Something the chief had said caught Liliana's ear, her eyes narrowing as she pieced it together. "Cage the beast? You didn't curse his daughter to break him; you knew nothing would ever stop him from trying to destroy you. You cursed her to trap him... knowing he'd do anything to save her, to keep him stuck."

Bihiro's lips curled into a slow, mocking smile, dark amusement gleaming in his eyes. "So, one of you is not entirely stupid." His voice dripped with satisfaction as he continued. "Yes, we knew we couldn't break him in battle. Rothgar would tear through everything in his path. But the man has a weakness, a tether. And now, he's bound to his daughter, trapped in a fight he can't win. Now, he's nothing more than a dog, trapped in his own rage, running in circles, exhausting himself."

"So, the curse wasn't just a punishment. It was a way to contain him." Liliana said.

"Contain him? Call it whatever you like. Rothgar has become a slave to his own weakness. And it's poetic, isn't it? That the mighty Butcher, the unstoppable warlord, can't break free from the one thing he loves most. Mighty Rothgar brought down by his own child."

He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "He's terrified to leave her side for too long, afraid that without him, the curse will consume her. As long as he stays holed up in his fortress, we're free to fight on. We don't have to worry about him storming through our lands, slaughtering us by the thousands."

Kale felt the pieces falling into place, the truth sinking in like a blade. "So... you've known all along that you couldn't beat him in battle. The curse was meant to keep him away."

Bihiro's mocking smile grew wider, dripping with cruel delight. "Exactly. As long as Rothgar believes he can save her, he'll keep running in circles, chasing a hope that's already dead. And while he wastes his life clinging to that illusion, we're free to fight on without that animal tearing us apart. Scared of him? No. We've already caged him, trapped him in a prison of his own making."

Bihiro's mocking smile remained fixed as he leaned back on his throne, clearly savoring the moment. "Rothgar's obsession with saving his daughter has become his prison. He spends every waking moment trying to undo the curse, thinking his rage can somehow keep her alive. He won't leave her side for long because the moment he does, he fears she'll slip away. And that's where we've trapped him, his heart, his rage, all tied to a battle he cannot win."

"He believes that if he just fights hard enough, he'll eventually find a way to break the curse. But it's all a lie—a lie we've fed him. And while he clings to that hope, like a dog chasing its own tail, he stays within the walls of his fortress. As long as he does, the war continues on our terms, not his."

"So, no. We're not afraid of Rothgar. Not anymore. We've caged the beast, and we've left him to tear himself apart from the inside."

"So you're saying that the curse can't be lifted?" Liliana said.

Bihiro's smile twisted, his amusement deepening as he leaned forward. "Lifted?" he repeated, almost as if the idea was laughable. "No. The curse was never meant to be lifted. It was meant to bind him forever, to keep him trapped in his own torment, his daughter just out of reach but never truly lost."

He paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing with cold satisfaction. "You see, Rothgar's greatest strength—his rage, his drive—is also his downfall. As long as he believes he can save her, he will never stop. And that's the beauty of it. We don't need to fight him directly. The curse ensures that Rothgar is already at war… with himself."

"There has to be a way. No curse is unbreakable," Liliana said.

Bihiro's mocking laughter echoed in the room. "If there is a way, it's not something you or Rothgar will ever find. His obsession, his rage, it fuels the curse, strengthens it. To break it? He'd have to let go of the very thing that keeps her alive."

Rika, who had been quietly absorbing the conversation, finally spoke up, her tone light but edged with frustration. "You know, this isn't really going how I thought it was going to go. We were supposed to come here, get some answers, maybe a lead on breaking the curse, and now we're hearing that this whole thing was set up to keep him trapped forever?"

She shook her head, her usual grin nowhere to be seen. "I don't know about you guys, but 'unsolvable curse' wasn't exactly the plan I had in mind."

Kale sighed, rubbing his temple. "It wasn't mine either."

Liliana remained focused on Bihiro. "There has to be more. Something we're missing."

Bihiro chuckled, amused by Rika's outburst. "You expected this to be easy? Rothgar's suffering isn't just the result of some ancient spell you can wave away with a bit of magic. The curse is woven into his very being now. And that's the point—you came looking for answers, but all you've found is the truth. It's not something that can be fixed."

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Rika frowned, locking eyes with Bihiro, her patience clearly worn thin. She stepped forward, her warhammers shifting on her back as she squared up to him. "Well, chief, I hate to say this, but we need Rothgar and his rage. And you? We don't need."

Bihiro's mocking smile faltered as Rika continued. "So here's how this is going to go. You're either going to tell us how to lift that fucking curse, or I'm going to start using this big ol' hammer of mine to smash heads until someone does. We don't have time for this shit, and we sure as hells don't have time for your psychotic stories."

She took another step closer. "You think Rothgar's the only one who's messed up? Look around, chief. You're just as messed up as he is. You're both stuck in this nightmare, but we're not going to sit around and listen to your war stories while the world falls apart."

Kale and Liliana exchanged a quick glance, surprised at Rika's outburst, but neither of them moved to stop her.

