"My Lord! Come quickly! Someone''s here to see you!"


    Rain and the others were taken aback by the sudden call.


    "Who is it?" Rain asked the messenger.


    The messenger was trembling, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "My lord, I think you shoulde see for yourself."


    Rain, Chi, Hana, and Druger hurried outside to investigate the unexpected visitors.


    At the gates, the Hobgoblin soldiers were struggling to maintain order as the vigers mored around the neers. From a distance, Rain spotted a tall figure with green skin. She looked familiar.


    "Isn''t that . . ." Rain muttered as he rushed to the entrance, the crowd parting to make way for him.


    Standing at the gates, Rain''s suspicions were confirmed. "General Helliana!" he eximed in surprise.


    General Helliana wasn''t d in her usual armor, and Rain breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared that the Orc General mighte to wage war. But that would be a bad idea especially since they had just recovered from thest conflict.


    "Rain, I''m d to see you''re doing well," Helliana greeted, her sharp gaze fixed on the Hobgoblin soldiers nearby.


    The Hobgoblins eyed the Orc General warily, and Rain knew it would take years for the two races to forget their enmity, if they would forget at all.


    "Wait . . . what are you doing here?" Rain asked, puzzled. "Shouldn''t you be busy with matters back at your n? And how did you arrive here so fast?"


    Ever since they had saved her, Helliana had been their ally. They had even rested at her n vige before heading back home.


    Helliana exined, "As for how I arrived so quickly, we rode the Cockatrice."


    Only then did Rain notice the leash in Helliana''s hand, connected to arge, ostrich-like creature. Its feathers were brown, and it had big eyes and a sharp beak. Its long, thick legs were armored, and a saddle was strapped to its back.


    The creature was massive, towering over the humans, and it appeared to be a formidable mode of transportation in wastnd.


    "It''s true, I''m overwhelmed with responsibilities now that my father is gone, and with the death of our n''s protective pirs," Helliana said, her voice heavy with concern. "I wish I wasn''t here delivering such dire news, especially after everything we''ve just endured. But there''s an even more urgent crisis unfolding that we can''t ignore."


    Rain felt a knot of unease form in his stomach at the seriousness in Helliana''s expression. "C-crisis?"


    Instead of answering, Helliana stepped aside, revealing a figure cloaked in dark robes.


    "This is Santi," Helliana introduced.


    The figure named Santi lowered her hood, and whispers rippled through the crowd as her appearance was unveiled.


    Rain''s eyes widened; it was the first time he had ever seen an elf with dark skin, white hair, and amber eyes. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but her face remained emotionless, like a porcin doll.


    "A Sand Elf," Druger and the others gasped.


    "A Sand Elf?" Rain echoed, still in awe.


    Santi nodded slightly. "Greetings, Lord Rain. My name is Santi of the Dust ins."


    "She''s very far from home," Thraigarmented from the side. Experience tales at mvl


    "You as well, Goliath," Santi retorted with a sharp nce.


    "If I may, Lord Rain," Helliana interjected, her tone serious. "Can we speak in a more private setting?"


    Rain nodded, sensing the urgency in Helliana''s voice. He led them to a secluded area where they could discuss matters without prying eyes.


    Rain took him to his house at the back of the vige.


    "Sorry for the mess. We''re still in the middle of rebuilding," Rain stated. "Please make yourselves at home."


    Santi settled on the couch while Helliana remained standing, toorge to fit into the chairs. Druger and Chi took the vacant seats, and Hana began preparing some snacks.


    Rain noticed that #4 was nowhere to be found, as usual. He often loitered around in his house but seemed to be absent now. Hana had mentioned that #4 was constantly at Chin''s grave, standing vigil with his statue.


    Rain sighed and refocused on the matter at hand. "So, what is it thatpelled you to travel this far and leave your n?"


    Helliana crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Don''t worry; my n is in safe hands. The Sand Elves are there, so I''m not too concerned.


    "The thing is . . . Santi here has rming news. As a Lord yourself, I think you''ll want to hear what she has to say."


    All eyes turned to Santi. Taller than most humans, she nearly reached Helliana''s chest, though she was on the thinner side. Rain couldn''t help but wonder about the strange markings on her skin — white tattoos that stood out starkly against her darkplexion.


