Michael
With a precise strike, Eydis opened up the beer keg to the cheers of the party guests.
“My whole cellar is open today,” Valmick announced loudly, “Drink to your heart's content because today we have achieved something historic. Three cheers for Lord Michael Rowan, hiphip.”
“Hurray.”
Michael just stood there with a grin and watched the dwarves - a majority of whom he had never met - cheer loudly and begin drinking like a group of adventurers that had just found an expensive artifact.
“You already looking forward to the day that you can partake,” Solon asked him and nipped on his beer.
“I am not so sure about that, to be honest,” Michael laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Now we only need to get the Vargr-Släkt to agree to our plans and we will have a one-of-a-kind access to the dwarven market.”
“You are here to celebrate not to think about the next move in your world of plans,” Kiran scolded him from the other side. “Have fun for a change and be a kid.”
Michael was happy to sit back and watch the others enjoy the party though. He didn't feel like partying himself after he had lost control earlier today and it could have gotten him killed, he was actually sure that it would have if he wasn't a child.
The party got wilder with every keg that was opened. Most were drunk only an hour into the party but even though the dwarves were drinking at least double of what the humans where they seemed to be better off.
Two hours in Michael saw the knights in a drinking match with a couple of dwarves, Eydis was dancing with Valmick's daughters, and Kiran seemed to be in deep conversation with a group of clan elders.
A pair of dwarves suddenly were on a table and performed a traditional dance. Michael clapped in the rhythm of the song and didn't notice Grur Parak appear next to him.
“This was the work of a genius, milord,” he said and startled Michael a little.
“Wow you can move quietly,” Michael commented. “It was more luck than anything.”
“I heard you set off a light explosion right in the court chambers,” Grur chuckled a little bit and Michael got red from embarrassment.
“Yeah, I might have lost control there for a moment.”
“Don't underestimate the value of a little bit of shock and awe in a negotiation. Especially with old folk that are bored out of their mind.” Grur tipped himself on the nose and then added, “But don't go around spreading my business strategies.”
“Now that we are already at business, you said you would move much of your operations to Reen if I managed to get the dwarves to sign a trade agreement.”
The trader smiled as if he had been caught by him, “Oh yes, you remember that. I will keep my word, mostly because this will be a great opportunity to make some money before all the vultures descend on your lands.”
“Good to see that I can count on your desire to stay ahead of the pack,” Michael joked, and the trader kept up his smile.
The party continued well into the night when most guests were either lying on the tables or under them. Michael sat in a corner with a book he had borrowed from the library. Eydis was asleep in his lap and breathed quietly, she had passed out an hour earlier after winning a drinking contest to the shock of the audience.
Steps caused him to look up and he saw Valmick making his way through the comatose dwarves and humans. Most had blankets thrown over them by servants and were just left there to sleep of their intoxication.
“You are still awake,” the minister said, he hadn't drunk much from what Michael had seen and was still lucid.
“I can't sleep early. I tend to work well into the night and this book has captured me,” Michael said and showed him the cover.
“Ah the tales of the cataclysm. I am surprised that you found a version in remurian, I didn't know that we had one,” Valmick said and offered him a cup of water. Michael gladly accepted it but made sure to not wake Eydis with his movements.
“Yeah, Kiran found it while rummaging through your library. He said it was stuck behind another book and had multiple layers of dust on it.”
“I see. I presume it is very different from the version that is told in your home?”
“Yes, it is. The most important difference is the detail. Most historical lore we have has been transcribed and kept by the church and they tend to focus on the betrayal and the gods, while this focuses mostly on the war itself.”
Valmick sat down next to him and signaled him to continue.
“In our texts for example it only says that the cataclysms ended a year after the betrayal because of Idas's and his follower's wrath but it never explains what exactly happened. In this book, though it is said that a great ritual was the reason for the end of the cataclysm, it only says that the mana levels fell and that was that though.”
“That is because we don't know,” Valmick explained. “We know that the humans were on the brink of collapse. With the civil war of the mages, the purge, and the never-ending tide of monsters and demons they couldn't hold much longer. So, the mages that were left conducted an unprecedented slight against the natural order, that is what some scholars theorize at least.”
