Several days had passed since the initial meeting between Zharatan and Iskra.

Both parties had met once more to iron out any concerns that may have revealed themselves once the humans and dwarves had more time to think on the matter concerning the potential alliance. This primarily involved concerns regarding the needed housing and food for the men and how the dwarves planned to tackle the issue once they had received them. Sufficed to say, the involved parties were amply satisfied with what was to happen.

Once all was said and done, the men were gathered and the supplies were loaded onto the carts that were to accompany them.

Iskra had taken the opportunity to volunteer herself to go with the outgoing convoy of men and supplies. She relished the idea of getting out of the stifling and hellish area that the humans now claimed as their home. Sylvia had also been drafted to go along with the young girl as the raven-haired maiden had heavily implied that the older servant was somehow needed on the upcoming journey. Captain Boris had opted to stay behind, however. He was more than happy to stay within the encampment and oversee the continued construction of the growing number of earthworks that were beginning to take shape along the outskirts.

Once the human leadership had decided on the matter of who was to make the journey and who wasn't, they had set out towards the dwarven settlement of N’urn Arvul Zhar. If one were to translate it into the human tongue it would be known as the Magnificent Domain of Zharatan.

Iskra had quietly dubbed it as Zharatan’s Domain.

In all, some two thousand men were sent to help out the dwarves. These numbers mainly consisted of the levied peasants, but Iskra and her begrudging military leader saw fit to allow one hundred of Duke Radoslavs’ professional soldiers to take the journey and stay alongside the ill-trained force.

What the dwarves did with these men would be left up to the whims of Zharatan.

It was as the dwarven leader had said during their initial meeting; the journey had taken roughly three days to reach Zharatan’s Domain. While in route, an offer of hospitality was extended towards Iskra and she gladly accepted. The young girl was more than happy to learn all she could about her new allies.

They had taken a tour of the mine turned fortress, ate alongside the dwarves as the two peoples shared meals with one another. Iskra had asked questions here and there about various topics while Zharatan did his best to answer as much as he could.

Eventually, two days had passed. It was time for Iskra and her retinue to return home.

“Once again, I must thank you for allowing us to borrow your people.” Zharatan said as he shook hands with the towering human girl.

It was a common enough sight for humans to be taller than dwarves but in the case of the banished daughter of Duke Radoslav, it was beyond obvious that she was taller than most, if not all, of the men that had fallen under her command.

“The pleasure is all mine Zharatan.” Iskra said with a smile. “History has shown that alliances between our two peoples have accomplished a great many things and I’m hoping that we’ll continue to see that time-honored tradition carry on.”

Iskra smiled as the two leaders let one another go. Her free hand clung to a simple pouch around her waist while the other had dropped down to her side.

Ever since the raven-haired girl had received the apparent gift from the dwarves, she never allowed the item to disappear from her sight.

She even went so far as to sleep with the valuable item. Painfully keeping the massive red diamond clutched chest at night as she feared any unruly peasant would try and steal the object away from her. So far, no attempts had been made.

She suspected that no one beyond Captain Boris and Sylvia was even aware that the young girl had such a priceless item in her possession.

The dwarven leader smiled as he looked up at the human girl. Whatever it was that caused the dwarven leader to make such a face, she couldn’t say. She had a hard time reading the man.

Perhaps, he was the usual jolly sort of fellow. Who wouldn't be after what she had seen in the past few days.

The mines were quite spacious considering the fact that they were a people who barely came to the girls waist, though with what they had been through these past few years she wasn't all that surprised. She rarely had to bend over when she and a few others were being shown around. There was also the fact that the mines were apparently rich in ores and the dwarves were ready to ramp up production for various items that they planned to make.

The place was spacious and rich beyond what anyone could have hoped for.

Save for the overall creepy and downright terrifying feeling that she had when they had gone deeper within the mine, she wouldn’t have minded the idea of living underneath the earth.

If she had been born as a dwarf.

The elegantly dressed dwarf had even gone so far to boast about how their coffers were bursting with silver and iron while he quietly whispered in her ear about a few hidden tunnels where they had several mining carts that were filled with various minerals such as rubies and emeralds.

When she had asked to see these mystical carts the dwarf had laughed and proclaimed that she would be able to see them some other time.

All in all, the tour was a successful one, and she felt that the sergeant that had overseen the transfer of men would give a favorable report to his superior upon their return to Ruined Home.

Iskra was actually glad that the man had found a perfectly good reason not to come along. She wouldn’t have been all that surprised if he somehow managed to turn the entire thing up on its head and ruined a considerably easy deal.

“Lady Iskra,” Sylvia’s voice pulled the young girl away from her thoughts.

“The sergeant is claiming that the men are ready to go and we can depart whenever you wish.”

The young girl nodded at the servants' words.

