I looked at the ground and the lava flowing... But one thing was sure... I was walled in.

In a way, the dark dragoness had cared for me more than Kate did for a short period of time... Also, I liked her dark dress... and her human form was, let's say, attractive and young... Darkia was a very young dragoness when you looked at her... but older and more mature in the dream world. In a way, she was stronger than me in her dimension.

But what bothered me was the short time left...

But I lifted my head, took a breath and came out of the flames through my nostrils.

The plans scrolled in my head and I absolutely had to reconnect the radars or better yet, the rune towers...

First, a little visit to our dwarf and Kobold friends...

A golem wagon appeared on the rails above the lava channel and stretched across the mountain range to the dwarf forges.

Launching "invisibility and shield on myself."

Then I climbed onto the huge wagon. And it began to move.

I threw behind me: "You come with? we will have a little fun..."

And before I knew it, Darkia was on the second golem car.

Other wagons were attached and the whole thing set off, shaking the rocky mass, well, what was left of the mountain.

Then I turned around, smiling...

Indeed, Darkia was smiling... and it felt good to have an accomplice in her crimes... it was a thousand times more fun...

"Why are you laughing?"

Darkia: "Oh.. I visited a lot of dwarves in their mines when they were sleeping... and I think they will recognize me soon enough. You'll see how they'll pick up and hide their gold and gems in my sight..."

Me: "I bet you "Devoured" their treasure in the dream..."

Darkia, "yes, but because of the law of cause and effect, much like your "sweat", some of them really lost some gold pieces for real..."

I smiled, imagining their faces...

"And the Ummites and the elves? they dream too?

Darkia: "It's boring, they only dream of promotions, and idolatry. and new songs."

Me: "So make their idols sweat, make them feel guilty and lose face..., or I don't know, cut their vocal cords or sully their place of worship to make them mad.

Darkia: "You are not lacking in resources!!! Yes... that should do it.."

The dwarves had been entrenched for months in their fortress with the Kobolds.

The attacks had stopped.

Musicians were playing music to lighten the mood...

Pixel was bored and thought of Kate... Their dragon friend.

Of course, the dwarves continued to worship, but they prayed that I would return, that the hydra would return me to them, even in the form of a Kobold...

a tower with a promontory was watching for the Vespalian messengers...

Thus, life went on...

But the resources were running out and the territory was too small, but the dwarves did not dare to reclaim the areas occupied by the fairies, gnomes and elves. They had peace and were afraid that everything would start again.

Then, a giant wasp arrived and dropped an electronic tablet.

Soon the communication chain took over and it was in the hands of Cranedur.

"Dear good and faithful king, we are collecting food and agricultural materials from the southern zone. We occupy the swamps and have secured several fertile valleys. My workers are irrigating the land and we hope for a good harvest.

We need minerals, alum and bauxite. Have you managed to clear at least one of the forge's furnaces.

The solar furnaces are not very efficient and the panels we managed to save are inssuficient. But there is a way to reactivate at least the Shilkas, they are the main ammunition

I know your engineers are terrified, but I assure you, my soldiers know how to exercise restraint. Long live Carnage!!!!

Signed

The Queen..."

On his side, a robot was inspecting a crowd of robot clones but with crystals acting as heads...

Queen: "STAR... do you think re-launching Cabal would do any good???"

Star: "Don't. Don't ever try to revive it... Some of its codes are known by the Ummites and their ally Yuri... By self-destructing, he protected the network from being taken over. I also sense some old system revival activity... A very different AI... with bridges of logic beyond us."

"How so? "

Star: "for a password, the have compares a symbol with a pre-recorded symbol to validate or invalidate an action like opening a door or accessing files.. but here, bridges passing from one dimension to another override the logic gates.

This must be one of Carnage's forms of runic or draconic magic, but it works in a remanent way, like an echo, a resonance.

The queen remained atop her tower of crystal and wax.

Human-sized wasps maintained robots and the remaining armada of tanks and vehicles abandoned 8 months earlier.

Meanwhile, in the Village...

"Mom!...we're big enough and I have all the training and certification for piloting the technical shuttle."

Raven and Monty really wanted to try out their new "toy", a technical quadricopter that could lift over 200 tons.

Recently, thanks to the elves' collaboration with the humans, General Mandragus, who miraculously survived by teleporting with Orphea, was at General Mondeville's side.

