The tent has been silent for what feels like hours. I know it's more like seconds, but that doesn't change how the silence is hanging over us. When Athilia told me to start speaking, everything came spewing out at once.

I started off by telling how I started to travel with Jim. Athilia was silent through the whole story, only speaking when she needed clarification on something. It seemed to barely take any time to tell her about everything that has happened so far.

She didn't seem to be too interested in most of the story. When I was talking about how Jim was summoned, or his stories about his world, Athilia's eyes would seem to lose focus. However, when I spoke about a fight, she would focus on every detail. It was during those parts of the story she asked for the most clarification.

The only time she seemed more focused on the story was anytime Jim's weapons or truck was mentioned. Then she would ask me to repeat or explain something multiple times. If I was to judge by her reaction, she is more interested in Jim's weapons than anything else.

At some point, the two dwarves behind Mynas left. I'm not sure when it happened, but I think it was around when I was talking about the goblin cave. Mynas kept shifting in her seat even after the guards left. Her eyes would stare into the corners of the tent, then more towards the flap.

Athilia slowly stirs the glass of tea infront of her. A servant brought in a tray loaded down with tea and dwarven cookies sometime after the guards left. Athilia offered each of us a cup, and to help ourselves to the cookies on the tray. Shiva was the only one to take a cup for the tea and none of us except Athilia tried a cookie.

From what I know of Dwarves, their bodies are a lot more resilient than most. Their food seems to follow along in the same style, from what I remember. When the dwarves came to Winsdor, I tried some of their rations as a dare. It ended up taking me almost a week of trying to regrow my tooth. Even then my mother ended up finishing the job for me.

The day I lost my tooth was the day that I learned about dwarven cooking. The preserved meats and cheeses they make are excellent. The downside is, most of their baked goods might as well be stone. Based on the fact that neither Shiva nor Mynas tried the cookies, it's fair to assume they knew about dwarven cooking as well.

The sound of Athilia finishing her tea pulls me back to the present. She gently sets the cup down on the saucer on the table. Athilia leans back in her seat, her eyes moving from one of us to the other slowly.

"I'll admit it's a good story, but it's not the only story being told. Who is to say the version you are telling is the truth?" I grab Shiva's wrist before she can speak. Honestly, I had been expecting this reaction. When Shiva looks at me, I shake my head gently to let her know that I'll handle this.

"I've never dealt with Dwarves myself, but I know my father has. The one thing he made sure I understood was Dwarves have a rigid system of honor. If you lie to them, the distrust that sows is almost impossible to overcome." I take a deep breath as I try to calm myself down. I know that I've already been too emotional in front of Athilia, so I need to center myself.

"If my grove create distrust between us and the dwarves, then there is no way that we can repair the damage anytime soon. No matter what else happens, we need the help of the Dwarven nation. Lying to you would only make our situation worse, so I made sure to be completely honest." Athilia nods her head gently in what I hope is a positive response. After a long few seconds, Athilia leans forward in her chair and stares into my eyes.

"I want to see the hero, now." At the flap of the tent there is a loud rustling, followed by a loud commotion. Athilia turns to the flap, tilting her head as she stands up.

"Please, wait here a moment. I'll be right back." As she disappears, Shiva turns to me.

"What do we do?" I shrug while glancing over to Mynas. Despite everything that has transpired in the tent, she hasn't said a word. Even now, she is still watching the darkened corners of the tent, and glancing back to the flap of the tent.

"What else can we do? She wants to see Jim. We have to let her see him. We need her help if we are going to convince the Dwarven nation to stand by us." Right as I finish speaking Athilia walks back inside the tent, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.

"Sorry about that, minor disagreement with a few of my subordinates. Now if you are ready, I'd like to see the hero now." Shiva and I start to stand as Mynas speaks for the first time since we entered the tent.

"Why do you want to see Jim? We aren't saying no. We just want to know why." I can feel my back stiffen as she speaks. Beside me, Shiva also goes stiff. The last thing we need is for Mynas to upset Athilia and ruin our chances of the dwarves helping us. To her credit, Athilia doesn't seem upset or even bothered by Mynas's question.

"For the same reason that your guards left the room. There is a skill only taught to select members of the Dwarven nation, one I happen to have." While she is speaking, she walks over to the far edge of the tent and pulls on a grayish cloak.

"Wait, what skill?" Mynas starts to follow Athilia as she heads towards the tent flap. Not wanting to be left behind, Shiva and I start to follow them quickly. Outside the tent, it's still abnormally dark. We have to hurry to keep up with Athilia who is walking quickly. Somehow the path seems different this time, but it still doesn't take long to reach the front gate of the encampment.

