Chane once again pushed me out ahead of him, then took a few steps further back and bowed his head in deference. I looked back at him before turning to face the elders, making a quick bow as well before replying.
“Thank you, Patriarch. The city is impressive. And yes, I have brought the stone.” I pulled the Heart of Stone from my inventory as I spoke, and held it out in both hands.
There was some general murmuring between the dwarves at the outer edges of the V, and Duirtak stepped forward into the middle of the formation. He smiled and reached out in turn, gesturing for me to come closer.
“Good, ya’ have continued to honor yer’ word. Come, kneel down here n’ we’ll get da’ formalities outta’ ta’ way.” He pointed down at the floor before him.
I cautiously stepped forward and kneeled down on the mosaiced flooring as he had instructed. Even on my knees I was still equal with his eye level. I slouched slightly and held the stone out, unsure of what I was supposed to do and feeling rather nervous about the whole deal. I glanced from side to side and noticed the looks I was getting from some of the other dwarves were less than friendly.
Duirtak spoke again, his voice raised and booming with reverb throughout the huge room. “Guy Nicholas Spenser, by my hand and with the Moots approval, I declare you family within House Galidurn. I name you Kaninak Galidurn, and grant you the Rank of Beardless with permission to join the upcoming trials.”
I noticed he spoke clearly and without an accent, which made a bit more sense now that I knew it was a performance anyways. I looked back up to him, my chin still lowered to the floor. Wishing I would have had a bit more instruction on what I was supposed to do. This whole thing felt rushed.
I expected more. A crowd, lines I would need to say, a stiff formal outfit and maybe even some kind of silly hat to throw in the air. I was interrupted from my thoughts by Max maniacally laughing in the back of my mind.
“Bahahahaha. I’ve been looking forward to this since you agreed to join up!”
The other dwarves had all stepped forward as Duirtak had given his short decree, and despite Max’s pseudo-warning, I was completely caught off guard when they puffed their barrel chests up with deep breaths and all at once let out massive visibly cloudy belches that washed over me.
My eyes widened and I made the mistake of gasping in shock as the vaporous clouds surrounded me. I coughed and closed my eyes as they started to sting, and I could feel it layer itself over my exposed skin like a humid mist. I resisted the urge to stand and flee, instead clamping my eyes shut tightly and bearing the strange sensation as I wheezed out my last breath and refused to take another.
I struggled against filling my lungs before the cloud dissipated, and I was finally forced to as Duirtak reached out and plucked the Heart of Stone from my hands.
He held it up for a moment, before reaching out and hauling me back up to my feet with his free hand.
“Welcome, Initiate. We ain't much fer’ pomp n’ ceremony, truth be told. Yer’ one’a us now n’ have been marked. Chane’ll see ya’ through da’ Trials n’ we can talk about what might’n be next fer’ ya then.”
Most of the other gray-beards turned and walked towards the back of the chamber, while a handful crowded closer to look over the stone Duirtak held in one hand. I coughed in the background and blinked my eyes against the stinging gas, working to recover my senses as they continued the conversation without me for a moment. The smell was at least not entirely unpleasant, a mix of musty sweet and astringent, and it tasted vaguely fruity.
After I recovered, I made out the words of one of the dwarves with less gray or white hair mixed in with the black of his mane, and flesh nearly as pale and smooth as fresh snow. He gazed at the stone intently as he spoke.
“This had better be worth it, Patriarch. Bringing the forge fully online ahead of schedule may not be worth further exposing our young to these… people’s… culture.” He turned to me, wrinkling his nose into what I suspected was a sneer hidden under his thick black beard.
When I had finally recovered enough to pick up on what they were saying, I narrowed my eyes back at the dissenting dwarv. Max’s laughter continued to ring through the back of my mind, fanning my flaring anger and pushing me to rise to my feet and reply. Kazzad stepped forward and slapped a hand down on my shoulder and pushed me back down.
