Wild Letter

While Tiafell underwent the "merging ceremony" with Gadrael, the Dwarven Village, located in a cavern inside one of the Echoing Mountains, had become a warzone as intense battles waged throughout the settlement.

Brunus, the richest dwarf in the village, was ransacking a vault inside his mansion, stuffing gemstones and gold into bags. His two attendants stepped in. "Sir, what are ye doin'?" One of them asked.

"I'm gettin' outta here!! Don't try ta stop me!!" The fat, wealthy dwarf barked, then threw the bags over his shoulders and plowed forward as fast as his obese body would allow.

"Sir! Zera told us the only way we'd stay safe is ta remain here! Dred's army will kill every dwarf they see!"

Brunus shoved him away, shuffling out of the vault. "Dred won't spare anyone, not even us! There's a secret passage that connects ta the tunnel Zera and the others dug. I can escape ta the outside world and buy a mansion that makes this one look like a shithouse!!" Determined to escape with his life and fortune, Brunus stomped into the main hall of his mansion toward the large, elegantly crafted stone doors.

The attendant on the floor rose, intending to stop Brunus, but the other grabbed his arm. "Fuck him. I'm tired of the way he treats us; he can get killed for all I care."

The other looked at his colleague in disbelief, but realized he was right. Brunus treated his employees poorly and barely paid them anything, keeping almost all his mining company's profits for himself while barely lifting a finger. In the end, both attendants let their boss leave to face whatever fate awaited him.

~~~

On the battlefield, the dwarves continued to brawl with demons and vampires. The enemy numbers stopped increasing, as their entire force had finally arrived, but the dwarves were exhausted and could barely defend themselves. Orvik, Mirya, and Kanah helped wherever they could, but the three of them could only do so much.

Orvik, the Dwarven Chief, swept a minotaur's legs out from under it using his double-sided hammer, allowing Kanah to behead the beast with her axe. "We're gettin' nowhere like this!" Orvik angrily spat.

Mirya sprayed fire from her staff, setting vampires ablaze. "If we split up, maybe we can cover more ground?" She suggested.

Kanah hoisted her massive axe over her shoulder. "That's a great idea!"

Orvik nodded. "Aye, good thinkin', lass. Watch yer backs!"

Agreeing to separate, Orvik, Mirya, and Kanah went in different directions, hoping that by doing so, they could save more of their allies.

~~~

Brion and Zera, the leader of the reptilian subterraneans, were evenly matched, as neither of them was able to gain ground. The two locked weapons, trying to overpower each other.

"You can see very well for someone without eyes." Brion complimented his sightless opponent. "And your fighting style is nearly flawless."

"My kind do not need eyes." Zera's speech was slow but articulate. "Our other senses tell us everything about our surroundings. If my fighting style is 'nearly flawless' as you say, it is so I can protect my people. They would not last long without me."

"You are an honorable leader. It's a shame that you have chosen to fight for Dred. I think you would have made a great ally to us."

Zera's forked tongue flicked. "I do not serve Lord Dred out of respect or loyalty. He promised that if we dug a tunnel for him, he would get rid of the dwarves so we would have these caverns to ourselves, as our ancestors did before the dwarves came and forced them to retreat deeper into the caverns. Reclaiming our home is all that matters!"

Upon hearing Zera's words, Brion sensed an opportunity for diplomacy. "I'm sorry to say this, but Dred has no intention of helping you. He merely used you and your people for his own gain and will dispose of you all after this is over. Side with us, Zera. Help us defeat Dred, and we'll find a compromise that benefits everyone!"

"No deal!" Zera screeched and pushed Brion away, putting him on the ground. The tall reptile opened her mouth and sprayed a black liquid at the male Amazon, who rolled out of the way. The fluid melted holes in the stone ground with a sickening hiss.

"Acid," Brion leapt to his feet. "Don't start fighting dirty now! You're better than that!"

