The ache in Raelyn's head was the first thing she noticed as she stirred awake. A dull, pounding rhythm throbbed against her temples, and she let out a soft groan, shielding her eyes from the dim light filtering into the room. Her mouth was dry, her limbs sluggish, and a vague memory of struggling to finish a single dwarven beer resurfaced, filling her with equal parts embarrassment and astonishment.

Rakz was curled at her feet, his tail wrapped around his body in a protective coil. The little dragon snored softly, each exhale punctuated by a faint chirp. Raelyn smiled despite her discomfort, reaching down to run her fingers gently over his warm, scaled back. He stirred slightly but didn't wake, his tail twitching in response.

She blinked groggily and realized her locket rested in her open palm. It was cool to the touch, the smooth metal comforting even as her foggy mind pieced together the night before. She must have been turning the rings on its back, keeping up her nightly ritual even in her drunken state. Lifting it closer to her face, she squinted, noting with mild disappointment that there were no new clues illuminated. Only the Realm of Brilliance and the Path of Veiled Eternity glowed faintly.

A loud snore from across the room broke her focus. Raelyn turned her gaze toward Thomrik, who was slumped back in a chair, his feet propped up on the table. His head lolled back, mouth open, while his arms clutched the Warhammer of Aegis against his chest like a child with a beloved stuffed toy. The table and floor were littered with empty mugs, the remnants of their celebrations a glaring reminder of why her head felt like it had been split in two.

On the far side of the room, Hovan and Benji lay sprawled on their beds, both showing signs of the previous night's indulgence. Benji's arm dangled over the side of his cot, his face buried in the pillow, while Hovan's typically rigid posture had given way to an uncharacteristic sprawl.

Raelyn rubbed her temple and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Her bare feet met the cool stone floor, the sudden chill jolting her slightly. Through the haze of her hangover, realization struck like a bucket of icy water.

"We're late!" she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the room's stillness.

Rakz let out a startled yelp, leaping to his feet and scrambling back in alarm. Thomrik jolted awake with a loud snort, his chair tipping precariously before crashing to the floor. "By Azazel's hammer!" he cursed, rubbing the back of his head as he untangled himself from the overturned chair.

The commotion roused both Hovan and Benji. Hovan sat up with a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's happening?" he muttered, his voice rough.

Benji blinked blearily, his hair sticking up in all directions. "Why are we yelling?" he asked groggily.

Raelyn ignored their groans, her voice tinged with urgency. "We were supposed to leave at first light! We overslept!"

Benji sat up, rubbing his eyes and frowning. "How can you tell? We're underground. We can't exactly see first light."

Raelyn hesitated, glancing around the dimly lit room before shrugging. "I can't, but I feel like I've been sleeping for ages."

Thomrik, still rubbing the back of his head, muttered as he surveyed the table littered with empty mugs. "She's probably right," he said with a sigh. "Feels like it, anyway."

Hovan, who was sitting on the edge of his bed and lacing his boots, grumbled. "Must've been the damn beer. Dwarven brews hit harder than a troll."

Thomrik snorted, pulling his chair upright. "Aye, it's been so long since I last had dwarven beer, even I wasn't ready for it. Stronger than I remember." His tone carried a hint of nostalgia, though he winced at the lingering headache.

Benji groaned as he swung his legs over the bed. "My head feels like it's being split in two," he complained, clutching his temples.

"You and me both," Raelyn said, grabbing her belongings and stuffing them into her satchel. "But we need to get moving. If we don't leave soon, Gorin's going to send someone to drag us out."

Hovan stood slowly, stretching with a wince. "Where's Danio?" he asked, glancing around the room.

Raelyn froze mid-motion, her gaze darting toward Danio's bed. The sheets were untouched, the mattress still neatly made. Thomrik frowned, his brows knitting together. "Looks like his bed wasn't slept in," he said.

"Maybe he got up early and made preparations," Raelyn offered, though the words sounded uncertain even to her.

Hovan snorted. "Danio? Preparing ahead of time? I'll believe it when I see it."

Thomrik sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "We'd better find him before he gets us into more trouble. I'd rather not end up back in the dungeons."

