The red moon hung low in the night sky, its glow casting a faint crimson light alongside the flickering fire. The Dwarves, grouped tightly around the flames, had begun arguing more viciously as we walked away, their voices speaking in the dark about who would be chief.

  At a separate edge of the camp, the four of us—me, Sana, Kaylie, and Saresh—kept our distance from their heated debate. The firelight shone on our faces as we gathered to talk, our focus shifting away from the Dwarves' arguments. Saresh alone sat quietly on a log, barely visible in the shadows, while the night stretched on, the moon’s red light still cutting across the scene from the horizon.

  “That’s an odd turn of events,” Kaylie remarked. She set a pile of twigs ablaze, making a bonfire, finally letting us escape the night’s chill.

  "Not really," Sana began. "The Dwarves need Alf far more than he needs them. With the Union closing in, their only choices are to either flee or defend the city. Alf provides them with bonuses and keeps peace with the Goblins, which they need. In return, they have to protect him. If control of the city is lost, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to reclaim it, and either the Goblins or the Union would seize it.”

  “They could go back to their home and still take advantage of the bonus without Alf,” Kaylie replied.

  “Then why haven’t they?” Sana looked into Kaylie’s eyes and answered her own question, “It’s because they are afraid. They were just attacked there and lost a good number of their people. Even though Alf isn’t strong or a Dwarf, the possibility of peace with the Goblins, help fighting against the Union, and a city’s bonus, makes Alf a practical choice.”

  “So do you think they will vote for Alf as their chief?” Kaylie asked.

  “I believe it is possible, but then again, Dwarven traditions are hard to break. Anyway, that’s their people’s decision. We need to figure out what to do about Jack, and we have the perfect person to give us advice,” Sana answered as she pointed to Saresh, who quietly sat behind us.

  Kaylie and I turned to him. With his hands on his knees and his gaze fixed on the ground, he made himself as small as possible. We came over and crouched by him, cutting off any chance of escape.

  “Umm,” Saresh stuttered. “I really don’t want to be a part of the Union, but I don’t want to work against them either. The Union is exceptionally cruel to traitors. Even talking to you could get me killed.”

  Sana immediately pulled out a knife from her outer thigh, spun it so it pointed down, and stabbed it directly at Saresh’s leg. Alarmed, he spread his legs quickly, letting the knife go in between them, but barely missing.

  “What the hell! You’re a lunatic?! If I didn’t move fast enough, you would have gotten me!” Saresh yelled in indignation. He inched back from the woman, but could not flee.

  “Yeah, I would have. Let that sink in,” Sana said with a crazed smile. “You’re either with us or against us. Besides, you have yet to prove that you’re no longer an ally of the Union. Prove to us I shouldn’t kill you.”

  I had never seen Sana like this, as she had always been calm, collected, and graceful. I worried this conflict was changing her for the worse. Was this all an act to get Saresh to agree? Or had Jack’s abduction finally made Sana as cruel as the Union?

  “Fine, fine.” Saresh raised his arms in surrender. “They were talking about taking the Dwarves to our commander’s forward base because of the discovery of the Labyrinth City. Our original plan was to make our way back to Unionist territory, but that changed with the discovery. Your friend might be at that forward base, surrounded by a legion of our soldiers.”

  “What were they going to do with the Goblins originally? And why would you transfer them to a forward base?” Kaylie questioned.

  Saresh shifted on the log uneasily, crunching the leaves beneath his shoes. “We were to bring them to the docks in the Old City. That’s all I know. As for why it changed, I’m not entirely certain. All I know is that the forward base is larger than you would expect. We had been slowly amassing soldiers there for an operation.”

  “Why take them there? You must know something!” Kaylie pressed.

  “I don’t know why it changed, but I have a hunch. The King's nephew is leading the operation in the area. I suspect he wants to be there personally to interrogate the Dwarves.”

  “Torture,” Kaylie responded.

