“Are we just going to rush in? Without any plan?” Lyra asked Bromgar.

  Bromgar looked at her. “No, we aren’t. Now listen, everyone,” he shouted.

  “The Nyctona’s homes are all spread out. And this can be a trap too. So we hundred dwarves will also enter with a plan.”

  He was about to speak more but got interrupted by a loud bell that came from the Nyctona settlement.

  Three loud bangs rang out, freezing everyone in place.

  Arix’s heart started beating fast. "Is this an attack?" Arix said, unsheathing his sword.

  “No one seems to be coming our way,” Bromgar said. “But stay alert. Anything can happen.”

  Every dwarf got on guard, ready for an ambush.

  Soon after the bell rang, a few Nyctona were seen getting out of their houses.

  Lyra was the first to notice them. She alerted everyone.

  Bromgar commanded, “Wait. Let’s see what they do.”

  Everyone halted and watched the Nyctona.

  Soon after, more Nyctona came out of their houses, and then more. Not long after, the whole settlement was crawling with them. They were walking from one corner to another. Some were setting up their shops, and a few were talking to each other.

  But something was different. All the Nyctona looked like women or children. There were no male Nyctona visible in the settlement. The women also walked naked. Their large, dark breasts and long white hair clearly distinguished them from the males.

  Rurik was standing in front of the army. After observing the settlement, he said, “There are no men in this settlement, it seems.”

  “Did you see any men when you came here, Balrik?” Bromgar asked.

  “Yes, but only a few of them,” Balrik answered, looking at the settlement.

  “There are no horses either. Are all the men out on some hunt or another raid?” Arix asked.

  “Is it possible that they attacked the dwarf village while we are here to attack their base?” Tarin said.

  “No. We didn’t see them on our way. And if they took another route, it would take them days to reach the village, as they would have to cross the River Sara,” Bromgar answered.

  “What should we do? Should we attack them?” Rurik asked.

  Bromgar stood there in silence for a while. He kept staring at the people of Nyctona going about their daily lives. They had no idea someone was at their entrance, ready to attack at any time.

  After a while, the dwarf army started muttering among themselves. Many sat down on the ground, waiting for Bromgar’s decision.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "We are not going to attack women and children," Arix said.

  “We should not. They have nothing to do with your revenge,” Tarin said, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree.

  “But they killed our children and women too. What about that?” Balrik hissed at Tarin.

  “If we do the same, then what’s the difference between us and them?” Arix answered.

  Bromgar stayed silent through the conversation.

  “Who cares about the difference? We should take our revenge,” Rurik said.

  “Yeah, he is right. We should take our revenge,” another dwarf from the army said.

  Soon every dwarf in the army started chanting the same words. “We should take our revenge.”

  Arix looked at the group, who were already staring at him.

  “Silence.” Bromgar raised his hand, and everyone went silent instantly.

  "You are right, Rurik. We will take our revenge," Bromgar said.

  “What are you saying? These women and children did nothing to you,” Arix said to Bromgar.

  “Silence, boy. You don’t know anything. They killed my boy when he was just a kid. You think I am going to let them just walk free? They will pay for what they did,” Bromgar raised his voice.

  "But—" Arix got interrupted

  Bromgar pointed his sword toward the settlement and screamed, "Chargeee!" and ran toward the village.

  Every dwarf followed him and ran toward the village, screaming.

  Arix, Meilie, Tarin, and Lyra stood there in the same spot. They watched as every dwarf entered the settlement and started killing the Nyctona.

  A few women tried to defend themselves but were unable to.

  Arix’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open when he saw the blood and the bodies of Nyctona lying there.

  Soon after, Arix started walking toward the settlement. Lyra and Meilie followed him. Tarin was still standing by the tree. He didn’t enter the settlement.

  As soon as Arix entered, he saw blood all around.

  Bodies of Nyctona lay all around. From his left, he heard the cry of a Nyctona child sitting beside his mother's body.

  Arix kept walking and came upon the dead body of a Nyctona who was pregnant.

  In front of him, a Nyctona was begging for her life. She was surrounded by three dwarves.

  “Please. Don’t kill me. Please,” she screamed, leaning against the wall and waving her hands for them not to kill her. But the dwarves didn’t stop. They sliced her throat with their small swords and went ahead to kill the other Nyctona.

  Arix kept watching without doing anything. Soon after, he got overwhelmed. His vision blurred as he walked beside a wall and sat there silently, putting both hands on his head.

  Lyra and Meilie were standing beside him.

  After some time, the sun started setting. The cawing of crows echoed throughout the settlement. Some of them landed on the bodies and began eating them.

  Arix kept watching them silently. Lyra and Meilie sat beside him. Tarin was still outside, also observing everything.

  Arix looked to his left and saw Bromgar coming with his army. It looked like they had already killed everyone in the village.

  Upon reaching, Bromgar said, “Let’s go, boy. We don’t know when other Nyctona will arrive. They will kill you if they spot you.” He walked away with his army after saying that.

  After the army left, Tarin also arrived in the village. He reached where Arix was sitting. “We should leave too.”

  Lyra and Meilie stood up.

  “All of them are monsters,” Lyra said, looking at the corpses.

  “They sure are,” Tarin answered, also looking at the corpses.

  “Arix, stand up,” he said, but Arix didn’t respond.

  Tarin sighed, stepped forward, and picked Arix up by his arm.

  “They killed everyone,” Arix whispered after finally standing up with Tarin’s help.

  "Let's confront them," Tarin said, pointing toward the direction the army had gone.

  Ruins Of Dara

  by TiltedPanda

  What To Expect:

  - Atmospheric scenes with frequent action

  - Powerful abilities

  - Initially weak MC who must progress and grow beyond his limits

  Upload Schedule:

  - Advanced chapters available through Patreon