Section Fourteen: Comminason's Objective (Part Two)

“Retreat!” Gamio made a snap decision. The group began to withdraw, but the forest was thick with rotting mud, hindering their movement whether advancing or retreating.

The green lights grew chaotic, shifting positions—this signaled that the bandits lurking in the woods had noticed their prey’s erratic behavior and were beginning to act.

“Hurry, everyone, move faster!” Gamio drew his longsword and took up the rear of the group, with Layard behind him, while the Hegel family stumbled in panic as they retreated.

Bear Dwarves surged forward, closing in rapidly—so close that Gamio could make out the face of the one at the front. That face, so like a bear, explained the name. Bear Dwarves were the tallest and most powerful among their kind. After losing their alchemical arts and suffering collapse, only the Bear Dwarves retained any semblance of combat prowess. With equal equipment, they were slightly stronger than human soldiers, even comparable to orcs, though their morale and command left much to be desired.

But here, that was deadly. Gamio and Layard were only two, and they had to protect the Hegel family. The Bear Dwarves outnumbered them by dozens, and among them were several Ogres—those were even harder to deal with than common orcs, nearly capable of standing toe-to-toe with Tygo or Rhine.

“Go! Women—grab them, kill them! Men—exchange for money, for food!” The Bear Dwarf leader, Rukovski, shouted with thick, slurred words. He was among the rare few of his kind to possess a name. After the Dwarf dynasty was shattered by humans, the dwarves suffered attacks from all races. Their once-proud alchemy was lost; even literacy dwindled. For a long time, they could do nothing but hide away in their tunnels. Thus, the illustrious Alchemy Kingdom had become what it was now.

Though the dwarves had once basked in glory, it had little to do with them. Even in Rochester’s heyday, Bear Dwarves were not famous for alchemy. They merely enjoyed the benefits of their bloodline, receiving Rochester’s gifts. Those were good times—all dwarves lived without labor, while Earth Dwarves and Ash Dwarves diligently pursued alchemy, and Bear Dwarves lived in idleness, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, enjoying tributes from all races. Then, one day, Rochester vanished mysteriously, and the dwarves scattered like sand. The other races descended upon them. The Earth and Ash Dwarves resisted with their golems until defeat split them apart, and the Bear Dwarves were driven, like dogs, to desolate lands, forced to dig tunnels and hide for survival.

Yet the Bear Dwarves before Gamio were excited. There were only five humans before them; scouts had already found their abandoned wagon, which meant these five might be wealthy, perhaps even people of status among humans. Capturing them would not only yield loot but also ransom. Rukovski drooled with excitement, waving his spiked hammer and charging ahead, followed by a mass of Bear Dwarves and a handful of Ogres. These fierce fighters were Rukovski’s pride—two he had rescued by chance, who had since joined his band and proved invaluable in raids. Later, he coaxed two more Ogres who had wandered for unknown reasons, forming his own ogre assault squad.

Gamio’s longsword flashed, sending sprays of blood flying. At first contact, two Bear Dwarves fell—one dead, one wounded. Their weapons were so crude they would have saddened their ancestors—some wielded homemade clubs, others stones shaped into blades or swords, the luckier ones brandished weapons stolen from who knows where. The variety was endless. But one mustn’t underestimate them—Bear Dwarves were the strongest among dwarves; in a one-on-one with no concern for discipline or training, a human soldier would likely lose.

“Run!” Gamio shouted with all his strength. Though he fought brilliantly, cutting down two more charging Bear Dwarves in a blink, he knew clearly he couldn’t hold out against this band for long—especially with four Ogres.

His sword struck again, but this time the opponent’s weapon did not break. Instead, the force from the thick club shook Gamio’s arm numb. Only the Ogres among these bandits had such power.

The Ogre, confident in his blow, failed to break through Gamio’s guard. Instead, his weapon nearly snapped, and he howled in frustration. The simple-minded ogre squad closed in on Gamio, intent on overwhelming him.

Gamio cursed inwardly. He could handle one Ogre, and even two posed no threat. If all four attacked, he might not win, but he could escape. But if he ran, the Hegel family would surely be captured.

