“Fargrim—”

  Alex cut off Tucker’s words by clamping a hand over his mouth. Pulling the rookie back with a firm grip. The muffled sounds from his partner slowly died in his throat as their gazes focused on the dwarf before them. Fargrim’s eyes swept over the two with indifference before shifting to Noah, whose frown deepened at their unexpected arrival.

  There were rows of heavily armored dwarves standing before them. Shoulder to shoulder with their shields interlocking each other to form a tight-knit wall with their halberds aimed skyward, gleaming in the sunlight. Behind the first row of dwarf warriors was another line of men carrying a long-barreled metallic weapon. Their runic weapons were pointed upwards with the mechanism locking the trigger in place, clearly in view. The warmth and camaraderie they had seen earlier had disappeared. Instead, in its place was a grim determination and unyielding air of defiance.

  They weren’t here to save the watchmen but to deal with the looming threat of military presence before their doorsteps. Fargrim took a step forward. Shattering the stone beneath his steel boots as fragments floated around him. The grey crackling aura around his body surged and coiled around him, hammering with each beat of his heart while tugging on the metal from the knight’s armor.

  Noah stared at the dwarves, trying to make sense of the situation. They were barely on the borders of the Reinhart stronghold, and normally, the dwarves wouldn’t sally out unless it was absolutely necessary. Yet here they were, outside their dwelling and standing between two forces that shared no alliances.

  The pseudo-knights drew their bowstrings back and infused the silver arrow with their aura, strengthening the object and increasing its destructive power. Each one aimed for the narrow gap between the dwarves’ armor, ready to unleash their attack at the barricade made of steel shields. While the other two dismounted soldiers shifted their stances towards Tucker and Alex.

  “Sir Noah, what are your orders?” One knight asked in a strained voice.

  Noah’s jaw tightened as his gaze swept through the battlefield. He needed time to think. “Maintain formation and keep them at a distance. If they charge at us, we’ll retreat,” Noah ordered.

  No matter how much Noah analyzed the situation, it didn’t make sense. The watchmen appearing from the city; the demon rampaging against their army, and finally, the dwarves marching out into the open fields. It was a cascade of chaos. One that he had no control over. Right now, he didn’t have the authority to engage the dwarven forces, and one small mistake could open another war front for the Empire.

  Noah cursed them under his breath. He glanced at the injured watchmen. With their mobility, it was possible to capture them and evade the dwarves, but there was no telling how long it would take and how much of a struggle the watchmen would put up. There was also no way to tell if the dwarves would sit back and watch. Since they didn’t immediately attack them, it was safe to say that the dwarves weren’t there to save the watchmen. Instead, it must have been because of the fiery vortex that appeared in front of their gates.

  “We surrender!”

  Alex’s stern voice stole Noah’s attention immediately and made him grit his teeth. His eyes darted to the watchmen who surrendered on dwarven soil. The other knights who heard this flinched as well, but before any of them could react. Fargrim slammed his great axe into the ground, causing cracks to form on the surface of the world.

  The dwarf stroked his beard and nodded. ”Very well, under the continental laws. The Everheart soldiers will be treated as prisoners under dwarven laws.” His booming voice filled the area, causing the knight’s steeds to jolt. “Disarm your weapons and drop to your knees,” Fargrim ordered.

  “No wait—!” Noah raised his voice in protest, yet his body froze. The air felt heavy and their mounts were panicking from the sheer pressure Fargrim exerted on them. Every instinct in his body told him that one wrong move would kill him. But he couldn’t let it end like this.

  The dwarves’ steel armor glistened beneath the sun, casting long shadows on the ground. They moved in unison and formed a half-crescent formation. Their mighty figures all faced the knights, outnumbering them ten to one.

  In his mind, Noah wondered where it all went wrong. Was it because he tried to minimize their losses that we ended up in this situation? He bit his lips to where blood slowly trickled down his chin. He regretted his approach. It was out of his expectations for the watchman to use international treaties to their advantage. The entire situation felt off, and he knew this. He knew it down to his bones, yet there was nothing he could do. If he tried to capture them after they surrendered to the dwarves, then he would have no choice but to face them, and to do that with his current men was suicidal. There was only one choice left, and that was to reason with the dwarves.

  Noah held one arm up with a closed fist and signaled for his comrades to gather around him. They formed a line and faced the dwarves, who stood several feet in front of them and lowered their bows.

