Unforeseen Connections

"What… does that mean?" Ianthe is the first one to ask, which doesn't surprise me.

The others still hide behind their leader, a bit anxious about interacting with us, even if their desires are clearly getting the upper hand slowly and surely. But, hopefully, this won't last long if we play our cards right. And I very much intend to help these technically imprisoned ladies however I can.

"Well, it would be my pleasure to explain, but do you think we could move to a more discussion-friendly environment or would it be difficult to find anything better in this place as things currently stand?" I raise a curious brow at her, spreading my arms inquisitively. "Oh, and I guess I should dress back up. Where are my manners?"

I totally forgot about that part, too focused on getting the gems with the guide who kindly volunteered to aid me, definitely not because of the dozen or more naked female bodies displaying everything they have to us at numerous alluring angles. No way.

At my words, many of them seem to assume pouty expressions, and some faint whines of disappointment reach my ears amidst the enchanting crowd. Even Ianthe's eyes seem to shift to my waist again, making her nibble on her bottom lip, which funnily results in her legs shivering a bit as she recalls our earlier tryst, surprising the duo supporting her frame.

Then, as her glowing eyes rake over my front and find mine again, they widen briefly with some realisation, bringing a mischievous smile to her luscious lips.

"Since you managed to successfully restore both water and power to this facility, there is one place that comes to mind," Ianthe replies with a seductive tone, her gaze once more skipping south. "And you won't need to bother covering yourself up again if we decide to move there, My Lord."

Connecting the dots, I'm fairly sure I know what kind of place she is thinking of, but just in case, I point my thumb at our furry companion. "And am I right to assume Diana is welcome to join us in there?"

"But, of course!" The main Oread nods politely. "I was going to suggest exactly that. All three of you seem slightly sullied from your previous encounters and the immense amounts of dirt and dust this stronghold has amassed over decades and centuries of inactivity. No offence, My Lord."

"None taken," Sirgia responds before me. "We could use a refreshment after working so hard on satisfying the requirements for bringing this place to life once more."

I roll my eyes at her adorable attempt to join in on the teasing, but can't help to smile with them. Technically, we've rested and cleaned up after the Wyverns, but all that moving around did get us a tad dirty. Plus, it would be rude to reject such a generous invitation.

"Lead the way, then." I gesture at the grey-skinned lady. "Or are we going to be transported again?"

"I suggest the former. All the facilities are slowly warming up. We should give them some time to activate properly and get rid of the evidence of the passage of time. You've witnessed it yourself in the filtration pools, My Lord," our host answers.

"Got it. Let's walk there, then." I turn towards the exit but Diana brushes against my side, stopping me shortly after. "I guess we can ride there too. With me buck naked, though?"

She simply tilts her head as if to say 'Is that a problem now?' and I chuckle quietly.

Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time.

So, as she lowers herself onto the ground, I hoist my pretty little Dwarf girlfriend onto the saddle. Ianthe steps closer, looking at our magnificent friend with slight awe in her shining eyes while I hop on too, landing behind Sirgia's back. The two of us share a glance and my petite wife scoots closer to the front with a barely noticeable smirk.

Not wanting to waste her goodwill, I offer a hand to Ianthe too, and she accepts it after only a moment of consideration. The nude beauty sits behind me and wraps her slender arms around my torso. As expected, her entire front is glued to my back and I can feel both the stiffness of her peaks and the heat of her core on my skin. And if that's not enough, a certain someone is pushing her dainty ass right against my hard-on, intentionally rocking back and forth.

Seriously, life with closet perverts is just exhausting.

Thank Lumina for all the enhancements she has presented me with early on. I would have kicked the bucket ages ago if not for them.

Our Nymph passenger starts explaining the route and Diana rushes forward, assuming the pace of a rather quick but leisurely jog. Leaving the furnace hall, we quickly confirm that the mana is properly spreading through the ducts outside. The warm, yellowish crystals illuminate the passages and hallways without fail.

