We run along the road just like many others did. It took us about ten to fifteen minutes until I could see the distant gates of the Dimhollow House. As we entered the courtyard, we were immediately held up by armed guards, questioning our presence there. Understandably, I was surprised by this phenomenon, since I have never seen a single guard in the mansion before.

  Still, showing them the ring I received from Emrum immediately solved any and all concerns, as we were directed towards the mansion by the guards.

  While passing through the phosphorescent moss covered garden with the occasional giant mushrooms, I was baffled by the sight of at least a hundred armed dwarves gathering in separate groups. All wearing the emblem of House Dimhollow.

  Alita couldn’t help but nod in appreciation. — “It’s surprising to see how quickly your soldiers are assembling.” — She praised in awe. — “The alarm couldn’t have sounded more than twenty minutes ago.”

  I agreed with her assessment, as I myself shared the subtle sense of awe.

  “I heard that the branch family’s living quarters are tightly placed around the main house. That might be the reason why they arrived so quickly.” — I said, to which she simply nodded.

  We were just about to walk into the mansion itself when I was jumped by a familiar figure in the form of Camilla, who was followed by two dwarfs I never met before.

  “Selora!” — The red head practically jumped into my neck, giving me a jittery hug before pushing me back while still keeping me at arm’s length. In the bluish light of the moss covered cave, her dark green eyes shone with an eery sense of worry. — “D-do you know what is going on? We heard the alarm and immediately started gathering here, but there has been no further explanation.” — She asked, hoping for an answer which I didn’t have.

  I shook my head solemnly. — “I have no idea!” — I exclaimed, releasing some of my pent up frustration and fear. — “We were on a shopping trip, when the alarm sounded, I wouldn’t even realize that it was an alarm without Miss Alita here… She told me that the city is under attack!”

  Camilla chuckled at that nervously, but before she could say anything else, Alita cut off our conversation. — “It’s not the right time for idle girl talk.” — She gave us a serious look then continued. — “We must head inside and figure out if there are any information regarding this emergency, then act according to it.”

  I nodded, just as the others did. — “Go then!” — Camilla said. — “I will see you later, and stay safe, Selora!”

  “You too!” — I shouted backwards, while practically being pushed inside the mansion by the annoyed Alita.

  We didn’t have to walk far to run into the first familiar person after entering the mansion. I felt relieved the moment I saw Emrum running towards us in the corridor. The man’s face was already quite red from all the running and nervousness, at least it matched his beard and hair color.

  “Emrum!” — I shouted at him. — “What is going on?”

  His brown eyes focused on me, an uncertain frown passing through his features when he noticed Alita standing by my side, still he offered her a subtle nod of acknowledgment. — “It’s bad. We just received news from the gates through a frantic rider. If the message is true, then there was an infiltration attempt. A group of elite dark elven warriors, disguised as adventurers through the careful use of illusion magic, infiltrated and partially overtake the outer gate. What is worst they have managed to held it long enough for their main force to arrive and capture it. Right now, as we speak, our forces are being pushed back to the second gate. There are intense fightings and numerous dead civilians, since there was a large caravan attempting to enter the city which the enemy used as cover before the chaos broke out.”

  I took in a sharp breath, my insides swirling with a sense of disgust. Those poor people must have been massacred, locked between the forces of dwarves and those mad elves. I felt pity for them, knowing all too well how cruel dark elves were. I shivered from the memories.

  Alita frowned, hearing Emrum’s words. — “How could that be possible? The outer gate should have sufficient troops to repel such attacks.”

  Emrum nodded at that. — “Miss Alita, from House Smith, if I remember correctly. I see that your family still holds onto the mandatory teachings of military strategies and practices, even after becoming more business oriented. None the less, you are right regarding normal scenarios.” — Emrum sighed, before continuing.

  “Unfortunately, there were several reports from incoming caravans. Strange sightings of dark elves, orcs, and goblins lurking in the nearby sections of the deep roads. Usually such reports would call for an immediate alarm, alas, there were no actual attacks reported. Thanks to the unusual sightings and no actual attacks happening, the reports were treated with a certain level of levity. Instead of immediately calling for alarm, the garrison commander decided to send out numerous patrols to ascertain the situation. In retrospect, we realize now that those troops must have been intentionally lured into a trap, as we are yet to get words from any of them.” — Emrum stated in a solemn voice.

  “Wait, did you say goblins, orcs, and dark elves working together?” — I asked, taken aback by the idea. — “Weren’t they supposed to hate each other almost as much as they hate us?”

  Emrum snorted at that. — “Indeed, it sounded like a fairy tale. On top of that, there were no actual deaths reported from the caravans stating the sightings, which, knowing those races, temperament would be unimaginable. Normally, even the very idea would have been shoved aside as utter nonsense, but the sheer number of reports coming from different caravans demanded a show of force. While this is yet to be proved, we suspect those sightings were also the results of illusion magic.”

