Chapter 118 Pt.1:

"That sounds reasonable." Umikgruid nodded slowly. The Dwarf had his arms folded and eyes closed in deep thought. "All things considered it's pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it," Anton replied. "I intend to help everyone but the Dark Elves are under immediate threat."

"How long before we can get back to the Shadow Isles?" Ceccitol asked. "It took us some time to get here. For every day that passes our warriors and people die in droves."

"If we go by horse it should take us seven, maybe eight days to reach Jaka and The Snowberry. After that, I don't know how long it will take."

"Maybe you could use your magic on the sails?" Verona offered. "That could make the whole ship go much faster."

"It's definitely worth a shot." Anton patted Verona's leg. "If we can get our portal working properly we should be leaving late tomorrow or the following day at the latest."

Umikgruid chuckled nervously. "I hate to say this but Dwarves can't ride horses. Our stubby little legs can't get around their backside and we just fall off. If you had some War Rams then that would be a different story."

"War Rams? Like some big goat? That Dwarves ride into battle."

"Ah, so you do know of them." Umikgruid chuckled. "Boisterous things but they're good creatures, so long as they can eat. A lot of them graze around our mountains eating moss."

"That sounds incredibly dangerous."

"It is." Umikgruid laughed. "But the ones that survive don't fall down."

Natural selection, I suppose.

"We might just have to get some carts that the horses can pull. Would that be alright?"

"If you're worried about my pride, after everything we've been through..." Umikgruid chuckled as he shook his head.

"And the Dark Elves know how to ride?"

"Yes," Ceccitol said. "But not very well. We don't have many horses in the Shadow Isles. But we have ridden them, just so we know how."

Anton clapped his hands. "Now that we have that sorted out we need to find somewhere for you all to sleep. We aren't just going to have you wander about Atros trying to find somewhere to sleep. It’s not like we have an Inn…That’s something we should look into."

"Zac should have some more buildings done by now,” Bertram said. “There were a number that were almost ready before the Goblins caused us to close the gates. I don’t think it’ll be much but it’ll be something.”

“It’ll be fine.” Umikgruid waved them down. “So long as it keeps the rain off of us.”

I think it’s only rained here twice since I’ve been here…

“Well let’s go and find you all somewhere to sleep.” Anton stood up and walked to the door. Cetina raced in front and opened the door outside, she was taking her job as a bodyguard relatively seriously. “And we’ll also provide food and drink for your stay, however long that is. Now-”

Cetina made a small noise as she stepped outside. Anton pushed forward to the front and motioned for Cetina to keep moving. To one side of the Main Hall, the Dark Elves waited patiently, many talking quietly amongst themselves but others repairing their equipment and weapons. They appeared relieved to see Ceccitol and Tuccac. As they saw the two’s faces they knew that things had gone as well as they possibly could have and relaxed. However, Anton couldn't see any Dwarves. Not that he wasn't looking over to their height. They were all simply gone.

"Where are the Dwarves?" Anton asked the Dark Elves, stepping to the side to allow passage.

"Oh," Verona said softly. “Oh dear.”

"I'm not sure." A Dark Elf replied, shrugging his shoulders. "They were just the other side of us and then they wandered off somewhere. We called out to them but they said it was alright. I don’t know where."

"Okay..." Anton rubbed his forehead as Verona and Kal came to his side. When the two Dwarves emerged they looked just as confused. "Umikgruid? Gosthilda? It seems that your fellow Dwarves have just wandered off."

"Oh..." Umikgruid stroked his beard. "I think I might know where they've gone."

"Is it to raid some of our food stores?" Verona asked, she seemed genuinely curious as her voice lacked any sort of malice. "We'd give you guys some if you waited a bit longer."

"No. It's not that." Umikgruid rubbed his eyes. "I'm assuming that Atros has a forge of some kind? I know I've seen fresh steel on some of your soldiers."

"Yes, we do."

Umikgruid sighed. "Then that's where they'll be. It's...It's a little difficult to explain."

"You can explain on the way." Anton turned to Ceccitol. "Are you comfortable with your fellows being led to their accommodations?"

"That will be fine," Ceccitol said. "But I am curious to see what has changed with the Dwarves."

"I'll stay with them." Tuccac stepped forward. He gently held Ceccitol’s hands. "I’ll keep them safe."

"And me?" A seductive smirk crept over her lips. "You're just going to leave me alone with some possibly dangerous strangers?"

Tuccac kissed her, gently and delicately. There was none of the hunger that Anton so often experienced.

"I know that you can handle yourself."

Ceccitol chuckled and kissed him again. Tuccac gave her a tiny nod and re-joined the other Dark Elves.

I wonder how good a fighter they really are? While they certainly look agile they don’t look as physically strong, but those swords and daggers could probably find a thousand holes in our defences. I know the Dwarves certainly have the strength, but probably lack the speed.

Over the noise of everyday life, Anton heard someone running towards them, their armour clanking with every step. An Atros guard carefully pushed his way through the villagers to reach them.

"Jeff!" He yelled unnecessarily. "The Dwarves. They're causing problems at the smithy."