In most cases, that only makes it even clearer how much dust is lying everywhere, but it's also much easier to spot the artistic parts of Dwarven architecture and general style. A lot of the walls in the hallways are smooth and plain, but the occasional intersections or segments with whatever buildings riddle these paths show lots of artistic geometry and scientific designs.

You can tell it was them who dug it up and not any other race. Elves usually prefer more natural themes and their decorations are all swirly and irregular. When it comes to Humans, they kind of steal everything and incorporate those elements into their cities. If you want to experience actual Human culture, visiting villages is much better. They have this medieval vibe from the movies back on Earth with straw and so on.

Nevertheless, we only get to catch a few glimpses as Ianthe leads us through this maze. Honestly, I was almost sure everything would be as easy and spacious as the main road, but it looks like the inner structures and facilities are much tighter. 

In retrospect, that's quite logical. You want the travellers to move from point A to point B as fast as possible so the central lane is perfect for that. Only the locals should be traversing the side passages which are hidden from sight save for the entrances and exits. Just like with the small fortress in the beginning, they are easier to defend in case of breach or other conflict.

So, after running through a few different passages, we reach our destination. It kind of feels like the metro, now that I think of it. You have the main tracks and then stations on the way, which expand to the sides and lead to the city or other facilities. It's the same here, just without the trains. The Wyverns have most likely fulfilled that role.

Let's hope we don't run into any radioactive abominations in the depths of this abandoned keep.

For now, we hop off Diana's back and follow the dazzling woman through a metal gate she effortlessly opens with a wave of her hand. I'm not sure if it's part of her nature or if she is consciously doing it, but with each step she takes, her marvellous ass jiggles temptingly as her hips sway, flashing us the briefest glimpses of her delicious secrets.

Glancing aside, I find Sirgia's gaze, who just looks up at me too. She smirks faintly as understanding passes between the two of us. I've been caught staring, but so was she. With her fairly shorter frame, she gets an even better view of this gorgeous sight. A delicate blush tinges her sweet cheeks as she realises we've both been ogling Ianthe's bubbly cheeks.

Maybe we are both closet perverts.

Though, judging by how the Nymph arches her back to push the massive doors in, it's more than obvious that she's intentionally tempting us.

Behind that gate, we find a giant bathing section carved in black granite with sparkling, golden details in the form of filled-up cracks, webbings, and natural-looking fissures. The whole place seems like it has been chiselled out of a single block. Multiple pools of various shapes and sizes riddle the ground while benches, stools, chairs, cabinets, counters, wavy resting furniture and beds decorate the walls and the empty space. The piping leading the hot water into the baths is concealed too and the steaming liquid descends into each of them like a small waterfall.

With all this foggy aesthetic, it looks just so rich.

Ianthe kneels by the edge of the closest pool, pushing her ass up as she leans forward, of course. "The baths look ready. There seem to be no issues with the runes and devices. These waters will not only cleanse almost anything but also soothe sore muscles and revitalise the exhausted organs. This was often the place of long relaxation after hard work and… prolonged orgies."

She glances back at us over her shoulder with an impish grin just as her sisters emerge from the ground behind our duo. I can tell they are eager to touch, just as they are eager to once again experience the bliss of a real bath, some of the girls unable to decide what they should gaze at more with that deep longing in their eyes, the water or my body.

Deciding to ignore Ianthe's taunts, I turn to my lithe lover and find Sirgia already finished taking Diana's harness off. Her clothes are gone too, shoved into the gem in her collar, most likely. She looks up at me with a wide smile while ruffling our steed's black fur.

"Last one is a rotten egg!" I shout out of the blue and push past them.

Sirgia's tinkling laugh echoes behind me as my feet plop loudly over the marble floor and Diana lets out a challenging bark. Before I reach the biggest pool, the ground shakes slightly, throwing me off balance, and I spot the nude Dwarf flying past me as she drives herself forward with one of her Class abilities, barely not damaging the precious mineral beneath us. The shadowy canine leaps out of my own shadow and smacks me in the face with her tail, following after the little minx. Even some of the Nymphs manage to beat me to it, but I do not lose, thankfully.

