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"Yeah, sadly, I can\'t go into more details," Ilmadia added, causing everyone to recall that Miracle might be spying on them.

"We need to learn how to block that..." Therdul sighed. Needing to always be on guard against an invisible camera was certainly no fun. Luckily -for the most part- they didn\'t know enough to spill too much information.

Everyone understood that Eldrian and Elizabeth kept some things secret not because they didn\'t trust the others but simply because it made things easier for them. Ignorance was bliss, after all.

"Right, I messaged Eldrian. I guess he will be here by tonight." Ilmadia added.

"Not quite," Elizabeth countered, "he is going to meet with his old master in the Ganalin mountains. But since Boran seemingly became the lord of the dwarves, organizing a meeting might take some time. Let\'s postpone talking about this until he is here."

***

"Sir Ingvar!" Eldrian called out to the guard captain from the crowd. Drawing the attention of many who he ignored as he fought his way to the front.

"Ah, Eldrian. It\'s been a long time." Ingvar forced a smile and quickly took Eldrian into the barracks before they drew even more attention. As soon as they separated from the crowd, Ingvar looked at Eldrian with a frown. "Why are you here? Last I heard, you headed to Taurtania."

"I need help."

"Help? Help with what?" Ingvar asked, recalling the incident where Eldrian had helped against the reavers. His spell had been truly amazing, and his timely arrival had saved many dwarven lives.

They would have managed fine without him, but it was never a bad thing to have fewer people die. If he could, Ingvar wouldn\'t mind helping. Sadly, he couldn\'t leave the gate unattended for long, and finding someone to stand in for him was no easy task, with all the conflict happening deeper in the mountain.

"It\'s a bit of a long story. But ultimately, I need someone capable of dealing with multiple Tier 6 higher undead to rescue someone in one of the lost forts around Kynigo."

Rubbing his chin in contemplation, Ingvar tried to think of anyone who might be able and also wasn\'t stuck in some post or another. "That is quite a tall order. I\'m afraid finding someone who can accomplish that who doesn\'t have prior engagements would be difficult."

"I know. Can I ask you to relay this to Viggo and ask him to set up a meeting with Boran? It\'s another long story, but I was his apprentice for a few weeks before I left for what now is a never-ending mission. We had formed a master-mentee oath despite not having been taught much under him."

Ingvar frowned, "It surely does complicate things. By Boran, do you mean Lord Boran?"

"I think so. Please try to relay the message. I will understand if he doesn\'t have time to meet with me."

"I understand the rush, but why does it feel like you are rushing somewhere else?" Ingvar asked, noting that Eldrian seemed to have split his focus.

"A friend contacted me, and I need to go talk with her before things escalate on her end. I should be back tomorrow or the day after at the latest."

"You going to run there? I assume this friend is somewhere distant?"

"Pediades, I should make it there in a few hours if I sprint."

Ingvar scrutinized Eldrian from top to bottom. "You seem confident, but that shouldn\'t be something a normal Tier 5 rookie can accomplish. Tell you what, I\'ll lend you my spilio. She\'s sturdy and should get you there in one or two hours tops."

"A spilio? What\'s that?"

"Right, right, you likely never saw one before. I\'ll take you to our barn."

\'Barn?\' Eldrian found the word choice strange. Following Ingvar, he was led through an intricate maze of barracks and smithies all laid at the outermost of the mountain. The maze\'s exit was just outside the city itself, in what Eldrian could only assume was the dwarven equivalent of farms.

They were in a rather large cavern illuminated by a few stray rays of sunlight and shining moss. The cavern itself appeared to be an underground grassland. With multiple caves connecting to the grassy area. There were even a couple of streams giving the site a picturesque feeling. Perfect for a late afternoon picnic

Many different types of strange creatures lived in the cavern, about half of which were reptiles. Eldrian followed Ingvar to what seemed to be a baby bear.

"Her name\'s Dixi, a spilio," Ingvar explained, the little bear moving next to him and rubbing her side against his side. She reached Ingvar\'s chest, placing her around Eldrian\'s abdomen in height. Her fur was a mix of deep earthen brown with black stripes.

"Spilio\'s are magical creatures from the Ursidae bloodline. They can control their size but generally prefer a smaller form, as the size determines how much energy they require. If food is scarce, they can become even smaller, but eating too little limits how big they can form themselves when in danger."

"And I can . . ." Eldrian wasn\'t sure how to phrase his sentence.

"You can ride her like you would a horse. She understands basic speech. Clear instructions are best. Call her name and give the instruction." Ingvar explained, taking a step back and showing Eldrian how to do just that.

"Dixi, sit." A simple command, one which the spilio followed perfectly.

"I\'m still," Eldrian looked at the bear creature, thinking that running over would be more straightforward.

"Don\'t look down on her, she\'s fast. And if you find yourself in a fight, she is comparable to an average Tier 6 soldier. Her fur is resistant to fire, and her claws are as sharp as magical weapons."

"Alright, how to do—"

"Dixi, down." Ingvar quickly took over, and upon his command, the bear laid down on the ground. Brining her height to around Ingvar\'s waist. "Climb on."

"Shouldn\'t we first go outside?"

"There\'s no need. There are multiple exits from the barn since many of the animals here often need to go for runs."

"Alright . . ." Still unsure, Eldrian climbed onto Dixi\'s back. It was shockingly comfortable, her fur was thick and made for a soft seat.

"Alright, she\'ll take you outside. You simply need to point her in the right direction." Ingvar said, turning to Dixi with a devilish smile that Eldrian just barely made out. "Hold on tight, Dixi, run."

She jumped to her feet with the command and suddenly grew to twice her size before sprinting off to one of the caves. She was undoubtedly fast but nowhere comparable to Ceph.

As she rushed off, Eldrian quickly thought of some spells that would make the journey more enjoyable. Envisioning a barrier to stop the raging wind and all other things, Eldrian summoned it.

The sudden lack of wind caused the spilio to falter for a moment. But this did not last long. Soon she took off with renewed vigor, struggling for a moment to keep her balance. But once she got used to the feeling of not having the wind resistance constantly pulling back at her, Dixi reached speeds a spilio was never meant to achieve.

As soon as they reached the outside, Eldrian found that they were halfway up the mountains. Steep slopes to all sides, causing his heart to leap from his chest. Especially as Dixi jumped from the cave without a care.

\'You don\'t have wings!\' Eldrian cried as they leaped into the air. His mind raced, thinking how he could save them. He certainly didn\'t want to report to Ingvar that Dixi had died.

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