by Hans Bezdek
“Why not tell them about your secret?” asked Dhot. “It makes you sound much stronger!”
“Not everyone will want to work together to fight the black and reds,” I mumbled. “There will be some that come for me, even from the lands that agree to work with us. Even if the Dragon War is won, I’ll have to always be careful for the rest of my life.”
Dhot nodded as the doors to the king’s room opened again. One of the dwarven guards popped his head in and smiled at us.
“The king be ready fer ya!”
The three of us shared a nervous look, then followed the dwarf inside.
The king’s meeting room was filled with stone seats facing the front. Multicolored banners hung down from all four walls, each depicting dwarven warriors and kings of the past. The aisle we walked on through the middle of the room was made of silver, sparkling in the torchlight.
The dwarven guards were ahead of us on the aisle, which ended at a wide platform a foot or so higher than the ground. Several dwarves sat on the platform, watching us, including one sitting on a giant throne in the middle. Next to the throne was a human man dressed in green robes. This was the clothing of the Republic of Hur’s emissaries, which was a bit surprising, given the tension between the two territories. The man had several tattoos around his neck and held a staff across his lap.
The throne looked to be made of gold, and had gems of every color inlaid throughout. The dwarf sitting on it had a long gray beard that went to his knees as he sat. His light eyes were fixed on us, displaying no emotion. I had no idea if he was bothered to hold a meeting with us or not.
When we reached the dwarven guards, one put a hand out for us to stop.
“Guests, this is King Julfr Snowhammer,” said the lead guard, placing a fist over his heart and bowing to the dwarf on the throne.
The three of us bowed, awkwardly placing our hands over our chests.
“It’s an honor to meet the King of Brumark,” said Cassandra.
All of the dwarves on the platform began to chuckle, exchanging amused looks. I had no idea what was so funny, and glanced over to the dwarven guards. The lead one was shaking his head as he smiled.
“Ye are too kind,” smiled King Julfr. “There be not a single king in Brumark, though. While I be king of Feldarkr and the surrounding lands, there be a king in the the Mountains of Odike and another in the east.”
“M-My apologies,” blushed Cassandra, staring down at the ground.
“No need. It be very rare for yer kind to bless us with a visit, and I’d never expect ye to know our customs and way of life.”
Cassandra smiled but didn’t say anything.
“What’s up with the human?” asked Dhot, pointing at the man in green. The man looked down at the goblin with a bit of disgust. I wasn’t too happy with the bluntness of the question either. “I thought Brumark wasn’t on great terms with the Republic right now.”
“Aye, we aren’t,” nodded Brumark. “This here is Erskine Midir. He was sent to us when they heard word of our issues with the blue dragons a few weeks ago, and he has stayed with us to help us through it.”
“That’s very kind of them,” said Dhot, suspiciously squinting at Erskine and putting his Goggles down.
“The Republic is happy to stand with the dwarves of Brumark against any type of dragon threats,” said Erskine, his eyes not leaving the goblin. “This small squabble over land and trade laws wouldn’t stop our good will towards our allies.”
Dhot just stared back at the man. The room was hit with an awkward silence as the two simply looked at each other.
“Er…” said the king, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “What brings ye three to Feldarkr?”
I stepped forward slightly, getting in between Dhot and Erskine’s eye line.
“King Julfr, we come with news of the future and a plea for assistance,” I said, going into diplomatic mode. When I worked for Dmetri and the Tumblers, there were many times I’d need to talk my way into or out of a town. This wasn’t much different, other than I was speaking mostly the truth this time. “A second Dragon War is coming, and it is coming soon.”
The dwarves on the platform murmured nervously with one another, the king watching me with interest.
“A second Dragon War?” sneered Erskine. “You can’t be serious.”