As I emerge from beneath the surface after a good dip, I slowly swim to the edge, where the bottom is high enough to sit on and poke your shoulders past the line of water. Sirgia is already there, explaining to our new friends what the weird call I made really means. I learned long ago that they have a different saying here but already forgot what it is exactly.

Setting my back against the sidewall, I let Sirgia float into my lap and rest her back on me with a contented sigh. My arms subconsciously wrap themselves around her petite frame. We look ahead and chuckle together. Diana is completely still as her big body traverses the hot water, only the tip of her snout and everything above breaking past the surface. It's just way too funny seeing her drift without control like that, the only moving parts being her eyes.

For the next ten minutes, we simply relax in the Dwarven equivalent of cleansing hot springs. We don't have to do much, the water does it for us and we can feel its effects. The circulation is great too and no dirt or dust gathers anywhere, disappearing into the carved grids at the bottom. 

As we enjoy our closeness, the Nymphs play around, giggling and squealing as they splash themselves or become a bit more physically involved in washing each other. Naturally, they make sure to stay in our line of sight whenever they take care of themselves and their sisters. Some bolder individuals act like they are swimming for fun and make languid turns just in front of us, stretching themselves in the best way to showcase their smooth slits and firm peaks.

Soon, Ianthe walks up to us with a sensual step, taking a seat by my side and resting her shoulder against mine as I lovingly run my fingers through Sirgia's hair, listening to her blissful humming.

"You have truly impeccable self-control," she comments, tracing her sharp nails over my arm. "Any other male we've met before would have jumped on one of the girls and mounted her a long time ago."

Snorting under my nose, I look down at the laid-back girl comfortably using my chest as a backrest. Ianthe tilts her head curiously at my response, and I raise a brow at her. She leans a bit more forward to get a better look at my Dwarf mate and cocks her head back with understanding as her eyes drift lower, a healthy flush darkening her skin with the sight of only a small part of something that should be fully there in our current arrangement.

Let's just say that Sirgia really enjoys having me close.

"Thank you for the compliment but I have my hands full with this one." I wink at the lead Nymph. "But, my mouth is free if you would like to continue our chat."

Her gaze skips lower from my eyes as she considers what else those lips could do instead, but only smiles enchantingly, choosing not to comment. "I would love to."

"Then, in short words, some time ago, I started a brothel in the Human capital, meaning it to be a cover for a shelter offered to lost and abused races. Some of them were willing to help us slowly mend the hostile mentality by getting employed under my watch and thus interacting with Humans on a daily basis. We've grown extremely popular so the list of patrons is quite massive now and keeps growing," I begin, reflecting on our progress. "If you wish for a change of scenery, I can offer your tribe shelter too, regardless if you would like to partake in any parts of the mansion's life. But, for those who enjoy a healthy meal of male or female essence, I think it's a fairly amazing place to live in. As long as no one ends up hurt from it. There are rules for both sides that need to be followed or we'll be angry."

"And Humans truly agree to that, coming to lay with a monster without any struggle or violence?" Ianthe asks while thinking over my explanation.

"There are men who are crazy about exotic beauties like you." I laugh softly. "They will let you tie them up and have a way with them while you act like you are going to eat them alive and even pay fat cash for it."

She blinks at me with shock.

"Some just wish to interact with the girls, talk about nothing, have a decent drink while at it, and then spend a pleasant time behind closed doors," I continue. "But, it's you who sets the boundaries of what's okay and what's not. They know that the moment our employee gets uncomfortable, she has full rights to see their head go flying. Because there, you aren't monsters, you are people. Our people. Even a bit fancier than some bland Humans."

Ianthe silently examines my face and I give her time to process things and judge if I'm being honest, still spoiling my little princess as we speak, who is beginning to sneakily move a bit more than before, acting like she's sleeping with her head on my shoulder. But, you can't hide the deeper breaths you take with your cute nose, silly.

"Then, you would take us all away?" the Den Mother asks finally.

"That depends." I turn my face to her. "If there would be any who wished to stay, that would be great too. Even if not permanently, we could arrange temporary rotations, with your Oreads switching from time to time, perhaps after realising that living in the other location isn't exactly for them or to take a quick break. You see, we are going to reopen these routes soon and utilise the priceless technology and knowledge as much as we can. Having your ladies assist us would be perfect. You already know this place inside out, don't you?"

