“I…I don’t believe it.” Kal shook her head. She pulled closer to Anton as she flicked through the pages of the book. “Beast-kin…Invaders?”

“That’s what it says.” Anton gently held Kal’s hand. “According to this book…The original Beast-kin not only came from another world but wanted to invade this one.”

Verona sat opposite, frowning at upside-down words that she could not understand. “But…”

Cetina sat at the end of the table and shifted her weight. There was little she could add that hadn’t already been said.

After leaving the portal Anton had said little. It had caught Verona and Kal as odd, especially after such a potentially important meeting with Mezot and securing the necessary supplies. He should have been more than jubilant but even he knew his face held a great many conflicting thoughts. They agreed to hold their questions until they reached home. Anton made sure everyone was seated, especially Kal and Rasha. The Beast-kin appeared very anxious until Anton began to explain what he had discovered as simply and delicately as possible.

“So…” Rasha scratched the base of her horn. She sat against the wall as none of their chairs could safely take her weight, even without her armour. “So…”

“It is a strange story.” Verona leant on the table. “But you said that you don’t know if it’s true.”

“Correct. Only way to prove that it’s true is by asking someone that was there. And that’s an impossibility. And even then they might just lie.”

“I see…”

Rasha shifted, her armour grinding lightly against the wooden wall. “I don’t feel like an Invader. You don’t think we might…Listen to their thoughts? If they try again.”

“Of course not!” Kal slammed the book shut, startling herself and everyone nearby. “I don’t know why this has me so on edge, but it has.”

“Come to think of it.” Anton held Kal’s fur-covered forearms. “When the Demons arrived at Fort Acidava you started panicking and telling us that we had to leave.”

“And a few others as well.” Verona mused. “Were they Beast-kin too? There were quite a few…” She smiled. “And they were all wearing full armour too.”

“It might have something to do with that.” Anton gently stroked the short, incredibly soft fur. “Those two being ripped apart in that portal…”

“Maybe.” Kal sighed. She closed her eyes before gently rubbing her swelling stomach. “It must be the baby that’s making me a little strange. Marion said that she, and nearly every woman, acts oddly when they were pregnant.”

“Not me.” Verona proudly proclaimed. “I-”

“You’re just as strange as you were the day I met you,” Anton said snidely.

A leg tried to strike him but it was too short. Verona huffed and wormed her way underneath the table until she hit. She emerged looking rather happy with herself.

Rasha gently scratched her knees. “I was going to say something about the food you’ve been asking about…”

“No need to bring that up.” Verona chuckled nervously, throwing Rasha a mildly annoyed glare.

“To me, it doesn’t matter.” Anton rested his hands on the book. “But I wanted you to know what I found. I didn’t want you to wonder why I might be acting weird. Well, weirder than normal.”

“I honestly don’t think it matters,” Kal said. “I am not one of them. Just like I am nothing like my father. Anton, please return this book the first chance you have. The Beast-kin of today, of Atros or even Seocuria, have nothing to do with what is written in this book.”

“I will.” Anton moved to pick the book up. “But, just in case someone gets their little hands on this.”

He chanted a prayer to shock anyone that opened the book before it returned to Mezot’s hands. With the spell placed he placed the book in a secure hiding spot in their home and returned to the others.

“Did you get everything else though?” Rasha asked. “I carried a lot of books and other stuff but I don’t know what any of it is.”

“Honestly, neither do I.” Anton shrugged. “Mezot said we needed it so that’s what I got.” Anton looked to the dimming sky. “We won’t be doing anything more today. Just…”

“Just what?” Kal reached for his hand.

“Just that we can’t move any faster or do anything more to deal with all the threats facing us. Especially the Goblins at Surdon.”

“Oh!” Verona waved her hand high. “Dana came around today. She wants your help to set up those perimeter outposts. They’ve built the towers, have a lot of them in place, but they need the Lightning Crows. And only you can do that…Actually, I think that Jocelyn could do it. But I don’t want her to mess it up.”

“First thing in the morning.” Anton clapped and wrung his hands together. “Now, who wants to help me make dinner? It’ll go much faster if I get some help.”

Verona shot up, eager to get her fill. The others got ready to help as well, even Rasha. According to all the girls, no one could make a cheesy baked potato quite like him.