The whole way to the gate, Athilia is explaining her skill to Mynas. According to her, it was used to judge how trustworthy a person or group of people are. The skill gives the user a rough idea of how dangerous a person is. It's not an exact figure, but one that's good enough to be able to tell who is actually powerful from those pretending to be. Even though that is the primary function of the skill, the secondary purpose is the real use that the dwarves focus on.

Its secondary use is to see what someone's alignment is. The way she said it confused all three of us, so she explained. A person's alignment is apparently decided based on their actions. If a person is honest and law abiding, their alignment tends to be something called lawful good. On the farther end of the scale is something called chaotic evil. Most people tend to be somewhere in the middle, something she calls neutral good. We are almost to the gates of the encampment when she finishes explaining.

"It's not just when someone is lawful good that you can trust them. Most of the dwarves in this encampment are closer to neutral than they are good. It's just a baseline to try and figure out how far you can trust someone. I have no doubt the hero has broken more than a few laws since he has been here. His alignment won't just be from that. It will let me see what he was like in his own world too." Athilia says something to the dwarf standing guard at the gate in the dwarven tongue. Whatever it was, it causes him to snap into action as he starts to open the gates quickly.

Hopefully that's a good sign. The way everyone follows her orders without question, she must be pretty important overall. The gates are barely halfway open when a low humming noise starts to fill the air. I feel my ears twitch in annoyance at the sound. It reminds me of a bee buzzing right next to my ears. Athilia curses as she turns back to stare into the darkness.

"What's that?" Shiva is covering her ears as she looks back towards the darkness as well.

"Something I was hoping to avoid. Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to now." Athilia shakes her head as she leans against the open gate. "I'd say get comfortable, but it won't take long for them to get here."

"For who to get here?" The buzzing noise stops while I'm speaking and Athilia lets out a long sigh.

"For my escort to get here. Don't worry, it won't take long." Almost before she finishes speaking a low clanking noise racing towards us. Athilia sighs as she pushes herself off the gate and faces the darkness.

From out of the darkness, a figure emerges all at once. It's impossible to tell if it's a man or a woman. Their whole body is covered in heavy looking full plate armor. Two great axes are strapped across the person's back with a short sword slung low on their waist. I don't feel anything from the person, but their equipment seems to emit a wave of mana on its own. That tells me that most, if not all, of their equipment is heavily enchanted.

When they come to a stop next to Athilia, they stand head and shoulders above her. The person doesn't say anything, but Athilia tilts her head to the side as if she is listening.

Are they even a dwarf? They seem too tall to be a dwarf to me. There is the possibility that they are a half dwarf, or a mercenary for the Dwarven kingdom. If they are a mercenary, it doesn't explain why they have so much dwarven made enchanted gear. If they are a half dwarf, then they are doing very well to have so much gear. It would be a true testament to their strength to receive that equipment.

"This is Gilgillia. She will be escorting me to the dungeon." Athilia's voice pulls me out of my thoughts as I shake my head gently. Athilia almost sounds surprised, but she starts walking towards the city anyway. Shiva shrugs at me, then takes my arm as we start to follow.

Gilgillia looks at Mynas for a split second, a pair of deep brown eyes visible through the slits of their helm. Without a word, they take off and close the distance between them and Athilia.

"So, what do you think is under that helm?" Mynas's voice is light and joking, but I can hear an uneasiness to her words.

"Female, mostly dwarf, but there is something else there. Something they are trying to cover up, and I can't tell what." Mynas glances at Shiva who keeps calmly follows Athilia and Gilgillia.

"I forgot how sharp a beastkin nose can be." Mynas glances back at the dwarven encampment, which has shut its gates again. "Do you think they are going to be a problem?"

"I hope not." I pull Shiva's arm tighter against me. It's hard to tell how the meeting has gone so far, but it didn't seem to be going bad. The fact that the dwarves apparently sent an escort for Athilia tells me they don't trust us. It also tells me that they managed to figure out the portal system that King Ekon told us they were working on. When I glance at Mynas and Shiva, they don't seem to have realized this. Or maybe they are just better at hiding their thoughts than I am.

When we reach the gates to the city, I'm shocked to see they are shut. Athilia is leaning back and staring at the top of the walls, shielding her eyes with her hands. Following her line of view, I see rows upon rows of orcs on top of the walls. Each of them are holding a crossbow and pointing them down at us.

"Alexis! What's going on!?" Gilgillia moves between Athilia and the gate as it slowly starts to open. From inside the gate, the manticore from Alexis's dungeon steps out calmly. She doesn't make a move to cross the boundary of the dungeons influence, but her eyes are glued to Gilgillia.

"Why have you come here?" The manticore tilts its head to the side as she stares at Gilgillia. To Gilgillia's credit, she doesn't move except to place her hand on the short sword's pommel.

