"I gotta say, it is nice to finish a tough battle without nearly dying," I grinned. We just finished putting out the scattered fires with those who are able to casting water magic. No sense in risking a wildfire. They say that a plan never survives first contact with the enemy, but this turned out rather well.

Asha nodded, "Having a silver tier core is nice, but just wait until you're at mithril and even cutting off your head might not be enough to kill you."

I blanched, "For real? Damn, it's going to suck fighting a gold ranked enemy."

Asha laughed, "No kidding. So, what's the plan?"

I glanced to the captain who just finished retrieving his fallen and corralling his men, "I think we'll head back to the city with the Rock Drakes and finalize our alliance with the Duke. After that, we'll get our guys and trek back to Nashville. Hopefully, Rue is okay coming with Maya; I'd be kind of a dick to separate them. It's not like Maya can hope in a car and be there in an hour."

"I'm sure they've come up with something for this eventuality. Those girls are intelligent and Maya knew her stay in Mithra'Vheen was temporary, yes?" Eliara stated.

I nodded, "You're right. Captain, y'all ready?"

"Aye, Lord Sanguine. Caught some glimpses of your battle, that was some fine work," he replied. He was battle worn, but otherwise unharmed. His sergeant on the other hand had a nasty gash on her cheek, though it was closing at a visible speed thanks to some type of ointment she applied. It was pungent with a strong spicy medicinal scent that singed my nose from several feet away.

"Thanks, your men were as impressive as I've heard. I'm sorry for your losses." I gave an empathetic smile.

"Much appreciated, Lord. Minimal losses, thank the Gods, considering we were outnumbered. They may have been bronze rank, but their power was touching on silver. Whatever that void stuff did to them, it made them tough bastards."

I shook my head, "No such thing as minimal losses when it comes to friends and comrades, captain. We'll be sure to pay them back a hundredfold for each friend killed."

"Damn straight, lad. Anyhow, the Duke will want to be alerted as soon as possible and my communicator isn't getting a response, might've been damaged in the fight. Damnable device is unreliable at the best of times," he grumbled.

I agreed and we departed, returning to the city. Riding high off of the victory, we didn't give a second thought to what was the prelude to a terrible day. Once we got a decent distance from the encampment, we set up our own camp so we could rest ourselves. A couple of hours from dawn, we broke camp and the captain approached me. "Something isn't right. The communicator looks completely fine. It appears to be transmitting, but I'm not getting a reply. Could be any number of innocent reason, they could be having technical issues, some dense mana pockets could be causing interference, and a hundred other issues. My gut doesn't have that optimism."

I thought for a moment before nodding, "We'll proceed with caution. As you said, hopefully nothing bad happened. On the other hand..." I trailed off. We hastily continued, the cold grip of worry clutched our hearts. The sun rose and illuminated the hills. A few hours into our journey, we crested a hill to see a group of travelers rushing our way. They came from the direction of the mountain and consisted of Humans and Dwarves. We readied ourselves in case of trouble.

Much to our shock, we recognized the group. It consisted of our friends minus Carl, Fionna and Rue, the Duke's steward, and two of the Duke's house guards. I gave a worried glance to Asha as Eliara dashed forward towards Fionna at top speed. They didn't look good. They were dusted in soot and blood. There were light wounds on our friends, though the steward was holding his bleeding side.

Asha and I were close behind Eliara as she fussed over Fionna. With a grimace on my face I asked, "What happened, did the city get attacked while we were out? Where's Carl?"

Eliza chuckled darkly, "You could say that."

James shouted, "There was a goddamn coup! Carl, he...," James swallowed before continuing, "He sacrificed himself so we could escape." James clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white.

I cursed, "Slow down, what happened exactly." I turned to the Rock Drakes, "Sergeant, if you have anymore of that ointment, the steward there could use some."

She nodded and the steward smiled painfully, "I'd be much obliged." As the sergeant handed over a small tin I turned my attention back to the group.

"Now, explain."

---

Hours Earlier

As dawn broke and the conquering group were finishing breaking camp, the guests of the Duke's estate were groggily gathering to break their nightly fast. James and Elizabeth were a mirror of each other as they both sleepily rubbed at their eyes. With a big yawn, Maya entered the dining hall holding a beaming Rue's hand. Carl was already at the table, awaiting the others alongside a contemplative Fionna.

James looked incredulously at Rue who was a shining light as opposed to the others. He said, "I did not take you for a morning person, Rue. Aren't you inventor types supposed to be zombies clutching coffee in the morning?"

Eliza interjected, "By the way, so glad coffee exists in this world. I'd just give up if coffee went extinct thanks to this bullshit."

Rue laughed, "How can I not be excited? I wake up to a beautiful lady every morning!"

