…that he had already sold the earring to Agilo the Merchant. Strongarm finds Agilo and speaks to him; he is promised the lucky charm provided he makes a simple delivery.

The catch? The delivery is to Saanavarh, Mountain of the Wise.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

Leon deliberately trailed at the back of the group, just so he could watch and snigger as people laughed at the five idiots' stupid outfits. While Angelica was smothering her giggles, Olivia was openly laughing along with him. He could tell from the looks on their faces that they deeply regretted their life choices, which saddened him: if only they understood him, then he could mock them to their faces.

Such a waste.

They found Agilo attending his stall in Avrum Market, where he was selling all sorts of crap that wasn't relevant to their quest. Like everyone else managing the stalls, he was wearing a leather apron and leather boots. He was tall, buff and had a sickass goatee.

"Hi!" Julius smiled; he was the least self-conscious of the five due to wearing the least hilarious clothing, as by now Leon had been quadrupedal for long enough that people were starting to forget what he looked like. "You must be Agilo! We were told by the pawnbroker that he sold you an earring. Do you still have it?"

The merchant was immediately on his guard. "No," he said flatly. "Why do you ask?"

"We were asked to retrieve it by its original owner," explained Jilk. "Would it be possible for you to tell us who you sold it to?"

Agilo didn't look hostile, but didn't look particularly friendly either. "I'm afraid I can't. I gave that earring to someone very close to my heart; I have no inkling as to your character, and no idea as to the methods you may employ to get it back. You understand why I can't just reveal their identity on the spot."

"How dare you!" Instantly, Greg's hackles rose. "We would never-"

Leon swatted him to the ground and held him there, having discreetly increased in size until his paw was about the same size as his torso. "Shot in the dark," he said mildly. "But maybe someone who instantly resorts to temper tantrums and threats isn't the best person to give your loved one's personal address."

Olivia translated all of this. "I agree with him," she added afterward. "Just because you consider yourself a warrior doesn't mean that you can't be a gentleman too."

Greg looked utterly crestfallen at the put down; Leon removed his paw and shrank to his regular size. "Lord Strongarm?" Agilo whispered. "Is that you?"

"Sure is!" Leon allowed the merchant to shake his paw; Agilo was almost vibrating with excitement.

"Are you on an adventure?"

"We are," nodded Angelica courteously. "The last two people we spoke to had tasks for us to complete before they could help us; perhaps you have something we can do? To prove ourselves trustworthy, you understand."

The merchant shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, if you're with the legendary Strongarm, then it seems silly to keep doubting you…"

"No," coughed Greg, hauling himself to his feet. "You were right: you shouldn't have to give up your friend's information for no reason. I got angry at what I thought you were implying, and I acted as exactly the sort of person you were wary of." He bowed his head penitently, earning a few points with Leon. "I apologise."

If Greg hadn't been wearing his dumb loincloth disguise, it might have been easier to take him seriously. "That's quite alright," said Agilo soothingly. "We were all young once."

"It was my own fault," insisted Greg. "I… uh… I haven't been much help so far and I… I think I was taking my frustration out on you. The idea when we brought him with us was that he would be acting as a mentor; if you give us a pass based on his reputation, then we wouldn't be earning our way. Please, if you have a task, we can complete it. You have my word."

The people around them actually began to clap, causing the redhead to turn bright scarlet. "Aw," someone cooed. "He's blushing!" The applause became even louder; Greg sank his head into hands in boyish embarrassment.

"It's a good thing you're not wearing revealing clothing," said Chris dryly. "Or else this would be really humiliating!" This got him a punch in the arm.

"I do have one errand for you." Agilo rummaged in his pockets, pulling out a small pouch. "I have a bag of magical seeds that must be delivered to the Stronghold of the Dwarves."

Olivia gasped excitedly, suddenly leaning back into the flower child stereotype. "Magic seeds?"

"The Seeds of Aahur they are called. They will sprout anywhere, even on solid rock." He opened the pouch so they could have a closer look; they were the colour of milk, slightly smaller than apple seeds and completely spherical. "Take this bag to the dwarven merchant Elarh. You will find him in the Stronghold of Saanavarh. He will be obligated to pay you for the delivery, but he is notoriously tightfisted and will almost certainly try to short change you. Legally he owes you two thousand gold, but what you'll actually get is up in the air."

"That's fine," smiled Olivia. She accepted the bag and tied it to her necklace, allowing it to rest against her chest along with the snail shell amulet. "We're not in this for the money anyway."

"I am much obliged," bowed Agilo gratefully. "Elarh is well known, so you will have no problem finding him."

"So we're going to see the dwarves?" Julius squealed. Suddenly it was the Blood Barrier 2: Electric Boogaloo! "I can get us in there! My family has a pact with the Ulsadana!"

Olivia gave him a polite, blank smile. "The what now?"

