Stronric looked at Rugiel and Bauru and nodded. The siblings returned the gesture and the three dwarves started down the long tunnel. Bauru moved forward ahead of the rest to check the path. Lirian went to join Bauru but Armand held up his arm blocking the rogues path.

"Zere is ze need to stay with your group and discuss 'ow you plan to work as a team, non?

Lirian looked like he wanted to protest, but then retreated back to where Gile's group was. Rugiel and Stronric watched Lirian fall back and they waited for Armand to catch up with them as well.

"Ye alright there Armand, ye seem on edge?" Stronric asked.

Armand shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Bah! Giles, a leader of 'is people? Pah! Ze boy is as selfish as 'e is stubborn! I 'oped zis journey would set 'im straight, but non— it 'as only buried 'im deeper in 'is rotten ways! And now, depending on 'ow 'is père takes ze news I 'ave to deliver, zere will be 'ell to pay, I tell you!"

Rugiel reached out a hand to comfort Armand, but Armand pulled away, shaking his head.

"Merci, Rugiel, but I am torn," he said, his voice heavy with frustration. "I am a knight, my values, my morals, zey do not waver. Ze code of my Order must be upheld. And yet, pah! I find myself babysitting what goes against everything we stand for! My Order, once proud! Now little more zan mercenaries. We take on more and more, 'ze son of zis,' 'ze son of zat', spoiled whelps to train and coddle. What 'appened to ze days when we 'ad something to prove? When we rode into town, ze peasants would line ze streets! Zey would toss roses at our feet, give zanks for our service! And now? Now zey cower in zeir 'omes, afraid zat our precious charges will torment zem, like a child poking at a beast wiz a stick!"

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Bah! Pardonne-moi, Stronric. I ramble too much. Zis is not your burden, it is mine to bear. I just…" His fist clenched. "I just 'ope we find somezing to fight soon. I need to work off zis rage before it consumes me."

"Aye! Ye know, back in me hold, we worked the youth till they bled. Every beardling served in the Deep Watch, it did 'em good, aye. How long they stayed depended on their clan or what they aimed to be, but every last one of 'em put in at least ten years. If we weren't trainin', we were minin'. If we weren't minin', we were repairin' the broken roads o' the deeps. Every day was filled wi' work, strategy, and bondin' yerself to yer kin."

Stronric continued. "Disputes? Handled by yer peers, be it a footrace, a good wrestlin' match, or strikin' the iron if ye were a smithin' type. The watch commanders were hard bastards, but that was good for us. Nothin' brings a unit together like slayin' their first troll or gettin' a long stretch o' track laid down. Aye, that was how ye built warriors, how ye forged a clan strong. Not like these soft whelps I see nowadays, expectin' respect without earnin' it."

Armand turned towards Stronric slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand, "Exactement! No respect! Zey expect 'onor and deference without ever 'aving earned it! Bah! In my day, respect was won through blood, sweat, and steel, not 'anded out like some cheap trinket!"

Rugiel arched a delicate brow, folding her arms as she regarded the two with an amused smirk.

"Oh yes, do go on, dearest relics of a bygone age. Tell me more of this golden era where men and dwarves alike were hewn from the very bedrock of discipline and hardship, where the young bled happily into the soil, and respect rained down upon you like roses from an adoring crowd. Truly, it sounds as though the world has only spiraled into ruin since your prime."

She exhaled dramatically, shaking her head. "I suppose it shan't be long before you both are sitting by the hearth, groaning about how 'the youth these days' have gone soft, sipping from tankards as ye lament that no one swings a proper hammer or wields a sword with true grit anymore. A tragedy, really."

She let out a soft chuckle, tilting her head. "At least you've found solace in each other's shared misery. How heartwarming."

Stronric and Armand glared at Rugiel and then broke out laughing, clapping each other on the back.

"Cheeky yer are Rugiel, I think that's one of the first jokes ye've ever made." Stronric put on his best noble accent, "Pretty do tell how did it feel?"

Rugiel glared at Stronric before a smile break across her face and the three broke into laughter again.

"I see discipline has all but left ye three, yer louder than a group of orcs." Bauru said as he suddenly appeared in front of the three of them holding his crossbow.

The three looked at each other and broke out in laughter again. Bauru shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Report master of the hunt, what did ye find?" Stronric said as he tried to collect his stony composer.

Bauru let out a quiet, long-suffering sigh, clicking his tongue. "Fools," he muttered before kneeling down, fingers tracing patterns into the dirt.