"We are fighting to the death; there is no room for honor here!" Zera roared, swinging her weapon to attack again. Brion parried and countered, but his reptilian enemy moved out of the way. The two continued their evenly matched duel.

~~~

Grimswald aggressively slashed at Nadia, who struggled to fend him off. The former knight had centuries of experience in battle, so his advantage over Nadia was clear.

"You fucked up, you sassy cunt!" Grimswald blustered. "That smart mouth of yours needs a big dick in it, like mine! I don't give a flying fuck how Lord Esteban feels about it, I'm gonna bleed you out and drink every goddamn drop!"

"You've always been as annoying as you are crazy. I don't like hurting people, but I'll rest easier knowing I was the one who put you down, and I'll do the same to Bahti!!" Nadia declared, summoning a massive colony of purple flaming bats and directing them to swarm Grimswald. Smirking, the foul-mouthed vampire aimed his palm at the bats and unleashed a blue light that greatly lowered the temperature in the area. Every bat that was hit by the light froze solid and fell to the ground, shattering like glass.

Grimswald laughed raucously. "You stupid bitch! Back when I was a member of the Royal Guard, I was known for my mastery of ice-based magic. There's not a goddamn thing I can't freeze! Maybe I can keep you on ice and thaw you out whenever I want some of that pussy!"

"Shit..." Nadia grew frightened, realizing the dire straits she was in. Her own opponent was fearsome and insane, but she worried more about Cirris, who was facing her father, the Vampire Lord Esteban, alone.

Grimswald resumed his melee assault, crudely mocking Nadia as she used all her strength to protect herself, meagerly.

~~~

Esteban unleashed rapid-fire fencing thrusts with his rapier, hoping to impale Cirris, who blocked them using his staff and sword. The mage could not find an opening to exploit, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Esteban drew his rapier back, telegraphing his next attack enough for Cirris to counter by releasing a burst of fire from his staff that made the Vampire Lord jump back, putting distance between them.

"Ha-ha! What happened to all that bravado you had? Were you not going to 'shove your sword up my ass'? It is just as I thought, being Marlon's grandson has gone to your head, but you are nothing like him, or even your mother!" Esteban boasted, mocking his young opponent.

Cirris panted heavily; merely defending himself against Esteban was stressful and tiring. "I'm just getting started, you son of a bitch..." Cirris' cockiness was merely a front; he was having to go all out just to stay alive. Overpowering and outmaneuvering Esteban was impossible; Cirris' only chance would be to wait for an opportunity to outsmart him.

Taking advantage of the break in action, Cirris channeled holy magic into his blade, coating it in white mist. He then cautiously approached Esteban, holding the staff in his other hand up defensively, ready to react to whatever the seven-and-a-half-foot-tall Vampire Lord would do.

"You have chosen to fight me seriously at last; you should have done so from the beginning," Esteban flicked his thin blade, sending out small flames that whirled through the air in random flight patterns at Cirris.

Cirris used his staff to release balls of water at the flames that zig-zagged out of the way. He avoided the first one, which hit the ground and created a small explosion that singed the hair on Cirris' arm.

"Shit, I can't be near those things when they go off!" Cirris concluded, then started running. Esteban sent more flames out, each of them narrowly missing the mage, though he felt the heat from the explosions on his back.

Continuing to run, Cirris came across a fountain in the town square and dove in. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to lure the flames into the fountain and dissolve upon contact with the water. Cirris leapt back out with the fountain's water cloaking his body like armor, covering everything but his face so he could breathe.

"Huh," Esteban was almost impressed. "You think on your feet, I like that. However, the water around your body will only protect you from my flames, nothing else."

Esteban charged forward to run Cirris through. Cirris stepped out of the way, though the Vampire Lord's rapier still crazed his watery armor. However, the aquatic covering was thicker than water naturally is, thanks to Cirris' magic, thus protecting the mage.

Noticing that Esteban had been taken aback, Cirris slashed the Vampire Lord's torso, cutting him across the gut. Esteban cried out and reflexively kicked the mage away. The wound was not fatal or debilitating, but the searing pain from being cut by a holy weapon was something Esteban could not ignore.

"Yeah, that's right, I am taking you seriously this time. And now, you know that underestimating me was a mistake too, motherfucker!!" Cirris announced. Cutting Esteban renewed the mage's resolve. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but if he did it once, he could do it again, hopefully enough times to kill the vampire leader.

Esteban removed his hand from the cut, seeing blood all over his palm. "So it was..." He exhaled sharply, clenching his blood-stained fist. "Very well, human. No more playing around. I shall give you the effort you deserve, the effort I only show to those who incur my wrath..."