Night descended, the sun having gone to sleep, its heated gaze no longer willing to rest upon the blood-soaked earth. Beneath the silent, judgeless moon and the tranquil stars, peace reaped from men's lives should have reigned. However, it seemed, unlike the sun, conflict never sought rest, forever eager to rear its ugly head.

And so it did, as the dwarfs, still bloodied from battle, once again prepared to charge in rage, thoughts of loved ones and children at home long sacrificed to the flames of hatred and vengeance.

"Let Go! Fucking Let Go!" roared a red faced Brexio Rocha, flames shooting out a pairs of evidently incensed eyes. The enraged dwarf struggled against the holds of Yngvar, Paaie and Ulla, glare fixed on the abominations opposite. "I'll slaughter them. Slaughter The Fuckers!" With a roar, he shrugged off his restrainers and charged at the abominations axe raised high.

Bang!

Brexio's arms trembled, brows deeply set as he glared at the daeben in whose palm the axe's head was firmly held. "With all due respect Kashi-dono," Brexio seethed, gritted teeth and shaky pupils evident of the extreme control he was placing on himself at the moment. "Get out of the way!"

A thin line of blood trickled down the daeben's raised arm, some inadvertently dropping between furrowed brows. Kashi grimaced in pain, not as a result of the axe's blade he had caught barehanded, but because of the inflammatory situation he found himself in. Heavy rains beat down as two sides faced each other at the plains in front of the palace, tensions between the opposing forces volatile enough to release sparks that would put heavenly lightning to shame.

Kashi looked over his shoulders to the indifferent daebens whose gaze carried neither hostility nor remorse, only a bone-chilling apathy. Then looked over Brexio's shoulder to the silent dwarfs whose rage-filled gazes bore enough hate to raze a country to the ground if materialized.

Obviously, if Kashi had not been present, these three thousand plus daeben would have been drawn and quartered without a sliver of mercy. The hatred the dwarfs currently possessed toward the daeben race far surpassed the bounds of reason, chivalry and logic. They could forgive the merrites who eyed their land. Hell, they could even work something out with members of the Chaos Brotherhood; but the daeben race? As far as the dwarfs were concerned, the only good daeben was a dead one!

Although he had never expected it to be easy, only now did Kashi truly realize the immense task he had in his hand. This wasn't a simple racial divide, nor was it a grudge caused by a past war or battle. This was accumulated hatred borne from slavery suffered over a long period of time. This kind of hatred would not magically disappear just because Kashi wanted it to. Especially considering the Final War was only eleven years prior, meaning the majority of the dwarfs alive lived through the decades of slavery.

Kashi suddenly found himself in a dilemma. On the one hand, he needed the daebens, but on the other, he had invested too much into the dwarfs to lose them. Worse off, this situation was rapidly devolving to a point where it more and more looked like he would be forced to choose between one or the other. In his head, the daeben cursed all nineteen ancestries of the daebens.

"Kashi..."

Kashi turned to Lunette who faced him with a troubled gaze, prevented from running up to him by her brother. The daeben issued a rueful smile, bemused by the absurdity of the situation. This was supposed to be a triumphant return, yet no sooner had the dwarfs seen the daebens behind him did they launch into a near murderous madness, quelled only by the imposing drakul who stood guard before the daebens.

"Rocha-san," Returning his gaze to the enraged dwarf whose axe he held, Kashi started with an apologetic smile. "I beg of you. Please, let me explain."

"Sorry lad." Brexio's eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "I like you, I really do. But if you do not get out of my way, I'll be forced to cut you down where you stand."

Kashi sighed as he once again cast a glance over his shoulder, a troubled look in his eyes. Indeed, he had invested a lot into the dwarfs, even going so far as to make them the new power in Merriheim. But the value of all this still paled slightly in comparison to the value of the daebens behind him. What the dwarfs brought to the table, he could get elsewhere albeit over a much longer period of time. But the daeben were one of a kind in the field he wanted to use them. He could go as far as to say that with them, the Hopeful Maggots progress would be launched at least two years beyond schedule.

