Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

The rage that flared up in Alex's face turned him beet red. If this were a cartoon, smoke would probably be fuming out of his ears right now.

A torrent of emotions boiled over all at once. He clenched his fists, knuckles turning white as he stared down as the dwarf who had just casually admitted to playing with his emotions like some cheap instrument.

"Are you fucking serious, Rothwind?"

Alex growled, practically unable to hold anything back.

"You dragged me out here, made me— made me think something could have happened to her, just for what? A goddamn laugh?"

Rothwind's smile didn't falter, but he raised a hand in a placating gesture.

"Ah, don't look so sour! I knew you'd just come charging after her if I didn't bring you myself, so I figured I'd keep you in a bit of suspense."

He shrugged as if it were no big deal, a sly look crossing his eyes.

"Besides, that anger you're simmering in? Keep hold of it. You're gonna need it if we come across any of the mayor's goons, or even the mayor himself."

Alex gaped at him, a myriad of emotions swirling in his chest — relief, confusion, anger, and a hint of grudging admiration.

"You kept me in the dark on purpose for that?"

"Yep."

Rothwind said unapologetically, turning on his heel and striding forward again.

"Now come on, let's go get your lass. No use standing here gawking."

Still fuming but unable to deny the overwhelming sense of relief washing through him, Alex hurried after Rothwind.

His steps were noticeably lighter now that he knew Mira was safe.

That brief moment of fury he felt earlier simmered beneath the surface still, but it no longer threatened to boil over uncontrollably.

Instead, it settled into a steady, cold resolve.

Rothind might be the one who wanted the mayor's head, but Alex was going to make damn sure he got his own piece too.

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached a small clearing, nestled deeper in the forest.

And there, standing with her back against a tree, was Mira.

Her eyes widened as they stepped into view.

She and Alex had barely only just split up, yet he had already come to her and supposedly found Rothwind?

What kind of scenario was this?

Mira pushed off the tree she was leaning against, eyes darting between Alex and Rothwind, pulling a heavy face of confusion.

"Alex? What are you— how did you even find me?"

She stammered.

She hadn't even reached the spot she agreed to meet up with Alex in a few days, so she was verifiably surprised.

Mira then glanced over at the dwarf with a raised eyebrow.

"And you found Rothwind already?"

Alex exhaled slowly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips now that he was standing before her.

It had only been around 10 minutes or so since they parted ways, but he had been through quite a lot of surprise, shock, anxiety etc in those last 10 minutes alone…

The relief that washed over him was almost dizzying.

"It's… a long story."

He admitted, running a hand through his hair as he tried to put everything into words.

"We've got a lot to catch you up on, but let's just say that the mayor wanted something of Rothwinds' which just so happened to belong to me, and he wasn't so happy about it when Rothwind refused to give it over."

Mira looked at both of them with an understanding expression for the first moment, but then her eyes joined theirs with an unconcealed anger brimming underneath after hearing the context.

"Someone wants to take the King of Evermoor's corpse?"

Mira looked at Rothwind sceptically, noting the dwarf's stoic expression and the hint of anger simmering behind his eyes.

But she didn't press further onto that topic, instead turning back to Alex with a small frown.

"You found me really fast…"

She spoke slowly, clearly still puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

"I didn't think you'd come back this quickly—"

"I didn't either."

Alex interrupted gently, shaking his head.

"But there's no way I'd just leave you out here alone after finding out about the kind of danger we were in."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the two of them seemed to forget everything else — the danger, the mayor, the uncertainty. There was only relief and a shared understanding between them.

But then Alex's gaze shifted around the clearing, looking for something — or someone — else.

His brow furrowed slightly as he recalled the last thing the two of them spoke about before parting ways.

"Mira, where's the young girl who was with you?"

He asked in quite an insistent tone.

"You said you were going to keep an eye on her, right?"

Mira's eyes widened, and she nodded quickly, glancing over her shoulder towards a thicker part of the forest.

"Yeah, she's fine! I left her by a stream a little ways off since she seemed to enjoy watching the fishes so much. I guess they don't really get to see much of the outside world while living in the slums. Who'd have guessed…"

Leaving off in a sarcastic tone, Mira turned away from Alex and Rothwind, and called out softly.

"Cass! It's okay, you can come out now!"

There was a rustling in the bushes a few metres away, and then a small figure cautiously stepped into view.

The young girl, who Alex now knew was called Cass, had large curious eyes that flickered nervously between Alex and Rothwind as she approached slowly.

But she did a double take, her eyes landing back on Rothwind.

Her mouth hung open, clearly in shock.

Meanwhile, Rothwind leaned over to whisper into Alex's ear.

"Who's this kid?"

It was the first time since he found him that Alex saw Rothwind looking genuinely confused.

"She's a girl we found on the streets of the slums. She was the only one who provided us with information about what happened to you."

When Alex explained the situation to Rothwind, he let out a knowing sigh.

'Of course, she's no longer safe in the city after doing them that favour.'