Bihiro's face darkened, the mocking smile gone, replaced with a hint of something far more dangerous. He leaned back in his throne, his tattooed face unreadable for a moment, before his lips twisted into a sneer.

"You think you can threaten me, Rikada scum? You think your hammer scares me? Rothgar's rage may be bound, but you have no idea the forces you're toying with."

Rika pulled out Hammer of the Hiwani. "Yeah, well, here's the thing. I simply don't care. We've fought bigger threats than you, and right now, your attitude is the only thing standing between us and breaking this curse. So unless you want to be next on my list, I suggest you start talking."

Rika took another step toward Bihiro. "I don't even know what the fuck Rikada scum is, but whatever it means, it doesn't change the fact that you're standing in the way of what we need. You think your curse is untouchable? You think you're untouchable? Guess again. I'm done playing these games."

"You think you can intimidate me?" Bihiro said.

Rika's patience snapped. She screamed, "We don't have time for this shit!" as she raised her warhammer, her voice echoing through the hall. The sound of her threat reverberated off the walls, and the guards moved to defend their leader, stepping forward with weapons drawn.

Bihiro raised his hand sharply. "Enough!" he barked. His guards paused, waiting for further instruction, but their weapons remained poised.

"You think you can force me to undo the curse?" His eyes flashed with contempt, but there was a flicker of hesitation behind them. "You have no idea the cost of what you ask."

Rika's breathing was heavy, her knuckles white on the grip of her warhammer. "Then what will it take, huh? What do we have to do to lift the curse? Cause I am done with this shit."

Kale stepped forward, his voice more measured but filled with the same urgency. "We're not here to fight you. We don't want more bloodshed, but we need Rothgar. He's the only one who can stop Xeroth. And if this war continues, none of us will be left to fight him."

"And what makes you think Rothgar can be trusted?" Bihiro asked. "You think he'll just walk away from this war? After everything?"

Liliana floated closer, her voice calm but firm. "We'll make sure of it. Rothgar will stop the war if you release the curse. He's not just fighting you, he's fighting to save his daughter. If you let his daughter go, he'll have no reason to continue."

Bihiro hesitated. "You would promise me this? That the Butcher will lay down his weapons? That his war ends with the curse?"

Kale nodded. "We'll make him stop. End the war. Just release the curse. Free his daughter, and Rothgar will no longer have a reason to fight."

For a long moment, silence hung in the air. Bihiro's eyes shifted between the three of them, and for the first time, the tension in the room seemed to waver. He was weighing something, the hatred in his eyes battling with a deeper conflict inside him.

Finally, Bihiro let out a long, slow breath. "If I lift the curse... and Rothgar continues his war... there will be no more talking. No more negotiating. We will finish this, and the Butcher will fall."

Kale held his gaze. "He won't continue. We'll make sure of it."

Bihiro stared at them for another long moment before giving a slight nod. "Fine. I will lift the curse. But remember this—if Rothgar betrays your word, there will be no mercy."

The tension in the room shifted as Bihiro's agreement hung in the air. Rika lowered her warhammer slowly, the anger still simmering in her eyes but tempered by the slight victory.

Kale exhaled, trying to steady himself. "How do we break the curse?"

Bihiro stood from his throne, his tattooed face shadowed with weariness. "Breaking the curse won't be simple. It was woven with blood and rage, bound to Rothgar's soul. The spell can be undone, but there is a price."

"What price?" Liliana asked.

Bihiro looked at her, then to the others. "Rothgar's life force is what sustains her. The curse has become a part of him. If it is lifted, there's a chance... it could kill him."

Kale's heart sank. "So we might save his daughter, but lose him?"

Bihiro nodded grimly. "Yes. And even if it doesn't kill him outright, it will leave him weakened. He won't be the warlord you're counting on to lead your defense against Xeroth. He will be a shadow of the man he was."

Kale's brow furrowed. "But you said his rage is tied to it. If we break it, won't that free him?"

Bihiro hesitated, then sighed. "Perhaps. But Rothgar without his rage may not be the force you need. His anger has kept him alive, kept him fighting. Without it..." His voice trailed off, but the implication was clear.

Kale stood silent, the decision pressing down on him. He looked at Rika and Liliana, searching their faces for answers, but neither spoke. He turned back to Bihiro. "We don't have a choice. If we leave the curse, this war will never end, and Xeroth will consume everything."

Bihiro crossed his arms, his expression hardening again. "Very well. I will prepare the ritual to lift the curse. But know this—if Rothgar survives and breaks his word, I will personally see to it that his end is far more painful than anything Xeroth could bring."

Kale nodded. "He won't break his word. We'll make sure of it."

Bihiro's eyes flickered with a brief hint of doubt, but he waved them off. "Then meet me at the ritual site. We will need to perform the ceremony at dusk. Bring Rothgar and his daughter, or this will all be for nothing."

As Bihiro turned to leave, Rika leaned closer to Kale, muttering under her breath, "So, no pressure or anything."

Kale managed a small, strained smile. "Yeah... no pressure."

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