As Bauru worked, Giles and his group caught up, their conversation dying down as they all turned their attention to the hunter. His fingers moved with practiced precision, drawing out the shapes of the tunnels ahead, the dangers waiting just beyond the veil of darkness. Once done Bauru sat back on his hunches and waited for everyone to gather around.

The chamber naturally forms a massive hill on the far side. I could make out three distinct levels where the gnolls are dug in. A path winds up from the base connecting the three levels. I couldna' make out what was at the top, but they have ramparts and scaffolding like walls to secure their advantage. It'll be a hard hike with archers, some kinda shamans, and crude machines all along the path and congested at each tier. Couldn't tell what those machines were without exposin' meself."

"This tunnel turns into a road windin' up the different levels. I spotted a few spots where someone like Lirian or meself could climb up the trees, maybe flank 'em or take out those machines. But I'll be honest, it's a death trap. They've set their lines, and if we're goin' through, we're breakin' it the hard way."

Stronric looked over the drawing and looked at Giles, "What do ye think we should do?"

Giles furrowed his brows, his sharp eyes scanning the rough map Bauru had drawn in the dirt. He stayed silent for a moment, considering every angle, every risk. Just as Stronric was about to move on, Giles' hand shot forward, his finger tracing a decisive path across the battlefield.

"Dane and I will take point," he said, his voice calm yet commanding. "With our shields, we can cover ze group, giving us a chance to move up without being torn apart by arrows. Kara and Seren will remain behind us, neutralizing any spells ze shamans throw our way and cutting down any gnolls who slip past our line."

He tapped at the first ledge where the enemy was most concentrated. "Once we close in on ze walls, we combine Seren's sun magic wiz Kara's frost to create a blinding contrast—light and cold together, throwing ze enemy into disarray. Zis will be ze window Lirian and Bauru need to slip away unnoticed. If zey move fast, zey can dismantle zeir machines before zey ever see it coming."

His hand swept over the rest of the battlefield. "Meanwhile, ze rest of us push forward. Armand and Stronric will serve as ze line breakers, smashing through zeir formation and forcing zem back. Rugiel will remain in reserve, covering any gaps in ze line and ensuring no stragglers get past our defenses."

He leaned back, dusting the dirt from his fingers. "Zis formation will get us through ze first wall. Once we are inside, ze gnolls won't risk raining arrows down on zeir own forces. From zere, we press ze advantage, force zem into close combat, and crush zem piece by piece."

Giles met Stronric's gaze, his expression unwavering. "Eet is simple, efficient, and minimizes unnecessary risk. If we execute it properly, we will reach ze second level before zey even realize zey are losing."

He sat back, waiting for input, his confidence unshaken. Armand looked at Giles impressed, Armand smirked as he watched Giles map out the strategy, arms crossed over his chest. "I must say, mon ami, I am almost proud. Something I taught you 'as actually sunk in."

Rugiel looked at Kara, "how much ice can you make?"

Kara scoffed and refused to answer, Giles glared at her and she huffed. "As much as you need why?"

Rugiel listened carefully as the others discussed their tactics, her sharp blue eyes studying the battlefield sketch with quiet calculation. When there was a pause, she stepped forward, her voice steady and measured.

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"Why not make better use of our differences?" she suggested, folding her arms. "Kara, your ice, combined with my heat, could create a dense fog screen. That would obscure our movements and greatly reduce the number of arrows and spells our shield-bearers will have to endure."

She gestured toward the drawn battle lines. "They already know we are coming. We gain nothing by advancing into open fire. But if we shroud the battlefield, we force them to fight on our terms, where sight is unreliable, and formations crumble into chaos. It will make the charge far less costly."

Rugiel's gaze flicked toward Stronric and Armand. "With limited visibility, our line breakers can focus on smashing through without being pincushioned on the way in. The gnolls will hesitate, unsure where to aim their fire. In the time it takes them to adjust, we will already be among them."

She turned back to Giles and Armand, her expression expectant. Stronric thought on it for a moment before nodding and saying. "A sound addition, don't ye think? Efficiency and survival in equal measure."

Kara looked like she would protest and then slowly nodded.

Stronric clapped his hands, "looks like we have a plan. Into positions, I just have one surprise for when we get through the mist!"

The group moved swiftly to the end of the tunnel, their boots crunching against the stone as the dim glow of the battlefield ahead pulsed through the fog. The scent of damp earth mixed with the distant acrid tang of gnoll encampments. The air was thick with anticipation.

