"So? What should we do with it? Should we bury this knowledge, or should we use it sparingly?"

The dwarves gulped and looked at each other.

"Please don't share this with anyone else."

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. I trust you both, and in that same trust I tell you this so that you know that I would never harm Gothcraks, or any other dwarven city."

"We are honored" Hrauss answered. "However..."

"It's too powerful. If this got out; if someone learned of this..."

"You think we should hide this knowledge and not use it."

They nodded.

"I agree. But if Gothcraks is ever threatened, come find me and I will give you some of this gunpowder to use in it's defence."

So agreeing to hide the knowledge from everyone, the three of them returned to the excavation. And he saw to his surprise that there was already a stone gate in place. This was not the Moria for the Lord of the Rings blend into the mountain sort of thing, but a beautiful piece of artwork. Made to open inwards rather than swing open outwardly, the gate matched the beauty of the columns James had seen earlier. Only rather than a collection of carvings there was a huge dragon on one door, and to James' pleasant and amused surprise there was not the giant made to stand towering over everyone else that he had planned for it, but in his mind there was something better. For all along the door everyone had carved their names in varying degrees of skill. Laughing, he left Damian and Hrauss behind and rushed to the door, running his hand over all the signatures.

"Do you hate it? We're not fired are we?"

James turned and looked at the worried dwarves who were gazing at him nervously.

"Are you KIDDING?!? I love it!"

He laughed and turned back to the door, feeling the cut of the letters as if absorbing the feelings of the workers who had cut them.

"This is awesome!"

He looked again at the assembled dwarves.

"This is perfect! Thank you!"

"Good, because there's one signature still missing."

"Who?"

"Why, yours of course!" a dwarf answered as if it were obvious, handing him a hammer and chisel. Happy and yet humbled at the same time, James bent down and found a space on the bottom, gently tapping out his name. As he finished a cheer erupted from the crowd and James grinned as he stood up, proud and happy for his workers.

The work progressed for the next few days, leaving a long shallow groove going up into the mountain. While many still questioned the shallow halfpipe design, James' claim that it would help with any drainage were met with shrugs. But he soon found a problem in their waste, since many just chose to defecate anywhere and everywhere. Thinking of something he had heard of the ancient Minoans, James spoke with the dwarven designers and after the initial guardrooms for those assigned to guard the entrance, they began cutting a public toilet that had a slanted waste chute so as to avoid stinking up the inside of the mountain. James had wondered how to drain the sewage, but the dwarves assured him that it was taken care of and not to worry. All he knew was that the public toilets had the sound of running water coming from below, so he assumed some water or other liquid was being used to flush the waste. He idly wondered if perhaps a reservoir or snow melt from the top of the mountain was being used, but in the end it didn't matter as long as everything was clean and the city was healthy.

But it wasn't just the sanitation that he had to deal with. He had to take advice from virtually everyone about what to put near the gates and what to build. And once there was a long lane of potential buildings along a stretch of the shallow halfpipe road that was wide enough for three wagons to sit side by side, work began on a narrow bridge over a chasm. Keeping safety in mind, he ordered thick posts to remain with smooth holes cut clean through them. From these, he had rope railings stretched across the chasm that could easily be cut should the fortress be breached. In this way, any enemies would have to advance single file. Sorry Tolkien and Fellowship of the Ring, but walking in an abandoned mine with no railings where anyone could fall into the abyss was simply not happening.

He also gave instructions for a stairway with a tall banister to be cut to an observation post at the top of the mountain and a warning bell placed there, one loud enough that the whole fortress could hear it. As the days passed, James was glad to see a forge finally get set up, and a few days after that an inn was finished. With this they were finally ready to serve customers passing through the valley to and from Gothcraks.

Money was tight, and the trickle of income they generated was still not enough to cover his losses. While James had been given a lot by Ik'Laus, it would eventually run out and feeding and paying so many workers was rapidly taking its toll on his remaining funds. So with nothing else to lose, he began a bank.

When he proposed such a plan, everyone was confused. They had never heard of someone lending money in an agreement for more money to be paid back. But once they understood the concept, a few were willing to try it. So taking two pieces of parchment, James started writing contracts for both parties. Usually it was for a family, but there were rare single person loans. Having never been a banker before, James was understandably hesitant to lend too much in one contract so he made sure to add what he thought were appropriate clauses, including seizure of collateral goods should the other party not be able to pay.

With this system in place, some chose to leave and return to the Mine of the Gothcraks, hoping to use the money to start their own businesses or upgrade their crafts. Hearing this, he also set about starting a school. While he initially debated whether or not it would teach trade skills or basic knowledge like reading, writing, math and other skills, he eventually decided on both by building two separate schools. When they learned this, it created a storm among his workers.