  Saresh winced at her guess, then exhaled. “Probably.”

  “Do you think politics is involved? Maybe the nephew doesn’t like his King.” I questioned, hoping there could be something to work with. “Maybe the nephew wanted the Dwarves and their knowledge for himself? If there’s bad blood between the King and his family, we should exploit it.”

  “There’s no bad blood. The King’s family is extremely loyal to each other and very intelligent. Their grandfather got to his position through alliances, trickery, and political maneuvering. Since his death, his son took over the reins and built out his family to work together and hold their slice of an empire.” Saresh responded like a scholar would.

  “If there isn’t bad blood, then why not bring the Dwarves to the city?” I asked. “Forgive my words, but they can just as easily torture the Dwarves there, find out more about the place, and use that knowledge to conquer it.”

  “Maybe to make sure whatever information the Dwarves leak stays within his forward base. He has absolute power in that place and can make sure all information about the city stays with him,” Saresh raised his voice as if solving a puzzle in his head.

  I glanced at him. “Wouldn’t he want his family to know? I thought you said they were all on good terms.”

  Saresh continued, “That wouldn’t be a betrayal to his family, so long as he can conquer the city himself and deliver it to the King. Think about it. If he asked his uncle or other relatives for help and then conquered the city, he would certainly be rewarded well. But if he captured the city himself and bound it, then the King would send him reinforcements to hold the city and let his nephew rule in his place there.”

  “We’ll have to worry about this mess another time,” Sana said. “We have to take care of ourselves first. If they are willing to torture the Dwarves, then they are willing to torture Jack. So he doesn’t have long to live. Where is this base? And what can we expect when getting there?”

  Sana's assessment made sense. This huge mess of a King and his nephew could wait. Jack’s rescue couldn’t.

  If we didn’t get to Jack soon, he would die. Torture was a risky business in a world of Abilities. Pressing too hard could cause someone to gain one in a moment of need. It could be anything from help getting themselves free to taking revenge on their torturer. So the torturers would kill Jack if they sensed him gaining an Ability.

  “The forward base is between the northern mountain range and the large one slightly south of them. There are hundreds of soldiers. Maybe short of a thousand. You’ll find the forward base entrenched on the side of a hill with a river running across each side.”

  That didn’t tell me much about where the base was, except for the general location. The northern mountains lined up with the mountain housing the Hidden Falls Village, but there was plenty of space in between. More than that, the rivers from that mountain crisscrossed and went everywhere. Traveling this great distance and having to cross rivers numerous times sounded like a challenging journey.

  “Draw what I show you on the floor and ask him if any of them look like the bend in the river.” Rabbit broke into our conversation.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Liking where this was going, I started drawing with a stick on the sand, creating a couple of different curves, and asked Saresh about it. After some more pointed questions, Rabbit had all the information he needed.

  Rabbit pulled up my map and highlighted the spot where he believed the forward base was located, and it was far. Right then, it was pitch dark. While I could see at night, Sana and Kaylie would be moving at a snail's pace, trying to follow me. Though I was well-rested, they were already exhausted. By the next day, they’d barely be moving and wouldn’t be ready for a fight. Perhaps I could reach the forward base quickly on my own, but I couldn’t handle the Unionist soldiers by myself.

  When I mentioned this to Rabbit, he said, “Actually, I have a plan for that.”

  I explained the idea to the others, and to say they were surprised would be an understatement. The plan was simple, but it required us to split into two groups. My task was to return to the Hidden Falls Village and take the boat waiting at the bottom of the lift. This boat, once used for trade with the outside world, had been abandoned when the Union took over the territory, rendering it useless.

  If I could get to that boat, I could navigate a stream that would carry me in the right direction, though slightly farther north. It would take me off our intended path, but it would allow me to pick up the rest of the group later.