"Why did you even let them go?" Anton asked. He was a split second ahead of Jeff asking the same question.

"They were very insistent that they wanted to help. And they're quite strong too. Like a stubborn Ix that wants to get a drink, they’re not just going to stop for anything."

"In future we're going to have to follow some sort of protocol when we have guests like this," Anton said softly.

"Are they breaking anything?" Jeff asked.

"No. But they are trying to do...I don't know what." The guard shrugged exasperated. "Jonathan's not having much fun keeping them out."

"We'll head over there right now." Jeff turned to Bertram and Sybil. "Sorry mum, dad, but we've got to do this."

"It's fine." Sybil chuckled. "Our old bones can't keep up with you youngsters anyway."

"Let's go." Anton waved them onward.

As they ran Anton began to have a greater appreciation for the differences between the two races. Ceccitol, and by extension the Dark Elves, ran fast and without any significant effort. Compared to them she was jogging, even more so than Kal. The Dwarves, on the other hand, were struggling. Not only did their small legs limit their stride, their weight, Anton didn't think it was all fat, slowed them down. Regardless they were putting in the effort, their faces red and breath short, and kept pace.

The Smithy had devolved into chaos, though at first glance it hadn't seemingly turned bad yet. Through the large entrance, Dwarves could be seen moving about while the Smith's and their apprentices watched on nervously. Jonathan stepped into view and tried to shoo the Dwarves out but they were persistent.

Umikgruid, quickly catching his breath, continued walking to the Smithy. "I'm very sorry, everyone, but we Dwarves have a tradition. Back on the Dwarven Isles when we arrive at a...Hold, we offer to help them with their forge and any trinkets they may have. Now, most Dwarven forges are pretty much identical, except for size, so all it usually does is find things that aren't working right. But..."

"Humans aren't that uniform in construction." Anton looked at the buildings around them, every building was different in some way. "And it's really bad without precise tools and planning."

"Yes. And I forgot to tell them that..."

Jonathan stopped talking with the main group of Dwarves when he saw Anton approach. "Anton! Jeff! Help me understand what is happening?"

"It's complicated," Anton said. "They haven't broken anything, have they?"

"No! Quite the opposite, in fact. I had a few broken tools that they fixed. I was just surprised when they turned up."

"Apparently my guards lost them," Jeff grumbled, scratching his bald head. "Sorry about that."

"I..." Jonathan sighed. "I had heard there were Dwarves in Atros but I did not expect them to turn up so quickly."

"You lot!" Gosthilda yelled. All the Dwarves stopped and looked at her, their faces blank. "Get over here. Now."

The Dwarves, men and women alike, shrugged lightly and trundled to the entrance. What Anton first thought was trundling was actually their walking speed.

"What do you all think you were doing?" Anton asked flatly.

A male Dwarf, wearing better than normal clothing, tilted his head slightly. "We were just helping. Their forge is alright but it could do with a lot of work. Everything's built in the wrong location and they spend a lot of their time walking rather than forging. And they also had some broken tools lying about, so we fixed them." The Dwarf seemed perplexed he was being stared at. "You know, the usual Exchange."

"I know you want to help." Umikgruid raised a hand and spoke calmly. "But this isn't Dwarf land. And most of you have never left the Isles until now. But they do things differently here. While I'm sure that they would appreciate the help..."

Umikgruid seemed lost for words.

"You can't just barge into somewhere and fiddle with things." Anton continued. "You're lucky that they knew you were in Atros otherwise things could have gone much worse."

"Oh..." The male Dwarf looked as awkward as his colleagues. "I understand that...That we went too far. We're sorry. We just wanted to make a good impression."

"So long as no one was hurt and you don't do it again, I think we can let this go and chalk it up to a...cultural misunderstanding. Understood?" The Dwarves nodded very seriously to his words.

It's probably what they've done for the past few hundred years, a sort of bonding ritual. And it would be fine in their realm where everyone is a Dwarf and apparently conforms to some standardised construction. But obviously, it can't continue here. But they seemed to think it was perfectly natural. Why did Umikgruid and Gosthilda know it was wrong?

"Umikgruid?" Anton began. "Why did you two know what they were up to?"

"Ah. Gosthilda and I were once sent to work in the Frindal Emirate. We were there for several cycles, and I tried to rearrange a forge that didn't belong to my employer since I could see so much wrong with it. Having my head placed on a wooden block and an axe about to swing down on my neck made me think that I might have been too hasty."

"And I watched it all happen." Gosthilda sighed. "You're so lucky that you managed to get away by paying them everything you had. You’re lucky they didn't throw you from a building. I've seen them do that to humans before. Imagine what that would have been like for a Dwarf."

"A very long way down," Anton mumbled. He clapped his hands. "But please, in future, adhere to our rules and customs."

The dwarves nodded in earnest.

"Jonathan? If the Dwarves want to help can they stay?"

Jonathan sighed as Loretta came to his side. Anton hadn't realized she was there. He wanted to say something about shadows and the colour of her skin but refrained. Behind her, coming from the small back room Seamus and Lili emerged, carrying a docile Luna in their hands. As ever she didn't care who was patting her, just that she was getting lots of attention.

