**Farewell and Promise at the Fortress**
The iron gates of the Fierce Claw Empire's border fortress closed with a heavy, mournful boom. Fa and her team—Arya, Salsa, and Kayla—steped out onto the road that would take them back to the Mo Eclipse Mountains, their hearts weighed down by what they were leaving behind. The setting sun painted their weary silhouettes in long, fading shadows.
General Balger's voice still echoed in their ears, low and unbreakable, as if the command room itself refused to let it go.
"Fa, Kayla—head back first," the general had said, standing before the map table, his purple-glowing war hammer resting in his grip like an extension of his will. His eyes were tempered steel. "To keep Grum and Rock from suspecting anything, in three days I will personally lead twenty thousand orc warriors. They'll move in staggered groups to rendezvous with you at the First Outpost."
He turned to Mance Giant-Axe. "Mance, take the fastest sonic charger. Ride to the Steel Melt Alliance at once and tell the king the truth. There is no time to lose."
Mance nodded, his battle axe already strapped across his back, dust still clinging to his armor. "Yes, General. I leave now."
Balger's gaze settled on Bakuf. The bear-man deputy gripped his energy whip, eyes burning with loyalty. "Bakuf, you stay and hold the border. Keep it safe, and watch for Grum's spies. I will return the moment this is over."
Bakuf dropped to one knee. "I will guard it with my life, General."
Fa met Balger's eyes. She felt the weight of his trust and his resolve. She nodded, a faint silver gleam flashing across her star-like pupils. "We will wait for you at the First Outpost, General Balger. Please… be careful."
Balger rested a heavy hand on Kayla's shoulder, a rare softness breaking through his iron exterior. "Child, your father would be proud of you. Go. Go with your comrades and expose those traitors for what they are."
As they left the command post and stepped onto the desolate plain, the howling wind carried the distant roar of a sonic charger's engine—Mance's departure signal. Fa's group quickened their pace toward the First Outpost, each of them aware that the next three days would decide everything.
"We have to hurry," Fa said quietly. A faint glow pulsed in her right eye, as though she could already sense the danger ahead. "Grum and Rock won't just sit there. They'll move."
Arya squeezed Fa's hand gently. "Don't worry, Fa. We have General Balger behind us, and the evidence Tisk and Rex gathered in the Mo Eclipse Mountains. The truth is on our side." Her longbow rested against her shoulder; the five-element crystals embedded in it glimmered faintly in the darkness.
Kayla nodded, her Thunder Claws humming at her waist. "Uncle Balger never breaks his word. He'll come." Her voice carried the unyielding strength of her people, her eyes blazing with the fire of vengeance.
Salsa's mechanical cat body emitted a low, steady hum. Her soul form flickered in and out of sight above them. "No matter what happens, we stay cautious."
Their footsteps echoed heavily across the starlit plain. They all knew this was no longer just a battle—it was a reckoning between justice and evil.
**Secret Talks and Preparations in the Mo Eclipse Mountains**
At the same moment, deep within the dwarf encampment in the Mo Eclipse Mountains, night had fallen. The campfire danced in the wind, casting stern light across the faces of Tisk and Rex.
They had only just withdrawn from Grum's hidden mine, carrying evidence that could shatter both alliances: transaction ledgers for crystal core ore, slave chains, and blood-stained runes.
Tisk crouched beside a boulder, his war hammer leaning nearby. "We need to get this to General Amber immediately," he said in a low voice. "This will leave Rock with nowhere to hide." His fingers traced the runes on his hammer's handle; thoughts of Dulin burned behind his eyes.
Rex nodded. His mechanical eye scanned the surroundings. "I've already contacted Fa through the comm device. They're on their way back to the First Outpost. Estimated arrival: three days." A faint holographic map projected from the nano-drones circling his head, marking the team's position.
The two moved stealthily toward General Amber's hidden tent. Inside, magi-lamps cast a cold blue glow. Amber stood over the map table, iron staff in hand, brow furrowed. She spun at the sound of footsteps, staff leveled. "Who's there?"
"It's us, General!" Tisk quickly raised Dulin's Heartfire emblem. The furnace rune on it glowed under the light.
Amber recognized it and lowered her weapon. "You're back. What did you find?"
Rex stepped forward and placed the projection stone on the table. He activated the magic circle. Horrifying images appeared: slaves nailed to walls with chains, sacks of crystal core ore, and transaction records personally signed by Grum. A recorded fragment played—Grum speaking to Rock: "Get these ores to Shadow Claw Pass quickly. They're paying us double. Once we master that power, the entire Muret Continent will be ours."
Amber watched to the end. Rage ignited in her eyes. She slammed her wind staff into the ground; cracks spider-webbed across the stone. "Rock! Grum!" Her voice shook with fury. "They dared enslave our own people!"
Tisk clenched his fists. "Dulin died because we uncovered this. We will have justice for him."
Amber took a deep breath, forcing herself calm. "I believe you. But we cannot tell Commander-in-Chief Mad-Hammer Stone yet. He's stubborn—right is right, wrong is wrong. If the evidence isn't ironclad, he might think we're slandering Rock, and everything will fall apart."
Rex asked coolly, "What's your plan, General?"
Amber's eyes hardened with resolve. "I brought twelve thousand dwarves with Commander Stone, plus the two thousand Green guards here—fourteen thousand total. Grum and Rock have six thousand private troops deeper in the mountains. We outnumber and outgear them."
Tisk nodded. "My teammates already spoke with General Balger. We rendezvous at the First Outpost in three days."
Rex added, "On their way back, they'll link up with Balger's twenty thousand orc troops for support."
