It's around ten at night. The others are happily snoozing away, preparing for what is soon to come. I am currently frying the dwarven equivalent of a full English breakfast, just add more mushrooms and skimp on the non-meats.

The aroma seems to have roused Harrn from his sleep a little earlier than expected. He walks into the kitchen, taking a seat, still somewhat lethargic.

I address him without turning around, focused on my task, "Nerves?"

He yawns. "A bit, and someone making all this racket. Should I go wake them?"

I chuckle quietly. "No, let the kiddos have their sleep. A few hours can make quite the difference. And I wanted to speak with you, anyway. Privately."

Harrn gains a jolt of energy, his voice filled with concern. "What is it?"

I don't answer immediately, plating up some of the finished dish. I place one of the plates in front of him and take the other to my seat. I pour us each a tankard of beer.

"What do you think?" I ask.

Harrn looks at me for a few second but then tries a piece of fried mushroom. Satisfied with the taste, he checks out a sausage too. "Stonefist can truly do it all. Reminds me of..." He continues with his meal, reluctant to finish that sentence.

"Thank you." I try some too. It's an improvement but not by much. I really need to ask Ulorn for more tips. "When this is finished, and we are the winners rather than the losers, the people will need someone to rally behind."

Harrn looks up from his plate. "I will support you, Belhir."

I grin at him, shaking my head in amusement. "Who would want to follow this dusty codger?" Then my face turns serious. "It must be you. Why do you think I am here."

The dwarf is surprised at my statement for a moment but then sighs deeply. "I am no ruler."

"No, you are not. But the people don't need any more rulers. They need servants. They need someone that cares for them, not someone to exploit them. And you, my friend, you will be that someone." I take a sip of beer, enjoying the taste. "You won't be alone, of course. No more tyrants."

Harrn drinks a big gulp, echoing my words, "No more tyrants..."

"Out with it."

He looks me in the eyes, tears gathering in the corners. "Why couldn't you have done this sooner?" The words click in his mind just as he said them. Shame flashes across his features, his gaze turning away from me.

I let his question sit for a moment. And then say, "I wish I could have."

"Belhir... I didn't mean..." Harrn stops himself, contemplating for a moment. He looks at me again. "I can't lose them too."

I sigh out, "I know. I won't let that happen. I swear it on my life."

He looks toward the doorway, most likely picturing his two children sleeping soundly in their beds. "I accept my duty."

I smile at him. "Your people thank you, Harrn Gittirsson."

We finish up our food in silence.

Before Harrn can go get a few extra hours of sleep himself, I address him, "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Mara."

"Iffir's shadow?"

"When the time comes, you will have a decision to make." He nods, but then, his eyes grow wide.

***

Around one o'clock, all three dwarves start waking up, and soon join me in the kitchen.

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"Kept some warm for you," I say to the two younger ones.

Tiff nods in thanks, grabbing a plate.

Nilla chuckles at me. "Don't you sleep, old man?"

"Bah. Too amped up for snoozing. There'll be time for that when we are done. Real quick one today."

The two start digging into the meal I made, seemingly enjoying the taste. Nice. While they are eating, I recheck everything and issue some final commands, shifting some positions around.

Harrn is looking at them with concern. The two read his emotions easily, choosing to ignore a lot of possible conclusions they have all come up with. Silence and despair as thick as tar cling around the people around me. There is a sliver of doubt, doubt that what they are about to do will only make things worse. I share that doubt, but I do not let it overpower me. The entirety of the empire is at my fingertips. Every person and golem tracked with precision. Time to go.

With no need for words, we group up. A transparent bubble envelops us, the surface of the barrier twisting the outside world into barely recognizable shapes. We blink away.

I point to the rocky ground. The dirt lifts away, revealing another bubble, this one shimmering. I poke it lightly with my finger, popping it with ease. There are four leather pouches, one marked with a notch. We each grab one, with Nilla getting the one meant for her. I cover back the hole. We blink away.

