Juray and Geralt arrived at the ruins to find Witch Hunters arguing amongst themselves.

"March back in there!" the commander said.

"But, commander! It's full of monsters and traps! We've dragged out four wounded, and there's near a dozen corpses still down there!"

"I don't give a shit! We've orders to search this cave and that's what we'll do!"

"Seems like the big bad Hunters are having trouble," Juray said, earning a glare from the commander.

"One ploughing trouble after the other!" another Hunter said.

"But what's it to you? Who are you?"

"Only the Witchers Radovid sent to help you."

"Oh, you. Been waiting for you."

"Don't strain yourself with enthusiasm."

"Word was you hadn't been able to get inside," Geralt said, keeping the Hunter from snapping at Juray.

"Till yesterday. When we found this." He motioned to another Hunter, who showed Geralt an unassuming tile. "Doesn't look like much, but it's got power of some sort. Opens the entrance."

"Good work. Saved us some time."

"We're thrilled." The Hunter handed the tile to Geralt.

"What can I expect to find inside?"

"Everything. Anything. It's an old elven temple. The witch Eilhart turned into her hideout." He motioned to the other Hunters. "Look at 'em. Fell into some magic trap, then monsters attacked 'em. Barely got out alive."

"Any of your men still down there?" Juray asked.

"Dozen or so went in, they's all that came out. Rest're probably dead."

"Think Philippa's still inside?" Geralt asked.

"That we don't know. Only certain thing is she was there at some point."

"Certain?" Juray asked. "How's that?"

"We've been after her since Loc Muinne. Pokin' out her eyes weren't enough. Radovid should've gutted her there and then. As it is, she turned into an owl and fled. Flew across Kaedwen and Redania, then tucked herself away here."

"Well, we should get to work then."

Geralt nodded in agreement and the two headed towards the entrance.

"Don't count on anyone goin' in to retrieve your corpses."

"Witchers or not," a Witch Hunter said as they approached the entrance. "They'll be dead before you can say two prayers."

Juray only rolled her eyes as the two Witchers disappeared into the ruins to find the entrance.

"Please tell me that's not a portal," Geralt said when they approached the purple glowing doorway.

"That's a barrier, you dolt." Juray examined the area around the barrier and found a missing tile. "Gimme the tile."

Geralt handed it over and she fitted it into place. The barrier winked out and the two descended into the darkness, the slits in their eyes widening to compensate for the lack of light. Their night vision was unparalleled and they could see perfectly the vines dangling over the expanse just past the entrance.

"Perfect hideout," Geralt said. "For an owl. Be a bit harder for us to move around."

"Just to let you know," Juray said, pointing at the portal nearby. "That's a portal."

Geralt rolled his eyes. "Great. And the Witch Hunters probably messed with them."

"This one still works, so that's a good sign." Juray stepped through it while Geralt hesitated a moment before sighing and walking through it.

"Hate portals. Make my stomach turn."

"I think everyone on the Continent and the surrounding worlds know this." She crouched down and picked something up, examining it. "I think we're in the right place." She held up an owl's feather. "It's frayed but that is definitely an owl feather." She then turned her head and listened. "Something's in here with us. Probably nekkers. They like places like this."

They headed deeper in and sure enough found nekkers before they had to hunt for the power crystal for another portal and Juray activated it. The two stepped through and startled a Hunter, who drew his sword when he saw them.

"Stay back!" he cried. "Not one step closer!"

"Sheathe that before you hurt yourself," Juray said.

"Wait... You... You those Witchers the king was supposed to send?"

"He's smarter than he looks."

"Think you know by now how dangerous this place is," Geralt said. "Oughta wait up above with the others."

"Not a chance! Those cowards ran at the first whiff of monsters. I'm made of stiffer stuff." He puffed his chest out and Juray rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Besides, something big's set to happen here, I just know it... I learn what it is, Radovid'll appreciate it... King'll promote me, maybe even give me a medal."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will," Juray said drily.

"What's the big event that's supposed to happen?" Geralt asked.

"Uhhh... Don't know the details, but I came across Philippa Eilhart's notes. Mentioned Ida Emean, Margarita Laux-Antille, Francesca Findabair, and Fringilla Vigo. As I see it, they aim to meet. Here!"

"Think Philippa's still here?"

"Can't rightly know. Sure, we searched a few caverns, but hidden nooks abound. If someone wanted to hide in here, they could, easily. Even if they weren't an owl."

"All right, let's get you out of here."

"Told you already, no chance. Besides... The teleport's power cell, I broke it off. We've to wait till they come for us, got no choice."

Juray started muttering under her breath about little boys trying to prove themselves.

"Nobody's gonna come for us. Gimme the crystal, I'll get us out of here."

"But the monsters..."

"We'll defend you."

"What if you can't?"

Juray sighed and cast Axii on him. "Be a good little Hunter and give us the crystal."

"I am a good little Hunter." He handed Juray the crystal. "There you go."

"Thank you. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

They went deeper into the ruins, opening portals as Geralt complained about them, taking care of nekkers, along with a fire elemental, before they found what looked like a laboratory.

"Bed, table, a few chairs...." Geralt observed. "Modest, but a home nonetheless."

"Let's look around and see if we can figure out what she was doing and where she went." The two searched the area and found charred notes, signs of someone being operated on, and a broken megascope with a cracked crystal, along with signs of a fire.

"The crystal is the only thing of worth to Radovid down here," Geralt commented.

"I don't know." Juray's furrowed her brows. "Wait a moment..." She turned back to the bloody agates they'd found. "Didn't Vilgefortz try to restore his eye using a similar method?"