"They can." Jonathan folded his arms. "But if they do what they did again they are not allowed back in. I nearly had a panic attack when fifty of them just walked in here."

"And I need to have a talk with my guards," Jeff grumbled. "Let them know they need to stop people from just wandering off. Even if they are the first guests we've had since... Well, since Kal turned up."

"Yeah." Kal chuckled.

"As for you lot." Umikgruid huffed. "I'm sure I told you lot to keep your hands to yourself."

"We just wanted to make a good impression." Another Dwarf said. "We were beginning to think this whole thing was a waste of time and money. And when we saw this place we all agreed this would be it."

"Well there's a few things we need to talk about but, yes, this is the place. These people will help us free our clan so we can live free." Umikgruid leant close. "And you almost ruined it."

Either they mean they found what they were looking for or they were going to turn around and leave you on your vision quest. There would have to be a point where they would say this it is stupid to continue.

"On a different subject." Anton didn't want Umikgruid to continue down his current train of thought. "How many of you will be coming with us? Every hand will be appreciated."

"All of the Dark Elves will accompany you," Ceccitol spoke firmly. "We all long for home, and none of us would feel comfortable living a peaceful existence while our brothers and sisters fight and die for our people’s very survival."

"How good are you with that bow?" Anton asked. Kal pulled close and gently held the sleeve of his shirt.

"Very good." Ceccitol smiled awkwardly. "But that's not really for me to say. But, if you will allow me to say it, very good.”

"And it looks like you know how to use those blades too." Anton nodded at her hips, receiving a nod in return. "Umikgruid, how about you?"

"Some of us will come with you." He turned to the patiently waiting Dwarves. "There will be actual fighting this time, against an army of Goblins instead of some stupid bandits thinking we are human children."

I thought those weapons looked used.

"So who's with us? Those that stay behind will be helping them improve their city. Their walls, buildings....Smithy’s."

A little over half raised their hands, including those that had spoken earlier. Only a few women wanted to come, not that he blamed them. He had no idea if Goblins could exist on their island mountains but surely stories were told of them to frighten children.

Umikgruid chuckled. "With this many Dwarves, we'll be able to take out a hundred goblins without breaking a sweat." He turned to Ceccitol. "But that's not going to be enough. Is it?"

"Not at all." Ceccitol could only smile bitterly.

"And that's where we come in," Anton said. "Hopefully we'll be enough to tip the scales. But for now, there's little we can do. Ceccitol, do you wish to go to where your Dark Elven comrades are? There's not a lot to be done until tomorrow."

"If I could, yes. I'm surprised that we're moving out so quickly. Less than a day?"

"We need to move fast. Jeff, can you do that and then show the Dwarves where they'll be staying? We need to finalize something on our end."

"Not a problem. Um, Ceccitol, I know where they're going so if you would please follow me."

"Of course." Ceccitol bowed deeply. "Thank you for agreeing to help my people. I will give my thanks to Stratos tonight. No matter what happens we will always remember that you fought by our side."

She gave another bow and followed Jeff.

"Such a shame," Verona mumbled. Kal glared at her but Verona chuckled and moved Anton between them to avoid a lazy claw swipe. Anton ignored what she was doing, on all levels.

"It'd probably be best if we waited," Umikgruid said. "We'll stay here and see how we can help. So long as we don't go too far."

Anton caught Jonathan breathing a sigh of relief. Loretta wrapped a hand around his upper arm, her fingers barely even bent around his muscles. She said something to her children, still holding onto Luna, while Jonathan's children were still working on something in a forge at the back.

“If you need anything that Jonathan can’t handle just ask one of the guards,” Anton said. “There shouldn’t be a problem but just in case…”

“Thanks.” Umikgruid chuckled. “But I’m sure that we’ll be fine. It’ll be good to do some proper forge work again, even if it’s nothing like the ones back home.”

Jonathan gave the Dwarves an odd look as Anton left them to it, but not before taking Luna off Seamus and Lili’s hands. They would have to work now rather than pet the small deer, much to their annoyance.

---[]---

Anton found the Training Fields just as busy as ever. Now there were more than a few dozen Beastkin and Seocurians joining the Atros villagers. Some still looked nervous, especially the Beastkin still fearful to be around so many humans, but the villagers and instructors paid that no mind. That was the correct decision as they were behaving more and more like they truly belonged.

"Good. Our spot's still free." Anton said. "I wonder if that has anything to do with that Goblin."

"I hope not." Verona stuck out her tongue. "If I see it do that thing again I know I'm going to freak out."

"Do we need more stones?" Kal asked.

"Yeah. Before we go we'll hand those over to Jonathan and Zac. Get that system set up and see if it works. If it does it'll speed up our coal and iron ore collection immensely." Anton chuckled lightly. "And if they get into any trouble they can just jump through the portal to safety. Landing's going to be a bit rough but..."

Anton summoned the attention of a nearby guard and explained what he wanted. The guard was slightly bemused by the request but followed it regardless. They took up position near the charred remains of the Goblin; Verona, Cetina and Luna in the shade of the wall while Kal waited next to Anton.