---[]---

A bitterly cold wind lashed Anton’s face. The location for the southernmost perimeter outpost was a small hill in the open grasslands, now turned completely white with nothing more than a small smattering of snow. It offered near unobstructed view for miles around, not that there was much to look at. The perimeter outpost was not much to look at either: a tall and simple wooden watchtower with an enclosed platform. Overall, it was sufficient to protect the Strohierite stone and the bound Lightning Crow from the weather and any errant attack. As no one would be calling this place home there was little else. Only a small wooden wall constructed around the very base of the watchtower to keep any wild animals away and from potentially bringing it down.

"This is the last one," Dana said proudly. Despite the cold, she wore only a little more than usual. The knowledge that Atros would be even more secure provided her with all the warmth she needed. "Those little bastards won't be sneaking up on us again."

Anton did not know exactly how to respond. Dana had spent some time in the company of the Goblins because she had ridden right into the middle of an ambush. It was something Anton didn't want to think about, doubly so for Dana.

"So long as they don't go underground," Anton said. "I don't think they have the technology or the patience to dig a reliable tunnel for miles."

But that cult might just force them, if that's how much control they have.

"And we'd see the mounds of fresh dirt too." Anton waved across the white expanse. "Especially during winter."

"I'm glad to hear it." Dana looked to the south as well. "Though my riders will have to travel further to find any enemies."

"Just remember that they will only target Goblins and Ghlotsm. Not just anything that's hostile to Atros...I suppose I could tell the birds that but that brings up a whole load of questions."

"We're ready!" A voice cried out from the top of the watchtower.

Calo and Sheso leant over the edge through the small entrance. It was barely large enough for an adult human but for the young Dark Elves, it wasn't even a noticeable issue.

"We've put up a wooden board just behind us," Calo shouted down. "It'll stop any sort of rain or arrows from hitting that stone."

Kal, standing beside Anton on the ground, pulled out the last Strohierite stone given to them by Ferula. Anton was still annoyed they could not readily find more. However, it appeared to be as rare as she claimed it to be.

"Thank you, Kal."

Anton clasped his hands around the base of the stone and bound within a small Lightning Crow. The creature emerged from its small disk of light and stared at him, waiting for instructions. While Anton would have preferred a Large Lightning Crow, able to shoot three lightning bolts instead of one, but the stone was simply too small to contain it. A single Small Lightning Crow was more than sufficient, especially when it could fly out of their range and pummel them from above.

"Can one of you come down?!" Anton shouted upwards. "I don't want to try and throw this up there."

"I'm sure I could," Rasha said softly.

"You'd probably go over with just a toss," Cetina said softly. "You're a lot stronger than any of us."

"I...I know that." Rasha shrugged. "But I'm not some brute that would crush someone if I were to give them a hug."

"You'd probably..." Anton trailed off, not wanting to voice his thought. He didn't want to know he just imagined her picking someone up into a huge, smothering their head with her breasts. It didn't help matters that he knew exactly how large and soft they were.

Rasha frowned but appeared not to mind. Everything was in jest, after all. A smile crept over her face.

"Maybe I could learn how to use a sling? It wouldn't be a little pebble, but a rock! Easily the size of my fist." Rasha grinned, leaning her weight onto her halberd. "It would take a Knight's head clean off."

"Getting pelted by a rock is probably the last thing anyone would expect facing someone like you." Anton mused. He looked down to the Small Lightning Crow eagerly awaiting instructions. "Is one of you two going to come down or am I going to have to get Rasha to throw this at you?"

Rasha wasn't entirely sure if he spoke in jest or not.

Calo and Sheso stopped their bickering and scrambled down the ladder. Anton’s heart jumped a little as they came down together, hanging over the edge so they could both fit. Rather, they didn’t have a choice as neither was willing to go second.

“Is this a bit of sibling rivalry going on here?” Anton asked softly.

The twins stepped on the ground with a grace Anton expected only from Elves and calmly walked to them. Their beaming faces held no hint of the previous argument.

“Take this to the top,” Anton said. “And make sure it’s placed securely into its little nest. The stone that is. The bird’s going to fly off the second I give it instructions. Hopefully…” Anton glanced at Dana. “Hopefully not, but you never know.”