"The Ulsadana," explained Angelica. "It's a word meaning Queen, Mother and Priestess. She acts as the ruler and spiritual leader of their race."

"We should go to the temple and ask the Hierophant for the Blade of Tarun," continued Julius. "It was a gift from the Ulsadana to my great great grandfather; if we have it, the dwarves should let us straight in."

The fairy now looked mildly concerned. "That sounds… immensely historically significant. Should we really be borrowing it?"

"I don't see why not," shrugged the Prince. "My dad borrowed it once just so he could sneak into Saanavarh and rent a dwarf prostitute."

"Oh, ew!"

"That's what she said," snorted Leon.

The party trooped over to the temple, where they quickly got startled looks for their dumb clothing. The Hierophant was finishing off a sermon as they approached, so they sat themselves on a pew and politely waited for her to finish. She was extremely beautiful, with soft, gentle features and one of the most voluptuous figures that Leon had ever seen. Her eyes were a very pale blue and her hair was a very pale blonde, and was so long that it hung to her thighs. She was wearing baggy white robes embroidered with gold, with a red sash tied around her waist to accentuate her hips and breasts. She had a crystal necklace in the shape of a cross and a red hood, with a funny hat that reminded Leon of something worn by the Pope in his previous life.

In his humble, unbiased, non-Christian opinion, the Pope's hat was better.

"She's so pretty," whispered Olivia. "I don't… I haven't seen anyone so pretty before in my life!"

"Fifty out of ten," agreed Leon. "Holy hell."

"Yeah…"

"She's as gorgeous as Mylene."

"Yeah…"

"Can you imagine if they kissed?"

"Yeah…"

Angelica glared at them; they guiltily fell silent, obediently sitting still until the sermon was over. Leon's tail began thumping furiously against the pew when the gorgeous woman finally came over to talk to them.

"Your Highness," she bowed, the very picture of grace and decorum. "We are most honoured by your visit."

Julius immediately became bashful and tongue-tied: this time Angelica didn't say anything, as she was fairly bashful and tongue-tied herself. "I-I-It's, uh, it's n-n-n-nice to meet you! You look… You look… Yeah."

The Hierophant laughed demurely, her pale eyes drifting to the black wolfdog. "I see you have brought a most distinguished guest: Huan Strongarm, the God Hound himself." She bowed deeply, getting startled looks from everyone in the cathedral. "I am Serbia Notre-Dame Paolo III, the current Hierophant of the Temple of the Saint."

Leon had never really taken the Temple seriously before; they didn't have the influence of the Royal Family, nor were they present in the original plot like the Monastery. But suddenly, seeing how this woman spoke and carried herself, it was like he had suddenly started referring to them with a capital T.

The woman had charisma. Buckets of the stuff.

"May I ask what you need?"

"R-Right!" Julius cleared his throat, making a conscious effort to keep from stammering. "We came for the Blade of Tarun. We have business in Saanavarh."

The temperature suddenly plummeted. Serbia was still smiling, but there was now a cold and judgemental look in her eyes. "Would this happen to be the same business your father had?"

"Um…"

"Not at all!" Olivia smiled. "We need to deliver magic seeds to a dwarf merchant on behalf of a human merchant so that he can tell us where to find a magic earring connected to a magic spirit that can turn dogs into human beings!"

For a long moment, the Hierophant just looked at her. "…I completely understand." She pulled the Blade of Tarun out her sash and pushed it into the Prince's hands; it was a jagged, mostly ornamental dagger forged from black metal with dwarven runes inscribed along its blade. "You kids have fun."

She wandered off, leaving the party to stare after her in bemusement. "Huh," blinked Leon. "That was painless."

Julius almost dropped the dagger in surprise. "Huan! Did you… Did you just…"

Olivia figured it out first. "The Blade! It must have the power to let you talk to animals!"

His eyes widened in childlike wonder. "This… This is incredible! Now… Now you can finally communicate with people other than-"

"About fucking time!" Leon interrupted. "I have so many things to complain about!"

Julius froze. "Uh…"

"What the hell did Angelica ever do to you?" Leon went on. "What, is it because she wouldn't let you be a cheating piece of shit like YOUR FUCKING DAD?"

"He wants to talk to you!" Julius blurted, shoving the Blade of Tarun into Jilk's hands.

"You tried to feed Olivia to the Warspawn?" Leon demanded. "You tried to feed Olivia to the FUCKING WARSPAWN?"

"Not it!" Chris almost dropped the priceless artefact as it was passed to him.

"Why are you so desperate to focus on swordsmanship? You have absolutely no defence against ranged attacks!"

"But now I have the-"

"I know you have the Sword of Spirits! I was there! And it's still not enough! Do you want to be like your father? Is that it? He has no job outside of teaching swordsmanship to knights, Chris! He is literally a glorified gym teacher!"

