Afigitís mentioned in chapter 3 that he'd have to change his name next time he crosses the border. He only does that at the border. While in Mars' Perch he just used his most commonly used name.
I was thinking about withholding chapters then releasing 2-3 at once. But later decided not to. Simply not my style of writing. Reviews and comments, even negative ones, are what motivate me to keep writing so much.
P.S. Stop giving me such high grammar ratings. This story is riddled with errors in grammar. One chapter even had a misspelling in the first word for a full month.
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Vigil and the 3 dwarves trekked through the woods. The mountains were easily visible even with the trees obscuring their sight.
As they travelled the forest got thicker then thinned out. The ground went from dirt and moss to rocks. A few trees impressively grew from cracks in the rocks. But soon they were completely out of the forest.
Along the way they had rinsed their possessions down in a stream. So the dwarves decided to stop when the trees cleared. They took out some food and mugs.
The mugs were filled with katolisthíseis and they calmly chatted. Vigil was dissatisfied with the amount of food so he decided to hunt.
Vigil: Excuse me for a little bit.
Vigil went back into the woods. Afigitís was used to this while the bartender didn't talk often. Nános on the other hand...
Nános: Sh*t while you can, rocks aren't very good for wiping!
Vigil simply kept walking as though he didn't hear Nános. Then noticed something about what he said.
Vigil: Wait then what do dwarves use to wipe?
Nános: We don't.
Vigil was satisfied with that answer. He had no urge to go into more details about dwarven bathroom habits.
He quickly satisfied his hunger with a pack of xiv wolves. Xvi wolves lesser cousins. They were basically the same but were less intelligent and had larger packs. Also their number of eyes were less.
On the way back he encountered a bear so he killed it and packed its meat and pelt in his bag. Using a xiv wolf's stomach to carry the meat.
Upon returning to the dwarves he found them already packing up. Vigil smiled and started the climb of the first hill in the mountain range before being stopped.(hill as in not big enough to be a mountain but still really big)
Afigitís: Woah there Vigil, what are you doing?
Vigil: Climbing the hill, is there something wrong?
Nános: There's a f*cking path not too far from here. You can still climb the hill if you feel like falling behind.
Vigil: I see, I thought we'd be climbing mountains and hills, all that sorta stuff.
Nános: Who said we weren't?
Afigitís: The path simply speeds up carts by clearing out sharp rocks. It also makes it easier to navigate this labyrinth like mountain range. You'd have to be crazy to cross it without any of the paths.
Vigil looked down and obediently followed after the dwarves. He was slightly down after the last remark. The dwarves didn't notice at all.
Afigitís: I hope my cart has been restocked by the time we get there. Been there for a few months so it should unless a mine dries up.
Nános: Hate when that happens, takes so long to open up new tunnels. Sometimes you get a vein of a completely different ore too even when the new tunnel is only a few meters off the dried up tunnel.
Eventually their group reached the path. It was just rock that was smoother than the surrounding rock. It lead into a valley between the hill he was going to climb and another slightly bigger hill.
Afigitís: Ah I just remembered, Vigil you never told me of what you did for those 4 years. A long trek goes well with a long story.
Vigil: Ah nothing really that big, decided to learn magic.
Nános: Yeah it takes awhile to get the connections to learn magic in Magianon. It's f*cking harder than just leaving the country to learn it.
Afigitís: But you came here from Ardebit. That just doesn't add up right.
Bartender: Hrmm?
Vigil: Well I meant that I had a book on magic but it was coded. But I knew of a place here where I could decode it.
Afigitís: Makes sense.
They walked along the path into the mountain range. Having light conversations along the way. The path alternated between an easy 180 degree flat and a steep 50 degree. It got so steep at times that the path had stairs on it.
The dwarves walked this path before and had a brisk pace. Vigil on the other hand took in the sights and lagged behind. On the path the sights seemed different than when he just climbed over mountains, hills, and valleys in a straight line.
The path seemed to zig zag across the range. It didn't focus on speed as it went over hills rather than cutting through valleys. Instead it seemed to be some sort of animal's path that was kept in good condition by the dwarves.
Afigitís: Ah look Vigil some heracles mountain goats. They're the animals that we use as beasts of burden and they created the path we stand on.
Vigil looked over to a nearby mountain and saw a group of goats on it. Just like the goats he ate 10 years ago. But he noticed something off with what Afigitís said.
Vigil: But those goats only have 2 horns, I thought they had 4 horns. Like the ones you had pulling your cart.
Nános: Those are just babies, the second set of horns come out when they reach adulthood.
Afigitís: That is true, most of the adult ones are deeper in or in captivity.