"And why do you plan to do that?" She wraps herself around my arm, resting her chin on my other shoulder and looking into my eyes even as my fingers end up rather close to her secrets.

"Various reasons. Some more selfish, some more selfless." I caress her belly gently. "I also established a mercenary company made of other races. These routes would let us take requests from further away. At the same time, Umbra, the evil sister of Lumina, is slowly poisoning the world with her Abyssals. As one of her Chosen Heroes and the appointed Demigod of Lust, I feel like it's my responsibility to at least partially help everyone prepare for the worst, meaning an all-out war for survival. The safety of my people is the most important to me, but if I can do something while taking care of them, why shouldn't I?"

Ianthe shivers lightly, embracing my arm closer. "So that part about being a Demigod really wasn't a figure of speech, huh? And you are saying you are even a Summoned Hero?"

To prove my point, I make my sigil appear and she examines it delicately. 

Before she can say anything about it, a voice echoes in our heads. ~He is.~

She jumps in her seat, eyes going completely wide. Everything turns silent in a flash, the other Nymphs freezing in place, their heads directed at us.

~Alastair is not just my Chosen, a fellow Demigod watching over the world by my side, but also one of the strongest Primordials,~ Lumina announces with a soft tone.

Ianthe gapes at me, the reverent expression from back in the coffin slowly returning to her face. "Was that…?"

"You heard her?" I ask. "All of you?"

"I did." She nods tensely. "They did too, but not directly. My sisters felt the message through the link that connects our den. The divinity in it was obvious. And now I can't help but notice its similarity to your aura, Master."

A few girls away from us gasp and I frown at her. "Why did they react that way?"

Ianthe smiles shyly. "A Den Mother is the highest position with the most influence, power, and authority in the Oread community… Until she appoints a Den Master, relinquishing all of that to the male she finds worthy serving…"

"So, you just offloaded all your responsibilities as a leader onto me?" I squint at her.

She bites into her lower lip. "If you are willing to bond us…"

Sighing heavily, I use my free hand to swipe down my face. Something tugs on my wrist and I reopen my eyes, finding my lovely mate twisting her body so she can face me properly without getting up. Sirgia places both of her palms on my cheeks and steals a slow kiss from me, resting our foreheads together.

"There's no need to overthink it, is there, Master?" she whispers tenderly. "It's what we wanted and more."

"You are right." Stealing a peck from her back, I sigh once more. "But don't think I haven't noticed what you are doing."

Sirgia ducks her head as she turns fully crimson and stops sluggishly gyrating her hips. Chuckling to myself, I place a cordial kiss on her forehead and return her to her previous position. As my digits wander down her soft belly, causing her to inhale audibly, I look to the side at Ianthe.

"This is your way of bypassing the oath, isn't it?" I ask, making sure to convey curiosity and not offence.

"Partially," she admits honestly. "It's true that a Den Master could revoke or reiterate the promise the Den Mother made. But, I also feel like there is no better male to devote ourselves to. It's extremely rare for a den or grove to find a master. More like a thing of legend, from when… Primordials walked Naharren. I want for our sisters to grow again, not to be forced into slumber in this forsaken ruin. I will gladly dedicate our community to a worthy leader even if it comes with a risk of myself being reduced to the position of a newborn sister."

The water in the pool sloshes loudly as all the girls rush to us while talking over each other about how she doesn't have to, and how they are happy to just have her with them as a leader, and so on. But, Ianthe silences them with a hand and keeps gazing deep into my eyes.

"Does that have to happen?" I stroke my chin thoughtfully.

The smart Den Mother easily catches my meaning. "You wouldn't want absolute authority?"

"No," I answer. "You said that the Den Master is above the Den Mother, so it's possible for her to stay where she is, isn't it? That will be my condition. You continue to lead while I support you with whatever I can. I haven't the slightest idea about how a den works so it would be stupid to take over everything. You need to ask me for an opinion or permission? Sure. Throw all the complex planning and managing solely onto me? No, thanks. That fine?"

