks super cool, and it's a really strong move too! It's..." Eigen started hotly.

"It's showing off," Glühen cut him off, his tone flat. "And Klug knows this. Good for her."

Every boy at some age was interested in swords; the two friends of Eigen were no exception. Unfortunately, the apprentice warrior was a bit of a show off, and was the only one trained in real combat arts, so the other two boys got tired years ago from him showing off the results of his training.

Zaudern cleared his throat nervously. "Well, I mean, Klug has always been... she's smart. Really smart. Maybe if you just talked to her about something she actually likes? Like... um..." He trailed off, clearly struggling.

"Like what?" Eigen demanded, exasperated, as he threw his arms wide. "Books? I don't read the same boring stuff she does. All those herbs and crap, it's just the lamest thing there is..."

"You don't read, period. Maybe just don't bother her," Glühen said bluntly, as he crossed his arms on his chest.

Eigen whirled on him. "Easy for you to say! When's the last time you even talked to a girl who wasn't buying something from your master's forge?"

Something flickered across Glühen's face... too quick to catch properly, but Zaudern noticed. He knew Glühen took some things personally and tended to carry grudges for days, and the shadow in his eyes told that the young dwarf was annoyed.

"That's... that's different," Glühen muttered, pushing off from the wall.

"Different how?" Eigen pressed, sensing weakness and pouncing.

"Just different." Glühen's jaw tightened. "Not everyone needs to make a fool of themselves chasing after..."

"Oh, come on!" Eigen grinned suddenly, his embarrassment forgotten in favor of this new target. "There is someone, isn't there? Who is it? The cooper's daughter? That girl who works at the..."

"There's no one," Glühen said firmly, but his ears had gone slightly red.

Zaudern bit back a smile. For all his stoic posturing, Glühen, just like the other boys, was still fourteen and terrible at hiding things. "Maybe we should just... drop it?" he suggested quietly.

"Drop it?" Eigen looked scandalized. "This is the most interesting thing that's happened all week! Glühen has a..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his attention suddenly caught by something across the square. His expression shifted from mischievous to puzzled.

"Who's that?"

Zaudern and Glühen followed his gaze. A lone figure was making his way through the square, moving with the kind of quiet purpose that somehow made him stand out more than the heavy cloak he wore during summer.

"Wait," Zaudern said slowly, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Is that..."

"The hermit," Glühen finished, his earlier embarrassment completely forgotten.

All three boys stared. They'd heard about him their entire lives, but sightings were rare. Zaudern's master had mentioned him once or twice. A man who lived alone in the wilderness, who'd been out there since before any of them were born. Maybe since before their parents were born.

The boys didn't really know, and few people in the town did. There were just stories about the man, some more trustworthy than others.

"He doesn't look that old," Eigen muttered, tilting his head. "I mean, I thought he'd be all... grey-bearded and bent over."

The man did look younger than the stories suggested, though it was hard to tell from this distance. There was something about the way he carried himself that reminded Glühen of the hunters and warriors shopping around in his pa's shop. There was a particular kind of watchful calm and focus to them, and to the hermit, too.

"My dad once mentioned that he comes to town maybe once or twice a year," Zaudern offered quietly. "Once during the Emberwake Festival, and once to buy supplies."

Eigen was a bit surprised; he thought the hermit visits were rare. Then again, it was always crowded during the dwarfish traditional festival that was celebrated in town, so spotting one man was almost impossible, and missing another visit within the year on a random day also wasn't too shocking.

Glühen just grunted. He also knew that the man visited Berg, who was his grandda's cousin's son, sometimes, but didn't see the reason to bring it up. When he asked Berg about the hermit last time, the grumbling man shooed him off, never telling him much of anything interesting.

"What's he do out there?" Eigen asked, his voice filled with the kind of fascination that always got him into trouble. "I mean, how does someone just... live in the wild for decades?"

Glühen shrugged, but his eyes never left the figure. "Same way people lived before there were towns, I guess."

"That's different," Eigen protested. "Those were whole tribes, families. This guy's alone." It wasn't hard to see what he meant.

The Sturmkamm Valley nowadays was almost completely cleansed of any really dangerous monsters, but the hermit didn't live in Sturmkamm Valley. Well, none of the boys knew where he lived; they weren't even sure if anyone in the town did, but that's how the rumors went at least. If he had a house in Sturmkamm Valley, they'd know.

But that's just the thing, the surrounding mountains were dangerous; everyone in town knew this, it was just common sense. Even traveling by roads required merchants to hire someone for protection more often than not, and the wilds were another thing entirely. Only hunters and adventurers explored the wilds! Going alone and unprepared was a good way to never be heard from again!

"The man is a powerful mage," Zaudern said, sensing the hermit's mana. "The 'how' doesn't really matter. But I wonder why…" The young artificer's apprentice sighed, shaking his head. It was pointless to dwell on it, he knew.

His aunt, under whom he was apprenticing, just said he was a weirdo when he asked. But a good kind of weirdo, according to her.

As if sensing their attention, the hermit paused near the fountain at the center of the square. He glanced around briefly. Not in a nervous manner, but seemingly just checking his surroundings in the automatic way of someone used to staying alert. For a moment, his gaze seemed to pass over their little group, and Zaudern felt a strange chill, though they couldn't really see the man's face due to the deep hood he always wore.

"Think he knows we're watching him?" Zaudern whispered to Eigen, who stood by his side.

"Everyone's watching him," Glühen pointed out. Indeed, other townspeople had noticed the visitor too, though most were trying to be subtle about their curiosity.

"Wonder what he is doing in the town now," Eigen said curiously, watching the man, "Emberwake is months away, and he doesn't seem to have a cart or… well, any bags on him, really."

Both other boys were surprised by Eigen's observation, but, now that it was said out loud, they noticed it too.

"Maybe there is some folk spell he knows…?" Glühen said, not sounding very sure.

Zaudern just shook his head.

"Remember I told you how he shopped at my aunt's place two years ago?" He asked his friends. "Well, he had lots of bags with him that time."

The other boys didn't say anything, but it was clear their curiosity was piqued.

They watched as the man passed by the tavern and headed deeper into the town.

"I think," Eigen spoke up, his voice alarmingly calm, "We should see for ourselves what he is here for."

Glühen turned to his friend, frowning.

"Eigen, no," He said, his voice annoyed, "This is dumb. We are not doing this."

Eigen turned to him, grinning.

"Hey, come on, it's not like any of us are busy with anything right now! 'sides, aren't you two curious?"

Zaudern kept silent, mostly because he hated arguing with Eigen when he was like this. And also because he was a bit curious.

Glühen, however, furrowed his eyebrows. He was curious too, but…

"It's not proper."

Eigen sighed in exasperation.

"Proper this, proper that, stop being a buzzkill!" Eigen said, with a gesture inviting both boys to follow, as he, with a peppy step, stalked out of the alley, "It's not like we are gonna do anything bad, let's just see where he goes!"

Glühen and Zaudern exchanged glances. The dwarf sighed, but shaking his head, followed. Zaudern trailed after his friends, as always, just feeling resigned…

***

The trio followed the cloaked figure for a while, seeing him speak with some of the dwarves around town. Now, while they were curious about what he was asking them, they didn't really dare to come close enough to listen in.

