Author's Note: So we've entered the second part of the story of Triss after TW3. I have a lot of plans for what will happen to Triss and Damien, so stay tuned! Feedback is always appreciated. As well, I'm not sure if all of you have noticed, but I make references to choices I made in game, quests in game, and other events in the game. I try to do the best job I can with showing how game mechanics would work (stuff like the character enhancements to abilities, decoctions and how they affect fight strategies, etc). There's also a lot of pop culture references and literary allusions (feel like it's only appropriate, considering how many there are in the Witcher games). So far, there's already been a Monty Python, a Game of Thrones, a King Lear, a Catch-22, and an indirect Skyrim reference. Look out for more!
Chapter Six: Running into DRM
Spring 1274, three weeks later
Pont Vanis, Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss
Praxeda Inn
"A glass of wine and a mug of Kaedwenian stout, thank you." The witcher said to the innkeep, passing over the coin. A moment later, he took the two drinks and headed back up the stairs to the table his companion was sitting at. She was brushing her blonde hair, looking into her mirror as she did so quite intensely. She smiled when she saw the two swords peek up the stairs, and put away the mirror when the witcher sat down.
"Here you are, my lady." He said, the sarcasm thick in his voice. She smiled at him.
"Why thank you dear. I wasn't expecting you to be so kind." She appreciated the edge in his voice. It gave her strength to know that she could intimidate and invigorate such a man.
"So, you think we'll find him?" He looked around, watching those who entered and exited carefully.
"Patience, love. He'll show, I'm certain of it. What did the locals say?"
"They said they'd seen him before, but that he doesn't always show on days like today." That confused her.
"What's so special about today?"
"That's what I wanted to know. Nothing as far as I can tell." They both silently drank, when suddenly the man looked up.
"I think that's him."
"You sure?"
"Most people don't carry around two blades on their back, or wear medallions, so yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"Lambert, you don't have to be a prick about it." Keira replied, smiling.
"I thought you liked when I'm a prick. Or is it just that you like my prick…can never understand women." Lambert laid back in his seat as Keira chuckled to herself, watching attentively as the witcher came into the center of the inn, talked to someone, looked around, and then left.
"Damn, he's leaving already. We should go." With that they both left their spots and headed down.
"Shit, where did he go?" Keira asked, as she looked around. The streets were busy, as the sun was setting. She'd lost track of where exactly the witcher had gone, until she saw Lambert marching along, most likely following his scent. She decided to let the witcher do the tracking, and just followed as they walked down some streets into an empty alley. The place was a dead end.
"Shit. He left somehow. Didn't climb the walls or anything. Sense anything?" Lambert turned to Keira, who was looking intensely at the spot near the wall.
"I sense something. He used some sort of teleportation runestone. Must have been in a hurry."
"Or, might have realized he was being watched." Lambert stared intensely at Keira, who got defensive.
"Look, you were the one who said going directly to Triss wouldn't be the best idea! The next best thing is to find someone close to her, and everyone said they had seen the two around a lot. So pardon me for simply listening to your advice." She huffed. "Anyways, I believe I can track where the stone teleported to." She focused carefully and began casting a spell. Shortly afterwards, she said, "Somewhere near the coast of Pont Vanis. Some rocks by the beach, from what I see. Ready?"
Lambert shocked his head. "No, but I don't really have a choice do I?"
"No." Keira smiled, and opened a portal. The two walked inside and appeared on the beach. Lambert felt like was going to throw up. "I fucking hate portals."
"You also hate penny pinchers and foglets, but sometimes we must do that which we dislike in the name of something more important." She closed the portal and looked around. "Do you sense what I sense?"
"An illusion?"
"Yes, and a quite powerful one too. Something a powerful sorceress might have cast."
"Guessing the Eye won't work on it?"
Keira laughed. "Lambert honey, don't worry about it. I'll handle the illusion." She casted a spell that after a few seconds of concentration dispelled the illusion. The rocks dissipated to show a tower by the beach, and a large sealed entrance.
"Fuck me. She hid a tower?" Lambert looked at the tower with incredulity.
"It appears so. Very well." With that the two approached the entrance, and Keira set about opening the entrance. It opened quite quickly to her surprise. "Maybe she expected no one would dispel the illusion?"
"Or," Lambert said cautiously, drawing his silver blade, "it's a trap."
Lambert was right. As they walked through the entrance, the door shut behind them. The room began to fill with smoke, making it difficult to see, and two large golems appeared.
"Intruders detected inside the chamber. Initiating Preliminary Defense Protocol." Came a disembodied voice.