Chris threw the Blade of Tarun into the air, where it was safely caught by Greg. "Dude! This thing is fragile!"

"Why is your equipment so shitty?" Leon continued. It should be noted that most of the people around them were only hearing angry barking. Some of them were stopping to stare. "Is it an excuse? Do you just wanna say 'well, they only won because of their gear' every time you lose a fight? Does that make you feel better? If someone gets past you and kills a kid because your spear broke like a fucking toothpick, will that excuse make you feel better?"

"Nope!" Brad cringed with dread when it was his turn.

"Why? Why do you insist on charging into battle when you can't tell the ass end of your sword from the tip? You're a good magician, dumbass! What, did your stupid hair and stupid, contrived narcissism make you suicidal as well as vain? You act like Leeroy Jenkins, Brad! Is that who you want to be? Leeroy Jenkins?"

"Make it stop!" There were actual tears in his eyes as passed the Blade to Angelica. Leon suddenly stopped barking, cocking his head cutely.

"I have no problem with you," he said eventually. "You're doing a great job, and you're a credit to the party."

The Duke's daughter rewarded him with a surprised blush and a pleased smile. "Ah… thank you! That means a lot!"

Julius took back the Blade with a glare. "Maybe I should hold the priceless artefact."

Leon snorted with amusement. "Are you jealous?"

"I am not!"

"Julius!" Everyone cringed as Mylene marched in, glaring furiously at her renegade son. "When were you going to tell me about this trip of yours? Has your father been giving you ideas?"

"Nope," said Leon, and began padding away. "Don't want none o' that." Mylene grabbed the Prince by the ear and began to lecture him; the remaining love interests settled in to watch while Olivia followed the wolfdog. Angelica looked between the groups before throwing in with the fairy and the hound.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Olivia's dad," grunted Leon. "He told us this morning that he was rustling up something to make travel easier. Hopefully it's ready by now."

They trooped out of the cathedral and made their way back to the market square: Jarl was tending to his shop, while Rana and Cattleya were elsewhere. "Hi Dad!" Olivia smiled. "How's your morning going?"

"Can't complain." The blacksmith gave his adopted daughter a hug, looking curiously at her companion. "A friend of yours?"

Angelica flushed, dipping into an awkward curtsy. "I-It's nice to meet you, sir! My name is Angelica, and I-"

"Welcome!" Jarl boomed, startling her into silence as he swept her into a hug. "Any friend of Livia's is a friend of mine!" He turned to Leon with a massive grin. "It's ready by the way. Wanna see it?"

"Do I?" Olivia gushed. Father and daughter ran squealing into the back of the shop; Angelica was just about to follow them when she noticed the Huan plushie sitting on Jarl's counter. She looked at it, then at Leon, then back at the plush.

"Before you ask, yes: it is I."

Behind the shop was a small yard where Jarl kept his forge, and sitting in the corner was an enormous set of saddlebags. They were big enough to be slung across Leon's back when he was at maximum size, and the pockets were deep enough that he could carry quite a few people in each one.

"Jarl," said Leon flatly. "I'm going to be totally honest with you: I love everything about this."

"Isn't it great!" Jarl grinned. "Unlike a carriage you don't have to worry about damage to the wheels, so you can go as fast as you want!"

Angelica took a moment to figure out what they meant. "You mean you're going to carry people around. In your pockets. After turning into a giant dog."

"That is what we're saying, yes."

She looked positively starry eyed, like a child that had just walked in on Santa. "This is just like a real adventure!"

"Hey guys! Wait up!" The five dunderheads entered the yard, having entered uninvited like the rude assholes they were. "It's cool! My mom says I can go so long as Huan is there!"

"Urgh!" Leon gagged. "Babysitting!"

He had actually forgotten for a sec that Julius understood him. "You don't have to watch us all the time; we're bringing some extra bodyguards to lighten your load!"

Two very familiar members of the city guard were taking up the rear. "Haven't I seen the two of you before?" Jarl asked curiously. "It was during the UnFae Stampede, right?"

"Yessir," nodded Earis, shaking his hand politely. "The name's Griffith."

"Guts." The taller man gave the saddlebags an apprehensive look. "You're not planning to cart us around in that, right?"

"You'll be fine!" Olivia grinned. She helped Leon manoeuvre his way inside the rough fabric, allowing him to increase his height in brief stages as they made sure he had his limbs through all the right hoops. When he stood at full height the harness hung comfortably over his sides; while the bracelet had grown to match him the axe now looked comically small against his leg. "C'mon! Get in!"

"I really don't-" Guts sighed as the various bipeds dove into the massive pockets: Olivia shared the smallest pouch on his chest with Angelica, while Julius, Jilk and Chris seated on his right side as Brad and Greg settled in on his left.

