"Welcome back," Faelar says, smiling.

"Thanks, are there any quests I can do?" Alex replies.

"Hmm, let me see, *looking at his clipboard* how about this one. An escort to the Dwarven Mines in Galwe Tundra," Faelar says.

"Wow, the Dwarven mines, but isn't that far from here?" Alex asks.

"It'll take about three to four weeks at the most. They want to return to their home and are asking for an escort," Faelar replies.

"Okay, am I the only one doing the escort?" Alex asks.

"Yes, from what I heard from the Knights of the Crimson Rose, you're doing quite well yourself," Faelar says with a playful tease.

Alex glanced at his zodiac ring, amazed by its power to summon zodiac signs. He smiled at Faelar with confidence.

"I'm happy to assist them," Alex states.

"Awesome," Faelar says, grabbing the paper from his clipboard. "I'll report it and inform the client."

"Okay, I'll get some things ready," Alex replies.

"Great, let's meet at the main gate in an hour," Faelar states.

"Okay," Alex replies as he walks out.

***

In the marketplace, Alex gathered supplies and began going to the main gate to meet the client and Faelar. On his way, he wondered about the client's identity, speculating that they might be dwarves, since the quest flyer mentioned they wished to return home to Galwe Tundra.

At the gate, Alex spots Faelar accompanied by a wagon and three dwarves. Observing individuals resembling miners, one sees their beards long and unkempt, obscured by ash and coal particles.

"Ah, Mr. Griffin, right on time," Faelar says, waving his hand.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late, I was buying rations," Alex replies.

"No problem, we were just-" Faelar starts, until the three dwarves step in front.

"So he's our escort? The name's Ironhammer; I'm one of the miners on this trip," Ironhammer interjects in response to Faelar's statement.

After spending time with Ironfrost, Alex realizes that the dwarves speak with a Scottish accent. Spotting one dressed in business attire instead of mining gear, Alex thinks he might be someone of significance among them.

"My name is Peridot Oresmith. I manage a branch of the Mining Guild at the Dwarven Mines," Peridot adds.

"I understand, Mr. Oresmith. I'll be glad to assist you in returning home safely," Alex replies with a smile.

"Oh yes, the last of us is called Ashbeard," Peridot says, pointing at the final dwarf.

"Let's go!" Ashbeard shouts as they begin packing up and getting ready to leave.

Alex and the three dwarves saddle up and set off, heading north to the Galwe Tundra, the home of the dwarven kingdom.

***

Three days have passed since Alex and the three dwarves left Crystalcliff. Thankfully, he has enjoyed Peridot's intriguing tales about his experiences with the Mining Guild. 

Alex is enjoying the travels until he encounters a group of beings with green skin, pointed ears, and sharp teeth. Though they resemble goblins, these beings have bark-like skin adorned with thorns in several areas.

"What in the world are Gobthorns doing here?" Ashbeard exclaims in astonishment, realizing they're encircled.

"Gobthorns?" Alex asks, confused about the name.

Without warning, Alex's ring begins to glow again. Spotting the shining arrow sign, Alex felt compelled to experiment with it once more, and this time, he acted on that impulse. Raising his hand as flames and starlight danced around him, the magic circle shimmer directly beneath his feet.

"Come forth, Sagittarius!" Alex summons.

With a burst of fire, a maiden from the Middle East emerges, adorned in gold accessories and a yellowish-gold silk outfit reminiscent of a belly dancer. Her brown hair is styled in a ponytail, and a glowing Sagittarius symbol rests on her forehead.

"You called for me, master?" Sagittarius asks, beaming with a warm smile.

"Are you familiar with any AOE spells?" Alex inquires.

Seeing her smile and turn around to face the gobthorns, she strikes a Bollywood pose with her hand. The fire encircling the wagon erupts, and Alex hears the familiar rhythm of Bollywood music. Suddenly, the flames sway in sync with Sagittarius as she dances, and golden arrows emerge from the fire. She extends her arms, launching the arrows at the gobthorns. 

Alex hears their cries of pain and, witnessing some taking severe damage, he quickly rushes in to assist. In an instant, flames encircle him, granting him fiery gauntlets and boots that amplify his Martial Arts strikes with additional fire damage.

Peridot and the other two dwarves are astonished to watch as Alex and Sagittarius manage the swarm independently. 

The battle is concluded. Alex held his hand ready to strike until Sagittarius's figure shimmered. As flames encircled her, flames headed toward Alex's hand, and a magnificent bow materialized before his eyes. In that moment, a vision of the attack flashed through his mind, clarifying his next move.

"Let this creature of nature be reduced to ashes, as I, heaven, shine down upon its enemy; may this be the dragon's judgment! *Draws his arrow of fire* *Points skyward* Draconic Arrow!" Alex intones his incantation as he launches his arrow.

The arrow morphs into a dragon, emitting a thunderous roar as many glowing arrows cascade down, hitting the ground surrounding the last gobthorns. Alex, witnessing the devastation as they are shattered into countless fragments, is awestruck by the tremendous power he and Sagittarius have harnessed together.

The battle has ended, and the swarm of gobthorns that attacked Alex and the dwarves has vanished. Alex swiftly collects some remains to present as evidence to the Dwarven Mines Branch Adventurer's Guild.

Wow, that ring you have is impressive," Peridot admires it.

"Thanks," Alex replies, looking at his ring.