"I thought I would see your old friends there," Anton said softly. "But after this morning I don't think they're going to have much in the way of energy."

Kal chuckled. "I know I wouldn't. It's not just the running and the walking, but we've been fighting for some time now. Not so much up close." Kal lightly thumped his arm. "Thanks to you two. But they've never taken a life before. Probably not even an animal, except for Eider. Maybe Irso now that I think about it.” Kal grunted and waved her hand. “You know what I mean.”

"Oh, I'm sure they've imagined it." Anton looked far to the North East, to where the mountain range spanned the horizon. "Every day I'm sure, somewhere deep down, they've wanted to do it. Though a Goblin is nothing like killing one of their Masters...You know, it might have made their first kills more difficult. At least if it was the masters there would have been rage to drive their strikes. With the Goblins, it's very forced."

Kal didn't respond for some time. "What are we going to do when we're raiding the plantations? And we find some Seocurian guards?"

"It's unfortunate but anyone armed that stands in our way needs to be cut down. There's no way we could just work our way around them."

"And a slave master? They probably won't have weapons..."

"Them too. If they get in our way. But we might need to get rid of them anyway, they're a big part of the problem. And if they survive the Beastkin are going to suffer huge reprisals."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"They're going to anyway," Kal said softly. "At first the Seocurians are going to assume it's the Beastkin. And a lot are going to die before they realize it's got nothing to do with them."

Anton held Kal gently. "I...I think this is a situation where there's no good answer. No matter what we do they're going to suffer. The best that we can do is free as many as we can while trying our best to turn the Seocurians attention elsewhere. Maybe make them think it's business rivalry rather than liberation."

"It's worth a try." She giggled softly. "If we do that it'll be exactly like what I've come to expect of you."

"What?"

"Sneaky. Sneaky and manipulative."

Anton laughed as he saw the villager return with a large bag. Sixteen stones lay inside. After saying thanks Anton focused his attention on creating the portal.

"Verona? Cetina? Can you make sure that Luna stays with you? I don't want her anywhere near this."

"She's fine," Verona shouted back. "I don't think she's really going to do much with us scratching her."

Both were gently playing with Luna while she soaked up the attention. Anton hoped they weren't warping the natural development of Luna.

"Right then." Anton took out the sixteen stones and placed them in two stacks. "Let's hope we can get it right this time."

Kal smiled as she sat down. "We will. We will."

Anton sat next to her and stared at the rocks. He pointed at Kal's blade before carving an identical mark into two stones, different to their first portal.

"Now...It's now just a matter of saying the right thing to Tethra." Anton clapped his hands before laying them on one set of stones. "Okay. Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, bless these stones to create a portal when arranged in a circle. Make it so when something touches the portal they are instantly moved to the corresponding portal ring, without falling through the portal. If one of the stones is removed and the portal disrupted the item isn't cut in half. May the stones use Earth mana to fuel the portal."

I hope that's enough. Tethra, if you can hear this, please understand what I'm trying to make this time.

Once Anton had regained his breath after the sudden depletion of mana they arranged the stones in a circle. Once again the stones glowed white, a ring of ethereal energy grew through each stone and inwards until it covered everything inside the stone circle. Only when the surface began to ripple did either speak.

"I hope this works," Anton said softly.

"It will." Kal gently rubbed his shoulder. "It's just strange that it looks almost identical to the other one."

"Let's hope it’s not. I don't want to have my legs cut off if it collapses. Or spend any time tumbling through the white disk."

Kal laughed. "That's a great thought. I'll do the next one."

Kal chanted the exact same prayer over the second pile of stones. It took her almost a minute to completely regain her breath. When the stones were arranged, and the shimmering white light had finished growing, Anton held the bag in his hands.

"Better to use this instead of one of us," Anton said.

After a quick breath, he gently tossed the bag into a portal. It sailed slowly through the air and landed on the white disks. The disk flared brightly for an instant. The bag had instantaneously moved to the other portal. Anton lowered his head to look along the disk, the bag had not fallen through as the leaves had.

"A success." Anton smiled. "At least, so far. Now it's just a matter of experimentation."

Anton drew Kal's blade to recover the bag. He held the knife by the extreme end and always making sure his hand did not cross over the stones. The blade gently picked up a loose strap. As he raised the bag with the knife the bag did not try and teleport back. He took the bag back from the portal and passed back the blade.

"Seems fine to me." Anton scrunched the bag in his hands. "Doesn't feel like it's been changed in any way. I...I think we've got it."

"But?"

"But we need to do a few more tests."

Anton tossed the bag back into the second portal. Like before it flashed brightly before reappearing in the first portal. Anton moved a stone from the first portal out of position. The shimmering portal collapsed with the expected gush of wind. The bag flopped onto the grass completely unscathed. Anton reached in and held the bag, again it was completely unchanged.

“Right. Now,” Anton placed the stone back and the white portal disk returned. “Now we just need to send someone through.”

“Not you.” Kal held his arm. “Not you. I don’t want you to go through and end up on the other side of the world. There will be a lot of people that will be crushed if you disappeared like that. Especially us.”