  Meanwhile, the others would return to the Dwarves’ location in the city to rest and prepare. Thanks to the time dilation there, they’d have plenty of time, as every two hours outside equated to more than a full day in the city. They might even have too much time to get ready! I hoped so. My friends deserved a long rest.

  Once they met me at the river, we’d follow its curve and take an alternate path to the forward base. While this route would be slower for me, it would be much faster for the group. Rabbit admitted there were some unknowns, such as the speed of the water, which could increase in rainy weather, but he was confident the plan would work.

  “Okay, so we’ll need to wake up soon,” Kaylie said. “I think we’d get more sleep if we just rested here instead of going all the way back, even if it is closer to the river.”

  “No, I’ve explained this already. When you’re in the city, time doesn’t make you faster—it slows down. You can get a full night’s sleep in no time,” I reiterated, starting to question these people’s grasp of my Time Magic specialization. I kept explaining it, but they were still stuck on the idea that it was some kind of speed spell instead of a time spell.

  Eventually, after some time of back and forth, everyone agreed to the plan. I then sat down next to Saresh and pulled out paper, ink, and a quill to try drawing a map for the others. Rabbit had shown me exactly what it should look like, and all I had to do was follow his outline.

  The only problem? I’d never used ink and quill before, and I was making a mess. What should’ve been simple tracing turned into ink blotches, with lines unintentionally going from thin to thick.

  After I finished the map, I decided to write a letter to Sophia, telling her about the base we’d discovered and the threat it posed. What surprised me most was realizing I not only knew how to speak the common tongue, but I could write it too. It was as if the knowledge had always been there, just waiting for me to use it.

  As I started getting the hang of it, I received two messages:

  Congratulations, you have learned Writing Level 1. “You can put things on paper, but are they worth reading?”

  Bonuses:

  Additional 1% understanding of intent per Level.

  Additional 2% speed of skill per Level.

  Congratulations, you have learned Cartography Level 1. “You can be the best swordsman, but if you can’t find the battlefield, you will have already lost.”

  Bonuses:

  Additional 1% accuracy per Level.

  Additional 1% understanding of other maps per Level.

  Additional 2% speed of skill per Level.

  Gaining the extra skills was nice, but I was hoping they were in a skill I had a profession for, so I could get some extra skill points.

  When I was almost done, Bass came over and said, “Alf, we are ready to announce our new chief.”

  I put the paper down and walked over to the Dwarves, who had settled deeper in the camp.

  “We have made our choice,” Bass said. It seemed he was their spokesman. “We would like you to be our new chief, but we have some conditions on it. You would have to learn Smithing and Crafting, and allow us to live in your city.”

  “Smithing and Crafting?” I asked, confused by the request. I had no issues learning those skills, but I couldn’t say I would find them helpful to me.

  “The facilities and forges do not work as intended until the bound owner has that as a profession. That means until you reach Level 20 in each of those professions, we cannot create the best arms and armor possible.” Bass looked back at his people. “We would love to start teaching you now, but even with the additional speed you talked about, we doubt you could learn in time for it to be relevant for the fight with the Union.”

  This wasn’t like the Goblins, where they would give me anything. The Dwarves wanted something from me, but they also brought value to the table. They were warriors and crafters, and they also had a good ratio of male to female population, unlike the Goblins. The Goblins were producing way more children than what was sustainable.

  Each kind of people and their culture had its own issues, as expected. And I would have to learn to handle them somehow.

  “Okay.” I scratched my chin. “But I have some conditions too. First, you will have to follow my orders within reason, and second, you will have to work freely with the other races.” The first one didn’t need to be said, but I wanted to make sure there was no room for doubt that I was the chief. However, the second request was going to be an issue. Throughout history, getting different kinds of people to get along had always been difficult.

  “Aye, Sana, Kaylie, and Jack are always welcome at my table. They deserve the finest of meads,” Bass replied with a smile.