“Shame we didn’t have these in The Shadow Isles,” Calo mumbled. “We would be here…Not that we don’t like being in Atros.”

“I understand.” Anton looked to the Strohierite stone. “But this, hopefully, will stop anything like that from happening again.”

He quietly ordered the bound Small Lightning Crow to attack any Ghlotsm or Goblin within its maximum range. Disappointingly the creature shot into the sky and flew south. Dana tensed as they all watched the small creature. It stopped just before the limit of its range and began to fire. Lightning bolts struck the ground repeatedly. Only after twenty hits did the Goblins break from the snow and retreat to the south with the Lightning Crow hounding them as far as it could.

“See?” Dana grumbled. “They’re far too close.”

“Being anywhere near Atros is too close.” Anton looked to the north. Mount Aspire still loomed in the distance but Atros was very small, only the smoke trails against the white snow gave any indication of its location or even existence. “Can you two please take this up there? Don’t drop it. I don’t think it’s particularly strong.”

Sheso snatched it from his hands just as Calo reached for it. Calo threw her sister a dirty look but did not complain. As they ascended the ladder Anton heard the two bicker.

“So what’s the plan now?” Cetina asked. “Now that Atros is…Slightly more secure than it was.”

Dana scoffed. “I’m sure our sentries and guards will have seen that lightning display. Now, even if they attack during the night, we’ll see them coming. Especially in the night.”

“Unless they use those Blue Goblins,” Anton said, Dana’s brows furrowed. “They can unbind magic. I’m not using particularly complex magic, and I don’t know if it’ll affect a summoned creature bound to a Strohierite stone, but it’s something to think of.”

“So this whole thing could be pointless?”

“What choice do we have?” Anton clicked his tongue. “We have a very good defensive measure, or nothing at all because something might be able to pierce it? All it means is that we need to remain vigilant around Atros.”

“I see…” Dana held her chin. “I’ll keep that in mind. Is there some way to make sure the creature is still up there?”

“We really didn’t think about that when we were designing these things.” Anton saw the twins wave and begin their descent. “Really wasn’t a thing we even worried about. I guess you’ll have to get someone thin and spritely to run up there. If they see a Lightning Crow glaring back at them, they’ll know they’re still there.”

Dana laughed. “Fair enough.” The Small Lightning Crow flew over their heads and darted into the small watchtower. “It’ll have to do. Better than nothing. Right?”

“Absolutely.” Anton brushed the snow on his face. “Better than just sitting on our butts and waiting for the end.”

“So what’s next?” Rasha leant on her halberd. “Normally you’re really busy with stuff…And with this done it sounds like you’re kind of free.”

“Almost.” Anton produced a small piece of paper from his clothes. “Could you please hold this up for me?”

Rasha complied. She rested the halberd in the crook of her arm and held the piece of paper aloft.

“Oh. It’s that map.” Rasha frowned. “Who copied this? Did you have that Graterian woman, Mezot, do this?”

“No.” Anton smiled. “I don’t think I’d ever get it back. No, just someone that manages our communication pens. They’re normally not doing anything, it’s something for the elderly to essentially have a snooze, but they were really excited to do this. Anyway. I wanted to see this.”

Anton pointed to Dragon Tooth Bay. “The small Dwarven Outpost. These other markers.” Anton waved his hands over the rest of the map. “I seriously doubt there’s going to be anything left. These are cities…I mean, Atros was once a massive city in the United Empire and no one seems to remember it. And it’s just a minor town on a former trading route. Anyway, I don’t think there will be anything left of these cities and potential stashes. Maybe in a few years we can go digging.”

“We didn’t see much on the way through Jaka,” Rasha said softly. “A lot of ruins, but they weren’t as old as this.”

Anton nodded. “No. No they weren’t. But I doubt there are many ways into this place. The Dwarves might have built a massive tunnel to this place but they told me they wouldn’t go that far.”

“So…” Cetina folded her arms. “The Chiroks then?”

“Yep.” Anton gently took the map back of Rasha. “That’s exactly my plan. Plus I might also see any ruins from above. At least I’ll be back before nightfall.”

“Just let us know if you need us,” Cetina said, Rasha nodded as well. “We’ll be stepping through that portal the moment you let me know.”