“Unfortunately, I am,” I said. I removed my Shield, gesturing at Cassandra with my other hand. “We encountered a black dragon named Ulrich a few weeks ago. He retrieved the same crown Ludek used during the Dragon War to rally the Dar’Ka, and it appears that Ulrich intends to renew that terrible war. My friends and I have been traveling through Yaerna in search of the legendary weapons to prepare. This is the Time Shield, and we also have the Shattered Sword.”
All of the dwarves, and even Erskine, marveled as I held up the Shield, and Cassandra pulled out her blade. It was thankfully glowing blue, which helped bring more of a wow factor.
“Impressive,” said the king. “And you have allies already joining you?”
“Absolutely,” I smiled. The treekin of the Willows of Wander couldn’t number more than a hundred, but they counted as allies. There was no need for him to know they were literally the only people we met so far that said they would join us.
“King Julfr,” said Erskine, clearing his throat. “You surely don’t believe these three. Since they have several legendary items already, they must be here for Grimkell’s Mace. They are probably little more than thieves and swindlers.”
“Grimkell’s Mace is here?” asked Dhot, not paying any mind to the insults.
“See? They’re after it, just like I said!” exclaimed Erskine.
“Aye,” nodded the king, ignoring the human. “We keep the Mace safe. Only I and a handful of others know it’s location. We would not let the weapon go lightly.”
It was sounding like simply asking for the weapon wasn’t going to fly. We’d have to figure out another way to win the king’s trust, or come to some sort of agreement.
“On top of that,” continued Erskine, “there have been no reports of increased Dar’Ka activity in any of the territories!”
“My village in Kra’Gar was burned down,” said Dhot. “I was the only survivor.”
“We’ve also battled with several black and reds since Ulrich retrieved the crown,” said Cassandra. “We don’t have any way to prove these things, but they’ve happened.”
“They admit they have no proof!” said Erskine. “The blue dragons are much more of a pressing concern than this made up second Dragon War.”
“I believe ye,” said Julfr quietly to us.
“You do?” I asked, as did Erskine at the same time.
“Aye,” nodded the king. “I’ve been hearing rumors of a red dragon spotted around me land. Some of me farmers have come to me. They’d not lie to me.”
Cassandra and I shared a hopeful look.
“After what ye’ve just told me, I fear the black and reds have a new ally,” sighed Julfr.
“A new ally?” asked Dhot.
“Aye. The blue dragons.”
The room fell quiet as the implications filled my mind. It was possible that the blues joined up with the Dar’Ka. After all, the black and reds had no issues with the other dragons at a base level, just the other races. The two only fought in the Dragon War because the blues, along with the other colors, joined the forces of Yaerna against them.
“How about this,” said the king, running a hand through his beard. “I’ll give ye Grimkell’s Mace if ye promise to help us deal with the blue dragons. Once that is done, we’ll agree to work with ye preparing for the Dar’Ka. Our warriors are strong, and many of us still remember the terror the black and reds brought with them centuries ago.”
Dhot and I shared a smile, while Cassandra gave me a nervous look.
“Maybe we should-” she began.
“Deal!” I said. “We’d have to fight with the blues sooner or later if they are working with the Dar’Ka anyway. This h
elps out both of our causes.”
“Me thoughts exactly,” smiled Julfr. “Now, ye’ll find Grimkell’s Mace in the Konall Monastery, just southeast of here.”
“Konall Monastery,” I repeated. Why did that sound familiar?
“Isn’t that where that insane dwarf is!?” shouted Dhot.
“Ah… so you’ve already met Braun…” said the king, pulling on his beard and looking away anxiously.
“You’ve got a fainting dwarf guarding your most prized possession?” asked Dhot. “Maha!”
“Braun may have a bad side to him, but he’s a good lad,” said Julfr. “He’s kept the Mace a secret for a long time now, and means our people no harm.”
“Whatever works for you,” I shrugged. “We will retrieve the Mace and see what can be done about the blue dragons.”
“What if we can come to some sort of arrangement with the blues?” spoke up Cassandra.