  I frowned at that, something didn’t feel right with that theory.

  “Is it truly so outlandish to think they actually worked together?” — I asked, curious by the intentional overlook of that possibility.

  A hesitant silence followed my question while we continued to walk through the dim corridors, eventually, Emrum coughed and said awkwardly. — “It is not entirely impossible, as such things have happened before, but very unlikely. You have seen goblins and dark elves already, orcs are not better either. While having a certain sense of honour, they only understand their own view of the world, while disregarding any other. You can hardly reason with them, as the only language they understand is power, or the promise of spoils and plunder. For all three of them to work together, it would mean that an especially cunning and powerful figure have appeared, who is capable of directing the threads from the shadows.”

  There was a stiff silence following those words while we headed towards a metal double door at the very end of the corridor. Voices in the middle of loud arguments were leaking through from beyond.

  Emrum took a frustrated breath before pushing open the heavy doors and stepping into the hall.

  “I have said it and will say it again, the reports are clear, it’s not just the dark elves we are dealing with. Orcs and goblins are working along them! Worse even, they are armed with dark elven steel!” — One of the elders whose name I couldn’t quite remember bristled with a reddened face as Dalorsaer shouted him down, his fist hitting the table with a heavy bang giving emphasis to his words.

  “B-but that is impossible!” — Another elder spoke up, coming to the defense of his fellow. — “They despise each other almost as much as we despise them!”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Yonalda, Jolga’s mother, swiftly supported some of the elder’s opinions. — “Surely there must be some other explanation? You have mentioned this illusion magic before, right? Could it not be the cause for such, hallucination? Surely they just want to create chaos and panic in our ranks… using such underhanded tactics.”

  “While that might be true.” — The deep voice of Emir Dimhollow, the current head of the clan, sounded, causing all other voices to cease in the room. I noticed his eyes trailing our presence, which was yet to be noted by most people in the hall who were too consumed by their own predicaments. — “It would also explain how our enemy has grown so brazen as to attack our capital, of all places.”

  That caused another series of arguments quickly filling the hall.

  Emrum spoke up while walking towards the middle of the chamber, drawing most of the people’s attention. — “Such has not happened since the times of the old wars. Since then, the most we have lost were small border settlements, yet now here they are, taking over one of our gates.”

  Lord Emir nodded, a satisfied smile stretching across his aged visage. — “I see you have found your daughter faster than anticipated, and a guest too, very good.” — The man nodded towards me appreciatively, while offering a curious glance towards Alita.

  There were a few moments of uncertain silence following our abrupt arrival before Lord Emir spoke up again. — “The enemy have used our weakness against us. The lack of properly trained mages, even with the help of human adventurers, is a great disadvantage for our nation.” — Emir’s expression darkened as he continued. — “The King has ordered every able-bodied mage to offer their support in pushing back the invaders, and preventing further catastrophe, by all means necessary.” — I felt my heart quicken as Lord Emir shared with us the King’s decree. The words once again leaving behind a heavy atmosphere. — “There is no more time to deliberate.” — Lord Emir continued. — “Selora Dimhollow, you shall head out along with your father and a hundred experienced warriors of our house to reinforce the first line of defence. The other noble houses will similarly send their troops as soon as they are ready. We will continue to prepare further reinforcements should it be necessary.”

  Emrum nodded to that. — “I understand, my lord, we will arm ourselves and head out.” — Then he straightened himself and shouted while simultaneously hitting his chest with a resounding echo. — “For the glory of House Dimhollow!”

  “For the glory of House Dimhollow!” — The rest of the people repeated the phrase with a variety of different expressions, but I didn’t have the luxury to contemplate that as I was already following Emrum, who quickly turned around and marched out of the chamber.

  Taking a few steps, I glanced back for a second, noticing that Alita stayed behind, about to exchange a few more words with the elders and other prominent figures of the house. The thought of waiting for her crossed my mind, but I eventually decided to let her be and instead follow Emrum. We had a different fish to cook after all, and she would likely follow us in a minute or two, anyway.

  ~oOo~

  Forty-five minutes later, at the outskirts of Bal Dorahl.

  We have been marching through the almost entirely abandoned streets of Bal Dorahl. Aside from soldiers belonging to various companies or the occasional adventurer group, the previously bustling streets were completely empty. The fruits and various wares belonging to shopkeepers were left behind, untouched, covering their forgotten stands, left behind in their blind panic. The tension I felt become more suffocating with every step that brought us closer to the gates.

  The otherwise lengthy walk from the merchant district to the gates felt a lot shorter than I remembered. Before I knew we were already out of the city, leaving behind the blur of tall and lanky houses.

  Then we left the fields behind, finding ourselves at the top of the now familiar steep slope. There was a palpable tension in the air, a sharp sense of danger lingered here even behind the two gates that were still held by the dwarfs.