Duirtak dropped his accent and replied to the dwarv, “That is no way to speak to a promising new Initiate, Johkaht. You agreed to the terms of our exodus. Do not let your familial frustrations sour the weld.” He gave the dark haired dwarv a warning look.
Jokaht scowled and turned to stomp away from us towards the exit, not bothering to return to the group that was reassembling back around the outline of the table in the floor.
We all watched him storm away for a moment before Kazzad broke the silence. “Glad ta’ see ya again, Nick! I’m sure ya’ will be a fine addition ta’ our House. Chane’ll have ya’ welded into yer Row in no time a’tall.”
I noticed one of the dwarves in the background with the whitest hair sharply turn their head over at us and roll his eyes at Kazzad’s words, even Duirtak gave her a bit of a look from the corner of his eye.
Duirtak waved the Heart of Stone into his inventory, and replaced it with a small chainmail pouch made from the same bronze colored material that I had seen a lot of since entering the mountain.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“That’s just overdoing it, Kaz. Nick is no longer an outsider.” He said with only the slightest hint of an accent as he held the bag out, offering it to me. “Here are the books you’ll need, Da-Nicholas. You’ll need to speak to the House armorer to grab the rest of what you’ll need before you start your training in earnest.”
I reached out and took the bag from him, resisting the urge to immediately open it and look through them. Instead, I imitated the salute the other members of my Row had given Chane when he chastised them earlier.
Bowing over my fists, the bag dangling from its tie beneath them, I thanked him. “Gratitude, Duirtak, Kazzad.” I gave Chane a nod as well to include him in my thanks.
Kazzad laughed and slapped me on the back, while she and her father exchanged looks. “Now, off with ye. We have much to discuss before we return to the Moot.”
----------------------------------------
Chane and I left and returned to the plaza, this time veering off in a new direction towards a nondescript building that blended in with the rest of the scenery. The rhythmic ring of hammer and anvil growing louder as we neared, eventually drowning out the rest of the noise of the space.
I felt the top of my hair brush against the open archway as we entered the shop. There were perhaps a dozen dwarves all working away at various machines. Powerhammers, white hot forges, vats of chemicals under ventilation hoods, and a multitude of anvils and workbenches of various sizes littered the floor. The walls were lined with neatly organized tools on racks, and entry was barred to the shop floor by a long countertop manned by an iron-gray bearded dwarv who perked up and smiled when we walked up across the counter from them.
“Lo! Brother Chane. This must be the new stalactite scraper we’ve been prepping for? Good to have another Human around!” The dwarv shouted over the sound of ringing metal and grinders.
Chane bowed his head and pressed his fists together. “Yes, Zel Relik. This is Nicholas, newly initiated and ready for his first tools.”
The older dwarv boomed with laughter. “ Hah Ha! Excellent! I look forward to seeing his produce.” He ducked down behind the counter and rummaged around for a second, before popping back up and slamming a woven metal basket down on the counter. Inside was a jumble of various bronze colored metal tools and items.
He reached into the basket and started laying them out on the counter between us. “Here’s yer hammers, we’ll start you off with a 3 Cu. double sided and a ball peen. Then we have yer’ compass and pens, measuring tape and brushes. Lastly, we have something special for ya. I see ya have an Engram already, and don’t go spreadin’ word we’re given ya’ these around to the other humans, but…”
He pulled out a set of blackened and forge-scaled gauntlets. Reminding me of the set I had seen in the display case at the King’s tower when we first entered the city. I instantly recognized the shining green gem of an Engram clasped in a setting on the back of the left hand, while the right had a matching yet empty setting.
“Your new pride and joy. And what will allow ya to melt in with the rest of us, an absolute necessity if ye mean to work with our metals.” He set the gauntlets down on the counter, then pulled out a satchel that gently clinked with the sound of glass and dropped it down next to them.
“You’ll need all this chaff to work the Engram properly. We get this stuff naturally, but ye ain’t got the equipment ya need. Go on now, check ‘em out. Get em’ on yer fists and read the info, youngin’”
I looked over at Chane, amazed they were just handing over an Engram. He nodded solemnly, so I took up the gauntlets and read over their description.