Vigil: So I ate a bunch of baby goats last time I was here. Probably not a good idea to bring that up.
The bartender then passed some katolisthíseis around to everyone. Apparently it was good for travelling for long periods of time if you can tolerate its strength. It was weaker than most dwarven alcohol but double the strength of the strongest human alcohol.
Vigil however had already adapted to it. He could chug it down almost as fast as the dwarves.
Nános: Haha who needs food when you got plenty of booze?
Afigitís: I suppose it would be nice to have a bit of meat. It'd compliment the drinks quite well.
Vigil: I could go off the path and hunt down something.
Nános: Do whatever the f*ck you want.
Afigitís: Careful the monsters are quite dangerous even at the outskirts of the range. Don't be afraid to run away.
Vigil: I'll just take that as a yes. Of course I won't hunt any goats so that only leaves the dangerous monsters.
Vigil walked off the path climbing a steep hill to the left. Making sure his hunt wasn't seen. He knew by now that it was best to blend in or do things in secret.
At the top of the mountain he spotted some prey. It was one of the blade lizards, or a spathí sávra as the dwarves called it. It was resting on a dark rock as the sun reached its zenith.
Vigil decided to restrain it first, he thought of rock wrapping around it. The rock that the spathí sávra rested on immediately deformed. It wrapped around it forcing it to stay in one spot.
The spathí sávra responded by stabbing its tail everywhere it could and trying to drag itself out of the rock. Vigil smiled and ran down.
The spathí sávra got even more aggressive with Vigil in its line of sight. Vigil moved to quickly decapitate it. But almost got skewered by its tail.
Vigil was surprised at how far the tail could stab. So he moved around to the back of the spathí sávra to chop its tail off. But the tail continued to stab at him but with less accuracy.
So Vigil moved forward and sidestepped the tail. Then chopped the tail off halfway from the side. With the spathí sávra's tail gone it was easy to finish off by decapitations.
Vigil put its tail on his belt as a spare weapon, collected its scales, and gutted it. After gathering the meat up he went back to regroup with the dwarves. He found just Afigitís waiting around while the others went ahead.
Afigitís: Nice you managed to hunt down something already. Let's check it out.
Vigil: I managed to hunt down a spathí sávra. Quite the big haul of meat, don't you agree?
Afigitís: *sigh* Spathí sávra meat is inedible even with a dwarf's iron stomach. Go toss it somewhere for the scavengers, we can make do with katolisthíseis.
Vigil: Oh well more for me.
Afigitís then jogged to catch up to the other dwarves. Vigil walked away a bit and packed the meat into the bag. Then he ran to keep up with Afigitís.
They managed to quickly catch up to the others. For the rest of the journey they chatted about various things. Vigil let some things slip about his journey but was very vague.
~1 month later~
Walking around a bend in the path they finally saw it. A mountain completely covered in buildings. Every single one was either metal or stone carved out from the mountain. Some imitated the looks of other materials.
Dwarves, elves, lamias, and various other half races intermingled on the streets. At this point Vigil's beard had regrown so everyone assumed he was a half dwarf.
The 4 of them passed into the city with ease. But showed no signs of slowing down. The city was like a labyrinth with paths everywhere. But the dwarves knew exactly where they were going.
They climbed stairs, walked through bustling markets, crossed stone bridges, climbed on top of buildings, and even entered giant statues. The interior of the statues had elevator like constructs that brought them up and let them exit out the mouth of the statues. Eventually they were nearing a palace like building at the top of the building.
Vigil: Could these dwarves be more important than I originally thought?
When they reached the palace structure they found a giant door guarded by two heavily armed dwarves. Neither of the guards stopped them as they passed through. They found themselves in a very wide open building with a bunch of dwarves inside.
In the center was another elevator like construct. Lighter armed guards herded the dwarves around and performed some sort of test on them. Then let them enter the elevator.
Afigitís: We finally exited the outskirts. Time to enter the city.
Vigil: Wait we haven't even entered the city yet?!
Nános: Of course not, that was just the f*cking slums. Only dwarves are allowed in dwarven cities.
They patiently waited for their turn with the guards. During the wait several dwarves kept their distance and stared at them. They assumed it was from Nános and Vigil's unusual heights.
~15 minutes later~
A guard finally came over to them with a strange contraption. He stared at them strangely as he got closer.
Guard: Why do all of you smell like sh*t?!
Nános smelled his armpit out of curiosity. He recoiled at the scent emitting from it.
Nános: F*ck we still smell like sh*t from the time in the f*cking sewers. Knew it was an awful idea.
Afigitís: Better than dying in Mars' Perch. Besides it's already been awhile so it should come off with a bath.
