The elf forcefully pulled his shoulder. She gripped it hard and painfully sunk her nails, but the dwarf never spoke a word. She shook him violently until he finally looked back at her.

His eyes were full of conviction, "Aye, lass I understood yer question." He took her hand from his shoulder and smiled.

"Lass, I 'ave a plan," he patted her arm. "I'm gonna get that basterd out of there." He smiled once more as he looked into her tearful eyes.

"But—" the elf signed.

The dwarf approached Lord Prestonheim and asked to talk with him again. The commander offered him a private audience inside his tent. After reaching the tent, he asked his men to drop down the drapes that they purposefully opened earlier to allow airflow.

The dwarf knew the gravity of the conversation might take and patiently waited until all the drapes covered the tent. When everything was set, Lord Prestonheim offered him a seat. He indulged his invitation again.

"Servus 023-D," Lord Prestonheim began as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "I am afraid, I would have to break that promise. I cannot risk it at this point."

The dwarf thought he misheard the Commander and tried to repeat what he just said. "M'Lord, me thinks me ears a wee bit clogged. Can yah repeat that?" The dwarf still in utter disbelief.

The Commander nodded as he took a deep breath, "I'm ending the expedition. Unfortunately, I can't let anyone go anymore." Lord Prestonheim slumped into his chair.

The dwarf's jaw dropped in disbelief, "W-whut? Yah just abandon him there like a helpless pup?" He clenched his fist trying to hold his emotions in.

Lord Prestonheim smacked the table with his fist in frustration. "Damn this! If only I could get an approval from the Principalia, this could've been easier." He clicked his tongue.

"Tell me, M'Lord, whut diz expedition's about?" The dwarf calmly asked. "Was it for yer country's glory or for yer notoriety, eh?"

Lord Prestonheim looked him straight and cracked an exhausted smile. "Of course, for the country." He stood up and approach the Principalia's banner. "With threat growing from the Western Kingdom, the Pirates from the Nothern Isles and the Insurgency of the Free Folk of the Faer, I ought to bring my country power to level them all down."

The dwarf expected this answer from the Commander. "And what if these threats are bilge-suckling lies?" The dwarf stood from the chair and approached the table. "Just to grab them lands?" He bravely walked forward until he was a footling away from Lord Prestonheim.

"Where are you going with this, 023-D?" Lord Prestonheim raised an eybrow on the audacious dwarf. "I pity yah, M'Lord. From the looks of it, yah love yer country so much, it won't love yah back as much." He sighed.

The dwarf saw Lord Prestonheim's expression changed. He knew he struck the Commander's nerve. He watched as the Commander's face turned red in frustration but at the same time reflecting a hit of sadness in his eyes.

Lord Prestonheim was quiet for a moment, then he spoke. "You might be right, 023-D." He took a deep breath and paced in front of the table. "But I am bound to my duties. That is to protect the Principalia and her people."

"Her people, eh." The dwarf caressed his growing beard. "And whom are 'er people?"

The Commander stopped pacing and put down his arms and placed his palms on the table. "Of course, all of the people under Principalia." He proudly said as he pointed the banner without looking away from the dwarf.

The dwarf walked closer to the flag. He examined it and without touching the flag, he let his eyes trace the symbol of the Principalia's power. The golden eagle spread across a red field with a crown made of gold horns intertwined together, set upon its head. The claws that bore three spears on the right and a sword on the left. It was an image that he could never forget whether the flag was hoisted or not.

"Then, what're we to yah?" He looked at the Commander across from where he stood. "If noggins weren't shook that badly, 'tis we part of the Principalia whether we like it or nay?" He threw the question to him.

Lord Prestonheim's jaw opened wide. The dwarf knew he got him good and he wanted that. He wanted the Commander to realize how much big a mistake it was to leave his friend out there. He wanted him to know, that he might just save an asset to the Principalia. He desperately wanted Lord Prestonheim to give him the order and retrieve his friend.

The silver-haired Commander breathe in and deep. "You know, I cannot do that."

"A duty bound to the Principalia and her people." He repeated what the Commander stated, "And 'ere we are yer people!" He pushed it some more.