His longsword gleamed with a blue-green light, and the foolish Ogres swung their clubs again. This time, Gamio aimed carefully, channeling his fighting spirit into the blade, striking precisely at the notch he had created earlier. The thick club split in two, his sword following through to cleave half the Ogre’s skull, splattering filthy blood across Gamio.

The remaining three Ogres slammed their weapons at him in rage. Rukovski swung his hammer, intending to deal with the most troublesome “adventurer” first.

Meanwhile, the other Bear Dwarves split into groups—half followed Rukovski, the rest scattered to seize the Hegel family and Layard.

“Aren’t you going to help? Do you really want to watch me die?” Gamio called out. He broke another club, though this time his strike only wounded the Ogre’s shoulder, as Rukovski managed to hammer Gamio’s blade mid-swing.

Three Ogres, the Bear Dwarf leader, and over two hundred Bear Dwarves—it was far too much. Gamio decided that if Layard didn’t act soon, he would have to flee. Thankfully, Layard finally made his move.

Suddenly, something rose from the ground—like countless vines, or countless hands, wrapping around the Bear Dwarves’ legs. Several Dwarves, about to pass Layard, were pulled back as if seized by an invisible hand, dragged to the ground and toward Gamio.

Layard sighed in relief. He had timely cast Shadow Hand. As a Shadow Mage, he could manipulate shadows anywhere they existed to attack and harm enemies. In this dim forest, shadows were plentiful—perfect for him. The only trouble was the sheer number of enemies; he couldn’t wield shadow magic as lethally as he had against the secret agent before. To deal with so many Bear Dwarves, he had to spread his power, which wasn’t enough to seriously injure them, only to temporarily impede their advance.

Layard, however, was also versed in fire magic. Having created obstacles, he began his next incantation—an advanced form of Fireball, the fifth-tier spell Fire Meteor. Though its actual power equated to fourth, even third tier, it was classified as fifth because the incantation, at the cost of vast magical energy, could produce multiple fireballs for area damage—perfect against numerous weak enemies. This contrasted with Flame Strike, whose true power could reach sixth or even nearly seventh tier with fire affinity, but was limited by range and thus ranked fifth.

Dozens of fist-sized fireballs rose around Layard. Those Bear Dwarves foolish enough to be closest were instantly engulfed in flames. As the fireballs soared above Layard’s head, they rained down on the Bear Dwarves like stones from a catapult.

Gamio cursed loudly—the fireballs’ area included him. Fortunately, his fighting spirit could dampen the effects of Layard’s shadow magic, and his wind-affinity fighting spirit gave him speed, allowing him to dodge the Fire Meteors with agility. The Bear Dwarves were not so lucky; unable to resist magic and ensnared by Shadow Hand, the fireballs struck relentlessly, leaving dozens ablaze.

The fire spread further, igniting the trees. The Bear Dwarves lost control—Rukovski found he could no longer command them; chaos reigned. After expending much magical energy in two powerful spells, Layard immediately retreated. Gamio did not. Taking advantage of the confusion, he swung his sword with agility, cutting down the dwarves.

The dwarves fell into utter disorder. They were, after all, not a proper army, but a miserable band of thieves. None obeyed Rukovski anymore, save the three Ogres still chasing Gamio.

Layard’s two spells had incapacitated at least several dozen Bear Dwarves. The fire gradually formed a wall, blocking retreat on all sides. The dwarves were trapped.

Gamio toyed with the Ogres, slaughtering the confused Bear Dwarves—another dozen fell by his hand. He had no intention of turning and fighting the Ogres directly; though confident he could kill them, it would consume much energy, whereas killing Bear Dwarves was easier.

But after dispatching two more, Gamio sensed something was wrong.

The Bear Dwarves’ eyes blazed red.

Gamio’s unease grew. Earlier, these bandits had been panicked, making them easy targets. Now, they seemed transformed—when he cleaved one in two, the dwarf’s stone hammer swung at him in reckless fury. Though it missed, if they all fought like this, Gamio knew he would eventually be hit.

The Bear Dwarves charged madly toward the only area not engulfed in flames. Gamio tried to block them, but their red-eyed assault was relentless. After killing dozens, he felt exhaustion overtaking him and had no choice but to retreat as well.

In this way, the two special agents from Comminesson and the Hegel family were forcibly scattered amid the burning woods by the rampaging bandits.