Guard: Shut up and do the test already.
Nános, still cussing under his breath, stuck out his hand. Something shot out of the contraption faster than Vigil could see. Two seconds later a noise rang out.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Guard: You're all good, go on ahead quarter dwarf.
Nános: Don't need to tell me, I'm already gone b*tch.
Nános stepped onto the elevator alongside some other dwarves. The others kept their distance as the elevator went down.
Then the guard went up to Vigil, prioritising the unusual people. That way they were less likely to slip through unchecked. The device flashed over Vigil's hand.
Vigil felt a slight prick and some pain. The lightning fast part seemed to be some sort of needle.
Vigil: Collecting blood to test purity. I hope it only detects dwarven blood. But more importantly do I even have dwarven blood?
Guard: Is this thing broken? Taking way longer than usual. Or is your ancestry quite mixed?
Vigil: Ah yes I have a colourful ancestry.
Guard: F**king mongrel making my job harder. I hope I get the chance to kick you out.
Afigitís: No need to be so rude.
Guard: Deal with it b*tch, I work long hours.
Just then the device beeped but the sound was slightly different. The guard grimaced in response.
Guard: You pass just barely. Get out of my sight scum.
Vigil: Ok.
Vigil walked over to the elevator and got on. Some other dwarves piled on but kept their distance. The last thing he saw before descending was Afigitís receiving the test.
Then the elevator shook and went down. A grinding noise was heard and two giant gears were visible on the sides. Then the view came into sight.
It was breathtaking, the entire mountain hallowed out with all sorts of structures inside of it. Giant towers scattered the area, acting as both supporting columns and homes. Buildings existed everywhere. On the ground, on the walls, branching off towers and other buildings, even hanging from the curling like stalagmites.
It was all lit up too, from lanterns to glowing ores. Casting colourful hues onto drab metallic buildings. Eccentric statues also lined the cavern but all with a practical use. They acted as elevators and other forms of transportation. Some of the statues moved around at set intervals.
The elevator soon reached the bottom of the cavern. Vigil walked off of it with an urge to explore. Nános grabbed him before he could wander off. Dragging Vigil with him somewhat forcefully.
Nános: You're coming with me, I've got some questions.
Vigil: What about Afigitís and the bartender?
Nános: That's not important right now.
Nános dragged Vigil through the streets. He had a destination in mind while Vigil just wanted to admire the sights. Nános didn't give him a chance. Vigil was strong enough to resist but chose not to.
Soon they were inside an empty building. Something that was rare in this city of practical dwarves. Who even found strange uses for things considered decorations.
Nános grip on Vigil became tighter as he suddenly threw him against a wall. Vigil was face to face with Nános for the first time. Boiling rage filled his eyes directed towards him.
Vigil: Why is he so angry? He was always that cussing, short tempered, but happy and outgoing dwarf. Was that all an act or did I do something?
Nános: What did the guard tell you during the test?!
Vigil: Umm that I just barely passed the test.
Nános: Just like him...
Nános looked away deep in thought. His eyes filled with tears then he looked back at Vigil. Rage and tears covered his face.
Nános: What is your relation to him? What are you? You're not a dwarf that's for sure.
Vigil: Him? Who are you talking about? What do you mean by what am I?
Nános: Káti sfagiastís.
Nános seemed to spit out the word. His expression full of spite.
Nános: He killed my entire family. My father, my sister, my brothers, my wife, my daughter, and even some innocent bystanders. Claiming to be a doctor with a bit of dwarven blood. People flocked to him like mice to a ýpnosigáta. In your language his name would be Aliquid the slaughterer.
Vigil: Aliquid was here? So do I really have dwarven blood? If so then I'm an indirect relative of Nános in a disturbing way.
Vigil: I admit I am related to Aliquid. But I had nothing to do with that event, I'm only around 30 years old.
Nános grunted and unsheathed his weapon. Before Vigil could react he slammed his axe into his gut nailing him to the wall and nearly cutting him in half. Nános laughed at how calm Vigil remained.
Nános: What sort of monster can survive a ballistae arrow to the knee and a battleaxe to the gut? Even more come out of it completely unscathed. I'm not as gullible as the others, I never told you when this event happened.
Vigil: Haha so I'm revealed by someone finally. I feel somewhat happy for some reason.
Nános punched Vigil in the face. Vigil got a broken nose from it. But Vigil's nose quickly straightened itself and blood squirted out it for a second.
Nános: A crazy bastard just like Káti. I'm glad I never placed any trust in you. Empty eyes just like Káti, at least his had some shine to them.