  “Not just them,” I cut him off. “I’ve already gotten the Goblins to agree to work with your group, and I’ve secured a loose alliance with the Hidden Falls Village and a group of Dwya.” Seeing the look on Bass’s face, I added, “I doubt you’ll ever run into those last groups, but I want to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Also, don’t worry. The Goblins have plenty of space on their side. But when I get back, I want you and the Goblins to start having diplomatic relations and trade with one another.”

  “But the Goblins want to kill us. They always attack on sight if they have the numbers,” Bass tried to reason with me.

  “You’re right, they used to be like that,” I said. “They were enslaving their females, treating them like property to be traded or won. I put a stop to that, and with your help, I can guide them onto a better path. This is the only way to create peace between your people and theirs.”

  Bass glanced around for support. After receiving a few nods, he slapped me on the back and said, “My people will try their best. So long as those Goblins don’t attack, neither will we.”

  I nodded to him and the other Dwarves. Perhaps they wouldn’t have agreed if I weren’t the chief. Thankfully, their Dwarven traditions were working with me this time.

  Bass put an arm around my side. “We’ll make a Dwarf out of you yet. Let’s get back to the city and start using those fancy speed spells.”

  “I can’t,” I replied, pushing against him gently. “I have to go after Jack.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Bass said, raising his hammer.

  “No. We have a plan. Everyone but me is heading back to the Dwarves' section of the city right now. I’m going to steal a boat and meet you all on the river. Besides, I need you to lead your people in my place for now.”

  I held up the map I’d been working on. It wasn’t dry yet and still incomplete, but detailed enough for practical use. I carefully handed it to Sana to avoid smudging the wet ink.

  Sana looked it over and remarked, “Wow, this is incredibly detailed. When did you get so good at cartography?”

  “Since right now. I reached Level 1 in a couple of skills.” I grinned. “Remember to meet me at the ‘X’ at sunrise. I hope to arrive early, but I have no idea what I will encounter. Also, Bass, can you repair my armor?” asked, already unfastening my crappy, mismatched, and broken gear without waiting for a reply.

  “Don’t you need that when going through the jungle?” Kaylie asked. “It’s dangerous out there.”

  “It’s just going to slow me down, and since I’m alone, I think fleeing is better than fighting if I run into a squadron of Unionist soldiers. My armor is garbage at this point anyway,” I said, unstrapping the last pieces of the armor.

  It came off much faster than it went on. It felt great to finally lose that extra weight. When my friends glanced at the old, battered pieces on the floor, no one argued, as it had clearly seen better days. It was a rough, makeshift set Bass pieced together before the battle in the Goblin hold, and then crushed some more.

  At that moment, I was left wearing my undershirt and shorts, my new shoes, helmet, necklace, old ring, quiver, and bag. Shedding the armor significantly lightened my load, making me feel like I could run the whole distance to the Hidden Falls Village.

  I wondered if I should wear a lighter armor set, maybe something made of leather. But I decided against it. My skin had become like light armor on its own. The others didn’t understand this yet, as they hadn’t experienced fighting with hardened skin like mine.

  I wouldn’t usually go into battle relying solely on the Biodium chainmail, but ever since it fused with me, I’d gained twice the protection and half the weight. Of course, there were downsides to it being melded to my skin. While it could stop something from cutting me, it couldn’t defy basic physics. If the Dwarves attacked with war hammers, my body would take the full impact of any blow. Even with my hardened bones, that was a severe weakness in battle.

  “I’ll have this...‘armor,’” Bass said, emphasizing the word, “repaired as much as possible by the time you meet us with the boat.”

  I turned to the group. “Sucks that we have to split up again. I’ll see you and the Dwarves soon.”

  The Dwarves weren’t like the Dwya. They were practical people who didn’t grovel. They simply started preparing to move out.

  At that, I left.

  I could tell they had more questions, but Jack was running out of time. I was sure the Union wouldn’t be asking their questions nicely, and they certainly wouldn’t be patient if he didn’t answer.