"Come on," Nilla says. "You must have some interesting stories to tell."

"Sorry to disappoint, lassy, but I'm pretty boring."

"Uh-huh. Sure, old man. Keep your aura of mystery."

I chuckle softly. "It's not that." A sigh escapes out. "I am a very selfish man, Nilla."

She momentarily balks at the usage of her own name. Then recovers. "Bullshit." But hesitation still lingers.

"It's true. Selfish and apathetic, unconcerned with anything around me, focused only on myself and what I was convinced made me complete. Or more complete rather. Add delusional to the pile."

"Sounds nothing like you, Belhir."

"Might as well have been a different person. But enough about this old fool, do you mind answering a question of my own?"

"Okay."

"Why not just leave? The world is but a thought away for you. For your family."

"And go where?"

"The Union? Anywhere else."

She falls silent, thinking. Then she looks me in the eyes, her own burning with intensity. "It seems so easy to leave, doesn't it. But this is my home, my people." Nilla stops, averting her gaze. "She would probably want us to. To just be safe." Her voice drops to a whisper, afraid to be heard. "I'd rather die than run away, than abandon my family."

"Harrn and Tiff would follow you anywhere."

"I know they would." She regains some confidence. "Why ask me this? Are you afraid we are going to fail?"

I laugh, a slow and drawn-out sardonic mess. "Yes, I'm afraid. I'm terrified."

"I liked you better two minutes ago."

"Really?"

She smiles at me. "Nah. You are no longer a blank monolith, a perfect existence. It's good to know even the famed Stonefist has some insecurities hidden deep within a stony exterior." Nilla looks proud of her pun. I admit, pretty nice one.

"Bah. Here's a story for you, lassy. My parents chiseled me out of a mountain." I slam a fist against my chest with some force. "This old dwarf is unbreakable."

"Of course you are."

"Fine, fine. Don't look so pitiful. ...Discovery."

I let the word sit, prompting an ask for clarification from my interlocutor, "Discovery?"

"My singular vice."

"Kinda benign for a vice."

I look away, my eyes unfocused. "Not when it's all you live for. When it consumes every facet of your existence." I turn slightly toward Nilla, but don't fully focus my attention on her. "When I was a younger dwarf,"—a small spark returns—"and much more handsome,"—extinguished again—"I wanted to see the world, to discover everything it held. How exciting. How pointless. I abandoned everything else but this obsession. To know all.

"One day, during my daring adventures, I found myself quite near the coast." Nilla looks at me with some apprehension. "Always an exciting place, huh. Anyway, there I was, looking into the endless expanse of blue, drooling. Figuratively, of course, but you get the implication." She silently nods her head, starting to smirk at what awaits me in the allegory she is unknowingly listening to, but the amusement is only there because I am still alive and in front of her.

"So, I commission a boat, stuff it full of enchantments, and set sail. Off on my unceasing journey of discovery. Why choose a boat for my method of transportation you ask? I think we already covered that I was made out of rocks. Answers the question neatly. I am sailing forward, a thin metal plate between me and most certain death. The large pile of mana crystals invested in the enchantments keeping me hidden, somewhat safe, and really fast. Can you guess how long that lasted for?"

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Nilla shrugs. "All the way through, making it the most boring voyage you've had?"

"Close. All of three hours." She cringes. "Then I spend five days straight evading monsters, trying to stay awake. Surprisingly hard even when being chased by overgrown fish. Alas, I black out from exhaustion eventually, not even having enough time to comprehend my approaching death, much less accept it. And then I died. Story over."

The dwarf shakes her head, amused. "Don't joke about that. Tiff is scared of ghosts."

"Has he tried bashing a few on the head?"

"Didn't help."

"I guess it's different when you know they are monsters. Well, going back to the story, surprise, I didn't die." Nilla mocks some shock, gasping. I smile at her. "Next thing I know, I awaken on a beach. The waves are splashing against me, the sun is peeking through leaves swaying gently in a warm breeze."