Rakz chirped softly, brushing against Raelyn's legs as she slung her satchel over her shoulder. The group gathered their belongings, their movements sluggish as they muttered complaints about their throbbing heads. Even Thomrik, usually unflappable, moved slower than usual, grumbling about the aftermath of dwarven ale.

Once they had packed everything, including Danio's belongings, Raelyn stepped toward the door and opened it. She barely had time to register the figure standing on the other side before they nearly collided.

A small, wiry gremlin stood there, his oversized eyes blinked in surprise, and his long, thin fingers froze mid-air, a fist raised to knock. He stumbled back a step, his antennae twitching nervously. "Oh!" Zypher exclaimed, his voice high and sharp. "I was waiting for you at the transport station, but when you didn't show, I thought something might have happened."

Raelyn blinked, startled at first but quickly recovering. The urgency she'd felt moments earlier melted away. "I'm sorry, Zypher," she said, her tone warm. "We overslept. Thank you for coming to find us."

Zypher lowered his fist and gave a quick shake of his head, his wiry frame relaxing. "No trouble, really," he said. The gremlin hesitated, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his patched tunic. "Actually, I... I wanted to thank you."

Raelyn tilted her head slightly, surprised by the sudden shift in his tone. His voice softened, carrying a tremor of raw emotion. "For... for securing my freedom. I've been a captive for so long. I never thought..." He trailed off, his thin shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath. "I don't think I can ever repay you."

Raelyn crouched slightly, bringing herself closer to his eye level. The vulnerability in his words pulled at her heart, and she spoke with quiet conviction. "You don't owe me anything, Zypher," she said, her voice steady. "I did what anyone would've done. In fact, you're the one that will be helping us to save Unevia."

Zypher's wide eyes lifted to meet hers, shimmering faintly in the dim light. He looked at her as though searching for something, a flicker of guilt clouded the gratitude in his eyes. As if her kindness was more than he felt he deserved. "Still," he murmured, "thank you. I'll take you to my kind, as promised. Mechit has to be there. "

Before Raelyn could respond, Thomrik stepped out of the room behind her, his boots thudding against the stone floor. "So, this is the gremlin you were talking about at the trial?" he asked, his tone gruff but tinged with curiosity as his gaze settled on Zypher.

The change in Zypher was immediate. His wide, luminous eyes darted to Thomrik and he took a trembling step back. "A dwarf?" His voice quivered with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "What is a dwarf doing in your room?"

Raelyn's heart sank as the joy of the moment evaporated. She had been so focused on the chaos of the morning that she hadn't stopped to consider the impact this meeting might have. Zypher's reaction made it painfully clear that her new companion and her old friend represented opposing worlds.

She stepped forward, gently placing a hand on Zypher's shoulder, though she could feel the tension in his small frame. "This is Thomrik," she said carefully, her voice calm and measured. "He's my friend, and he's joining us on this journey."

Zypher's face twisted in disbelief, his earlier joy now buried beneath a storm of emotions. His gaze snapped back to her, wide and searching. "You're... friends with this dwarf?" he whispered, each word heavy with a mixture of betrayal and dread.

Raelyn swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze. "I am," she said softly but firmly. "I know dwarves haven't given you any reason to trust them, but Thomrik isn't like the others. He's... different. He's an exile—he's not part of Khazrundar anymore. And he's a good man."

Zypher's antennae drooped further, his hands fidgeting nervously at his sides. The glimmers of fear in his wide eyes deepened as his gaze flicked back to Thomrik.

Thomrik, standing a few steps back, noticed the subtle tremor in Zypher's hands. His expression softened as he crouched slightly, his weathered face lowering closer to the gremlin's level. "I didn't even know the dwarves were keeping gremlins captive here," he said, his voice carrying a rare gentleness.

Raelyn blinked, the realization hitting her. She turned to Thomrik, her brow furrowing. "Is that why you never mentioned gremlins in Khazrundar, even though you knew we were searching for them?"

Thomrik nodded slowly. "Aye," he admitted. "I had no idea. This..."—he gestured vaguely to Zypher—"must've started after my exile." His expression hardened, tinged with guilt. "If I'd known, I would've told you. But believe me, I've no love for what's been done here."