Eventually, the hermit went inside the tavern, and after a brief argument between Glühen and Eigen, which predictably consisted of Eigen rallying his friends and the dwarf complaining, they went after him.

The tavern wasn't very busy at this hour; folk usually gathered in the evening, not just after lunch.

As the three of them entered, they noticed that the hermit was sitting down next to…

"That's Berg," Eigen said quite excitedly, in a hushed whisper.

Glühen grunted in agreement, obviously recognizing his relative, too.

Berg was famous around the town; he was in the expedition that discovered the Silberherz deposits here, where this very town now stood. He was also one of those who helped establish and defend the original mine, around which eventually this town was built, and overall was regarded as a bit of a local hero. He was quite a powerful warrior whose opinion mattered to the folk. Even the brugemaster and hired adventurers listened to him and asked him for advice.

While his friends were practically frozen, the one who saved the situation was Zaudern.

The apprentice artificer smiled pleasantly at the tavern girl who maneuvered towards them as they entered, and without skipping a beat, spoke up.

"Ah, h-hi Munter…" The boy addressed the tavern girl who approached them. "Can we get that table?" He asked, pointing at a nice place near the wall, not too far from the table occupied by the hermit and Berg, "We wanted to have a quick lunch."

Munter smiled widely, her eyes focusing on Glühen, recognizing the boy, who worked not too far from here, and even ate here sometimes. While Zaudern clearly recognized the sunny and pretty tavern girl, she didn't recognize him.

"Of course! You are all Glühen friends, eh?"

Now all the boys paid attention to the woman, Glühen specifically grumbled something to himself quietly.

Everyone ignored him, it was known that it was something the boy did.

"We sure are," Eigen said, beaming, "Come along, guys, I wanna rest my legs a bit!" He said, not too loudly, inviting his friends along, playing it up for Munter. A hidden urgency and curiosity in his eyes.

As they sat down, they made their order and tried very hard to overhear what the two local celebrities were talking about.

"...it's not the collapse twelve years ago..." The hermit's voice drifted over, melodic but cold, before being swallowed by the clink of mugs from some other occupied table.

The boys leaned forward subtly, straining to catch more.

"What's he saying?" Eigen whispered urgently.

"Shh," Zaudern hissed back, just as Munter returned with wooden plates and cups.

"Three meat pies and small ales," she announced cheerfully, setting down their food with practiced efficiency. The brief commotion covered whatever the hermit had been saying next.

They could see some of his blonde hair poking out of the hood, but his face remained largely hidden. Berg's profile was clearer, and they watched his expression grow more serious.

"...tragic, but you are right..." came another fragment of the Hermit's words, as the tavern momentarily quieted.

"Did he say 'tragic' or 'badgers'?" Glühen muttered under his breath.

Before anyone could respond, a group of hunters at the bar burst into laughter, drowning out the next several sentences completely. The boys exchanged frustrated glances.

"...more than a mining accident," they finally caught, the hermit's detached tone cutting through the ambient noise.

Zaudern nearly choked on his ale. "Mining accident? Which one?"

"The collapse at Nordgrube, has to be," Glühen whispered back, his voice grim, naming the distant mine that had claimed many lives back when the three of them were babies.

They were barely aware at the time, but all three heard it being mentioned. There were quite a lot of new mines being worked those days, as new deposits were discovered, and Nordgrube was a grim warning people constantly brought up. A reminder to do proper surveys before greedily digging into the stone, to not be foolish like with the Nordgrube, a mine opened by a few opportunists who decided to cut costs.

It was a known story: the miners found something. Either a lava vein or one of the many reactive flaming ores, the result was still the same. By the time people recognized something was wrong and came to the remote mine, even the entrance was half-melted, and all the support had burned and collapsed.

It was as if something very hot started to burn without stopping deep underground. No one even bothered trying to reopen the mine or recover the bodies. Nordgrube completely collapsed, the mine shaft likely melted deeper down, and with those temperatures, there were no bodies to recover. Needless to say, there were no survivors either. There were plenty of other deposits in the area, so people weren't eager to reopen that particular mine. The place was avoided, considered haunted, because all the vegetation there died from the heat.

Berg's gruff voice carried better: "Well, you ain't the type to 'cry monster' for nothing." A pause as he took a sip. "So I'd guess you sensed something there?"

The word 'monster' made all three boys freeze mid-chew.

The hermit nodded curtly, though his response was lost as Munter bustled past their table, collecting empty mugs from other patrons. When she moved away, they caught: "...equipment in my workshop is calibrated..."

"Workshop?" Eigen mouthed silently.

"...thrown off again and again for weeks..."

A merchant at another table chose that moment to loudly negotiate with his companion about grain prices, swearing on his poor mother's health, and the boys missed what sounded like several important sentences. Eigen quietly cursed, something about that man needing to shank his mother less if he wanted her to be healthier.

The boys could see the hermit speaking steadily, his posture unnaturally still, but caught only fragments:

"...narrowed down my search to that mine..."

"...periods of activity..."

"...sensed something down there, in the depths..."

Glühen leaned so far forward he nearly fell off his stool. "He's talking about the old Nordgrube mine," he whispered urgently, this time certain.

Berg, meanwhile, looked thoughtful, glancing into his mug for a long few seconds. When he spoke, his voice was quieter, and they had to strain even harder to hear.

"...not much of a miner, I have no idea..."

The rest was lost as the tavern girl started to offload plates to the bar counter, the *thunks* echoing through the common room.

"...keep distance..." Berg's voice emerged from the noise, "...take it easy for a few days..."

More words they couldn't catch, then clearer: "...dwarves who can investigate around the mine too..."

"Question is, what ye're gonna do?"

The hermit's response was immediate and clear: "I'll head back to it and investigate." Never moving a single inch as he spoke, "I don't mind keeping watch until your kin arrives. I'll run some tests, and if it is a creature of some sort, I'll be able to either kill it or in the worst case scenario, retreat and warn the town."

The boys exchanged wide-eyed looks. A creature? A monster?

Berg snorted, shaking his head.

"Should've expected that, ye're as reckless as ever. Years may change, but ye don't."

The hermit tilted his head by just a degree, but to the teenagers watching, it was really noticeable just due to how still the man was.

"I don't see how caution is recklessness. But I suppose that's simply what dwarf sensibilities are like."

The aforementioned dwarf didn't seem offended; he just snorted, waving his head dismissively and laughing quietly, even as the hermit rose to his feet, clearly preparing to leave.

"Fuck off, ye're the last one I want to hear complaining about my common sense."

"There is nothing common about your senses." Zaudern, from his spot, could swear he saw a small curling on the lips of the now standing hermit.

Berg glanced down in front of him.

"Don't die," The dwarf told the taller man seriously. "I will be there with someone in a day at most. Ye don't have to do it alone."

"I won't." The hermit said, and the boys weren't sure which of Berg's concerns he was addressing. With a -cool- gesture, he made his staff levitate to his hand and headed towards the exit.

The boys exchanged quick glances, even as they observed Berg finishing his drink and getting up to go somewhere, too. Probably to gather the right folk for the job.

For a while, they were quiet.