Before heading out again, everyone decides to have lunch around the campfire. Ironhammer hands out their meals, and Alex is amazed that someone who looks like a miner can cook well. As he takes a bite, Alex is surprised by how amazing it tastes; the meat, braised with a beer or ale flavor, complements the bread perfectly, and the bread soaks up the juices.

"This is incredible, Ironhammer!" Alex exclaims.

"Thank you, lad," Ironhammer says, smiling.

***

Two weeks later, Alex and the Dwarves arrived during a snowstorm; Ironhammer and Ashbeard were happy to see snow again.

"Mr. Griffin, welcome to The Galwe Tundra," Peridot says, proudly representing the dwarves' homeland.

"Wow," Alex replies.

The Galwe Tundra, a frozen wonderland of snow and mountains, is one of the best places to mine ore. The dwarves, experts in mining and blacksmithing, skillfully extract what they require from these mountains.

"Where is your kingdom?" Alex inquires.

"We're heading to the Mirrored Mountains *points*; that's where our Dwarven Mines are situated," Peridot responds.

"I'm surprised you can endure the cold, Mr. Griffin, a human as young as you," Ironhammer teases, commenting on Alex's bare-chested attire.

Alex looked down, noticing the goosebumps on his arms and chest, amazed that he felt no cold. Touching his heart, he could sense the fire within him burning as he smiled back at Ironhammer.

"I suppose my Infernus magic is aiding me in enduring the cold," Alex replies.

"I see. Well, then, let's start heading back home," Ironhammer says, taking the wagon's reins.

Alex can hardly see what's ahead of him as he travels through the snow, but thankfully, Ironhammer is guiding the way. Although he assumes dwarves are skilled in snowstorms, Alex remains wary of potential threats as they approach the Mirrored Mountains.

Suddenly, as Ironhammer stops the wagon, they see a pack of bears with ice shards on their backs and shoulders just as the snowstorm clears.

"Just what we need: a pack of Tundra Ursas," Peridot remarks.

"Luckily for you all, you have me *points at himself* and my fire," Alex says with a big smile.

Alex began to generate fire, charging towards them as he quickly cast a protective spell for himself.

"Draconic Scales!" 

Alex stood directly in front of several Tundra Ursas, and a spell circle appeared beneath Alex, engulfing him in flames.

"Draconic Heatwave!" Alex casts his spell.

A wave of fire erupted from Alex, incinerating the Tundra Ursas upon contact with his AOE spell. Alex smiled and began using his martial art, Dragon Style, to finish them off.

Seeing the Tundra Ursas lying dead on the ground amazes Alex, who has defeated them. He takes a trophy to prove his victory before returning to the wagon and resuming his journey to the Mirrored Mountains.

***

Hours later, Alex notices an opening in the mountains, guarded by some dwarves. Upon entering, Alex feels a sudden warmth. Inside, Alex discovers a city within the mountains, with lava flowing like streams through the streets.

"Wow, this is amazing," Alex says with excitement.

"Yes, this is the pride of the dwarves," Peridot replies with a smile.

Once they travel through the city, Alex and the dwarves say goodbye. Alex begins wandering in search of their specific adventure guild. Once he locates the guild and submits his report about escorting them back, he contemplates something else.

"How do I return home?" Alex asks himself.

"Well, there are several ways to return home," a familiar voice playfully remarks.

Alex is surprised to hear someone. Turning around, he sees a familiar friend with his white snake.

"Marcus!" Alex gasps.

"Surprised to see me? *smirk* There are many ways to return, but since the sun is setting, let's stay in the city for the night," Marcus adds with a warm smile.

"I understand. I suppose I'll need to find somewhere to stay for the night," Alex responds, scanning the area for options.

"Well, since you don't know where to go, you can stay with me," Marcus says with a grin as he leans over.

Alex blushes, taken aback by the suggestion of staying with him for the night, but he doesn't know where else to go.

"Alright, fortunately, it's just for one night," Alex says, nodding.

"Great *smile* now let's get dinner," Marcus says.

***

After finishing their dinner, Alex accompanies Marcus to his lodging for the night, shocked to see that Marcus is staying inside this inn. Just from looking at the outer walls, it appears quite expensive.

"Ah, this is where you're staying?" Alex asks.

"Why, yes, I am. Please come this way," Marcus says.

Upon entering Marcus's room, Alex is astonished by its cost and comes to a sudden stop. Alex finds only one bed. Consequently, Alex may be required to sleep on the couch.

"I'll go sleep on the couch," Alex says as he heads toward the couch.

However, Marcus seizes him and forcefully pushes him onto the bed, taken aback by the recent events. Alex's face flushes a deep crimson as he observes Marcus leaning down toward him.

"You're welcome to sleep with me; the bed is so much cozier than the couch," Marcus says, leaning in a little closer.

"And you're getting awfully close to me, buddy," Alex says, his face still blushing red.

"That's not a bad thing," Marcus says.

While contemplating a response, Alex was unexpectedly taken by surprise as Marcus initiated a kiss. With his eyes widening in astonishment, Alex felt the warmth of Marcus's tongue as their kiss deepened. As Marcus gently laid Alex's head upon the bed, he observed him, captivated by the recent turn of events.

"Just to clarify, you're the first person I've developed feelings for since I started school," Marcus says.

Marcus continued to kiss Alex, shocked to see this happening; however, the mark on Alex's abdomen started to glow. Alex starts feeling different, sensing Marcus's every touch as they keep kissing in the heat of the moment.

"I adore you," Marcus murmurs to Alex's ear.