---[]---

Wind buffeted Anton's head as the Chiroks flew through the steep mountains towards Jaka. Very little snow stuck to the mountains, the smooth surface gave little room for the snow to build on, apart from the odd crevice or fracture. Though the mountains appeared to form a near-impenetrable barrier there were many pathways for those determined enough. Or, in Anton's case, access to flight. The pair of Chiroks lazily followed the same path that Anton had taken after disembarking in Jaka. The giant flying wolves had little desire to fly so far from their pups. They did follow Anton's directions but it was quite begrudging.

Down below Anton saw many creatures eking out an existence in the harsh rocky terrain, thankfully none were Goblins. What did catch his eye were a large group of upright rats near a large Boulder. Rock Rats. If they had remained perfectly still he would not have noticed them.

"I wonder where they fit into all this?" Anton wondered aloud, uncaring that no one could respond. "The Goblins hated them...Those things hate everything."

The Chirok’s noticed as well. They whimpered and whined to catch Anton's attention, to hunt a treat for their pups, but Anton pushed them forward. With a final grumble, the Chiroks continued to fly through the mountain pass. Anton did not wish to waste time but he also knew the Rock Rats were more than capable of making crude weapons. One glance back confirmed his suspicions. The Rock Rats had completely frozen in place but nearly all held stone-tipped spears in their claws.

One could easily land a lucky strike, then you'd be without your mate.

As the salty air of the sea grew stronger Anton looked back.

They're still alive, and even appear to be thriving, so the Goblins have yet to leave Jaka. At least for now. I just hope they aren't building rafts. Not that they'd be a threat to Atros, but someone will suffer their deprivations.

The final mountain gave way to Dragon Tooth Bay. The large bay, protected from the seas by a distant wall of mountains with a single entrance, looked identical to when they left.

Except the Goblins swarming through what remained of Jaka.

No original building remained standing. All had been stripped down so the creatures could build their crude and inferior hovels. Bizarrely the pier remained in once piece. So too did the broken obelisk, stains on the surface told Anton they were using it for target practice. To the north of Jaka, the Crystal Chasm glinted in the winter light. For something so dangerous and destructive it did look beautiful. The purple fog continued to flow from it but only just reached Jaka's old perimeter. Whether it would continue to spread Anton could not say.

"So many targets." Anton smiled. "If we had a Strohierite mine we could just leave them up here in the hills. That would send them running...My White Ghlotsm hasn't made it this far yet, has it?"

Anton did not often check in with the corrupted creature. It was more than happy to be left to its instructions, rather it had no concept of happiness, only succeeding or failing orders. The White Ghlotsm had travelled further towards the crystal chasm but the journey was very slow. The winter was taking its toll and rooting out all of the Goblin nests was proving to be a long and arduous task. Anton cut the connection once he had made sure the previous order still stood, to corrupt every Goblin and Ghlotsm in the Kar Kingdom then to throw themselves into the sea. None of the creatures were opposed to their own deaths. It was just an order, an action to be carried out by a machine.

Strange things.

Anton directed the Chiroks towards the northern edge of the mountains forming the mouth of the bay. According to the ancient map a small Dwarven Outpost lay within. The Chirok did not understand where they were heading and flew high and slow, attempting to find a place to land.

“If it was obvious I would have seen it coming in. And the Kar Kingdom would have plundered it…Just like I want to.”

Anton pulled lightly on the reins and the Chirok began to fly in a circle around the mountain. The snow obscured nearly everything at the top of the mountain but something caught his attention. Four small areas were free from snow, four barren points that formed a large rectangle. As the Chirok continued to circle he saw the rectangle had been carved deep into the mountain. Nature almost never produced something so clean, especially on the top of a mountain.

“We’ve found our landing spot,” Anton announced triumphantly. “No wonder they never found it.”

The Chiroks did not want to follow his orders. For all they knew he was directing them into the mountain.

As they flew over Anton released a volley of Fire Bombs onto the rectangle. The fiery explosions blasted the snow away and melted what remained. After another tug the Chiroks recognized the rectangle as a safe landing site and swiftly descended. The rectangle was more than large enough for both.

“Just be careful.” Anton felt the beasts trepidation. “We don’t know if there are any traps still in this place.”