Mondeville: "This is a major discovery!!! an intact stock of last generation Abrams tanks! There are more than a thousand units with an intact spare parts depot! We will be able to reconstitute our own army and rebuild a mixed state with your traditions and knowledge and our science and under the blessing of the Ummites!"

This had happened four months ago. And now it was a constant back and forth between the South and the Village to transport the Abrams tanks.

They all had to be completely dismantled to deoxidize the parts damaged by time, to replace all the stuffing and cables whose insulation had fallen into dust. But the elves also had magic and the spell "Reparo".

As the steel industry was not yet re-established and was not on the agenda, the elven smiths were slowly adapting to modern techniques and advancing by 1000 years in technique.

First of all, electric wire was needed in huge quantities to wind generators and motors and to convert the forges into foundries.

The technique of sand and clay and lost wax was used but everything was missing... ores, ores and more ores... And rubber... oil... but it was also necessary to feed everyone and agriculture took precious resources...

The whole Village was now a refugee camp and everything that could be cultivated was.

And before even making tanks again, tractors were needed first... and people to drive them... without destroying them...

Sarah had to face a real puzzle but she had the help of Orphéa, of Bello to support her and her children.

Kate also helped between two whining.

Each time, Sarah had to convince her not to chase the saucers nor to hit them by begging...

And each time it was the same old "When can I see them again??? I can't take it anymore... please..."

She was wasting precious time... in fact, all her time... the rest was to find food, (she ate little, just enough to avoid suffering more) she did not want to let herself go but she also had to hunt a little (then she was cooked...)

But, from time to time, she looked towards the East and regretted her action.

On the other hand she was exhausted, by lack of sleep and nightmares.

In the meantime, Raven had become accustomed to driving the quadcopter and, in the command center, she had, like Monty, an officer status, teenager, but officer... captain.

At this morning's debriefing, General/Archimo Mandragus brought back a stack of papers with testimony and cast a divination spell.

"At the salt marsh, a little east of here, patrols have disappeared without a trace... the list is long... gnome soldiers, elves and even, especially even fairies!

When we go there in numbers or with many units, nothing happens and we could hope to resume the exploitation of the gem mine a little to the north, in the conquered lands and a little to the east to resume the exploitation of fairy dust near the magic trees. And as soon as everything stabilizes, a whole village disappears. There are no traces of combat, no magic, no witnesses..."

Mondeville: "Bello... Are there any casualties among us?"

Bello: "None, General .... It's really strange, as if the humans were spared... A bit like the signature of Carnage..."

Mandragus: "Yes, it's like he has fans wanting to take over his work..."

Mondeville: "Any dwarf under there?"

Mandragus: "Our spies rule out that possibility. They are weakened, without forges and struggling to feed. They will never recover."

Mondeville: "We need minerals... Couldn't we consider re-establishing trade relations? The war is over..."

Mandragus: "Dear colleague... The roots of our disagreement are much deeper... They have betrayed and denied their creator and worship an abomination, the devourer of worlds. Basically, a Demon "

Chancellor Sarah: "Yes, my general, but we have also had religious wars and we have transcended this aspect... Religion is still a belief but no longer intervenes in everyday life... This is about commerce, industry and development..."

Mandragus: "Yes, I understand... I am also in the arcane, which is also a form of science and I understand your point of view... But people change slowly, and sometimes it takes centuries. But I must also insist that Tyrant...our God...Is real...He does not exist only in our hearts and faith... I remind you that he himself will come to preside over the entrance of the earth into the Ummite empire. And the entity that the dwarves worship is considered a threat by Tyrant himself. We know little, for the sacred ways of the Ummites are closed to us, and your countryman Yuri has taught us more about our deities in a few months than any of us have known since Creation... We have learned that each of our races also existed somewhere in the empire and our ancestors were brought here. The older ones know and remember the first moon dews..."

Raven and Monty dared not say a word and listened intently.

The human general turned to the chancellor who spoke.

"My children, finally, I address the 'captains'... I do not want you to take any risks... You are human, and you are not a target, but I would like you to watch with your flying crane, the new elf relief. Stay at a reasonable altitude, under cloud cover, and send us a visual report as soon as possible."

They clicked their heels, did the military salute and took their leave.

Then it was a race to see who would be the first to arrive at the controls of the quadricopter at the heliport, an airport and spaceport being built (tower, runway and maintenance halls, fuel storage.)