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Damian marched into the room James used an office, where under the light of several lamps the human was examining a blueprint for both schools. He didn't waste any time and immediately began barraging James with questions.

"James! This school, is it true? It will really teach people how to read and write? And the other one, it will teach people crafting?"

"Slow down!" James laughed, feeling warm in his heart as he looked up at the dwarf that he by now considered to be a friend. "Yes, both schools will do that. The building on the east side of the street will teach academic subjects, while the one on the west side will be bigger to accomodate teachers who have to demonstrate their trades."

"Will it cost money to attend?"

"Yes, but that should be no problem. Remember the bank? We will give what are called student loans to pay their tuition."

"What's tuition?"

"Ah, sorry. I mean, the cost of their studies, we will shoulder them until they can pay off the cost."

"How much will it cost?"

"I have the documents here."

James handed a paper over to Damian, who took it with trembling hands. One had to know that he had left their son Braslaw in the care of his sister when he and his wife had left Gothcraks. With finishing residential building and now these new schools, it would be a gift from above to secure a strong future for his son.

He looked at the notes James had left along the edges of the pages, indicating that he was still not satisfied with the design. But what a design! Damian found floor plans for blacksmithing, carpentry, tailors, and more. The list of the classes offered in the other school was equally amazing, including subjects he had never even heard of. There was even a minor course in astronomy, and in such times it was essential to be able to navigate based off the positioning of the stars when one tree or mountain or blade of grass looked just like another.

"This is...amazing."

"Well, I'm hoping it can be improved further. We may add more courses as we learn what people need; what knowledge they are seeking."

"Can I join this school?"

James was surprised to hear of Damian's interest. The dwarf looked up at him nervously when he didn't immediately respond.

"You can, but please sit down and talk with me first."

Damian silently took a seat in the offered chair. Then James took a few moments to think.

"Damian, it is no exaggeration to say that none of this would have been possible without you. For that, I am grateful and I thank you. Because you are so essential here, to the point where everything goes through you and you are involved in all the planning of this fortress that I hope will also one day soon become a great place of trade and learning, I see three options for you. Please let me know though if you see another choice.

"First option, you could quit. You could tell me your replacement, and go study full time, with or without our student loans, with the intention of taking a different job when your classes are finished. Having said that, I hope you don't choose this as I value your feedback and your honesty and fair dealings.

"Option two, you can take night classes. You can do your job during the day, and during the night you can learn. This will add more to your plate when you are already busy though, so if you do choose this I suggest you talk it over with your wife first."

"And what's the third option?" Damian asked, eager and impatient to hear what choices awaited him.

"For the third option, you could take a leave of absence. Your job would still be waiting for you when you finish, and the time you spend studying would be shorter."

"You would do that?"

"Sure! It may be tough without your help, but you already have the right people in place. And if it's what you want...then I would insist that you do this."

"Thank you! I won't let you down!"

"HEY!"

Damian looked at James in shock as James glared at him.

"Don't think like that! It doesn't matter what I want; it's what you want. So don't think about letting me down; think about yourself and your family. Here..."

James got up and moved to Damian's side, where he looked at the dwarf warmly.

"My friend...what do you want to do?"

"I..."

Damian was at a loss for words.

"I want to be educated. All my life I've just worked to support myself and my family. But can I afford to go to school? And at my age?"

"Damian, the only limit is you. This school, it will be open to people of all ages. Do you want to paint? Do you want to learn to be a scribe or how to mend clothes as a tailor? Everything is in your hands."

Damian felt tears well up in his eyes as this person, this human, told him he could do anything.

"But the money..."

"Ah, what is money? Here."

James went back to his desk and furiously started writing. He then reached into a drawer and pulled out a sack of coins, much like when the two of them had met in Damian's tavern. He tossed both across the table towards him, and Damian picked both up.

"What's this?"

"Your dismissal notice" James grinned. "You're fired, so there is now nothing stopping you from going out and accomplishing your dreams. Work hard Damian!"

The dwarf grinned as he realized what James was doing. They both shared a laugh and then stood up.

"But how will you manage the projects?"

"That's my worry now! Go out and tell your wife the good news! Oh, but be sure to tell me what courses you want to study when you figure that out. And if we don't have that subject to teach, come tell me."

"I will. Thank you!"

Damian excitedly made to leave the office when suddenly he stopped.

"One more thing" he added, turning back to face James. "We need to get you a wife."