Chapter Summaries

Roy restored gemstone production by trading food and ale for ore, while the mine’s leaders prepared to transfer Mine Owner Grantham and his private army to Padesto City. Grantham planned to use the journey as a chance to escape.

• Roy inspected the sorted ore, and the Old Elf identified a piece of premium Spinel Ore and showed Roy the warehouse’s valuable stock.
• Captain Yalige authorized Roy to retrieve a barrel of ale after learning that the prisoners and gray dwarves had resumed mining in exchange for provisions.
• Roy sent ale and food down the mine, and the next day the hoist brought up an even heavier load of gemstone ore.
• Commander Berkeley arrived with the Logistics Regiment and arranged to escort Grantham and his private soldiers to Padesto City the following day.
• Grantham told his private soldiers that they would escape during the journey by starting a riot at his signal, and they agreed to follow his plan.

After the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment stalled at the Second Mine, Captain Yalige took half the Reconnaissance Brigade and supplies to reinforce the front, leaving Roy at the First Mine with a reduced guard. Meanwhile, Highland Slavers ambushed Commander Berkeley’s Logistics Regiment before dawn, and Grantham woke to the fighting.

• Roy watched the Logistics Regiment escort Grantham and his private army away, then stocked supplies beside the mine shaft for trading with the prisoners and Gray Dwarves.
• A battle report revealed that the Second Mine’s ballistas and defenses had halted the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment, so Commander Hekelis ordered Captain Yalige to bring reinforcements and supplies.
• Captain Yalige assigned Roy’s Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to stay behind and guard the First Mine, then departed the next morning with half the brigade.
• Roy and Langbo worried that Highland Slavers might attack the now lightly guarded mine, while Commander Berkeley’s column continued toward Valley Camp with Grantham and his family.
• Before dawn, Highland Slavers silently killed sentries and attacked the Logistics Regiment’s camp, and Commander Berkeley sounded his whistle as the sleeping soldiers rushed into a chaotic battle.
• Grantham woke to the sounds of fighting outside his tent, guarded by two Half-Elf Warriors.

Highland Headhunters and Mine Owner Grantham’s Mine Private Army ambushed the Elf Logistics Regiment, killing Commander Berkeley before retreating with Grantham to a hidden mountain cave. There, Grantham persuaded the Headhunter Captain to help retake the mine, while Roy remained unaware of the attack and continued guarding Spinel Mine.

• Mine Owner Grantham led his Mine Private Army against the Elf Warriors, helping the Highland Headhunters overwhelm the Logistics Regiment.
• Commander Berkeley rallied the surviving Elf Warriors and led their retreat toward Valley Camp, but he collapsed and died as reinforcements arrived.
• The Highland Headhunters withdrew to a hidden cave with Mine Owner Grantham, then agreed to help him retake his mine in exchange for gemstones.
• Roy guarded Spinel Mine and practiced combat with Langbo, unaware that the Logistics Regiment had been attacked.
• Captain Jones told Roy that Lord Yalige wanted him to become the mine owner.

Roy resisted Captain Jones’s plan to make him manager of the Spinel Mine, while Grantham led Highland Headhunters through a secret passage to retake the fortress. The raiders emerged inside a warehouse full of ore, as Roy and other Elf Warriors continued storing the mine’s daily production nearby.

• Roy told Captain Jones that he was unsuited to manage the Spinel Mine, but Captain Jones tried to persuade him to stay by pointing to the mine’s needs and the war on the plateau.
• Grantham waited with the Highland Headhunters in a rocky crevice, then led them through a hidden passage toward the fortress after nightfall.
• Grantham crawled through the cramped tunnel until the Highland Headhunters forced open a stone gate and entered an ore warehouse.
• The Chieftain discovered that the Wooden Boxes inside the warehouse contained Gemstone Mine ore, and the Highland Headhunters cautiously surveyed their surroundings.
• Roy and three Elf Warriors wheeled a crate of ore into the Second Warehouse while discussing their dull work at the mine, and a faint holy light flickered in Roy’s palm.

