“First thing’s first. We can’t have a lad full of energy and youth just sitting around all day,” Tygus said with his hands on his hips. “Come with me boy, let’s stretch those legs.”
Cillian looked confused and cocked his head at the gray-bearded dwarf.
“Come with me for a run, boy,” Tygus said.
Cillian looked at Ravel, putting on a facial expression of dismay while remembering the brutal climb he made up to this cabin and the one he just barely survived from.
“I believe even I can’t save you, Sir Cillian,” Ravel said apologetically.
“Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re one of them book-nosed elf types.” Tygus groaned.
“Huh? N-no,” Cillian stammered, trying to make sense of what Tygus was calling him.
“Good, then you’d have no problem accompanying me on my morning run,” Tygus said as he pulled Cillian by the arm off the bed.
***
Cillian huffed and slowed to a stop. He put his hands on his knees and struggled to catch his breath.
“Wait, slow down,” Cillian managed to get out.
Tygus stopped his run and turned to Cillian. “What happened, boy? Can’t keep up with an old dwarf?” He shouted.
“Ah,” Cillian couldn’t think of what to say. He had been used to traveling distances, from the weekly trips to the village and all the climbing he had to do since he met Tygus, but he was not used to running at the speed Tygus ran, and not for this long.
“I’m only jogging,” Tygus chuckled as he walked toward the young human. “You should see it when I really run.”
The two of them had been running along a creek and Tygus stopped beside it to scoop some water up with his hands and take a sip.
“I thought dwarves didn’t like to travel,” Cillian said.
“I’m not your average dwarf, boy” Tygus said as he wiped the water off his chin.
“Why do you even run out here?” Cillian asked as his breathing recovered.
“Well, you know, I just like to get away from things sometimes,” Tygus said.
“Get away from what?” Cillian laughed. “I thought I lived out in the wilderness but you actually live in the middle of nowhere. There isn’t even a path connected to your house.”
Tygus scratched his head. “Huh, you’re right about that.”
“I’ve been wondering,” Cillian started. “Why did you stop adventuring? At first, I thought it was because of your age, but you’re obviously perfectly capable,” Cillian gestured at him.
“It’s not all it’s made up to be. Treasure, power, gold, and women, are all great, but adventuring isn’t easy. I grew tired of it.” Tygus raised his arms and gestured to the surroundings. “I much prefer my place in the middle of nowhere.”
They both laughed.
“What about you, boy? Where in the gods are your parents?” Tygus grew serious. “Did the Empire take them too?”
“No. They died when I was young. I don’t really remember much, but one day they went out together and then they never came back. A few days after they left, one of my father’s friends knocked on the door and told me they had an accident,” Cillian answered.
“I’m sorry, lad,” Tygus rested his hand on Cillian’s shoulder.
“It's okay, it was a long time ago. Amalea was barely a few years old too,” Cillian said. “She doesn’t remember anything about them.”
“Ah, your sister. So who took care of you two? You had to have some family somewhere,” Tygus asked.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah, I did. My uncle and his wife stayed with us for a few years after it happened. But, by the time I was 13 they left. Ever since then it has just been me and Amalea,” Cillian replied.
“Barely grown and already the man of the house,” Tygus whispered.
“The only thing I have known my whole life was taking care of my sister,” Cillian looked the dwarf in his eyes. He was much shorter than Cillian so he had to look down. “Please Mr. Tygus, please make me strong. I have to get her back. I can’t keep living knowing that those things have her”
Tygus nodded. “That’s enough running for now. Let’s have some breakfast,”
***
Ravel brought a mug of ale to Tygus, then sat down in a wooden chair, joining Cillian and the dwarf.
“Thank you, Ravel,” Tygus said.
Together, the three of them sat around the hearth. Ravel had cooked them a large breakfast of eggs, sausage, and butter bread, and now they were lounging around and letting it digest.
“Isn’t it a bit early?” Cillian asked Tygus.
“For what?” Tygus asked, stopping right before he took a sip of the ale.
“That,” Cillian said, pointing to the cup in the dwarf’s meaty hands.
“Dwarf time is different from human time, boy,” Tygus said and took a big gulp of his drink. He let out a content sigh and wiped the ale off his beard. “So, you are really going to take on the Black Empire, huh?”
“Yes. I don’t care what it takes. I will destroy them all,” Cillian clenched his fist. He remembered the white plume of the commander.
“Lad, you want the impossible. But, you’ve already proved you’re more stubborn than a four-eyed mule and more hard-headed than a block of iron.” Tygus sighed and put the cup of ale down on the ground.
“I’ve never actually been to the Empire’s land. All that I know comes from my experience with one person, one woman. We worked together during our Funnel-”
“Funnel?” Cillian interrupted.
Tygus hesitated, then spoke, “I’ll tell you about the Funnel later, for now, you need to know what you’re up against.”
“She was beautiful. Tall, skin the color of olives, and bright red hair. She was an elf, but she had grown up in the Empire,” Tygus continued.
“I’ve met my fair share of elves. Bunch of frail and snobby pansies they are, but she wasn’t anything like them. She was something else. I’ve never met someone so cold and calculating before, someone so efficient. Everything she did was with deliberate intent, there were no wasted movements,” Tygus adjusted himself in his chair.
“She would fight with my group when it served her and abandon us just as fast. She killed anyone and anything in her path, with no remorse. She would never speak anything except the truth, but when she talked, there was no emotion, like some sort of machine.”
Tygus looked at his hands. “I couldn’t understand her. She saved my life when she could have easily left me to die. What purpose did it serve her to toy with me?”
Tygus was silent for some time.
“No nation can stand against them. Everyone that has tried has fallen. They have been dormant in their territories for so long that we all got complacent. I didn’t believe this would happen in my lifetime.”
“You have to understand Cillian,” the dwarf continued. “The Empire isn’t evil. They aren’t some villain that you find in a child’s tale. They are much worse than that. The only thing that matters to them is amassing strength and power. Do you know why that damned elf entered the Funnel? Because being level one is the base requirement for the lowest rank in their army. The lowest.”
“They all act together without thinking for themselves. Their ruler commands them from his throne, and they listen without ever questioning. It’s like all of them are just extensions of the Emperor himself,” Tygus stopped.
“One endless black mass of unstoppable force,” He whispered.
All of them were silent. The only noise came from the hearth.
“If I may chime in,” Ravel said abruptly. “I have not had any good experiences with them either. Us tabaxi have a tumultuous history with them.”
“So what do I do?” Cillian said. “I get it, they are powerful, but I have no choice.”
“You have to get strong,” Tygus said. “Much much stronger than you are right now.”
Tygus reached down and took another gulp of his ale.
“But, fighting the Black Empire is something you will have to worry about only if you make it past the first leg of your journey. You’re an Unleveled, boy. First, you have to gain that one level,” Tygus said.
“Okay, I know it's hard. Everyone knows it's hard. The Manezans themselves say it's hard. But, I can do it, right?” Cillian asked.
“You…can,” Tygus’ words trailed and he changed the subject. “Cillian, you have to understand that there is no way to get the kind of strength you need for your quest other than through the Manezans.”
Tygus sat up straight, looked Cillian dead in the eyes, and spoke.
“What do you know about the Manezans?”
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The Hearth