The news from Qohor had yet to reach the mines, and so the arrival of Lynd and Marwyn did not attract any special attention from the mine owners and overseers. To them, the two appeared to be nothing more than ordinary inspectors.
Over the years, a small town had formed around the mines. Most of its residents were guards, overseers, and mine managers. Some slave gang leaders were also permitted to live there under special arrangements.
Outside the town, a group of over a hundred slavers patrolled the area, tasked with capturing runaway slaves.
Combined with the boatmen and merchants who regularly passed through, as well as various vendors, brothels, and other establishments, the town's population had grown to several thousand. By Westerosi standards, it was a prosperous settlement.
Lynd and Marwyn moved directly through the town toward the mines. Since Lynd could already sense the exact location of the Banished Knight armor, there was no need to ask for directions to the Soyed family's mine.
...
"Who are you? If you're here for business, go to the town. No outsiders are allowed here—"
A guard at the entrance of a stone-walled mining compound shouted at Lynd, but before he could finish his sentence, an overwhelming drowsiness overtook him. His words trailed off as he collapsed into unconsciousness.
And it wasn't just him. Every guard and overseer stationed near the compound entrance felt the same irresistible sleepiness. One by one, they slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
Nearby, the slaves who had been laboring in the area froze in place, wide-eyed and bewildered. For a long moment, no one dared to move.
Lynd and Marwyn, undisturbed, walked straight into the mine. They descended the wooden stairways leading to the lower levels.
...
At the bottom of the mine, apart from the laboring slaves, there were a handful of overseers and guards. They glanced at Lynd and Marwyn with mild curiosity but did not question them.
To them, the two men must have been important figures—after all, they had passed the guards above and were permitted entry. There was no need to ask unnecessary questions.
Lynd scanned the area and frowned at the five different mine shafts branching off in various directions. Before he could speak, Marwyn took the lead.
Using a distinct intonation commonly spoken by Qohorik warlocks and necromancers, he addressed the best-dressed and most corpulent overseer.
"The special shipment sent by the family—where was it stored?"
The overseer's face immediately paled. Lowering his head, he approached them carefully and replied, "My lord, the item was taken to the abandoned pit at the far end of the Long Snake Mine. Per Lord Mezzo's orders, the entire passage was sealed."
"Take us there," Marwyn ordered without hesitation.
The overseer hesitated. "My lord, has something happened? Why—"
Marwyn's expression darkened. "Has no one taught you not to ask questions beyond your station?"
His already severe features turned downright menacing, and his cold tone carried an unmistakable threat. The overseer stiffened, his mouth shutting instantly.
Without another word, he signaled to a few thrall guards and retrieved several oil lamps. He handed one each to Lynd and Marwyn before leading them toward the northernmost mine shaft.
...
Something felt off.
Lynd and Marwyn had expected at least some resistance, yet no one had even attempted to verify Lynd's identity. For an object as valuable as the Banished Knight armor, one would assume it would be under heavy guard. Shouldn't there have been more men stationed to protect it? Shouldn't every visitor have been rigorously screened?
Though the situation was suspicious, neither of them voiced their concerns. They simply followed the overseer and his guards, remaining alert for any potential ambush.
...
Perhaps it was the presence of the Banished Knight armor, or maybe the ore in this mine shaft had long been depleted—either way, the tunnel was eerily empty.
There were no slaves, no mining noises, just an unnatural silence.
Even with the oil lamps lit, the darkness seemed to press in on them. As they ventured deeper, the flickering light seemed to shrink, as though the surrounding shadows were devouring it.
The overseer quickened his pace, leading them through several forked tunnels until they reached the mine's end.
Before them, a solid wall of stone and rubble blocked the passage.
A thin layer of silver-blue frost coated the rocks and nearby cavern walls.
Lying before the barricade, frozen in place, were a dozen men—unfortunate souls turned into lifeless ice sculptures by the power of the Frozen Dragon Rune. Some were dressed as ordinary guards, others as thralls. Among them, several bore the robes of warlocks and pyromancers.
The thralls and guards closest to the stone wall all had eerily calm expressions, showing no sign that they had sensed death approaching. Further back, however, the slaves looked terrified. Their body language suggested they had been forced toward the wall against their will.
At the very back stood a few figures—likely warlocks or pyromancers—watching the scene unfold as if it were mere entertainment. It seemed they had never considered that death might claim them as well.
Lynd quickly pieced together what had happened. The first group—the slaves and guards—had been killed instantly when the power of the Dragon Rune erupted as they attempted to seal the passage.
Then, a few warlocks or pyromancers had arrived, curious to study the runes. They had even brought slaves as test subjects. In the end, they had all met the same fate.
Perhaps this explained why House Soyed had not stationed guards to protect the Banished Knight armor. They must have believed that no intruder could possibly retrieve it—anyone who tried would simply become another frozen corpse.
...
"What the hell happened here?"
A young thrall guard, seemingly new to the job, couldn't suppress his curiosity. Without thinking, he reached out to touch one of the ice sculptures.
The surrounding darkness, coupled with everyone's focus on the frozen figures, meant that no one noticed his reckless action in time to stop him.
The moment his fingers brushed against the ice, a wave of frost surged through his body. In the blink of an eye, he was frozen solid, his face still frozen in an expression of curiosity.
A chorus of screams filled the air.
The fat overseer and the thrall guards recoiled in horror, scrambling backward as fear took hold of them.