Roy sensed danger in Second Warehouse and helped the Elf Warriors repel a surprise attack by Highland Headhunters. Mine owner Grantham escaped through a secret passage, leaving Captain Jones to seal the entrance and prepare the mine fortress for another attack.

• Roy noticed the holy light warning him of danger in Second Warehouse, got the Elf Warriors outside, and summoned the mine’s remaining defenders.
• Captain Jones led the Elf Warriors into the warehouse, where Highland Headhunters attacked them in the narrow passageway.
• Roy and the defenders fought off the ambushers with shields, swords, arrows, and Roy’s Hammer of Judgment.
• Roy spotted mine owner Grantham fleeing into the secret passage, but wounded Highland Headhunters delayed Captain Jones’s pursuit.
• Captain Jones ordered the passage sealed and nighttime patrols increased, then told Roy to stay behind the front line as the defenders prepared for another attack.

Highland Headhunters and Mine Private Army soldiers secretly climbed the fortress wall while the Silver Moon Elf Warriors searched below. Captain Linglan exposed them with a Fireball Spell, triggering a fierce battle on the battlements in which the Highland Headhunters seized a corner of the wall.

• Mine Private Army soldiers built a staircase of iron awls beneath the fortress while the Headhunter Chieftain ordered a witch doctor to keep the wounded Grantham alive.
• Roy warned Langbo to sleep in his armor because the mine remained under threat, but Langbo reported that the wall seemed quiet.
• Captain Linglan used a Fireball Spell to illuminate the rocks and reveal Highland Headhunters and Mine Private Army soldiers climbing toward the battlements.
• The Mine Private Army soldiers charged upward under the Headhunter Chieftain's threat, while the Highland Headhunters climbed the rock face and attacked the Silver Moon Elf Warriors.
• Captain Linglan and the Fourteenth Reconnaissance Squad fought to hold the wall, but the Highland Headhunters broke their formation and occupied one corner of the battlements.

Roy and Captain Jones fought to defend the mine fortress as Highland Headhunters attacked the City Wall and the Mine Private Army battered down the gates. After the defenders blocked the final gate with ore soaked in fire oil and set it ablaze, Captain Jones led Roy back toward the continuing battle on the wall.

• Roy blessed the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad and Captain Jones with Strength Blessing before they rushed to the City Wall.
• Captain Jones led the squad into the battle, where the Elf Warriors repelled Highland Headhunters, but he left for the gate after hearing repeated crashes below.
• The Mine Private Army used a statue to smash through the fortress's first two gates and began battering the third while Highland Headhunters gathered outside.
• Captain Jones ordered Roy and several Elf Warriors to pile ore-filled boxes behind the third gate, then poured fire oil over them and set them alight.
• The Mine Private Army broke through the third gate, but burning ore collapsed into the passage, burying soldiers and driving the attackers back.
• Captain Jones told the gate guards to keep the ore burning, then led Roy and the remaining squad members back to the City Wall.

The Highland Headhunters and Elf Warriors fought fiercely on the City Wall as the Chieftain used his speed and skill to kill several Elves. He mortally wounded Captain Jones, who died urging the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to hold out until dawn for reinforcements.

• The Chieftain led the Highland Headhunters up the City Wall while the Elf Warriors held them back and the Mine Private Army was nearly wiped out.
• The Chieftain killed an Elf Warrior and targeted an Elf captain as the battle continued.
• Captain Jones led the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to reinforce the right side of the City Wall and wounded a pursuing Highland Headhunter.
• The Chieftain attacked Captain Jones, driving a spear through his leg and then his heart as the Elf Warriors failed to protect him.
• Roy tried to help Captain Jones, but Jones stopped him, told the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to hold until dawn, and died.