In the gaming world, every second counted, let alone a progress of two years. With a defeated sigh, Kashi took a step back as he released his grip on Brexio's axe. Red eyes held equal traces of disappointment and regret as he muttered, "All right. If this is how things should be, I—"

"Wait!"

No one caught the small twinkle in the daeben's eyes as he looked up, their attention on the weakened dwarven king, Anton Xafier, who made his way down the palace steps supported by a few aides. Pronounced wrinkles on a pale face, shaky hands and unstable steps portrayed a man who suffered from the side effects of excess mana drain. However, despite a feeble parlor, the king's eyes maintained a strong glint, powerful enough to seize the attention of all those who gazed at it.

Brexio let his axe-arm drop to the side, stepping aside to let his king pass.

Kashi placed his hand and across his chest and slightly bowed, much to the shock of the daebens who had witnessed his true might. "Your Majesty," he greeted. "I am glad to see you well. I trust the drain was not too taxing."

"Do not make fun of me, Kashi-dono," Xafier joked, hastily grabbing the daeben's shoulders. "If you bow, would that not mean I have to kneel?" Helping the daeben stand upright, he continued, "Haha, this old man is too weak right now. So, please, dispense with the formalities."

Kashi's arm returned to his side, lips curling in a warm smile. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Good, Good," Xafier praised with an amicable smile of his own. Wary eyes glanced over the daeben's shoulder at his kind behind. "About the daebens behind you..."

"Ah, I understand." Kashi shook his head, regret flashing past his eyes. "It was too presumptuous and callous of me. All I ask is that you let me leave with them now. We will not disturb your lands further. I can give you my word on behalf of Rosendun."

Xafier's calm exterior did not betray the panic that surged in his heart. "Are they that important to you?"

"Personally, no," refuted Kashi with a firm shake of his head. "However, as fate would have it, I am a guild leader. Which means I must look out for the interests of my guild. These daebens here are a fundamental key to boosting my guild past heights never seen before."

Xafier's brows slightly furrowed. "How so?"

"Anton!" Brexio, no longer able to keep still, furiously roared. "Our brothers and sisters are right there, many of which will never lift a hammer in their lives again!" He stabbed his fingers to the left where a relief camp had been set up. Jade led a range of healers and alchemists, helping the injured recover as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Jade had not yet unlocked the Regenerate skill, which would have let her regrow attached limbs. Fortunately though, she was only a few skill exp points away from it, which was why she hastily rushed about healing as many as possible, her mana points quickly regenerated with potions donated by the dwarfs. "Even more lie cold! Never to rise again!"

To the side, a stone-faced Absalon and Shoko helped supervise the transfer of corpses to the ancestral dwarven tombs underground where generations of dwarfs slept till this day. The General endured the rebuke with furrowed brows. He too had lost good men and women to this war. He would hate for it all to have been for nothing. Still, despite his misgivings, he trusted in the idiotically mad daeben. For better or worse, he would stick with Kashi's final decision.

Brexio's rant rose with his range, his voice a megaphone through which the dwarfs' true feelings poured out. "And you would discuss with these demons! Have you forgotten!? The only reason we are in this state is because of them! They destroyed the world with their greed! No Discussion! We Kill Them All NOW!"

Anton opened his mouth to diffuse the tension but...

"I happen to be one of those demons," Kashi pointed out, causing pangs of guilt to collectively flit across the dwarfs' eyes. However, the daeben could only his head when despite an obvious struggle, the hate in their eyes eventually won over their guilt. Although they owed the daeben a thousand lifetimes for freeing their god and rescuing them from oppression, decades of hatred borne of slavery proved far too heavy for them to forget.

"I see," Kashi despondently murmured. "If that is how things are to be..." He raised his bow before him, instantly causing the dwarfs to pale as they strengthened their grips on their axes.

However to the collective shock of all those present, the daeben dropped to his knees with a determined gaze. He placed his bow on the earth before him, then bent over, arms forming an arc as his fingers burrowed into a despondent, wet, soggy earth.

Absalon's eyes went wide with disbelief, realization dawning as he finally understood the daeben's intentions. His features twisted with rage as he rushed toward the daeben, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Don't You Da—"

BOOM!