"We c-cant," Zaudern preemptively denied, shaking his head desperately, "I-it's just too dangerous! It's in the Lawine Valley, and there are wild monsters there! You know that place is absolutely off-limits to us!"

Eigen snorted, waving off his concern.

"Come on, the three of us can handle a few monsters," He said dismissively, his eyes shining in excitement, "Just think about this, we can get to see the hermit fight! If half of the things people say about him are true, he is to normal mage adventurers is what Berg is to warriors, it will be amazing!"

Glühen, as always, was quick to rain on his parade.

"Or we can see him camp there for a day until Berg shows up with whatever master hewers and deputy overmen he could gather on short notice." The blacksmith apprentice shook his head, "I doubt the hermit will thank us if it turns out to be a monster."

"Yes, that thing melted an entire mine!" Zaudern said, his voice a touch fearful, "It's not the kind of thing we can help with!"

"I know!" Eigen said, annoyed, shaking his head, "But you guys don't get it, we don't have to approach him or the mine! Just camp some distance away and watch! If something bad happens, we can run to the town to warn the guards!" He explained heatedly, "Besides, you two are curious too, aren't you?!"

The pair couldn't really say anything to that.

"Lads, we have to," Eigen pressed heatedly, "He is alone there. If something happens to the hermit, and it is a monster, there is no one to warn the town!" He continued, his eyes shining, "We won't get in the way, won't be a problem, and if anyone asks, we were just fishing, cuz our river is overfished."

Glühen folded his hands on his chest, looking uncomfortable.

"I don't like this. You aren't roping me into this one Eigen, I swear to the goddess, this time you aren't dragging me into something that will get my arse whiped…"

***

"You are an arsehole," Glühen said glummily, sitting in the same bush as Eigen and Zaudern. The trio was currently observing the mage who was… doing something next to the collapsed mine.

"Come on, stop complaining already," Eigen laughed it off quietly, "You were as curious as me!"

Glühen grumbled, something about 'arseholes' and 'not letting someone kill themselves'.

Zaudren, however, never took his eyes from the mage, studying his actions with furrowed brows.

Eigen noticed that.

"What's he doing?" The boy asked impatiently.

Zaudren didn't respond immediately, studying how the hermit was drawing lines of light in the thin air, while simultaneously shaping some geometrical shapes on the ground with spell-less telekinesis.

The control this mage had over his mana was insane! But as to what he was doing…

"I have no idea," The apprentice artificer admitted awkwardly, his face frozen with focus, "It kind of looks like… the rituals done to help apprentices exercise. Like, small formations to calm surrounding mana fluctuations, I guess." Though obviously, nothing that Zaudren saw before.

There were similar enhancements around his aunt's workshop, where he studied making minor magical items. It helped with concentration and some specific mana manipulations necessary to engrave lasting enhancements.

"Now that you mentioned it, I see it," Glühen quietly agreed.

Unlike Zaudern, he wasn't a mage at all. He knew no spells, at least not yet. But his grandpa always told him that a proper dwarven smith needs to be able to work with all ores. Including magical ones. So, just like Zaudern, he was taught some very basic magical exercises when he was a wee lad.

It was because of that the trio stayed undetected. Zaudern naturally knew how ot hide his mana, at least as long as he didn't move around too quickly and wasn't trying to cast spells or sense mana. Glühen also knew how to hide his mana as long as he stayed perfectly still. Eigen was born with an abyssal magical talent, so his presence wasn't terribly hard to miss either.

As far as the boys were concerned, mages could only actively sense mana from someone when that person was actively casting spells, or was really strong.

"It may just be a component for some alarm spell he is setting up," Zaudern offered, unsure. "If he is searching for a monster, it must be really deep underground. So sensing it is…"

*drummmmmm…*

The boys froze.

It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but something shook under their feet. Deep down.

A few seconds passed.

*drummmmmm…*

They sat in the bush, frozen.

*drummmmmm…*

For a few long seconds, they waited for another tremor. But nothing happened.

"Hermit is right," Glühen whispered, grimmly, his hands nervously playing with the handle of a small, traditional dwarven throwing axe, "Whatever this is, it ain't natural."

"Wow…" Eigen said, taping the mud and leaves with a stick beneath his feet, unsurely. "It's not even just a shake, it's like my legs were vibrating… felt kinda nice." He finished with a small grin before glancing up. "Did you notice that no birds reacted? They and the cattle always go mad when there are ground shakes…"

"T-there were no birds here," Zaudern said quietly. He noticed it before, but there were no bird calls in the surroundings that they could hear when they came to Nordgrube. "I thought it was just because the place is cursed…"

"Hm," Glühen said quietly, "Good eye, I didn't notice."

Neither did Eigen, who was actually trained a bit by his master to spot subtleties… he still wasn't very good at it. So with his ears burning a bit, the energetic boy just didn't comment.

While the three boys talked, the hermit only paused his work briefly. He quickly returned back to it, seemingly even deeper in focus.

They notice him approaching a lone boulder not far from the entrance to the mine, and levitating it up with his stuff, before he started to engrave something on it.

"He must've sensed this too," Glühen muttered what they all thought, "Wonder what he is doing…"

Zaudern didn't comment, watching closely. He couldn't sense mana properly when focusing on hiding his own, but he was just trying to make sense of what the hermit was doing. This looked like an enhancement! He could swear he saw his master apply similar geometrical structures, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what enchantment he saw it in, beyond it being far too advanced for him to study yet…

"We'll see." Eigen just said, getting more comfortable in his spot.

He was prepared to stay here for a while!

***

Shakes repeated a few more times. All the boys could swear they lasted longer and were stronger each time.

The sound was feeling closer too…

Hours passed, and soon the sun was starting to roll past the horizon. Still, nothing interesting happened at all.

The boys didn't even have to fight off any monsters. They weren't attacked by any, neither on the way here, nor now, and one of the three boys always kept an eye out for an attack. That's just common sense, as far as the boys were concerned.

The hermit had finished his work on the boulder some time ago and now stood in contemplative stillness near the collapsed mine entrance. Whatever enchantment he had carved into the stone remained inactive, though Zaudern could see faint traces of mana flowing through the geometric patterns when he squinted just right. Which meant there was a serious amount of energy involved, despite what people thought, mana wasn't normally visible to the naked eye.

"What do you think he's waiting for?" Eigen whispered, shifting his weight to ease the cramping in his legs. They had been crouched in the same position for nearly three hours now. "It's obvious it's something alive at this point. Wouldn't ambushing it before it can get into open space be a better idea?"

"That's if he can protect himself from the heat that can melt stone. In a place with no air ventilation," Glühen replied quietly, his grip tightening on his throwing axe. "No, fighting in a mine would be a nightmare. Even if he has spells to excavate enough stone to even be able to descend through all the collapses inside."

Zaudern nodded absently, though his attention remained fixed on the hermit's posture. There was something about the man's absolute stillness that suggested he was not merely waiting, but actively monitoring something. The way he held his staff, the slight tilt of his hooded head, it was eerie. Reminded him of some venomous insect waiting for a perfect moment.

*drummmmmm…*

The vibration came again, stronger this time. Zaudern felt it travel up through his bones, making his teeth ache slightly. The rhythm had changed, too; what had been irregular tremors were now coming in a more consistent pattern. It was almost never quitting down anymore.

