Princess Ulmenglanz looked down at the shepherd's body. His chest was rising and falling weakly. She pushed up his top and looked at the wound. Blood still trickled out slightly. She could see no way of applying a bandage to his stomach that would be tight enough to stop the bleeding. She had heard from human traders that their healers sometimes sewed up such wounds with needles and twine. But she had neither the appropriate equipment nor any idea how exactly that worked.

The duskgnomes had used up the last of their healing potions weeks ago. And none of them were healers. The rangers had all fallen.

Her innate affinity for the magic of life made her feel his life force dwindling.

She raised her head. In front of her stood the little fairy who had followed the last refugees upstairs. Her wings folded quietly behind her back, she looked down at the boy with concern. When the dryad looked at her questioningly, the fairy just shook her head sadly. She and her master could do nothing to help here.

The duskgnomes crowded around. Men, women and children. All with small gray-skinned faces and resigned expressions. They had been on the run for a long time. They had seen enough fatal injuries to recognize them when they saw one. Ready to do the only thing they could. To be there when Weylan died. The human who had thrown himself into a slaughter until the last moment to allow them to escape.

Ulmenglanz held his hand and remained silent.

Slowly, she raised her hands to the back of her neck and undid the knot of the leather band on which her sacred symbol of Fliedabarr hung. Without looking again at the last reminder of her time as a priestess, she tossed the pendant aside. She closed her eyes and called up the character menu. As had been the case since the fall of Fliedabarr'slast temple, a notice flashed there:

Character class "Priestess of Fliedabarr" no longer valid.

She concentrated on the text and nodded. It disappeared and was replaced by a new menu.

Selection of a new class possible.

Based on the level previously reached, the level will be increased to level 5

Classes to choose from:

Base classes (always available):

Thug, skirmisher, thief, craftsman (simple trades), farmer

Classes available by race (Dryad):

Priestess (requires ordination by an archpriest), Ranger, Druid (requires training by a druid), Healer

She hesitated for another moment. Then she energetically chose Healer and confirmed the choice.

Chosen character class: Healer Level 1

Replacement class for "Fallen Priestess"

Level up to healer level 5

Starting values of skills increased

Skill learned: Healing Poison (Journeyman I)

Skill learned: Healing Wounds (Journeyman I)

Skill learned: Healing diseases (Journeyman I)

Skill learned: Staff Fighting (Layman V)

Special skill acquired: Defensive fighting style

Magic skills acquired

Access to mana pool: max. capacity: 55 MP

Spell learned: Heal Minor Wounds (Level 1)

Spell learned: Cure minor poisons (Level 1)

Spell learned: Pain block (level 1)

Spell learned: Heal Wounds (Level 2)

Spell learned: Healing Sleep (Level 2)

The dryad pushed the messages aside with a weary gesture and placed her hand on Weylan's chest. "Heal wounds!"

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Golden light shone from under her hand. The duskgnomes collectively took a step back in surprise. The fairy only raised her head. A glimmer of hope entered her small eyes: "You know healing magic? Do you have enough mana to stop the internal bleeding?"

Princess Ulmenglanz ignored them and the hesitant questions of the others. She concentrated only on directing the spell at the most critical wounds. Uncontrolled, it would heal everything at once. Scratches and bruises would disappear, but the healing might not be enough to stop the bleeding. When she sensed that the spell was coming to an end, she cast it again. And again. And then a fourth time.

The wound stopped bleeding on the third healing spell and closed on the fourth. Weylan's eyes opened and he made an effort to sit up. She pushed him back gently but forcefully and leaned forward so that he could see her clearly: "It's all right. You will survive. Get some rest."

He lay back down hesitantly. She tapped him on the forehead with her finger: "Healing sleep!" He breathed out heavily, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The tense silence lasted a moment. Ulmenglanz sighed: "Yes, he really will survive. I didn't just want to comfort him."

The duskgnomes cheered and fell into each other's arms. The dryad was glad that her patient was in a magical sleep. Then she took her blanket out of her backpack, spread it on the ground and lay down. After a few more minutes, the exhausted duskgnomes did the same. Silence fell over the room. As a dryad, she didn't need to sleep, but none of the others knew that. She had chosen a spot where she could keep an eye on both entrances to the room. Now she closed her eyelids almost completely and breathed slowly and deeply. Apparently asleep, she was highly alert.