Absalon's steps faltered as the earth trembled beneath his feet. He cast a complex gaze at the daeben, suddenly unable to move a single step further.

BOOM!

Like a hammer to their hearts, the dwarfs found themselves unable to speak or think. All thoughts of rage and hatred were forcibly suppressed by raging surges of guilt and shame that rendered them unable to cast their gazes at the daeben any longer.

BOOM!

The daebens, whom until this moment had regarded the proceedings with stark indifference slightly trembled, heartbeats rising with uncertainty. Some glared at the daeben ahead with disgust, others empathy; some with a hint of pride, and others with disgrace and shame. Whatver the look, one thing was for sure: Kashi had elicited a response from the daebens down to a man. Not a single one retained the indifference they had begun the day with.

BOOM!

Lunette placed her right hand over her mouth as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. Indeed, she kept finding herself underestimating Kashi over and over again. Just when she thought she understood him, when she thought she knew everything there was to know about him, he would go and do something to completely upend her assumptions. Watching him now, she could not help the massive surge of pride that erupted in her chest. Where some would see shame, she saw the sign of a true man.

BOOM!

The earth fractured beneath the sustained punishment, spiderweb like cracks spreading from the daeben. With every strike the fractures increased in size and depth. Staring at the largest cracks which coincidentally spread horizontally, as if drawing a line between the daeben and the dwarfs, Xafier was haunted by an image. A giant chasm between the daeben and the dwarfs. At this moment, he could still reach across, maybe construct a bridge. But with time, the chasm only grew wider, until eventually there would be no way to connect the two sides.

BOOM!

On the roof of the palace, a lone figure watched the happenings below.

With a low sigh, Zeing muttered to the passing winds. "You chose well, crazy brat. You really did choose well."

BOOM!

The seventh strike snapped Xafier out of shock, an already pale pallor turned even whiter. "Kashi-dono!" He desperately bent over and grabbed the daeben by the shoulder. Arms trembling, he pleaded, "Please stop! Anything can be discussed!"

A pair of disappointed red eyes wordlessly regarded the king, silent rivulets of blood trickling down from a nasty wound between the brows. With a despondent sigh, Kashi knelt upright in a seiza, countenance exuding an air of grave finality. "My kowtow was not to apologize for the daebens. I am neither foolish or arrogant enough to think apologies sufficient for the crimes of the past." Kashi's brows furrowed, tone gradually getting darker. "All I request of you is that you consider my services over the past month, and let me take these daebens with me. As it is clear you do not want anything to do with them, I can assure you, you will never have to see them again. Furthermore, I cannot promise the Hopeful Maggots will not have further dealings with the daeben. As such, I think it prudent to end our relationship at this juncture to prevent further animosity between us."

Kashi rose to his feet, eyes roaming over the dwarfs before returning to Xafier. "You do not need to worry about your people. I can promise in the name of the Rosen King that Rosendun will recognize your nation, and will not make a move on it." He resolutely turned his back on the dwarfs, right into the solemn eyes of a quiet Kira.

The direwolf's searching gaze observed the daeben's eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

With a satisfied smile, the daeben nodded. "I am."

"Fine." Without any further words, Kira briefly glanced at the dwarfs then turned her back to them, silently following by her companion's side.

Xafier's shock at the daeben's resoluteness left him absolutely speechless. This was a man who had given everything he had for the dwarfs over the past month. He had spent a boon from the gods themselves to create a near impenetrable city for the dwarfs to build upon. He had even gone so far as to use his own guilds soldiers in the past war, losing not a small number of them in the process. Yet despite all this, he would just up and leave without any hesitation? Was there such a man in this world? Such decisiveness and ruthlessness. Who would be foolish enough to have him as an enemy? Wait... No, that was not quite right.

Who would be foolish enough not to at least attempt to have him as a friend?

Xafier, torn between upholding his duty to his people, and his own personal feelings toward the daeben, found himself unable to make a decision. He would have liked more time to ponder and discuss the matter further. Yet, it was apparent Kashi would not give him that time. Even now, the daeben's silhouette was gradually disappearing from view, as the daebens and drakul whom parted to let him pass returned to position.

