Skalla sniffed the air in the tunnel before glancing at her mate. “These tunnels should be abandoned. But I smell dwarves.”
Skovi growled briefly as he tasted the air. “You’re right. Bargrux was adamant that none of his people should’ve been through here in centuries. We should go a bit further before reporting what we’ve found.”
Skalla nodded as the pair of wolves smothered their flames. It was too dangerous in the mines to keep them lit. Although they would be able to detect the natural gasses, there was always the risk of a cave-in that would release them into the tunnel.
The darkness and silence of the mines felt oppressive to the divine beasts as they followed the twists and turns. However, the situation quickly changed as they exited the claustrophobic tunnel into a deep scar on the earth. Skovi paused as he studied the treacherously thin bridge before them as Skalla peered into the darkness below. From up here, the ancient dwarven bridges and staircases appeared to form an intricate latticework. However, she knew that was an illusion.
There were hundreds of metres between each structure, precariously spanning the pit below. Skalla whined as she took a step back. However, Skovi growled at her to stop. They could end their scouting mission there since it would be difficult to continue. Neither of them had the knowledge to determine what paths in that place were safe to cross. One wrong decision, and they could plummet into the depths of the earth, never to be found. Skovi peered over the edge and let out a sigh. ‘This is as far as we can go.’
As he was about to turn away, something caught his eye. A small flame had appeared far below them. Skovi stared at the strange light as it followed an unseen path. Soon, several more appeared. Those several became hundreds, then thousands as the minutes passed. Skovi released a low growl as he backed away from the edge. “They’re coming.” Skalla revealed a grim expression as she stared into her mate’s eyes. “How bad is it?”
Skovi shook his head in his reply. “Thousands of torches. I’m sure that doesn’t represent their real numbers. This is an army meant to conquer.”
“We should return and pass this on.” Skovi nodded slowly. “Time is of the essence. You head back first. I’ll contact Exile and watch a while longer.”
Skalla rubbed her muzzle against Skovi’s neck before vanishing into the darkness. Skovi returned to his previous position to keep tabs on the enemy’s advance. ‘This is bad. Harik’s forces will struggle to fight in these conditions.’
‘These dark tunnels and areas like this one give too much of an advantage to the dwarves. I need to let Exile know.’
Meanwhile, in a forest beyond Skardia’s borders, a young light skinned elf removed the brown hood covering his features. Tu’anth of the Wood Elf tribe approached the gathering of elders with a grim expression.
“How are things proceeding in Skardia?” One of the elders asked.
“The Highland Elves’ ritual magic has been tampered with. We lost contact with our staging fort. Very few of our advance party survived.” Tu’anth replied.
“Hm, the situation in Skardia remains unclear, then?” The elder of the dark elves asked.
“There was a distinct lack of divine intervention until the one they call Princess started to interfere. One of their group revealed a magical prowess beyond even Jirunn’s.”
“So many lives lost, and we’ve yet to confirm if this Exile is a dark god.” Jirunn, the elder of the Sun Elves, whispered. Just then, a divine presence descended among them. Every elder bowed their head in respect of the Goddess who blessed them with her presence.
“Lady T’vera,” Jirunn said as he bowed lower. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
T’vera’s bright gold eyes turned on Jirunn as she smiled brightly. “There has been a concerning development.”
T’vera’s voice was so soft that one could mistake it for a passing breeze. Jirunn frowned slightly as he raised his gaze to look at her. “What has happened?”
“The one called Exile has begun corrupting the First Flame.” T’vera sighed. “We no longer have the luxury of taking our time. Exile must be dealt with before his fragments fall to darkness.”
“Excuse me for asking, but how do you know this?” Another elder asked as she cocked an eyebrow. Although it was considered rude to prod the abilities of the divine, T’vera smiled gently. “I felt the darkness resonate with my own fragment.”
The elders wore grim expressions at her casual statement. If T’vera could feel her fragment resonating with Exile’s, then it was understandable how she would know what was going on. “What of the Dwarven Kings?” Jirunn asked as he glanced at his Goddess.
