As Liam approached the hut, the feeling of magic grew stronger. It wasn't aggressive, but it was definitely there. Pushing the door open, he was imdiately greeted by the sight of Triss and Geralt sitting near a small fireplace. The warmth inside was a stark contrast to the freezing winds outside.
"Took you long enough," he said, smirking. "Get lost in the snow?" He also noticed the staff that Liam was carrying now.
"Yeah, sure. Just went sightseeing." Liam said, and leaned the staff against the wall. "You guys seem comfortable."
"We've been waiting. And before you ask, yes, we found sothing." Triss said. She was glad that Liam was alright and didn't seem to be missing sothing. Liam even looked content. This was a huge sign and since Liam was holding a staff, it ant he was officially a sorcerer.
"Liam, you were right. Uma… he's not just so cursed creature. He's Aen Elle." Geralt said.
"Wait. Seriously?" Liam said. Of course he knew what Uma is. He had played it.
"We're going to transform him. See if he rembers where Ciri is." Triss said.
"Damn. I an, I had a hunch, but that's big. That ans you're close." Liam said.
"We're close. You have helped us a lot." Geralt corrected him. "And we are closer than ever. But it won't be easy. Lifting the curse won't be a simple flick of the wrist."
"We need to do this soon. The longer we wait, the more danger Ciri might be in." Triss said. "And Yennefer was saying since you knew that Uma is an Aen Elle, she wants to consult you of how to lift the curse."
The place where Liam was in didn't have any radio service for his long distance radio and thus it was not possible to be connected to Liam. After the conversation, Liam decided it was ti to move. He couldn't stay here any longer—as he was also getting bored.
Before leaving, he pulled out a small piece of parchnt and a bit of charcoal. Sitting by the dim candlelight, he scribbled a quick note for Cathbad:
"Cathbad,I was successful in my mission. The Djinn has been bound, and I have gained its power. I will temporarily return to Kaer Morhen to assist Geralt and his team in lifting a curse. If you seek , that's where I'll be.—Liam"
He folded the note and placed it carefully on the wooden table, weighing it down with a small, polished stone. He also used a spell on it to make sure that the parchnt was safe and not get blown away by any ans. At his feet, Elie, the little rabbit Cathbad had given him, twitched her ears and sniffed curiously at the parchnt. Liam crouched down, gently scratching behind her ears.
"You're staying here, alright? I'll be back soon."
Elie thumped her foot against the ground, clearly displeased.
"Don't look at like that. Kaer Morhen's dangerous right now. I'll bring you sothing nice when I return."
Elie seem unconvinced and thumped more. Triss couldn't take it anymore and lifted Elie up. Elie would go with them. With a final glance at the hut, he grabbed his staff, feeling the static hum of the Djinn's power still coursing through it.
With that, Liam started his journey toward Kaer Morhen.
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Liam's journey back to Kaer Morhen was long and grueling. The cold bit into his skin despite the thick layers of clothing, and the terrain was as unforgiving as ever. The snow-covered trails were difficult to navigate, but with his newly honed magic, he made better ti than expected. Whenever the path beca too treacherous, he used short-range teleportation to cross obstacles. Triss didn't interfere as she wanted to see how much Liam had progressed and she wasn't disappointed.
By the ti the fortress ca into view, dusk had settled over the mountains. The sight of the ancient stronghold standing tall against the darkening sky filled him with a sense of familiarity. He had spent so ti here training, fighting, and arguing with the others. It almost felt like ho. Almost.
As he approached the gates, he expected to be greeted by the usual sight—Geralt, maybe Lambert or Eskel, the new faces that he had been waiting to see. Instead, he was t with sothing completely different.
Standing near the courtyard were two figures he hadn't seen in a while. Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff.
"Well… this is unexpected."
"Took you long enough," she said with a smirk.
"Geralt told us you'd be coming back. Looks like you made good ti." Steve said.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Liam was surprised as he thought both of them might have gone far beyond. Maybe Skellige.
"Geralt reached out," Steve said. "He figured he might need extra hands with what's coming. Besides we were in Skellige together and thus it was very easy for convincing us. We have helped settling the ruler problem there so we thought our job had temporary solution."
"I thought Geralt didn't trust outsiders." Liam said.
"He doesn't," Natasha said. "But desperate tis call for desperate asures."
"Alright. And what about Tony? Don't tell he's sitting this one out." Liam said.
"We asked him. He refused. Said he had more important things to take care of and that he'd be late if he ca at all." Steve frowned. For so reason he felt a sense of unease from Tony's voice when he had called him. It was very vague but he felt it.
Steve had decided that after Ciri was back this ti, he would leave for Oxenfurt to bring that man back here. He had been scooped up in that place for more ti than necessary.
"Sounds like Tony. He probably doesn't want to get his hands dirty." Liam didn't think much and said.
"Or maybe he trusts us to handle it without him." Natasha said.
"Right, because everything always goes smoothly when you're dealing with magical curses." Liam said.
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