Earis clapped his friend on the shoulder. "When you can't beat 'em: join 'em." As the smaller of the two, he entered the Prince's side while Guts reluctantly joined the two newest members of Leon's party. Despite the fact that they were all armed and jostling against one another it was surprisingly comfy; Jarl had made small partitions that separated the pouches for individual passengers, not unlike the hoops for pens that you sometimes saw in briefcases.

"There," said Guts. "We all fit. Now we really need to prepare-"

His voice cut off with a yelp as Leon leapt to his feet, jumping over Jarl's house into the square and scaring the dickens out of the unprepared pedestrians. He ran over Devil's Bridge into Avrum Market and exploded through the city gates, barking a greeting to the guards as he raced past.

"This is amazing!" Angelica screamed. All of Leon's passengers were enjoying the ride. Their reactions reminded him of a rollercoaster ride with his family in his previous life. "We're going so fast!"

Olivia's hair whipped behind her in the wind. "Is this what it's like being you?"

"Awesome, isn't it?"

After a few minutes of incredible speed the Mountain of the Wise came into view: the huge brown funnel was a former volcano, having been rendered inactive after the shifting of the dungeon beneath it cut off its supply of lava. A crack in the lip of the crater formed a passage into the empty caldera, where the dwarves had built the Stronghold of Saanavarh.

This broke the cliche of dwarves always living underground, which Leon appreciated: a subterranean city made much less sense when so much of the underground was occupied by the dungeon.

At the base of the mountain they were stopped by three dwarves; they wore intricately carved armour made from black and green stone, and had long hair in braids that hung to the middle of their backs. Their ears were pointed like an elf's; whereas the elves kept as slaves were evocative of Legolas, the ears of the dwarves were larger and floppier like Dobby from Harry Potter. Their long beards were also braided but with the moustaches shaved off, making their stony glowers that much scarier.

If they were intimidated by the enormous wolfdog skidding to a halt then they did an excellent job of hiding it. "We are Guardians of Saanavarh, the Mountain of the Wise. None but the dwarves may pass. Turn back from this place, or face the wrath of… What are you doing?"

"Give 'em a minute," said Leon blithely. He was laying flat on his belly, waiting patiently as the nine bipeds struggled out of the saddlebags. It took them long enough that the dwarves began to shift their weight awkwardly. One of them coughed into his fist.

"Greetings, Guardians of- Gah!" Julius tripped embarrassingly as he tripped over a rock. "Greetings, Guardians of Saanavarh. I am Crown Prince Julius Rapha Holfort, and I come bearing the dagger you gifted to my family."

He drew the Blade of Tarun, which the dwarves clearly recognised. The leader - the one who had spoken earlier - took the Blade and examined it carefully. "Are you checking to see if it lets you talk to animals?" Leon asked innocuously. The dwarf almost dropped the dagger on his foot in surprise. He stammered unintelligibly for a few seconds before getting a grip.

"Awuhwawa… We… W-W-We know this dagger as the Blade of Tarun! If… If indeed you are emissaries of the King of Holfort, you must appear before the Guardian of the Stone Portal. Follow us."

The dwarves led them through the last stretch of countryside, and soon the Stone Portal became visible against the mountain: it was a massive gateway set into the gap in the lip of the mountain, and was made of the same black and green rock as the dwarves' armour. It was the only possible entrance into the caldera, and was harder to infiltrate than the Royal Palace.

There was a platoon of dwarves waiting for them as they approached, glaring at them in intimidating silence. Leon was forced to remain at his giant size, knowing it would make carrying the sandbags much more awkward if he tried to shrink. They were all holding the favoured weapons of their race: katars, a kind of long push dagger that Leon knew was heavily poisoned. While he struggled to tell them apart based on sight, he felt it would be far easier if he relied on smell.

Their leader stepped forward. He was the most important dwarven NPC in the game besides the Ulsadana. "I am the Guardian of the Stone Portal," he said gruffly. His voice was unbelievably deep and cool. "You see before you the gates of Saanavarh, Mountain of the Wise and the last stronghold of the dwarves. You shall go no farther."

Without a word, Julius held out the Blade of Tarun. The Guardian inspected it, frowning as he turned the blade over in his hands.

"What fools we dwarves be, that one might buy our love with trinkets and false promises! Have you travelled all this way to give us this blade? If so, you may be off. We have riches enough to buy your king and all his realm!"

"We were asked to come here," said Leon, chiming in before Julius could get offended. The Prince didn't know it, but he had just saved them from a particularly inconvenient subplot. "We brought the Seeds of Aahur. I understand that your people need them."

Unlike everyone else that had heard him speak, the Guardian of the Stone Portal didn't blink. "I see," he muttered darkly. "Then I suppose you must be the God Hound of legends, is that not so?"

The warriors guarding the Portal began to whisper excitedly.

"I identify as a wolfdog," responded Leon, by this point more out of habit than anything else. "I'm surprised you've heard of me. I didn't think gossip travelled this quickly."