Roy fought off Highland Headhunters during their night raid on the mine fortress and awakened the Holy Light Tree’s presence, advancing to High Priest. The Headhunters withdrew at dawn as Silver Pegasus Warriors arrived, leaving the fortress to mourn its dead and Captain Yalige to face the heavy losses.

• Captain Jones refused Roy’s Holy Light healing and died from his wounds as the Elf Warriors battled the Highland Headhunters on the City Wall.
• Highland Headhunters ambushed Roy on the stairs, and when four surrounded him, he awakened the Holy Light Tree’s presence and drove them back.
• The Headhunter Chieftain spotted approaching Silver Pegasus Warriors and ordered the Highland Headhunters to retreat, taking the gravely wounded mine owner Grantham with him.
• Silver Pegasus reinforcements arrived, while Roy and the survivors laid out the dead and cleared the battlefield; only six members of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad, including Roy and Langbo, had survived.
• Captain Yalige returned at noon, saw the bodies of the Elf Warriors he had selected, and stood silently in the courtyard.

After the Headhunters raided the mine fortress and the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment failed to capture the second mine, Captain Yalige asked Roy to manage the Spinel Mine while the Reconnaissance Brigade faced an investigation. Roy passed his questioning, but the investigators continued examining the brigade’s officers as tension settled over the fortress.

• Captain Yalige questioned Roy and asked him to keep the mine operating, and Roy reluctantly agreed despite the shortage of workers.
• Roy and Langbo arranged for Langbo to recruit Half-Elves from the settlement to help at the mine.
• Silver Pegasus Warriors returned from searching the mountain ridges without finding the Headhunters, while Roy continued delivering supplies and storing ore.
• Moon God Temple priests performed a funeral rite for the fallen Elf Warriors, and two investigators arrived to examine the Reconnaissance Brigade.
• Roy described his role in discovering and repelling the Headhunters and passed the investigators’ review, while other officers faced repeated questioning.

Roy showed Earl Swynborne the mine fortress and advised him on how to handle the plateau’s mines and Highland Headhunters. Earl Swynborne recruited Roy to build a Half-Elf auxiliary regiment funded by the plateau’s mines, leaving Roy with a new military role to pursue.

• Roy took charge of the mine and repaired its battlements while clearing bloodstains and sorting the fire-damaged gemstone ore.
• The main force of the Seventeenth Silver Pegasus Legion arrived at the fortress, and Earl Swynborne asked Roy to show him around.
• Earl Swynborne asked how Roy would command the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment, and Roy recommended pursuing the Highland Headhunters before dealing with the mines.
• Roy suggested training Half-Elves to manage the plateau’s mines, and Earl Swynborne said he wanted control of every mine there.
• Earl Swynborne invited Roy to join the Silver Pegasus Legion and form a Half-Elf auxiliary regiment for naval and landing operations, funded by mine income; Roy accepted.

Roy welcomed Mulin and 150 Half-Elves to the Spinel Mine, then prepared to take over a second mine captured by the Silver Pegasus Legion and rescue the Half-Elves still trapped underground. After the Reconnaissance Brigade withdrew and new guards arrived, Roy set out for the second mine with Mulin and twenty Half-Elves.

• Earl Swynborne spoke privately with Roy, then led the Silver Pegasus Legion back to Valley Camp, and the Legion drove the Highland Slavers out of southwestern Pagisto Plateau.
• Langbo arrived at the Spinel Mine with 150 Half-Elves led by Mulin, and Roy welcomed them.
• Roy told Langbo that the Silver Pegasus Legion had taken a second mine, where Half-Elf slaves remained trapped underground, and asked Mulin to join him in taking it over.
• The Reconnaissance Brigade withdrew from the Spinel Mine, and a Silver Moon Elf guard squad arrived to help defend it.
• Roy left for the second mine with Mulin and twenty Half-Elves.