"I am here to escort Athilia to the hero, and home safely." Her voice is surprisingly high with a musical tone to it.

"You expect me to believe that is your only reason? My mistress felt the presence of that before you left your encampment." I'm confused about what the manticore is talking about, but Gilgillia seems to know. The armored woman reaches her left hand into her armor and pulls out a plain looking canvas bag.

"It was thought that you might be able to sense them. They are meant only as a warning." Gilgillia offers the bag to the manticore calmly, her hand surprisingly steady. She doesn't seem to be worried about being close to the manticore. The manticore tilts her head before sitting calmly on the ground.

"Consider the warning received, now hear our warning. If you attempt to move toward the core, you will die. We know you are strong, but do not think you are strong enough. You may have broken cores before, but we have amassed more power then those you have killed combined. If you threaten us, we will use all of it to stop you." Gilgillia nods her head once, then tucks the bag back into her armor.

"I understand, and as I said, I am only here to escort the one behind me. I have no interest in fighting today, as long as we are not attacked. If we are, then it's a different story." The manticore nods its head before backing through the gate. A low clanking noise above us tells me that the orcs are moving as well.

"THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" The gate finishes opening as Shiva's scream causes me to flinch.

It's been awhile since she has yelled like that. The memories of her yelling makes me smile as we start walking along the streets of the capitol. Gilgillia takes advantage of the walk to explain why Alexis reacted the way she did, sending the orcs and manticore out to greet us.

According to her, that plane looking bag has the remains of five dungeon cores. She said the remains, because each of them were broken when their dungeon was destroyed. They are one of the few things that she is responsible for keeping safe. When Mynas asked about why it was her responsibility, Gilgillia shrugged before explaning.

"It's because my unit was the one who destroyed them." That, of course, led to a round of questioning from all of us. I only heard of four dungeons ever being destroyed. Only two of them had been in Dolus, the other three had been in Winsdor.

Usually a dungeon is allowed to grow in order to claim more powerful rewards from its depth. That was until it reached the point where it became unable for anyone except high powered individuals and parties to enter. Then most of the time, they are abandoned until they weaken. By the time they become that high ranking, there is little chance of anyone conquering it and destroying its core.

According to Gilgillia, the cores in her bag were from dungeons that were almost too dangerous. They were culled, as she called it, before they became a liability to the Dwarven kingdom. Apparently, this was standard practice within their borders, even though I had never heard of it.

Athilia assured us it was common practice. That the act of doing it was actually beneficial for the dungeons within the border and the people. As long as the dungeons remain at a set level, they are protected by the kingdom's soldiers. Which also allowed the people within the borders to get stronger in relative safety.

"It was quite a shock to learn that other countries didn't do the same. When I learned that there are dungeons in Dolus so strong that most people would die on the first floor, I couldn't believe it. It was even stranger to learn that most people don't know how intelligent dungeons are." From the sound of Athilia's tone, it sounds like she is telling the truth, at least to me.

"So you mean the dwarves actually know dungeons are intelligent?" Shiva is looking over the crowd towards the castle wall as she speaks.

"Yes, we have known for generations." Ahead of us at the castle, there seems to be a mass of bodies blocking the main doors. As we get closer, I start to make out the figure of the stone troll sitting directly in front of the main stairs.

"Ummm, what are we supposed to do about that?" Mynas motions towards the mass of monsters as Vixi flies from the main hall and comes to a stop just above the closest orc's head. As we get closer she flies to me, landing on my shoulder.

"Mistress prepared a new passage for you. She doesn't want them traveling through the main hall." A short goblin pushes its way through the bodies blocking the main steps and comes to a stop in front of us. It lets out a low grunt, then gives Vixi a sloppy salute.

"Gaugh will lead you. There is a separate path for the dungeon killer." Before we can reply, Vixi flies off and disappears back into the castle.

"Well, shall we go then?" Athilia doesn't seem bothered by this and starts to follow the goblin with Gilgillia close behind her.

"So I have a question." Mynas starts to walk faster to catch up to Gilgillia as she speaks. When the armored woman doesn't respond, she continues speaking. "If bringing the broken cores causes the dungeons to react like Alexis did, why did you bring them with you?" At first Gilgillia doesn't respond, but as we step inside the new doorway on the side of the castle she begins to speak.

"Two reasons really. One, I was ordered to by my King. Two, it lets the dungeon know that we won't tolerate any aggression towards our representative. Even if it is almost a declaration of war, it displays the strength of our resolve." The rest of the walk is made in silence. Eventually, the passageway lets out in the hall in front of our room, after what seems like way too many stairs.

When we stop at the door, I move to the front of the group as the goblin walks away. I hear the door click as I push against it.