Amber nodded and pointed to the First Outpost on the map. "Good. Over the next few days I'll split the army—one half deeper into the Mo Eclipse Mountains, the other half to Fierce Melt City. I'll keep stalling Rock to buy you time. Then we strike from inside and out."
Tisk gripped his hammer, blood singing with purpose. "For Dulin. For justice. We will not yield!"
**The Swift Messenger of the Steel Melt Alliance**
On the treacherous mountain road from the Steel Melt Alliance toward the dwarf kingdom, Mance Giant-Axe tore through the night on a sonic charger.
The vehicle—a masterpiece born of dwarf craftsmen and orc engineers—was forged from lightweight mithril alloy inscribed with grip runes and powered by twin magi-core engines. It hovered above the ground, turning the most perilous terrain into flat road. The engine's roar shook the air; the blue magi-flame tail streaked across the darkness like a comet.
"I must reach the king and reveal the truth," Mance muttered, urgency burning in his eyes. "Rock's betrayal ends now."
He encountered a dwarf patrol. Mance slowed, showed Balger's token—a medallion bearing the crossed symbols of an orc war axe and a dwarf forge. The patrol captain recognized it and stepped aside respectfully. "Proceed, Lord Mance."
But as he passed through a dense forest, strange noises rose ahead. Mance braked hard, axe already in hand. Mutated wolves with glowing red eyes burst from the underbrush, claws raking the earth as they lunged.
"Courting death!" Mance snarled. His axe swept in a wide arc; a crescent of magi-energy erupted, slicing the beasts into bloody fragments.
He wiped the blood from his blade and accelerated again. "Grum's eyes are everywhere," he growled through gritted teeth. "But I will not fall here."
His silhouette vanished into the distance, the charger's roar the night's most resolute declaration.
**Guarding the Border and Rising Suspicions**
At the border fortress, Bakuf stood atop the walls, staring into the endless wilderness. His energy whip coiled at his waist, its ruby tip pulsing with menace.
Since Fa's group departed, he had tripled defenses: patrols every five minutes, magi-detectors running around the clock, every shadow watched.
"General," a sergeant reported in a low voice, "suspicious orcs spotted southeast, lurking at the edge of the wastes."
Bakuf narrowed his eyes. "Capture them. Interrogate thoroughly. Nothing gets past us."
The soldiers soon returned with three prisoners. Their armor bore the faint wolf-head insignia of Grum's legion.
Bakuf stared coldly. "Who sent you?"
One remained silent. Bakuf's whip cracked; red light flashed. The orc screamed and collapsed, armor smoking.
"I'll ask once more. Who?"
Another broke. "G-General Grum… He wanted to know what was happening at the border…"
Bakuf's eyes turned to ice. "As I thought." He turned to the sergeant. "Triple the guard. Lock these dogs up. General Balger will deal with them when he returns."
He clenched his fist, whispering into the wind, "Kayla… General… succeed. I'll hold this place until you return."
**Waiting and Preparations at the First Outpost**
Three days later, Fa's team reached the First Outpost. They cleared a space outside the walls, set up temporary tents, and waited for Balger's orc legions and Amber's dwarf forces.
The campfire crackled, illuminating tired but determined faces.
"I hope they arrive on time," Fa said softly, sitting by the fire. "We're running out of time." Her short blade stood planted beside her, earth magic swirling faintly along its edge.
Arya took Fa's hand gently. "They will, Fa. General Balger is a man of his word." Her longbow rested nearby, five-element crystals glowing softly.
Kayla nodded. "Uncle Balger never fails his promises. And Mance will have reached the Steel Melt Alliance by now."
Salsa curled her mechanical cat body at Fa's feet, soul form hovering watchfully. "I'll take the night watch. Nothing will get past me."
Then came the sound—distant, heavy footsteps and the growl of machinery.
Fa's group rose instantly, weapons ready.
"It's friendly," Salsa announced. "I'm picking up General Balger's magi-signature."
Moments later, Balger arrived with the first wave of orc warriors—heavily armored, magi-weapons gleaming, an avalanche of might.
He strode forward and clapped Fa on the shoulder. "We're here. We're moving in waves as planned—no alerting Grum."
Fa nodded. "Thank you, General. Any word from Mance?"
Balger smiled. "Mance got through. The king of the Steel Melt Alliance is furious. He has ordered a full investigation into Rock's crimes."
Fa continued, "Tisk and Rex also reported that General Amber has already sent half her forces deeper into the Mo Eclipse Mountains and kept the other half at Fierce Melt City. When the time comes, we strike together from inside and out."
The tension in the camp eased, replaced by grim resolve.
**Assembly of the Dwarf Army**
Deep in the Mo Eclipse Mountains, dwarf encampment.
Amber stood in the command tent, eyes fixed on the map. Her scouts kept bringing reports: Grum and Rock were massing their private army near the deepest veins, preparing a surprise attack.
"We won't let them strike first," Amber said, voice like iron. "We take the fight to them."
Tisk entered, war hammer over his shoulder. "General, the troops are ready. Rex has finished deploying his tech weapons."
Rex followed, mechanical eye flashing blue. "Enemy count: roughly six thousand—three thousand orcs, three thousand dwarves. Poorly coordinated equipment and training. We have superior numbers and gear."
Amber nodded. "Good. Tonight I send scouts to the First Outpost to link up with your comrades and General Balger. Then we attack the heart of the Mo Eclipse Mountains together."
Tisk gripped his hammer, battle-lust blazing in his eyes.
"For Dulin. For justice. Victory will be ours!"