Hands of Creation
(Holo Armor, Rare grade)
Emblazoned Engram slots (2) (left: Chemical Synthesizer)
(Right: empty)
+5 Heart and Body (Determination, Empathy, Resilience, Power, Size, Fortitude)
Forged by the Theedrite Forgemaster [Dunkar Brightenjaw] in the Hearth Forge (lesser) at the core of their capital. This Gauntlet marks an adopted member of Clan Theedrite and provides stat boosts intended to help level the physical differences between the two species.
Designed to carry two Engrams, these protect the user’s hands and forearms from all direct contact with heat, electrical, caustic, and acidic effects, and up to 200 kN of total force.
I smiled so hard it hurt my face, and quickly willed the Engrams info box to open from the link over the gauntlets’ page.
Chemical Synthesizer
(Holo Engram, Hybrid ability, Commodity grade)
Grants the ability to expel, express, compound, and direct controlled amounts of chemicals via the fingertips, so long as the base materials are equipped to the user (unable to pull directly from inventory).
While I was unsure of the level of usefulness of the Engram, it certainly seemed more powerful than the Megaphone one I’d previously purchased. I pulled the gauntlets on manually and flexed my fingers, grinning from ear to ear as I watched the metal plates smoothly slide over each other as they articulated with my movements.
“These are awesome. They let me, like… spray acid and etch metal and stuff?” I asked distractedly.
The elder dwarv laughed some more, while Chane harrumphed. The elder dwarv answered my question. “That’s one way a’ saying it. There’s more to ‘em than that though. They’ll let ya do the etching and carving in the traditional manner of our kind, as well as helping with how we make our alloys and welds. Yer crafting instructor’ll have more details for ya when ye get to it. They’re great for hittin’ stuff too!”
Chane chimed in, a hint of pride in his voice. “Kazzad has volunteered to guide his fabrication instruction.”
Relik flashed his shining teeth, “Kaz, back on the floor, eh? We’ll have to top off the ol’ inhibitor tanks, or the apprentices won't be able to focus at all, hah!”
Chane flushed slightly and shifted his stance. “Aye, I guess.”
I looked between the two, unsure what he meant by ‘inhibitor tanks’ and not really liking the sound of them. Before I could ask, a group of dwarves walked into the covered walkway next to us and started peeling sections of damaged armor off and tossing them into piles on the counter a ways down from us.
Relik waved us off, “Enjoy yer’ new graspers there youngin, for duty calls me. T’was good ta’ meet ya! We’ll see ya’ fer training. Till then, keep yer’ feet on the ground.”
He left Chane and I standing there while he went to go help the other dwarves. I turned to my guide and brought my newly covered fists up like a boxer, mocking a jab at him.
“What's next? Any more presents for your newest nephew?” I asked jokingly, still riding high on the excitement of getting my first rare grade equipment.
“There is one more place I must show you before you take your place within your Row and start your training.” After gathering up the tools and the basket they came in, I just pulled the whole lot into my inventory, he led me out from the walkway to cut across the open plaza again.
We crossed the grounds and went through a large gatehouse, the tarnished tooth-like tips of a portcullis hanging over our heads. After a short walk through the chaotic streets, pressed back into a shoulder-to-shoulder streaming crowd of dwarven bodies, we walked up to a confusing sight.
Taking up a whole side of a large public square at an intersection, was an entirely human-looking building straight out of any town, large or small. Laying just behind a small facsimile of a parking lot half filled with the strange little vehicles the dwarves drove through the crowd, was an S-Mart. Complete with the big blue sign and smiling sunny graphics. There was even a lonely stray shopping cart rolling freely amongst the vehicles in the lot.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed and elbowed Chane in the shoulder. “Here I am, on a mountain, under a mountain, surrounded by cosplaying aliens, with my new magic gauntlets that are probably worth more than my old apartment's whole building, and I still can’t get away from chain stores.”