"Finally, I was beginning to think I was going to have to wait all day!" I'm surprised to see Tarril sitting in a chair beside Jim's bed. The night elf is leaned back absent-mindedly scratching Sarge's head. A squawk from above me causes me to look up and notice the harpy is once again working on her nest. Vaunea nods to me from the corner of the room, but makes no move to move from her spot.

"What do you mean? We haven't been gone that long?" As the rest of the group step into the room, Sarge stands and starts to growl low in his throat.

"Sarge, these people are here to help. It's ok." Shiva moves in between Sarge and the dwarves and tries to calm him down.

"If you say so. If they try anything, I won't let them hurt boss. Make sure they understand that." He jumps onto the bed, settles in beside Jim and watches the new people closely. After explaining what Sarge said to Athilia and Gilgillia, I step to the side of the room with Tarril.

"Why are you back here so soon?" Tarril shrugs as he pulls out the mana stone Jim gave him.

"Long story short, my grove wants more of these, or to fill this one regularly. If we can secure that," he pauses and looks over to Jim's bed where the two dwarves are talking quietly. "I think we can secure enough members in our grove to protect Jim indefinitely. There are a lot of night elves in the capital right now."

"I can't promise that. Right now, only Jim and maybe Sarge can fill that." Tarril looks disappointed at my words.

"How often is regularly?" I pass on Sarge's question to Tarril who tilts his head in thought.

"At least twice a year." Sarge lets out a low huff, and I hear the bed shift as he moves.

"If boss won't fill it, I will. As long as they promise to help keep him safe." I pass along Sarge's response which causes Tarril to grin.

"Thank you. I'll let En'Las know right away. As soon as we gather the new recruits, I'll bring them back here." Then he nods to me before giving the dwarves a last look and leaving the room.

Now that that's taken care of, what are Athilia and Gilgillia talking about? When I turn back around the two are staring at each other, not saying a word. Every few seconds Gilgillia will sigh, almost like she received some kind of disappointing news.

"So, you have seen Jim. What is your decision?" I can't handle the silence so I just blurt my question out. Athilia shakes her head at Gilgillia, then turns to me.

"Your hero is not a bad person as far as my skill can tell. That doesn't make him a good person, but he hasn't done anything that would label him as evil. Even killing the King and his men hasn't stained his soul. So I'm willing to help, if certain conditions are met." Athilia sits on the edge of Jim's bed, making Sarge move to place himself between her and Jim.

"I still don't trust her, but she's not lying." Sarge's words catch me off guard, which makes me turn to him.

Why don't you trust them? Sarge sniffs the air as he continues to stare at the two.

"They smell like boss's guns. Not the ones he has here, but the ones he took hunting back home. I can't forget that smell, it's rotten eggs and smoke."

"It seems that the hero's familiar is not too fond of us." Athilia's voice makes me turn my head to focus on her. I start to try and make an excuse for Sarge's actions, then stop.

Fuck it, might as well tell them the truth.

"Sarge says he doesn't trust you because of your scent. According to him, you smell like one of Jim's guns back home." Athilia and Gilgillia share another look. Then with a quiet sigh, Gilgillia reaches inside her armor. When she does Sarge stands and starts to growl loudly.

"It's alright. I was just showing them this. I think it's what is causing the problems." When Sarge doesn't move, Gilgillia continues pulling whatever it is from her armor, slower than before.

It's a pair of metal tunes, welded together almost as long as my forearm. A wooden grip is held loosely in her hand. If I hadn't met Jim, the whole thing would have seemed weird and unwieldy to me. Now, it reminds me of the guns that he uses. Except the ends of the pipe are a lot bigger than any of the ones Jim has.

"This is another of the secrets of the Dwarven nation. We have been researching them for over a hundred years, and it's only recently started to pay off." She grabs the end of the pipe, and the metal hinges at the grip with a loud click. A pair of oversized metal bullets pop up, and she pulls them out and hands them to me and Shiva.

The bullets are fairly smooth, with a flat top that's strangely different than Jim's. On the flat end, a thick layer of wax is sealing the end. The whole thing seems well made, but it's nowhere near as uniform as Jim's ammo.

"We noticed that mixing sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal created a powder that could be used in mining decades ago. Then one particularly clever dwarf decided to experiment with the substance. What you are holding in your hand is the results of his work. We mainly use it for protection in the mines, where blades and axes don't have enough room. However, lately there has been more research on them, and talk of expanding their uses."

When I bring the round to my nose, there is a faint odor of sulfur Sarge spoke of. When I offer the round to Sarge, he sniffs it before settling back down.

"That's the smell. It doesn't change that I'm not going to trust them. If they have had guns as long as they claim, then how come everyone is always so surprised by boss's?" When I relay Sarge's question Athilia smiles gently.

