A light, a white light, starts my nightmares, whenever I see it before going to sleep I know it's waiting for me, that's why I don't sleep, but sometimes I have to, the night overcomes me and my eyelids close, then the light comes, a comforting tingling surrounds me, This time I am on the outskirts of my city, next to me I feel my son, it's comforting to feel him, that simple schoolboy laugh, his dwarf smell that drives oil and machine grease, but I'm afraid to turn around, I always end up doing it, I want to see him.
When I turn around the image of the city changes, from pearly white it becomes black and withered, this time I have decided to see without fear, I turn around quickly and I reach out to see a statue of ashes identical to him, it crumbles, the pain compresses my chest, it is a real pain, product of a loss that has only value for me, then I see the God of the Righteous, he pulls the light that comes out of the statue of my son, when he has a bright ball he turns around, where does he think he is taking you my son? I will not allow them to take you away from me again, as I advance the forest is becoming decrepit, with each step my clothes are damaged and falling, my legs are losing strength, but still I advance, neither when the flesh begins to fall, nor the pain, nor anything prevents me from continuing in pursuit of that figure that carries the image of the one I love.
I am already a naked image, only the beards remain, my eyes have lost their pupils and their color, but they continue to see, the light that is projected hurts me.
- Where are you taking him?- I scream at the figure until my lips and tongue are so rotten that I cannot speak, at that moment the figure turns and tells me to betray her.
He has never spoken to me in my dreams before, so I am surprised, "Don't take my son," I beg him.
-He has lived a life of goodness and sacrifice, he deserves to go to the other world where he will praise me all day long - the doubt attacks me, is this a paradise? At that moment he points to me and when he sees me I realize that I am wrapped in my bronze armor - you have revealed yourself, you are conspiring against justice, only desolation and despair of abandonment, of death in life await you, My body loses strength and I fall to my knees, an incredible heat comes from the armor and prevents me from falling to the ground, this seems to disturb the figure that claims to be God, his features change from serene and accusing to terrifying, full of rage.
-Even now you deny your punishment, you impious one, loneliness awaits you! My accusations will come every night, preventing you from sleeping and resting! I will send my paladins of justice to destroy your being, you will find no rest, for serving the Dark Lord you have your punishment, but it will be nothing compared to what I will do to you, I, the God of the Righteous, have spoken.
The armor still burns, but now it's more of a comforting warmth that helps me to stand up, I'm still a skeleton, I know that if I concentrate I can generate muscles and flesh again, but I don't need it, not for the moment, not being a torturing dream.
-Look at me well -I tell him -I'm like this not because of my decisions, it's because you don't want me to make them, torture is not inflicted by anyone but you, you hate me for choosing revenge but you don't help anyone, the comfort of resignation doesn't work for me, not when the most noble person was killed and you didn't help at all to bring them to justice, what's more they hide behind your emblem and you allow it, I won't let that stop me, I Chapatrueno inform you! -Black flames come out of the armor - I will seek justice as I can! I will raise my hammer to heaven or hell! if I feel that someone commits an injustice... you are not a god of justice, you are vain and cruel, is there any reason to respect you? To fear you? As long as there is an ounce of life left in my body I will fight until there is no more.
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The figure of the god turns pale, but I catch a glimpse of him howling horribly, "Idiot! Dwarf as simple as an arrow! I will attack your dreams, I will damage you so much that my holy warriors will only need to collect the waste of a madman who attempted against his god" I can't help but see how all my surroundings are deformed, my city is no longer there, only a gorge of molten rocks, trying to burn me, of making my armor my tomb, but I refuse to give in to panic, I channel more energy into my body and armor, I will not fall into panic, the expression of the supposed vigilante shows me that he is not happy, at that moment a voice interrupts what could be another outburst from the silhouette floating above.
-Beautiful construction from someone who claims to be a vigilante, don't you think? -The voice comes from the ruins of the city, a man emerges from the rubble, he is clad in full armor, neither the material of the armor nor the cloak I had seen before, only the boots, of dwarven material from before the split, boots that you can walk in lava, boots made of dwarven war elephant skin.
-Don't pay attention to him, you see he can only do harm here, in dreams, he will torment you because you could have been a paladin but reneged on his grace and blessing, still he is right about something, the enemy is coming, they are holy warriors, they are coming to your direction, I cannot give you refuge with the dark elves, they have enemies within three days travel, but if the paladins arrive with them they will have annihilated a place that only serves their tribe, for trophies and the glory of killing those who do not think like him, wake up! I left a place in your mind, go and take shelter there, I left a gift for you inside and you can use it to prepare yourself, now ignore that madman, he is obsessed with the need for attention he won't do anything if you ask for help but if you deny him he will keep chasing you -while he speaks he gets closer, he looks young but in his eyes he carries the same pain I feel, a similar loss, when he arrives in front of me he kneels down and our eyes meet.
-Don't let people die for appearances, I'm counting on you, I won't let you die until you reach your goal.
My eyes opened, I was in the open field, I had arrived at the edge of the mushroom forest the night before, I still did not know how to contact the owner of these lands, but apparently it was not necessary, in my mind I followed both voices, the one full of promises and threats of a not very fair god and a man who only seeks justice and perhaps redemption, in my mind is the place he suggests, It is a small fortress in some mines about ten or fifteen kilometers from here, it is still night, but I can get there even with my eyes closed, I start walking, I can see that the mental battle against this god was not only in my mind, the whole floor is burned in two meters around, proof that if I use my armor to defend myself, I must soon find runes of sacred protection.
The landscape is still monotonous, I have discovered that most of the creatures avoid me, but not out of fear, it is more a sense of recognition of one of their own, only one naga, a poor snake mutated woman attacked me with her claws and fangs, I stopped her with a shield blow and with the momentum I threw her behind my back, seeing that I didn't go to finish her off she moved away, all morning I can feel her watching me, But compared to the wrath of a god this is nothing, finally when the sun indicates that it is noon I arrive, it is a small cave of those used by the dwarves for protection, a wall of ten meters high, completely closing the cave blocks the way, but as I approach I can see a door hidden in one of the corners, it has the height of a dwarf, it is not a government fortification, it is a last resort shelter for my people during the war.
I am not surprised that the door is open, apparently my benefactor knows how to accommodate shelters, inside a simple two-story building with stone walls welcomes me, at the back I feel something calling me, I advance through the corridors without banners or pictures, this place is no joke, The forge and the armory are at the back, the dining rooms are on the sides, the kitchen is on the upper floor along with the strategy room and the bedrooms, there are no class distinctions, it is a building of last resort, old men, sons and mothers lived here in fear of what they knew to be their fate.
I go to the smithy, only to find something that makes me smile for the first time in years, in this place some texts about holy runes are waiting for me, some steel ores and a lot of coal, as well as my old storm hammer tools, let the holy warriors come, let their god come, here I will wait for them with steel in my hands, my resolve will not waver!