The Guardian's mouth twisted bitterly. "When the monks of Canaria were still knights, they ventured far and wide in search of forbidden knowledge: many of their scrolls were stolen from our halls. The visions they granted to our ancestors have long been passed down. Visions of you."

Leon's tail began to wag hopefully, accidentally smacking Brad over the head and knocking him flat on his face. "Does that mean we can come in?"

"It does," nodded the dwarf, prompting cheers and high-fives from the bipeds. "Welcome to Saanavarh."

The platoon of dwarves separated into two rows, forming a makeshift path towards the Stone Portal. The Guardian led them through the massive gates, granting them access to the Stronghold proper. To their credit, the dwarves could build some really cool shit: the city was a gorgeous mess of interconnected roads, stairs, walkways, archways and other architectural terms that Leon couldn't put a name to. Everything was made from the green and black stone, only now it was decorated with red gold mined from the dungeon below. Everywhere they looked was cast in shadow, as the rim of the dead volcano blocked the sun whenever it wasn't noon.

Funnily enough, the buildings almost resembled Mayan pyramids. Or Aztec pyramids. Honestly he had never left Japan, and really couldn't tell one Mesoamerican culture from the next. He made a mental note to Google it if he ever found himself back on Earth.

They were stopped in the middle of a wide street, where a few dwarf soldiers helpfully took Leon's saddlebags with the promise to return them once they were ready to leave. He was finally able to shrink to the size of a regular dog, wagging his tail gratefully. "There are ten members in your party," the Guardian observed. "In the interest of saving time, I recommend that you split into groups." He politely returned the Blade of Tarun to Prince Julius. "The God Hound must be brought before the Ulsadana. In the interest of time, I recommend that the rest of you finish your business while you wait.

In the end they split into groups of five: Leon, Olivia, Angelica, Earis and Guts accompanied the Guardian, while Julius and the other love interests were tasked with delivering the Seeds of Aahur. They ran off with a giddy squeal as soon as they received the pouch; Leon knew in his heart that Elarh would rip them off, but they weren't in it for the money anyway.

"I will take you to the Ulsadana," the Guardian declared. "Follow me and do not stray."

He led them to the palace at the centre of the caldera; it squatted between the other buildings like a scowling dragon, its thick walls and total lack of windows offering no obvious way for an invading army to infiltrate it. The entrance was a massive stone wall that slid up as they approached, opening into a narrow walkway with a plated gold railing. The Guardian stood off to the side and let them enter without him.

The two girls drew closer to him and nervously clung to his fur, while the two guards cautiously placed their hands on their weapons. Many balconies dotted the walls of the enormous room, and far below was a maelstrom of water that constantly twisted around a central pillar; this pillar supported the end of the walkway, and above it was a high, unreachable throne surrounded by four smaller chairs. On the throne sat the Ulsadana - High Priestess of the dwarves - and around her were the four Elders that offered her counsel. All five were ancient, stoic and solemn.

The Elders fell silent as they approached the dais at the end of the walkway.

"The Guardian of the Stone Portal brings strange tidings," rasped the Ulsadana. Her voice was as harsh as sandpaper and had a strange accent; Leon could only assume that she wasn't as accustomed to speaking his language as the other dwarves he had met. "The God Hound has come to the Mountain of the Wise. But I see he does not come alone. Who are your companions, Destroyer of UnFae?"

Olivia stepped forward first. "I am Oliviadarinellavanda, adopted daughter of Owen Jarl and a refugee from the Faelands."

There were hushed whispers amongst the Elders until the Ulsadana made them knock it off. "A fairy? Are you perhaps of the same kind as the Saint?"

"Apparently," she shrugged. "It's what people have been telling me."

"Curious." She turned her cold eyes on Angelica. "And you are…"

"I am Angelica Rapha Redgrave, daughter of Duke Vince Rapha Redgrave," she bowed solemnly. "It is a great honour to meet you."

"Do you understand the words of birds and beasts, Redgrave?"

She froze in horror. "I-I don't… I can't…"

"That is because you are the descendant of one of the Twin Saints," the Ulsadana revealed casually. "Only one of them had children: the other was of the same sort as the Child of Jarl."

"I'm a descendant of the Saint," whispered Angelica, then panicked as she fully processed the information. "There were two Saints?"

"Oh yeah," said Leon faintly. "We hadn't told you about that, had we?"

"Descendants of the Five Adventurers. Children with the magic of the Twin Saints. A God Hound with the bloodline of Twin Pupils. It seems that only the 9th Adventurer is without a successor."

The bracelet flashed as Onemore returned to his true form; the guards recoiled a little, having not yet been told who he was. "Greetings, oh Ulsadana," he bowed chivalrously. "I have been bound to my duties to Ikus Fou Seberg; I have had neither the time nor the inclination to establish a successor."