He plucked at his beard and thought about how he wanted to explain it in remurian.
“The theory is that they forced the natural cycle of mana to advance into the next step and forced a rapid decline of mana. Which forced the demons back into their realm and starved the monsters, allowing the humans and everyone else to survive.”
“You mean that the mages saved humanity from a certain doom,” Michael asked with a deep frown.
“That is the theory.”
“And that is probably also what the artifact that was stolen from you was used for,” Michael exclaimed; Eydis grumbled in her sleep and turned a little.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“That could be true.”
“This changes everything. The church preaches that the mages were at fault for humanity nearly being wiped out but they saved us in the end.” Michael spoke quieter again not wanting to wake Eydis.
“The loss of your gods was indeed a heavy hit for your people but the remurian pantheon wasn't the only religion in the human race. There were dozens of others.” Valmick explained and Michael stared at the book in his hand with a deep frown.
“History is written by the victors,” he suddenly blurted out not knowing how he got to that conclusion.
“You could say that.”
Valmick rose from his seat with a sigh and said, “I am heading to bed. You should do the same.”
“Good night,” Michael said, and the dwarf walked away.
Michael didn't think he was able to sleep though, his mind was turning with the deception he had uncovered. He had known that not all mages were evil, but he had at least thought that the church had some valid reason to mistrust them but now he couldn't even believe that anymore.
Michael didn't sleep at all that night and just sat there reevaluating everything he thought he knew.
It was shortly before 'dawn', the dwarves had a day-night cycle with their lanterns, when Eydis rolled onto her back, stretched, and opened her eyes with a yawn.
“Hey there,” Michael whispered and smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”
She grinned back and just stayed put where she was. “It was a good party, so I feel trashed.”
“Not the best place to sleep it off too,” Michael said with a silent chuckle.
She tilted her head at this and signed, “It was very comfortable, and I felt safe.”
Michael patted her head and then said, “Come on, let's get you up to your room, so you can sleep it off properly.” She didn't seem to like it that much but still forced herself on her feet.
———
“Sign here and here,” a dwarf with some kind of glass in front of one of his eyes said and pointed at two lines on matching contracts.
The man was a contract scribe of Clan Foulder and had prepared the contract for the artisans who wanted to come work for Michael. It also included a loan from Clan Foulder to pay for their debts, the involvement of Clan Foulder would make sure that they actually came to Reen and did not bail.
Michael signed at his spots and after him did the artisans that Waren and Farel had gathered.
They had found everyone Michael had asked for - a group of twenty-five dwarves and their families - which caused the home of Thobrin to be quite packed, but the guard looked overjoyed nonetheless.
Waren came over to Michael after signing and offered his hand which Michael took, “I am looking forward to working with you, Lord Rowan.”
“And I will look forward to working with you, Mister Karnson. How long will you be until you can join us in Reen?”
The dwarf thought about it and began counting things on his fingers.
“We will have to deliver our debt payments, some of my mates have to get their personal affairs in order before leaving and we will have to gather tools, supplies, and equipment. Oh right, and we will have to file the paperwork with the government for our identifications. I would guess we will follow two or three weeks behind you if nothing goes wrong.”
Michael nodded, “That seems reasonable. We will probably still be clearing out the mountains when you arrive and we also have to prepare lodging for you until you can get your own homes, so having some time will be good.”
“Alright then, I hope your negotiations with the beastmen will go well or this is gonna be a fun trip,” Waren said with a smile and Michael agreed.
Farel appeared out of nowhere and slapped the back of his brother and said between loud laughter, “Haven't had a good scuffle in years so don't worry too much.”
“A bar fight is something entirely different than being mauled by a beastmen, you oaf,” Waren snapped back.
Michael simply smirked and watched them fight it out.
———
They stayed for three more days, while Grur tried to establish business relations and Michael waited for the trading agreement to be finished by the royal contract scribes but after a ceremony that went completely overboard in Michael's opinion, they finally ratified it. It would of course only go into effect with the addition of the Wolfclan's signature, but Michael was sure that the hard part was behind him.