She practically lights up on my arm. "Yes! Like nothing in this world!"

Smirking, I pat her head, fluffing her dark hair. "Great. Any rituals necessary for things to proceed?"

Ianthe shakes her head with gusto. "No, you've already spilled in me plenty of times, in all the necessary and unnecessary places. There's just one last thing."

Caressing my cheek with her fingers, she watches my expression for clear permission, and after I give it with a light nod, she pulls me into a deep kiss, delving deep between my lips. For a moment, I think she intends to exchange lots of saliva as our tongues dance together, but shortly after starting, hers pulls away and comes back with something round. A marble-like entity is pushed around by our exchange, tasting like an earthy mint.

It becomes clear what I have to do and I accept the gift from Ianthe, swallowing the tiny, rough-surfaced orb with no problems. Immediately, I can feel her happy smile on my lips as her fingers trail into my hair to strike through it affectionately and gratefully. We continue to kiss as whatever she's fed me makes its way into my stomach, where it melts or something, releasing a lot of pleasant heat that permeates my whole body.

Sirgia lets out a shuddering breath with a stifled moan as I tremble, all my limbs getting strongly revitalised and kind of reinforced, including the one she's hiding from the world. Then, a serene calm washes over me and everything sets into place. There's a connection I can sense between me and Ianthe, and through her, with the ladies. Though, perhaps thanks to what we have already done, I can also tell she's in as my proper Partner too.

She is the first one to back away, watching me intently for my reaction. Smirking warmly, I chase after her for one last peck before letting her settle down by my side once more, not wanting to inconvenience Sirgia any longer. I know she wouldn't say a word, but being squeezed between an Oread's handful of tits and my chest for a prolonged period of time can't be that enjoyable.

"There's something different about this…" The Den Mother ponders out loud. "It might be my first time, but I feel like it's not exactly the same as it naturally happens after an Oread presents the core of her being to a male…"

Having her and others' attention on the topic instead of my physique, I use that moment to briefly summarise the details of my abilities, race, and status. They listen carefully, perhaps trying their best to impress their new leader or prove themselves in my eyes. There are only a few questions from Ianthe and a few mature-looking women so we wrap it up fairly soon. 

Afterwards, we decide to stop idling and get some exploring done. With the girls with us, we should have no issues going straight to the important places and checking if we can find anything of value or importance. However, at the mention of leaving the baths just like this, the ladies look a little down. Ianthe, when asked about the reason, explains that normally, accepting a Den Master is part of a grand ceremony and they were hoping that they would get to welcome me to the family.

It's obvious what that means so I simply surrender and let her know that I would be happy to receive their greetings.

But, before that happens, I make sure that my sneaky wife doesn't feel neglected or jealous and finally act on Sirgia's quiet schemes. She becomes unable to remain so quiet as I get to be the one moving instead, with a lot more energy and speed, while she can only accept my love beneath me at the edge of the pool with a beautiful smile, peppering my face with little kisses as the Nymphs coo and giggle at her from up close. Their questing hands are all over us.

When Sirgia gets what she deserves, in all the meanings of that phrase, she plops back into the water to relax with Ianthe while the Oreads drag me to the centre of the bath. What follows is a tangle of limbs and bodies so joyful and chaotic that I quickly lose count and sight of who is who and what part is whose. The plethora of perky breasts, bouncy butts, toned figures, and welcoming openings becomes a blur.

We spend about an hour in and around the water, making use of all the available furniture and appliances. I can't very well rush this, every lovely lady needs to have her perfect moment to share her greetings, respects, and affection. It would be rude if someone got much more time than the others, even if the girls appear to move as one, rarely separated for the briefest moments. There's always someone next to the Nymph I'm embracing, either holding her hand or reaching for some other equally lewd area.

The whole ceremony forces us to take one more bath, obviously, and they help me out by scrubbing my entire body clean. Even Sirgia and Ianthe join for the last straight. I return the favour as much as I can and we are all ready to tackle whatever is ahead of us. 