The ancient dwarf snorted in amusement. "I can't understand you," she chuckled. "But I should warn you: a day must come when you too must choose who to pass on your mantle. You should choose wisely when the time comes." She squinted at the freezing axe, which Moz had been holding as he transformed. "You must be the Madman's Axe. Truly, your suffering is without end: not even the God Hound can understand that which has no voice."

Leon gave Moz an odd look. "Where the hell is your voice coming from?"

"I'unno."

Attention turned to Earis as the Comet General turned back into a bracelet. "You are familiar to me. Are you perhaps descended from Griffith, standard bearer of Lord Falconeye?"

"I am!" Earis blinked. "Earis Griffith, at your service!"

The Elders were looking at the sword at his hip. "Lord Falconeye used up quite a few favours to have us craft that sword. Tell me: what did you name it?"

He placed his hand on the hilt, glancing at Leon through his visor. "Lionslayer."

"Lionslayer," repeated the Ulsadana. The Elders made a general noise of approval. "A strong name." Now she turned to Guts, who stared back with impenetrable cool. "You are mighty, even for a human. But your weapon is unworthy of your skill."

"I get by," he grunted. The Ulsadana smiled wryly.

"Maybe so. But if the idea of a new weapon does not offend you, perhaps you can take something off our hands." The palace gate opened behind them, allowing eight dwarf warriors to enter carrying a gigantic wrapped bundle. "We forged two swords for the standard bearer, but he only chose the one. The other we kept for safekeeping, until such time as a warrior capable of wielding it arrived in our halls." The dwarves placed the package at his feet, removing the wrapping reverently.

The weapon was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy and too rough. It was more like a large hunk of iron than a real blade. In a tremendous display of brute strength, Guts picked it up with one hand and held it over his head. "Beautiful," he whispered.

"Usually we let the wielders name our weapons," the Ulsadana explained. "But have kept this sword long enough that we have a nickname for it: Dragonslayer."

"Dragonslayer," repeated Guts, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I like that name."

His companions introduced, attention returned to the black wolfdog. "We know your destiny, Destroyer of UnFae, and we know of the Greatest Wolf to Ever Draw Breath. We know that, when it appears, it shall be your Doom to face it in battle. Because of this - because this battle cannot be avoided - we know that Fate will not allow the Wolf to be killed until the fateful hour is at hand. That makes it a threat to every living thing on the Central Holfort Continent."

"Oh damn!" Leon woofed. "I hadn't thought about it like that!"

"Could someone please explain who this Wolf is?" Angelica asked nervously.

"Unfortunately, we have not seen your future since the scrolls were stolen from us. You have been to the Monastery, so please: tell us when your destined battle will occur!"

"In a few months," answered Leon honestly. "Before the next winter's snow melted."

The dwarves went very quiet. "Thank you," said the Ulsadana eventually. "I… I did not expect the hour to be so close at hand. Please, go about your business. And ask the Guardian of the Stone Portal to come speak with us, if possible."

Leon and his friends shuffled out of the audience chamber, and soon the Guardian was kneeling on the dais in their place. "Your Holiness?"

"Commence the Wolf Siege."

"So who is the Wolf?" Earis asked. They were now strolling the streets of Saanavarh, and everyone but Olivia was very curious for context. "Is he like your fated rival or something?"

"Guys, I really don't want to talk about this…"

"Isn't this architecture incredible!" Olivia gushed. At first Leon thought she was trying to distract them on his behalf, but it seemed she was legitimately nerding out. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"I know!" Angelica beamed, positively vibrating with enthusiasm. "The signature style of the dwarves is blah blah blah…"

"Blah blah?"

"Blah blah blah blah!"

It was weird how whenever the two girls started bonding, it always seemed to involve architecture.

"Guys!" Leon and the guards had fallen behind far enough that Olivia and Angelica didn't notice when the five dipshits caught up. "I delivered the Seeds! We can report back to Agilo whenever you're ready!"

"Holy crap!" As a bigger sword geek than the team sword geek, Brad immediately noticed Guts and the Dragonslayer strapped to his back. "Where did you get THAT?"

"Pff," snorted Greg. "A true warrior doesn't rely on-"

"Shut up Greg!" Chris elbowed him out of the way, and soon most of the love interests were crowding around the two guards. Leon stood slightly apart from the others with the Prince at his side.

"Jules? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

His smile wavered slightly. "S-Sure. Whatever you say."

They wandered through the streets of Saanavarh, which was beginning to light up as the sun crested over the lip of the volcano. "You know Angelica had about as much choice in this engagement as you did, right? Punishing her for it doesn't solve anything."

Julius bristled, but quickly settled down. The main reason Leon felt comfortable bringing this up was because the Prince had looked visibly ashamed after trying to drive a wedge between the girls earlier that morning. At the end of the day he was a teenager, and a fairly developmentally stunted one at that. "I know, I… I'm sorry. I went too far. Earlier, I mean."