The bleak reality of the daeben's withdrawal finally snapped Xafier out of his hesitation. What the hell kind of a king was he trying to become? Would he let their best chance of a bright future slip away because of his people's understandable fear and hatred? Would he be a king who only panders to the emotions of his people?

NO!

Sometimes a king had to be resolute in his decision whether the public agreed with him or not. After all, there was nothing which changed as fast or as much as public opinion. If he did not steady himself with a view towards the future, he would forever be caught in a maelstrom of uncertainty as the public changed their views.

"WAIT! Kashi-dono! Wait!"

Just as Xafier opened his mouth with resolution in his gaze, a loud shout drew everyone's to a dwarf who bullied his way through the crowd. The king's gaze widened as the fmailiar face broke through the crowd and stumbled past the king.

Kashi froze in his steps, a reluctant smile on his face as he turned to see Otto Knutsen, clan chief of The Hands. "My apologies, Knutsen-san. We will have to terminate the project."

"Like Hell You Will!" Otto bellowed, chest rising as he struggled to catch his breath. He grabbed a dagger from a pocket and brandished it before the daeben. Before the other dwarfs could react, the dagger pressed against his own neck with so much force it drew blood. "I cannot control your ultimate decision. But this old man swears: If you leave without answering my question I will slit my throat here and now!"

Kashi shook his head with a smile. Just as expected of Otto. Although the craftsman was usually quite quiet, choosing not to speak too many words, he completely changed when it had something to do with the forge. One just had to look at how he absolutely hammered and bellowed at his clansmen like a living incarnation of a forge to see his true personality. Even now, Kashi was certain this outburst was definitely related to the forge.

Considering all the help and support of Otto and his clansmen during the past weeks in the forge, Kashi could not rightly turn his back on such a sincere request. "There is no need for the knife," Kashi promised. "I will answer any question you have."

"Good," Otto grunted as he sheathed his knife. "I might be old, but I am definitely not looking forward to the color of my blood." His gaze only momentarily touched on the daebens behind, almost as if they were wholly unimportant before resting on Kashi once more. "Tell me. These daeben behind you. You did not save them just because they are daeben did you?"

Xafier eyes widened. Such a simple question. Why had no one thought of asking Kashi why exactly he wanted the daebens. Somehow they had all just subconsciously attributed it to them being of the same race. How come Otto thought differently?

Kashi, as if oblivious to the emotions in the king, fixed his attention on Otto alone. "Of course not," he snorted. "They could have been dung beetles for all I care. I am interested in what they can do. Not where they were born."

A glint of excitement flickered in Otto's eyes. Suppressing his urge, he confirmed, "What is it they can do?"

"They are the missing link," Kashi cryptically replied.

Otto's eyes lit up, body trembling with so much anticipation and excitement, he could no longer hold it in. He bent backwards, spread out his arms and let out a triumphant roar to the heavens above, singing praises to Aygor above for his continued guidance over his people much to the shock of the dwarfs present.

Not allowing anyone a moment more, Otto immediately dropped to a knee and bowed before his King. "Milord, I beg of you, release these daebens into my custody. I will assume full responsibility for their actions. I swear by my hammer: This is in the best interest of our people."

Xafier who had already gleaned a few truths from the conversation, also could not hide the elated gleam in his eyes. Aiyah... How blind was he? He almost let this huge pile of priceless gems slip through his fingers. He could almost hear his ancestors releasing sighs of relief in their graves. Their descendant nearly committed the greatest blunder of their bloodline, but luckily, he had been saved from that decision in time.

"I understand," prompted the Dwarven King. "Do as you wish. I grant you full authority over this issue, answering only to Kashi-dono and myself." With guilt in his eyes, he looked over to Maggot Guild Leader. With a humble bow of his head, Xafier apologized, "Please forgive my blindness and hesitation. Indeed, man would like to think himself above these things, but hate is a most powerful emotion, capable of blinding even the most steadfast of men."

"No, I understand your predicament," Kashi replied. "My reaction was just as shortsighted and rash, fuelled by rage and anger as opposed to rational thought." With an amicable smile, he offered, "I understand the fear of your people, and as a result would like to propose and alternative that would benefit both sides."