The Chirok’s landed with barely a noise, only the final beat of their wings echoed through the rectangular depression. Anton dismounted after ensuring nothing came to greet them. The stone beneath their feet had been carved by skilled hands, Dwarvish hands judging by the small markings. He gently stroked the Chiroks neck, it appreciated the gesture and began to nuzzle his mate. Anton summoned four small Fire Imps. Though they were not too powerful, compared to his normal magic, they would trigger any potential traps. He was sure they would be miffed at their intended us, if they were capable of such thoughts.

“Now…” Anton brushed away the snowflakes building on his cloak. “How do we get into this base?”

At the end lay a vertical part of the mountain with a short stone door. It was clearly built for Dwarves, at best Anton would have to crouch. He smiled wondering how Cetina or Rasha would fare with such a thing.

“Dwarves can have magical protection…” Anton touched the bag containing the portal stones. “No point in fumbling about with things I don’t understand.”

The Chirok’s quickly curled up next to each other and watched Anton act in silence. He didn’t have to worry about them flying off to hunt fish, even though the male had hunted a seal during their first meeting.

A few moments after the portal flashed and a group of Dwarves stepped through led by Umikgruid.

“It’s pretty cold here.” He rubbed his arms. Anton doubted such a sturdy Dwarf, in build and clothing, actually felt that cold. Especially with his impressive beard.

“It isn’t good.” Anton nodded to the stone door. “You think you can do anything with that?”

Umikgruid ordered the Dwarves to investigate the door, a few broke away to inspect the carvings in the stone ground. They appeared satisfied but had little to say about the simple engravings.

“A Dwarven Outpost…” Umikgruid smiled. “Hopefully there’s something better than just rotten pieces of paper. Oh, all ten chests made their way back to us. They seemed really nervous when I asked if that was all there was. Is it true there were piles of papers inside the treasury?”

“Paper money. Quite worthless to us now, but to the Blood Hammer Dwarves it was more than a small fortune.”

Umikgruid folded his arms. “Strange that paper can hold so much value.”

Anton wished to discuss the concept of paper money again but the Dwarves had already unlocked the door. They shook their heads as they stepped to the side, the small door groaned as it rolled sideways into the mountain.

“Not too bad.” One of the Dwarves said. “Just a simple lock. I don’t think a human could have breached it.” He looked around the rectangular depression. “But I don’t think that many could reach this high.”

“Dwarves might be good miners but we don’t climb that well.” Another said.

“Drakes or Dragons.” Anton offered. “Maybe even Griffons? Just drop a big crate up here…I get the feeling that we’re about to find more bodies in there.”

The Dwarves said nothing but he knew they had already come to the conclusion.

“Before we go in we should get some more people.”

A few minutes later they had a full complement of Dwarven warriors. Several would stay behind with the Chirok’s and the portal, along with Rasha and Cetina. They wanted to follow but knew they could not. Anton was going to have to crouch low to not scrape his head. Clearly, this outpost was designed with only Dwarves in mind.

Anton sent the Fire Imps in first. The small creatures illuminated the way into the outpost. Anton was honestly surprised to see nothing amiss. No bodies or any sign of a scuffle. If anything it appeared to be too clean.

“And ordered departure,” Anton said as he followed the Dwarves into the abandoned tunnels. “No Insects to burst through into these tunnels.”

“Without the main Hold they must have left,” Umikgruid said. “I wonder if they were our ancestors? Perhaps they let them in? Destitute survivors of a crumbling empire.”

The shallow corridor slowly descended for only a few meters before opening up to a height where Anton could stand upright with no issues. Cetina’s head would scrape the roof and Rasha would have to remain crouched.

“A decent defensive measure against a human assault.” Anton frowned as he looked back out the tunnel. “But who would come up here to do that?”

The Dwarves held small lanterns, powered by the small energy cubes, and illuminated the room better than his Fire Imps. They stood in a storage room, filled with rotten crates and desiccated husks of food. Beyond those lay giant logs, far longer than Rasha was tall. One end glinted with the light, a strange blue colour. Anton approached and realized they were gigantic crossbow bolts. Or bolts for a ballista.

“These like the ones in the Dwarven Isles?” Anton gently kicked a bolt lying separate from the pile. The wood shattered under his touch, a plume of grey dust settled over his leg.

“Not…” Umikgruid nodded once. “Exactly. If these are here…Strange. They should be in racks rather than just on the floor. These have only just been delivered. There should be storage racks near the ballista’s themselves.”