"It's getting closer to the surface," he observed, his voice barely audible.

Eigen's eyes lit up with excitement despite the obvious danger. "Do you think it's trying to dig its way out? What even is this, a really big mole?"

"Moles don't melt entire mines," Glühen pointed out dryly, though his own curiosity was evident in how intently he watched the hermit for any reaction.

A mix of adrenaline from fear, excitement, and fascination filled the boys up.

The hermit, for his part, had not moved. If he was concerned about the increasing intensity of the tremors, he gave no sign of it. His staff remained planted firmly in the rocky ground, and he himself sat on the ground. It looked like he was meditating. For hours by this point.

*drummmmmm… drummmmmm…*

Now the vibrations were coming in pairs, and Zaudern could swear he felt heat rising from the ground beneath them. Not much, but…

"Is it just me, or is it getting warmer?" he asked nervously.

Glühen tested the ground with his palm, then quickly pulled his hand back. "It's not just you. The dirt is warm to the touch."

Which was concerning, because dirt wasn't something that transferred heat easily.

Eigen, ever the optimist, grinned. "Well, at least we'll get to see some real magic in action. When's the last time any of us saw a proper battle spell?"

"Never, because we're smart enough not to go looking for them," Glühen muttered, but he made no move to leave their hiding spot.

The truth was, despite their growing unease, all three boys were transfixed by the unfolding situation. This was the kind of adventure that happened to other people: heroes in stories, or professional adventurers with proper training and equipment. Not to three teenagers from a mining town who should have been helping with afternoon chores instead of spying on local legends.

*drummmmmm… drummmmmm… drummmmmm…*

The rhythm was becoming more insistent now, almost like a heartbeat. And with each pulse, the temperature continued to rise. Zaudern noticed that the few hardy weeds growing near the mine entrance were beginning to wilt, their leaves curling inward as if trying to escape an invisible flame.

The air near the mine entrance… was shivering. Not unlike what one could see near an active forge.

"Look at the hermit," Glühen said suddenly.

For the first time since they had begun watching, the hooded figure had moved. Not much, just a slight adjustment in his stance, the staff shifting by perhaps an inch. But after hours of absolute stillness, even that small movement felt significant.

Zaudern licked his suddenly dry lips. "Whatever's down there, it's about to surface."

The boys had chosen their hiding spot well, tucked behind a cluster of stunted pine trees about fifty meters from the main mine entrance, and a few berry bushes. What had drawn them to this particular location was not just the clear line of sight to the hermit, but also the presence of what appeared to be an old maintenance shaft nearby. It was barely visible; just a circular depression in the ground, partially concealed by fallen rocks and overgrown with thorny shrubs that had somehow managed to survive in the increasingly barren landscape around Nordgrube.

Zaudern had noticed it when they first arrived and dismissed it as unimportant. It was clearly too small for a person to fit through, perhaps originally designed as a ventilation shaft or emergency access point for the miners below. The opening was maybe two feet across at most, and the boys had actually used the rocky debris around it to steady themselves during their long vigil.

"My legs are going numb," Eigen complained quietly, shifting his position so that he was leaning against one of the larger stones that had once covered the old shaft

"However long it takes," Glühen replied, though he too was growing restless. The dwarf had positioned himself on the other side of the depression, using it as natural cover while keeping watch for any monsters that might approach from their flanks.

Zaudern remained focused on the hermit, but he had unconsciously moved closer to the concealed opening as well, finding that the slightly elevated position gave him a better view of the magical workings the hermit had been performing. None of them paid any attention to the shaft itself; it seemed as dead and abandoned as everything else in this cursed place.

The words had barely formed in Zaudern's mind when the pattern of vibrations changed again. Instead of the rhythmic drumming they had grown accustomed to, there came a grinding, scraping sound, like metal being dragged across stone, but magnified a hundredfold.

*scrrrrraaaape… scrrrrraaaape…*

"That doesn't sound like digging anymore," Eigen observed, his earlier excitement giving way to genuine concern.

"No," Glühen agreed grimly, glancing nervously at the main mine entrance where the hermit stood ready. "That sounds like claws."

What none of them realized was that the sound was not coming from the direction they were watching. It was coming from directly beneath their feet, traveling up through the forgotten maintenance shaft they had been using as convenient seating for the past several hours. The old ventilation system of Nordgrube had been extensive, with multiple access points scattered across the mountainside; a fact that had been forgotten by most due to time and poor record-keeping after the mine's catastrophic collapse.

"It's seriously getting way too hot," Eigen whispered, never taking his eyes from the main mine and wiping the sweat from his face… when he noticed something.

The shaft they stood by was mostly clogged. By branches, leaves, and even stones. But the fallen branches inside are starting to smoulder… revealing a crimson, angry light.

"Lads…" Eigen said, his voice fearful enough to attract the attention of his friends.

Who also glanced down, and so what he's seen. Just in time for the overheated, shimmering air to blast from the hole, as if it were a genuine furnace.

"It's under us…" Glühen whispered.

"RUN!" Zaudern once again reacted before his friends, grabbing both of them by the shoulders, and starting to sprint towards the mine entrance - and the hermit by it.

The three boys stumbled forward in desperate flight, their feet catching on loose stones and tangled roots as they crashed through the undergrowth. Zaudern's grip on his friends' shoulders had broken almost immediately as they began their panicked sprint, each of them now running with the singular focus of putting distance between themselves and whatever horror was emerging behind them.

"Don't look back!" Glühen shouted, though his own voice cracked with the effort of speaking while running. The dwarf's shorter legs worked furiously to keep pace with his human companions, his throwing axe bouncing at his hip with each jarring step.

Eigen, despite his athletic training, found himself gasping for air as terror gave his legs a speed he had never achieved in practice. His mind raced with fragmented thoughts of what they had just witnessed: the smoldering branches, the angry crimson light, the blast of superheated air that had felt like opening the door to a forge.

Behind them, the temperature continued to rise at an alarming rate. The stone rim of the forgotten ventilation shaft began to glow with a dull red heat, and the rocks that had partially concealed it started to crack and split with sharp popping sounds. The thorny shrubs that had grown around the opening withered instantly, their dried remains catching fire and adding their own smoke to the increasingly thick air.

Zaudern risked a glance over his shoulder despite Glühen's warning and immediately wished he had not. The stones around the shaft were no longer merely hot - they were beginning to melt, their edges softening and dripping like candle wax. The sight was so unnatural, so wrong, that it sent a fresh surge of panic through his already racing heart.

"It's melting the rocks!" he gasped, but his words were lost in the sound of their frantic footsteps and labored breathing.

They had covered perhaps thirty meters when the world behind them erupted.

*KRAAAAGHHH-THOOM!*

First was the roar. It started deep and approached ever closer. Only Glühen immediately recognized it.

That's how the flames roared when they got truly hot and were fed enough air.

The explosion came not as a single blast but as a volcanic surge that split the earth around the old shaft. Molten rock and liquid fire burst upward in a geyser of destruction, accompanied by a screech so piercing and alien that it seemed to bypass their ears entirely and resonate directly in their bones. The sound was neither fully animal nor entirely mechanical; it was a shriek of roaring flame itself, with hissing, grinding undertones, which to the boys felt deeply, utterly unnatural.