Anton kissed her lightly. “I wasn’t going to. But I do need a volunteer to go through to make sure it’s safe before we go any further. If it’s not we’re going to have to wait a bit longer before we can help the Dark Elves and Dwarves.”

“I’ll do it.” A voice came from behind.

Cetina stood a few meters away, Verona right behind her with Luna in her hands.

“I’ll do it,” Cetina repeated. “I’ll make sure it’s safe.”

“I-”

“It’s fine.” Cetina smiled. “I know that something that you make isn’t going to be dangerous.”

“That’s a very generous assumption,” Anton said. “But…I’d rather actually send a Goblin through. See what happens there.”

“It’ll be fine.” Cetina approached the shimmering portal. “I was watching and I saw the bag go through without any problem.”

“She’ll be fine.” Verona took his right side. “Otherwise we’d have to send Luna through. And I don’t think anyone training’s just going to do it. And how would you explain that to their families? That they ended up on the other side of the world? Or underneath the ocean?”

Anton didn’t want to try and think about the reasoning too much. Especially since Cetina had no real family left to speak of.

Cetina took a deep breath and stepped into the portal. Her foot made contact with the white portal but the flash of light did not occur. For a moment Anton thought it wasn’t going to work on creatures but when her whole body passed the ring the white disk flashed bright and Cetina emerged on the other portal. Her momentum continued and she exited the second portal without any difficulty. She took another step before holding her head.

“Ugh. Feels like I’m drunk again.” Cetina rubbed her temples hard. “Everything’s spinning.”

“What was it like?” Anton asked. “I need you to be very specific in your descriptions.”

“It…It was like I was falling in all directions. Everything went white for an instant and then I was back here.” Cetina chuckled, giving her temples a light thud. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“Except when you’re drunk.” Verona smiled, folding her arms underneath her chest. “I know what that feels like. I haven’t been drunk in some time but there’s no way I’d forget that spinning feeling.”

“I want to give it a quick go,” Anton said.

He stepped forward and onto the white disk. His boots were a few centimetres off the ground and it felt like he was stepping onto a slightly bouncy floor. Nothing assaulted his senses until he had completely passed the ring. The moment he did the world spun violently. His eyes told him nothing while his ears had no idea where he was. When the white light receded he was right behind Cetina and continuing to move forward. Cetina stepped back and allowed him some space.

“That…” Anton’s mind groaned in pain as it was assaulted by a delirious spinning sensation. “That really is terrible. But…I’m here and fine. So, I think we can call this a success.”

Kal stepped through the portal after him. She stepped onto it completely but the white flash didn’t occur. When she looked back her tail was just outside of the ring. The moment it was brought inside she jumped to the second portal.

“By the Old Gods!” Kal groaned as she stumbled out. She emerged looking even worse than he and Cetina felt. Her eyes spun in her head, her tail tucked between her legs and her ears pulled down hard. “That’s awful. Why didn’t you tell me it was going to be that bad?”

“Must be worse for a Beast-kin.” Anton pulled her into a gentle embrace. While it would have little effect on calming her disrupted senses it calmed her somewhat. “You just have much better senses than the rest of us.”

“Sometimes that’s a bad thing.” Kal groaned into the crook of his neck.

“Well, I guess it’s down to just us two then,” Verona said.

Before Anton could stop her, worried about what could happen if two creatures stepped through at once while in direct contact with one another, Verona jumped onto the portal. Even though she and Luna had cleared the stone ring the portal did not activate. Only when she touched the white disk did it flash. They emerged fine though Verona stumbled, as the portal kept her momentum but her mind was undoubtedly just as disoriented as theirs. Luna looked awful, like a drunk deer suffering concussion. She squeaked and glowed slightly, the effects on her and Verona were gone.

“So that’s what you do.” Verona slipped a step but quickly found her feet. “I’ve never had it happen to me yet.”

“You feel a lot calmer, right?” Anton asked.

Verona laughed as she came to Anton’s other side. “Yeah. Though I still feel a little…”

“It’s mostly gone for me,” Cetina said. She brushed a hand through her short black hair, a hand idly playing with the small blue patch on her fringe. “Is this going to be alright for you?”

“It will.” Anton patted Kal’s back as she righted herself. “We shouldn’t have to fight the moment we step through. And even if we don’t have magic it’ll only take us a little bit before we’re fine.”

“And the Beast-kin?” Cetina asked. “I don’t know how their senses compare to Kal, but if they go through that and look like she did…”

“I know they’ll forgive us.” Anton nodded to the training Beast-kin. “Once they realize they are free from the Seocurian Empire they’ll forgive a little be of queasiness.”

“If you say so, Anton.” Cetina smiled warmly.

“Do we want to get anyone else?” Verona asked. “Maybe Jeff can use this to punish people that misbehave? Jump through these a few dozen times, and it doesn’t matter if they move one of the stones since they’ll just fall onto the ground.”

“That’s not what I had in mind at all.” Verona still laughed. “Let’s bundle these up and move onto the next step.”

“Which is?” Kal asked.

“We need to get ourselves our boat.”