  My face was slightly reddened from the exertion, it was not easy to climb the sharp incline. I felt quite winded as we finally reached the top of the long slope that lead down to the ground levels of the city and its surrounding fields. It was one of the defensive chokepoints created around the city perimeters, in case of an invasion. The positions were well fortified, and there were large groups of soldiers lingering around both ends of the incline. There were also quite a few injured placed in several dedicated spots, with the occasional addition freshly carried or dragged along from the heat of battle. I could see soldiers and even a few civilians who were fortunate enough to made their way into the city after the initial attack.

  The faces of the soldiers were tense, but determined. The dire circumstances only seemed to bolster their morale, fuelling their desire to drive away this evil that dared to invade their homes.

  I didn’t share so much in this particular feeling, unfortunately, as every step I took felt heavier, my stomach turning in wild knots as I saw the various injured or dying men laid besides the walls. I saw bodies once belonging to men burned to the point of nonrecognition, ripped apart and twisted by supernatural forces, mutilated or frozen frosty and blue. Those were injuries that in this world could only be inflicted by magic.

  My feet felt like lead as I stepped towards the last tunnel leading directly to the gates as the knowledge of the current happenings truly started to sink in.

  Am I really going to face against other spell casters? It was one thing to send a golem against a bunch of goblins, and it was another to fight with fucking battle mages with centuries of experience regarding murder.

  I gulped drily, as I tried to swallow down the knot that was forming in my throat as well, but it was unsuccessful.

  I glanced at the several hundred armed and armored dwarfs marching alongside. While the ones that surrounded me were belonging to the Dimhollow House, I could see many other soldiers, with different uniforms and sigils, clearly belonging to other noble houses. The expressions of the soldiers were tense, I could feel the disbelief and shock still present in the air. The northern capital of the twin kingdoms were in danger from the enemy’s forces, this knowledge alone caused a noticeable fall in morale.

  I took a deep breath, doing my best to get a hold of my raising panic. It was definitely not the right time for that! Damn it!

  Taking several calming breaths, while already seeing the ominously looming gates in the distance, made the small hairs on my neck raise on end. Worse even, I felt like I needed to go to the latrine. I looked around, surrounded on all sides by the rigorously marching dwarfs.

  “Yeah…. F-fat chance for that…” — I mumbled to myself.

  I grasped my staff tighter and reflexively smoothed out my robes, trying to get rid of those nervous jitters. I didn’t quite have a personal set of armor yet, and I wasn’t trained to wear full plate armor, or any armor really. Therefore, we thought it to be the wiser if I took on my old gear, naturally the robe was long since cleaned and repaired to perfection.

  “At least I didn’t have to wear a skirt in battle.” — I joked to myself, while silently repeating some of my incantations.

  “Aria, remind me, why couldn’t I practice my spells before this again?” — I asked sarcastically from the gloomy wood elf who was following me barely a step behind like some sort of stalker.

  The woman only grunted in annoyance, not deeming my question worthy for an answer. I glanced at her over my shoulder, noticing the familiar necklace hanging in her neck, while eliciting the softest deep red glow.

  Oh, yes… after Emrum and I left the Elders’ council, we run into Aria and the rest just returning to the mansion.

  I will not expand on how furious the wood elf was… and, well… One thing led to another and I eventually agreed to giving her a drop of my blood just to get her off my heels.

  It was not for naught, however, since we made a deal regarding this. If I agreed to go through it, she will be willing to trust me again. Which is to say, she will treat me like she did before figuring out about my… well, uncharacteristic magic practices, that is until I give her a reason not to.

  In a sense, we were back to ground zero. I will not deny the sheer relief I felt regarding Aria being by my side in the following battle, either. I have seen her fight before, but I never saw her wield a spear, which she has right now. After all, she was supposed to be a spear dancer or whatnot.

  As the gates loomed above our marching troops, I couldn’t help but note the lack of wind passing between my legs. Man… wearing pants again is a relief on its own.

  I felt a heavily armed hand gently placed on my shoulder, which naturally gained my attention. The hand not surprisingly belong to Emrum, who was walking on my other side along with Camilla. — “Watch out, lass, we don’t know the situation beyond this gate.”

  I nodded with a serious expression and turned ahead, following the rest of the dwarfs.

  Alright, so… there was this battle magic incantation for ice magic? Right… let’s start with that…

  I took a deep breath and began chanting the spell, already feeling its familiar cold spreading across my veins. — “Winter of the coldest north, frozen rivers and blinding snow. Hear my woe! For those who do not fear, the coldest grasp of nature shall be the first to learn of its apathy.”

  My teeth chittered as several cold shivers run over my body while the incantation activated. The shaking was more from nerves than the sense of cold, however.

  “Fuck yeah… Since things came to this, I am not going to go down lamely like last time.” — My expression strained into a cold frown, recalling some of my traumatizing memories as I added internally to my previous line of thoughts.

  Nor am I going to show mercy to these rapists, slaver bastards.