Ethan was snapped back to reality by a heavy hand that landed on his shoulder, Andrew was standing over him with a smile on his face, the worry in his eyes wasn’t gone but still his good mood looked genuine. “Ethan, not everything is as bad as you make it out. We have time to prepare, not a lot considering how big the war could turn out to be but if we use it properly, who knows?” He pulled the elf to his feet and pushed the staff into his hand before guiding him out of the great hall.

  What they saw was a mess but it looked almost beautiful in its execution, dwarves were running around everywhere inside the fortress, all of them occupied with an important task. Miners were organizing into squads with soldiers at their front marching out of the fortress, a group of dwarves was gathering around Bird, who was talking and gesturing wildly to them before they left the fortress following the footsteps of the miners who were already out of sight.

  Gregor too was already hard at work with his soldiers, even coordinating with Mason by the looks of it as they were locked in a discussion while the soldiers checked their armor and equipment. The scout had a lot of knowledge about the surrounding tunnels and caves after all, probably telling him about dangerous and advantageous locations in their immediate surroundings.

  While all of that was happening the constant hammering of smiths and the tell tale sound of grindstones in use could be heard from the smiths who had set up their workshops in the back of the fortress. Black smoke was billowing out from massive forges and ovens, rising to the cavern ceiling where it spread out.

  Andrew gestured to everything that was going on around them, opening his arms wide. “Look at this, these people already accepted what you have been struggling with, they saw the notification and know what is coming and are preparing, but you…” he pointed his finger at Ethan. “...you need to come to terms with it because in this whole mess you will be leading us, our dear progenitor. So it’s time for you to go out there and find more people for our side. It’s not like they will be flocking to us by themselves because nobody bloody knows where we even are.”

  Ethan looked at the dwarf and back at the people in the fortress, a sigh escaped his lips and he rubbed his face with his free hand, the other still clutching his staff. “I know Andrew, I know what will happen and what we need to do. I just…can’t accept it as good as you all. I already lost people and don’t want to lose any more.”

  “Bullshit!” Andrew looked at him, his mouth pressed into a thin line, his eyes hard as the bored into the tall elf. “You can’t save everybody, you're responsible for yourself first and then you can do your best to keep the people around you safe. Nobody will expect to be invincible just because they’re under your command. Everytime I lost someone I felt sadness and loss in my heart but I didn't just stop living my life. Especially my soldiers know the risk as do I.”

  The elf didn’t dare to look away from the dwarf, his hand unconsciously moving to the tooth necklace that was burning on his pale skin, he grabbed it clutching it in his hand and nodded. “I guess you’re right…so I should go out and look for allies huh?” Andrew hit him in the side with his fist, albeit in a playful manner. “What have I been telling you? Come on, go get some rest and then you can set out. A long journey should always start with a time to calm down and refill one's energy.”

  Ethan did as Andrew suggested and so he returned to the tiny house he had constructed for himself in the back of the fortress. He put his staff against the wall and laid down to rest. He knew Andrew was right, all of them were, but that didn’t mean it was easy. Especially since he would leave them all alone here in the cavern while he was out there. What when more monsters attacked them or something else happened to them? He knew the dwarves were strong and he gave them a good defensible home in this fortress. Still he felt so weird finding a place he might even call home one day and then to just go away shortly after.

  After thinking way too long about anything that happened so far, might happen if he stayed or if he goes Ethan couldn’t lay there anymore and decided to just go and start his journey. There was nothing here for him besides stomach aches. Andrew would throw him out either way if he stayed too long.

  Ethan took a deep breath and went over his equipment one last time before he felt ready to set out on his own task. He grabbed his staff and left the small house, the moment he stood outside he nearly stumbled from surprise. Instead of the busy village filled with people that were running around to organize and fulfill tasks, a different sight greeted him. There were hundreds of dwarves standing on both sides of the road leading towards the gate, most looking respectful toward him, others smiling or even crying occasionally.

  A dwarven woman grabbed his hand in both of hers, tears streaming down her face while she looked up to him with hope. Ethan didn’t know her or why she was crying but then a smile appeared on her face. “Thank you for saving my husband, he fought with you against the monsters and he came back because you were there. He might not be worth much but I love him, thank you for protecting him.”

  She let go of his hand and took a step back. Ethan looked down the path again, they…were here to see him off. He slowly walked down the path, some people touched his arm while he walked past them, others gave him a simple nod. The warriors under them hit their chest and wished him a safe return. Another woman gave him a bag filled with provisions which Ethan totally forgot preparing in his impulsive decision to go. He thanked her and smiled as she gave him a small bow. The further down he walked on the path the more his spirits rose, these were his people, their bonds forged through battle and the new dangerous world they lived in. He saw Andrew and Marshal standing next to each other at the entrance, between them laid a bundle of huge black cloth which Ethan thought might be more provisions.

