Early in the morning the Empress briefed me and Tenna about a mission. A lot of the dwarves we saved were asking about whether their kingdom was still existing. After the war, the Zankoku Empire destroyed it and enslaved most of them. It was only thanks to the Empress, that they now had a place to call home.
It was that place which we were supposed to go with all the dwarves who whished to come with us. Some didn't want to go, feeling indebted and just simply not having anyone to go and see. Dwarves lived long lifes too, not just demons.
The Empress explained to me, that dwarves weren't just master smiths and craftsmen, but also excelent miners. This simple fact meant, that the new kingdom they made was underground, hidden from the world on the surface. I felt a little pity towards them, they were chased underground after all.
"Don't worry too much, they might be short, but dwarves are very tough. They live secluded lives anyways and feel very passionate about repaying debts. The smiths here by us are all willing to stay on their own accord and do what they love, forge away." Explained the Empress.
Our mission was simple. Escort the dwarves to their new home and make it back safe. We were given Tenna's army as a safety measure, we left next morning.
On the day of the briefing I recieved a few notes from the Empress.
"Here, it has two more spells you should learn. I think you will have time, but don't over do it. I called it a day the last time, because using that much magical energy can have sudden and unknown effects so, use it with care." She said with a warm smile.
One of the notes had a spell called Frigeo and the other had Lutulentus Eruptio. A water and an earth type common magic. Frigeo was a spell which froze the surrounding area of a traget. It couldn't turn them into ice or freeze them completely, nontheless it was effective against close ranged enemies. The other spell, Lutulentus Eruptio, was a spell which turned the ground into mud, which then bursted forth with great force. It could be very useful for long ranged enemies, either to disrupt them or target them directly.
The notes also talked about how some spells have different ranges. It is affected by the casters ability to wield magic, but in the end there is a limit to them.
With my newly acquired knowledge of magic we set out the next morning.
I was surprised, that we arrived by nightfall. Tenna assured me along the way, that the Empress already sent out messengers to inform the dwarves about me. I looked more human, than anything so, it was natural they wouldn't welcome me so easily.
We arrived at the foot of a large mountain, which was part of the mountain range. Tenna pressed a seemingly random rock and the wall slowly opened before us. When the dust finally cleared a massive tunnel stretched before our eyes. I barely could believe this was made by hand.
"Impressive, right? Dwarves can use magic, but they prefer to do their bidding themselves, quite the hardworking race." Said Tenna with a warm smile.
"Yeah, I barely believe this is made without magic."
Me and Tenna lead the dwarves into the tunnel and the army of demonic beings came last, closing the entrance. They stayed there as guards. The tunnel went on forever, seemingly stretching deep into the heart of the mountain. Finally, after walking a whole day we arrived at the Dwarven Kingdom.
The king of the dwarves met us personally. He was somewhat taller than the others. He had a long white beard with breads in it. His hair was just as white and long as his beard, he also wore a simple gold crown. The scepter he was holding had all kinds of symbols and pictures engraved in it and on top was something like a hammer's head, fitting for a dwarven king.
"Welcom youngsters, how was the journey?" He asked with his raspy and deep, but friendly voice.
"It was a pleasant and short one, thanks to the hideout your Majesty suggested." Answered Tenna politely.
"I am glad. Now let's look at the young man next to you. I heard all about you. First an introduction is appropriate. I am the king of all dwarves, The Deathless, Durin I."
I bowed and introduced myself too. Durin was a very kind man. He showed us around a little, though the place was gigantic. The dwarves lived in a dome, the walls had roads and they lived in them. On the bottom of the dome were the smith workshops and other buildings, but there were indeed a lot of workshops. We strolled around seeing dwarves hammer on swords, armour, tools and other things.
"This place is massive, how long did it take to carve out this much?" I asked. I was very curious.
Durin laughed at my question, but not in an ill manner. "You would be surprised what shift work can do! We have a lot of us here and it took maybe 3 months. Ai helped us of course, her magic is truly scary." Said Durin while stroking his beard.
