The sound of the horn pierced through the air like a spear of dread.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The deep, resonating tone echoed through the mountain halls, followed by the frantic clamor of armored footsteps and shouting soldiers. We'd barely taken a step toward preparing for our departure to the royal capital when one of the dwarf soldiers came sprinting into the hall, his face pale with urgency and breath coming in sharp bursts.
"Attack!! We are under attack by Quagoa!" he shouted, his voice reverberating off the stone walls.
Gagaran groaned, slamming her gauntleted fist into her palm. "Time couldn't get worse."
The council erupted into chaos. Dwarves stood from their thrones, barking orders to aides or hurriedly grabbing weapons from behind their chairs. Even the High Thane looked grim as he rose from his seat.
"We'll come," Lakyus said firmly, already striding forward.
The commander-in-chief, a grizzled dwarf with a beard like woven iron chains, nodded tightly. "Then follow me. If they break through now, Feo Berkana may fall."
We raced through the tunnels, guided by the dwarven commander and a pair of armored escorts. The air grew colder as we approached the fortress entrance that protected the city from the mountain's outer edge. The scent of burning oil, charred flesh, and blood grew stronger with each step. The thunderous sound of battle was already rumbling through the stone like the heartbeat of a god.
Finally, we reached the fortress gates.
And what we saw beyond them was a nightmare.
A sea of quagga, stretching across the snow-blanketed valley like a writhing, furry tide. Their bodies were packed so tightly together it was hard to tell where one ended and another began. Fangs bared, weapons raised, they snarled and howled in an alien chorus that seemed to shake the very ground.
Evileye stepped up beside me, her crimson eyes narrowing beneath her hood. "There are... roughly six thousand of them," she muttered.
"Eight thousand," I corrected without emotion.
She glanced at me. "Are you sure?"
"They're divided into tribal markings. You missed the third wave in the northern trench. They're still emerging."
Evileye said nothing for a moment, but her silence was acknowledgment.
Blue Rose and my party fanned out along the battlements. Magicians in dwarven armor chanted behind us, drawing lines of magic in the air. Runes flared faintly on the stone walls—defensive enchantments, most likely—but many of them flickered erratically. Damaged.
Gagaran looked over the parapet and then back at me. "So… should we also hang back behind the walls and let the magicians throw their flashy fireballs? Seems safer."
Evileye shook her head. "They can't hold them. Not for long. Look at the soldiers."
She was right.
All around the fortress, dwarven warriors stood in ragged formations. Faces were pale, clothes bloodied, and movements sluggish. These weren't fresh troops—they were the survivors of the previous battle. And now they were being thrown back into the fire without rest, without reinforcement.
The commander-in-chief swore under his breath, his eyes scanning the chaos below. "No… this isn't a random charge."
"What do you mean?" Lakyus asked, stepping beside him.
"They're not storming the fortress equally," he said, pointing toward the left side of the wall. "They're all focusing on one point—there."
We followed his gaze.
Sure enough, the majority of the quagga were slamming themselves into a specific section of the wall, climbing over each other like ants in a frenzy. That part of the fortress was already scorched, the stone blackened and cracked.
Evileye blinked. "Explosion magic…"
The dwarf's face turned grim. "Aye. That spot was hit during the last assault. We didn't have time to repair it properly. Our craftsmen haven't even been able to get outside—Quagoa patrols are everywhere. That section's our weak point, and they've figured it out."
"So they're pushing everything at that crack," Clementine said, looking more excited than worried.
"If they break through…" one of the dwarves began.
"They'll pour in," the commander finished darkly. "And with our men half-dead from the last fight, it won't be a battle. It'll be a slaughter."
There was a moment of silence.
Even Gagaran's expression had lost its usual battle lust, replaced by grim focus.
Lakyus nodded once, decisively. "We'll hold that point. Just tell your men to support us however they can."
"You're willing to throw yourselves into the front line?" the dwarf asked, surprised.
"Not throw," Lakyus replied with a faint smirk. "Just place ourselves exactly where we'll do the most damage."
Evileye stepped forward, already charging her mana. "We'll need firepower and cover. I'll blast them in waves, but someone needs to keep them off me."
"I'll go with you," Gagaran said. "You burn, I smash."
"Twins, you're on support," Lakyus ordered. "If any of those bastards get past the wall, clean them up."
They nodded in perfect sync.
What about your team?" he asked.
I gave a small shrug, casual, almost lazy, but it masked the sharp focus behind my gaze.
"Solution, Clementine," I said, my voice calm, "cover the flanks. Watch for any that try to slip through. Crush them if they do. But that weak point…" I tilted my head toward the damaged section of the fortress wall, where Quagoa slammed their bodies again and again, "…won't last long."
Solution gave a graceful nod, her tone politely eager. "Understood. It's been a while since I had to clean vermin in bulk."
Clementine cracked her knuckles and grinned like she'd just been handed a gift. "Time to get some cardio in. Let's make this fun."
Then Evileye turned toward me, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. There was no smile, no mocking tone—just curiosity.
"What about you?" she asked.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I stepped up to the battlement and looked out over the battlefield. Thousands of quagga were still pouring from crevices in the mountain and charging across the snow-covered valley. Their roars became a singular, guttural rhythm, like a war drum from the depths of some hellish world.
And yet… I didn't feel tension. I didn't feel fear. I felt something colder. Simpler.
I turned my head slightly, just enough that my voice carried back to her, low and deliberate.
"You asked me if I am the same as you?"
There was a pause.
Evileye blinked. "…Yes."
I smiled faintly.
"Well," I said as the wind picked up and the skies above darkened, "you're about to see what I am."
~~~
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