"Goddamnit!" Keira screamed. "Lambert, to me!" He rolled right next to her, and she threw up a large shield, protecting them from the toxic smoke.
"Attempt to circumvent the Defensive Regulatory Magicon detected. Initiating Secondary Magical Suppression System." The disembodied voice rang out again, and arrows started to pelt the shield. Although they looked like normal arrows to Lambert, they were actually dimeritium tipped arrows, and they were sapping at Keira's strength fast. The shield started to shrink and falter, and Lambert was convinced they were going to die.
"Manual override initiated by authorized user. Manual override sustained by Magicon controller. Shutting down Preliminary Defense Protocol. Shutting down Secondary Magical Suppression System." With that, the golems turned back and headed back to their posts, and the smoke began to clear. The arrow fire stopped, and Keira and Lambert could take a sigh of relief.
When the smoke had cleared completely, they looked up to see someone waiting for them on the ledge overlooking the room. He was resting on the railing, and grinning quite strongly. He was also not wearing a shirt.
"My deepest apologies Miss Metz and Lambert! I must say, we weren't really expecting guests right now."
"We?" Keira asked, her hands on her hips.
"All will be explained shortly. Please, it would be rude of me to not welcome you properly." With that, he headed through the door, which closed behind him, and soon the door in front of them opened. They followed it through a small pathway to a foyer where they found Damien waiting for them, putting on a linen shirt.
"Truly I apologize for what just happened. It's the tower's defensive system. It's currently only set to allow Triss and I through. Like I said, we haven't been expecting guests."
"Speaking of her, where is Triss?" Keira asked, looking around.
"She's…getting dressed... like I've said, we were not expecting guests…" Damien blushed, looking away, an arm behind his head. Keira blushed as well, but Lambert just started laughing. Shortly afterwards, they heard footsteps coming down the stairwell across from them. Triss had wrapped herself in a robe, and was clearly annoyed at being disturbed.
"Good evening Keira. Lambert. I was not aware either of us had extended you two an invitation." She did not even look at Lambert, and was looking quite sternly at Keira. This better have been worth it, Keira.
"Darling, why don't you show them to the living room? I'll get us some drinks." Damien was clearly not in the mood for an argument, and was trying to be the good host. Triss nodded and began moving quite briskly into the living room, relighting the fireplace she had put out only a few minutes ago.
Triss took a seat directly next to the fireplace, opposite to Keira and Lambert, with Keira directly in front of her.
"So, what brings you two into our hideout?" Triss asked, bluntly. She was not even remotely afraid to be straightforward.
"Triss my darling, I haven't seen you since Kaer Morhen! I-"
"What. Brings. You. Here." Triss' voice was steel, her teeth gritting as she said the words. Her abruptness threw Keira off and made Lambert chuckle to himself. Triss glared daggers at him, shutting him up instantly.
"We needed some help, is all, and we thought who better to help us out then the most powerful sorceress we know, who just happens to be a few days ride away?" Keira was hoping to placate Triss with a half-truth, and looked to Lambert for help. But before he could pipe up in support, Triss immediately responded.
"And you didn't think it suited to come visit me in court, as Keira Metz, former court advisor to King Foltest of Temeria would have known?"
"Well, we weren't sure if you would want to see us, and-"
"So you thought it suited to stalk my lover through the streets of Pont Vanis for three days?" Keira was surprised at Triss' accusation. With that, Damien entered the room, handing Triss and Keira a glass of Toussaint Red, and giving Lambert and himself a mug of Redanian lager. Lambert gave Damien a weak smile, and Damien smiled back, and took a seat.
"Oh, you thought he wouldn't notice? He told me every day for the last few days he felt like he was being watched, like his footsteps were being traced. Did you know today is his last day in Pont Vanis? He's headed to Poviss on business tomorrow morning. Do you know how worried I felt, knowing he's leaving when someone's been stalking him?" Triss chugged the whole glass, put it down, and got up. "And then you have the gall to follow him to our secret personal hideout, interrupt us the night before he leaves, and you dare ask me for help?" She put her hands on her hips, staring right into Keira's eyes, her eyes blazing.
"Darling, sit down, let her explain herself." Damien got up and pulled Triss back into her seat. Triss was still angry, but relented and sat back down. The blood had drained from Lambert's face, and Keira was silent.
"You're right. I'm not being completely honest with you. We made a mistake; we thought it best to avoid direct contact, so our goal was to ask Damien if it would be wise to visit you, and if so, when. We didn't know he was leaving though, which explains why it was so hard to follow him around." Keira looked down, ashamed.
