Brian looked around in interest, the other two chatting quietly as the cart slowly travelled down the brightly lit tunnel. The walls were studded at regular intervals with large glowing gems, filling the space with plenty of light, and the tall, vaulted ceiling above them made it feel less like they were actually underground, and more like they were inside a strangely built cathedral or something.
“I wonder how those work?” Brian hummed as he looked at the gems, Grisha responding with an answer immediately.
“They are enchanted with simple light magic,” she said, “And most probably connected to a source of mana similar to your staff or the obelisks you used in the ritual to save me. They are also probably enchanted with a simple mana collection enchantment, in case their main power source runs out, so they will always light the passage to some degree.”
“Huh, so that stuff already exists. Perfect, that’ll help with my idea for the wands,” Brian nodded, Gustus immediately looking back at him.
“Wands?” the old man asked, “What crazy idea have you come up with now, my friend?”
“Reusable scrolls in the form of wands,” Brian replied with a grin, “If I can make them, or have them made, they could prove a very lucrative product in the future.”
“Huh,” Gustus nodded, “An interesting idea. Though most folks probably wouldn’t use them. Even a basic scroll for lighting a fire or creating an orb of light is considered a luxury by most.”
“But what if that scroll could last years?” Brian asked, “It would be a good investment, don’t you think?”
“I do,” Gustus nodded, “But it’ll take a while to really be accepted. Most wands are seen as crutches for inexperienced or weak Mages.”
“Fair enough,” Brian sighed, “But maybe this idea will be able to change that.”
“I’d like to see that,” Gustus laughed, nodding his head as he turned back around, “It’ll be a few hours until we reach the entry town, so why not tell us a few of your tales to pass the time?”
“Sure,” Brian nodded, thinking for a moment, “This one is about a young girl in a red hood visiting her grandmother in the forest…”
------
“…and then they lived happily ever after,” Brian said as they arrived at the gate, Grisha staring at him in wonder as he finished the story, “You enjoy that one?”
“Very much so!” Grisha said happily, “A sleeping princess saved by the kiss of her true love! It’s so romantic!”
“I am sure you would enjoy being the princess, brat,” Karen laughed, making the dark-skinned girl blush slightly as she looked away, “Especially if the prince were the Mage.”
“N-no!” the girl squeaked, “I’m over the crush already!”
“Are you truly?” the older woman hummed, “Then why do you desire for the Mage to pet your head for every minor reward?”
“I…because it feels nice,” the girl muttered, now blushing hard as she glanced at Brian, who was presenting the letter from the Guild Master to the gate guards.
“You still desire him, then,” Karen hummed contentedly, “Ah, you mortals’ machinations are amusing at the very least.”
“Glad I could be of entertainment to you, fat-chested lizard,” the girl muttered sarcastically, squeaking when Karen glared at her.
“Enough, you two,” Brian sighed as the guards waved them through, storing the letter again, “Same rules as ever apply in this place. Doubly so for you, Karen. We don’t need the dwarves of all people finding out who we are.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lucas asked, turning to look at them, “Are you in trouble? Are we assisting criminals?”
“No,” Brian sighed, “Well, falsely accused ones, at the most. But it hopefully shouldn’t be a problem here.”
“See, Master?” the young man huffed, “I told you it was a bad idea to help them!”
“Nonsense, boy!” Gustus laughed, “They’ll bring us a profit so high it could make even the king himself blush!”
“Are you sure?” Lucas sighed again, shaking his head, “I still don’t like this.”
“And you can keep that to yourself,” Gustus growled, “And don’t even think of trying to turn them in. Brian has given us a golden opportunity, and I won’t let you waste it!”
“I…yes, Master,” the younger man muttered, turning away as he directed the donkeys drawing the cart down one side of the tunnel as it began to widen, before opening up into a large cavern.
“Oh, wow,” Brian said as he looked down at the city in front of them, easily several miles across, short squat buildings built into the sides of the cavern and the pit that extended down in a conical shape. He noticed the buildings lower down seemed to be fancier, most having some kind of simple decoration or design on them. Curious, he asked Gustus.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“That’s dwarves for you,” the old man shrugged, “The richer and more powerful you are, the deeper you live in the cities and towns, and the deeper your homestead is allowed to expand. Of course, there’s only so much space under a mountain, so it comes at a premium.”
“That makes sense, I suppose,” Brian nodded as they turned down a street, heading towards what looked like a number of inns spread out across the top layer of the city, “Are visitors allowed into the lower areas?”
“Only if you have a pass or invitation,” Gustus explained, “And even then, you have to be escorted around. Dwarves aren’t too trusting of topsiders in general. And elves in particular.”
“They really don’t like elves?” Brian sighed, “That seems kind of stereotypical.”
“Don’t know that word, but it’s mostly because the elves waged war on them about a millennium back, and the dwarves are still upset about it,” Gustus hummed, “While that’s a long time for us humans, it’s only a few generations for both the elves and dwarves, and dwarves are known for keeping grudges for generations. Also for being stubborn bastards and making great ale.”
“Sounds like the dwarves I know,” Brian sighed, “I was actually kind of hoping for something different.”
