Chapter 659 Elaris Village

One by one, the missions had been assigned, and with every new assignment the atmosphere inside the dwarf’s underground workshop became heavier. What had started as an exciting opportunity to receive specially crafted weapons had slowly transformed into something much more serious.

The dwarf had made it very clear that these were not ordinary errands. Every mission had been designed to push them to their limits, and the neural crawlers inside their brains would record everything they did. Their movements, their abilities, their instincts, their decisions and even the mistakes they made would eventually become the foundation upon which their weapons were created.

By the time only Liam and Irina remained, everyone had already received their assignments and was waiting to hear what the final mission would be.

The dwarf motioned for the two of them to follow him. Instead of walking toward the main part of the workshop, however, he led them through another enormous section hidden behind several machines. Liam immediately noticed that this part of the underground facility looked different.

The walls were smoother and far cleaner, and faint blue lines of light ran through the dark stone like veins beneath skin. Irina walked beside Liam, her eyes moving constantly as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Neither of them said anything as they continued deeper into the workshop until the dwarf finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a large table made from a strange black material. There was no ordinary map lying across its surface. Instead, the entire thing seemed to be alive.

Liam’s eyebrows slowly rose.

Irina stopped beside him.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

The map stretched across almost the entire surface of the table, displaying mountains, forests, rivers, valleys, roads and settlements with an astonishing level of detail. But it wasn’t simply a map. The rivers actually moved. Tiny streams of blue light flowed through the landscape as though real water were traveling across miniature terrain. Small glowing marks moved along roads, representing travelers or caravans. Clouds even drifted slowly across certain regions while faint symbols appeared and disappeared above settlements. It didn’t merely show where things were. It showed what was happening.

Liam leaned slightly closer.

"This is..."

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Irina stared at the moving rivers with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. "I’ve never seen anything like this."

The dwarf gave a satisfied grunt before pointing toward a distant section of the map. A small region immediately expanded beneath his finger, revealing a cluster of buildings surrounded by farmland and forest.

"This," he said, "is Elaris Village."

The name immediately caught Liam’s attention.

The dwarf’s finger remained over the settlement as the image zoomed in even further. Tiny houses appeared across the map, along with narrow roads connecting them. There were fields surrounding the village and a dense forest stretching several miles beyond it.

"Some time ago, people there started dying in their sleep," the dwarf explained. His voice had lost the teasing quality it usually carried. "Others didn’t die. Their bodies remained alive, but their minds were gone. Their consciousness was sucked away, leaving them little more than vegetables."

Irina’s expression hardened.

Liam’s eyes remained on the map.

The dwarf continued, "Nobody knows what’s causing it. They don’t know if it’s a creature, magic, curse or something else entirely. Your job is to go there, investigate the cause and solve the problem."

There was a moment of silence.

Liam looked at the map.

Then he looked at the dwarf.

Then back at the map.

"That’s it?"

The dwarf raised an eyebrow.

Liam shrugged. "I mean, it sounds bad, obviously. People losing their minds and dying in their sleep isn’t exactly pleasant, but you made it sound like we were being sent somewhere where we’d probably die."

Irina slowly turned toward him.

"Liam."

"What?"

"You just heard that people are having their consciousness sucked out of their bodies and you’re calling it easy?"

Liam looked at her.

"When you put it like that, it sounds worse."

Irina stared at him in disbelief.

Liam returned his attention to the dwarf. "Still, we’ve dealt with worse."

The dwarf simply smiled.

He didn’t argue.

That smile immediately made Liam suspicious.

There was something about it that bothered him.

The old dwarf looked like someone who knew something Liam didn’t.

But instead of explaining, he simply turned around and said, "Come."

Liam and Irina exchanged a quick glance before following him back toward the others.

When they returned to the main chamber, everyone was already gathered together. Tatiana stood near Leonid while Agatha, Mary and Gregor were discussing something quietly. The moment Liam and Irina approached, the dwarf stopped in front of the group and folded his thick arms across his chest.

"You all have two weeks."

Liam blinked.

"Two weeks?"

The dwarf nodded. "From now."

Liam gave a small laugh. "Alright, and what happens if someone doesn’t finish within two weeks?"

The dwarf’s expression changed.

The joking attitude disappeared completely.

