Casiron? I mentally called out as soon as I stepped out of the foggy mist of the portal.

Est, you are back! Casiron replied, and I could feel some surprise and relief accompanying his cry.

I couldn't reach you anymore, he continued, and I felt his mind brush against mine. Something happened?

Dibidi died, I said, then quickly continued before he asked more questions. Is Candlewick back?

I moved through the now-empty building and towards the rune-warded exit.

Yes, she came back not that long ago, and just in time, Casiron replied, and I heard the pain and worry in his voice this time.

What happened? I asked, feeling my hairs stand on end.

Another group of those Ogurin attacked us, Casiron said. They climbed down the side of the cliff without me noticing, and when I saw them, they let go and dropped on top of us.

"Fuck," I whispered as I wondered how many of the refugees were killed. For a second, the image of the two girls playing on his back popped up, and I gnashed my teeth. An angry feeling, accompanied by a desire to go out and kill a bunch of Ogurin, grew steadily.

The Ogurin are all dead, Casiron said hastily before continuing in a calmer tone. It is a good thing you made this body of such a sturdy material, but even then, they damaged me greatly. I was forced to block the entrance, making them go through me first, but two managed. They reached the refugees, and if Candlewick hadn't come when she did…

Casiron fell quiet, and a wave of sorrow came from him. I didn't respond, staring dumbly through the door opening as I felt his sorrow affect me. For a moment, I wondered what it must be like to have all your loved ones killed, then travel for days, hungry and afraid, to an unfamiliar place and then be attacked by monsters. With a shudder, I pushed the thoughts out of my mind, somewhat startled at the strength of them. I knew instinctively that part of those had been my own buried feelings, but the rest came from Casiron, and I wondered why. Why did he care so deeply for beings so unlike him?

I took a few deep breaths until I'd calmed my mind, then scanned the empty streets ahead of me. Those questions would have to wait. First, I needed to return to the surface. There was no movement, and I saw nothing along the inner walls close to me.

As I remembered the slow movement of the rusted dwarves, I decided to take speed over stealth. I surged forward with my ax tight in my left hands, and two of my now ragged and worn Thorncasters held out at the ready. I quickly reached the place we had battled the rusted dwarves and noticed it was empty. There was no sign of the things we had… killed? I wasn't sure if the idea of death could even be applied to whatever those rusted dwarves were. I scanned the ground, noticing some traces of the battle.

Where did they go? I thought as I scanned the ground, still moving forward. I found no drag marks or other indications that they had been removed, just dust-covered footsteps. It looked like they had just gotten up and vanished.

Dammit, I thought, picking up speed again and looking at the streets ahead. There was no movement, and I wasn't going to wait for any. Keeping to the middle of the road, I ran through the empty streets as fast as I could, staying far away from any building entrances. I kept an eye on each of the crossroads, wary of anything that might ambush me. Either by luck or due to how fast I was going, I reached the massive gate without seeing any blue eyes or movement.

I stopped inside the entrance, still breathing easily, and turned back to examine the streets behind me. There was no movement, and I nodded. When we passed through here with the refugees, we were going to have to go as fast as we could.

I walked through the gate and away from the massive keep towards the staircase in the distance.

Are you still outside? I asked Casiron.

We are hiding in one of the side rooms, Casiron replied.

I was about to tell him I was coming when I stopped. Would it matter if I did? We needed to get to Boglodon as fast as we could, and Candlewick had proven herself more than capable if she could end those Ogurin.

Can the refugees still walk? I asked carefully.

They can. There are no wounded, Casiron said, and I sensed the underlying message.

How many died?

Eleven, Casiron said, and again I sensed the sorrow.

I wanted to say it could have been worse or that he did well but couldn't find the words.

Tell Candlewick to bring them to the staircase. I'll be waiting at the bottom, I finally said.

Alright, Casiron said, and I felt our connection dwindle.

As he was probably busy talking with the others, I sprinted across the massive dusty road until I reached the staircase. I waited at the bottom, my back against the wall and staring at the city to make sure nothing followed me. It felt like I was standing there for a long time before Casiron finally spoke again.

We are moving.

Alright, I said, stepping back from the wall so I could look up at the ledge.

How many Ogurin attacked you? I asked after a while.

Three, Casiron said. If I hadn't had to protect the refugees, I could have easily taken care of them! His voice rose angrily, and the haughty tone he had had before returned to it. With my true body, those filthy things would have had no chance, he continued, his voice turning to a roar, and for a while, I listened to his rage.

When he calmed down again, I found that I couldn't hold back my questions anymore.

Why do you care so deeply? I asked, more than a little confused. They aren't Dracoserps, and you only met them a few days ago?

A stunning feeling came through my connection with Casiron.

Even after all these years, I forget sometimes, he finally muttered before barking out a burst of dry laughter.