“What do you mean?” Grisha asked.
“Nothing,” Brian shook his head as they arrived at the first inn, Lucas pulling the wagon into the stables alongside another, “Let’s just get situated and have some food. It’s about dinner time, isn’t it?”
“Yep,” Gustus laughed, “For us, at least. The dwarves will work on their own time, seeing as there’s no sun down here. Don’t be surprised if you hear hammering and such happening all through the night, that’s just how the dwarves work.”
Brian just nodded as the five of them got off the wagon, Lucas staying behind to tend to the donkeys as Gustus led them inside the small inn. The inside was larger than Brian had expected, considering the size of the building, the back extending out in a long central hall with a large stone table in the centre, multiple metal doors leading off of it. He guessed those were the rooms, though he couldn’t be sure, so he approached the dwarf standing behind the carved stone desk at the front.
“Hello,” he said, the dwarf looking him up and down for a moment before speaking.
“How many nights?” they said curtly.
“We don’t know, exactly,” Brian replied, “Uhm…we’ll probably be leaving soon, so can we pay for one night at a time in case we’re here longer?”
“Charge for a single stay is five silvers a head,” the dwarf grunted, “Drops to nine silvers for two stays, and so on until five stays, which is fifteen silvers. You sure you only want the one?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Brian nodded, handing over the coins as he glanced back at Gustus, the old man shaking his head in disbelief, “There’s one more in our group. He’s tending to the horses right now, so I’ll pay for him as well.”
“Good,” the dwarf nodded back, “There’re decent beds in the rooms, find one that isn’t occupied and its yours. Don’t leave anything inside when you go, cause then it belongs to the house.”
“Thank you,” Brian nodded again, turning to the two women and the old man, waving his hand in the direction of a room.
“Oh, and food is whatever’s available when you wake up. More food after that is extra,” the dwarf shouted after them as they searched for an unoccupied room, finding one about halfway down the hall with four beds inside, and another a few doors down that Gustus claimed.
“Okay, you two can stay in here,” Brian nodded, “I’ll share with Gustus and Lucas.”
“Why?” Grisha asked, blushing as the other two looked at her, Brian in confusion and Karen in mirth, “I just mean…we already share a tent, so it would be no different from that. Also, I don’t want to be left alone in a room with her.”
“True, but don’t you want to have a bath or something?” Brian asked, “I mean, the enchantments on my robes keep them clean, but I know I want one.”
“O-oh, yes,” Grisha nodded, “I would very much like a bath.”
“Right, I’ll go ask about that at the front desk,” Brian smiled as he left the room, Grisha still blushing heavily as Karen smirked at her.
“Baths?” the clerk dwarf at the desk grunted, pointing their thumb over their shoulder, “Five buildings down there’s a bath house.”
“Oh, thank you,” Brian nodded as he headed back to the two women, Grisha nodding as he told them what he’d learned, “So, do we want to go now?”
“Yes please,” the girl nodded immediately, “I would very much like to wash before bed.
“I’ll stay here and watch the rooms in case anyone else comes and tries to claim them,” Gustus chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “Enjoy your bath.”
“Thanks,” Brian nodded as they walked out of the inn, heading down the road until they arrived at a wide building, just as short as the inn, with a sign bearing the image of a wash tub on it, “This must be it.”
“It would seem that way,” Karen hummed, walking in confidently as the other two followed her.
“Hello,” Brian said as they looked around the wide empty room, several stone chairs and benches scattered around it, a large stone counter set just opposite the door, “Is anyone here?”
“Aye,” a voice called out, a dwarf strolling casually out of the door behind the counter, “You here for a bath? Five silvers a head. You know how to use a dwarven bath properly?”
“Uhm…no?” Brian blinked as the dwarf grinned at him.
“It’s simple,” the dwarf hummed, “First, you strip off in the changing rooms, leaving your stuff in a locker, don’t worry, those are covered in the cost of the bath. Then you head on through and wash at the basins, making sure to get all the dirt and sweat off yourselves. Lastly, you sit in the main hot bath for as long as you want, though you should be careful not to pass out.”
“Wait,” Brian blinked, “So it’s sort of like a Japanese bath, then?”
“No idea what a Japanese is, topsider,” the dwarf shook their head, “But this is how us dwarves have always done it, so that’s how you lot will too.”
“Okay, fair enough,” Brian sighed as he handed over the coins, “Uhm…where’s the entrance to the changing rooms?”
“Right behind me,” the dwarf hummed, stepping aside, and pointing to the single doorway behind them.
“Oh, so it splits into male and female changing rooms, right?” Brian groaned, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this.
“No?” the dwarf snorted out a laugh, “There’s just the one. Why would we bother with making more than one for you lot, you’re lucky enough that we made a bath house for you topsiders at all.”
“Fine,” Brian groaned, looking at the two women beside him, “You two go first, I’ll bath once you’re done.”
“Nonsense,” Karen grinned as she grabbed his arm, dragging him and Grisha behind the counter and through the open doorway, “Then we would have to wait for you to finish as well. Better we all be done with this together.”
“I am already regretting this,” Brian groaned as he was pulled into the brightly lit changing room.