"Triss, Keira and I were just worried what would happen if we showed ourselves in court. We're being chased by a Hengfors mercenary company; making ourselves known would risk unnecessary attention to everyone." Lambert showed quite a lot of maturity. It appeared the last year and a half with Keira had helped him become a bit more sociable.
Triss realized they had their reasons for being sneaky, but was still astonished they had barged into their personal home. "You still didn't feel like you had to knock when you find someone else's home, Lambert?" Lambert and Keira looked at each other with quizzical stares, which caused Triss to shake her head in surrender. There was no hope teaching either of them the simple manner of knocking before barging in.
"Very well. Let's say I believe your point about the mercenary company, which, considering it came from Lambert I hardly do. What do you expect me to do about that? I'm not the ambassador to the League." Lambert looked at Triss with disgust as she finished her sentence.
"Nice to see there's no bad blood between us, Merigold." Triss just smiled with her eyes closed to that.
"We need you to help us flee the area. All the ships in the local area that are departing belong to one company or the other, all-"
"Except for the one that is chartered to the Kingdom's Corps of Mages." Triss understood what Keira was getting at. "You are aware where that boat is going right?" The two shook their heads no.
"Poviss." Damien responded. The duo turned to look at the witcher, and Triss smiled, looking at him. "I'm leading an expedition to search some old elven ruins in the west. Serves as a training exercise for some new mage recruits and an interesting intellectual discovery. You could come with, ostensibly to help out, and take a different boat from Tridam Harbor."
"Very well. You can go along with Damien to Poviss, and then make your way to somewhere south from there. You'll be out of the reach of the League out there." Triss felt, to some degree, satisfied. The issue had been resolved. "Keira, if you wouldn't mind, would you come with me upstairs? I wish to speak with you about something." With that, Triss kissed Damien on the cheek, got up, and waited as Keira did the same to Lambert and followed.
Lambert looked to Damien, who was finishing up his drink. They both felt incredibly awkward in that moment, not really sure what to talk about. Lambert looked around, and saw the large leshen trophy on the mantle.
"Impressive trophy." He noted. Damien nodded. If there was one thing that could tie witchers together, it was the love of rare trophies.
"Yep. Interesting one, that. Much younger than most are. Was awoken by a Crone who fled into a local mineshaft and began summoning monsters. It put up a strong fight, but I got it in the end. It was around the same time I met Triss, actually."
"Speaking of which, how did you guys meet?" Lambert asked, curious to know.
"She was sent on an expedition to help clear out the mineshaft, something I had already agreed to do but had been unable to complete. She saved my life; without her, I would have died in some cave in the middle of the mountains. And then, we just hit it off afterwards. When it was all said and done, Triss asked me to stay with her in Kovir. I decided I could do some work for the king as well; not really the domain of witchers, but I can manage. We bought this tower from one of the mages, and it became our retreat when we had both had a long day." Damien looked happy, reflecting on the recent past. "So tell me Lambert, how did you meet Keira?"
Lambert scoffed. "She fled to Kaer Morhen from Velen at Geralt's request. Helped us defend the keep from the Wild Hunt. She saved my life then as well. Afterwards, she told me she had plans and wanted my help to fulfill it. Who was I to refuse a beautiful sorceress who found me attractive?" He snickered, and Damien chuckled in response.
"I suppose thus is our lot in life. To be seduced and controlled by sorceresses." Damien said, his voice away and his head facing the ceiling.
Lambert started laughing in earnest. "There are worse lots in life."
"Indeed mate."
Keira followed Triss as she circled up the stair way and exited on the third floor. The door opened to a sprawling bedroom, with multiple tables, chests, shelves, several weapon racks, and a bed that was unmade. Triss took a seat on the end of the bed, and Keira laid on the wall directly in front of her, next to a large disk.
"Teleprojection disk? What for?" Keira asked, pointing at the disk.
"It projects whoever it is that enters from the main door. Extra security measure, so to speak. We have to tweak it obviously; it currently doesn't let us override the system unless we go down a floor to the control chamber. Granted, we've only had it for a few weeks," Triss glanced at Keira with emphasis, "and we haven't been expecting any guests."
Keira blushed again. "I truly am sorry Triss. We didn't realize…"
"Whatever. So, there's a few things I wanted to talk to you about. The first is, of course, how Lambert has been." Triss gave a motion of obviousness at the question.
"He's not as bad as you may think Triss, once you get to know him. He puts up a front of angst and annoyance but he's actually very loyal and very sweet underneath it all. And he's helped me with my research greatly."
