65 Alex

After returning to the inn, Leo found Felix and Thomas waiting for him. He explained events after leaving the night before, then turned to Felix to hear what he did with Shane.

"I figured you meant something drastic as in killing him, so I drugged him up for a few days, then stuck him on a barge headed down the river to the coastal city Pacifila. A good week at least to get there, but to get back takes several weeks at minimum. He won't be back anytime soon, especially since I emptied his pockets before dumping him." When Leo heard what Felix did, he tried as hard as he could not to laugh. Then he told them what the next plan was.

"So Thomas, elder grandma is coming to pick up iris's family. I don't know when she'll be here but do you want to wait for her to arrive?" Thomas was thoughtful for a moment before answering Leo.

"I'll stay, I can also help gather information on the dwarves through rumors. I don't know what to do about expenses though, I don't intend to invade Hilda's house simply for convenience." Leo already had an idea about this though, as Felix was better suited for information gathering than him, he planned to make money while he was looking into Intel.

"I plan to spend my time polishing my fighting as a bounty hunter while we stay here. I'll be able to collect money through bounties plus what they've been stealing, it'll help me practice fighting humans as well. I may want the experience when I go into battle in the future." As he finished his words, Leo's expression went dark. He had fought in the previous battle, but as a beast that would only kill. He wanted to be able to fight as a man.

So they decided, Thomas and Felix will switch inns due to the commotion they were part of the night before. Thomas will frequent taverns and marketplaces to listen for rumors, while Felix puts his powers to work and looks into any reports he could find, Leo didn't want to walk into a human military encampment. Leo would simultaneously work as a bounty hunter and learn the dwarves language from any books he might be able to find in the city.

***

Far to the east, a man was looking up at the mountains towering above him. He was wearing glittering armor that didn't even have a scratch in it. The form of an owl was etched into the breastplate along with his helmet designed to match the brand on his arm. He was Alex, champion of Athena and chief strategist of the Helian empire under King Andrew. His mission was to invade the dwarves, and bring back as many as possible as slaves. The capital of the Helian empire, Heliantis, was also known as the slave capital of the continent.

Alex was thinking of how to invade the dwarves with minimal casualties. He turned his gaze to the front, at the massive stone doors flanked by the two 200 foot tall statues of the dwarves. The door was previously closed to prevent invasion, but his men had opened them to find the main hall inside collapsed. Alex knew the layout of the entrance to the dwarven city. After the two doors, was a main hall going back for several dozen miles, leading to an elevator that took one to the main city. Unlike most thought, the city wasn't below ground but up in the mountains. The mountain range was the tallest on the world, the Worlds Crown. Up hidden in the mountain peaks, was a valley that the dwarves settled centuries ago as their capital, Tirdaral.

He hoped that he would gain many accomplishments from his endeavor. Alex's goal, was to become the new Arthur. He idolized the tyrant, and wanted to leave his name in history the way he had. The only problem, was to encourage others to assist him on this path. Alex's abilities revolved around strategies, and skill. There was no one on the entire continent better with a blade in both skill and showmanship than he. Every duel he had participated in, he won with flare without a scratch. He was also the object of admiration for most of the young women in the empire, and took full advantage of their affections.

The only exception however was Andrews daughter, princess Alice. She was promised to Arthur, but Alex had been trying to win her affections for years. She turned her nose to him however, and as far as he could tell she was against her marriage to Arthur as well. As a result she was more or less imprisoned in the palace. Alex was hoping to use his accomplishments here to gain support in winning her hand however. One of his men interrupted his thoughts though with a report on the excavation.

"Sir, we started removing the rubble, but since we don't know how far back it goes we could be working for months if it goes to the elevator. We have found side tunnels that lead to different rooms and possibly to the city itself, however there have been several traps located throughout them however." Alex thought about this report and replied,

"Send a request for some hounds, we'll have them sniff out the traps and lead the way through the tunnels. Work on both the side tunnels and the main hall. If we find a way we may be able to surprise them by getting through all the traps." The man nodded, and went away to relay his orders.

Hidden in the walls of the main hall, a stout figure at four foot tall was observing the soldiers progress. Every day more soldiers seemed to pour in, from his count there was already more than five thousand. He started sweating at the sheer difference in strength, and quickly returned to report the situation to the clan elders.