  “This is a matter involving the Empire. I trust you dwarves will entrust this to us.” Noah said, his voice steady as he locked eyes with Fargrim, who scoffed at his words.

  “Trust?” A bitter laugh escaped Fargrim’s lips once he heard the word. “Nay, ya folks aren’t worthy of such words. Did ya forget about the pact that was broken decades ago?”

  “I’m sure if you give me the chance, we can sort something out and—”

  “And what exactly can ya do? Your Emperor spoke of atonement, of promises that were never fulfilled.” Fargrim’s words cut deep into Noah’s consciousness, causing the knight to frown. “We will not retreat from our lands. Dwarven laws will dictate the fate of those two soldiers. Push us further, knight, and you’ll find no mercy. No quarter. But as an act of kindness, we shall overlook this transgression and spare your lives. Leave our lands and never return.”

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  The knights tightly held onto their weapons at the dwarf’s words. They stared at Noah, waiting for his signal before beginning their assault. Yet that signal never came. Noah looked at Fargrim and clenched his fists. There was only one transgression the dwarf was referring to, and it was crossing their borders. After the previous war, the two nations were already on bitter terms, and one mistake would ignite this fragile standoff into a sea of bloodshed. He needed to play his cards carefully and try to turn the situation in their favor.

  With a deep breath, Noah’s voice fell. “They killed innocent lives. We had no choice but to chase them this far. If it was your people, would you let them go like this? Please understand our frustration—”

  “Bullshit!” Tucker yelled at the top of his lungs. “We didn’t kill any innocent lives. They’re lying through their teeth!” Forcing himself to take a step closer, Tucker’s leg screamed out in pain as the flesh tore against his bones. He groaned in agony, fighting back the urge to pass out with Alex barely supporting him. “If it wasn’t for us, countless citizens would have died!”

  The Oathguard’s gaze flickered between the two. Suspicion clouded his mind, and after seeing the brief crack in the dwarf’s resolve, Noah struck again. “Don’t listen to them! I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of what happened in the previous war and the atrocities they committed! Can you stand by and let history repeat itself!”

  Before Fargrim’s lips parted to respond, Tucker’s voice broke through again. “Their hands are just as red—” His words dissolved into a violent coughing fit as a mouthful of blood escaped his lips. The crimson liquid seeping through his torn half-mask and dying the ground in a scarlet hue. The rookie swayed on his feet, but before Tucker could finish his sentence. Noah seized the opportunity and cut him off.

  “If you give us the chance to detain them, we’ll never forget this favor.”

  Fargrim stared at Tucker with eyes that were devoid of warmth. A gaze that was like glass, reflecting nothing but indifference. “It seems we have two very different tales.”

  Hearing the words escape Fargrim’s mouth, Noah couldn’t help but feel a swell of anger bundle up in his chest. “Helping them will do you no good. Can’t you see this?” Each word dripped with a hint of rage. Yet the dwarf remained unfazed.

  “Either surrender yourself as well or leave thy presence.” Fargrim’s eyes fell upon Noah and his knights.

  Their metal plates shook. They struggled to control their horses against the dwarf’s overwhelming presence. Yet, despite this, Noah refused to give up. With no other option, he asked in a low voice. “What is your name, honorable dwarf?”

  Fargrim held onto the axe and fixated his gaze on Noah. The air seemed to shift under his unbreakable figure, with the sun shining brightly behind him. He declared, “I am Fargrim Grimnir of the Eternal Mountains, Oathguard to the Forge Lord of the Clans.”

  The declaration caused the knights to tightly hold the reins of their mounts. Pulling their mounts back as each word struck fear into their hearts. The group collectively shuddered at the mention of the dwarven war hero’s name. Their knees faintly buckling in the straps of the saddles. Even Noah, their stubborn and fearless leader, was at a loss for words. Fargrim was one of many individuals added to the Empire’s Deathwish Directory. A list of key individuals standard soldiers should avoid at all costs.

  Noah knew he should retreat, but he was hesitant to return empty-handed. The watchmen were his only source of information about the demon; losing them would make him the subject of ridicule for his incompetence. But Fargrim was far more reasonable than he expected. They were somehow maintaining a civilized conversation, and if he chose his next words carefully, he could—

  “Oi, what is this ruckus ya bastards are making here?” Ofnir stepped forth and placed the end of his great axe on the ground while holding the hilt. “Don’t cha know this is dwarven territory!”

