"Wait, wait, wait so you're telling me you left them all behind? That's cold-blooded even for a dwarf." He muttered as he bit into the prowler's leg, the juices dripping down his chin. "I mean think about it Gale, it was your idea to travel through the lava in the first place and you just left them to die." Scratching my chin I think about Ham's words before taking a large bite out of the tough meat, for a pit beast it cooked nicely the juices sloshing around my mouth before sliding down my throat.

"I'm not saying I'm proud of what I did, but I don't regret my choice. Survival is the only thing that matters now." I remark, "besides, who would have been here to save you from the prowlers!" snapping, I snatch the last piece of meat that still laid over the fire. Diving at me Ham reaches for the meat as I clamp my lips around it, savoring the flavor with every chew.

"You really are a cold dwarf Gale," Ham mutters with a sullen look, the four prowler bones scattered around. Picked clean of any meat and flesh that remained. "Cold-blooded or smart, I'm alive. I'll have plenty of time for regret in the afterlife." I respond licking the juice from my lips. "Besides I'm pretty sure prowler is pork, isn't that cannibalism for you?" Ham wasn't amused giving me a slightly annoyed look.

The room we were in was void of magma the light coming from the many crystals that hung from the high ceiling, they pulsed like a heartbeat giving the room a blue glow. Looking at it, I wondered if anything could be crafted from the strange crystal for it appeared to be quite fragile. "You never told me how you ended up being chased by a pack of prowlers," I mutter letting out a small yawn. "A story for another time," Ham grunts as he searches through the prowler remains. Laying down in a pile of burnt prowler fur I let Ham take the first watch before I drift off to sleep, the tension still heavy in my body.

Ham shook me a few hours later, waking me from my dreamless sleep. Nodding at Ham he proceeds to sleep, lightly snoring as I sit in wait. There was no way of telling time, with no sun in the sky letting us know if it was night or day. So when I woke Ham a few hours later he insisted it had been only a few minutes.

Of course, I had no proof to refute his claim, I wasn't going to count second by second for hours at a time to prove him wrong. I simply chucked a bone at him before muttering, "Let's go."

Although the meat was satisfying and stopped the rumbling of my gut my throat remained dry. The inevitable thirst now beginning to show, I wondered how long it would be before we found any trace of water. "So why are you walking around with a pot on your head? Is that some sort of trial from Curuz?" he asks, the interest apparent in his voice. There was nothing special or unique about my pot, it is made slightly more durable than most. "My hatchfather suggested I bring it, to protect my head an to prepare food."

Glancing at me briefly his face revealed amusement, "Isn't that what helmets are for? Or has your father been hanging around too many Orc's?" Reaching the wall we duck through a small opening revealing a pitch black room, Ham still drained from our fight with the prowlers I lead the way. Casting my dwarven fire the light flickered restlessly showing us a spanning darkness ahead. "You know we can always just go another way." Looking at Ham the uneasiness showed in his bout. "What are you scared of the dark?" I teased with a smirk before continuing on in the room. My footsteps echoing in the desolate space, yet Ham didn't make a sound. My flames slowly revealing more and more of the area the deeper we ventured into the darkness. The entryway now a small dot in the distance like a single star in the midnight sky.

"What's that?" Ham whispered pointing to the east. Looking in the direction there was a strange formation of stone stacked high being illuminated by the same glow in the previous room. The boulder behind them was so massive, that the darkness hid the top. "I don't know," I replied as we proceded in its direction. Approaching the monstrous stone we could see smaller boulders placed around it in a circle the base of the large rock not visible from where we stood but a familiar faint blue glow pulsed behind the stone wall. The surrounding rocks easily 5 to 6 times our own height.

"I don't suppose this was placed here by accident?" Ham piped as we followed the large column of stone. "I doubt it, although I don't know of any man capable of moving earth of this size." Not being entirely truthful, I didn't let Ham know that there was a being capable of moving earth of this size with ease.