The wolfdog nodded solemnly. "I think you're right: about your parents, I mean. They don't treat you like an adult, and they should. It makes it harder for you to mature, and that's… that's really not on you. It's on them."

As much as Julius wanted to argue, the quiet, compassionate understanding in Leon's voice made him want to agree. It felt like Leon got it, in a way no one had ever really done before.

"Which is why I'm going to be your parent instead."

It took a moment for Julius to process this. "Excuse me?"

"If no one else is going to treat you like an adult, I'll just do it myself. If no one else tells you off when you're bad, I'll shout at you until my throat tears. If you make a girl cry, I'll beat you like a drum." Leon's tail began to wag as the idea grew on him.

"Y-You really don't need to do that…"

"If I don't, who will?" Leon nodded at the two girls. "First lesson: knowing when to say you're sorry."

Julius looked scandalised. "But I can't-"

"Don't you sass me young man!" Leon barked. "You feel it, don't you? The guilt? The shame? The regret? Well get used to it, because that is never going away! Not unless you make it better."

He shifted his feet; for a moment there was no Prince Charming, just an awkward, embarrassed kid. "Do I have to?"

"No."

His head jerked up in surprise. "Really? You won't be angry?"

"No, I wouldn't be angry. Just disappointed."

Julius just stood there for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked off. "Angie? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Olivia immediately made herself scarce. "Y-Yes?" Angelica stammered. "What is it?"

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry." Julius sighed, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Leon was right: this did make him feel better. "About what I said earlier, after we dealt with Cerval's men. That was… That was totally out of line, and I only said it because… I don't know why I said it. Spite, I think. You didn't deserve that."

Angelica's face flushed with surprise. "T-That's… Thank you. That means a lot."

Leon watched sadly as the apology played out. He realised, in his heart, that he was giving her false hope. He could tell from the look on her face that she thought she had a shot with him, when anyone who had played the original game could tell her she didn't. He had just knowingly hurt her, and probably no one would ever call him on it.

But without this apology, there would never be peace between them. It would be better to diffuse the resentment now in a controlled environment, or else the inevitable split would be that much worse.

Leon decided to keep telling himself that. Hopefully it would make him feel less shitty inside.

"Excuse me?" A dwarf priest had approached behind him, wearing ceremonial robes resembling those of the Elders and the Ulsadana. "Are you Huan? The God Hound?"

Leon gave him an odd look. "That depends: do you understand me when I answer?"

"I do," nodded the priest, surprising him. He bowed deeply. "I am the Keeper of Lore, second most high authority in Saanavarh besides the Ulsadana. We have many secret things to discuss."

Back at the Temple, Serbia Notre-Dame Paolo III walked alone down a long hallway. It led to the most secret, most holy place that her religion had.

"Your Holiness!" Sir Ammund of Osaan - who Leon had named the strongest knight in the Temple when he had visited with Olivia early that morning - marched up behind her. Although the Hierophant neither turned nor slowed, he easily caught up with her graceful stride. "Our spies have sent word: the God Hound has been admitted to the Mountain of the Wise. They were unable to follow, but I have their assurances that everything is proceeding as planned."

"Perfect," she smiled. "All is as the Lord wills it."

The room was guarded by men personally trained by Lord Ammund. They were all blind, deaf and fanatically loyal, ensuring they would reveal nothing of the Temple's most well kept secret. The Sanctum, as it was called, was a dark, dreary place carved out of ancient stone. There were no windows and no lights, save for those emanating from the statue. It depicted the Saint; a hooded, female figure no different from any other.

If Leon were there, it would have reminded him eerily of a certain statue of Marika from Elden Ring.

A few more people trickled in: Jerve the Elder, Tyraon the Wise and other people in the Temple's carefully selected Inner Circle. When everyone was present, Serbia took her place at the statue's feet. "We are gathered here today for the Hymn of our Lord and Master. Let your voices ring, let your heart sing, and let your love and loyalty be felt."

There was no music, no instruments of any kind. Just twelve soft voices, crooning with longing for their absent Lord.

Hush, now,

Hide all you little ones

Rush, now,

Into the middle of Nowhere

Singing and laughter will die

The room lit up as the statue began to glow. Serbia's back was to it, but she could see the looks of fanatical adulation creeping onto the faces of her peers.

Dreamless sleep

Follows the Nowhere King

When his kingdom comes

Darkness is nigh

She could see how the light danced across the walls as the statue began to move. She could hear it, like the creaking of your bones that only you could hear.

Quiet,

Crawl to the in-between

Silent,

Secretive feeling of fearsome

Hatred that reaches the skies

She could tell from the light that the statue had grown taller. Most of the Circle had fallen to their knees and spread their hands in worship, but their voices remained calm as they sang. Nothing could disturb the sanctity of the Hymn. Not even their own worship.