“An arrangement?” asked the king.
“Maybe there is something else going on with them, and they aren’t working with the black and reds,” she said. “Perhaps they could become an ally for all of us.”
“Ha!” laughed the king, as did the others on the platform. “Ye elves always tryin to solve things with peace. Very well. If ye can somehow convince the blues to stop attacking us, even better.”
Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief and smiled over at me.
“Thank you for all your help,” I said, turning to leave. Now that we knew where Grimkell’s Mace was, this wouldn’t be too difficult after all.
“Time to go spook that dwarf again,” said Dhot. “Maha!”
Chapter 6
We left Feldarkr immediately, not wanting to waste any time. We had no clue if or when The Guild or the Gray Adders would show up, and while they wouldn’t know where Grimkell’s Mace would be, they could try to follow us.
Thanks to whatever was inside of our flasks, the journey down the mountain and out towards the Konall Monastery wasn’t as freezing as the walk up had been. We stuck to the same road, knowing thanks to the dwarven guards that we would need to take a left when we came to the seventh side road.
“There’s something strange about that human,” mumbled Dhot as we walked.
“Really?” smirked Cassandra. “You two seemed like fast friends.”
“Yeah, what was going on with that?” I asked. “You were acting really strange towards Erskine. He seemed like most of the Republic’s emissaries to me.”
“Never met any,” he shrugged. “Is it normal for them to have those weird tattoos?”
“It’s not uncommon,” I nodded. “Emissaries are always being sent to various lands, and they aren’t always going to friendly territories. When they arrive, they are often targeted by gangs, or even those in power who don’t want the Republic interfering in their politics. The tattoos are magical runes that activate when getting attacked.”
“I didn’t know that kind of magic existed,” said Cassandra.
“Me either,” added Dhot.
“I’ve only ever seen it associated with people in the Republic,” I said. “I think it originated there, and it must be a secret form that they don’t want others to know the details of.”
“Do the emissaries usually have a magical staff, too?”
“Magical staff?” I asked. “I don’t think so…”
“Erskine’s staff was magical?” asked Cassandra. “In what way?”
“Not sure,” shrugged Dhot, tapping his Goggles. “Think these things can talk? Maha!”
“I don’t know, maybe they could show different colors for different types of magic!” said Cassandra, face turning slightly pinker.
“These don’t show me specifics. His staff had a purple aura swinging around it, though. That’s very typical for magic items that are actively being used. I haven’t noticed colors correlating with what the things can do.”
“The Republic probably sent him with it for additional protection,” I shrugged. “They sent him to a territory they’ve been having problems with, and also to deal with possibly hostile blue dragons. It’s not shocking they’d want the guy to be prepared. No idea why it would be actively working while we were there, though. Maybe he was just prepared for trouble.”
We marched on down the road, passing by a few dwarves headed towards Feldarkr every so often. Gray clouds eventually moved in, bringing snow flurries with them.
An hour or so after leaving Feldarkr, Dhot pointed out something strange up ahead.
“What’s up with those huge boulders?” he asked, pointing down the road.
Two large rocks were blocking the road. While there were some cliffs around, there weren’t any on this part of the road. On top of that, we had just past this area earlier in the day.
“I don’t remember them being there before,” I said.
“I don’t either,” said Cassandra, her hand resting on her hilt.
Approaching the boulders with care, the three of us kept our eyes peeled for an ambush. It would be too easy for bandits or trolls to hide in the snow, popping out when we reached the rocks. The closer we got, however, the more I realized these two things weren’t actually boulders.
“Is that… paint?” whispered Dhot.
“I think it is,” said Cassandra.
The two large gray objects looked to be some sort of paper construction with a horrible paint job. It looked like something a five year old would make, only expanded to a much larger scale. As we stared at the two objects, one of them moved slightly.
“I think people are hiding in there,” whispered Cassandra.