---[]---

Anton gingerly walked through the corridor in the Main Hall. Two guards had been posted outside, a new feature, but they had allowed them through without a second glance. There probably weren't many places in Atros that he wasn't allowed in to.

"This brings back some memories," Anton said. "Don't really go past the front room now but...This was home for some time."

"Yeah." Verona chuckled. "Not that they were always good times. But only good things have come from it."

"That they have."

"So," Cetina, taking up the rear, began speaking. "Apart from those council meetings what is this place for?"

"Originally I think it's just the building that the village chief lives in." Anton received a nod from Verona. "But it's also storage for our most valuable possessions. Like all of our gold."

"I bet you know all about that." Verona leant close to Kal, a wicked smile on her face.

"I never even thought of looking in here." Kal sighed. "The Emerald gem was more than enough for me. If I had to flee Atros I could have lived quite comfortably for the rest of my life."

"But you wouldn't have just left your mother in Seocuria?" Anton asked.

"No." Kal smiled as she shook her head. "I'm glad I didn't have to make that journey alone."

"How much gold do you have?" Cetina asked. "You gave me all heaps without a second's thought."

"Should be a chest full." Anton stopped at the last door along the corridor. "And it should be in here."

The room had very little inside; several old crates, two of which were broken, and something covered by a thick blanket. Anton ripped the blanket free to reveal the chest. They were, in fact, two chests pushed together.

"Is that all full of gold?" Cetina's voice shook. "You're wealthier than most merchants in Bebbezzar if it is."

"I certainly hope it is." Anton unlocked the chest. "Otherwise we're in big trouble."

The iron-reinforced wooden lid groaned open. Thousands of gold coins glinted in the faint light coming through the wooden slat window.

"That's definitely a risk." Anton pointed at the window when the girls looked confused. "Someone could easily break in and leave us broke."

"Unbelievable." Cetina covered her mouth at the sight of the unimaginable wealth. "I'm shocked no one has tried to steal it sooner."

Anton smiled as he took several handfuls of gold coins. "Right now you could have a mountain of gold and it wouldn't matter a damn. You can't buy anything with it here and you'd need to travel to Graterious, which is impossible right now, or Qaiviel, and travel through that forest. Then you would have to try and explain why you have so much. It’s actually quite useless to most people."

"But when we do start having to buy stuff?" Verona asked.

"Then we're going to need an actual treasury." Anton sighed. "And then we're going to need things like tax collectors as well. They won't be popular."

"Why not?" Verona asked.

"Would you like to give up some of your food?" Kal asked.

"No. I'm sure it's more complicated than that but I understand."

"There are a lot of services that we'll need to make once Atros is larger." Anton put the gold coins into the small hidden pouches inside his armour. "I think this will be enough to get us to the Shadow Isles and pay Wilford." Anton turned to the girls. "And maybe a small shopping trip in Bebbezzar."

"Yes!" Verona laughed. "Tasty food. Tasty food."

"What about the second chest?" Kal asked.

Just as Anton thought the second chest contained the small gems recovered from the Goblins of Mount Aspire.

"What?" Cetina was lost for words as she held a hand over her heart. "That's...That's worth more than the chest filled with gold! How much more do you have?"

"This is it." Cetina took a deep breath at Anton's words. "But it's not just Rubies and Emeralds in here."

"What?"

Anton delicately moved the gems around until he found the two that he was looking for. He held aloft a blue and purple gem. Cetina paled at the sight, moving to a wall to steady herself.

"I'm dreaming." Cetina ran a hand through her hair. "I must be. There's no way you can have some of those too."

"Benozite and Tanzanite." Anton smiled. "This one is worth one hundred gold coins and this one worth four hundred."

Cetina shook her head in silence. Kal and Verona gently patted her in an attempt to restore some sanity to the Bebbezarian.

"I think we'll take these. You never know how much money might be needed."

"If someone wants that much money..." Verona trailed off.

"Again, right now it's worthless." Anton tossed them into the air. "Apart from looking pretty, they don't have any value. Until we trade them for something."

"All my life I've never had money of my own." Cetina laughed, resting her head against the wall. "Not even a single copper coin. And now more than I could possibly dream of is just being thrown about in front of me."

Anton chuckled. "Despite how fun it’s been we didn't come here just to ruin Cetina's mind." Cetina whimpered as the blue and purple gems were idly tossed back into the chest. "We need to find those pens."

"Bertram didn't say where they are." Verona began. "Only that they are in this building. Do you think they have it in their bedroom, do you? So that Bertram and Sybil can stay together while they're waiting for any message."

"I don't think so." Anton closed the chests and covered them with the thick cloth. "He said it was a separate room. And it's not just been him on the other side. Sometimes it's been Jeff and even Dana once."

"Oh right..." Verona held a finger to her lips. "Our old bedroom then?"

Anton shrugged. "Worth a look. It was really the only room without something in it."

Anton made sure the door was closed properly when they exited. He glanced along the corridor, Verona stood impatiently in front of their old room, but their words circled around his head.

Someone might be able to sneak past those guards, or through that window, and then they've taken all of our money. We could cast some magic over the chests so only a few can actually open it. So long as we tell Bertram and Sybil. Something to do before we go.