  Noah looked at Ofnir and quickly said, “We may have trespassed a bit, but—”

  “But what?” Ofnir cut Noah off, anger swelling in his voice. He slammed the end of his great axe once more. Tearing apart the ground beneath them with the sheer force of his muscles. “Don’t think we’ll let ya fools off so easily for launching an attack on our stronghold!”

  “That’s a misunderstanding! If you would just give us a chance—”

  “Bullshit! It’s not the first time ya folks dared to cross the border, and did ya really think we would’ve forgotten what happened after so many years!” Ofnir furiously shouted and stomped the ground, causing the other dwarves to enter formation and lower their halberds. “I’ll give ya one chance to get the fuck outta our lands!”

  “We were just—”

  Before Noah could finish his sentence, Ofnir’s aura rushed forth like a powerful tide. Nearly sweeping the knights off their mounts as the horses panicked and tried to run away.

  “Just?! Did ya think you could get away with your pathetic excuses?” Ofnir roared, lifting his great axe above his head. “Why I outta beat the living daylights out of ya! Are you blasted idiots daft? This is dwarven lands, and in such lands, you shall follow dwarven rules!” Ofnir looked over his shoulders. “Am I right, lads?!”

  “Aye!” The dwarves shouted in unison.

  Noah and his men pulled back with each step as the dwarves advanced. The knights nervously glanced at each other, and Noah felt blood rush to his cheeks. There was nothing he could do now. Things had escalated beyond his control, and he never expected the dwarves to leave their stronghold. They were supposed to be sealed in their vaults. Nothing was moving as the strategist had planned in the grand scheme, and if he were to cause any more unnecessary friction between the two nations, it would prove detrimental to the Empire’s war effort.

  He didn’t want to retreat, but with only a handful of men, even if they were to capture the watchmen, there was no telling how many lives he would need to sacrifice. Nor would he know how the dwarves would react on a political level to their battle. If it was any other race, he would risk it, but knowing how the dwarves held onto their grudges for generations, the risk wasn’t worth it.

  “You’ll regret this,” Noah declared, pulling the reins of his horse as he led his men to the side.

  “I’ll regret nothing from ya cowardly, low-life, tin-foiled vermin!” Ofnir shot back. “If I see your faces back on dwarven lands again, I’ll bash your skulls in and snap your backs like the wooden planks they are!”

  Noah glared at Ofnir and clicked his tongue. “Let’s go.”

  Together, he and his men retreated from the dwarven lands. Leaving behind the injured watchmen and armed dwarves. He felt bitter returning back empty-handed, but it would be far more disadvantageous to lose knights in unnecessary confrontations. As they passed by Alex and Tucker, his eyes met with the rookie. A trace of anger flickered in his mind, and soon a devious thought.

  Suppose he were to kill them right now. How would the dwarves stop him?

  He entertained the thought, but before he could move a single muscle. The ground quivered violently. Releasing a deep rumble that rose as if the earth itself was crying out in pain. Soon, the surface between the watchmen and the Empire’s knights split apart with a thunderous crack that shook the world itself. Jagged lines of aura raced through the gaps, sending chunks of stone and dirt into the air like a volcanic blast as a large gash manifested itself through the land.

  Their mounts immediately jolted and tried to run, but the knights calmed their spirits and kept them firmly in place. Noah looked over his shoulder at Ofnir, who swung his axe downwards. The attack wasn’t meant for them, but its intent was clear. If they crossed that line, they would die.

  “Fucking dwarves,” he mumbled under his breath.

  With one last glare at the watchmen, Noah and his men left the dwarven lands with bitter emotions. They may have escaped their clutches this time, but he knew they would see more of their kind throughout the war. And when they did, there would be no mercy.

  I am no longer feeling as sick as before, which is great.

  Added brief explanations in earlier chapters for the following:

  Aura:

  - First star: realization (when characters first awaken it)

  - Second star: manifestation (when characters give form to it)

  Magic:

  - Mana circles used as catalysts to funnel mana to their spells and unlock more abilities.

  Spirits:

  - Can roughly gauge their rank by the amount of spirit essence held.

  I have added more worldbuilding in the next few chapters, for better or worse.

  Whether I did a good job is a completely different question, though.

  I'm also building that backlog, which is good because I do plan to launch a Patreon in February.

  Anyway, I hope to see you in the next chapter. Thanks for all the support!