Maya groaned which turned into another yawn, "It is way too early for me to flirt, babe." With a pinch to Rue's cheek, she joined the others at the table in time for plates of delicious smelling food to be sent out. Today's breakfast consisted of some type of quiche, sliced ham, and a sweet pastry akin to a thick pancake with a berry glaze atop it.

With a distracting moan, Elizabeth said, "Oh god, it'll be hard to stop eating these meals when we head back to Nashville."

Her brother added, "Not to mention the beds. I always pictured Dwarves sleeping in really stiff beds. It's like sleeping on a giant marshmallow." Elizabeth nodded eagerly.

Maya laughed, "It's not like we can't purchase ingredients or full on meals and store them in storage spaces. Plus we're only a day or two from the mountain, so it's not like its a huge hassle to pop over for a resupply."

"Aye, thank the ancestors we have our farms inside the mountain otherwise food would be a huge issue for the city. I can't wait to see your city, though."

Elizabeth shrugged, "It's nothing too special, especially these days. I think Mithra'Vheen is much cooler."

With a shake of her head, Rue replied, "Nah, it's a matter of perspective. To me, this city is as dull as you think yours is. I'm as excited to study your technology as much as you're excited to learn magic."

"Fair enough."

There was a moment of silence as they enjoyed their meals when James noticed Fionna was just poking at her food. "Fionna, are you okay?" With no reply, James repeated, "Fionna?"

The Half-Dwarf looked up and said, "Ah, yes. I'm fine. I'm just a bit worried about my Mother is all. She and the Bishop were up late fighting. You could hear their screaming match outside Mother's study and that room was built with privacy in mind."

"The Bishop didn't seem the type when we met him," said Maya, "any idea why they were arguing?"

She shook her head, "No," she looked up, "But perhaps she will alleviate our concerns. Good morning Mother."

A bedraggled Armstrong and smoldering Levi walked in to the dining area in stride with each other. "Good morning Fionnagal. And good morning to the rest of you. I trust you all slept well?"

"More than you, looks like," chuckled Elizabeth.

"Ah, I suppose Fionna mentioned something?" Sighing at their nods, she sat at the head of the table joined immediately by Levi who stabbed angrily at his food. "Indeed, tensions are tight. Stress is high and the people grow weary. The Bishop and I are simply at a disagreement on how to handle the unrest."

"Ha!" barked Levi, "Love, you do the holy Bishop a disservice, no need to sugarcoat it. Get this Fionna, the bastard wants to implement such draconian measures for control that would put the Empire of the Dunes to shame. Enforced curfews, severe punishments for even the slightest crimes, arresting or exiling those who don't believe in the church. Not to mention those thugs he calls priests he hired. They go from person to person borderline threatening people into 'donating' to the church."

"Ugh, never a good sign when a zealot starts preaching for a police state," stated Elizabeth.

Maya shook her head, "No kidding, why not arrest him? It sounds dangerous."

Levi threw up his hands in exasperation, "Exactly what I've been saying! Two days ago, he even had a man flogged for standing up during a service and declaring that the Bishop is doing nothing but preaching platitudes while people's loved ones from other cities are missing. His back was a shredded mess, but apparently, since the man was technically a member of his clergy, the Bishop was in his right to punish him for blasphemy."

The Duke sighed again, it seems she'd been sighing a lot these days. "My love, as I had said, we cannot arrest him without clear, concrete evidence of his wrongdoings. Besides, well over half of the city supports him. In times of catastrophe, the people rely on us for safety, but rely on him for hope and peace of mind. A wrong step will have the people calling us tyrants and we cannot afford to make him a martyr. Besides, we've known the Bishop for a long time, he is merely stressed from the issues at hand and the fact the Gods are silent."

As if summoned, the doors burst opened revealing the Bishop with a large retinue of his priests and city guards. The steward, Michael was thrown to the ground with a weeping wound in his side. Everyone shot to their feet as the Duke shouted, "Bishop, what is the meaning of this?"

The Bishop did not look the same as they had last seen him, he had sunken cheeks, black veins that squirmed like worms crept on his face, and a black amulet dangled from his neck. The Duke was intimately aware of that symbol. It was the insignia of that damn cult Dawn of the Empty Sun. Despite his decrepit appearance, the Bishop radiated with a dark power. He snorted, "Do I really need to spell it out Amelia? You are no longer fit to lead this city. Your soft hearted measures worked fine in the past, but now the city needs a strong leader for these trying days."

"Don't give me that, Bishop. I see that symbol on your chest. You dare betray the Gods? It is a coward and a traitor that breaks his vows," the Duke shot back.

With venom in his voice, the Bishop spat, "The Gods are dead! They spent their lives forming this world. Without them, we had no hope. Now a new goddess has risen and my Lady will guide our city to a shining new era. No longer shall we be the petty vassal for a failed kingdom. We shall be the site of a holy land. You, who relies on the strength of a False Shepherd are not fit to live in my new holy empire, let alone lead it."