The force of the eruption sent a wave of superheated air racing across the mountainside, singeing the back of Eigen's neck and filling the boys' lungs with acrid smoke that tasted of sulfur and burning metal. The blast illuminated the darkening sky with an angry orange glow, casting their fleeing shadows long and distorted across the rocky ground.

Through the billowing smoke and dancing flames, something moved. The boys, who started to fold over themselves coughing, and as such were able to witness it, caught only the briefest glimpse of it as they continued to try and get away.

A massive, segmented form that seemed to be composed entirely of living fire and molten stone, as if clad in darkness itself… no, not darkness, smog. Pitch black smog. It rose from the shattered earth like a literal nightmare, its precise shape obscured by the thick, choking smog that poured from its emergence point.

What they could see defied easy description. There were too many legs flashing from the smoke, ash, and airborne dirt, each one emerging for brief moments from the glare of fire and magma, which kept spitting out flames. Something that might have been a head emerged for a moment, crowned with what could have been horns or mandibles, though the wavering heat distortion made it impossible to tell where the creature ended and the flames began.

"S-schattenbrand," Glühen whispered, his eyes full of genuine, primal terror, "T-the fire in the deep…"

The other boys didn't know what he was on about. But Glühen was a dwarf. He was part of a big family, a clan, and many of his relatives were miners. He heard a lot of tales.

Schattenbrand was a legend. A grim, quiet tale told to children, a warning tale to teach the young that greed is dangerous.

In dwarven folklore, there were a few stories about those monsters. They were said to appear when the miners dug too greedily and too deeply into the earth, trying to extract every bit of precious metal from the mines. This is when Schattenbrand appeared. A being of living fire and shadow, that lived deep within the earth, was disturbed by the greed. It would pass through the mine like a tornado of flames and liquid rock, washing away every unfortunate soul, only to come to the surface.

Outside, there was simply a mine; the creature would burn miles around itself, until there was nothing left but ash. And then it would burrow back, returning into the depths of the earth to its sleep.

But in legends, sometimes, the mines were inside towns, and Schattenbrand found itself in them… that's when towns and cities disappeared.

There was a custom amongst dwarven miners. To never exhaust the vein, they were working completely, always leaving some behind. A superstition. This monster was attributed as the source of it.

This was a mythical species of monsters. Like a Kraken for the seamen. A monster that Glühen didn't truly believe was real, thinking it was just a cautionary tale, another made-up monstrosity to teach kids to act right.

But it was here. Clad in shadows, made of living flame, traveling with the very furry of the depths… There was no mistake.

"Glühen! Glühen, damn you!" He was shaken by the laughing Eigen, "Stop staring, we need to go!" Seeing that his friend wasn't reacting, the young warrior gave his shaken friend a strong slap.

Seeing some sense return to his friend's face, he spoke up again in a panicked tone.

"We need to keep running to the hermit we…"

The children were oblivious to the fact that the initial eruption threw a lot of flaming stones and lava into the air. It was falling around them here and there, but generally, there was far enough for it not to be too much of an issue.

But here and now, Eigen froze. He saw a flaming piece of cooling, but still bright red rock fall towards them from the sky. He knew he needed to jump away, but his body was frozen, completely locked in place, and he…

The air buzzed as a blue barrier ignited right on the path of a falling rock. The rock impacted it and exploded, cracking the clearly magical shield, which disappeared a moment later.

Eigen was shocked and speechless for a moment.

"G-good one Zaudern, didn't know you could…" He was speaking as he turned to his friend, but instead of a familiar apprentice, he suddenly found the figure of the hermit, whom he had completely forgotten about, standing right by his side, his staff raised in the air.

The man slowly lowered it.

"You three shouldn't be here," He said, his voice cold, making Eigen squirm.

He noted that a frozen Zaudern stood behind the mage.

"Y-yeah we… khaff!" Just trying to speak, Eigen found himself starting to cough his lungs out, as he doubled over.

The others, outside of the hermit, didn't seem to be doing much better, he noticed through the tears in his eyes.

"I see." The hermit didn't move, but a… wave spread from him. It pushed back the smog all around them… no, that's not right. The smog disappeared as the invisible barrier expanded.

Seeing their eyes on him, the hermit spoke up again.

"This… this is Schattenbrand… It's a mythical monster…" Glühen spoke up, never taking his eyes from the aforementioned being, who seemed to finally finish emerging from the ground. The monster was three meters tall, and the boys couldn't say how long its segmented, flaming body was. "C-can you… can you even do anything?" The boy asked the hermit, his voice disbelieving.

"We will see." The man said, stepping forward, and starting to slowly walk towards it. "Get behind me, but not further than twenty meters. I can't dispel smoke too far away."

The boys immediately understood. Whatever magic the hermit used was the only thing allowing them to breathe. Without it, they might have just choked.

This valley was notorious for having almost no wind. Without any wind, those three couldn't hope to run away by themselves. They will just suffocate, like people trapped in a house on fire.

Especially now, when the flame spread by the Schattenbrand ignited the surrounding trees.

The heat from it, even at this distance, was as if they stood next to a flaming bonfire.

It was Zaudern who could truly feel it. How mana ignited like a hurricane around the hermit as he wove the spell. 

Ground rose up, forming layers upon layers of walls between the monster and the mage, and then, above hermet, two dozen azure spheres ignited.

"Kraftstoß Barrage," The mage chanted, and his prepared spells streaked towards the monster.

The monster was in a burnt-out crater, inside an inferno of its own creation. Lava oozed under its countless flaming legs, and its body was coiling onto itself, letting it elevate its 'head' higher, as the monster seemed to survey the surroundings.

It was when it was rising in a spire of dark flames that the Hermit's spells reached it.

It was riddled with explosions, its body made of lava and fire splashing away or outright unwinding from the explosions of mana.

*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH*

The chillingly familiar roar of flames, and the beast turned towards the Hermit, and the three teenagers, frozen in fear and shock, hiding behind him. They could see how the lava splashing from the monster's 'wounds' fell on the ground, like gore or blood, but something from within the monster's body swelled, and the damage was being restored right before their eyes.

With an ungodly, familiar sound of scraping, the monster started to rush towards the one who attacked it, but the hermit seemed unconcerned.

"Cover your noses. Stay where you are." The hermit said, glancing back for a moment, cold blue eyes measuring the trio for an instant, before he exploded into motion.

The mage dashed to his left, spheres igniting around him and bombarding the flaming centipede-like monster, making it turn towards the man instead of rushing in the same direction.

"He's fast," Eigen breathed out, watching the mage move with a speed befitting a professional warrior, not a spellcaster!

He accepted the piece of cloth Glühen passed him, before everything around them was once again swallowed by smog, this time even thicker.

Immediately, the kids ceased being able to see much and started to cough.

"We… cough… need… to get out…" Zaudern gasped between violent coughing fits, pressing the cloth Glühen had given him tighter against his nose and mouth. His words came in desperate fragments as he struggled for air.

"Can't… cough cough… we'll choke… wheeze… before making it out…" Glühen denied, doubling over as his own lungs rebelled against the acrid smoke.