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  When he finally reached them they both looked over him and nodded. “It seems you’re ready to head out Ethan, well at least almost ready. I hope you don’t mind our little surprise goodbye and…well I hope you also like this.” Marshal said and smiled warmly at him, lifting the bundle from the ground and placing it into Ethan’s hands, who looked surprised when he noticed how heavy it was. Andrew nodded along. “We know you’re nervous so we wanted to show you how much we value you. The times are indeed crazy and very fast, everything is happening so quickly. Still it’s important to make time for a goodbye like this, because if everything goes well we will have a lot more people once you return with even more. But before you go, maybe open your gift.”

  Ethan looked down at the bundle and unfolded it in front of the two dwarves. At first a pair of knee high boots fell to the ground that were hidden under the thick fabric. When he finally revealed what it was, a smile spread over his face. In his hand he held a black trench coat, black pants and even a black long sleeve shirt. In the very deep pockets he found a pair of gloves. The trench coat even had a hood that would hide basically his entire face if he pulled it down. He let the fabric glide through his fingers, the trench coat and the gloves felt like leather while the pants and shirt were just made from very sturdy fabric. Ethan looked at Andrew and raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get these?”

  Andrew looked somewhat offended. “We made them of course! What do you think happened with the mole we carved up near the mines? The coat, gloves and boots are made from mole leather. The pants and shirt are from its fur which we managed to soften and make cloth from. The buttons on the coat are made from blackened bone. This was your first monster from this new world so we wanted to create something special from it. The crafter responsible even managed to get it as a set with self repair. Well he is already in the high level eighties so I wasn’t worried.”

  Before Ethan could respond Marshal stepped forward and handed him a small stone tablet with words on it. Once Ethan read it he raised an eyebrow. “A recruitment list? That’s not a bad idea but I imagined more fighters on that list.” Marshal smiled and shook his head. “No, well yes but these are the most important. Of course combatants are needed but if we can’t care for them they would be useless.”

  Ethan looked at the list. Some crafting professions like masons, woodworkers, cooks, farmers and so on. Even administrative staff like scribes. Surprisingly even mages were high on the list, for that he already had a plan what type he wanted to recruit for his side. The dwarves knew they lacked magical abilities, the difference was they weren’t prideful and knew how useful magic would be.

  “It will be done, to the best of my abilities.” Ethan put the tablet in the pocket of his new trench coat which he planned to put on later on, then he turned back to the two dwarves and smiled. “Please be careful, I can’t return quickly and since the world is so big and empty it will take some time to find other people. But first..” A mental command later Nora uncoiled from his arms and shoulders, slithering down his sleeve and onto his outstretched hand. “She will keep you company, while we can’t talk over long distances I would still feel it if something is wrong.” Nora nodded to the two dwarves before wrapping around Andrew’s shoulders. Nora wasn’t pleased with the limited space the dwarf provided but they talked about it and it was necessary to remain in contact if an emergency came up.

  Andrew stumbled as the large snake moved around on his body but just nodded, Marshal gave him an amused look but kept his mouth shut. They both nodded one last time before stepping to the side. Ethan looked over the barren field that surrounded the fortress, multiple footprints in the dust showed him all the people that went outside and came back in at regular intervals, especially now that the mining operations were going at an increased speed and the soldiers trained outside the fortress or were scouting the surrounding area while the actual scouts pushed deeper than ever before in the mountain range.

  Taking a deep breath Ethan summoned a disk of ice and stepped on it, his feet covered in ice as he froze himself to the disk. Without taking a look back he rose into the air, his mana was full and he was ready to start his journey. Without hesitating further he was launched explosively forward, his speed a lot faster when he was alone. While racing through the air he heard the deep bass of horns getting blown in his back. Signaling his departure from the fortress.

  A smile played around his lips as he set off into a world beyond the mountain range, ready to explore everything Gaia had to offer while being on his mission.

  "Farewell...until we meet again in the near future."

  Liliane sat on her knees and looked at a small plant in front of her, a smile covered her face. She actually made it work after weeks of testing and experimenting but now she was confident in her abilities especially since she got a notification from the system for her work.

  *Update* A new monster created! Bonus experience rewarded!

  Everything was going her way for once and with her new flower men growing rapidly while also being improved by her experiments she could finally set out and find that ice mage jerk that killed her previous creations like it was super easy. He didn’t even struggle! Still with her big monsters and a new army of flower men she was confident she could win. She could feel him in her mind after all since that day with the creepy Arbiter in that room, she was his ‘ally’ after all.