Kara and Rugiel stepped forward, their gazes locked in silent understanding. Kara's fingers curled as ice began to form at her fingertips, the frost creeping outward in jagged, hungry tendrils. Rugiel met her with an outstretched hand, taking Kara's icy grip without hesitation.

Kara's eyes widened. In an instant, frost swallowed Rugiel's hand, creeping up her wrist, seeking to consume. But then—heat.

The Mad God's fire erupted in Rugiel's eyes, burning in defiance. The ice around her shattered, steam hissing between their locked hands as heat poured from Rugiel like a furnace. Kara bared her teeth in response, the air around her shifting into an arctic gale.

It became a battle of forces, neither willing to yield. Frost and flame clashed, rolling off them in thick waves of steam and mist. The ground beneath their feet cracked from the strain. Wind howled as Kara fought back with sheer will, ice forming around her like armor. The flames licking from Rugiel's hammer roared in kind, its blue light illuminating the cavernwalls.

Rugiel almost smiled as her god's flames burned away the frost and filled her with warmth. Where the two woman's hands connected a cold deeper than Rugiel had felt before seemed to grow. The Ice witch's stoic face contorted into a feral grin as she poured more magic into their combined hands. The light from Rugiel's blue flames danced off the mist and ice sending out rainbows of color and shadow that danced and swirled around them. The cold continued to creep up Rugiel's hand from her fingertips to her palm, despite Rugiel coaxing her flames. The cold crept tentatively, as if searching out the source of the flames to snuff it out and consume it. Rugiel gritted her teeth, sending a surge of heat as the wall of fire and ice grew, mist rolling off the pair in consuming waves. The two women still locked gazes and Rugiel could see the fire dancing in the human's eyes, and she knew the mages ice likely danced in hers.

As the cold reached the sigil on Rugiel's palm, Rugiel felt the overwhelming presence of her god. Not as he had come before taking her away to another place, but close by yet unseen as if he stayed watching and waiting. Rugiel's flames dance in response as if trying to please. Rugiel's attention was drawn down to her own flames as something caught the corner of her eye. For a moment she thought she saw a shape or sign in the blue flames, but as she stared into the flames, she saw nothing. She blinked at the brightness and her attention again returned back to Kara before her. Rugiel's vision seemed to blur and fracture and again it seemed the same marking was reflecting off the women's eye. Rugiel quickly looked back down at the flames and a shiver escaped her seeing nothing, but the mist formed between the fire and ice.

Rugiel's distraction caused her to falter a moment, her flames dampening ever so slightly that the cold pressed forward again now almost surrounding the sigil on her palm. Rugiel gritted her teeth and said a silent prayer to Morgel while guiding her flame

The battlefield outside waited. The mist, ice and fire swirled around the two females creating a sphere of fire and ice expanding out in waves but contained within the circle.

Stronric took one step forward and swung his axe, flat side forward. A gale of mist, ice, and fog blasted outward, rolling like a stormfront through the cave entrance and consuming the landscape. The world beyond vanished in an instant.

"Forward!" Stronric roared.

Dane and Giles locked shields, their formation forming a solid, moving wall as they led the charge. The others followed in perfect sync, disappearing into the cover of mist as they advanced on the entrenched gnoll Positions. Rugiel had no time to think on what she felt or thought she saw and she lifted her warhammer and fell into position.

Stronric tapped each person on the back as they left the tunnel, silently counting their number. War cries erupted around them as they surged forward.

The first wave of arrows rained down from the unseen heights. Wooden shafts hissed through the fog, some finding shields, others disappearing harmlessly into the swirling mist. The forward momentum did not slow.

Halfway through the open expanse, Bauru's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "Move! Archers repositionin'!"

Seren and Kara reacted instantly. They stopped and raised their hands, one summoning fire, the other ice.

A small flickering globe of flame floated upward, flickering like a dying ember before Kara's magic consumed it in a shell of growing frost. It expanded rapidly, ice swirling and coiling around it. The air around Kara wavered as the effort drained her, her already-pale face turning ashen.

Then, with a crack and a roar, fire erupted within the frozen sphere, shattering it from the inside out. Heat and ice detonated together in a violent storm, unleashing a wave of steam that rolled over the battlefield.

When the fog cleared just enough for Stronric to see again, Bauru and Lirian were gone. Good.