I can feel their emotions...their pain, their sorrow, and dreams, he said. It is how I know their names.

I was quiet for a bit, thinking of how horrible that must be, to not just have to deal with my own pain but also that of all those around me. Are all Dracoserps like this? I asked finally.

No…it is a gift that only some gain as they age, Casiron said.

Feeling everyone else's pain doesn't seem like a gift, I replied.

Casiron laughed, and this time it was filled with both joy and pain.

If you live as long as we do, life becomes stale and boring after a few millennia. Feeling what others feel, sharing in their pains and joys? It is the only way for our kind to feel alive again… Casiron's attention drifted away, and I nodded as I silently waited.

Finally, I saw something at the top of the staircase, a shadow slowly moving down. A short time later, Candlewick and the muscular rogue snuck down the last steps.

"Here," I said. In the silence of the massive cave, my voice carried far, and I gritted my teeth, hoping nobody else had heard.

The two rogues snapped their gazes to me, and again I saw the odd slitted eyes of the main rogue as she inspected me. Then, Candlewick whispered something to the other rogue, who immediately went back up before she herself stealthily moved towards me.

"They will be here in a minute," she said.

I couldn't hear any of her footsteps, and her voice was so muted I didn't think anybody beyond a step away could hear.

"Casiron said there were more of those Ogurin?" I whispered, keeping my voice as soft as I could.

"There was shouting and fighting when we came outside," Candlewick said softly. "Three of those things were there, two fighting with Casiron, and the other one had just reached the survivors. We managed to kill that one, then helped Casiron take care of the others."

I nodded, wondering if Bearra or the children had been amongst the casualties. I'd see soon enough, I decided.

We waited together, alternating between looking at the city in the distance and the staircase.

It took a long time before the first of the refugees began moving down, and when they did, I immediately saw Bearra in the lead, her heavyset form sticking out amongst the others.

As the hundreds of survivors began pooling below the staircase, Bearra came towards us. She was moving slowly, using her foot to scout ahead, and I realized she couldn't see us. I quickly stepped closer towards her, trying not to startle her.

"Don't start. It's me," I said before carefully putting my hand on her arm and moving her a bit away from the others.

"It's good to see you alive," Bearra whispered. "When most of her...fighters left, I feared the worst." She looked at Candlewick, who didn't show any reaction, and I wondered how she could see her. Then I realized that Candlewick's eyes glowed softly.

"We had some trouble," I said, "but I've heard it wasn't that easy up there."

Bearra shook her head and looked at the survivors. "They were afraid, and some spoke about leaving, trying their luck, and following the rogues." After a short silence, she turned to me. "I told them they should stay, that it was the safer of the two options. I was right, wasn't I?"

How the hell am I supposed to answer that, I thought as I recalled the rusted dwarves and the monsters and insects further below.

"Let's hope you are right," I finally muttered.

Bearra froze, then she looked at the ground. "Right."

Ten minutes later, we were moving in a long column towards the portal keep. I was in front while Candlewick and her remaining rogues moved beside the column.

Casiron, in his damaged state, walked behind. He limped, his left front leg covered in deep gouges and cuts, and both his head and back looked like the plaything of an upset blacksmith.

The trip to the keep took a lot longer with the column of people, but eventually, we reached the gate. The people stayed inside as I looked at the empty streets ahead of us. It would take us an hour to reach the portal building at this speed, a trip that was dangerous with the rogues and would be almost suicidal like this.

Are you sure you can make it? I asked, standing beside Casiron and inspecting his damaged leg. One of the cuts had jammed his joint, and it was a good thing he was made of wood, or he would have bled out by now.

I can, Casiron said. Five on my back, and I can reach that building you spoke about without issue and without anything stopping me. It might take a whole day, but at their speed, it would take a day too, and they wouldn't get there without drawing attention!

I thought for a moment, trying to imagine him running back and forth a hundred times to bring all the people there. Still, he was right. If we tried going like this, it might be much quicker, but it would be much more dangerous as well.

Fine. I'll tell Candlewick to go with you so she can guard the entrance. Bring some of the children first, I finally agreed. I'll stay here and guard the rest.

Casiron didn't wait but moved to the end of the long gate and lay down.

"Listen," I whispered, my voice easily audible to all in the deathly quiet of the dark. "Casiron will bring you to the safe building. Five can go on his back each time, so we will have to stay here for a while."

Almost immediately, soft whispers came from all around me, worried people asking questions.

"Hush," I hissed. "Do not speak. If we draw attention from the things that dwell here, we will be in big trouble."

The people fell quiet, but I could see them looking around the dark in dismay. I couldn't imagine how frightening it must be all alone here. Bearra's daughter and the little girl we had saved first sat at one side, and I moved towards them, slowly kneeling down.

"Can you two help me with something?" I whispered softly. They started, looking at where they thought my face probably was, then seemed to think. After a moment, Bearra's daughter nodded gently.