Lynd, irritated by the noise, frowned and turned toward them. Under their terrified gazes, he calmly extended his hand and touched the ice-covered wall.
The moment his fingers met the frozen stone, a surge of dragon rune power flowed into him, merging with the Nameless King rune within his heart. The energy resonated with the dragon runes on the Banished Knight armor.
Instantly, the frost coating the area collapsed inward.
Not only did the ice-covered corpses shatter into pieces the size of fingernails, but the frozen stone wall itself crumbled, revealing the tunnel beyond.
And then, the true force sealed behind the wall was unleashed.
Like a flood breaking through a dam, the dragon rune energy surged forward. It was not just icy cold—it carried the howling winds of the Storm Dragon Rune, and within those winds, bolts of lightning crackled.
Lynd had anticipated this. The instant the wall shattered, he reached back and pulled Marwyn behind him.
The roaring elemental forces surged toward them, but rather than resisting, Lynd absorbed them into himself, creating a vacuum of safety around him.
Marwyn, shielded by Lynd's power, remained unharmed.
The overseers and thrall guards, however, were not so fortunate.
The dragon rune's power swept over them in an instant.
They froze into solid ice statues before being struck by lightning, shattering into crystalline shards. The strong wind carried their remains down the tunnel, scattering them outside the mine.
...
The storm of dragon rune energy showed no signs of stopping. If anything, it seemed to be growing stronger.
Realizing the blizzard would not subside anytime soon, Lynd turned to Marwyn and shouted, "Stay close behind me. Do not step outside my protection."
Without waiting for a reply, he strode forward into the tunnel.
Marwyn hunched his shoulders, pressing himself into the shadow of Lynd's back, and followed closely.
The passage was not long—no more than twenty meters.
At the end, they emerged into a cavernous chamber. The uneven rock walls and the traces of ore left behind suggested that this had once been a copper mine.
At the bottom of the mine, a massive bronze chest sat in a prominent position. A thick layer of hoarfrost covered its surface, crackling with silver-blue lightning that arced outward, illuminating the chamber with bright flashes. Each bolt sent a hum of electricity through the air, casting stark shadows against the cavern walls.
Lynd gestured for Marwyn to follow as they descended the stone steps, remnants of past mining operations. When they reached the bottom, Lynd placed his hand directly on the bronze chest.
The moment his fingers touched it, the chest shattered just like the frozen wall before it.
Revealed within was the Banished Knight armor, intact and gleaming.
Yet, Lynd barely spared it a glance.
The instant the final seal was broken, the dragon rune energy within the armor erupted forth. Like water bursting through a broken dam, it surged into Lynd's body, flowing directly into the Nameless King rune in his heart.
Though he had prepared himself, the sheer force of the energy was overwhelming. His body struggled to contain it. Quickly, he redirected the flow into the Banished Knight greatsword at his waist, channeling it through the resonance between the sword and the armor's dragon runes. This created a continuous internal cycle, preventing the energy from overwhelming him entirely.
Marwyn, standing behind Lynd, didn't fully understand what was happening. But he could sense the change—the icy air thinning, the lightning fading. It was clear that Lynd was engaged in some kind of ritual with the enchanted armor. Understanding this, Marwyn took a few steps back, remaining silent so as not to disturb him.
...
For half an hour, the energy pulsed and surged. Then, at last, the cold and lightning dissipated entirely, leaving only the flickering glow of their lanterns to push back the gathering darkness.
Even though Marwyn sensed the immediate danger had passed, he remained cautious and stayed close to Lynd.
Minutes later, a new light flared.
Lynd's heart, the Banished Knight greatsword, and the Banished Knight armor all radiated in unison, their glow once again illuminating the mine.
"It's done, Maester Marwyn," Lynd's voice echoed through the chamber, breaking the tension.
Marwyn let out a long breath, flexing his stiff fingers before stepping forward. He studied the armor before him.
"Do you need help putting it on?" he offered.
Lynd shook his head. "You shouldn't touch it. Though I've stabilized the power within, it's still volatile. Unless you want to end up like the ice sculptures outside."
Marwyn immediately stepped back.
Lynd handed him his lantern and other unnecessary items before stepping forward to the armor. He carefully unsheathed the Banished Knight greatsword, setting it aside, and then began methodically assembling the armor piece by piece.
Though he was still furious with House Soyed for all the trouble they had caused, he had to admit—their craftsmanship surpassed even that of Tobho Mott. Every piece had been forged precisely to the specifications he had provided, fitting him perfectly with no discomfort or misalignment.
The fur used for the cloak and pauldrons was particularly notable. Clearly sourced from some magical creature, it had withstood the dragon rune energy surge without so much as a scratch. If anything, it had become even more supple and durable. A faint magical aura now pulsed across its surface, intertwining with the dragon rune energy in the armor, forming a continuous cycle of power.
Once the armor was fully donned, Lynd secured his helmet and fastened the greatsword at his waist.
At that moment, the runes on both the sword and armor resonated with the Nameless King rune in his heart, forming a network of magical channels. The energy looped endlessly, significantly enhancing his ability to draw power from his surroundings. The radiant glow surrounding his body faded, and the enchanted armor took on the appearance of an ordinary set of plate.
Feeling the surge of magic coursing through him, a smile crossed Lynd's face.
He turned to Marwyn.
"We should return to Qohor. I imagine the people there are getting impatient."