"Unlike the other nations, the Dwarven nation holds its secrets close. If the familiar hadn't smelled them, we would have never shown you this one." I shake my head as I take a seat on the edge of the bed next to Jim's head.

"So I take it that's what you want, access to Jim's weapons to copy them?" If it was my choice I would do it, but I know Jim wouldn't agree. There had been times we had talked about it when things were quiet. According to him, the idea of weapons like his in this world was a scary thought. He could picture them being used to destroy whatever balance was here.

"No, even if that was what we wanted, I doubt that the hero would agree. Besides, our own experimentation is leading to better results by the day. What we want is something only the hero can provide." Something in her tone puts me on edge, and I feel my back stiffen.

"What is it you want from him exactly?" Behind them I see Shiva and Mynas move. The two of them silently take up position to intercept them if they make a move towards Jim. From the corner of my eye, I see Vaunea push herself off the wall, her hands falling loosely to her waist.

"Nothing nefarious I promise." Athilia leans back resting her hand on the bed behind her. "How much do you actually know about dwarves?" I shrug my shoulders as I try to force myself to relax.

"The usual things, I guess." When Athilia raises her eyebrow, I continue. "As a whole you are hardworking, industrious people. Most of you are short, but incredibly strong and resilient." Athilia sighs as she shakes her head gently.

"But, what about our society as a whole?" I'm not sure what she means, so I just say what I have heard from my family and people I've met.

"You're very guarded. You don't allow outsiders in unless there is a reason. Most dwarves are craftsmen, and gifted ones at that. Most of your territory is a series of mountains, with mines tunneling deep into their core for materials and gems." Athilia snaps her fingers, cutting me off from continuing.

"Exactly. We actually have more mines than people know about. Do you know what happens when we run into monsters in our mines?" I shake my head as I glance at the crude gun in Gilgillia's hands.

"I don't imagine it goes well for the monsters." Athilia smiles as she nods her head.

"For the most part, you are right. Most of the time we dwarves are capable of handling any situation that arises on our own. When it proves more than we can handle, we employ those who can help. Afterwards, we pay them well and swear them to secrecy." She leans forward, her eyes staring into mine.

"Your father asked for our help not long ago. At that time, we were unable to lend assistance because of a struggle within our own borders." Her hands come forward to rest on her lap as she stares down at them.

"Why are you bringing that up?" I have a feeling I know where this is going, and I don't like it.

"Since then, almost three thousand dwarves have died in our struggle. We are being pushed back, forced from our own mines." I feel my chest tightening as she speaks.

"What could push a dwarf from their mines?" Athilia turns to Vaunea as she asks the question that had been burning in my mind.

"Have you ever heard of the city of Vatar?" I hear Vaunea suck in air quickly.

"You don't mean to say?" I look from Vaunea to Athilia, confused.

"What?" Athilia motions to Vaunea to explain. Vaunea takes a breath as she seems to center herself before she starts to speak.

"I'm not surprised you have never heard of it. It's supposed to only be a legend. One that the elders in the clans tell the children to keep them in line." Vaunea pauses as she stares into space for a second.

"Thousands of years ago, when the earth was still young and the gods held more sway on its surface, there was a city of dwarves. One that welcomed in members of the other races, at least those that could reach them. It was filled with Beastkin, Humans, Dwarves and even Goliaths. There they pursued the study of magic, enchanting, sorcery and even spirit summoning. It was a place of learning and growth for all the races involved. It was a place all the races sought to enter. To further their own knowledge."

"If it was like that, then why have I never heard of it?" Shiva cuts off Vaunea, which makes her shoot the redhead a look that silences her.

"We are talking of a time before kings and countries. A time when there were only clans and towns. When cities built walls to keep monsters out, not invading armies. Do you really think that stories from then would survive among the races that conquered their own for riches? It's said the story only survived among the Goliaths because we didn't involve ourselves with the other races as much, and stuck to our clans in the mountains." Shiva's ears twitch in annoyance, but she remains silent.

"Among those who studied in the city was a human. From what we were told he was a kind man, but he was afraid. He lived his life, and was now facing down the one thing which comes for all of us; death. In his own desperation to avoid death, he sought out every chance to fight it off." Vaunea shifts her body, a scowl scrunched up her face.

"He created magical artifacts to replace body parts. First on animals, then people. There are stories of men with gems in their chest instead of hearts. Arms and legs replaced with limbs of metal and crystals. Unable to feel fear with bodies that wouldn't stop even after they had been pierced by dozens of arrows. Still it was not enough. Still death was still inevitable." I feel my hand unconsciously grip Jim's shoulder as he lays beside me.