"Fuck... Iris Island?"

"The one and only. My destination reached. I woke up that day. Really woke up. Must have stared at the horizon for hours. But I understood. Everything I did wrong. Everything I had to do going forward. I... And that's how I met a dragon. Nice fella. Gave me a ride back to land."

"What!"

"Kidding. He just teleported me back. After telling me I was the biggest idiot on the planet. And probably the luckiest one too."

"That is the most insane thing I have heard in a long time. Is any of it actually true?"

I look hurt. "Me? Lie? Impossible. I am simply incapable of speaking any falsehoods."

"Yup. So the whole thing?"

I chuckle. "Maybe the real story is even harder to believe?"

"Knowing you, old man, I won't even be surprised."

"The message behind it is certainly real. You told me your motivations. I told you mine."

Nilla thinks for a moment, contemplating. She then says, "Thank you for sharing that, Belhir." I just nod once. She stands up. "Now that things have quieted down a bit, and the city is open, I'll go make some deliveries and take some orders. Don't want my clients to start grumbling."

"Take care of your business. I'll get started on dinner."

"You three won't devour all the food if I run late, right?"

"Can't make any promises for anyone but myself. So if there's none left before you're back, I'll cook you anything you want."

"Want to just live here when this is all over? I could get used to this."

"Awfully kind of you, lassy." I pull out a crumpled piece of paper and throw it at her. She awkwardly fumbles with it for a moment but catches it in the end. "Shopping list."

She pockets the projectile without examining it further. "It's like you are already home..."

***

A few hours before dinnertime, Harrn and Tiff return, appearing much more tired than they should be after delving a D-grade dungeon, or as the saner people of the world would call it—blue.

I snicker at Tiff. "Find any ghosts, lad?"

The dwarf's expression drops, choosing to utterly ignore me. He mumbles under his breath as he goes to his room to relax, "She just can't help herself, can she..."

Harrn shakes his head in amusement. "Everything okay while we were gone?"

"Aye. Nothing that needs your attention, at least."

"I don't like the sound of that," Harrn says, taking a seat next to me with a soft groan.

"You don't have to. There are people for that. They like it very much."

"As long as it's not going to get out of hand."

"I've got it handled. Now, forget about mundane matters. How was the lad?"

"He'll manage."

"Good. How are you?"

Harrn exhales slowly. "Conflicted." I patiently wait for him to continue, pouring him and myself a beer in the meantime. "They've been training for this since... I know they are ready. We have people that can replace them, but no one is that much stronger for me to use it as a viable excuse."

"I know exactly how you feel." He looks at me, the question forming but unsaid. "If I could have done this by myself, I would have. But that is not how reality works, friend. And if you take this away from them, you will only push them away."

He looks down at the table, his hands wrapping around the tankard. "They are just children... My children."

"That they are."

He echoes my words, "That they are." His statement loaded with a lot more emotions than mine. "I'm ready. What are our next steps?"

"For now—eat some dinner and get some rest. Tomorrow night—we introduce some drama, hopefully take more pieces off the board."

Harrn hums. "And the network?"

"Slowly being restored. Smaller hit in a few days. Remind them that we are still here. After that... remind him why he fears us."

Harrn smiles. "When I glimpse that look in your eyes, I get very thankful you are on our side, friend."

I shrug. "Their fault for being a bunch of pricks."

"Directness aside, my sentiments exactly. Where's Nilla, by the way?"

"Work stuff."

"Ah, yes," Harrn says, and then sighs deeply. "What I wouldn't give to keep this normalcy going a little longer."

"Aye." Me too.

Nilla returns soon after, and we have a pleasant meal. Discussing this and that, trying to look away from the looming inevitability awaiting us all. After a few more hours of talking, it's time for bed.

While the others are taking their well-deserved rest, I'll take care of something... unpleasant.

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