    Santi''s expression remained unreadable, but her tone was grave. "As you know, the map of the Barren Wastnd might look vast, but it doesn''t actually ount for even a third of the maind."


    She produced a map and spread it out on the table. "This is the Barren Wastnd. Here is Port Town, and your Silverstone Oasis is right here. Grimfang, where the Hobgoblins dwell, and up north here is where the Dust ins are located — our home, and also where the Gnomes reside."


    Rain studied the map, feeling a growing sense of unease. "Uh . . . what seems to be the problem here?"


    "Not here, but here," Santi pointed to the fortified stronghold of the Gnomes further north. "The reason we couldn''te to the Orcs'' aid wasn''t out of neglect or old grudges — it''s because we''re facing our own dire problems."


    Rain nced briefly at Helliana, who seemed to be gauging his reaction before addressing Santi. "Problems?"


    "Our elders are held captives inside the Gnomes'' fortifications, and we''re fighting night and day to rescue them. However, the Gnomes'' defenses are just too much, even for our magic. Their machinery is so advanced and powerful that I''m afraid we couldn''t rescue them in time."


    "Wait, wait. Uh . . . are you having a war with the Gnomes?"


    Santi shook her head and exined further. "No, not with the Gnomes, but with a dark entity that the Gnomes identally awakened when they dug deeper into their mines. Now, this dark entity has taken over their stronghold and obliterated the Gnomes.


    "Some of them escaped and sought refuge into our home. Of course, given our long-standing friendship with the Gnomes as they supplied us with minerals and ores, we agreed to help them.


    "However, this dark entity is so powerful that he has taken our elders."


    "This dark entity . . . what is he?" Rain asked.


    Santi was silent for a moment before she answered gravely. "His name is Gorm the Obliterator. He was sealed underground, and the Gnomes identally released him. He came from the underworld, and he''s so powerful that hemands his own minions."


    "Gorm . . ." Hana muttered.


    ". . . the Obliterator," Rain finished with a worried face.


    Druger then interjected. "Sorry, but . . . if I may, are you here to ask for our help?"


    Santi looked over at Helliana first, and thetter said, "I know that this isn''t your fight. I don''t want to bother you either since we just came from a war. However . . ."


    "However . . . ?" Rain urged.


    Santi continued, "We''ve discovered that Gorm''s true intention is to open a gateway to the underworld by sacrificing our elders. Our leaders hold immense magical power, and if he seeds, chaos will spill into the Spirit Realm, threatening not just ournds, but yours as well. No ce will be safe.


    "This isn''t about your race or mine anymore. This is about stopping Gorm and preventing the abomination he intends to unleash."


    Rain was silent. He had juste from a war and thought everything would be alright now that the Hobgoblin threat had been purged. But now, here was another threat in the form of a demonic entity, and this might mean another war. It meant that he had to march his troops into the Dust ins, which could result in more of his soldiers dying.


    "I understand your hesitation," Santi said. "But I believe you don''t have a choice in the matter. Everyone in the Barren Wastnd is in danger if we don''t stop Gorm."


    Silence hung in the air, thick and heavy.


    "I understand," Rain finally broke the silence. "But I can''t decide this by myself. Can you wait for my decision? I need to inform and discuss this with the others."


    Druger nodded, while Hana''s dread grew. It meant that Rain and the others might march to battle again if they decided to help. Chi, on the other hand, remained silent, her thoughts unreadable.


    "You can stay here for the time being," Rain said, forcing a smile. "Everything is still in chaos at the moment, so please excuse the dust, debris, and noise."


    Santi shook her head. "It''s fine. I hope you make a decision soon. Sorry, but every moment counts. We don''t know when Gorm willplete his ritual and sacrifice our elders. We have to stop him as soon as possible before he couldplete his ritual."


    Rain nodded. "Got it."


    As Santi and Helliana settled in, Rain gathered his core for a private discussion. The weight of their situation pressed on him, but he knew they needed to act quickly and wisely.


    ording to Santi, Gorm was currently regaining his strength after centuries of slumber, slowly but surely opening up the underground.


    The process was lengthy, but she was certain that with each passing day, Gorm''s magic and power grew stronger. This meant he could elerate the ritual at any moment.


    Time was of the essence.