"How goes the research?" Triss knew Keira was embarking to find a cure for the Catriona plague, but was not sure how it was going.
"It's had some issues. We've gotten some leads, some new ideas, but it had to come to a halt recently when I angered a mercenary company leader. Apparently he's one of the few remaining who still believes in the Church of the Eternal Fire this far North, and when he heard a lodge sorceress was doing witch business, he tried to kill me and Lambert. We've been on the run ever since."
"It's rough out there. If you need protection, you can always turn to the Corps of Mages-"
"I appreciate the offer, but like I said back at Kaer Morhen, I have my own plans."
Triss acknowledged Keira's point with a knowing nod. "So that brings me to the last question. Why did you give Geralt a magic lamp?"
Keira was surprised by the question. "The one that allows the user to communicate with ghosts? I needed him to help deal with a wraith infestation on a local island."
"Why would he need a lamp to do that? He's a witcher, he knows how to deal with wraiths."
Keira looked away, and sighed. "Well…I was also hoping he could tell me what Alexander had accomplished in his research. He had been researching the plague on the island that was infested with wraiths, and I felt I could use the research to better the world. So I got Geralt to clear the island for me so I could find the research."
Triss knew where this was leading. "I'm guessing Geralt wouldn't just let you do that…"
"No, he wouldn't and he didn't." She looked down. "Look Triss I know-"
"You seduced him didn't you?"
"…Yes. I did. Then I put him to sleep so I could raid the laboratory. I know it was wrong, I get-"
"Don't worry Keira. Your secret is safe with me. Geralt and I are done. I just wanted to know." I'm a better person then you bitch. I know not to manipulate people like that. "I got the lamp from Geralt. Philippa needed something of the kind. It was destroyed when Damien and I were fighting the crone, though. Sorry about that." Triss had heard from Dandelion that Keira may or may not have slept with Geralt when he was in Velen. She hadn't been certain about the details, let alone if it had happened completely on Geralt's accord. She was happy to know that Keira had to resort to methods Triss would never use to get a man to sleep with her. Well, never again. Look, it doesn't matter okay? It's not about you, it's about her.
"It's fine. The lamp was a gift from Avall'ach, for helping him after he fled the Hunt. I'm surprised Geralt even bothered keeping the damn thing. It wasn't that useful in the end."
"If Alexander's notes let you cure Catriona, I'd say it was definitely useful."
"All in due course, Triss. All in due course." With that, Keira moved towards the exit. "Lambert and I should get going. It's probably already dark out and we wouldn't want to miss the ship tomorrow. Thank you again Triss. For everything. And my apologies, again, for everything."
"It's alright Keira. I understand." She walked Keira down to the living room, where she found Lambert and Damien struggling in an arm wrestling match.
"C'mon pretty boy, give up." Lambert mocked, his arm slowly gaining on Damien's.
"Not on your life, seawater." With that, Damien edged ahead, putting himself in the lead. They both gave it their all, and Damien slammed Lambert's hand into the table.
"Damn, you're good. Here you go." With that, Lambert tossed him a gwent card. Triss tried to look at it, but couldn't make it out.
"Lambert, love, it's time we left. We've kept these two busy for quite some time now." Lambert glanced at her, smiling, and got up. He gave Damien a strong handshake, and said, "See you tomorrow."
"You as well." Damien replied. The two walked back through the door and left the hideout. As the door shut, Triss walked up to Damien, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"What were you two playing for?" She asked, curious as to what he would challenge Lambert to an arm wrestling match over.
"We were talking about gwent, which he apparently plays a lot of. We talked about some rare cards we had, and he told me of one card that he had that I had been trying to get for a few weeks now. When I knew he had it, it was on my honor to challenge him for it." He said, and as he did so, picked Triss up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
As he laid her down, she got up on her knees, her eyes looking directly into Damien's, her arms around his neck. "What was the card?" She asked, innocently. He smiled back to her, and pulled the card out of his shirt pocket. He turned it to her, and she looked down to it.
It was her. He had won her gwent card. That was the card he had been searching for weeks; he wanted her in his deck just like he had her in his life. A massive smile appeared on her face, and she pulled him down and flipped them both so he was underneath her. Damien put the card on the table next to them, and lifted himself up to kiss his lover like he had been meaning to do for over an hour.
Later that night, two sailors, far too drunk for their own good, were wandering around on the beach. And while they didn't see anything, they could have sworn they heard something near the rocks, and it sounded a lot like cries of passion.
End of Chapter Six