Roy traveled with Mulin and the Half-Elves to the Second Mine, learning about the Highland Slavers and the factions living underground. After reaching the mine, he took over its management and found that no Half-Elf slaves had emerged from the shaft, leaving it unclear who controlled the entrance below.

• Roy questioned Mulin about the plateau’s magical beasts and learned that the Highland Slavers had once earned their living hunting them before merchant trade stopped.
• At a hillside camp, Walker told Roy that the First Mine had three underground levels controlled by Half-Elves, Dark Moon Elf Prisoners, and Gray Dwarf Bandits, with fewer than fifty Dark Moon Elf Prisoners remaining.
• Roy arrived at the Second Mine the next morning and saw that its sturdy, rubble-covered position made it difficult to attack through the main entrance.
• Captain Kepler told Roy that Earl Swynborne had placed the Second Mine under his management and that the Elf regiment would remain for about a month.
• Roy learned that no Half-Elf slaves had emerged from the mine and that Captain Kepler had not determined whether Dark Moon Elf Prisoners or Gray Dwarf Bandits controlled the entrance below.
• Captain Kepler showed Roy the mine fortress, where the Mine Owners and Mine Private Army had taken nearly all valuable supplies before fleeing.

Roy discovered that the Second Mine’s underground occupants traded high-grade gemstone ore for rum and food, but he remained unable to rescue the Half-Elf mining slaves. After Mulin asked him to ransom the imprisoned elves, Roy decided to enter the mine with her, and Captain Kepler warned them about the danger below.

• Roy inspected the Second Mine and found its warehouses stocked with low-grade gemstone ore, while the valuable ore remained underground.
• Roy sent food down the mine shaft and learned that the occupants would trade high-grade gemstone ore for rum and salted fish.
• Mulin asked Roy to find a way to ransom the Half-Elf mining slaves, and Roy proposed investigating the mine with her.
• Roy put on his leather armor and followed Mulin toward the mine, intending to inform Captain Kepler.
• Captain Kepler stopped Roy and warned him that Gray Dwarf Bandits and Dark Moon Elf Prisoners could kill them underground.

Roy led Mulin, Walker, Captain Kepler, Ed, and Bruno down the mine shaft to investigate the missing prisoners. At the bottom, Roy’s holy light revealed two Dark Moon Elf Prisoners lying in ambush, and Mulin and Captain Kepler quickly subdued them.

• Roy organized a six-person reconnaissance team with Mulin, Walker, Captain Kepler, Ed, and Bruno, then descended into the mine in the Wooden Box.
• The team passed through the deep, damp shaft as Roy and Mulin discussed possible ways to create another route into the mine.
• At the bottom, Captain Kepler found a quiet chamber and an opening leading into the mine tunnels, but no prisoners or miners were visible.
• Roy cast the Glimmer Illumination Spell and spotted two Dark Moon Elf Prisoners hiding beside the Wooden Box with daggers.
• Mulin knocked one prisoner unconscious with her sheathed longsword, while Captain Kepler subdued the other with his sword and a Hand Blade strike.

Roy and his companions fought through the Dark Moon Elf Prisoners guarding the mine and forced one prisoner to guide them to the Half-Elf miners. They found a frightened miner, and Mulin told him they had come to rescue him.

• Mulin knocked out a hidden Dark Moon Elf Prisoner after Roy's Divine Light exposed him.
• Roy's group entered the mine and fought off Dark Moon Elf Prisoners who discovered them, then pushed deeper into the caves.
• Roy revived a captured Dark Moon Elf Prisoner and forced him to lead the group to the Half-Elf miners.
• Roy and his companions followed the sound of mining and found a Half-Elf working at the rock wall.
• The Half-Elf miner tried to flee, but Mulin called after him and said they had come to rescue him.

Roy, Mulin, and their companions found the starving Half-Elf mining slaves in the Second Mine and began gathering them for rescue. More than five hundred Half-Elves assembled in the underground camp, leaving Roy to plan how to get them out.