Eigen wiped tears from his streaming eyes, trying to peer through the dense smoke that had swallowed them once more. The sounds of battle raged somewhere ahead: explosive bursts of mana, the creature's alien shrieks, and the grinding scrape of its movement across stone. But they could see nothing beyond the choking gray wall that surrounded them.

"The hermit… cough… said to stay put," Eigen wheezed, his voice barely audible through the makeshift mask. "cough cough… He can keep the air… gasp… clear around us, when he comes back…"

"What if… violent coughing… what if he loses?" Zaudern asked desperately, his words broken by fits that left him gasping. "wheeze… What if that thing kills him? We'll be… cough… trapped here!"

Glühen shook his head, though the gesture was barely visible in the murk. "cough… Look around us… gasp… you idiot. Half the mountainside… cough cough… is on fire now. Even if we could… wheeze… breathe, where would we run to?"

"But we can't just… violent coughing fit… stand here and hope!" Zaudern protested between gasps, his voice cracking with panic and smoke damage. "If the hermit falls… cough… we're dead anyway. At least if we… wheeze… try to run now…"

"To what? cough cough… Suffocate halfway down… gasp… the mountain?" Eigen cut him off, though his own voice carried doubt. The heat was becoming unbearable even as they struggled to breathe, and each attempted word sent them into fresh coughing spasms.

The argument might have continued, but they were interrupted by a new sound cutting through the chaos of battle: something massive moving through the smoke, accompanied by the deep grinding of stone against stone. It was different from the creature's skittering approach, heavier and more deliberate.

*thoom… thoom… thoom…*

The footsteps shook the ground beneath their feet, each impact sending tremors up through their bones. But unlike the earlier vibrations that had signaled the monster's emergence, these felt controlled, purposeful.

"What now?" Glühen whispered, raising his throwing axe with trembling hands.

Through the billowing smoke, a shape began to emerge: towering, angular, moving with ponderous but inexorable steps. As it drew closer, the boys could make out more details, and their fear gave way to amazement.

It was unmistakably a golem, standing nearly five meters tall and carved from the same gray stone as the mountainside. Its form was roughly humanoid but blocky, with thick limbs and a broad torso that spoke of immense strength. Most remarkably, its entire surface was covered in intricate geometric patterns that glowed with the same blue light they had seen in the hermit's magic…

Zaudern immediately recognized the marking.

"The boulder," Zaudern breathed in recognition. "That's the boulder the hermit was working on!"

Indeed, they could see now that the massive stone the hermit had spent hours carving had somehow been part of this walking fortress.

The golem moved past their position without acknowledgment, the small boulder replacing its head fixed on the battle ahead that the children couldn't see through the smog. Where the creature's flames had melted and cracked the ground, the golem's heavy feet found purchase, each step leaving perfect impressions in the superheated stone.

For a while, the three teenagers were left to their own devices, coughing their lungs out as they slowly choked. The sound of the battle afar didn't change.

*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH*

Then there was the roar. It sounded almost indignant.

Eigen felt his vision swim. He had long since been sitting on the ground, but suddenly he felt things completely lose shape, as if he was spun around. He fell on the ground.

He knew he was passing out.

His lungs were on fire, but he couldn't make himself take another breath. He would die here; this is the end. He felt so angry and so scared, because he knew it was his fault.

Suddenly, the smoke disappeared. So did the heaviness in his lungs.

Greedily, Eigen sucked in the air, not feeling any… weight in his lungs anymore, as he sat up straight.

He could see his friends having a similar reaction.

The Hermit, with strange gentleness, held back Zaudern, to whom he was the closest, from trying to sit up.

"Rest, we have a moment." He said, his voice the same emotional, cold tone.

Zaudern never felt as reassured in his life as he was now, hearing him.

"What… how…?" He asked, between long inhales, his lungs greedily devouring precious air.

"Originally, this was a dust-cleaning spell. Folk Magic. I modified it so it affects more particles than just dust, to clean my study… when I cast it just now, it erased the ash and residue in your lungs, but you are still oxygen starved, don't move too much or you may pass out."

The calm explanation.

Seeing the man glance at Eigen and Glühen, both boys followed his advice too, letting their heads rest on the grass for now.

"The golem… can it win?" Eigen asked, wincing as he glanced at the Hermit. The man's cloak was smouldering; he could see its edges being literally burnt through.

The Hermit slowly shook his head.

"I engraved fire-repelling enchantment on it. But it repels fire, not heat. It will melt." There was not a shadow of a doubt in his voice as the man glanced at the ground between the trio. "I expected a monster that used fire. Not one made of it."

The hermit's eyes stopped on Glühen.

"You, dwarf boy, you know this monster. If I grab the three of you and run to Sturmkamm Town, will it follow us?"

Glühen shuddered, shaking his head quickly.

"I… I don't know."

The Hermit simply nodded.

"Can the three of you conceal your mana?" He asked, and then Zaudern felt his bonfire of mana just… disappear. "At least to this level?"

Zaudern shook his head.

"N-no… I am the only mage apprentice… and even I can't…" Until today, Zaudern didn't even know any mage could suppress their mana to such an extent.

"Then we can't run," Hermit said quietly, his eyes focused beyond the 20-meter wide cone free of smog around them.

The first one to speak up was Eigen.

"E-every monster has a heart, right?" The apprentice warrior asked hopefully, feeling well enough to sit up straight, "Y-your spells can tear its body so… you can just hit the core, and kill it, right?"

Glühen was the only one who sat just at the right angle to see a distant flash of flame briefly illuminate the mage's face. The dwarf ceased breathing for a moment because… the Hermit looked so young. Like a man barely past his twentieth winter. The look in his eyes was so terrifying, detached.

An elf. He was an elf, Glühen realized with sudden clarity.

"I can't sense its core. I couldn't even sense its mana until it erupted from the ground," The Hermit admitted quietly. "My hypothesis is that the monster merges its energy with the lava, dispersing it and thus making it almost invisible, and integrates the lava around it into itself when needed. It produces so much heat that the ground beneath it melts, and it can use that molten rock to regenerate its body using barely any energy. I suspect it can also shift the position of its core within its body. I will need to bombard a specific area of its carapace to dig deep enough to reach the core, but while I do it, it will be able to move its core somewhere else. And seeing that regeneration should cost it much less than it does for normal monsters, I won't outlast it."

The mage slowly breathed out, staring somewhere in front of him.

All in their own ways, the three teenagers suddenly started to understand the situation. The Hermit couldn't retreat with them, because they couldn't hide their mana. He can't fight with them because they are too weak, and he can't let them run away or stay close by, because they will suffocate.

The only one who could escape was the Hermit. If he abandoned the three of them to their well-deserved fate.

"You… you need to leave us and warn the town," Glühen spoke up. The boy's voice was shaking, but strangely firm. "The dwarf clans will know what to do…"

The man glanced at the dwarven boy. After he said his peace, he wasn't shaking anymore. There was resolve on his face. He spared a glance at the other two, and even though they looked terrified… no one objected.

Zaudern wanted, his mind was desperately searching for an alternative. Eigen wanted to deny it too. But they couldn't, and somehow, the three boys, only thirteen years of age, were prepared to face death.

For a long second, there was silence.

"I am not leaving children to die." He rose to his feet, glancing towards the battle in the distance again, where the horrific screech of flames and crashes rang out periodically. "Don't bother bringing it up again."

