Azken Rafson stood in the back of the massive hall and gazed up at a marble statue. While the others around him admired the stonework and impressively precise masonry required to depict a dwarf hard at work in the mines so realistically, he alone noticed the ring of runes carved into the statue’s nave. These runes glowed, shining a light on every side of the statue which should have been impossible to have so deep within the caves. Azken admired the curve and flow of the runes, they held such beauty, the slight difference in line width, the precise angles at which they turned into each other. He could have watched them for hours and would have but for his brother’s intervention.
“Azken, there you are. I was worried you had gotten lost again. I will never understand how you manage to forget your way through the tunnels.” He then noticed the statue, “Ah, I see you are admiring the work of our forefathers, Harald Kerson. I know your education has been lacking but I assume you know or ancestor’s story.” Azken turned to look at his brother. Marten was almost the spitting image of their father, With the same dark red hair and dark iron eyes. Azken in contrast took after their mother. He had her coal black hair and steely grey eyes. He was wider than most Dwarfs and incredibly well muscled, a trait they had both inherited. Azken stood a few inches taller than his brother, a point of tension as according to Marten it wouldn’t do for the younger brother to look down on the elder. They had competed in many things over the years with Marten usually coming out the victor. He was a better miner, a better singer, a better drinker and a better smith. The two places in which Azken held an unshakable advantage, much to marten’s shame, were in fights and beards. Despite being eight years older than Azken, Marten’s beard only came down to the bottom of his chin whereas Azken’s reached the middle of his chest. This fact had once caused a serious fight in which Marten, after a slightly heavier bout of drinking than usual, attempted to cut Azken’s beard with an Axe. Marten went to bed that night with two black eyes and some missing teeth while Azken got away with a few bloody knuckles and a fresh scar on his cheek.
“I know the stories, Marten. Why did father send you?”
“He wants us to join him in his office, I assume he will be announcing his successor today.” This shocked Azken,
“Successor, our father has lived barely more than three hundred years, it is far too early for him to retire.”
“I don’t mean that he plans to retire, he is going to choose one of us to train as his replacement so he can retire and know the company is in good hands.”
“Father would never give up the mines so easily, this must be something else.”
“Father recognizes that Harald & Kin Excavations needs new leadership to keep up with the times, have you seen what the engineering guild has managed to create? A mechanical excavator which runs off clockwork and steam. We need to innovate to stay competitive!” Azken turned and started off towards his father’s office leaving behind the statue of his grandfather and the wonderfully carved runes. “When I take over the company, I’ll save you a place as my personal assistant. You should thank me Azken.”
“I’ll thank you for your generosity when you drop a sack of gold on my desk and tell me to leave.”
“Aye, that will be the day.” Marten ran after Azken as fast as his stout legs would carry him which, when compared even to other dwarfs, was not that fast
The office of Raf Haraldson was a solid cube of stone with a solid desk carved into the center. The walls were adorned with gold ornamentation and woven wool tapestries depicting the deeds and triumphs of the ancestors. At that desk sat Raf Haraldson, Azken and Marten’s father. He wore a set of finely woven green clothing with gold trim. He was a stocky dwarf with hands well-worn from decades of mine work and bespectacled eyes well-worn from centuries of paperwork. Even now with both his sons standing in front of him, Raf Continued to pore over documents and contracts.
“I have retrieved Azken, father. I found him staring at the statue of grandfather over in the plaza.” Marten beamed and waited for his father to address him. After a few painfully long moments which seemed like minutes Raf sat up in his chair, removed his glasses and addressed the brothers.
“Thank you, son, for finding Azken so quickly, I was worried we would have to talk at dinner, and you know how much your mother hates work at the table.” He rubbed his eyes with two meaty fingers and stroked his beard with the other three on one hand. He gestured to the chairs on the other side of the desk and the brothers sat down. “I’ll be brief, I am far too young to retire, despite any rumors you might have heard I still have a few centuries of work in me before I think of handing down the company. You two, however, are just the right age to start learning how to take over and working closely alongside me. Come tomorrow I expect you two to join me at the start of the workday. Any questions?” Azken stared across the desk at his father who was looking back and forth between him and Marten. Raf smiled through his moustache and waited expectantly.
“Yes father,” Marten rubbed his hands together nervously, “I understand that you are not planning to retire any time soon, but who do you currently favor as your successor for when you do?” Marten quickly glanced between Azken and their father and licked his hairless lips, “I believe that knowing who is currently favored would inspire them to work harder to stay in that position and inspire the other to work hard to overcome that.”