"In his desperation, he turned to the darkest arts. He was summoning more and more powerful spirits, trying to fend off death. Until the day came where he summoned a spirit so dark and powerful, it could not be contained. The spirit broke the containment circles he had painstakingly etched on the floor. Then it attacked his body that was already failing with age." Vaunea's voice remained flat and low up until now, but now she starts to speak louder.

"His assistants raced to his side, and were struck down by the waves of power from the spirit. It's said that when the room was finally opened, only the man remained standing, but he was no longer the man he was. He was changed by the spirit, twisted into something new, neither living or dead. An immortal monster that blades couldn't damage."

"With a wave of his hand, he killed the guards that came to check on him and his men. Then with another wave raised their bodies from the dead. By the time the sun had risen on the city, it was filled with the dead. The armies of the dead were led by an immortal monster, the first litch, their king." Vaunea pauses and looks to Athilia who starts to speak quietly.

"The armies of the Dwarven clans, along with the Goliaths, the beastkin and the humans marched on the city, it's said the battles lasted for months with no end in sight. For every undead that was cut down, a living fell and was raised. The armies of undead began to spread from the city, infecting the countryside, until finally the plan was formed to stop them." Athilia nods to Vaunea, almost like she is motioning to a close friend.

"No one knows who came up with the plan, what race they were, or who they belonged to. It was well known that the litch king never left the city. He used it as his seat of power and study, creating more and more powerful undead with each passing day. So the plan was to destroy the city in one fell swoop. How could it be done was the question. The city had multiple wards to protect it from every kind of magical attack. A thousand sorcerers and mages could have worked together and not scratched the barrier around it." Athilia's hands begin to rub over themselves, tracing the lines of her palms and knuckles.

"If it couldn't be destroyed, then it needed to be blocked, or maybe buried would be the right term. So while the armies of the clans marched on the city again to conceal the plans, a group of five hundred mages and sorcerers moved in secret. They found a place where the Ley lines held the most power, and they drew on them. Together, they raised a wall of stone and earth unparalleled in this world. With one attack, they buried the city of Vatar. The armies of undead, and the army of the living with it were all lost and forgotten to time." When Athilia raises her head to meet my gaze, I can see tears forming at the edge of her eyes.

"I'm ashamed to say, the story of Vatar faded from my people's memory. Slipping from being a warning, to a myth, until it became just a ghost story to tell our children. That is, until one of our mines broke through into a cavern. There stood an entire city underground, encased in mana and rock with an army of undead digging their way slowly through the stone." Vaunea drops her head, whispering to herself so quietly I almost can't hear her.

"Damn." Shiva shakes her head then moves to stand beside me before speaking.

"If this is true, why haven't you told anyone else? Why haven't you warned anyone, or asked for help!?" Athilia shakes her head sadly before she speaks.

"It was not my choice. The King, Gavor, decided we would handle it ourselves. In doing so, we would keep the spoils of the city of Vatar for ourselves. He saw it as a way to examine lost magic and technology research and keep it for ourselves. So for two years, we have fought and died alone."

"What happened to Gavor?" Gilgillia's body shifted when he was mentioned. I get the feeling something wasn't being said.

"He was dethroned two months ago. His brother Ragan now sits on the throne. It's by his command I came here, not just to help secure the hero's help, but to secure as many allies as we can." Gilgillia speaks up for the first time since she entered the room.

"Even if securing Jim's help would alienate any other potential allies?" I stare into the slits of Gilgillia's visor as I speak. Her eyes flick from Jim's sleeping face back to mine.

"As of right now, we would rather have the hero's help than the other countries. From the intelligence we have gathered and from meeting him, it's obvious he is worth more. Everything that I have been able to tell, leads me to believe he is a one man army. The sheer destruction power he has is on par with a large group of mages." Shiva shakes her head as she starts to speak.

"I'm pretty sure he is more powerful than a large group of mages. From everything I've seen, he is stronger than most groves by himself." Gilgillia nods her head slowly as she looks to Athilia.

"That is why we are still here and haven't left this room yet." Athilia clears her throat as she turns back to look at me.

"If the hero agrees to help, we will back him in the gathering. Even if no one else does, we will take in him and anyone connected with him. That is what the Dwarven nation can offer." For a brief second, I feel myself get excited, then my rational mind takes over.

"Jim's still unconscious and he can't agree to that. As close as we are, I can't speak for him either. Until he wakes up, we can't promise that he will help." I can feel my head dropping as I speak. The joy I felt from securing a strong ally is slipping away.

"What if I agreed?" I turn my head to look at Sarge. "I'm a hero too, Ava's hero. What if I agree? Would that be enough? Besides, do you think boss would let me go alone?" I relay Sarge's response to Athilia and Gilgillia, which causes Athilia to start to smile after a second of looking shocked.

"As long as the second hero agrees to help as well as agrees to try and convince the other, we will agree." She stretches out her hand towards me and I grasp it in a firm shake.

