Sealing the deal, Eric and Phisola parted ways with the adventurers, returning to their lair. It would take more than a week for the dwarf to gather the materials and build the necessary cauldron on wheels, so Eric and Phisola agreed that they would help with the materials gathering as much as possible. And that meant they spent most of their time searching for those materials through the halls and clearings.

“That’s one fancy axe,” Eric commented, pointing at the intricately decorated axe in Phisola’s hand.

“Only a dwarf can make something so wonderfully useless,” she agreed, “I mean, sure, it looks pretty. And it’s more than obvious that whoever made this has spent moons just decorating this thing with all these fancy lines that go into and over each other and whatnot. This thing was forged like this. It’s not as if they’ve just slapped the decoration on top of an axe once it was done. But, then again, why decorate an axe like that? I just need it to chop down some wood, so all that time and effort that went into making it so beautiful was wasteful as fuck.”

“Maybe they have limited resources and small orders, so they can waste a lot of time on every individual axe?”

That made Phisola laugh, “Limited resources? There is no such thing as limited resources with dwarves when it comes to metals and ore. A lack of resources to feed everyone, that can happen. But a limited amount of ore, no way. Those guys are like moles and ants. They live to dig.”

“I just hope that dwarf making our new cauldron will be more practical about it.”

“Oh, he will take his sweet time with it, that’s for sure. But since he is an adventurer, he also knows speed is important. So, while you won’t see any intricate decorations such as these, you can bet your ass he will waste most of his time on some trivial, useless shit.”

“That’s very strange. I’d expect the dwarves to be more efficiency-oriented. Artistry isn’t the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of heavy industry.”

“That’s because normal people aren’t efficiency-oriented. Normal people enjoy life. They aren’t interested in pumping out as many axes as fast as possible.”

“That makes sense for the workers, but I’d expect their bosses to care about it. Surely, the dwarves love the gold, right?”

“Oh, the dwarves love everything shiny, but not because it’s valuable. It’s the other way around. Those things are valuable because the dwarves covet them. The dwarves will pay a mad coin for a shiny rock, and that’s what drives the price of fancy rocks up. Honestly, I don’t think jewels would cost nearly as much if the dwarves would stop buying them. And then you have the other races who are completely clueless about it all and are buying fancy, expensive stuff only because it’s fancy and expensive. Meanwhile, the dwarves truly see beauty in those things. It sounds silly, but they find the rocks’ geometry aesthetically pleasing. Very much so. Not the price tag itself, but the actual rock.”

“You know a lot about the dwarves.”

“Many dwarves are living under our demonic continent. I’ve dealt with them on many occasions.”

“They get along with you?”

“Why wouldn’t they? Dwarves are perfectly reasonable. Well … until you make them mad.”

“So … dwarves don’t mind dealing with demons?”

“Once again, why would they? Their beliefs aren’t in conflict with ours. They don’t think their beliefs are the only source of good in the world, and they aren’t preachy. If you stick to your thing, they will stick to theirs. Then you do some trade with them, and everything is fine.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Eric smiled a bit, “Ah yes … why am I not surprised that a devil hates preachy people.”

“You will start hating them too when you get wiser. It’s hard not to hate people who are not only full of shit but are also throwing it everywhere they go.”

That made him laugh, “Oh, well … as a diplomat, I learned how to tolerate it. But I have to agree with you.”

“That’s why the dwarves are decent folk! They have their beliefs, but don’t force them down your throat. They are very skilled and useful. They create wonderful things. I mean, sure, this axe I’m holding is oversmithed to high fuck, but it’s still useful for chopping small trees. It’s hard not to get along with people who are not only useful but are also accepting of others. As long as they have valuables, of course.”

“And what happens if you have no valuables?”

“They kick you out. And rightfully so.”

“So, for example, what if I’m wounded and have no valuables on me? Wouldn’t they help me?”

“Hmm … I guess they would. Dwarves are harsh but not heartless. But if you’d try to start a conversation with one of them while looking like a bum, they would kick you out upside-down.”

“So, charity is ok as long as money isn’t involved.”

“Hmm … yes, you could say that. That’s because the dwarves see valuables as the very essence of life.”

“How so?”

“Things have value for a reason. I can’t explain the dwarven philosophy to you since I’m obviously not a dwarf, but the value of something helps them determine if it’s worth their time or not.”

“And what about life? Does life have a price?”

“Of course it does! And it’s often very cheap.”

“Hmm … I see you agree with these dwarves a lot. Have you spent a lot of time with them? You said you’ve dealt with them many times, but what about spending time with them?”

“Not really … but the little time I’ve spent with them has left quite an impression on me. I really respect them as people.”

“They’ve impressed you? How?”

“You see, demons aren’t…” a look of disappointment showed up on Phisola’s face, “… demons are useless. They only think about lesser things in life. They do their jobs just to earn some coin, and as soon as they earn something, they immediately spend it all on vices.”

“Wow! I never thought I’d hear a devil complaining about that!” Eric said sarcastically.

“I don’t use other people because I hate them. I use them because they’re useless and fucking stupid. Most people are only useful when you start using them for your own benefit.”

“Ahh … let’s not go in that direction. I don’t feel like arguing.”

“Good. That’s a smart choice. But don’t worry. Even though you’re pathetic, you’re still useful. That’s why I chose to bring you back from the dead.”

“I did strike that deal with the adventurers. I don’t think you could do it on your own.”

“And that’s what I mean by being useful. You also helped me out when we fought those adventurers. I would’ve won anyway, but you did save me from a lot of hurt. Yes, devils like me love manipulating people. We do take great pleasure in doing so. But we do like justice. It’s just that our morality is far too complex for most people to understand, so it’s much easier for them to label us as evil.”

“What about you? Do you think you’re evil?” Eric stared her in the eye as he asked.

“I think I’m natural. Just as nature is neither good nor evil, neither am I. I am just me, and that’s too much for most people to understand.”

“That sounds like a deflection.”

“I do evil things sometimes, but I don’t do them just for the sake of doing evil. I don’t take pleasure in harming others, unless they deserve it.”

“Then why did you club me in the head when we first met?”

“Because you deserved it. I had no idea who I was dealing with, so I did the smart thing and played it safe.”

“Then why did you club me again when I came back to my senses? I was tied up back then.”

“And how could I know you won’t just tear those binds up? Smart people minimize the risks, and that’s what I did. Besides, you were a complete anomaly to me back then. You are the first person I’ve met who has no soul. As far as I knew, you could be some high-level mage whose magic is great enough to conceal his nature. That was a very terrifying prospect for me, so I did my best to keep myself safe until I figured out what I was dealing with.”

“Wait …” Erick looked at her with eyes full of surprise, “are you telling me you were scared of me?”

“Had I known how pathetic you are, I’d never hit you. I was fighting for dominance back then. Had I known you are such a massive pussy, I’d have no reason to fight you. After all, I didn’t hit you in quite a while. I hope you realize that.”

“Yeah, well … that is true.”

“It also helps that you’ve proven your worth … as meager as it is. In other words, I recognize that you aren’t completely useless.”

She shook her head slightly, “But that’s enough of it. I don’t want you getting any funny ideas.”