They both, along with Yennefer and Regis, had fought against the mage to protect Ciri many, many years ago. Juray and Yennefer had both been bested by him and Regis killed before Geralt was able to kill him. Geralt frowned at the mention of the name.

"Yeah, he did. Do you think Philippa was attempting to do the same thing?"

"Looks like it."

"Come on. Let's get outta here."

"And then he opened the portal and pranced through," the Hunter they'd met in the ruins was telling his commander as they approached.

"You shoulda gone after them!"

"Straight into the monster's jaws? Preferred to come up, inform you. Besides, they'll come back this way, they gotta." He noticed the Witchers then. "Oh, there they are now."

"I thought only old women gossiped," Juray said when they joined the Witcher Hunters.

"You're alive...?" The commander asked. "Find anything?"

"Dust, dirt... and a megascope crystal," Geralt answered.

"Whatever the hell that is... But... good chance it's important." He held his hand out. "Hand it here. We'll see the king gets it."

"Oh, no you don't," Juray said. "We'll hand it to him ourselves. We don't use messenger boys."

"Save your orders for your men," Geralt added.

"As you wish..." The commander turned to his men. "Grab them!"

"They never learn," Juray sighed as the two Witchers easily defeated the Witch Hunters. "I'd like to have at least one day where I don't meet a suicidal idiot."

"Let's go."

"You're not planning on giving that to Radovid, are you?"

"Nope. Gonna tell him we found nothing, but first I wanna show Triss this crystal and see if she can get any info out of it."

"Sounds like a plan."

~~~

They returned to Novigrad and visited Triss, the landlady complaining about the visit.

"Geralt, Juray, what a pleasant surprise," Triss greeted them.

"Thought you should know that Radovid offered us a contract," Geralt said.

"To find Philippa," Juray added.

"The bastard...," Triss all but growled. "Wasn't enough he poked her eyes out? Probably wants to torture her some more. You turned him down, of course."

"No," Geralt said.

"He kinda pointed us in the direction of Whoreson. Thought we owed him one because of it."

"You both know what he did to her..."

"Relax. See, I figured if I agreed, I could look for her without his men getting in my way. Fact is, I'm curious to know what happened to her."

"So? Learn anything?"

"A bit. Seems she hid in some elven ruins outside Novigrad after she fled Loc Muinne. Conducted some experiments there." Geralt held out the crystal they found. "This might tell us more."

"A megascope crystal." Triss examined it. "Hm, it's damaged... but it could still work." Triss applied her magic to the crystal and the ghostly figures of Phillipa and another sorceress all three recognized as Margarita Laux-Antille appeared.

"And Francesca's equally hesitant," Margarita was saying. "Neither she nor Ida wishes to decide blindly."

"They'll stop hesitating as soon we convince Keira and Fringilla," Phillipa said.

"Fringilla's on our side. She'll join us as soon as she's finished some business in Nilfgaard."

"Wonderful, that leaves Keira. The problem is, I've still no notion where she could be."

"What about Yennefer and Triss?"

"Yennefer's never belonged to the Lodge and Triss... Well, we shall see. I must regain my vision. I can go to Novigrad then to see Arthur de Vleester. The word is Triss is also carousing about the city."

"You still insist? Phil, pardon my saying so, but you will never regenerate your eyes on your own."

"Vilgefortz did it. I'm employing the same method, cultivating tissues on precious stones."

"It's madness... need... ower... ut you're... reat dange..." The conversation started to break apart and then the two disappeared.

"That's it. That's all I could recover."

"Radovid would love to get his hands on this...," Juray said.

"I get that right?" Geralt asked. "Philippa say she wants to restore her vision?"

"Seems she was planning to grow tissue on precious stones."

"Makes sense. Found agates covered in blood in her hideout."

"If she pulled it off, she'd only be the second person in the world to do so. But the bit about the Lodge – that's what I found interesting."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"The names they mentioned, all the most powerful sorceresses. Former members of the Lodge. They clearly mean to revive it."

"That good or bad?"

"Depends for who. Philippa's always said that 'if magic perishes, so shall this world.' And the Lodge was to protect the mages and their interests. Radovid and the emperor, on the other hand, would not be pleased. Both would have to respect our opinions, and neither likes to share power."

"No shit," Juray commented.

"'Our' opinions? You'd join them really?"

Triss shook her head. "No, I've got other plans. So, what will you do with the crystal?"

"Haven't decided..."

"You're not gonna give it to him, are you?"

"Radovid could use this to find Phillipa," Juray said. "And with how much hate he harbors against her, she wouldn't survive this time."

Geralt nodded. "You're right." He turned toward Triss. "Probably better if you keep it."

Triss took the crystal. "Much better. It'll be safe with me. I'll try to cast a diagnostic spell, maybe learn something more."

"Good luck."

They returned to Radovid's ship and were escorted to the king.

"Witchers," Radovid greeted. "Any progress? Have you found Eilhart?"

"Wasn't where your men said, but I did find signs of someone doing medical experiments there," Geralt answered.

"Oh, that's something."

"Think Philippa tried to restore her eyesight."

"Verily? Empty eye sockets suit her so much better. Have you any proof?"

"Just our word," Juray said.

Radovid laughed. "Your word? You give me your word? Sorry, but Eilhart herself taught me to doubt everyone, especially their word. So we've naught to talk about. Farewell." He turned on his heel and walked away.

"Well, guess that means we can get off this bucket. We still need to go update Priscilla."