"Do you really have the authority to promise that? I mean, aren't you only over the encampment outside the city?" Athilia shakes her head gently as she smiles at me.

"No, I was part of the delegation sent here for the gathering. I just arrived a few days early to get a feel of the place. Technically as the highest ranking dwarf in the encampment, I am in charge. However, I was not in charge while it was traveling here." I feel myself getting excited again as she speaks. I'm finally starting to feel hopeful. Gilgillia shifts for a second before she starts to speak again.

"So, shall we go back to camp and summon a breaker to help with the hero's curse now?" Every head in the room, including the harpies turns to face Gilgillia.

"What do you mean curse!?" Gilgillia looks from me to Shiva before she speaks.

"Didn't you know? The hero has a curse on him and that's why he hasn't woken up yet. It's a nasty one, from what I can tell. It was sealed with a death. Most likely from someone's dying breath, killed by his hand." I spring from the bed, wrapping my hands around Gilgillia's shoulders.

"Do you have someone who can break it!?" My knees feel weak, all the excitement I had been feeling is washed away. It's replaced by a pit of dread and despair sitting in my stomach. Gilgillia gently removes my hands from her shoulders, sighing as she does.

"There's no promises with a curse this strong, but we have a good shot at it. We have several top ranked mages who specialize in breaking curses in the nation's employment." Athilia grips my shoulders gently as she guides me back towards the bed.

"We will go back to the encampment now. As soon as we get there, we will send a message to the Dwarven nation and have a mage here tomorrow. Until then, you should keep going around to the factions and trying to gain more help. If they are reluctant to agree, you can mention that you have our support. If they are obviously against you, then keep quiet on the matter. Do you understand me?" I nod my head gently as I look back at Jim. Athilia and Gilgillia exchange quiet goodbyes with Shiva and Mynas, then nod to Vaunea as they leave.

The room is quiet for a long minute after that as we all digest the news we just received. At some point Shiva wraps her arms around me, holding me tight.

"It's going to be alright. We got help, and know how to wake him up now." I can feel her rocking me gently in her arms. Then I realize that tears are streaming out of my eyes, making the whole world seem blurry.

"I know, I just…." I trail off, not knowing what to say next. Shiva continues to rock me gently as I try to quit crying. My tears finally stop after what seems like forever.

"I'm ok, I'm ok." I wipe my eyes as I look around the room. Vaunea and the harpy are both looking away, as if they are trying to say they didn't notice my breakdown.

"So, what should we do now?" Shiva shakes her head as she slips around me to sit beside me on the bed.

"Ummm, I might have an idea." Every head in the room turns to where a small hole has opened in the wall. Vixi is sitting on the edge of the hole, watching the room below her. The harpy screeches at Vixi, who tilts her head and screeches back. The harpy looks confused for a second, then buries herself in the nest.

"That wasn't very nice of you." Sarge huffs in his quiet way that sounds like a laugh.

"What did she say?" Sarge huffs again before answering.

"As best I can tell, she said. Shut your trap or I'll cover you in breadcrumbs and drop you in boiling oil." Sarge's answer leaves me with more questions than before.

"I don't get it." Shiva beats me to the point, turning back to Vixi who is slipping out of the hole in the wall.

"Honestly, I don't either, but Alexis told me to tell her that." As Vixi starts to land on the edge of the bed, Sarge explains.

"It's a way of cooking birds in our original world. I don't know the whole of it, but I know boss used to do it sometimes." Shiva explains what Sarge said to Vixi as she gets comfortable on the edge of the bed.

"That does make sense, but that's not why I'm here. I was going to tell you that En'Las and Tarril are on their way back. They managed to convince a pretty good sized group of night elves to join their grove."

"How many is a pretty good number?" Mynas settles onto the other side of the bed and looks down at Jim before turning back to Vixi.

"Not counting Sage and Thistle, there are fifteen new night elves." Mynas lets out a low whistle at that number.

"I didn't know there were that many unattached night elves in the city." Vixi shrugs her shoulders as she leans back on the bed.

"To be fair, they actually absorbed a small grove. So there weren't actually that many that were completely unattached. Anyway, I thought you would like to know the delegations from Winsdor arrived a few minutes ago. After greeting King Ekon, they are being guided to the southern wing. If you go now you can talk to them before they get there." Mynas stands and starts to walk around the bed.

"I think Shiva should stay here for this one. No offense, but two elves would have a better chance of convincing them than an elf and a beastkin." Shiva opens her mouth, then closes it.

"You're right. I'll stay here and greet the Long Fields grove. You two try to convince the delegates that they are better off siding with us." I nod my head. I can see the hurt in Shiva's eyes, but she still smiles at me. I pull her into a hug, kissing the top of her head as she starts to push me away.