"There will be no weapon for you."

Liam’s smile vanished.

The dwarf looked directly at him.

"If you cannot complete the mission within the time I have given you, then you are not worthy of a weapon forged by me."

The words landed heavily.

Liam stared at him.

This wasn’t about simply completing some random task anymore.

The weapons this dwarf was going to create were something none of them had ever encountered before. They had already seen the underground workshop. They had seen weapons radiating power unlike anything they had known. They had seen metal beings creating things that looked more like artifacts than ordinary weapons.

This was an opportunity that might never come again.

Liam’s expression became serious.

"Understood."

The dwarf watched him for a moment before nodding.

"Good."

Then he delivered the words that made everyone freeze.

"Your time starts now."

Liam’s eyes widened.

"Now?"

The dwarf nodded.

"Now."

For a brief moment nobody moved.

They had all assumed they would return to the inn, prepare themselves and begin their missions the following morning.

Apparently, the dwarf had other plans.

"Move!"

Liam was the first to turn around.

Everyone immediately rushed toward the stairs.

The underground workshop suddenly became chaotic as seven people hurried toward the exit, each realizing that every minute they wasted was a minute taken from their two-week deadline. Liam climbed the stairs quickly, Irina close behind him, while the others followed in a hurried procession. Even Leonid, who normally seemed incapable of being rushed, was moving considerably faster than usual.

When they finally reached the hidden entrance, the dwarf remained below.

The wall opened just as it had before, revealing the familiar shop above.

One after another, they stepped through.

The moment the last person passed, the hidden door closed behind them and once again became indistinguishable from the rest of the wall.

The miserable little blacksmith shop returned to looking exactly as it had before.

Broken tools.

Rusty metal.

Dust.

Empty bottles.

And the same smell of alcohol.

For anyone who didn’t know what was beneath it, there was absolutely nothing remarkable about the place.

Liam stepped outside with the others and immediately looked toward the road.

Elaris Village was far away.

Even with horses moving constantly, reaching it would take approximately two and a half days of nonstop riding.

That was a significant portion of their two-week deadline.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

But unlike the others, he wasn’t particularly worried about the distance.

He already had an idea.

Before they separated, Liam turned toward everyone.

"Alright. I wish you all good luck."

Everyone exchanged nods.

The mood was different now.

This wasn’t the casual goodbye of friends going in different directions for a few hours. Every person knew the dwarf had warned them that they could die. Their missions were dangerous, and nobody knew what awaited them.

Tatiana stepped toward Liam.

He immediately took her gently by the arm and pulled her a short distance away from the others.

Her expression softened when she saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"Be careful," Liam said quietly.

Tatiana smiled.

"I will."

"I’m serious."

His voice carried genuine concern now. The usual confidence and teasing were gone. He remembered exactly what the dwarf had said. These missions could kill them. The weapons they wanted weren’t worth treating the danger casually, and Tatiana had a habit of throwing herself directly into danger whenever Liam was involved.

"The dwarf said we could lose our lives," Liam continued, looking directly into her eyes. "So don’t underestimate anything. If something feels wrong, don’t ignore it. If you think you’re walking into a trap, don’t rush in just because you think you can handle it."

Tatiana watched him quietly for several seconds.

Then her lips curved into a warm smile.

"I’ll be fine."

Before Liam could say anything else, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Liam froze for half a second before relaxing into the embrace.

Tatiana held him tightly, resting her head against his chest. Liam placed one hand against her back, his fingers moving gently across the fabric of her robe. For all the jokes and teasing that usually surrounded them, neither of them said anything for a moment.

Then Tatiana lifted her head and kissed him.

It wasn’t long, but it carried enough affection to make Liam’s expression soften.

When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I’ll come back."

Liam nodded slowly.

"You better."

Tatiana gave him one final squeeze before stepping away.

The others were already preparing to leave, and Liam knew they couldn’t waste any more time. He watched Tatiana join the group, his eyes remaining on her for another few seconds before finally turning toward Irina.

Elaris Village awaited him.

Somewhere beyond the horizon was a mystery involving people dying in their sleep and minds being stolen from living bodies.

And Liam had no idea that the simple mission he had just dismissed as easy was about to become one of the strangest investigations he had ever faced.