You will bring

Joy to the Nowhere King

When he sees the light

Leaving your eyes.

As the Hymn finally finished, Serbia was able to turn around. The statue now depicted a man. He looked exactly like Leon Fou Bartfort, except for two pupils in his right eye.

"Hail the Lord and Master," whispered the Hierophant. "Hail the Prime Demon King. Hail Twin Pupils, the One True God of our Order."

"Hail," the Circle whispered back.

At the statue's feet was a large granite tablet, carefully maintained by generations of Circle members for an unfathomable length of time. On it was a detailed list of important events in Holfort's history (more than the tablet could contain, thanks to magic that none of them understood) beginning after its founding and leading all the way to the present day. Each event had instructions for the Inner Circle to follow, as though someone had known each event was coming in advance.

Chills would have gone up Leon's spine if he could read it. The sword that Julius had won from the Oak Leaf Contest - the sword that Leon himself had named Perseverance - had been retrieved by the Circle according to these instructions.

According to these instructions, they had snuck the sword into the Royal Treasury. They had allowed Julius to find it, leading to the creation of the Oak Leaf Contest itself. They had watched the docks everyday, and had been left breathless when Leon had stepped off. The tablet had gone into uncharacteristic detail on his visit, describing everything he had done since arriving.

On the first day he had delivered the Lionslayer, joined the Oak Leaf Contest, cured Crazy Iven and broken Jinyan out of prison before spending the night at Aravind's place.

On the second day he had retrieved Zane's bow for the Great Ragneli, saved Julius and Jilk from Lord Korel, helped find an Oak Leaf in exchange for their help finding one of his own, watched Iven get kidnapped, attended the award ceremony, enlisted Roland's help in rescuing his friend and Liliana and battled the Stampede of UnFae before spending the night at the palace.

On the third day he tracked down Olivia and had his first meeting with Elodach, leading to his transformation into the God Hound. On his return to Holfort he was put on the trail of the Encyclopaedia of Heresies, leading to his quest to retrieve Torvel's eyes, his meeting with the Elder Dragon Ceadeus, his battle with the giant salamanka and his first discovery of his new powers.

On the fourth day he journeyed to the Monastery of Canaria in search of the next Volume, defeating the first Warmother along the way. The tablet described his first meetings with Chris, the Versa Pietru and Moissa Onemore, of the final death of Ikus Fou Seberg and the awakening of Canaria Fia Arclight. It described the prophecy of the Greatest Wolf to Ever Draw Breath, the encounter with Silver, the Primordial Witch of Snow, and the alternative cure offered by the Harp of Dreams. It even described the skirmish with the second Warmother on the return trip.

That was yesterday. It was now the fifth day.

"Lord Huan is searching for the earring," proclaimed Serbia. "We have little time remaining." She gestured to the tablet, which everyone in the Inner Circle had examined at one point or another. "According to the Legacy of Lord Twin Pupils, he will visit two locations before the day is over: Saanavarh, Mountain of the Wise, and the Gehemene Marshes, where the Lord and Master first encountered Sir Moissa Onemore. He has already reached the Stronghold; we don't have much time."

She pointed at the tablet, right at the end of the fifth day.

"At the end of the fifth day after his arrival in Holfort, the Exile will begin. The God Hound will be banished far away, and the kingdom will be decimated by the UnFae."

There were worried mutters from the other members of the Circle. "It gets worse," grunted Ammund. "Huan cannot enact his battle with the Wolf for months yet. Without his Doom drawing him back, we have no idea how long we will need to survive without his help."

"We have nothing to fear," smiled Serbia radiantly. "Since the dawn of our Order, we have prepared for this day. For this hour. This moment. All as the Prime Demon King commanded us. We just need to remember that Elodach is not the true threat: our true enemies are, and have always been, the Twin Saints."

She met the gaze of each member of her Inner Circle one at a time. Each of them gave her the same look.

They were ready.

"Commence Project Eden."

Side Quest: Seeds of Aahur

Summary: another side quest from Summoner, it is originally given to you by a man named Beelon not far from Crazy Iven. Unlike Agilo, he doesn't bother to prepare you for Elarh's dickishness; the part about him shortchanging you is absolutely true, and the highest you can get him to pay is still only half of what he owes you.

The dwarf culture is an adaptation of the Khosani, who are basically dwarves anyway. And yes: these are the same dwarven ninjas mentioned all the way back in Chapter 12. Likewise, the Blade of Tarun is how the protagonists find them after finishing up in Iona.

Serbia is a character lifted from Hundred; her name has been translated as Serbia, Selvia and Serivia, so I just picked the one I liked the most. If you are familiar with her home series, then you should realise why she fits so incredibly well with a shady religion like the Temple of the Saint.

I'm not going to explain the Elden Ring reference at the end. Either you get it or you don't.