"If yer loyalties fell on the state and people, why would yah abandon him to die?" The dwarf pushed his words to the Commander who silently glared at him, frustrated with the situation.

"You were part of the rebellion forces, were you? The Free Folk of the Faer" Lord Prestonheim asked him back instead.

The dwarf stood silently, unmoving.

Lord Prestonheim pointed the small mark on his arm. "You may have hid that all this time, but that is a wylfern claw symbol."

He clenched his jaw trying his best not to say a petty thing to the dwarf, but his tongue slipped as his pride bled with the slave's poignant words.

"Why did you leave your brothers on the field?" The Commander asked. "If you are knitted as tight as the Mithrillium meshes you made, why weren't you there to save them?"

The dwarf looked at Lord Prestonheim calmly, he understood the Commander's logic more than anyone else, but he wanted to save his friend. He has to throw his logic and brilliance aside, a thing he should've done way back when his brethren where dying in the battlefield.

"Cuz we don't 'ave a choice." The dwarf sighed.

Lord Prestonheim nodded, "Now, imagine. I am currently at the same—"

"Tis nay the same, M'Lord." He interrupted.

The dwarf clenched his fist, trying his best not to lose his temper. "Tis different, M'lord. Nay's chasing yah. Nay 's burning yer houses and fields. Nay's wounded!" He walked up to him as he pointed outside, "Cept fer the one yah made a deal with."

Their eyes met in an intense moment of clashes of will. The dwarf was determined to get Servus 132-X down there, risking his head to a top ranked Commander.

Lord Prestonheim was about to say something when suddenly they heard a huge commotion broke outside. The two of them broke their staredown and rushed outside, to find the beastman being toppled down by five knights as it attempted to crawl towards the hole.

"L-LET GO OFF ME!" The beastman raged as the knights tried their best to hold him down without using their weapons. "L-Let…Me…Go!" The beastman bared his fangs.

The dwarf looked around for the elf. He saw her being held down by a couple of knights as she wailed and shouted incomprehensively at him.

"NOOOO!!!!" The dwarf screamed as he tried to run to help his comrades.

The dwarf felt a heavy hand on his shoulder that halted him-- it was Lord Prestonheim.

"ENOUGH!" The Commander's voice shook the entire area.

The dwarf felt the leaking exousia oozing out from Lord Prestonheim. He knew he was no ordinary commander, but this was something else entirely. The pressure was intense to the point of being nauseating.

The knights and his comrades halted immediately. Looking at the Commander as if some sort of a demon. He swiped the Commander's hand away from his shoulder and went to his bound comrades.

He went and helped the elf up, "Lass, are ya fine?"

The elf nodded and pointed at the beastman, "His collar is burning him!" She signed.

The dwarf ran towards the battered beastman, "Get yer hands of 'im!" He pushed the knights aside.

He touched the collar, it was indeed hot, and was starting to burn the flesh off the beastman's neck. "No! No! No!" He tried his best to touch the collar, but it was too hot.

"Help!" The dwarf cried for help as his friend was slowly suffocating and at the same time, turning red from suffocation.

Lord Prestonheim immediately came over and deactivated the trigger feature of the collar. It was too close to call. His friend might've had his head burst in front of them if he was a breath late.

"HHNNNGGGG." The beastman gasped for air as he held his neck.

"Explain to me what's going on!" Lord Prestonheim demanded his knights.

A brave one stepped up from the line and answered, "My Lord, we mean no harm. But he was going into the hole again. We tried our best to stop him." The young knight said, as he wiped some blood from his cheeks.

Lord Prestonheim turned around to the beastman who was laboriously breathing for air. "Why are you so determined?!"

After a few breathes the beastman finally answered in a hoarse voice, "I…heard…him…call…for—help." It was an effort just to come up with that sentence, but the beastman did it anyway.

"Whut do ya mean, lad?" The dwarf was baffled.

The beastman pointed at the rope. "He's…call…ing…for—help." He coughed.

"That's imposs—" The Commander was about to comment when suddenly the rope moved.

Everyone froze in terror as the rope began to tug on its own.