"Oh? I am most willing to hear your suggestions."

"How about this?" Kashi gestured at the daebens. "There are roughly three thousand daebens here. But we only need about a hundred or so highly skilled daebens for our project. I will have these hundred transferred under Otto-san. Of the remaining, half will be given a choice: to either spend the rest of their lives rotting away in your prisons, or work off their sentence for a set number of years. This should add much needed hands to the building efforts."

‎"All this sounds fair and reasonable," Xafier approved with a nod. "What will happen to the second half?"

"These daebens are a current treasure trove of knowledge." Kashi grinned. "My guild has need of such treasures and has creative ways to utilize them to our advantage. I trust you understand."

"What a roundabout way of saying mind your own business," quipped Xafier light-heartedly. "There may be a politician in you yet."

"No way," Kashi laughed as he waved away the notion. "I am far too straightforward to exist in the world of politics."

"Haha.., that may be so," conceded Xafier. With a smile, he confirmed, "The arrangements will be as you have suggested."

Kashi walked up to the dwarf and took his outstretched arm in a strong grip. "It is an honor to continue working with your prestigious nation."

"The honor is ours" Xafier replied in kind.

Otto, too excited to start work on the latter phases of the contract, began ordering the daebens to follow him into the palace. As of yet, development of secondary entrance points to the underground city had not reached completion so it meant all swarfs had to pass through the palace when going underground. Of course, for security reasons, the cloths were bound round the daebens' eyes. They were then paraded in maze like turns to throw off their sense of direction before finally going underground.

Kashi, too tired to follow this process, sat on the lowest step leading up to the palace, watching with narrowed eyes. From beginning to end, the daebens never had a say in their fate. Their basic rights as sentient creatures to decide their own paths was taken away from them the second they emerged as losers. This was the reality of the weak in a dog-eat-dog such as this one.

Then again, did there exist a world where such a truth was not reality? For all the civilization and modernization of mankind, the fates of the less privileged was still no different.

Kashi shook his head, clearing the abysmal thoughts. There was no need to ponder on the unfairness of the world. All he had to do was continually ensure he and those he cared about remained on the side of the victors.

Yes. That was all he would care about.

"Well, looks like your stupid act actually paid off."

A sly grin curled up the daeben's lips as he looked up to his companion. "I prefer emotional honesty."

"Like you are capable of such." Kira snorted. She made to leave, but then paused in her steps. Turning back to the daeben, she inquired, "In the event your gamble lost. If the dwarfs' hatred surpassed their desire for advancement, would you truly have abandoned everything you had built here for the daeben."

Kashi started, eyes wide with shock. Almost as a rule of thumb, Kira only ever spoke a few perfunctory remarks. She had rarely ever asked for his true thoughts on any matter. Could this mean she was turning around? Getting to trust him more? Or was she gathering information to make killing him easier later. Kashi, choosing to believe in the former of the two options, gravely answered. "For the daebens, no."

"Is that so?" Kira's voice sounded disappointed. "I can unde—"

"For the masters of Runecrafting however... Yes. Yes I would." Kashi's gaze travelled to the walls far off in the distance, whose tops he could barely make out over the horizon. "Remember Kira, although present wealth and stability is important, one must always be prepared to risk losing all that to aim even higher."

Kira observed the daeben's ethereal gaze. A gaze which seemed to see beyond everything, peering into the secrets of the future. The direwolf's gaze grew increasingly complicated with each passing moment, till she ultimately snorted, "Stop pretending to be smart." Turning her back to the daeben, she lightly jogged off into the distance. "You most definitely heard that from someone else."

Kashi chuckled as her silhouette faded into the distance. "Yeah, I did hear it from someone else," he muttered to no one in particular. "Haven't seen her in a while though." His brows slightly furrowed as a face popped into his memory. It is not my place to remember.

Kashi wiped the face from his head as he got to his feet with renewed vigor. "Three Months until the all important date." Eyes holding massive strength of will, he marched up the stairs. "Wash your neck and wait for me. Old Friend..."