"Can you take some of the other children and help them onto Casiron?"

The girls seemed to pull back a bit.

"What about my mum?" Bearra's daughter asked softly, and I saw Bearra shudder a few steps away.

"She can go with you," I decided on the fly. It wouldn't hurt to have a few adults there to take care of the kids. "Okay?"

"Okay," both girls finally said.

I guided them to Casiron and then brought the others. A few moments later, Bearra and five children sat huddled together on Casiron's back as he got up. Candlewick stood before them, ready to guide Casiron to where he had to go.

"Hold on tight," I said.

Good luck, I thought at Casiron, and I got a sense of security and surety from him.

The massive Dracoserp got up and limping slightly rushed away in the dark. Even with his uneven gait, he only made a soft thudding sound and easily kept up with Candlewick.

Let's hope nothing bad happens, I thought, before almost wanting to kick myself for the stupid thought. Belatedly I started counting the seconds.

Time ticked by slowly, and I could feel the tension build from the survivors.

When Casiron finally contacted me, I had counted to four hundred forty, and I almost jumped out of my skin.

We reached the portal building. Candlewick wants to know if she should send the others through?

Dammit, I should have thought of that, I thought, trying to get my heart rate back down.

No, not yet. I don't know what's going on on the other side right now, I said.

Alright, I'm coming back now.

Casiron was back when I reached a little over seven hundred, and I grimaced as I did some quick calculations. Over eleven minutes for a single roundtrip. If he had to do almost a hundred of these, we would have to wait here for eighteen hours. As I thought of that, it barely registered how easily I had done the calculations. If I'd been this fast at school, I'd have finished number one in calculus.

The next round trip took less time, perhaps because Casiron knew the route, and as the minutes turned to hours, the group of survivors around me shrunk down. When two-thirds of them had been shuttled away, and those still with me had fallen asleep, softly snoring, I sat at the end of the entrance tunnel. My eyes burned as I blankly watched the streets ahead. It took all my effort to stay awake as I scanned the streets. Left to right, right to left.

Something flashed to the left as my head was already mechanically moving to the side.

What's that? I thought as my gaze snapped back to the far left and my muddled mind sprang into action with a wave of adrenaline.

Four pairs of blue eyes, lightning crackling around their edges, moved in the distance. They moved erratically as the bodies they belonged to thumped towards us. Behind them was one of the many paths leading away from the square. A moment later, another two pairs of eyes turned around the corner, following after the initial four. For a second, I held my breath, hoping they would take another side path away from us. Then I saw another one turn towards us, and I knew it wouldn't happen.

How far are you? I asked Casiron.

Halfway towards the portal building, Casiron replied. What is wrong?

We can't wait anymore. They have found us, I said as I got up and turned around.

I'll come back as soon as I can, Casiron grumbled, and I could almost feel him squeeze more speed out of his wooden body.

"Everyone, wake up the others," I whispered as I began moving around quietly, shaking people awake.

Two of Candlewick's rogues, Gresin, the strong-armed one, and Darsi, the one I thought looked like a merchant, came from the other side of the gate. They were rubbing their eyes as they moved towards me.

"We have incoming enemies, and we need to make our way towards the safe house," I said. "Help me wake them and get them ready."

The hundred-plus remaining survivors of the war slowly got into motion, far too slow for my liking. Still, all of the children, elderly and wounded had been brought away, leaving mostly healthy women and a few men.

"What do we do now?" one of the women whispered in my general direction. "Do we fight?"

I could hear the fear in her voice, and the others were all looking around in fear. I wish I had some light for them, as that would have made the trip traversable. Even the rogues looked uncomfortable.

"No. We are going to try to run there," I said. I'd planned for this eventuality, though hoping it wouldn't be needed. Now that it was, I doubted the plan I'd come up with but had no time to come up with an alternative.

"Everyone, take the hand of the person beside you and create a chain. Darsi, take the lead position, and as soon as the chain is ready move towards the safe house. Gresin, you are with me at the back. We will try to keep those things at bay."

Worried hissing came from the people before Darsi's voice cut through them.

"They are getting closer. We need to move!"

"Go," I snapped.

I prodded the backs of the last people in the ridiculously long line. It came to a slow start, and I shared a worried look with Gresin, then moved towards the incoming blue-eyed rust dwarves.

"They aren't going to move fast enough," Gresin said, mirroring my thoughts.

"I know. Get ready to fight them off," I replied, flexing my shoulders and lifting my arms to inspect my Thorncasters. They were starting to fray, the material going thin from overshooting, and the new wood I might need was on Casiron's back.

How far are you?

I just started my way back, Casiron replied.

When you reach us, come to the back and help fight, I replied as I tried to make an estimate of how long we had for the first dwarves to reach us.

This is going to be annoying, I thought as I prepared myself.