“It looks like it’s time for us to leave. It was an honor in taking part in your hospitality as well as the opportunity to explore your peoples home and to see the craftsmanship of the dwarves.” She bowed and made to turn but not before Zharatan managed to call out to her.

“Before you leave, I would like to present you with one more gift. I’ll meet you at your carriage.”

The bearded leader reached into his robe and pulled out a smoking pipe as he waved the human girl away.

The pair of women weren't forced to wait very long before Zharatan came into view with a single guard by his side.

Iskra wasn’t sure if she had seen the guard before as she didn’t recognize the helmet, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if she did.

“Thank you for waiting.” Zharatan called out with a raised arm as he walked up to the two women.

Sylvia nodded in reply while the younger girl quietly watched as the two dwarves came within an arm’s length.

“Now then,” The dwarven leader said as he brought a hand over the nameless guard's left shoulder. “This here is Argonok. He’ll be your first ever royal guard and first ever servant willing to die for you.”

Zharatan let out a wicked laugh as he patted Iskra’s newfound guard on the shoulder. The man had a strange way of putting things if she was to be honest. However, the short haired girl didn’t actually mind it. Especially at the mention of receiving a royal guard, even if that's not what the bearded dwarf had actually meant.

“Er, uh. Yes. Thank you.” Was all she could say as her newly established royal guard clomped loudly to her side while the dwarven leader turned and waved goodbye as he walked off in the distance.

The two of them nodded at one another in silence as they stared at their counterpart.

To the girl, he looked similar to all the other Fire Guard. An elite group of dwarves who wore the heaviest of armor with the largest of weapons. The only sort of uniqueness to him was the long axe looking weapon that had a strange tube running through its glistening head.

His helmet was plain with no obvious significant feature as far as she could tell, at least compared to some of the helmets she saw in the past few days. That was one of the very few ways she could tell the elite guard of Zharatan apart from one another. His helmet had been painted in a four squared, multicolored red and blue scheme. She wasn’t sure if the different colors meant anything or if it was a more personal touch done on the guards' own violation.

What did he think of her, she wondered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir Argonok.” Sylvia said as she went to open the door of the carriage.

“Likewise.” The guards' voice echoed out. It sounded similar enough to his other brethren, the constant echo that she came to associate with the dwarves made it almost impossible to note any of the more minute details of their voices.

Having said that, his voice had a more metallic ring to it.

“Would you like to join us inside for the journey?” Iskra asked as she gestured for the man to enter.

“And miss out on all the fun walking for days on end?” The man said in a sarcastic tone as he made to step onto the carriages ramp.

The vehicle creaked in displeasure as the armored clad dwarf stepped upwards and applied his weight.

Something let out a sharp ear ringing crack as the dwarf plummeted to the ground. His feet were buried halfway into the soft earth as everyone looked on in shock.

Argonok looked at the ground with a curious hum while the two women stared absently at him.

“I think…” He began as he looked up towards his new mistress. “I’ll walk.”

To Iskra, the trip back to Ruined Home had been dull and uneventful. Not much had happened beyond the odd sighting of strange and massive wolf-like creatures that Argonok had named as Wargs.

When she had asked what made them so different compared to actual wolves, the metal encased guard had stated in a blunt tone “They’re wolves, but meaner and more likely to bite you in half.”

While the trip to Zharatan’s Domain had been successful, she yearned for something more exciting to happen. The talks were done in a fashion that was all well and good, but they had been dreadfully dry. The time that she had argued with Captain Boris had proven itself to be far more frustrating than it should have been.

She wondered why Duke Radislav had even picked that stubborn, middle-aged fool if all he was going to do was get in the way and ruin the young girls' plans.

“Lady Iskra.” Sylvia said in a soft-spoken tone that managed to break the young girl out of her thoughts.

The mild-mannered servant pointed out of the window of the carriage when her raven-haired mistress looked towards the older woman. “We’re at the river. I’m glad we didn’t have to head down south like last time.”

Heavy runoff from the nearby mountains had forced their convoy to march south instead of directly east. It had added a full day to their journey when they first set out, but thankfully the water had subsided to a level where they could now traverse to the opposite side without being forced to go further than was necessary.

All it would take is a few hours of their time, and they would be well on their way back to their new home.

Iskra let out a deep sigh as adjusted herself in the plush, comfortable seating.

Her butt ached from having sat down for the entire journey and she wanted to do something other than think about the merits of being bored in an untamed land.

“Let’s get out and watch the men for a while.” The girl said as she stretched out her arms. “It's a far better option than sitting in here and looking at our nails.”

Iskra reached for the portal to the outside and opened it, taking the first step into the brightly lit midafternoon sun.

A lone figure watched from high up in the mountain that overlooked the humans as they stopped and prepared themselves to cross the nearby river.

The gnarled and sickly looking figure was short in stature with grey, ash-colored skin. His breathing came in labored gasps as he kneeled in front of a large boulder that blocked the humans from ever being able to see him.

