“So” Filnon would broach to Elaine as they walked through the camp, hand in hand with Estaria. “Why didn’t you pull out your sword? You fight really well with it, and would probably have done a lot better than whacking him with the sheath if you drew it. I imagine there is a reason, but I am curious to hear about it” she asked, looking over at the Blood Knight.
“It’s been broken for a while now. It’s a very intricate thing, and so I can’t find myself a smith to repair it. I made some discrete enquiries in the Karak, and they didn’t seem against the idea of doing repairs on ‘Umgi scrap’, but I never managed to get myself back there before all this kicked off” Elaine explained. It perked Estaria up, who pulled out a map and then opened up her tracker on top of it. Normally, it only worked for what was in the general vicinity, but if you overlaid it with a map, you could get where your friends were through it. If they were anywhere on that map to begin with.
After some moments, it began to glow in the Middle Mountains. Desolate place, Middenheim had been built into it because it was cool, but the mines and prospectors were hard-scrabble people who never had much luck with anything.
“I got a dwarf friend called Traukon in the Middle Mountains right now. I’m not saying every dwarf is a great blacksmith or anything, but he’s going to know someone worth paying to get your sword back operational. You are good enough with a normal sword, so seeing you with that?” Estaria would give a giddy grin at the prospect of seeing her girlfriend with her ancestral sword back in her hands once again.
“So, that’s a no on the flavoured ice, and a yes on the expedition to the mountains to meet a friend?” Elaine teased, giving a toothy grin as Es nodded.
“..Y-yea, pretty much” she would fold the map back up and nod.
“I for one love the plan. But, also I should stay here. There’s going to be a lot of politics to talk about with that guy, and Druchii, and all the rest. So you to have fun, and fill me in when you get back” Filnon put in, before giving Estaria a kiss, Elaine a kiss, and heading off into the camp. Elaine gave her a look that implied the three of them were getting into a tent one day and testing the limits of Estaria’s supernatural durability. But for now, it was time to go out.
Setting up with gear and provisions - Estaria was Elaine’s provisions, so mostly it was just food for Es - the two made sure everything was set in the camp, and headed out. Bloodwolf gave a woof as if he was going to be a good guard dog till they returned, which made Es feel more at ease as she set out across the Great Northern Road. Marauders and Warriors were found here and there, either carrying their loot and slaves, or on their way to get loot and slaves from one of the still standing villages in the area. Both types were executed with extreme prejudice, and the slaves directed to the camp to support the effort in retaking the North. Or at least annoying the enemy enough to be worth being here.
Eventually, they left the road, and headed in country to get to the mountains proper. A few villages were on the way, some burned out and abandoned but making decent shelter for the night. Others, still standing defiant and hard-bitten. Estaria tried to convince these villages to consolidate, and managed to even have a few head out towards the camp. Others refused as this was the land they were born on, and this is the land they would die on. Estaria could understand the conviction, even if she couldn’t condone the action, so left them to it. They’d have a moment’s reprieve with the mess that the two had made up the Great Northern Road anyway, so it should all balance itself out. Hopefully.
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After leaving a trail of dead across Middenland, Estaria eventually got to the mountain pass. It was still a long trek through difficult terrain, but they were here now.
“You see them?” Estaria would ask a few minutes into the walk, looking to her girlfriend. Needed to be wife, so she was all equal. But then what would it be? Estaria Nightfury Sforza? It wasn’t a bad thing, all told.
“The three dwarf Rangers stalking us rather well?” Elaine would reply, her tone loud enough that their tail could pick up on them. “It is most impressive for someone so rotund to move with such agility. I must commend them”
Elaine’s provocation worked well, as one of the Rangers appeared out of the scrabble and glared.
“I ain’t rotund, I am compressed!” he exclaimed, to giggles from the two women and a groan from his partner.
“They were provoking you for a reason, ya wazzock. Honestly, it’s like you are some Hazkal stumbling around the Karak” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Now who are you two? Ya don’t look like Dum-Umgi”
Estaria would take the lead at that prompt, and give a nod.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you two. I am Estaria Zashira. Azul Umgi of Karak……Shit, I just realized I never asked Traukon what the name was. He just referred to it as The Karak and I never asked it’s name”
She staggered off course and tried to wrack her brain, hoping that she heard it somewhere, but was saved by the older of the two Rangers perking up.
“Traukon….Brightbelly?” He would ask, to which Estaria would perk up.
“Yea! Of course, he’s here. Why didn’t I open with that?” she muttered to herself.
“Azaza. He’s a Hammerer of Karak Azaza” The Ranger would state, leading them up the path, through a hidden pass and into a camp. Very well made, with everyone moving as they knew exactly where they were going and what they were doing. It was nice, after all the metaphorical Chaos she had been around, to be here in dwarven stability and surety again.Taken through the camp to the center where an old, well-adorned man was pouring over a map, Traukon was there. Level 68, which was impressive but to be expected given the goldmine of experience he sat on. He wore some very impressive armour, and a great, masterfully crafted Hammer was slung on his back.
“Estaria! And Elaine! Of all the people, I did not expect you two to turn up!” He would exclaim, striding over and giving the two of them a hug.
“Hey Traukon. I didn’t expect to see you here either, with the trouble going on right now. You moved cross the country while an Everchosen raves around, to dig around in this place that has never yielded anything but crap. That, is a story”
The well adorned man would look up, and stare at Estaria, before Traukon spoke up.
“Middenheimer. At heart, anyway. She knows about these Mountains” he would explain. The man would nod, and head over to them.
“Then you are welcome. We are here of personal Dawi business, But nobody treks this far up a mountain just to meet a friend, so you must have business as well” he was very to the point, which Estaria could admire somewhat, so she would nod to Elaine, who brought out her sword and unbound it to draw it out.
“Ohh. Now that is a bit of metalwork alright” Traukon would exclaim, looking at the broken blade. Thin, but forged by the hand of a master such even a Dwarf could stare with appreciation.
“Mmm. Family heirloom, forged in the days of Gilles le Breton by the legendary blacksmith Jaque De Arc. I’ve never managed to find anyone who can reforge the pieces I’ve kept in this scabbard”
Elaine would finish explaining, and then put the sword back.
“We would love to help you. Working on that thing is it’s own reward. But we are on a tight schedule here, and can’t spend the time it would need to get that back to full working condition” The Dwarf in charge would state, with a sigh.
“A trade then. We can help you with a thing to speed up your work while you are working on that. Me and my girlfriend here are pretty capable” she would offer. The Dawi would ponder for a moment, and then nod.
“Take Traukon with you. He will tell you what most needs doing” the Dawi in charge would then turn, and get back to the map he was staring at.