"There… there is a lake in the valley," Eiegen said, licking his dry lips.

"Too far. The golem is almost done for. I won't make it alone there, much less with the three of you," The hermit answered immediately, "But a large reservoir of water would help. I need a way to stop it from generating lava to stall its regeneration…"

It was Glühen whose eyes lit up at this.

"There is one… right under us!" He said.

Hermits head snapped towards him immediately.

The boy started to explain hurriedly.

"I've heard from pa, that before the Nordgrube, higher up the mountain, there was another vein. But they messed up, and tapped into an underground spring… the water rushed out and was boiling, it formed a hot spring!" The dwarven boy pointed away from where the monster was, up the slope of the mountain, "It can't be too far!"

The Hermit didn't think long. He taped his staff.

"Who can keep up?" He asked curtly, turning away from them, and walking just three steps towards a monster. His staff rose in the air, and Zaudern could feel his energy starting to build up.

"Only I, a bit, sir!" Eigen spoke up from behind him.

Zaudern could feel the Hermit slowly weaving this spell. Carefully. Pouring a lot of energy into it.

"I will grab the other two and carry them. I will make the monster chase us. You three prepare yourselves." His commands were brief, precise, and made the three boys get up and prepare.

They could feel hope blooming in their chest.

Meanwhile, around the hermit, the grass stood straight. A moment later, small arcs of electricity started to dance around his staff and the grass at the bottom of his feet.

Zaudern was shocked; the power that the man was building up wasn't just huge… it was enormous.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" He told his friends, stepping away, backwards, from the mage, but never taking his eyes off of him.

He understood in the moment, this was the real depth of magic.

"Blitzstoß." Hermit's voice was quiet.

There was a blinding flash. There was deafening thunder that rang within Zaudern's bones. He didn't even realize when exactly he was picked up like a sack of potatoes and carried up the slope.

*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH*

Then there was the monster's roar.

Eigen laughed, keeping up with the mage with great difficulty, while two of his friends were carried by him.

"He sounds upset!"

"Less talking, more running." The Hermit cut him off.

They ran up the slope with desperate urgency, the hermit's magic carving a tunnel of clear air through the choking smoke ahead of them. The spell parted the gray wall like water, creating a narrow sphere of breathable space that allowed them to see perhaps twenty steps around them in any direction. Beyond that protective barrier, the mountainside remained shrouded in the thick, acrid haze that poured endlessly from the burning trees and smoldering ground below.

Eigen pushed himself harder than he ever had during training, his legs pumping with mechanical precision as he fought to match the hermit's inhuman pace. The hooded figure moved with fluid grace despite carrying Zaudern under one arm and Glühen under the other, his boots finding purchase on loose stones and treacherous inclines without ever breaking stride. The young warrior could feel the muscles in his own legs beginning to burn, but adrenaline and terror drove him forward.

Behind them, the sounds of pursuit grew steadily louder. The grinding scrape of the Schattenbrand's countless legs against stone echoed up the mountainside, accompanied by the hiss and pop of superheated rock cracking under its weight. They could not see the creature through the smoke, but its presence was unmistakable. The temperature continued to rise at their backs, and occasionally a brief orange glow would flicker through the haze, suggesting the monster was gaining ground with each passing second.

"How much further?" Zaudern gasped from his undignified position, panicking just a bit, his voice tight with both motion sickness and fear.

"Unknown," the hermit replied curtly, never slowing his pace. His breathing remained controlled despite the physical exertion and magical strain of maintaining their protective barrier. "The dwarf boy's information is decades old. The spring may have dried up, or been buried by rockfall."

Glühen twisted in the hermit's grip, trying to peer ahead through the cleared air. "It should be somewhere near the old survey markers," he called out breathlessly. "Pa said they marked the water table before they started digging."

*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH*

The monster's roar seemed closer now, and they could feel the ground beginning to vibrate under their feet with each of its steps. The heat was becoming almost unbearable, even with the hermit's magic protecting them from the worst of the smoke. Sweat poured down their faces, and the air itself seemed to shimmer with rising thermals.

Eigen stumbled slightly on a loose stone but managed to recover his footing without falling behind. His lungs were starting to burn despite the clean air, and he could feel his strength beginning to flag. "I can hear it getting closer," he panted, glancing back over his shoulder toward the pursuing inferno.

"Do not look back," the hermit commanded. "Focus on the path ahead."

They crested a small ridge, and for a moment, hope flared in their chests as they saw what appeared to be a depression in the mountainside ahead. But as they drew closer, it revealed itself to be nothing more than a natural bowl in the rock, dry and filled with dead leaves.

"Not here," Glühen said, his voice tight with disappointment.

The hermit adjusted his grip on the two boys and continued climbing, his pace never faltering despite the setback. Around them, the smoke began to thicken again as more of the mountainside caught fire from the creature's passage. The protective barrier of clear air flickered slightly, and Zaudern could see the smoke pouring in for a moment before disappearing again.

Eigen's vision began to blur at the edges as exhaustion took its toll. His training had prepared him for many things, but not for this sustained sprint up treacherous terrain while a legendary monster hunted them through an inferno. "I don't know how much longer I can keep up," he admitted through gritted teeth.

"You will keep up," the hermit stated with absolute certainty.

*scrrrrraaaape… scrrrrraaaape…*

The sound of claws on stone was definitely closer now, and the orange glow behind them had grown brighter. They could feel the Schattenbrand's presence like a forge at their backs, the very air around them beginning to distort with heat waves.

"There!" Glühen suddenly shouted, pointing ahead through the smoke. "I can see stone markers!"

Through the haze, barely visible at the edge of their protective bubble, stood a series of weathered stone posts that marked the old survey boundaries. They were ancient and worn, but unmistakably the work of dwarven miners from decades past.

The hermit altered course immediately, following the line of markers as they led further up the slope. The stones were spaced irregularly, some having fallen or been buried by years of rockfall, but they provided a trail to follow through the increasingly treacherous terrain.

"The spring should be just beyond the last marker," Glühen called out, his voice filled with desperate hope. They had a chance. If it is still there. If the stories were true.

Behind them, the monster's roar echoed once more across the mountainside, and this time it was accompanied by the sound of trees exploding into flame as the creature carved its path of destruction through the thin forest atop the mountain slope.

"It's here." The Hermit spoke, his voice cold, as if untouched by the sprint. So close to him, Zaudern felt him gather mana. "Don't stop running."

Zaudern's breath caught in his chest. Hermit wasn't just radiating more mana than he did in the town; it felt as if he had become five times stronger… and he was gathering most of the energy for a spell!

The others in the group saw what the Hermit meant too; they were running right up the edge of a relatively large, steaming lake!

"Kühlen" It was terrifying. Enough mana to evaporate a street if channeled into other spells spread from the Hermit in a wave. Suddenly, Zaudern felt as if he was freezing. The heat from behind ceased to exist for a moment.

Frost covered everything around them.

They ran into the spring, and the once steaming water was now a frozen surface of ice they could run across!

Eigen laughed hysterically, as they in five seconds crossed the stream, the boy lost his footing, slipping and sliding across the last few meters, reaching the opposite 'shore' squarely on his ass.

The hermit crossed the stream and threw the pair of children with him on the ground, uncaring of how much it may hurt, turning around in a snap and raising his staff.