Umikgruid waved the Dwarves forward and deeper into the outpost. A few meters past the supplies Anton smelt salty air far stronger than before. A faint current blew through the outpost, the walls ahead were illuminated with natural light well before the Dwarves arrived. Along the corridor were numerous branches leading away from the bay. Anton chose the first branch and found what they were looking for. Two giant ballistae lay nestled inside of a large room. One had a Chelium tipped bolt loaded, the ropes had rotten on both and everything was covered in a thin coating of white salt. The far wall contained thick iron slats that ran in grooves. On each slat lay a handle at Dwarven height. They could be slid across or even removed to allow the ballista the perfect line of fire. These too were rusted and covered in salt. A breeze blew up the mountainside, the pieces of metal groaned and twisted in the wind.

“This is incredible.” Anton inspected the ballista without touching them, lest they break like the bolt. “How many do you think there are?”

Umikgruid hurried the Dwarves further into the outpost. Anton peered out and counted eight branches in total. Each Dwarf that emerged indicated there were two ballistae in each.

“Sixteen is pretty good,” Anton said. “We should take these back to Atros. They’d be a great boon for our defenses…Actually, Mount Aspire could really do with some defenses. Especially the north. Do you think you can create hidden outposts for these?”

Anton touched the edge of the ballista. It did not break but he felt the wood crumble under the slightest touch.

“Of course.” Umikgruid smiled. “But I think you already know it’s going to be impossible to take these back like they are, even with that portal thing of yours.”

“I’ll use Tethra’s ability to restore them-”

“Umikgruid!” A Dwarf shouted along the corridor. “We have something down below.”

“Sleeping quarters, no doubt.” Anton offered.

“No, my Lord.” The Dwarf warrior stood at the top of a flight of stone stairs. “Well, yes. We found the beds. Simple beds. But that’s not what we’ve found.”

Anton followed the Dwarves, flanked by the Small Fire Imps. Anton peered into the ballista rooms as he passed. All were unloaded or in a state of decay, yet there were no bodies present. No scuff marks or signs of a struggle of any kind.

Strange to think they would all leave and not unload the ballistae. Must have been quick.

The Dwarf led them down the flight of stairs. Small light-emitting lamps hung on the wall. The small slot for the energy cube had rusted with salt. None of the Dwarves had even tried to reactivate one, doing so could very well have caused an explosion.

One Dwarf awaited them at the bottom. Anton noticed that his axe was drawn and held tight in his hand, the lantern in the other held close to his body.

Beyond lay the barracks, simple wooden beds for dwarves and little else. Anton did not understand what had irked the Dwarves so much.

"What's wrong?" Anton asked after several long breaths.

The Dwarf pointed to one of the closest beds. At first, Anton thought they were empty but he was wrong. Under the dim light he could not see the Dwarven skull embedded into the decayed pillow. A Dwarf stepped forward but Anton held his shoulder. Instead, he ordered the Fire Imps to walk the length of the barracks and check between every bed. Only when he was certain there was nothing did he relinquish his hold.

"There's a hole in his skull." The Dwarf announced as he approached the first bed. "Looks like some sort of pick. Killed him in one hit."

"And the others?" Umikgruid asked.

The warrior Dwarves quickly checked the other beds. All had a single pickaxe type would to the side of the head. Some appeared to have broken arms and legs. Anton had no idea if the barracks acted like an infirmary but something told him that was not the case this time.

"All of them." Umikgruid shook his head. "Forty Dwarves, all killed in their sleep."

"Seems strange for an outpost to have everyone go to sleep at once," Anton said. "And all neatly tucked into bed? No. They were placed here."

He gently pulled away the cotton sheet covering the closest dead Dwarf. Thick ropes bound their feet and hands together, then those were tied to the corners of the bed. The other beds were checked and, to no one's great surprise, all the dead dwarves were bound in a similar manner.

"What cruel..." The Dwarf could not finish his sentence.

"I don't know. But to overpower this many Dwarves, and this remote a location..." Anton shook his head. "Seems like a ritual to me."

"Whatever for?" Umikgruid asked. "What could they possibly try to do with so many Dwarves?"