"More happy memories." Verona hummed happily as she opened the door.

Anton's memories filled the room with what little furniture they had: a table, two chairs and the bed they still slept on. What actually lay inside were four small tables with a large sheet of rough paper on each, a pen resting on each. Two chairs lay against the wall. Apparently, Bertram did have company each night.

"So...which is the one we want?" Verona asked.

"Can you read yet?" Kal asked, her voice devoid of malice.

"No." Verona's face flushed red with embarrassment. "Not yet. Besides, that's what I have you two for."

Cetina kept very quiet, Anton remembered that she didn't know how to read either.

It's so strange to me to meet people in their twenties that simply can't read. It would be almost unheard of on Earth, but here...Most people don't have the luxury to devote the time and resources needed. Especially for those in the countryside.

"Bertram's been kind enough to put a little name above each one," Anton said.

At the top of each table and above the pieces of paper were small wooden placards. Anton looked closely at the sheet of paper underneath Duchess Belinda's placard. There were many messages underneath from Atros but nothing in return. A troubling sign.

"Doesn't look good for Duchess Belinda," Anton said quietly. "Do you think she broke it by accident?"

"I doubt that." Kal inspected the pen. "She appeared very pleased to have this, so she could contact you whenever she needed to. But since you had helped her so much, with the Clansmen and Orcs, it doesn't make any sense that she would willingly break off contact."

"Raston said everything was fine. What he heard might have been true but Maxill is a long way from the capital. Who knows what might be happening in there. Not much we can do but wait. Especially with everything else we've got to do."

Anton turned his attention to Wilford's pen. Not a word had been transcribed, not surprising since Anton would call on him, not the other way around. Kal took a seat and placed it in front of the table and beckoned Anton to sit.

"Thanks, Kal." Anton's rear hit the flat, hard surface of the chair. "I don't know how Bertram or Sybil deal with this, especially given their age. Now let's see if Wilford is there or not."

Hello Wilford. This is Anton. Are you there?

"Now we wait." Anton leant back into the chair. "For all we know he could be on land or at port. It could be late tonight before we hear anything from him."

"Wanna try Lord Cassius then?" Verona asked.

"We might as well get both going at once."

As Anton began to rise from his chair the pen began to move. It floated into position and began to write.

Hello Anton. I presume that you made it to your destination in one piece?

"Did we check that he actually knows how to read and write?"

Verona and Kal shook their heads whole Cetina tilted hers.

"Probably should have checked. Otherwise, this next step would be a lot, lot longer than it needed to be."

We have. And with everyone in one piece. I need you and The Snowberry to come back to Dragon Tooth Bay and meet us there. You will be paid well for your time.

Isn't that place swarming with Goblins?

We will deal with them. How long before you can arrive there?

The pen fell silent for some time.

About twelve days. We will wait for another ten days and then we will have to turn back otherwise we will run out of supplies. That’s as long as we can wait.

That is fine. Anchor in the bay and wait for our signal that we have arrived. You will understand it when you see it. Payment will be delivered when we arrive.

Again the pen was still for some time.

Understood. We will be there.

The pen slowly dropped down. For a moment it was still before rolling away, Wilford must have thrown his and the enchantment thought he was writing.

“Is he pissed?” Verona asked.

“When we’re done he’s still got the ship,” Kal mumbled. “If he’s upset then he’s just being silly.”

“Maybe.” Anton chuckled. “Perhaps he thought that we’d actually die out there and he’d get a ship for free. Oh well, he’s getting well paid for his work. And we’re going to pay for the supplies anyway.”

“Oh dear.” Verona rested a hand on his shoulder. “If he gets shitty with you then you’ll just have to remind him who owns the ship. And who’s the one that could burn it down with just a thought.”

“We’ll just have to deal with him as we come to it.” Anton rose from the chair and moved to Lord Cassius’s paper. “I wonder if Cassius has someone waiting on the paper. If he doesn’t we could be waiting for some time.”

“You’re part of the very small group that managed to defeat the Demons that invaded Fort Acidava.” Verona smiled. “And you said that you open to joining him later on, if things changed. At the very least you said that you wouldn’t join the other side which would be enough for me to keep an eye on you. If he treats you like crap who’s to say you won’t join the other side secretly.”

“And then he’s going to have a very difficult time dealing with you.” Kal turned to the east. “But we don’t have to worry about him attacking Atros, even if you did change sides. That crystal chasm is basically impassable.”

Anton readied the pen in his hands. “Not to mention the Goblins and poison gas that covers that area. I wonder how it came to be anyway.”

“Perhaps those cultists?” Kal offered. Her ears pulled back in light distress at remembering the Ancient Listeners. “If they had a child willingly eat the flesh of a Goblin…Who knows what they’re capable of?”

“What?” Cetina stood completely still. “What did you just say?”

“It’s not something we like to think about.” Anton smiled faintly at her. “But it was just before meeting you. Suffice to say that we were more than happy to find refuge in Surdon.”

“Then it was attacked by Mole Rats,” Verona added glibly.