Levi shouted, "You've lost your damn mind, Bishop. And what in the abyss is this shepherd?"

"He means Victor, Levi," replied the Duke in his stead.

"Indeed, I've no clue what the Goddess wants with that False Shepherd, but I will prove to her that I am the one deserving of her love. I will be her fourth Apostle, not some undead abomination," the Bishop snarled.

"This is going nowhere." The Duke surmised. She then grabbed her own amulet that lit up with an infusion of mana. A shimmering field of golden force appeared in front of her, separating the Bishop's forces from them. The Bishop rolled his eyes and oily black flames appeared in his palm. Her eyes widened when he cast a beam of black that struck the barrier, how could he cast without any spellforms? The amulet flashed again and a section of wall behind them slid down revealing a tunnel. "Michael," she shouted, "Take Fionna and the others and flee the city. Find Victor."

"Mother?" asked a hesitant Fionna.

"Yes, my Duke. Fall with the weight of the mountain," replied Michael with an ancient Dwarven saying. It was said to those who were sure to perish in a fight. She smiled at her old friend and attendant. Her smile turned sad and loving as she turned her gaze to her daughter who, despite being clearly afraid was glaring daggers at the Bishop. Realizing what her Mother meant, the gaze turned to grieving horror. "My sweet, brave Fionna. I love you so dearly, as does your father. We are so very proud of how you turned out. Seek out Victor, I'm sure he'll keep you safe."

"No, no, no, no! Mother! Father!" Anguished cries came from the young lady as she fought against the steward's pull. A stoic Carl simply threw her over his shoulder and followed the steward to the secret exit. The others were already standing inside, looking out worriedly.

The Duke glanced at her husband who was burning with a defiant rage at the bored looking Bishop. "Don't even think about telling me to leave your side."

Smiling wryly, the Duke replied, "Wouldn't dream of it, Husband. It appears our time is up." Only seconds had passed, yet large cracks were showing on the forcefield. "He thinks we're weak, does he? Let us show how wrong he is my L—", her words were cut off as a beam of black suddenly pierced the defenses. She looked down in disbelief, blood spattering from her wet cough. A dinnerplate sized hole was in her chest, the amulet was destroyed. A sickening, corruptive energy burned at the edge of the wound. She fell to the ground, her sightless eyes staring into nothing.

There was a momentary freeze as everyone gazed at the fallen Duke. Both father and daughter cried out, breaking the momentary silence, one in fury and one in grief. Levi summoned a huge war hammer from a storage ring, flames raced down his shoulder and ignited the head of the hammer. The priests and guards rushed into the now open forcefield. The Duke's husband crashed into the wave of enemies. There were easily a couple of dozen and yet not a single person got past his strikes. Each hit knocked into at least two enemies yet even more were blasted backwards in a spray of intense flames.

Unfortunately, the powerful warrior could not fight against such numbers for long. His next strike was halted by a black inky tentacle that emerged from the Bishop's outstretched arm. It wrapped around the long handle of the hammer, halting it just long enough for four spears to pierce into his chest. Ignoring the grievous wound, he broke free of the tentacle and shattered the spearmen who injured him. His head then rocked back as an arrow pierced his eye. He stumbled back for a moment before gritting his teeth and leaning forward. He roared like a mighty lion as his hammer crashed once again against his opponents. However, the mighty warrior only managed three more sweeps of his flaming hammer before the flames winked out and his body toppled with the momentum of his final swing. His body finally realized he had died from the headshot.

As Levi fought, the door to the secret tunnel began to close. Cursing, Carl picked up his speed, but the door was closing too quickly. He managed to get within five feet of the halfway closed door when he threw the kicking and weeping Fionna. She fell over the threshold just as the door finished closing, leaving a seamless wall in its wake. Carl frowned at the wall and shrugged. "At least I get to test out this beauty before the end. He pulled out an engraved revolver. Despite being useless, Carl had kept his grandfather's revolver on him for sentimental reasons. Thanks to Maya's new girlfriend, it now fired mana bullets.

The middle-aged man cocked the hammer and aimed at the oncoming enemies, "Now don't I feel like Dirty Harry."

The rest of the party had rushed through the tunnels, forced to hold their grief in until it was safe. The tunnel led them out of the mountain, unfortunately it was not a smooth journey as the abandoned tunnel had a small amount of monsters that took up residence. Decades of not being used will have that effect. Only minor wounds were accrued, but they eventually made their way out. The Dwarves that built the tunnels thought of everything. There were a number of checkpoints were the fleeing party could collapse the previous segment of tunnels to prevent them from being followed. Only several hours of exhausting, nonstop fleeing later, they found themselves insight of their destination. The mighty Sanguine Lord at the helm of the victorious Rock Drakes.