This time, I jump back into my clothes, evoking a chorus of whimpers in protest. But, my Den Mother rebukes her sisters and even requests them to cover themselves. It works, and everyone grows artsy protrusions from their frames that hide their privates, but honestly, it only makes them look even more sexy as they fully turn into stone statues with the lack of nipples and visible feminine mounds.

"What are your plans now, Den Master?" Ianthe asks after I finish inspecting one of her girls, fascinated by the layer of stone protecting her privates and how their bodies are suddenly hard as a rock.

"Our original goal is to reach the Dwarves, where Master kindly offered to bring me home so that I can let my family know that I'm alive," Sirgia answers in my stead. "And to show them that I've become a worthy successor of the clan so that we can either gain its support or take control of it and use its influence and resources to support Master."

"We decided to come through here in hopes of finding something that might help us prove Sirgia's greatness," I add. "Then, we thought of employing their help to make this place thrive once more. We'll need more hands on the deck if we want to operate this place. Hands that can be trusted."

"I see." Ianthe nods sagely. "Then, do you wish us to remain here until you recruit those subordinates, Master?"

I scratch my head. "That certainly could work, but…"

"But?" She tilts hers, and so do the others, blinking at me curiously.

"I feel like you deserve to go out into the world, if not for a little bit at least," I reply. "Is there any way for this to happen?"

"Walking with such a big group will gather a lot of attention around you, Master," one of the girls says and I offer her an appreciative smile for speaking up.

"Not if they won't have to walk," Sirgia interjects and we all glance down at the clever Dwarf. "The portable mansion, Master?"

I slap my forehead. "Right! But will they feel the effects of the journey? We've only used it on flat ground, never on the move."

"Only actual impacts that touch the suitcase." She shakes her head. "Those will cause the insides to shake a little too. Otherwise, they won't feel a thing."

"Then that's a great suggestion." I nod to myself. "They will also be able to take a look at our real home, minus all the services and the rush around them. That is if Ianthe and the ladies don't mind being put inside a limited space of a decently sizable mansion."

The beauties in question stare at us confusedly so Sirgia brings the prop we are talking about forward and opens the suitcase up. After some gentle coaxing, the leader descends with her into the sealed realm and we can hear gasps of amazement as they investigate the lobby. Soon after, Ianthe is back with her white eyes shining even brighter as she gushes about the fancy appearance of our mobile home to her subordinates.

Well, that answers my question, I guess.

"Okay, that settles it." I bring them back from their excited daydreaming. "For how long can one furnace burn after we stuff it with fuel to the brim?"

"After we reactivate the transporting belts, we should be able to prepare enough crystals in advance for it to provide energy for about… a month?" a different lady answers, tapping her cheek. "The belts unfortunately can't resupply themselves and we can only spread as many gems over their length as we can, tweaking their speed to deliver the fuel at the slowest stable rate that wouldn't have the fire die down."

"That should be enough." Sirgia hums quietly. "Even if we return here late, nothing wrong will happen with the power running out again, right?"

"Technically, it shouldn't, but the one furnace we will be using might get damaged without anyone to stop it properly, assuming the worst-case scenario," Ianthe responds.

"I'm sure this little genius would be able to repair or completely recreate it given a few weeks of time." I snicker, ruffling Sirgia's hair as she blushes cutely. "As I mentioned, I would like all of you to get some fresh air so let's give it a try. I want to have this place running so that all the systems slowly get back to an operable state like the water filtering and the baths, as long as they are equipped with such function, of course."

"A good idea," Sirgia agrees. "And more defensive mechanisms should become active once more with the energy flowing through these hallways."

"It's decided, then." I clasp my hands together and the girls exchange eager smiles, definitely looking forward to stepping out of this dark bunker. "Now, can you girls show us around?"

"Naturally." Ianthe flashes us a brilliant smile, which falters a tiny bit after. "Just, I'm not sure if there will be much that catches your attention. The Dwarves moved most of their stuff out before sealing the gates with the last group of caretakers who refused to leave."

