Point of View: Tharok
When I woke up… I was still there.
The dungeon.
The air was cold, heavy, damp. Every breath felt like a struggle.
I blinked slowly, trying to focus.
"How long…?"
I didn't know.
My mind was still foggy, but something felt different.
My body… was still weak, but stable.
My wounds were no longer bleeding.
I lowered my gaze as much as I could and forced my vision until the system responded.
[Time until overflow: 25 days]
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Two days."
I had been asleep for two days.
Silence crushed down on me.
None of this made sense.
My breathing became uneven.
Everything had been fine…
No.
I shook my head slowly, feeling the world spin slightly.
"No… it wasn't fine…"
I clenched my teeth.
There was something.
Something important.
Something that had happened before all of this.
My thoughts began to move—slow, heavy… but unstoppable.
And then I realized.
"…That night…"
My eyes narrowed.
"It all started that night."
I closed my eyes.
And let the memory drag me back.
The fire crackled softly in front of us.
We weren't at the center of the celebration.
The party continued farther away—laughter, shouting, the clashing of mugs, exaggerated tales of recent conquests.
But here…
It was different.
Quieter.
More… serious.
We were gathered around a secluded fire.
My father had called the captains… and the most influential members of the tribe.
No one spoke openly, but it was obvious.
The looks.
The posture.
I scanned the group.
The captains who had returned with him still carried the fatigue of the journey. Some looked relaxed, others alert… but most were simply confused.
They didn't know why they were here.
Then I looked at the others.
Those who had stayed behind.
The ones who kept the tribe running.
Their faces held no calm.
There was tension.
Discomfort.
And in some cases… concern.
My eyes stopped on Marek.
I knew him too well.
He looked calm.
But he wasn't.
His hands were tense. His gaze avoided certain directions.
He was uneasy.
My father slowly stood.
And the murmuring disappeared.
"I know you're confused about why you were called here…"
His voice was firm. Confident.
Controlled.
"But there's something important you need to know."
The silence grew heavier.
Some captains exchanged glances.
Others simply watched him, waiting.
So did I.
My father continued.
He spoke about the abominations.
About the attacks.
About the cities of the plane's rulers being under siege.
Nothing new.
Everyone who had been in the main plane already knew.
But…
The captains didn't.
Their reactions were immediate.
Surprise.
Then discomfort.
And finally… restrained tension.
It wasn't fear yet.
But it was close.
My father let the murmurs rise slightly… then cut them off.
"Relax."
His tone didn't change.
That helped.
A little.
Then…
He smiled.
"This is our opportunity."
The world seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Tomorrow, we will launch another conquest."
Silence.
Absolute.
Something in my chest tightened.
"Not just us," he continued. "The entire alliance will move again."
Now the reactions came.
The captains looked at each other.
Pure confusion.
They didn't understand.
They couldn't.
And the others…
They weren't confused.
They were unsettled.
Worried.
Some even clenched their jaws.
My gaze returned to Marek.
His discomfort was even more obvious now.
"While the rulers of the plane are busy," my father continued, "defending their cities…"
His smile sharpened slightly.
"Their main forces will inevitably return. They'll lose all the time and resources they spent on their conquests."
He paused.
"And we will take advantage of that."
No one spoke.
But the atmosphere shifted.
It wasn't just discomfort anymore.
It was anticipation.
"We can reach their level…" he said.
"…or even surpass them."
That was too much.
Some captains nodded almost instinctively.
"Yes, Chief!"
"We'll follow you!"
But their voices weren't fully confident.
Just… loyal.
My father nodded, satisfied.
Then…
He looked at us.
At those of us who hadn't gone on the conquest.
We remained silent.
I felt several gazes fall on me.
I let out a slow breath.
I already understood.
"Father…"
My voice came out heavier than expected.
"We can't do that."
Silence fell again.
But this time… heavier.
My father didn't respond immediately.
"Son…"
His tone shifted slightly.
"I know we don't share the same views, but I don't want to hear your pacifist ideas right now."
That hurt.
But I couldn't stop.
"That's not it."
I looked at him directly.
"The tribe can't afford another conquest."
There—
His expression hardened.
"What did you say?"
The air became suffocating.
But I didn't look at him.
I looked at Marek.
It was his turn.
He knew it.
He slowly stood.
"Leader…"
He hesitated.
"There's something… we didn't report."
The silence became absolute.
My father stared at him.
"Speak."
Marek swallowed.
"The tribe is having… economic problems."
Some lowered their gaze.
Others clenched their fists.
"And…" he continued, "we lost two dungeons."
The fire crackled.
No one else made a sound.
My father didn't speak.
Not at first.
But his hand slowly clenched.
"Marek…"
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
"This is the second time today you've withheld information."
Marek tried to respond, but couldn't.
"The first was in Dalaran."
He didn't blink.
"The siege information… I let that pass."
A pause.
More tense than anything before.
"But this…"
His gaze shifted.
Toward us.
"How do you explain this?"
No one answered.
No one dared.
And then…
He looked at me again.
"Seems like you have something else to say, son."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then spoke.
"It's not what you think, father."
I opened my eyes.
"You think a rival tribe took those dungeons."
He didn't deny it.
"They didn't."
I leaned forward slightly.
"They disappeared."
Some lifted their heads.
Others frowned.
"They just… stopped existing."
My father didn't react.
That was worse.
"We didn't report it immediately because we needed to confirm it," Marek added. "And it happened recently."
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
Confusion.
Tension.
I opened my eyes.
The darkness of the dungeon wrapped around me once more.
My breathing was uneven.
"…Yeah…"
My voice came out broken.
"That was it…"
I clenched my teeth.
"That's where it all started…"
"My biggest mistake…"
"…and maybe the reason I'm here."