“Excellent idea Marten,” Raf chuckled, “As of now the successor is set to be, Hmm,” he looked Marten in the eyes then glanced down quickly before doing the same to Azken, “Azken. Now off with you two and don’t be late for dinner, your mother is cooking up something good and I ordered a fresh keg of Bowson’s Cross. Azken if you could pick that up on the way home, I’ll let you breach the seal. Now out, out I have work to finish up.” With that they were ushered out of the office and back through the tunnels which made up the management offices of Harald and Kin Excavations. The tunnels exited to the upper levels of the main mineshaft, complete with rail carts, blasting charges and helmeted dwarfs carrying pickaxes deeper into the depths to extract more ore. Once the brothers had left the work area and made it back to a main thoroughfare, Marten shoved Azken into a byway and grabbed his collar.
“What makes you more deserving of the business than me?” he shouted at Azken and pulled one hand back in a fist. “I’m the elder here, I’m the better miner, I should have the mine and you should be working for me.” He made to punch Azken in the face. Azken was used to his elder brother’s outbursts of rage, so he was ready for the attack. He blocked the punch with his own left arm and jabbed his right forwards to catch Marten in the gut. The blow doubled the older brother over and he released his grip. Azken grabbed his shoulder and pulled upwards leaving them eye to eye.
“I don’t want to take over the company Marten, and I certainly don’t want to work under you. As much as father wants us to stay here and continue on the family business, I have no interest in living as a miner all my life.” Marten smashed his head forwards, catching Azken off guard and square in the nose. The force of the blow staggered him back and he barely recovered in time to duck Marten’s follow-up punch.
“What else will you do; you don’t have the skill nor the talent to find an apprenticeship outside the family in any profession. You’re hardly a proficient miner” he threw a left jab into a right cross, Azken wove between the blows. “You can't swing a hammer to forge steel, you can barely remember our family stories let alone enough sagas to become a bard and you certainly are not creative enough to join the engineers.” A kick caught Azken just below the knee throwing him off balance and creating a gap for Marten to tackle him to the ground. “Why you” He pinned Azken against the ground, “I spent so long trying to get father to notice me,” He punched Azken in the face, his head bashed into the stone below leaving his head stinging and skull hurting. “So why you.” He brought both hands down as if to try and dash Azken’s skull against the rocks. Azken got his arms up just in time to stop the blow before it could do any real damage. He shook the fog from his eyes,
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“I’ll leave”
“What?” Marten shifted back slightly, giving Azken enough space. He surged upwards, catching Marten’s unprotected chin with a massive left before staggering to his feet as Marten staggered back. “I’ll go to Marazek. You can have the company. I want to attend the Scribe Academy.”
“You... you want to be a scribe? I didn’t think anyone wanted to be a runescribe anymore. There’s no money nor glory in working with runes anymore.”
“It is not about the money or glory; I simply want to work with the runes.” Marten lowered his fists, confusion overtaking his anger. Azken lowered his and watched as Marten worked something out in his head.
“You leaving means I become successor no matter what. If you attend the academy we both get what we want. The only hard part will be convincing father”
“Mother also, I am sure she would be concerned about the dangers between here and Marazek.”
“Father would never sponsor the trip for his son to become a scribe. Maybe if you were to be a shieldwarden or honor guard but certainly not a scribe.
“What if I sign on to guard a caravan on the way to Marazek?”
“Perfect. You bring up the idea tonight at dinner, I will back you up. You get to go, and I get to stay without you.” He wiped some blood off his lip and extended his hand to Azken who did the same and grasped Marten’s. “That is a deal younger brother, let’s go get a drink.”
“Bowson’s Cross for dinner brother. I need you capable of speech tonight.”
“Aye, let's go pick it up.” They walked together to the market rubbing bruises and applying pressure to small cuts. The two of them split up at the central fountain. Marten went to the Ale Cellar, a prominent high end keg distributor while Azken sought out the postings board, the center for all freelance dwarf work in Haldmar. There was always work there for a dwarf with the will and skill to swing an axe or hammer far from the comforts of home. He picked through job after job looking for one which would take him north to Marazek. There was one recruiting mercenaries to serve the king’s army in a new war against another mountain city. That one would take him to Falken which was equidistant in the wrong direction. One job was recruiting guards for an expedition deep into the woods to the east of the mountain. Below that was a warning about a group of stag outriders seen in the lowlands which lead into the forests. While Azken read through job after job a young dwarf sidled up next to him with a paper in one hand and a driving hammer in the other. The dwarf couldn’t have been older than thirty as there was no visible beard. The dwarf wore a thin pair of glasses and had short red hair tucked up in a cap. The dwarf wore a traveler’s cloak which made his already small frame seem even thinner. The dwarf turned rapidly and caught Azken’s eye before he had a chance to look away. The young dwarf beamed and spoke in a slightly nasal voice. It was a young lady.
“Are you looking for a job mister? We could use a guard for our cart.”
“I am looking for a job, but only if it takes me in the right direction. Are you headed north to Marazek by chance?” Her eyes widened and a beaming smile crept onto her face,
“Yes! Papa and I are moving something... Oh, I shouldn’t say more.” Her expression rapidly turned dour, “If you want the job, I can take you to papa and you two can discuss then.”