* * *

Ten hours later, the first of the duskgnomes woke up, followed a little later by Weylan. He jerked up with a loud cry and looked around in panic. Seeing only the terrified duskgnomes, he quickly calmed down again. His hand went to his stomach as he remembered his injury. He pushed up his shirt and stared for a while in disbelief at the spot where he had been wounded. He carefully ran his hand over it. There wasn't even a scratch or scar left of the injury. The skin in that area was only slightly pinker than the rest of his body.

Ulmenglanz informed him about the few events he had missed.

Now that everyone had recovered, she couldn't put off the conversation she was dreading any longer. She stood up to her full height and marched over to the little fairy who was playing catch with the smallest of the children. Selvara immediately noticed from the look on her face that something was wrong. She asked the children to wait and fluttered over to the dryad.

Ulmenglanz stared at her for a few heartbeats. Then she began to speak in an emotionless voice: "Is the horde of monsters coming for us now, or will you wait until we've triggered a few traps and are weakened?"

The fairy froze and sank to the ground. Then she fluttered back up to his head height: "What are you talking about?"

"This is a dungeon. I only realized it a few hours ago. You were good at hiding it. But you missed something."

"I still don't understand..."

The dryad stroked a wall firmly with her finger and then showed it to the fairy: "The glowing substance on the walls is dungeon moss. It only grows in dungeons. Nowhere else. Without the magical field of a dungeon, it can only survive for a few hours. This may not be common knowledge, but I'm a dryad. I know everything about plants."

"Well..." The fairy hesitated.

"That's all right. Dungeons also have their place in the food chain and in the cycle of nature. I'm not angry with you. You saved us from our pursuers and lured us into your dungeon so that you could eat us yourselves. I only have one request: at least spare the children and their mothers. We won't fight back either."

Secretly, she had already decided to settle for saving the children. But from her negotiations with the merchants in the border forest, she knew that she still had to allow herself some room for negotiation.

The dungeon fairy raised her hands reassuringly: "Wait! You've got it all wrong!"

The dryad was disappointed: "Come on. There's no point in lying anymore."

"No! All right... This is a dungeon. That's right." The fairy suddenly looked up and seemed to be listening to something. Then she shook her head, "It's no use. We can't keep fooling them..." She listened for another moment. "All right, then. If you really want to." She turned back to Ulmenglanz, "The dungeon wants to talk to you himself."

The dryad ducked into a defensive position, as a voice sounded in her head.

Ulmenglanz remained silent and tried to fathom the truth in voice. But she couldn't get a feel for the dungeon heart.

Malvorik continued:

"You're saying there's a dungeon under one of the most important cities in the United Kingdoms?"

The dryad looked demonstratively at the numerous children: "Do you really think everyone will keep this to themselves forever?"

The fairy sighed and slowly sank to the ground, where she remained with her shoulders slumped and a tired expression on her face: "Not really. But I don't see any other alternative."

Skorr Callad stepped forward, "How much space do you have left in your dungeon?"

The duskgnome shook his head: "I was thinking of more than a few days."

"More than a week. We are duskgnomes. Our cities have always been under a stone sky. If you let us stay with you, we will have no opportunity to betray you. Those who do go out, will be able to control themselves. My word carved in stone and ore upon it!"

The fairy looked at him in amazement from below. Then thoughtfully. Then she laughed.

Malvorik joined her:

"You're an alchemist?"

"Duskgnomes are the best alchemists! We don't have one with the right class, but if you could teach one of us, I'm sure he wouldn't let you down. Our bonuses for lab work are outstanding."

The dryad coughed cautiously. When the fairy turned to her, she began to speak: "Well, I would like to stay. But I can only live where my tree thrives. Underground..."

"It'll love it." The fairy raised her hands reassuringly.

"How is that? Right now, it’s only surviving because of the magic my mother infused into the earth when she potted him."

The dryad shuddered. Humans had terrible ideas about what could be used as fertilizer. And the way they cut trees and bushes into unnatural shapes... The thought alone made her shiver like aspen leaves in the wind. "I'll be happy to try. If my tree can endure, I'll stay. I have nowhere else. My home is a war zone, my mother has fallen and my god... no longer exists."

The fairy flew upwards fluttered wildly between the duskgnomes, waving her arms. Exhausted from the constant flying of the last hours while checking up on everyone, she lost control and started to falter. A surprised duskgnome woman caught her carefully. "Ah. Thank you. Welcome! I'm sure we'll all become very good friends."