Chapter 36: Situation (Dwarves POV)

King Wargh was at the top of a recently taken fort.

The recent battle was bloody, but the good thing is that most of the blood spilled was on the side of the enemy.

Wargh: "How long before we can continue the campaign?"

Dwarven Soldier: "A week or two, sir."

Wargh: "Damn it... How about Un Deth? Can they launch an offensive any time?"

Dwarven Soldier: "Yes, sir, they're standing by for orders."

Wargh: "We should expect at least one counterattack from the goblins. In the past, it takes them only one or two days to round up an army for the counterattack."

Dwarven Soldier: "Yes, sir, but it would work to our favor since we have three forts under our control, and we have established good defenses."

Wargh: "Hmmm...Would it?"

Wargh had a bad feeling. That troll from before, it was the first time they've seen one. He doesn't know about their ancestors if they've met one. If they did, there was no written record of it.

Maybe there were none because none lived to write it.

If they had more of those hiding somewhere, then the war is far from over.

Wargh: "How about the orders for retrieval?"

Dwarven Soldier: "A group of the dwarven hero corpses is being delivered to Horgen right now. As for the remaining heroes in the tombs, we are still trying to get permissions from the families."

Wargh: "Hmm... it's still okay; We're making good progress."

He looked down at his fort (Jorg). His people were tending to the wounded, repairing damaged equipment, and filling themselves with food and ale.

There was already a loss on the dwarves' side since the stockpiles of food that they got from the goblins were few.

As they found out before, the goblins eat their young to preserve food or just to survive.

Dwarven Soldier: "King Wargh, Master Urah is here to speak to you."

Wargh: "Let him through."

Master Urah was coming up the stairs.

Urah: "Doing well, kid?"

Wargh: "Mostly."

Urah: "I just came here to tell you that you should be watchful of your men. Even me."

Wargh: "What's your point, old man?"

Urah raised his non-existent brow at that remark, but Wargh wouldn't notice it anyway.

Urah: "The Dwarves factions here and at the capital are in disarray. The alliance with the Undead infuriated a lot of the Elders. It won't surprise me if someone smashes me from the back with a hammer. Or they might even smash you."

Wargh: "Let them. I told the advisors before if they have any complaints I'll take them on!"

Urah: "You know, Wargh. For me, I know you made the right decision but watch your back. Take this advice from me as your uncle."

Wargh: "Okay... So, how about Lord Idmon?"

Both of them had an uneasy feeling once the name Idmon came into the conversation.

He was able to dish out that much damage to a unique troll whose power is beyond our imagination.

That makes him a monster on his own. Even his subordinates are monsters in their own right.

Urah: "I'm not sure with him; I can feel and sense that he has something in mind. An agenda or a hidden motive. There is an emotion inside of him; I'm not sure if its anger, though."

Wargh: "Arghh... Let's win this war first before thinking about the hard stuff."

Master Urah smiled at him and said to himself...

Urah: "Even if all of them betrayed you, I would still stand by your side."

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(Dwarven Advisor POV)

Advisor 1: "Once they get cornered, we leave them to their fate."

Advisor 2: "Yes... Yes, that sounds like a great plan."

Advisor 3: "We should convince our soldiers as much as we can to cooperate."

Three of the dwarven advisors are having a secret meeting. These are the guys who always object to whatever King Wargh is saying.

Advisor 1: "How can we do that?"

Advisor 3: "You just need to..."

The advisor explained it that first, they need to make it look like a secret tactic from Lord Idmon so that they won't report it to King Wargh.

Once they've done that, all that they need to do is to blame Lord Idmon. Or they could just be left to die at the hands of the countless goblins.

Advisor 3: "The only thing left is to decide who will be the next king. We both know who is the one suitable for that role. Someone who is trusted by Lord Idmon."

Advisor 1: "This meeting is over. Let's meet again after the event."

Advisor 2 & 3: "Aye."

The scheming dwarves crept into the darkness—each one disappearing towards their hideouts.