Zypher's hands stilled slightly, but his body remained taut as a drawn bowstring. Thomrik held his gaze and spoke again, his tone steady and sincere. "Listen. I'm not here to hurt you or anyone else. I'm here to make sure Raelyn gets where she needs to go so she can complete her quest. And if she says you're needed to save Unevia, then I'll do my part to keep you safe, too. You have my word."

He smiled faintly, though Raelyn could see the strain in it—an attempt to bridge a chasm that years of pain and mistrust had carved. But Zypher's posture didn't relax. The gremlin's oversized eyes remained wary, his fear unmoved by Thomrik's assurances.

The silence that followed was heavy, each passing moment thick with unspoken tension. Finally, Benji's voice broke through, cutting the stillness like a blade. "I don't mean to interrupt," he said with a slight edge of impatience, "but we really need to get moving."

Raelyn straightened, grateful for the interruption, though the tension between Zypher and Thomrik still lingered at the edges of her thoughts. She offered Zypher a small, reassuring smile. "We'll figure this out as we go," she said quietly. "We've lost Danio and we can't leave without him."

Zypher blinked, his focus shifting."Oh! I saw Mister Danio last night," he said, pointing down a nearby corridor. "He was heading that way."

Raelyn followed the direction of his gesture, squinting down the dimly lit hall. "What's down there?" she asked, a frown forming as her thoughts began to race.

"It's a gathering point—a place where dwarves drink, sing, and make merry." Zypher replied.

Hovan groaned audibly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Danio and merry dwarves," he muttered. "That's a dangerous combination."

"What do you mean?" Benji asked, his curiosity evident in the tilt of his head.

"Danio is a thief, first and foremost." Hovan explained. "He had taken an interest in the dwarven treasury. Let's just hope he didn't go looking for it."

Thomrik chuckled, his gruff laugh echoing in the narrow corridor. "Even Danio wouldn't be that stupid."

Benji glanced at Thomrik with a raised brow. "Not even if he was drunk?"

Thomrik hesitated, the confident smirk faltering on his face. "Uzzah give me strength," he muttered, his tone far less certain.

Hovan sighed, the weight of the situation apparent in the lines of his face. "Finding Danio in Khazrundar is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Raelyn's mind raced, searching for a solution. Then an idea struck her, and her eyes lit up. She turned to Benji, a hopeful smile forming. "Give me Danio's satchel."

Benji nodded and reached into his pack, pulling out the worn leather bag. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

Raelyn crouched down, beckoning Rakz to her side. The little dragon perked up at her gesture, trotting over with a curious chirp. "Blue dragons like Rakz are exceptional at tracking. I read about it in Eryndoriel." she explained, taking the satchel from Benji and holding it out to the dragon. "Come on, Rakz. We need your help."

Rakz sniffed at the satchel, his nostrils twitching as he took in the scent. After a moment, he snorted and began nosing the stone floor around their feet.

The group watched in silence, their tension palpable as they waited for any sign that the dragon had picked up a trail. Just as doubt began to creep into Raelyn's thoughts, Rakz gave a sharp chirp and darted into a side tunnel, his tail flicking eagerly behind him.

"He's got something!" Raelyn exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Let's follow him!"

Without hesitation, the group hurried after Rakz, their footsteps echoing loudly in the stillness of the underground corridors. Raelyn struggled to keep pace with the little dragon as he wove through the labyrinthine paths of Khazrundar, her heart pounding with a mixture of exertion and anticipation.

They crossed a narrow bridge suspended over a deep chasm, the sound of bubbling magma far below filling the air. The intense warmth sent a shiver down Raelyn's spine, but she didn't falter, her gaze locked on Rakz as he pressed forward with unwavering determination.

Finally, Rakz skidded to a halt in front of a thick wooden door, his nose pressed against the base. He let out a low growl, his tail swishing as he pawed at the ground.

Raelyn's breath hitched as muffled sounds reached her ears—grunts, thuds, and what might have been a curse. Her pulse quickened, and she turned to the others, her voice tight with worry. "Something's wrong. Danio might be in trouble."

Hovan's expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he stepped forward without hesitation. "Stand back," he said curtly. With a powerful kick, his boot connected with the door, sending it splintering inward with a loud crunch.

The group surged forward, Raelyn's heart hammering in her chest as her eyes darted around the room. There was a blur of movement—a flash of sheets, a startled female scream, and a familiar, exasperated curse.