Just in time to block a flaming ball of lava and fire with a transparent shield of energy. The lava flowed down from his shield, falling on the ice below in fat chunks, immediately starting to melt it again.

A moment later, the monster itself emerged from the smoke, roaring in bestial rage.

*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH*

Now, with the smoke cleared by the Hermit's dust cleaning spell, they could see the hot spring clearly. It was a cleared-out area, clearly made for the entrance of the mine, but located within a small ravine. The entire ravine was flooded and now frozen.

They could also see the monster. They wished they didn't.

It really looked like a mix between a centipede and a mantis, but only vaguely in shape. It was woven of fire and lava, smoke weaving around it like a cloak. Countless legs chittered beneath its main segmented body, digging into rock and melting it in seconds, and its front had a pair of 'arms' with gigantic flailing scythes. Agile and strong enough to dig into stone underground, or to murder.

If that monster was close to the ground, it was indeed three meters tall… and about fifteen meters long.

The heat that blasted from the monster, merely ten meters away from them, was enormous, but they were separated by a deep spring, the ice on which had already started to melt.

The Hermit, however, didn't freeze at the sight of the monster. He didn't even hesitate.

"Kraftstoß." Dozens of spheres of mana ignited around him again and streaked towards the monster.

It writhed, trying to minimize the damage by not letting the attacks hit it in the same spot. Its forward scythes started to grab the half-melted rocks under its feet and throw them across the stream.

The Hermit summoned shields of light into being moments before impact, between his barrages.

The monster clearly grew angrier, but was unwilling to jump into the spring. The monster attempted to move left, to run around the spring in its way, Glühen realized, but in order to move, it needed to stop writhing. The moment it did, Hermit's spells almost cut it in two, making the monster screech, and collect its long body into one bundle.

Eigen glanced at the Hermit with concern. There was no way he could keep it up. This rate of attack was too much; every second, he realized ten of those exploding balls. At this rate…

"We can run around the stream until it gets tired!" Zaudern said desperately, "Y-you shouldn't waste all your mana!"

"No need," The hermit said, suddenly launching even a more desperate and useless barrage. "It's already over."

In the next instance, the monster was thrown forward. The three teenagers didn't immediately realize what happened, as the monster roared, more desperate than ever, and started to struggle. Then they saw the shape.

It was the golem.

Molten into a slug, moving with great difficulty, it picked up the monster like one picked up the unruly cat, and pressing part of its coils across its chest, ignoring many strikes it took in return, it started to drag it into the water.

The Schattenbrand screamed, the Schattenbrand clawed, one of its sythes even dug deep into the golem's torso, the stone of its body started to grow orange, but it was too late.

With a gargantuan explosion of steam, the monster and the golem fell into the frozen-over hot spring.

The trio of children watched with shock and fascination as entire segments of the monster broke from the water, darker, blacker, cooled too much, from the steam and fires, its glow growing dimmer.

They saw the Hermit, still unshacken, still calm, erect the same transparent shield in front of them, so that the vast majority of steam broke against it.

"U-unbelivable…" Glühen whispered.

"The Big Guy was still alive?!" Eigen asked, glancing towards the hermit.

"When I shot that lightning bolt, it was already barely operating, I knew because this golem model is controlled telepathically. I wasn't sure if the Schattenbrand wouldn't finish it off," He spoke up, never stopping observing the still trashing monster. "It was overheated and half-molten. The monster decided that the lightning I cast was more dangerous." He said clinically. Just how Zaudern's master commented on his projects. "That was the instant when it lost."

"That lighting spell… has a long preparation time, doesn't it?" Zaudern asked, and he could see the Hermit, who never turned to him, nodding.

"It does. But it likely managed to zap its core a little. Made it hurt. I wouldn't have been able to prepare a second shot until it was upon me if I were to stay and shoot again, but it didn't know that."

Suddenly, the Hermit took a step forward and… stepped down, into the ground that was below the surface of the spring before. Slowly, he started to descend.

The trio of friends exchanged glances.

They could see the monster still inside the steam, even as the Hermit seemingly prepared himself.

"And now, with its fire put out…" He raised his hand free of his staff. "Schattenklinge."

All three of them could see it. How every shadow cast by the fires around them suddenly froze, turned into blades, and struck a single point.

Suddenly, all movement ended.

"With its temperature cooled so much, I could sense where the energy was flowing from in order to heat up its segments," The hermit explained quietly, as he turned to the three of them. "And without its flames and magma illuminating everything around, I could use my piercing spell."

The three of them stood there, watching the Hermit with shock.

Everything he had done, he had done perfectly. With barely a scratch, he had killed the legendary monster that could have destroyed their entire town. The legendary figure they had grown up hearing whispered stories about had proven himself to be everything the tales claimed and more.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them, broken only by the gentle hiss of cooling steam rising from the spring and the distant crackle of dying fires on the mountainside. The hermit stood motionless at the water's edge, his staff planted firmly in the muddy ground, surveying the aftermath of the battle with the same clinical detachment he had shown throughout the entire ordeal.

Then, as if a dam had suddenly burst, the weight of everything they had experienced came crashing down upon the three boys at once.

Eigen was the first to break. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to his knees on the rocky shore, his entire body beginning to shake uncontrollably. The adrenaline that had carried him through their desperate flight up the mountainside drained away all at once, leaving behind a trembling, exhausted shell. "We could have died," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "We almost died. If you hadn't been there, if we hadn't found the spring, if the golem hadn't..." His words dissolved into incoherent gasps as the full reality of their narrow escape finally hit him.

Zaudern sank down beside his friend, wrapping his arms around his knees and rocking slightly back and forth. Tears streamed down his soot-stained face as he stared at the now-peaceful water where moments before a creature of living flame had thrashed in its death throes. "I thought I was going to suffocate," he sobbed. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, and that thing was right there, and we were just children hiding in the bushes like idiots..."

Glühen, ever the stoic dwarf, lasted perhaps ten seconds longer than his companions before his own composure crumbled completely. He pressed his face into his hands and wept with the raw, unashamed grief of someone who had stared death in the face and somehow lived to tell the tale. All the dwarven pride and stubborn resolve that had carried him through the ordeal evaporated, leaving behind a terrified thirteen-year-old boy who had seen far too much for one day.

The hermit turned slowly at the sound of their breakdown, his piercing blue eyes studying the three sobbing teenagers. For the first time since they had encountered him, his expression softened slightly, though his voice remained as calm and measured as ever.

"The danger has passed," he said quietly, making no move to approach them but allowing his words to carry across the small space between them. "You are alive. You are safe. What you feel now is natural and necessary. Rest."

And so the three friends clung to each other on the shores of the steaming spring, their tears mixing with the ash and smoke stains on their faces, while the legendary hermit stood guard over them in the night, waiting patiently for them to find their strength again.

----

Author Notes: And here is the Titanic chapter I was so proud of.

In my personal opinion, it's the absolute peak. There is art I generated with AI on (patreon(.)com/wiererid) for this chapter. Please check it out if you are interested. 

Obviously there is also an advanced chapter, but I suppose you'd know it already. 

Anyhow, tell me what you think. If you can drop some comments and power stones, that'd be neat!