“I think that sounds fine. Wait for me by the fountain while I tell my brother to go on without me. But before that what is your name, Mine is Azken Rafson.”
“I Am Yuria Giliusdottter, it is nice to meet you Azken.” She did a small bow and walked over to the fountain. Azken plodded over to the ale cellar to tell Marten the news. As he opened the door and went to call his brother over, there was a large crash from behind him. He turned to see the source of the noise and saw three rough-looking soldiers, one of whom was on the ground, right in front of Yuria. One of the standing ones was helping the fallen one up off the floor, the other was shouting at Yuria. Given the state of their gear compared to their new shields emblazoned with the family icon of Haldmar’s marshal it was clear that these three were former mercenaries newly signed up to fight a war. In Azken’s mind it was obvious that they had taken their commission drinking and ran out before they had enough fun. Azken made his way across the plaza and pushed his way past a ring of bystanders who had surrounded the scene. The fallen soldier had stood up while his friend continued to shout at Yuria. He walked up and grabbed her by the shoulder, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
“You know what boys,” he addressed the other two soldiers, “I think we need to teach this girly here what happens when you cross a shieldwarden of the city.” They chuckled affirmations and the soldier reached for his axe. “You never should have crossed us girly. You have nothing to blame but yourse-” He was interrupted by Azken’s hand clamping down over his mouth from behind. All three of the soldiers were big by most standards and stood a whole head above Yuria yet Azken was bigger still. He stood another head over the tallest of the three and a few inches wider. He tensed and pulled the soldier in, the muscles in his arm becoming iron cords as they dragged the soldier off Yuria. Azken twisted and pushed, placing himself between the three and the young girl. He took a fighting stance and looked past the crowd to see Marten walking out of the Ale Cellar with a barrel over his shoulder.
“You three should know better than to pick on a child.” The two soldiers on the flanks sneered and ran in to attack. Their punches were sloppy and easily avoided, Azken dipped back then leaned into a hard right, catching the right soldier in the ear and sending him crashing down onto the ground. The left soldier pulled back his fist and took another swing at Azken with the other one. He blocked the punch and tried to return one of his own. Although drunk the soldier weaved back and avoided the punch but was unable to avoid the second blow which caught him clean in the mouth. He staggered back while his friend, who had stood up, caught Azken’s arm and moved behind him. Azken twisted to try and get free before the soldier could lock down his other arm but couldn’t quite get free. As he turned, he saw Yuria a safe distance away near the circle of onlookers. He struggled against the dwarf holding his arms and lashed out with kicks against the other two soldiers who moved tantalizingly out of reach. The first one had drawn his axe and tapped the back against his palm.
“Fine, we’ll teach you instead. The girly isn't worth dying for.” He drew back his axe arm and brought the weapon down right at Azken’s head. Azken brought his elbow in hard, trapping the one holding him’s arm and bowling his shoulder forwards. He then stomped back with his right foot and dropped the now extended left shoulder pulling the unfortunate dwarf right into the path of his friend’s axe. The blade struck a sickening crunch and a gasp sounded out from the crowd; a child cried. Azken felt warm blood trickle and drip onto the back of his neck as he flung back both shoulders. The body flopped off his back and he could see the other soldier reaching for his axe. Before he could get it off his back Azken was already on the soldier with the hand axe. He barreled him over with a shoulder check then brought his full weight down with his knee on the soldier’s chest. Azken struck blow after blow targeting the prone dwarf’s head and chest. He heard a shout from his left and threw his weight at the source, hoping to bowl the last combatant over before he could get a solid swing off with the large two-handed axe. The other dwarf was ready for it, however, and twisted out of the way. Azken rolled over and popped back up to his feet, hands out and ready. They circled each other while the other soldier gasped on the ground between them, both watched for the slightest move which could give them an opening. Watching his friend die had clearly sobered the soldier up as his eyes had hardened and his grip was firm. Azken was at a disadvantage without a weapon. He eyed the hand axe on the ground next to the prone soldier and formed a plan. The standing soldier struck first, stepping forwards and swinging laterally at Azken who dove forwards, rolling under the swing by inches. He hit the ground and rolled, snatching the hand axe and bringing it up at his opponent in one fell motion. The Axe struck true into the body of the soldier, punching through his armor and biting deep into his gut. The two-handed axe clattered to the ground as its wielder fell back clutching his stomach. Azken righted himself and looked around for Yuria, she was unharmed at least. The fountain had begun to spray red blood due to the first body bleeding into it. Yuria started forwards, grabbing Azken by the hand and pulling him with her down a side tunnel and away from the market. The last thing he saw before they departed into the dark was his brother reaching out his free hand and saying something he couldn’t hear.