"Go, now or you might miss them." Shiva waves me away as Vixi starts to rise off the bed.

"I'll guide you two in. Alexis is moving the castle walls around again, it wouldn't do for you two to get lost." As the door starts to shut, I hear Shiva tell Jim everything will be alright.

Shiva's point of view

I understand why Mynas and Thea were the best choice to go, that doesn't mean I like it. The new recruits to the Long Fields grove seem to be a mixed bag. They all feel strong, but more than a few of them keep eyeing Jim. I know that look, it's the same one Mynas had when she learned Jim was a hero.

Looks like the new recruits are willing to jump ship already. Sarge huffs beside me and I realize he heard that thought. The new recruits introduced themselves one at a time, but honestly I don't remember most of their names. I'm sure it will be fine, worse case scenario, I'll slip up a few times and call them the wrong name.

Suddenly, I feel a surge of fear from Thea that nearly causes me to fall off the bed. Sarge is on his feet in an instant and charging at the door. I'm on my feet and following him as he paws at the oversized latch.

"What's going on!?" Vaunea draws her oversized sword and starts to scan the room, making several members of the Long Fields grove eye her closely.

"Thea's in trouble, stay here with Jim!" I barely have the door open before Sarge is out of it. Tarril and En'Las yell something to me that I don't catch before I'm down the hall. I'm barely able to keep up with Sarge, even with the way I'm drawing on Sarge's mana pool.

With each step Sarge takes, he keeps getting bigger. He is already bigger than he was in the dungeon by the time he reaches the first corner. He is almost the size of a bear by the time we reach the end of the next hallway.

"How far are they!?" Sarge doesn't slow down as he charges towards a solid wall.

"Other side of this wall and down the hall!" I suddenly realize Sarge isn't planning on slowing down. Just before he hits the wall, a doorway opens and he passes through. "Thanks Alexis!"

Sarge is pulling ahead of me now, his long legs eating up the distance in the hall. He disappears around the corner just a few seconds before I reach it. There is a loud scream as he does, and I can only assume it's from whoever is attacking Thea. When I clear the corner, I take in the scene in an instant.

Mynas is down, unconscious on the ground, propped up against the wall. Judging by the broken table and painting, she was flung against it with some force. Thea is being held against the wall by her throat by a tall blonde elf man. His face is screwed up with rage as Thea claws at the hand around her throat.

The group of elves behind them are backing away, blades drawn as they stare wide eyed at Sarge. Sarge crashes into the blonde elf, knocking him down the hall and into the crowd of retreating elves. Sarge noses Thea, making sure she is ok before he turns to the crowd.

His low growl echoes through the hallway even making me flinch. I can literally feel the rage coming off him in waves. He stalks forward slowly with each step his growl getting louder. When one of the crowd tries to grab the blonde elf, he barks loudly, making them fall backwards.

The elf tries to get to his feet, then falls again as a wave of mana passes over him. It takes me a second to realize that Sarge was the one who unleashed the attack on him. Before he reaches the elf, I'm dropping to the ground to check Thea. She is trying to breath, but keeps coughing. When I try to look at her throat, she pushes me away and points to Mynas.

I glance to Sarge as I slide around to check Mynas. She seems to be alright as far as I can tell. There doesn't seem to be any blood coming from her ears, so I don't think anything is broken inside her head. When I lift her head, she starts to moan weakly.

Sarge is standing on the blonde elf at this point. The elf's sword skittering down the hall towards us. I missed it, but somehow Sarge flung it away when the elf tried to draw it. The elf looks terrified as Sarge's jaws begin to slowly lower down towards his face.

He's going to kill him. I glance from Mynas to Thea and realize that it doesn't bother me.

"Wait! Don't kill him, Sarge!" Thea's voice is scratchy, and it sounds like she is in pain. Sarge turns his head to her, waves of anger still rolling off of him.

"Why? He hurt you! He deserves to die here." Thea pushes herself off the ground, slowly walking over to him and resting her hand on his shoulder. She clears her throat, and looks down at the blonde elf.

"He's my father. Please don't kill him." Sarge turns back to the blonde elf, growling as he brings his teeth closer to his throat.

"Fine, but let him know. If he touches you again, I will kill him." Sarge steps off Thea's dad's chest, slowly backing away while pushing Thea back with him.

I stand up, lifting the semi-awake Mynas with me. Thea rushes to our side and starts to heal her as Thea's dad slowly gets to his feet.

"So what happened?" Thea shrugs at me as the glow fades from around Mynas.

"It's complicated. Long story short, I don't think he is going to be any help." I pull her into my arms, squeezing her tight. I can feel her body shaking in my grip.

Why can't anything ever be easy?