• Mulin told Ge Lan that the group had come to rescue the Half-Elves, and Roy gave the starving miner an Elf Biscuit before asking him to guide them through the mine.
• Ge Lan led Roy and the others to an underground camp where many Half-Elves lived in harsh conditions, and they learned that the Dark Moon Elves controlled their food while Gray Dwarves raided their ore.
• Mulin reunited with Vitas, an old acquaintance who had been captured by the Elf Headhunters, and told him that her village had been driven into hiding.
• Roy told the gathered Half-Elves that he could take them out, and the group learned how the Dark Moon Elves and Gray Dwarves had oppressed them.
• The Half-Elves called their scattered companions back to camp, where more than five hundred mining slaves gathered.

Mulin tried to persuade the Half-Elf mine slaves to leave with her and Roy, but their fear of the Dark Moon Elf Prisoners drove them to scatter. Roy’s group withdrew to a narrow cave to prepare for a confrontation, while the Dark Moon Elf Leader learned their direction and ordered his force to pursue them.

• Mulin told the Half-Elf mine slaves that they were free and offered to lead them out, but a woman and an Old Elf warned that the Dark Moon Elf Prisoners were too dangerous to fight.
• Alarm bells sent the mine slaves fleeing, and the Old Elf, Ge Lan, and Vitas urged Roy and Mulin to escape rather than risk provoking the guards.
• Roy agreed to face the pursuers on favorable ground, and Captain Kepler chose a narrow rocky cave as their likely battlefield.
• The Dark Moon Elf Leader gathered several dozen Half-Elf mine slaves, threatened them, and questioned the Old Elf about Roy’s group.
• The Old Elf revealed which tunnel Roy’s group had taken, and the Dark Moon Elf Leader ordered his men to pursue them.

Roy’s squad set a trap for the Dark Moon Elves in an abandoned cave and fought off the prisoners who pursued them. After Roy killed the Dark Moon Elf Leader, he called on the remaining Dark Moon Elves to surrender, and they began retreating toward the exit.

• Vitas led Roy’s group into an abandoned tunnel, where they hid in a cramped cave and prepared to fight if the Dark Moon Elves caught up.
• Roy’s squad captured three Dark Moon Elves who crawled in to scout, then subdued two more after they broke through the entrance.
• The Dark Moon Elves attacked in greater numbers, but Roy, Captain Kepler, Mulin, and the others fought back under the Glimmer Illumination Spell and Hammer of Judgment.
• Captain Kepler confronted the Dark Moon Elf Leader as he entered the cave, and Mulin helped disarm and restrain him before Captain Kepler knocked him down.
• Roy smashed the Dark Moon Elf Leader’s head with his Holy Scepter, then announced that the remaining Dark Moon Elves could surrender.
• The Dark Moon Elf Prisoners began retreating toward the exit, where Captain Kepler blocked them as Roy ordered them to drop their weapons and face the wall.

Roy’s squad defeated the Dark Moon Elves in the mine and returned to the Half-Elf camp with prisoners. Roy announced that the mine slaves would be evacuated in batches while he and the remaining warriors pursued the escaped Dark Moon Elves.

• Roy’s squad captured more than twenty Dark Moon Elves after driving the others from the passage, then escorted the prisoners out of the mine.
• Captain Kepler recognized that Roy’s illumination spell had exposed the Dark Moon Elves’ stealth and brought more Silver Moon Elf Warriors into the mine.
• Roy led the warriors back to the Half-Elf camp, where Vitas told the mine slaves that the guards had been defeated and they would be freed.
• Roy assigned Vitas to gather the Half-Elves in groups of one hundred and left Silver Moon Elf Warriors to keep order.
• Roy asked Captain Kepler to escort the Half-Elves out while he led the remaining warriors to find the escaped Dark Moon Elves.