Kal folded her arms, frowning lightly. “I still don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

“No…I don’t either.”

Anton turned his attention to the paper. It, just like Wilford’s, was completely blank. While Cassius did not know where they were going he knew they needed a ship for at least part of it. For all he knew they could be heading to the Dwarven Isles or beyond.

Hello Lord Cassius. This is Anton. Are you receiving this?

The pen moved almost immediately.

Hello Anton. I am currently dictating this message to my maid. I trust that you received my ship in good order? Was it to your liking?

It was. The Snowberry has served us well. I am writing this asking for a favour.

And what favour would that be?

I would like access to The Royal Academy in the capital of the Graterious Empire.

In Herculia? The Royal Academy larger than the one in Porswea. I could write a writ telling that you are a colleague of mine and that you wish to purchase magical artefacts and tomes. Though I think you know that while my word has some considerable reach it is somewhat muted in the capital.

I understand. If you could do that for us I would be very grateful.

Yes. But what would I get in return? I have already given you a ship for agreeing not to become involved with my enemies. Some might not call that a fair trade but you came to me first. Now you come to me.

Anton ran his hand through his hair.

I was expecting this. Someone in Cassius's position can’t just give away favours willy-nilly. He was extremely generous with donating The Snowberry, and there’s no way that he’d do it again for us. Not without something in return. I wonder…

How is the suppression of Tullas Mad Eye’s gang going?

Terrible. We thought we had found a major hideout. It was, but we have little information to go on. Whomever Tullas is, he’s organising things very well. Each bandit group is isolated from one another. So even if we capture everyone they don’t know much. There was a leader but we have extracted little information from him. I’m beginning to doubt if he knows anything more than code words.

“Extraction just sounds like another word for torture,” Anton mumbled aloud.

Perhaps we could assist in dealing with Tullas’s gang.

Though you are strong enough to deal with those giant creatures that came through the portal at Fort Acidava I don’t think that you’ll be able to be of much help in locating this perfidious bandit.

Is there anything that we could help with that would allow us access to The Royal Academy?

Is it possible that you could create more of these communication pens? I have asked some of the most learned people in Porswea and they have no idea how it functions or how to replicate it. They were very eager to get a better look at it but I declined.

It is possible. But sending them to you would be very difficult right now.

Is it possible you could stop by a Graterious port city?

Yes. We could return to Rusaddir in the next twenty to thirty days.

Excellent. I will send Victor to meet you there since he is one of the few people that I trust right now. He will deliver the writ allowing you access to The Royal Academy in return for five sets of Communication Pens. Does that sound acceptable?

He means to use them for more than just talking to distant lords. With the upcoming civil war...Ah. If his generals had these pens they could easily coordinate attacks with devastating results, and no chance of orders being lost or intercepted. They could run rings around the Emperor's forces and put his ally, Lord Umbris, to shame. No wonder he wants it. But...What do I have to lose here? I gain more favour with Cassius and the lord that supports the Emperor, Vulusius, is an economic ally of Seocuria. Seems like a win-win for us. But I shan't be handing over the secrets on how to make them. Not that it would make any sense.

It is acceptable. I cannot exactly say when we will be in Rusaddir but it will be soon. Tell Victor to keep an eye on all the ships entering the port, as we will not be able to stay for long.

Understood. I will write the writ now. Good luck with your adventures.

Before you go have you had any word about the Strega Witches?

No. Not since you found those two. The mages of the Porswean academy were very concerned they had entered the city without them knowing. I have not taken off the bracelet you enchanted and all my headaches are gone. They have yet to return.

If there is any word of them could you please tell us right away? They are no friends of ours.

I will. May you have safe travels.

And to you.

Anton laid down the pen. A knotted breath left his chest. “Well, that was a bit easier than I expected.”

“Did you get it?” Verona asked.

“Yep.” Anton gently rubbed his legs. “All I have to do is give him five sets of the communication pens.”

“I honestly thought he would ask you to join his side in their civil war,” Kal said.

“I got the feeling he was a few moments away from asking that when he could get something just as valuable.”

“Those pens are stronger than you?” Verona raised a brow, Cetina frowned and nodded.

“Yes and no.” Anton stood up and moved the chair back to the wall. “Individually no. But if used correctly, which I’m sure Cassius will do, it could revolutionise the way wars are fought. Orders could be relayed instantly, regardless of distance. Entire armies could be surrounded and defeated in coordinated encirclements this world has never seen. It could easily tip the scale of the civil war in their favour.”

“But…”

“It’s either that or a bunch of strange and probably renegade mages.” Anton chuckled. “And I think Cassius has enough mages of his own. I still don’t know how we’ll do against Principle Mages. If we hit them with everything we’ve got right away we’ll be fine but if the battle extends longer than that…”

“Hence, why you want those books from The Royal Academy,” Kal said.

“Exactly right. It’s bigger than the one in Porswea and it probably still has some books about the Old Gods and how to use their powers properly, if we don’t get it from Ferula in Koumore. And I don’t think Cetina really wants to go back to that place yet.”

Cetina shook her head.

“Exactly.” Anton clapped his hands. “So let’s get ready.”