"I don't know. I'll ask Mezot, our Principle Mage in Graterious, if there's anything remotely like this. She's scoured most of the Library, perhaps she's seen something like this. But...But to need Dwarves specifically..."

"I think they should be buried." A Dwarf weakly pointed to the bodies. "It's not right to leave them here."

"We can give them a stone cairn for a burial site," Anton said. "I doubt we'll be coming back here anytime soon. Everyone that's not helping move the bodies outside, comb through everything and see if we can find any clues as to what happened here."

The Dwarves split into two even groups and began their tasks. Those collecting the bone muttered apologies as they had no choice but to bundle the bones in the bedsheets. Only one a time could be moved, and very carefully at that. They held underneath as they did not trust the ancient fabric to support much weight.

The other half quickly rummaged through the few draws and footlockers. Annoyingly there was nothing to find. No last note or any hint as to what happened in this place.

"Would there be any secret caches in a place like this?" Anton asked Umikgruid. "Even a place where Dwarves could hide sweets. They might have hidden something there."

"Nothing." A nearby Dwarf said. "There usually is but we can't see anything."

"He's right." Umikgruid softly sighed. "But keep looking. Think of every possible hiding spot and check it again. I don't want anything left to chance."

When the last skeleton was removed the Dwarves found something. It was only the barest of clues, a memo detailing the arrival of some important United Empire dignitary. That was everything they could find.

"Do you think it's related?" The Dwarf who found the tattered note asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea. It might be, then again it could have happened a few seasons before this happened." Anton looked over the barracks. "No name, so there's nothing to go off. We need to find a complete set of United Empire records to determine what happened."

"And they no longer exist," Umikgruid said softly. "I just hope their spirits can rest a little easier now. At least they're not stuck in this awful place."

Anton quickly left with the other dwarves and set to work recovering the ballistas. The ballistas sat on mounts and once removed were just short enough to slide out of the tunnel. Anton restored the ballistas enough so they would survive the journey. The restoration took considerable mana, even when speaking aloud, and he did not wish to return to this place anytime soon.

Outside the Dwarves had finished placing the bones at the far end of the rectangle. Loose stones had been arranged to form a crude cairn, Rasha carried a giant stone, large enough for her to pant under the strain, to place on top. With a loud thud, the stone settled on the others and formed the dead Dwarves tomb.

Cetina stood with the Chiroks, throwing them an angry glare. The beasts did not appear to mind but they were taking conscious effort to avoid her eye.

"They tried to get some of the bones," Cetina said softly. "I think they wanted to chew on them."

"Is that why they're trying to look innocent?"

The Chirok’s took one look at Anton, realized they were in trouble and pretended to doze.

"So long as they didn't, then it's fine."

Anton saw the first ballista emerge from the tunnel. It was quite a sight to behold.

"That's...Very big," Cetina muttered.

Behind, the Dwarves asked Rasha to place a piece of cloth, tied to a piece of wood, at the very top to be nestled by stones. A simple marker for the grave.

“Should we be attacked by Dragons or Trolls, even Orcs or Minotaurs-”

Rasha’s ears pricked up as she slowly walked towards them.

“I can’t believe you know Orcs,” Cetina said softly. The remaining ballistae quickly filled the tunnel and spilled out onto the rectangular depression.

“Orcs?” Rasha folded her arms, brushing away the few snowflakes landing on her arms. “I saw a few of them in Seocuria. Big, green and strong. But not as strong as me.”

“Orcs are alright.” One of the warrior Dwarves shrugged. “A bit slow, but nice. So long as you don’t get on their bad side.”

The Orcs from the Red Spines appeared to be skilled ambush fighters. The rest…Seem like little more than a screaming horde. At least they were in Qaiviel.

“The bolts?” Anton asked.

“We’ll take them as well,” Umikgruid said. “Good practice for our carpenters to make more.”

“Well…I’ll leave you to it.” Anton raised his hand. “But we’re done here.”

“Do we seal the door?” The last Dwarf asked as he emerged into the light.

“Seal it tight,” Umikgruid ordered. “One day we’ll find out what happened to those poor Dwarves. But not this day.”

The stone door rolled back into its slot. The seam flashed bright once then fell completely dead. Anton could not help but shake the feeling that these dead Dwarves had wider implications, he just had no idea what it could possibly be.