“Come out of there!” I shouted, taking my Shield out and holding it in front of me. “We know you’re in there!”
The two paper monstrosities shook slightly before they were lifted into the air and tossed to the side.
Two extremely tall beings stood up, stretching as they went.
“Gah, dat took furever,” said one of them, missing several teeth. He had long, dirty blonde hair that went down to his waist.
“Yeh, I tuld ya it’d work doe,” said the other, also missing several teeth. This one had a ridiculous looking bowl cut. “Time teh eat!”
“Giants,” mumbled Dhot.
I had never seen giants before. Giants kept to the colder parts of Yaerna, which meant mostly just Brumark. There were rumors of some near Durnskeep, but I never ran into any when I lived there. These creatures looked very human-like, except they were over three times as tall. I guessed these two were both about twenty feet tall, and probably weighed at least eight hundred pounds. They wore a strange combination of furs for clothes, and one of them had a club that looked more like a tree than anything.
Never having fought a giant before, I wanted to keep it that way.
“We don’t mean you any har-”
“Yaa!” cried Cassandra, pulling out the Shattered Sword as she ran towards the giants, its blade no longer blue.
Well, I guess we weren’t getting out of here without fighting now.
“One of dem is comin,” said Bowl Cut, pointing down at Cassandra.
“Me got,” said Long Hair, bringing up the tree weapon and swinging it down at the elf.
Cassandra brought her weapon up, blocking the tree with a grunt.
“Woah!” cooed Long Hair. “Dis one strong!”
Dhot reached in his bag as he ran to the left, while I broke out to the right. The giants seemed distracted with Cassandra for now. I needed to get into a better spot to launch a magic attack.
Summoning energy into my hand, I watched as the giant brought the tree back up for a second strike. This time, Cassandra ran at his feet as fast as she could, lunging at his big toe as she arrived.
The giant roared out as he swung his tree down.
Cassandra jumped out of the way as the giant connected with his own foot. The giant roared again, hopping up and down on his other foot.
I knelt down into the snow off to the side, pushing my hands underneath and into the g
round. I watched the giants and continued to flow energy to my hands, looking for an opening.
“Haha, you hit self!” laughed Bowl Cut, pointing a finger at his friend.
“Maha!”
Boom.
An explosion went off at the feet of Bowl Cut, causing him to crash down to his knees.
“What do that?!” he cried out, reaching back with a hand and holding his bleeding foot. “Me no like!”
“Ow!” shouted the other giant, jumping back as Cassandra pricked his other foot with the Shattered Sword.
I was starting to wonder if I would even be needed at this rate.
Dhot shot into the sky as he threw a device on the ground, sending him up to Bowl Cut’s fur shirt. He quickly pulled out a few small objects, placing them near the giant’s neck. Bowl Cut slowly brought his hands in front of him, watching Dhot carefully. The goblin was so into his work, he didn’t seem to notice.
“Watch out!” I shouted at the goblin.
“No more!” cried the giant, grabbing Dhot with both of his hands.
Before the goblin could make a sound, the giant turned around, bringing his arm all the way back. With all of his force, the giant threw the goblin away.
“Wooaaaaaaaaaa!” shouted Dhot as he flew through the air to the south, until he disappeared from sight.
“Dhot!” shouted Cassandra.
“That’s probably not good,” I mumbled. Dhot would be feeling that in the morning, assuming we weren’t all killed before then.
“Activate your Shield!” she shouted.
“Sure, right after you activate your Sword!” I shouted back. We really needed to find a way to control these weapons, or they weren’t going to be much help against an army of red and black dragons.
Instead, I shot my magic into the ground. The ground beneath the giants opened up, sucking the two of them down. The two fell fifteen feet, before the ground closed in around them. All we could see left of the giants were their heads.
“What happen!?” shouted Long Hair.
“Me no can move!” shouted Bowl Cut. “Elf lady, ya come cut us out, then we eat ya!”