"T-that is incredible." I was really stunned by how much they could accomplish.
After the dwarves found their families and had a heartfelt reunion we made our way into what could be described as an overly secure vault. The inside was filled with weapons and armour, but books and old scrolls could be found too.
We reached the end of the vault where a sword was placed on a pedestal. It had an interesting design and a very foreign feel. The blade's color was a mix of black and very dark grey. The handle was neatly decorated with crimson colored cloth. And a weird flower was hanging from it.
"This is the sword which is said to have belonged to the Demon King 5100 years ago. It is clear that it is a work of dwarven arts. It always reminded me, that there were dwarves who weren't foolish enough to only listen to the humans. Considering the quality it must have been a gift. No dwarf could have forged something like this as a mere weapon." Explained Durin.
I was confused why he showed us something this valuable. But when I got the answer I was shocked.
"To tell you the truth, I have a suspicion about you Tousa. It is somewhat of a far jump, but hear me out. The Empress sent a messenger, because she was concerned about your looks, but she also detailed a lot more about you. She mentioned your first lesson in magic and how you've done."
Durin continued.
"When we dwarves forge unique items we call on our ancestors to guide our hands. Some of us change in appearance even, turning to a different person. When I heard about your experiance I just couldn't help, but feel like you might harbor a strange fate. So, heed my advice young man, whenever you use magic call upon that self of yours and call upon it with all you have. I think you will find the truth you seek."
He didn't say it, but it popped into my mind. Did he think I might be related to the Founder? I had demon blood in me yet how? He was dead for over 5000 years. I took another look at the sword. It colors reminded me of my own spells.
How? How could we be related?
As my thoughts started to get heavy, loud and deep sounds of horns echoed abruptly through the dwarven kingdom. I looked at Durin in search for answers, but he was moritified.
"N-no, this can't be! This is impossible, h-how did they find us here?!" He exclaimed in panick.
Quickly he calmed his nerves and started giving order after order to the dwarves near him.
"I am deeply sorry, but I need your assistance. We are under attack."
His words carried deep sorrow, but also determination.
Joou Ai, the empress of all demons was yet again lost in papers at her desk. Looking through reports and collected data when suddenly a woman barged into her tent nearly collapsing while doing it. She was pale, in terror and violently shaking.
The cause.
"Ken'o is on the way to the dwarves. Tenna and Tousa are in danger!!!"
The Empress dropped everything out of her hand and nearly jumped up from her chair. Without a word she rushed out and started preparing.
The woman who nearly collapsed was the 4th general, Musei. She was born without a voice and only the Empress could hear her. Non of them understood why. A theory was that their magic had a natural synergy. Musei was the perfect image of a witch. Being at a tender age of 1437, she looked like someone in her late 30's. She wore a big purple hat with a matching very simple dress.
Durin looked very shaken. The concern was not because of the horns, it was because the sound of them.
"I made the system so we know what threat is coming at us. The deeper the sound the more dangerous is. This... this is the second deepest horn. Which means, one of the 6 Guardians found us.
Both me and Tenna froze in shock, she quickly regained herself and ran out to her army. Durin turned towards me.
"Remember what I said. And take the sword with you, we probably have to leave this place soon."
"B-but its one of your treasures, are you really sure?"
"There is an engraving on it, read it when this is over. Now hurry!"
We wrapped the sword in a thick cloth and I ran after Tenna. The dwarves weren't panicking, or at least they didn't look like that. At every workshop they lined up for weapons and armour. All of them knew what was on stake.
I soon reached Tenna who was organizing her army. It was tough for her to deal with such a situation and any help was a day away. My thoughts were on what to do, I hardly could stand idle. I quickly started to recall our journey thinkig back on every moment, but it was in vain, nothing came to my mind.
In the end me and Tenna went out with the army. Quickly scouting ahead with our fastest demonic beings we learned it was indeed a guardian, it was Ken'o a knight in shining armour.
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