Still, it's good to get a feel of the place so we take off into the now bright tunnels. One of the ladies brings us a few maps from one of the further sections and Ianthe explains the layout to us as we walk around. As we thought, the main lane goes rather straight through the mountains, crossing a town-like area where wanderers could stop and trade with the protectors or amongst themselves, while most of the facilities are kept on the sidelines.

Besides the water filtering unit and power generation hall, we pay a visit to the breeding pens, where we find lots of ancient equipment and long spoiled supplies. It's clear this is where the Wyverns came from, and perhaps sometime in the future, we will bring them back, but for now, we let this facility rest, taking a brief look at the stored knowledge.

Our sightseeing takes us through the warehouse section, kitchen section, dining section, residential quarters, and the trade town, but as Ianthe said, most of the things from these places have been taken away, leaving only items of low worth behind to rot and rust. The only places that seem to have been spared are the gem storage, the strategic headquarters, and the vault.

The Nymphs kindly teach us how to access the last one and we do find quite some riches inside. Most of them are valuables and gold or platinum, but there are also lots of mementoes and little trinkets. Since we are not pressed for cash, we decided to leave the majority of it alone, taking only some undisputed currency and precious metals. We don't find anything super important inside.

As for the headquarters, this is where the Oreads respectfully stored the personal belongings of the last defenders of this place after the final one passed away in their arms, leaving this world in their kind, warm embrace.

Such a poetic way to go out. You spend your life in service to your people, abandoned by them at one point, deciding to keep protecting their secrets, and release your last breath in the arms of a beautiful woman who whispers reassuring words into your ear as your energy slowly saps away.

We pay our respects to the deceased and carefully move around to look for anything useful. There are plenty of reports, documents, messages, and lists, but it's mostly connected to the inner workings of this mountain stronghold. A decent proof that we've managed to get in, but I don't think it's that hard to dismiss either.

We take a peek into the main overseer's office and spend some time admiring the charming room with lots of glass displays and cabinets. Ianthe points us to a hidden safe underneath the massive marble desk and I employ my impressive strength to move the furniture aside, receiving adorable ooh's and ahh's from the gorgeous Nymphs. 

Inside, we find the man's diary, a stack of old cigars, a smoking pipe, a bottle of what might be a rather strong dwarven liquor, and a rectangular case the size of one's palm. I open it to check its contents while Sirgia reads the pages. It hides something akin to a royal seal but obviously meant to symbolise the authority of this place. The hexagonal plate depicts one of the scenes we've seen at the main gate, the group of Dwarves heading into a tunnel with torches.

My lovely mate gasps suddenly and my gaze snaps to her hands. She looks up from the text while poking at something.

"Look, Master. The last overseer was a Forgergraver. I had no idea our family helped manage these passageways," she says with a shocked tone.

"Ah, I forgot to mention that after you introduced yourself," Ianthe joins in, glancing at Sirgia. "From what I know, each major clan was tasked with protecting and maintaining one of these locations."

"I wonder why we haven't heard anything about that," my wife wonders out loud.

"I have a theory." I place a hand on her small shoulder. "I mean no offence to your whole family, but… With what I know from you about the branches and the roots and their relationship… I wouldn't find it impossible for the family to have ordered a complete retreat from this place only for this person and his close subordinates to go against it, deciding to stay behind and fulfil their duty… I wouldn't put it past the leaders of the lineage to renounce his whole existence and bury the shame under the rug…"

She stares back at me for quite a while before sighing deeply and nodding. "Yeah… They would be capable of that…"

Kneeling in front of her, I pull my lover into an affectionate hug. "That's why we are coming there to teach them a lesson, aren't we?"

Sirgia lets out a giggle while wiping her eyes. "You are right, Master. And I don't think they will be able to deny everything with that in front of their faces."

She takes the plate from me and turns it around. Skilfully tracing some kind of arcane symbol over its back, she brings a complex inscription to life. It's not hard to understand that it's something akin to the magical ID of the person who has issued these. And if every family was tasked with the management of these tunnels, that order must have come from much higher...

With this, we might be able to bring the Ruler of the Dwarves to our side.