The communication system was no longer working, since it had used the runes on the door. That meant we could no longer hear the dwarves clearly. But hopefully we would meet them in person soon. I pushed the gate… It was still locked.

In the game I had used my lockpicking skill to open doors and chests. But this gate had no keyhole. There was a fourth tier spell though, that opened mechanical locks. Would that work on a drawbar? Assuming they had one. Let’s see.

I cast the unlock spell. It was followed by a rumbling sound of something moving. Gears maybe? Once the noise was finished I pushed.. And it opened!

“BREACH! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!” I heard someone shout.

Before us were four dwarfs. They had round shields, chainmail and either an axe or a hammer. Considering the massive tunnel we were in, they could easily be surrounded. They looked grim but determined.

“Hi. We come in peace.” I said and waved. I also smiled.

“Wait, ye’re actually an elf?” Ruvan said.

“Looks can be deceiving. That magic was not something I have ever seen!” A dwarven woman cautioned.

Lily stepped forward. “May I introduce Lady Amaya Delphinium. Countess of the Dominion, Ruler of Storms, Lady of the Fey.” Then she pointed at Lucy. “And her lover, Lady Lucy Delphinium, Countess of the Dominion, Kitsune of Storms.”

I scratched my head. Sure, we were nobles. But the storm titles were totally made up. Right?

“They are accompanied by Thessia, a priestess of Sylphania, their noble maid knights and Shani. Elemental Lord of Storms and the Incarnation of Wrath.”

That title was just made up recently! Shani fully embraced it though and tried to look menacing with her scythe. Small lighting bolts appeared between her bunny ears.

“My ladies are escorting refugees from the Empire to their home.” Lily finished.

The dwarfs just looked confused.

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“I am just a friendly archfey passing through. Sorry about your door. I can pay for repairs.” I offered.

“An archfey? And what is a kitsune?” One of them asked.

“I heard they have those in the Dominion.” Another said.

“Ain’t that door dragon proof? Are archfey that strong?” Ruvan asked.

“Mind your manners you oafs! We haven’t even introduced ourselves!” The woman admonished them.

“I am Frida. Ruvan is the idiot who you were talking to. Then we have Aric and Erik.” She pointed at each of them.

“Who ya callin an idiot?” Ruvan complained. “How was I supposed to know it wasn’t a prank! Who expects an archfey wandering around?!?”

“Ah yes, we are an unusual group.” I admitted. “Regardless, we need to travel through the Dwarven Kingdom. As you can see, Thessia is a dryad. We have about two weeks left before we need to replant her tree. There is simply no time for a longer route. But I am certainly willing to talk to an official about our unusual entry. I also have an account with the dwarven bank. I can authorise you to collect the funds needed for repairs to your door.”

“Well… that sounds good but we can’t just take your word for it. Having a priestess with you gives you a lot of credibility but it is our job to… you know, stop people from entering.” Frida said.

“What if one of you escorts us back to your nearest garrison? Or to whoever is closest with the authority to grant us entry.” I proposed.

“Technically you would have to wait here with your caravan but I suppose we could make an exception…” Frida said.

“Not like we can stop ya anyway.” Ruvan muttered.

“I am sorry for your troubles. Maybe I can offer a barrel of ale as an apology?” I suggested.

“Are ye trying to bribe us? Cause I am ok with that.” Ruvan said.

Frida hit him on the head. “We are not accepting bribes! We are not saying no to ale though. The Dominion are our valuable allies after all! And I will personally escort you to the next fortress.”

“You just want more of their booze!” Ruvan protested.

“Those ladies need a proper escort! I will do it.” She said, I suppose she was in charge since Ruvan relented. The other two dwarves just watched the exchange in silence.

I gave them a barrel as promised. They wasted no time sampling the goods. Our caravan moved into the tunnel and I closed the gate behind us. Soon we were on our way again. I offered Frida some whisky I still had from the game. She seemed to enjoy it. I told her a bit about the civil war in the Empire. I did not mention the mind control runes though. That was a topic for someone higher up.

“Nasty business.” She said, shaking her head. “I am not surprised though. That Empire is rotten. It was only a matter of time before it imploded. I wonder if the king will open the old gates to accept more refugees.”

“Has that ever happened?” Lucy asked. The three of us walked in front of the caravan.

“Nope. Since they were sealed not a single one was reopened. If someone tries to enter it’s usually a prank. We are just here guarding against a breach. Well… nobody expects us to win against something that can force their way through. We are just here to sound the alarm.”

“Uhm, does that mean you activated an alarm?” I asked.

“Eh… yes. They probably won’t take it seriously. Nobody actually expects anything to breach those gates.” She said and took another swig of whisky.

“Can’t you inform them that everything is ok?” Lucy asked.

“No. It’s a one way system. Anything coming through that door is considered powerful enough to compromise the defenders.” She said, shrugging.

“And you don’t consider this a problem?” I asked.

“Nah. Don’t worry. We will get that sorted.” She reassured us.