The chance of an Earth Giant residing here was low so I didn't cause any unessacary worry to Ham and continued on around the formation of stone. The rock wasn't fresh but aged perhaps here for many centries, any properly raised dwarf could tell the age of a rock just from the smell of it. We followed the stone barrier, as the faint glow from the familiar crystal began to shine at our approach, there was only a handful of the blue crystal that laid on the ground only lighting a small portion of the area. Compared to the room we had been in earlier which held an indefinite amount. The crystal lay aligned to the only entrance towards the gigantic rock.

Looking at the entrance the crystals was riddled throughout the area revealing the base of the giant rock and with it a collapsing fortress. The buildings crafted from nothing but stone were scattered throughout the area, rubble in every direction. There was a single path leading up to the boulder that split around it in each direction towards the back of the barricade. Collapsed statues of an unknown entity lay forged at the entrance and upon closer inspection within the giant boulder, and not just once but over a dozen times.

"What do you think that's supposed to be?" Ham asks examining the statue. "A forgotten god, perhaps," I mutter, what was left of the statue wasn't much, the arms missing and the torso faded only the head was clear revealing a woman's face. It reminded me of a Human, not having met one in person I couldn't be completely certain though. "One thing I'm sure of, this wasn't made by dwarves." Ham mused looking at a collapsed house, touching it a piece of debris gave way covering him in the dust. I nodded slightly looking up at the giant boulder in the center of the ruins. Us dwarves take pride in anything we craft, be it a fork or a fortress we build it to stand the test of time. Something so barbaric looking could never come from a dwarf.

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We explored the empty fortress, walking through the crumbling buildings we could see the black streaks of fire in most of them but nothing was salvageable. Yet in the area, there wasn't a single corpse nor bone, simply piles of rocks and rubble. Making our way behind the large boulder I could hear the occasional "drip" echo through the area and look at Ham, his eye's widened hearing it too. We continued to search for the location of the falling water.

The buildings weren't just collapsed, or old but melted, the entire southern portion of the fortress was covered in black ash. There were countless places were only the base of the building remained. "What the hell could have done this?" Ham whispers taking in the sight because it was indeed nothing I'd ever seen before. "I'm not sure I want to know what could have done this." I muttered as the familiar "drip" enters my ears once again.

There being nothing but ash behind the giant rock I turned back towards the boulder, and within the stone a blue glow resonated, collapsing statues hugged each side of the path leading up to the 5 ft hole in the giant boulder. Walking down the path the blue glow only brightened blinding me from seeing what was in the entryway, before I could walk through the clasp of Ham's hands grasp my shoulders before yanking me back. "Hold on there, let's think this through for a second." Looking at him the worry was apparent on his face, I nodded in agreement taking a few steps away from the entryway of the blue light. The familiar "drip" echoed again causing me to give him a serious look. "I'm pretty sure that the dripping is coming from in there."

With a heavy sigh, Ham scratched his head, giving me a serious look in kind which didn't suit his personality. "I don't think it's a good idea, I got a bad feeling in my gut about this one Gale." His eyes drifted back towards the blue glow of the boulder. I admit I had a strange feeling about this place, but it wasn't the feeling of danger. I wasn't worried, perhaps Ham was more of a coward then I first thought. "This is the first sign of water I've found since being down here, sometimes us dwarves have to take risks." Muttering to him I resume back toward the light before he places his palm upon my shoulder again. "We enter an abandoned, and run down area that's been literally burned to the ground and find a mysterious blue glow inside of a big ass boulder covered in ritualistic statues....and you're telling me you wanna go inside."

Glancing back at him I shake off his hand, speaking in a mocking tone, "when you say it like that it almost sounds scary.....almost." Unlike a creature of the darkness, I didn't fear the unknown of the blue glow as I approached it. Ham standing back simply watching as I took my first step into the light. My foot sizzled as sparks shot out from the entryway pushing me back, my boot smoking from the attempt to enter the boulder. Again I try to force my way through, placing my hands in front of me I push my way against the invisible wall. My hands burning before more sparks fly from the dome this time much stronger than before propelling me through the air, with a large "thud" I hit the ground hard knocking the air from my lungs. Coughing I here Ham laughing as he began to haul me to my feet, "Can't say I didn't warn your stubborn ass."