Stronric surveyed the landscape, taking in the rising terrain before him. The road stretched out long and winding, dividing into three distinct levels. Between each tier lay hundreds of feet of ramps and meandering paths, with each successive level smaller than the one below, allowing those atop to survey everything beneath them. Wooden scaffolding, ramparts, entrenchments, and other structures punctuated the scene, their scattered forms emphasizing the complexity of the defenses. The continuous road, however, remained the sole constant, its lengthy stretch promising a slow journey even without opposition. Trees were scattered along each level starting from the base of the massive hill. Their branches reached upward clawing at the higher levels, adding to the natural obstacles. Stronric could see no direct way for the scoundrels to climb ahead of the party with the trees alone. He shook his head slightly as he considered an alternate path that used the gnolls' own defenses against them that would allow the two rogues to jump between the trees and the structures and scale their way up. He had faith in Bauru and hoped the human could keep up.

"Press on!" Giles shouted, swinging his sword upward in a rallying call. The group charged forward, taking the road from the tunnel in a direct path to the first rampart.

The battlefield tilted into chaos.

Lightning crackled above them as storm clouds churned unnaturally fast. Black tendrils of dark energy laced through the sky, and then—

Boom!

A column of raw magic shot downward, aimed directly for them. Kara threw up a hand, summoning a counterspell just in time. The two forces collided midair, sending arcs of wild energy crackling into the stone around them. She barely had time to gather herself before another bolt came shrieking toward them.

Kara's body trembled. She stumbled. Her knees buckled.

Then she collapsed.

The others surged ahead, oblivious, but Stronric stopped on a dime.

"Shite," he cursed, sprinting back for her.

"Stronric, behind ye!" Rugiel's warning rang out like a war bell.

His instincts screamed. He turned just in time to see the massive ballista bolt tearing through the air, aimed straight for Kara's motionless form.

He didn't think. He moved.

Stronric grabbed the fallen mage, hauling her up onto his shoulder. The weight of his body shifted, muscles tightening as his skin hardened, iron flooded through his veins, solidifying him against the ground. He brought his axe up with one arm.

The ballista bolt struck.

The impact sent him spinning like a top, his boots digging trenches into the dirt as he fought to regain control. He staggered, but stayed on his feet.

Another shot came.

Snarling, Stronric swung. The iron-forged edge of his axe met the bolt midair, sending it spiraling away with a violent clang. The sheer force rattled his arms, but he didn't stop.

Kara stirred slightly, groaning, but he had no time to check on her.

The others had reached the first rampart, only for a hidden gate to slam down in front of them.

A trap.

Gnolls howled from the other side, jeering in their guttural tongue as their prey was trapped in the open.

Stronric's eyes burned with fury. "MOVE!"

His skin turned to iron once more as he lowered his shoulder.

Giles shouted something behind him, but Stronric didn't hear.

With a thunderous impact, he crashed into the gate.

Wood shattered. Metal groaned.

Stronric burst through the other side, sending splinters flying in all directions. He kept running, trampling over gnolls in his path as he bulldozed straight up the slope. The second gate dropped.

Another charge.

Kara woke up just in time to scream.

Stronric slammed into the second gate like a battering ram, sending shockwaves through the structure. The violent impact jolted Kara awake, and in one swift, paradoxically gentle motion, he flung her aside before seizing his axe with both hands. Clinging desperately, Kara's claws scraped at him, but Stronric barely noticed the sting of a small cut as he pressed onward.

"Stand behind me. I'll keep ye safe."

The gnolls flooded toward him, cascading down the slope like a roaring tide.

Stronric met them head-on.

His axe rose and fell, carving through gnoll flesh with brutal precision. Limbs separated from bodies, scimitars deflected off his iron skin, and with each swing, the pile of dead at his feet grew.

Kara screamed again. Stronric risked a glance, gnolls were swarming the slope behind him, cutting off any retreat.

Desperate, Kara shoved her hands forward.

The ground beneath the gnolls turned slick with frost. They slipped, tumbled, and crashed into one another in a chaotic mess of limbs.

Stronric grinned. "That's it, lass! Give 'em hell!"

The next attack came without warning.

A ballista fired point-blank.

Stronric barely had time to react. He spun, slashing downward, The beard of his axe caught the bolt midair. With a roar, he twisted his body, using the momentum to redirect the deadly projectile. The ballista bolt sailed back toward its origin, striking the machine dead-on. The force of the impact sent gears snapping, wires whipping loose in a deadly tangle.

The explosion ripped through the gnoll ranks.

Silence followed.

Then, panic. The gnolls faltered, their morale shaken by the sheer absurdity of what they had just witnessed.

Stronric threw back his head and laughed.

"Come on, ye mangy bastards!" He raised his axe high, its edge dripping with blood. "Let's see what yer made of!"

The battle had only just begun.

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