It wasn’t for herself that she made this decision; it was for the kingdom. Belamus could only marvel at her. So young, and yet she carried such selfless resolve. It was genuinely admirable.
“Understood,” he said with a steady nod. “Let’s get you that meeting.”
Rugen’s eyes glinted with approval. “I’ll see to it myself. Though… to be honest, I don’t know if the Blessed One merely needs to live, or if they must be within the kingdom’s borders for the calamity to be avoided. It’s possible you won’t need to return at all.”
“Wha—wait, seriously?” Mimi blurted out, her eyes widening in alarm. The hope that had just begun to solidify wavered; she was caught off guard by Rugen’s uncertainty.
“Well, staying in the kingdom is certainly the safest bet,” he added quickly.
“Ugh, don’t say stuff like that! You’re making this way harder!” Mimi groaned, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
Even so, despite lingering doubts, she didn’t waver in her decision. She would meet with the leader of Gagagamoor. That much was set.
“Heyyy, are you guys done talkiiing?” Delarosa called out in a singsong voice, finally piping up after sitting through the entire conversation. “You were all chatting in Dwarvish or something… I didn’t understand a word!”
“Yeah, we’ve come to a decision,” Belamus replied, turning to her with a small smile before launching into a simplified explanation of the situation. But even after his translation, Delarosa blinked and tilted her head. “Ehhh… that’s still super confusing.”
Clearly, even the basics were a bit much for her to digest.
“Mimi’s going to meet the leader of Gagagamoor,” Belamus announced firmly. “Given the risks, we should accompany her as her escorts.”
They still didn’t know the specifics of how the meeting would be arranged. But in a world where enemies and assassins could be hiding in plain sight, sending Mimi alone would be far too dangerous.
“Still…” Liza’s brow furrowed, her expression tinged with unease. “From what you’ve said, Lord Belamus, the odds aren’t in our favor. I just hope Mimi can return safely, and that we’ll be able to establish trade with the dwarves when this is all over…”
She seemed to have followed the conversation well enough to grasp the stakes. The tension on her face said as much.
“Now then,” Belamus said, turning to Rugen, “I’ve explained the situation to Delarosa and the others. Tell me, how exactly are we supposed to meet with this Gagagamoor leader?”
Rugen gave a slow nod, as if rehearsing the plan in his mind. “First, I’ll head into the kingdom and meet with one of their agents. Once I’ve made contact, I’ll bring that agent here to meet Lady Mimi. As soon as they see the mark on her abdomen, they’ll recognize her for what she truly is: a Blessed One. If all goes well, that agent will escort us to their base, where we can meet their leader.”
He paused for emphasis.
“I suspect the base is aboveground. Hiding an entire stronghold inside the kingdom’s borders would be no small feat, after all,” he added thoughtfully, stroking his beard.
Belamus frowned slightly. Wouldn’t operating outside the kingdom hinder their ability to act? But after a moment’s thought, the logic became clear: their headquarters were likely outside, while individual operatives maintained hidden outposts inside the kingdom itself.
“If we could convince the Gagagamoor leader to come here instead,” Belamus mused, “Mimi wouldn’t have to leave this place at all. Is that out of the question?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Rugen replied, letting out a slow sigh. “The current leader is extremely cautious. Rarely leaves the base. Even though the risk of being spotted is low, there are dwarven scouts on the surface. I imagine they’re trying to avoid being tracked.”
Belamus didn’t like the idea of Mimi traveling out in the open. But if that was how it had to be, then so be it.
“When the time comes, I’ll be accompanying Mimi as her bodyguard,” he said. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“For me? Not at all,” Rugen replied. “But I can’t speak for the Gagagamoor agent. Still, I haven’t survived this long without knowing how to protect myself. I may be old, but I’ve still got some tricks left. I’m confident I can get Lady Mimi safely through the Great Frazes Forest.”
“You can fight?” Belamus asked, surprised.
“But of course,” Rugen said with a proud little grin. “Do you think I’d be stashing forbidden books in the heart of the Great Frazes Forest if I couldn’t handle myself?”
Belamus still didn’t know what sort of combat skills Rugen possessed, but something told him the old man wasn’t bluffing.
“That said,” Rugen muttered with a grimace, “if it comes to fighting a dwarven assassin… I doubt I’d hold up.”
If Rugen couldn’t defend against a proper assassin, then the mission was far from secure. Once again, Belamus felt certain that he needed to go with Mimi when the time came.
“For now, I’ll go meet the Gagagamoor agent myself,” Rugen continued. “There’s no need for any of you to come along. Stay here in the research chamber. You’ll find the essentials for daily life already stocked. Feel free to use whatever you need. As for food, there’s some stored, but it’s dwarf rations. If that doesn’t suit you, you’ll have to hunt for yourselves.”
They had brought some provisions of their own, enough to last a few days. But it wasn’t much. If they ran out, they’d either have to head back to Beresdral to resupply—no small journey—or hunt in the forest. Belamus decided that, should it come to that, they’d go hunting. It would be faster and less of a hassle.
Rugen quickly finished his preparations for departure. He slung a large backpack over his shoulders, so full it looked ready to burst. Belamus eyed it, curiosity piqued. Does he really need that much gear?
Rugen noticed his gaze and chuckled. “Wondering about the backpack? Dwarves fight with tools, not just weapons. I’ve got quite the collection packed in here.”
Tools for battle, huh… Belamus was curious about what exactly lay inside, but it didn’t seem right to pester the old dwarf just as he was heading out. So, he held his tongue.
“I’ll be off, then,” Rugen said, giving them all a final nod before stepping out of the cave.
With that, Belamus and the others were left to wait in the dark, cool cavern, hoping Rugen would return safely and soon.