Catching my breath I glare at him before looking back at the barrier, unsheathing my hammer I dash towards it swinging with all my might. Striking it sparks blast forth once again, pushing me back sending my hammer flying from my hand into the air. My hammer smashing into the ground nearly 20 feet away. "What the hell is this," I growl. Appearing from behind me Ham examines the barrier staring into the blue light. "obviously it's a barrier made from magic, it's unbelievably strong though. I wonder who put it here."

"Why would someone put a barrier inside a giant rock," I growl once again, picking up my hammer placing it in its sheath. Shrugging his shoulders I knew he didn't have the answer, "It's to keep brutes like you away!" A tiny voice squeaked. Both me and Ham drew our hammers as our heads darted in every direction looking for the source of the high pitched squeaky voice. "You heard it to right?" I mutter before Ham grunts in agreement.

"Stop hitting our barrier beast!" Another voice piped, it sounded squeaky like the other yet it wasn't nearly as high pitched. The voices coming from the other side of the barrier I point towards it with my head as Ham swerves towards it in a slow stride. The voices didn't sound intimidating and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the voices threat. "Yeah and if we don't, what are you going to do?" I mutter amused, Ham looked at me bewildered as though I was poking the nose of some beast.

In unison, the two voices squealed, "we'll fry you!" Ham's face went still, as did mine. Looking at the surroundings they were all burnt to ash the black streaks in a cone shape leading up to the impenetrable barrier. Whatever was in the boulder was the cause of all the destruction that surrounded us, and we were standing right in front of it. I could hear a large "gulp" from Ham followed by his angry whispers that I ignored. I was too focused on not making the voices more angry than they already were. I slide my hammer back into place, "ok look I put my hammer away, we're sorry for disturbing you. I'm Galendale Evorales from the Dwarven City of Curuz and the other dwarf over there is Ham from the City of Toradain, we don't want any trouble we have only come in search of water." There was a silence before the stifling of laughter could be heard.

Looking at me confused Ham put his hammer away as he stood beside me, "what so funny?" he whispered to which I replied, "no idea". Looking at the barrier the stifled laughter continued, "is his name really Ham?" the voice asked the glee heard every word. Nudging him Ham began to cough before answering the voice. "y..yes my name is indeed Ham." More laughter could be heard inside the boulder to which the other voice asked, "what's your last name Ham?" He scratched his chin the reluctance clear on his face before muttering under his breath, now that I think about it, he never did tell me his last name. "Speak up Ham we can't hear you," the high pitch voice squeaked in amusement. With a deep sigh, Ham muttered slowly, "Oinkers".

I couldn't help it the laughter came unexpectantly as I bellowed holding my sides, the two voices laughing hysterically as well. "Ham Oinkers the Dwarf from Toradain, has come to destroy our barrier." The two voices squeaked as they continued their carefree hysterical laughter, and I joined them my voice growing hoarse from the laughter. Looking at Ham he wore a sigh as his shoulders sagged slightly at the harsh treatment, and who could blame him with the last name of Oinkers he must have been ridiculed his entire life. "Ok enough of that." Ham shouts in agitation, "we just came for some water, could you let us in."

The two squeaky voices began to speak finishing each other's sentences, "Ham Oinkers and Galendale Evorales you are only mere dwarves you don't have the right to enter our land." I couldn't disagree with their statement because I didn't even know where or what their "land" was, I was simply happy we weren't "fried" by the two beings in the boulder. Answering the statement Ham continues, "what do we need to gain access to the water?" the two voices countinued murmuring to each other in an unknown language, chuckling slightly as they continued conversing with themselves, again they spoke finishing each others  sentences. "Ok dwarves, you may enter our barrier if, and only if you can bring us what we seek." Growing tired of the high pitched voices I reply, "And what is it your looking for?" speaking in unison they replied, "we seek the violet shard!"