Harrn checks a pocket watch, nodding. Tiff spreads his arms, expanding the twisting barrier.

I whisper out, "Ten." Then I point in three directions, taking the fourth myself.

We each follow our lines, reaching into our pouches and pulling out metal spheres the size of a fist and with a small spike protruding out. The spheres are then gently driven into the ground. When a few seconds pass, they bury themselves fully, leaving only a small disturbance on the earth. After walking another twenty meters, the process is repeated. When we finish, we group up again and blink away.

The process is repeated at nine more intersections. When our supply of spheres is exhausted, we blink to another location, digging out the ground and collecting four more pouches. We each throw our previous bags in the hole, with Nilla pulling out a mana potion out of hers first, drinking it quickly. The hole is covered up. We blink away.

Harrn checks his watch again, making a sharp nod right after. We cover another intersection. And another. And twelve more. Then we cover some lone track. And then another. And then twenty more. After around two hours of this, we blink back to the house.

Nilla wobbles, but before she can collapse, Harrn catches her. She leans on him and barely speaks out, "Night night." Her father helps her to her room, leaving me and Tiff behind.

"Get some sleep, lad," I say. "Tomorrow will come either way."

"I'll wait for it to happen."

"Then grab us a beer." He does just that, handing me a full tankard. I take a small sip. A frown forms on my face, making me put the drink down. "If this fucking prick ruins beer for me, I am going to strangle him myself." Tiff cracks a smile, just a touch strained, happy for any distraction.

Harrn returns and places his pocket watch on the table, taking a seat. The little thing moves without a sound. We stare at it.

Three. Two. One. A distant explosion can be heard, turning the calm night into anything but.

Two percent of all underground railway tracks destroyed by enchanted explosive devices placed by dwarven rebels. Thirty-seven percent of all underground railway tracks destroyed by me. Seventeen percent of all railway intersections destroyed by dwarven rebels. The rest destroyed by me. Eighty percent of all unmanned trains currently running are completely destroyed. Fifty percent of all manned trains are disabled. Seventy percent of all train depots are partially destroyed. Eighty-five percent of factories and workshops that take part in the production and maintenance of the railway system are partially destroyed. Loss of life is zero. We just stabbed the heart of the empire, burst its arteries, and clogged its veins. Your move, Iffir.

Tiff and Harrn whip their heads to the closest window, almost expecting to catch a glimpse of a giant fireball.

I drain my tankard. "Goodnight, fellas." The two don't respond, still stuck looking at the empty night sky.

I swing by Nilla's room. Her door is open. The dwarf is sitting in bed, staring at nothing. I step a touch harder, producing a sound.

She turns to me. "Belhir... I don't think I can go back to sleep."

I enter the room and crash down on the floor next to her bed with a groan. "You owe me a big one, lassy. Do you know how hard it is to get back up?"

She chuckles. "Don't act like you have one foot in the grave, old man. I saw you running around. Are you even tired..." She looks away, falling into thought again.

"Everything went fine. Who do you think made the plan," I say, drawing her focus again. Then I point a thumb at my face, grinning widely. "His imperial soldiers are scratching their heads as we speak. I've been filling those hard noggins with so much disinformation, they are probably mistaking smoking craters for natural formations. They won't catch a single dwarf."

Nilla yawns and lies down. "Where are you from, Belhir?"

My voice is quiet, slowly reminiscing. "It's been so long, I hardly remember the name. Some place far, far away from here. Most likely marked on a single old map, crumpled and stuffed behind some books in a long-forgotten library. Who's to say it even exists anymore." I shake my head. "But I can still picture it perfectly in my head, like I was there just yesterday. There was this big tree near our house. As tall as a mountain it seemed. I used to play under it." I quickly add, "And up, of course. Good thing my own noggin is the hardest material to ever exist." I tap my knuckles against my head. "Unbreakable."

I hear her breathing softly, her eyes closed.

I get up and exit the room, closing the door behind me. Harrn and Tiff are waiting outside. We look at each other for a moment and go to our own rooms, finally ready to rest.

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