The goblin, as his hideous looking race was more commonly known as, let out a long and tired sigh as he reached out and grasped at a gold coin.

He resented that damned thing as he looked down upon its shiny surface. A curse had been placed upon him and his people. Strange incidents and terrible deaths had inflicted his clan ever since he first picked up the wonderfully made item.

His favorite broodmother had the misfortune of falling to her death deep inside of the clans cavernous home. Not that it changed all that much for him. All he had to do was lay claim to another female that caught his fancy and forced her to join his harem. The replacement just so happened to be the daughter to the unfortunate female who managed to flatten herself on the cavern floor. She was also his daughter as well but that never mattered to a race such as the goblins or their crueler cousins, the orcs.

Fortunately for him, the gods have provided for him by sending someone who could remove the curse.

The goblin had been hesitant at first but once he had seen one of the more unlucky members of his clan, even before this cursed curse had befallen his people, avoid outright deadly fates he became convinced.

All that they needed to do was to strike at the humans below them and bring their saviors what they wished for.

He scanned his surroundings as he looked for the signs that his people were to give when they were ready to strike.

Most of the force was already in their pre-designated positions. A few stragglers were having trouble as they traversed the loosely packed mountain trail; he noticed a few of the more distant figures layed still with their backs facing the sky above. A few deaths didn't matter. He was always happy to replenish their numbers.

He flashed a murderous grin as he waited for the last group to give the ready signal.

Argonok watched in boredom as the humans worked to bring their equipment across the river. The water was supposedly at a level where it could be crossed without issues, though he wondered if they had forgotten about the heavily armored dwarf when discussing their plans to cross. No one had even bothered to let him in on their plan to get him across the deep looking water.

What a bunch of assholes.

“Were you part of the original group when your people first came to Ruined Home?” Came the voice of one of the many humans who were waiting for their turn to cross.

He didn’t bother to turn to see who had spoken to him as he recognized the voice belonging to one of the more talkative guards. He couldn’t remember the name; however, not because he thought that they all sounded similar to each other but mainly because he didn’t really care to remember who was who.

Well, there was also the fact that they all had similar sounding names to one another.

“No.” Argonok said abruptly without looking to see who it was. “I was back in N'urn Arvul Zhar when that was going on. Nothing to do except watch the corpses of the dead rot away as they get eaten by stray animals.”

“Ah.” The guard said quietly as he placed his free hand over the back of his neck. “Would you like to know more about our new home? It’s actually quite interesting once you get past your initial fears.”

The long-winded guard didn’t wait for an answer from the dwarf as he went on a long and tiresome tirade about the encampment. The heavily armored dwarf let out a long sigh as he tried in vain to tune out the nonstop explanation of everything the human could think of.

The boy spoke on a wide variety of topics. There was a long tirade about their first day in the heavily wooded area. Their shock at the discovery of a collapsed mountain which in turn had led to the eventual name for their new home. The fears everyone had over the rumors involving demons being trapped deep within some massive pit.

On and on he went, as the young guard spoke about one topic and then moved to the next. Time went on as men and carts crossed the river without incident, and the midday sun moved ever forward as it hung sickly over the cloudy sky.

Eventually, the young boy seemed to be winding down.

“Having said that however, it reminds me of the time whe-“

The guard went silent, and the armored clad dwarf sighed in relief.

“Sorcerer cursed your tongue lad?” He said half-jokingly and half wishing as he turned to look at the talkative human. Only to find that a crude looking arrow had managed to lodge itself into his throat. Bloodied meat dripped off of its wickedly shaped head as the nameless guard coughed out blood. His eyes slowly went dark as he collapsed onto the ground below.

Argonok watched the body for a moment before looking to see where the arrow had come from.

Surprised shouts of warning went out as the men who hadn’t managed to cross the river readied themselves against the unknown enemy.

The dwarf readied his weapon as he looked about, searching to see who had launched the arrow. A few more men had fallen to the ground; various amounts of arrows had used their bodies as pincushions while pools of blood soaked the nearby earth. Several others limped to and fro as they called out to their friends for help.

Out in the distance, he saw two figures look around in confusion. Unsure of what was happening as one fastened their armor while their allies called out to them. One of the men rushed towards friendly lines as he nearly tripped over himself while his chest piece hung loosely off of his body. His nearby compatriot rubbed at his face as he cleared away the sleep from his eyes.

He never had a chance to do much else as small, childlike creatures swarmed over the sluggish human and dragged him behind the nearby rock cropping.

Not a sound was uttered from the disappeared guard as more of the creatures erupted from the nearby boulders.

Someone called for battle lines to be formed but it was already too late.

The goblins were upon them and would soon break upon their bodies like a wave.

Argonok looked to see where his newly acquired charge was located in all of this chaos but something slammed into his back while a grey, pustule covered hand blocked the light from his vision.