Now the time to leave had come again. He couldn't stay away from home for too long and even though he wouldn't tell anyone he disliked the life underground. He missed the wind, the sounds of animals, and most of all he missed the sun.
“I am grateful for your hospitality, I couldn't have asked for a better host,” Michael said to Valmick and Sigrid.
“Oh dear, you are welcome to visit any time,” Sigrid said and patted his cheek.
“Just let us know in advance,” Valmick quickly added.
“Of course.”
Solon then joined them, “It looks like we are about ready to leave.”
Michael nodded and asked him, “Are you sure you don't want to stay a little bit longer?”
“Ah no, you are gonna need me with the wolf-kin and I always get claustrophobia after a while in this city,” he replied with a cheeky smile. He then kissed his sister on the cheek and said goodbye to the rest of the family.
“I have a gift for you before you leave, Michael,” Valmick said and pulled out a small wooden box.
Michael took it and inspected it with interest. He then opened the lid and a silver ring appeared in it. It was covered in small runes and had a white clear gem embedded into it. The gem passed completely through the silver and was also covered with runes. The moment Michael touched it he could feel the magical intent that was imprinted on the ring.
“It's an artifact,” Michael said and turned it in his hand, “What does it do?”
“It captures light and binds it in the gem for you to use when you need it. It is quite more complex than it sounds like, I promise,” Valmick explained with a proud expression.
Michael understood the difficulty that must be behind this seemingly trivial effect. The only elemental mages that could actually create their element were fire mages and even they had limits, so capturing light and keeping it stored without continually draining mana is something that Michael didn't know could be done.
He slipped the ring on his finger and now felt the magical script more clearly or more accurately the three different scripts. It was as if he was carrying a spell sigil on his finger.
“How does it work,” he asked and looked at the satisfied dwarf.
“If you pour mana into the gem, then it will charge up with light and if you pour mana into the silver it will discharge. You don't have to dispense a lot of mana though; it is quite efficient and the amount can regulate the effect.”
Michael carefully directed his mana into the silver and the gem began to shine dimly.
“You can give it a little bit more,” Valmick pushed him with an amused expression.
Michael gave it a little bit more and the gem began to glow up until it was shining like a torch. After a minute or so it suddenly fell dark. Michael blinked confused and thought might have overdone it.
“It is empty. A small ring with advanced magic won't hold for long,” Valmick explained, and Michael nodded. It was still an incredible gift and could save his life in situations where he was in darkness.
“Thank you, minister. I will cherish this gift.”
The dwarf smiled and shook his head, “No, thank you for taking the first step in saving my people.”
They shook hands and after saying his goodbyes to the rest of the family they began the long way home.
As they made their way through the city, Kiran rode up next to him.
“It seems like we got everything we came here for,” he said.
“It would seem so. I am happy with what we have achieved,” Michael answered happily.
“I am still glad that we are getting out of here,” the Kiran said. “Don't get me wrong it is all interesting and such but also really claustrophobic and everything is so small.
“You are just looking forward to being left alone again, don't you,” Michael laughed and after a short moment in which the mage looked like he wanted to protest, he fell into his laughter.
They kept talking about everything that they were looking forward to until they finally left the tunnel that connected the city with the outside world.
The sunlight fell on Michael's face and he instantly felt more alive. In front of him, he could see Eydis stretch and similar happy reactions from most of the caravan.
Michael's gaze fell onto the carts that they were still dragging with them and they had even acquired two more to fit everything they had bought. Tools, weapons, alcohol, and unique herbs and fabrics filled them. On one of the carts sat two dwarven contract scribes who had been assigned to oversee the correct signing of the contracts with the Vargr-Släkt and then to bring them back, together with a small dwarven escort.
Michael was happy for their presence as he believed that it would strengthen his position in the negotiations and also reduce the likelihood of a fight.
It wouldn't be long now until they had to face off against them. Michael was nervous but after everything they had achieved already, he chose to be optimistic.