Vigil: Aliquid is dead, been that way for 30 years now. All I know of him is from books, overly vague journals and one book on magic. If you want you can take your anger out on me. As you can see I can take a hit or two.
Nános smiled at his words.
~1 hour later~
Nános sheathed his battleaxe and got ready to leave. When Vigil's ears healed he departed while leaving behind some words.
Nános: This is where Aliquid lived while he was here. Perhaps you can find something about your "relative" here. Don't go down the same path though or I'll kill you, no matter how long it takes.
Vigil got up after a little while. A faint smile remained on his face. The experience was painful yet new. Vigil didn't enjoy the experience nor did he loathe it.
He went exploring in the building. Nános's words incited Vigil's curiosity to things related to his creator.
The room was completely empty besides a staircase and a pile of gore. There was no secrets there and the gore was recent. So Vigil climbed the stairs to the next level.
It opened up into a small office filled with all sorts of tools. Most of them were medical tools or unrecognisable dwarven contraptions. With various books in dwarf language scattered about. All of it covered in a thick layer of dust. He found a spare set of clothing too which he put on. His old clothes had become torn and bloody.
Vigil took his time checking the contents of the books and cleaning up. He couldn't read any of the books as they were in dwarvish language. But he checked them nonetheless in case any were in code.
His diligence paid off as he found a notebook filled with notes. The notes were messy and in code. Vigil pulled the other book out of his bag and compared some of the notes he used to decrypt it.
Unfortunately it was a completely different code so Vigil put it in his bag. His bag was unharmed because he dropped it before he was slammed into the wall.
Vigil left the building without a set destination. Aimlessly wandering to see the sights in the dwarven city.
Some of the dwarves were curious about him and tried talking to him. But their human language was so broken that he couldn't understand them.
Vigil: Right now I've got to decrypt this book, learn the dwarven language, and reunite with Afigitís. Afigitís might be able to help me with the language part. I wonder what Nános meant by me being empty? Empty of emotion or empty of will? I just go wherever and I haven't felt many emotions strongly other than anger. But empty seems to be a bit extreme.
Just then he saw a strange sight. A dwarf was thrown out of a bar onto the streets. He was wearing dirty robes and looked strangely familiar.
The dwarf shouted something back into the bar. Then laughed at the response that came. The strange dwarf's eyes started wandering about.
He seemed to be drunk yet still wary of something. Vigil was curious and walked closer to this dwarf. Their eyes met as Vigil got closer.
Dwarf: Haha Vigil long time no see. How'd youuuuu get in heree?
Vigil: Master Culus why do you look like a dwarf? I walked through the front door because I have some dwarf in me. But I doubt the same could be said about you.
Culus: Truuue, let's go somewhere to talk.
Vigil ended leading Culus back to Aliquid's office. There Culus dispelled his illusion magic and started shuffling through the books.
Culus: They're just medical textbooks, where's the porn?!
Vigil: You may be insane but you're smarter than you look. Plus your resourceful so you're going to help me.
Culus: Okay so we're making a dwarven pornooo. You do the spying and I'll do
the wrrrriting.
Vigil then took out the translated book and set it on the office's table. Culus grabbed it and started flipping through while talking.
Culus: Great you already made one now I just havvvve to transla-. Oh my this isn't porn. This is...?!
Vigil: The book you lent me, fully decrypted of course. You're going to help me decrypt the next one.
Vigil then put the second book on the desk. Culus set down the first carefully and grabbed the second.
Culus: This one seems to be based on the language of the lamias. My god he's leaving a paper trail with the encryptions. Aliquid the hero of Ardebit and dark magic user.
Vigil: So that's what you sound like when you're not acting.
Culus smiled a little bit at being seen through. But then dissected Vigil's words a bit more.
Culus: Wait you already knew it was an act?
Vigil: I stayed my nights at the bar you frequented. You never drank any alcohol, not once. Plus there was times that you just sat there deep in thought. With a book and a piece of paper on your table when no one else was around.
Culus: Now that's just embarrassing, oh well. This decryption was quite impressive considering you don't know dwarvish.
Vigil: What makes you think I didn't know?
Culus: The way you frowned slightly every time a conversation in dwarvish happened. Straining your ears to eavesdrop yet not understanding.
Vigil: So in order to translate the next book we need to learn Lamia. Or take several extra years to decrypt.
Culus: No this is quite short compared to the book. Besides I already know the language of the lamias.
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New short story out that explains why Culus is there. Next chapter we'll discover what message Aliquid left behind. This chapter was relatively short but I should release another one by next week if I can.
Hrmm I wonder if I should get someone to translate this into another language. I feel that most of the comedy should transfer as it revolves around situational comedy most of the time.
Next chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11359