“It seems their envoys were unable to cut off dwarven support to Skardia. They suspect that something dangerous has fallen into King Bargrux’s hands. A punitive army has already been dispatched and will likely engage Bargrux’s forces within days.”
“We should aim to launch our invasion at the same time. Skardia will be unable to hold off a two-prong invasion.” Jirunn said as he rubbed his chin.
“That would be for the best,” T’vera replied. “In three days, we invade Skardia. They are isolated and recovering from the wars that have troubled them. You will bring the light to this land swallowed in darkness. Go forth with my blessing.”
As T’vera returned to the divine realms, Jirunn glanced at the other elders. “The situation has become dire indeed. We can’t allow the First Flame to become corrupted.”
“I agree.” Vael of the Sea Elves replied. “I will send word to have our ships made ready. My navy will provide support, and logistics while performing raids on the Skardian coast. No elf will be safe if this horror comes to pass.”
The other elders grumbled but agreed in the end. A united elven army would invade Skardia to end the potential dark god Exile’s rule.
Somewhere to the southwest of Skardia, Laskia stood on the deck of a Warbeast warship. Her keen gaze stared out across the sea as she gathered her thoughts. Her shark-riding merfolk and narwhals turned fortified submarines carved a path through the waters for her navy to follow.
‘The elves are causing trouble again.’ Laskia sighed as she glanced toward the sky where Dretheir’s massive figure could be seen. ‘I wondered what they were up to, but this confirms it.’
Laskia chuckled to herself. ‘Well, if they think I’m going to stay out of this, then they must be delusional. Why should I let them have all the fun?’ Laskia made a connection with Dretheir to summon the dragon down.
As Dretheir arrived and coiled himself to face her, the ancient dragon snorted. “What command do you have for me?”
“Send word to the tribes. We’re going to invade the elven territories.” Laskia grinned behind her fan. “Sink any of their ships that enter our waters. Also, have a support force head for the Skardian border.”
“Exile won’t like that,” Dretheir grumbled.
“On the contrary. Exile will happily accept our help.” Laskia smiled slyly as she turned her gaze to the horizon. ‘This is why you wanted the alliance in the first place, right? Now, how will our other ally react?’
Parthus frowned at Mikari on the other side of the table. “Why can’t you send forces to aid us in our expansion?”
Mikari showed an apologetic expression as he bowed his head. “We’ve just started to recover from the wars in the mortal realms. However, we’re seeing activity that suggests two races will soon be invading Skardia.”
Parthus frowned at Mikari’s explanation before sighing. “It can’t be helped then. It would be foolish for me to insist on you sticking to the agreement at this point. If Skardia falls, we lose a valuable ally. Unfortunately, this sets our plans back quite a bit.”
“I may have a solution that will help you,” Mikari replied with a gentle smile. “King Bargrux has begun stockpiling dwarven arms in preparation for war. He has given authorisation for our Pantheon to sell these goods outside of Skardia. We would like to provide your people with these.”
“That’s not all.” Mikari continued as he saw Parthus’ considering it. “Although we can’t send Skardian troops, Exile will send a mercenary force from his Phoenix Eagle tribe to provide air support for your invasion.”
Parthus’ eyebrows rose as Mikari sweetened the deal. “What’s the price of this aid?”
“The particulars of payment can be agreed with Midas tomorrow.”
“That is reasonable.” Parthus sighed as pondered an issue. “Exile is being generous in these offers, and it’s clear he doesn’t take our alliance for granted. I’m grateful, and so I will send what support I can. It will still be some time until we’re ready for our own war. Personally, I would prefer it if I knew my allies were in a strong position before we begin.”
Mikari nodded at this as he thanked Parthus. “There’s one other thing my brother wanted me to bring to your attention.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.” Parthus chuckled as he sipped the wine in front of him.
“It’s to do with elemental control and personal spells,” Mikari said as he gauged Parthus’ reaction.
“Hm, I’ve heard tell of some players who have created their own spells. It’s interesting, but of little use at this stage.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Mikari chuckled with a gleam in his eyes as he explained the significance of personal spells. “Now, what would you give for a copy of Exile’s notes regarding his experience with creating spells?”